Work Text:
sitting atop starsnatch cliff aether could feel the sharpness of grass tickling his naked waist as he settled to sit with his legs hanging. a sliver of breeze went past him, swaying his hair like a lover asking for a dance. aether chuckled as he watched blonde streaks twirling against the night sky, grazing against his cheeks before sighing when he was once met with a trancing quietness.
despite being one of the highest places in mondstadt, the winds here are peculiarly calm. maybe it has a lot to do with the cliff being a certain wind-borne deity's most favored place, faint humming of a forgotten archaic tune of the moons floating amidst the clouds. speak of the devil, aether caught a whiff of cecilia surrounding him, almost caressing his face, dwelling him in its warm embrace. a familiar green cape adorned by white embellishments fluttered into his line of sight quirking aether's lips upwards; the wind god has once again graced him with his presence, and aether reveled in the glow of anemo — gloved fingers stretching out to intertwine with paler ones, earning a giggle from the descended divine kneeling before him.
"by what chance does this traveler appear, is he seeking for anyone dear?" venti sing-sung while sporting one big grin upon his lips as aether guided him to sit closer.
"venti, you know that rhyming is not my forte," aether chuckled, gold of the stars meeting the blue of the skies. venti gazed on him tenderly, still holding on to aether's hand. "you haven't answered my question, traveler. what are you here for?" he asked. aether looked down for a while, cheeks flushing to resemble that of ripe apples' red as he mumbled a small "i missed you," followed by a shy glance. "i've been missing you too." venti answered, voice as soft as the pale moonlight glowing upon their skin. "it's been quite a while."
"yeah," the traveler agreed upon a whisper, and venti's mind wandered. if only aether had caught on what a while meant for the god. if only he'd remember a story that belonged to hundreds of years ago, of the nights spent sitting by the palms of a statue perched upon mondstadt's plaza; of golden wings entangling with white feathery ones and of timid farewells they exchanged on a cold night deprived from the lights of the stars — maybe then he would understand just how much he meant. he was all that venti had prayed for upon these cecilia adorned cliffs, he was what the stars had given to answer the winds' yearnings.
"say, venti, do you think that i will ever be able to understand the truth of this world?" aether asked, voice tinged with sadness. "my sister… i met her, she told me that she had seen everything and that i'd have to do the same." the corners of his lips quirked up to a bitter, sodden smile. "it changed everything. i guess the journey will only get tougher from this point."
to skies above, to stubborn stones; to surging seas and stars beyond
venti remembered it all too well. he knew that someone must heal the hurts of the world, and thus someone needed to find a way to communicate with them. the sky filled with stars could not speak, and yet it donned teyvat with its beings — a twin blessed by divine forces, eyes colored by stellar hues. but they came in turbulent times, so they bid their goodbyes — leaving the anemo god to be. five hundred years later while he was tending to a poisoned dvalin, he felt a familiar presence sneaking on him, blonde braided hair swaying with the winds as the culprit attempted to flee.
"aether…," was all that venti could say. even when aether's power was taken away, he still exuded the language of the stars; warm, golden and almost twinkling, unfitting of his humane appearance. "come close," venti said, wrapping his arms around the traveler before pulling him into a hug. "my warrior," he whispered, "you've worked so hard." an inevitable surge of suffocating wistfulness filling his lungs, bitter as it reached his throat. aether huffed, answering the embrace with a peck on venti's right cheek. "you smell nice," aether murmured, voice drowned by the bard's clothes. "eh, do i not reek of wine?" venti asked. "well that you do, but it's pleasant."
after that came silence, with both beings drowning in each other's warmth.
even if the stars of teyvat were a hoax and even if aether was never meant to become the healer of this world — nothing mattered, venti thought to himself. "you're the brightest star that i've ever seen," he said, each words filled with fond reverence for the celestial body in his arms.
"mmm… then you're the best archon that i've ever met," aether answered. "silly, you've still got four more of them to meet!" venti's high pitched voice ruptured through the air. the traveler giggled, phosphorescent against the night sky — glowing as one with the distant stars above. "oh, divine beings!" aether said, laughter reverberating through every syllables. "each of them are complicated, in their own ways," he continued. "except for you, though."
huh. of course venti was already used to this claim, but the reason behind aether being the one to say it has irked his curiosity. "care to elaborate?" venti asked, amused. "you're very complicated... your words are nearly always layered that it made me wonder, what is it that you're hiding from me?" aether's eyes glinted with something akin to somber loneliness, a look one would sport when faced with things and events beyond comprehension with only the passing time as an answer. "yet somehow your goals are always the same; for the good of your people and for the good of those you hold dear."
"you value friendship and love, but above all you value freedom the most." aether continued, drawing patterns upon the back of venti's hand with his thumb. "nothing would occur without freedom being granted for it. the wonders of all beings lie in how they would act when they were freed, after all. even when the freedom given was limited."
"you're a peculiar god." aether said. "divine in your ways."
venti could feel his heart swelling. "aether," he opened his palm. cecilia flower materializing upon it. "i haven't answered your question regarding whether or not will you be able to understand the nature of this world, have i?" he said, tucking aether's blonde strands of hair behind his ears. "i can only command my winds to guide you but everything else will be left undecided." the cecilia rested perfectly well on aether's ear, white and green above gold. "my blessings be with you, my love, for this is all that i can do… may destiny work in your favor.”
when dawn arose the anemo archon had captured the traveler's lips against his, hands cupping the softness of aether's cheeks. destiny is unmoved by mighty spears or iron knuckles but is woven by love and dreams. by passion and desires, by what a heart believes in. whether or not will aether's journey end in happiness is up for the destiny to decide, so in this moment, he'll hold his stellar lover dear — pretending that the both of them were just their names, nothing more.