Work Text:
Venti considers himself a distinguished individual.
That is to say, Venti considers himself to be distinguished from the general population of Mondstadt. It’s not as though all of those wondrous subjects of his will ever get to see the sight he’s being gifted with currently.
Xiao, the Vigilant Yaksha, the Golden-Winged King, the insert-revering-name-here, is smiling. Smiling.
Is Venti aware he’s posed at the table like a lovesick puppy? Yes. Does he care? No, it’s rather unimportant right now, if you ask him. That means Yanfei can kindly stop elbowing him now. Venti would send some wind her way right now if he could be bothered from his position of capturing the lovely sight in front of him. Honestly, some people are so rude. Speaking of,
“Aw, look at the little baby! He’s in looooo-” Hu Tao is silenced with a lovingly applied slap to the shoulder, given generously by one (entirely too amused) Ningguang. Venti curses the idiot that invited them to Mondstadt, which, surprisingly, was not him this time. No, he’d learned they didn’t deserve that honor after a rather unfortunate day a month ago.
He still doesn’t know where the cat headband came from.
Anyways, back to the important matter at hand. Xiao is smiling. And Venti is the reason. Zhongli could kill him then and there and he’d be happy. He might, actually, no thanks to that forsaken harbinger he’s been snogging recently. Yeah, Venti knows he’s definitely banging the chaotic ginger. Venti has the honor of knowing all the gossip in his city, the wind absolutely does snitch, and he milks it for all it’s worth.
Why is Xiao smiling? Great question that Venti’s already forgot. See, Venti has a habit of bringing alcohol with him everywhere - it’s why he was nicknamed the ‘wine god’ by Beidou the last time they crossed paths. This habit of his tends to infect others, which is why Xiao is almost certainly a little warmed by the dandelion wine currently spread about the bar.
Diluc can glare all he wants, Venti refuses to turn his attention from the glory that is Xiao’s smile. For such an illusive sighting, it looks like an accident that it showed up on the yaksha’s face. Venti can only recall two other times he’s seen the thing in the flesh, and yes he says flesh because the god has 100% commissioned Albedo to paint it multiple times in the past.
Safe to say, the Chief Alchemist is decidedly well acquainted in the looks of the elusive yaksha. Especially for someone who’s never seen him.
Venti may have a problem.
The problem is the adorable look the Anemo vision bearer wears across the table. Venti contemplates inviting Albedo to one of their gatherings at the tavern just so he can get an in - the - moment painting of the sight.
Gods, he’s so fucking gone for this beauty.
The corners of Xiao’s mouth quirk up just the slightest, small pearly white fangs slipping out just the barest bit. White teeth rest just above flawless skin, only grazing the sensitive surface as the yaksha grins almost imperceptibly. His golden eyes crinkle the slightest at the corners and his red makeup blends smoothly with the wine flush he sports, the lighting of the tavern giving him a heavenly glow to boost his already ethereal beauty.
Teal hair pools at the yaksha’s shoulders, two long bunched strands escaping the tie he’s pulled the rest of his choppy hair into. Lighter streaks highlight and frame his face perfectly, drawing Venti’s gaze from plush lips up to the minute glimpses of peaked ears that poke out from the tangle of blue and teal depths that shift with each movement of the yaksha. Barbatos is delighted to see they’re tinged with the same flush the rest of his body is dusted with. Venti wants to tell Barbatos to shut up with his stupid possessive streak, but he can’t find the energy to disagree with him. Each and every part of the yaksha is beautiful, something both Venti’s kind and unforgiving side can agree upon.
Venti could drown in his allure, he swears. He’s found himself doing it before. Drawn in by the silk smooth fluidity Xiao exudes with each breath. Stars themselves drift from the heavens to dance in his eyes, to alight each drop of liquid gold with sparkles and light. Thick eyelashes flutter in the breeze created by the crowd around them, matching in their inky darkness with the slit pupils decorating the starry backdrop of Xiao’s eyes.
The god almost wants to get offended at his own eyes for daring to blink, taking his gaze off the yaksha for even a moment should be illegal. As always, Venti is alerted to the fact that he has stared for too long by the glare he can feel digging into his back. Giving a short, suffering sigh, he drags his gaze apart from Xiao and to the librarian carefully reminding him that staring is rude and impolite to impose upon someone.
Lisa gives him a pitying look and mouths, “You holding out alright or do you need Jean to intervene and start talking diplomatic strategies?”
“The day I discuss ‘diplomatic strategies’ is the day I stop sending suitors to Master Diluc.”
“Gods - is that why Donna was searching for ways to bury bodies last week?”
“Mayhaps.”
Venti sends a cheeky grin her way, and declares the conversation over by turning back to his important studies. His master plan of watching Xiao all night is quickly stomped into pieces by the arrival of one 11th Harbinger and one Former Archon of Liyue.
For whatever reason, the aforementioned pain in his ass who is aptly known as Childe has grown unnecessarily attached to the adeptus, and now Venti can’t go hardly a few minutes gazing longingly at Xiao without finding himself getting dragged away by the stupid ginger. He hates this fucking family.
What good is his Archon-hood if he can’t even use it to pine after his one love and dearest prickly cactus of a yaksha? Barbatos scowls at the wimpy chopstick failure as he makes eye contact, and Venti allows a little of his scorn to come clear through his eyes.
Of course, the brainless thing ignores it with a wide smile and makes his way to the yaksha sitting across from him, innocently unaware of the impending danger. While Venti knows Xiao is anything but innocent, he absolutely cannot allow this transgression to go unacknowledged.
So, with fierce determination and disdain bubbling up from his gut, Venti stands from his seat, shoots an apologetic look towards the group he was dining with - mainly Xiao, though - and hustles to intercept the harbinger. He walks none too subtly into his target, using a fraction of his leftover Archon reserves and relishing in the ‘umph’ that Childe lets out upon impact.
Venti, of course, only laughs and places his hands warningly on the others’ arms.
“Kiddo, how great to see you here! In Mondstadt. In my beloved city. Right here.”
Childe laughs, and the Archon takes great enjoyment in the hint of annoyance he catches in the sound.
“Ah, hello again, bard! I had thought I had told you it’s Childe, not Kiddo.”
“Yes, well, I had thought I said I would trip you the next time I saw you in my city, champ.”
“Barbatos.”
“Ajax.”
Finally, a reaction. Childe flinches and tenses beneath his grasp, which he’s only now aware has been growing tighter with each word out of the man's mouth.
“What business have you in my city, Harbinger? Surely you need not steal my knosis again? I assure you, it was gone the first time.” ‘Just like you should’ve been,’ he thinks, bitterly keeping it to himself.
“I was only checking up on Xiao - Xiao here, had to make sure no nasty creeps were lurking on him, you know?”
“Like you?”
Childe grits his teeth and looks about a moment away from stabbing Venti right there before Zhongli gives a long-suffering sigh from beside them, reminding Venti of his presence.
“Oh, and welcome, Mister Zhongli! I’d forgotten you were even here!” Venti gives a light laugh at his own words, tone airy but gaze anything but.
“Barbatos. Control yourself, please.”
“Bold words coming from the one who’s fucking the Fatui.”
Oh, that seemed to alight something in the funeral parlour consultant’s temper. He stood stiff and Venti could practically feel the desire to call down a meteor and end this talk radiate from him.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get to attempt deicide tonight, as just as he opened his mouth to fire back what would likely be a scathing retort about alcoholics or ignoring ones problems or something stupid like that, Beidou - Venti’s savior, he’d have to get her the good bourbon now - stepped into the bubble of spite the three of them had created to in their conversation and spoke first.
“Bard, daddy issues is scowling like a bitch who caught his dog fuckin the cat and insisitin’ you start singin’ before he ‘rips out your vocal chords and uses them to pay your tab’. His words, not mine, I’da been more creative with the threat.”
Sending one last Barbatos fueled glare towards the newlyweds - and wasn’t that a treat Venti couldn’t wait to bite into - Venti turned and laughed, clapping Beidou on the shoulder before he ambled to his stage.
Venti didn’t need a platform, he had the wind to guide his voice far as he wanted it to go, but he liked the theatrics of it too much to resist snatching the spotlight in the tavern to himself as he practically pranced onstage.
The first thing he did upon reaching the center was find Xiao’s eyes in the crowd. An easy feat, considering they were the only ones that glowed like the precious jewels the traveler brought Venti from time to time. All at once, Venti felt all his earlier tension flood out of him, replaced with familiar adoration. His breath got knocked out of his lungs as he made eye contact with the yaksha, leaving his body to join Venti’s spirit in heaven. He watched as the adepti’s eyes tracked him as he moved about the platform, ever vigilant.
Stars above, he’d of died from lack of oxygen six times over by now if he needed it at all. Worst of all, he couldn’t even blame his traitorous lungs for evacuating all air from them. He’d leave the stupid things himself if he was just a breeze, if only to draw nearer to Xiao. The adeptus flushed more prominently and his gaze flitted to the side, ears twitching in embarrassment, but it took Venti far too long to know why. Without knowing it, he’d begun to sing;
“Oh love, oh darling,
You haven’t a clue of my devotion
Of my single aspiration,
To be and draw near to you,
Oh it would make me swoon
Oh sweetheart, I love too much for these stars,
They can’t contain the feel of knowing you’ll join me
In heart and matrimony,
Each night, oh how I long for you by my side,
To feel your hand in mine,
Now and forever
I hope you’ll never realize,
Just what I’d do, to ensure you never feel alone without me, dear,”
Venti felt the words flow from his mouth with ease, an unstoppable tide of emotion drifting slowly to shore. Halfway through, his eyes had slipped closed and he’d begun smiling like a fool, rocking back on his heels to sway in tune with the song.
When he opened them, he never wanted to shut them again.
Xiao was staring at him, those crystalline eyes trained on him, and Venti had never felt so worshipped in his life. He’d always known he would never be able to leave his yaksha’s side, but nothing had ever felt so solid as it did now, as he glided off the platform to the faint sound of cheers.
Were they faint, or was the roaring in his ears just that loud? Who cared - because it certainly wasn’t Venti, who had at last reached the adeptus’s side and was drawing in a breath to spill his heart at his feet, promise eternal devotion and a lifetime of comfort if only Xiao would -
“I love you,”
And with that, he was being pulled into a fierce embrace and his lips were finally on those plush ones he’d been fantasizing about and he was slipping deeper and deeper into that well of warmth that’d been threatening to swallow him whole the entire night.
Yeah, Venti knew he’d never leave.