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“Venti?”
You placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, and tucked some loose strands of hair behind his ear.
“Mhm...?” The boy didn’t open his eyes, instead he grabbed your hand and squeezed it.
“Did you sleep?” you asked, smiling. The gentle breeze played with your hair, bringing the faint scent of Cecilia’s with it. Windrise smelled like Venti.
He nodded, and you started stroking his dark hair rhythmically, feeling how smooth it was under your fingers.
“I love you a lot”, Venti mumbled, and moved so his head rested in your lap. Your cheeks turned pink at his words, and your heart pounded.
Venti opened his eyes, his round cheeks painted faint red. “I love you so much”, he repeated, making you blush even more. You avoided his gaze, and wanted to tell him how much you loved him too, but you just couldn’t find the words.
Instead, you looked at the sunset, how the sky was painted pink and orange and yellow all at once.
Soon, you’ll have to leave him, and you felt your chest tighten, sadness filling you as the thought of being separated from Venti gripped around your heart, and making tears form in your eyes.
“Y/n”.
You looked down at the boy with the head in your lap, and you rubbed your eyes, trying not to cry.
“It’s okay”. The usual mischievous smile was gone from his face, and a more sad one had taken it’s place.
You nodded, and tried to smile, but failed. Instead, you sighed, and parted your lips to say something, but Venti was faster.
“It’s bothering you, isn’t it?” he asked, and you couldn’t do anything but nod again.
“You’re still here. You’ll be here tomorrow, and the day after that. And the day after that day again. We have...” Venti hesitated a bit, but soon continued, “...loads of time”.
“It’ll only be a glimpse to you”.
Venti’s smile faded into a sorrowful expression, making you regret what you just said. His turquoise eyes shone with pain.
He raised his hand and stroked your cheek lightly, and when a lonely tear fell from the corner of your eye, he gently wiped it away.
You stayed like that for a while. The only sound was the wind’s whispering, carrying the couple’s sorrows away with it.
Venti got up and sat so he could look directly into your eyes. He grimaced, something that looked like a smile, but still not fully one.
“I don’t want the days we have together to always end up like this, sad. Time didn’t matter to me, Y/n”, Venti smiled, and held your gaze. “It didn’t, until I met you”.
You couldn’t help but laugh, for this was way too cliche.
“Don’t laugh! I have to say this”, Venti squawked. You covered your mouth and nodded, still chuckling behind your hand. Venti never failed to make you smile.
“Time didn’t matter - until I met you. Listen, Y/n. I’m concerned every day, scared of that terrible day where you’re not by my side anymore. I wish we could stay like this forever...” Venti looked up, and sighed. “But we can’t”.
You followed his gaze, and saw a falcon circling over you, up there. It stood out with its brown feathers, and you easily spotted it.
Venti’s sudden seriousness surprised you. You were usually the serious one, while he only joked around and teased.
You looked at Venti again. Oh, how you wanted this moment to freeze in time, and never end.
The boys’ blue-tipped braids danced in the wind, and a smile was on his lips when he met your gaze again.
“Even Venessa watches over you”, he said. You didn’t really understand what he meant, but you returned his loving smile.
A moment passed by, before Venti leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on your lips. You returned it willingly, feeling the sweet taste of Cecilia, with the faint bitterness of alcohol from him.
After a while, Venti gently pushed you away. You immediately missed his warmth as he stood up.
“There’s something I want to show you”, he said and held out a hand to you. You took it, and a sudden strong wind lifted you both up, a shout escaping your lips as you floated in the air.
Venti didn’t release your hand, instead he held even tighter, and you shut your eyes, missing the solid ground already.
You landed on one of the big tree branches that belonged to the big tree at Windrise, the “Symbol of Mondstadt’s Hero”, which Venti told you was its name.
“You can open your eyes now”.
Slowly, you did as he said, and gasped at the sight that met you.
You sat on one of the biggest tree branches, high above the ground, the leaves rustling in the wind around you and the sound of the brook under you.
But that wasn’t all. From up here, you could see everything. The sea on one side, and the mountains on the other. How the sun disappeared behind the trees, the sky painted gold and pink...
You shifted your gaze over to Venti. He smiled widely, and you could see yourself in his big turquoise eyes. You felt at peace, satisfied, strong feelings nestling in your chest as you slowly blinked.
“I’ll...” You were unsure about how to express your happiness so he would understand. “I’ll cherish this moment for... for forever”.
Venti smiled even bigger, and leaned onto your shoulder.
“Let’s watch the sunset together”.