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Venti could proudly say, as an Archon, he never got overly-attached to any of his crushes throughout the centuries. After all, they would all leave him eventually and he didn’t need that kind of heartbreak. So, one could assume he never got jealous over anything or anyone. But there’s always a first time for everything.
Or, rather, a first two times for everything.
Yes, Venti got jealous a total of two times in his life and both involved a certain redheaded rich boy and Darknight Hero. Who would have thought, right?
The first time was when the two of them had been captured by Cicin Mage from the Fatui. She had them bound in rope, intending no doubt to kill them off after she was done patting herself on the back for her accomplishment.
However, before that, she had stripped them both of their shirts intending to search for anything of value she could give back to her master. Venti was first, and he had nothing on him, not a scrap of mora, though that was to be expected. Diluc went next and the mage seemed to forget the original purpose of removing their shirts the moment she saw Diluc’s body.
“Well, well, well.” she said tapping her chin with her index finger. “What a handsome man I’ve captured.”
As she ran her hands over Master Diluc’s topless form, Venti was struck by an intense emotion. At first he thought it was because of the obvious: Master Diluc was topless, an uncontrollable red flush painting his usual stoic face as his eyes darted away from the mage. His disheveled red hair did nothing to hide the red marks left by the rope that bound his hands or his abs.
But this emotion was not a pleasant one despite a shirtless Master Diluc being a pleasant image.
Venti soon realized the great pit forming in his stomach was due to the mage herself; the way she felt Diluc up left a sour taste in Venti’s mouth. He wanted to shove her away, to show her no mercy, and that’s when he realized he was jealous. Oh, no. No, no, no. He swore internally. Jealousy was one of the signs of attachment and he could not get attached to Diluc. No way, no how.
“Maybe I should keep you as a pet?” the mage mused. Venti felt his patience snap in half. Summoning a gale of winds, he quickly overpowered the mage with his Archon fight while Diluc burned away at his ropes with his pyro power. With the mage down for the count, Diluc moved to untie Venti, a blush still lingering on his cheeks.
“You couldn’t have done that earlier?”
“I was enjoying the view.”
If Venti hadn’t been in such a bad mood, he might have noticed that Diluc’s blush deepened slightly. And if he was smart, he might have realized Diluc was blushing not because the mage had been feeling him up but because both he and Venti were shirtless and to Diluc… that was a very intimate thing.
But Venti was neither smart nor in a pleasant mood so both of these facts slipped past his notice.
The second time Venti got jealous, he was strolling through Mondstadt, humming a new tune, when he noticed Master Diluc a short distance away. Instantly, Venti’s heart soared and he thought of calling out the wine master’s name. But he stopped short when he noticed Diluc wasn’t alone.
The traveler stood across from him and the two exchanged words before they shortly departed. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was Diluc’s expression. It was so soft and so tender so not like any of the faces Diluc made at Venti. The jealousy hit Venti like a sucker punch to his stomach and he turned swiftly on his heels, marching away from Diluc, just as the redhead had noticed him standing there.
That night, Venti spent his time drinking his sorrows away at a different bar than Angel’s Share. His cheeks were rosy and thoughts hazy but his mood only continued to sour as the night drew on. During the peak drinking hours, someone slid into the seat across from Venti. He kept his eyes on his glass, a pout on his face.
“Venti.”
That voice… it couldn’t be…
“Master Diluc!?” Venti’s head shot up, nearly jumping out of his seat. Sure enough, the redhead was across from him, looking equally as displeased as the Anemo Archon. Although displeased wasn’t the right word. It was more like Diluc was pouting, his cheeks puffed out in anger as he avoided eye contact with Venti.
“You didn’t come to Angel’s Share.” Diluc stated. It almost sounded like Diluc was missing Venti’s usual presence at his bar. But that couldn’t be right… could it?
“I…” Venti wasn’t sure how to respond. What could he say? He saw Diluc smile at the traveler and was too jealous and pissed to face him? Admitting that was basically a death wish. But even so, maybe because of the alcohol swimming around in his senses, he ended up blurting out, “I missed you, though.”
Diluc’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned nearly as red as his hair. Venti’s hand flew up to cover his big, stupid mouth. Before he could make a break for it and take another five hundred year long nap until the embarrassment died away, Diluc mumbled, “Then come back.”
Maybe if Diluc was smarter he would have realized the reason Venti was so upset was because he was jealous.
Maybe if Venti was smarter he would have realized there was nothing for him to be jealous of in the first place.
Unfortunately, neither of them were. Because why would they be? I mean, the phrase is idiots in love, after all.
But seriously, someone help them. Paimon’s hair is turning gray-er by the second watching this mess.