Archive of Our Own

“My greatest wish? It has always been to roam free and experience the whole world. Now, I would add that wherever I go, it simply must be with you.”

Those were the words that he said as the two of them lay side by side on the breezy peak of Starsnatch Cliff, white cecilias sprouting around their frames, the moonlight landing on their skin.

She remembered looking at him. At the stars, not the ones in the sky, but the ones reflected in his eyes. “Why me?” 

He turned to look at her, the sweetest smile tugging at his lips. “Because I’ll be happy as long as I’m with you. The world is lovelier… and livelier when you're around," he brushes away a lonely strand of hair from her face. "I wonder if that’s your secret ability, hm? Turning everything you touched into something magical.”

“You’re exaggerating. That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Is love supposed to make sense?”

Easily, all-too easily, he took the words right off her mouth. Took her hand in his and brushed his soft lips along her palm before pressing it to his own reddening cheek. 

“Is it, Lumine?”

“...No,” she finally answered with a voice no louder than a whisper, as if afraid she’d break this fragile, intimate haze between them. “No, it’s not supposed to.”

Venti smiled, closing the gap between them. Gently pressing his lips on her forehead. 

“Then let me love you, in ways that are both logical and illogical. In ways that are way beyond any reasoning, no man could ever hope to understand it.”

Easily, all-too easily, he swept her off her feet. And Lumine, though she had known many languages that were spoken in different universes, different worlds, still found herself at a loss of words. 

So when words failed her, she let action speak. Warm fingers cupped his cheek and she dived in, meeting him in a kiss so soft, so loving, the moon itself shyly hid her face at the sight of it.

She thinks of that confession often. Finds it quite amusing how someone who is so revered as the God of Freedom desires something that is so… confining. Quite like being tethered, if you put it bluntly. A complete opposite of freedom and wind itself, is it not?

Yet she still thinks of it. In the quiet moments during the day, or as she lay on her bed waiting for sleep to come. She thinks of it, wondering if he still feels the same even as her days in Teyvat stretched from months to years. 

"Must we always go pick cecilias every time we're somewhere close to Starsnatch Cliff?" 

Aether's voice is flat as he lays down on the grasses, meanwhile his twin sister is busy running around the meadow, searching for the freshest, prettiest cecilias she can find. 

"It's Venti's favorite flower." Is her only reply. It sounds distracted, clearly she hasn't been paying her brother any attention. 

The older twin doesn’t look impressed. “I know. I knew it before you did, mind you,” he answers, albeit a little quiet because it alludes to his own past. The days of his adventure before she woke up, the days before Khaenri’ah met its demise, before the abyss. Aether sighs. “Of all the archons you just had to pick him.”

This time, Lumine turns to look at him, a small smile ghosting on her lips. “Oh, brother, you’re such a child," she laughs, plucking one fresh cecilia from the ground and gently runs her finger along the soft petals. "...You’ll understand when you fall in love."

He smiles at that. A somber one. It seems that… both of them have changed during their long years of separation. Aether remembers their long journey, the worlds they visited and the people that came and went, as fleeting as the shooting stars across the sky when compared to the long lives they have lived.

He remembers Lumine, leaving her mark on everyone she met, pulling them into her embrace, yet never once giving them their heart.

Yet now, here she is. His little sister, openly admitting her love for the Anemo Archon.

Quietly, he studies her. Watching as she pins her gaze at the silhouette of Mondstadt City in the distance. Golden eyes tracing the faint lines of the cathedral and the spinning windmills. Golden eyes filled with longing. 

“I’m going to miss this place when we leave.” the words leave her mouth in a hushed voice. So quiet that even the wind itself probably fails to hear it.

Faintly, Aether recalls the conversation they shared a few weeks before, where she asked him a question he never expected. Not from her, at least.

Lumine, his bright little sister who never looked back, had asked him if they could stay just a little bit longer in this strange little world. Stay for a while instead of leaving right away. 

“It seems that… I have gotten a bit too attached and I would like to enjoy it a little more before we leave. Enjoy the peace.”

In the past, he had always been the one who asked her to stay.

"Of course," he replied back then. “You’re not the only one who has gotten too attached with this place, you know.”

She laughs and it sounds like tinkling bells. “I know. Why else would you avenge an entire nation, if it is not because of love?”

The wind blows, gently pulling him away from his reverie. 

“You know you can stay.” 

Lumine flinches. A frustrated sigh escapes her lips. “This again?” she puts the flower back in her basket, tension following her movement.

That had been his reply to her request, and Lumine shut it down immediately. Home is wherever she and Aether are together. It has been like that and will forever stay like that. Nothing will change it.

“The reason for our journey is to find a new home and rebuild it. Noone ever said anything about staying once it’s been fulfilled.” he replies in amusement, much to her frustration, because he has been parroting this reply for quite some time. 

Stubborn brother, why is he being so difficult?

“Aether, I can’t leave you. That's absurd. Home is wherever we are together." 

She refuses to think about anything else. She refuses. 

Silence falls over them for a moment and she knows Aether is probably reevaluating his strategy so he can push through this stalemate. In her heart, Lumine desperately wishes he’d give up. 

“I know. It has been like that for a looong, long time,” he speaks up and she begins to feel dread. “But, Lumine, this is the first time I see you admitting your love for someone. And you did it so adorably, too. There’s no doubt there, nor hesitation. Only sureness and honesty.”

Lumine sighs. It sounds like a sob. “Please don’t bring Venti into this discussion…” 

“But you love him, Lumine. As much as I regret that it just had to be him, out of all people,” Aether still has the audacity to laugh and joke. “And he loves you, too. Gods, in all the times I knew Venti in the past, I never expected someone like him could ever commit. But he did.”

She closes her eyes tightly. As if by doing so, she’s able to block his voice, yet all it does is take her back in time. Venti’s visage appearing in her mind. Pressing his lips into the palm of her hand. 

“I’ll be happy as long as I’m with you.”

All this time, when she thinks of the future, it has always been the completion of her and Aether’s journey. A glorious civilization rising back from the dead. That is their destination. The end to their beginning.

And yet she went off-course. And now she’s swayed. The red line of her route fading into black. Lumine doesn’t know if that’s a crime or a saving grace.

While she’s fighting her own uphill battle, Aether has already taken her hand. Squeezing it. “Do you realize that we’ve spent most of our lives as nomads? That all this time, we only have each other?”

“You know we have to…”

“Then, have we truly lived at all?” he asks and she is rendered speechless. 

That is a question she’s not yet ready to unpack.

“I know you, Lumine. You have always been so strong, so resilient. The one who pushed another pin into our map and kept us going. You never let yourself be held back. You never regret, never look back as you said goodbye,” Aether fills her silence. “And yet just a few weeks ago you asked me if we could stay a little longer.”

Before him, Lumine fiddles with the hem of her skirt, head ducked shyly, no doubt to hide the redness that has spread across her cheeks. Aether lets her be.

“We have said too many goodbyes in our lives, so when you’ve finally found a reason to stay, it is alright to hold onto it tightly.”

Her gaze rises, from her own fingers to meet him. She's vulnerable. The most delicate he has ever seen. 

"But then what about you?"

"Come on, you're asking me as if we don’t have any superpowers?" Aether's eyes form crescents as he laughs. "I'll come visit. And who knows, maybe by then, I'll have my own life, too. Set up that library I've always dreamed of, filled with things and knowledge from our travels… and maybe someday you can visit me, too. Besides, take this as… an apology, for everything I put you through while I was in the abyss."

This time, Lumine finally laughs along with him and Aether takes it as a win. “I guess you’re right. You did give me a very hard time.”

“I am right. You may be the strongest, but I have always been the smartest.”

They laugh again and their voices reverberate in the air. Gently, he rubs her head. A subtle pang of sadness surges through him as he remembers the two inteyvats he put in her hair. The flowers have wilted a long time ago, when she finally set foot in the ruins of Khaenri’ah. 

“We finish our journey first,” Lumine says, more to herself than to him. “For our people. For everyone back home. And then…”

“And then you go back to Teyvat to settle with the love of your life and have thousand wind sprite babies.”

“Aether!” she slaps him, cheeks reddening as if she’s a prude. 

“What? I bet he wouldn’t say no to that!” he shrugs. “I mean, was that not his greatest wish? To always be with my dearest warrior!” Aether continues, dramatically imitating Venti’s husky, boyish voice.

“Stop that!” Lumine slaps him again. Multiple times until he lets out a yelp and tells her to stop. She huffs, though the annoyed expression on her face soon shifts into shy one. “Well, he used to say that… almost all the time, it’s sickening.”

Aether hums, enjoying the breeze. “You should propose to him.”

Lumine lets out an ungraceful snort. "Yeah, right. Buy some diamond rings and get down on my knees like how people here do it. Sure."

"I was thinking you could do it like how people back home do it because I have a feeling Venti will like it… but if you wanna do it like that, sure." Aether replies. 

It took half a second for her to realize he's being dead serious. 

"You're not joking," she states, blinking in confusion. "You're being completely serious."

"Yeah? Why do you sound so surprised?" Now Aether has the audacity to look even more surprised than she is. "Ooh, do you mean you don't want to marry him?"

"No! Wait, I mean—" Lumine stammers, tripping over her own words. Her own cheeks have turned bright red when she realizes what she implied and they burn even more upon noticing the smug look on Aether’s face.

“You were saying?”

"Aether, we’re talking about marriage here!” her voice rings throughout the quiet cliff, arms flailing in exasperation. “The God of Freedom getting married? It’s contradictory, don’t you think?”

Much to her dismay, her brother only shrugs. “I don’t know, Venti telling you he always wants to be with you already sounds like a proposal to me. Only… a bit vague.” he trails off, thinking hard. A moment later, as if some quiet revelation has come to him, Aether lets out a loud gasp, golden eyes widening in surprise. “Wait, Lumine, maybe he has been trying to propose to you. Venti has always been vague, always using these annoying flowery words that oftentimes made us wonder what he truly meant with that… yeah… yeah! That’s gotta be it. I knew it!”

The frown on Lumine’s forehead deepens, utterly flabbergasted by the nonsense Aether is saying. “That doesn’t make sense. You’re being completely unreasonable right now.”

“Listen, if you think about it for a moment, I’m right.” he waves her off, rubbing his chin as if he’s a detective trying to solve a difficult case. So caught up in his brooding, he gets up from his sitting position, now pacing back and forth in front of her. 

“You think marriage would be a shackle to the God of Freedom, because he’s the wind, the wind is noncommittal, so he surely would be allergic to something that requires him to commit for an entire lifetime. And he’s a god, so a lifetime is something that’s ridiculously long. And yet…”

Aether stops, turns to look at her with a triumphant smile on his face. Lumine feels it’s a bit out of place. “And yet he has been committing himself to you all this time, hasn’t he? The beloved of Anemo Archon… or whatever absurdly cheesy nickname he gives to you. And don’t forget how he keeps on reminding you, and anybody else who cares enough to listen, that all he ever wanted in his life is to be with you.”

Lumine’s heart begins to race, drumming against her chest as she lets her brother’s words sink in. She never really doubted Venti’s feelings for her. His love for her is as sure as how the wind will always blow, even when both of them know this is not something that’s meant to last.

“Does that make you worry?” she remembers him saying that. Once. His emerald eyes glowing brighter than the stars above them. “My star, if it troubles you so, then let me reassure you. To be able to love you and be loved by you is already enough for me. If there’s no ever after, then I will stay content for the rest of my life knowing that we once shared this love between us.”

Warmth swells in her breast and in her mind, she wishes he could be with her right now so she could love him. 

She imagined it. Marriage. A wedding at the cathedral, she’s wearing a flowy white gown, and he’s waiting for her at the altar. The vows. To have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, although it will probably lean more towards the poor side because he’s so terrible at managing his money. In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do they part.

“But marriage is different, isn’t it? It’s something that is so… human.” Lumine finds herself saying. 

Aether gives her an amused smile. “It is,” he muses. “And your Venti deeply loves humans.”

Silence falls over them as Lumine’s mind starts to wander. Thinking, imagining, pondering, somewhat surprised that a little hang out with her brother could result in a total change in their life plans. 

“You’d think he’d say yes?” she asks, looking up at him.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he already has prepared a poem or song to propose but never really let you hear it because he thought it would be for naught.”

“That’s oddly specific and you sound awfully confident with that.”

The blond laughs and throws his braid over his shoulder. “I told you, I know him first. So even though I didn’t spend every night shoving my tongue down his throat, I still know him a bit better than you do.”

“Aether!”

In the following days, something is beginning to shift. Venti feels it. He can hear it in the breeze, sung by the thousand wind sprites that float in the wind. They bring to him a rumor that has been spreading around town.

The word on the street is that the starborne travelers will not be leaving Teyvat after all. Instead, they’ll stay and make this world their home.

Venti brushed it off the first time he heard it, because was it not absurd? In all the time they have spent together, Lumine often made it clear how she’s not here to stay. A bigger fate beyond Teyvat is waiting for her and her brother, and this is something that Venti had come to terms with even long before he fell in love with her.

There will be no ever after and the future doesn’t exist for them. They only have the present and that is enough. 

So Venti laughed it off and told the wind to bring him better news next time, one that wasn’t so far-fetched, all the while he tries to drink away the ever-present sting on his chest. Lumine’s chapter in this world has come to an end and now he waits for the inevitable day when she bids him goodbye and embark to the sky.

Whether she returns, whether she’ll continue loving him or forget everything about him, Venti doesn’t know. One thing he knows, though, is that the memories they’ve created together is enough to make him love her until the end of time.

Yet days turned to week and the rumor didn’t cease. Instead, it flared even greater. Now he hears about it not only in the wind, but on the streets, too. All of them are talking about one thing: the golden star that saved Teyvat will continue to shine her light upon this world, no longer shooting across the sky.

And Venti, knowing how he’s always been a bit of a pining fool when it comes to Lumine, starts to waver. How tricky the mind is, even one that belongs to a god. The moment he starts to imagine all the ‘what-if’s, he cannot stop. Now his mind is filled with the ever after and the future, the ones where Lumine is there with him by his side, just like how he always wanted. It’s almost frightening, how quickly and desperately his heart begins to yearn for it. 

“Lumine?” He calls her one day, as they lay under the cool canopy of Vennessa’s Tree, where the wind blows the gentlest.

The girl turns her head, her movement as graceful as a swan and he watches as the golden strands of her hair brush against her bare shoulder.

“Yes, Venti?”

His heart picks up its pace, and for a moment, his mind drifts away. He thinks of a journey with no end. A life on the road. Or perhaps the sea. A cabin in a massive ship, rocked left and right by the endless waves. Pale, morning light filtering through the window and landing on her hair. With his eyes half closed, those blonde strands look like dripping sun rays. He calls her name and her eyes slowly flutter open. The morning is quiet and he gives her a kiss to welcome the day.

“Venti?” Lumine tilts her head, curious and amused. “You’re dozing off.”

“Sorry,” Venti turns to look at her. “I was thinking about a new idea for a poem.”

“Did you now?” an amused smile blooms on her lips and she inches closer. “What is it about?”

Naturally, his arm wraps around her shoulders and she tucks her head right underneath his chin. Venti hums, thinking of a verse while his finger draws shapeless patterns upon her skin. 

“In this world, love has no color,” he starts, voice dropping into a whisper for she’s the only one who is allowed to hear it. “Yet how deeply my body is stained by yours.”

Lumine is silent for a moment. Her hand snakes towards his chest, resting on top of his heart and feeling the steady, calming beat. Like a rhythm to a mellow song. 

“That’s a very nice verse.”

“Do you like it?”

Lumine nods. Shifting in his hold so she can look at him. “I love it.”

A soft giggle reverberates in the air as he entwines their hands together. “Good,” he presses a kiss to her forehead. “That is for you.”

Her cheeks turn red, the color of windwheel asters that bloom on the rough meadows of Stormterror’s Lair. Venti showers her with more kisses. On her eyelid, the tip of her nose, her cheek, and then her lips. Kisses her the longest there. Lumine squeals, pushing him away when she’s overwhelmed with the affection.

“Too much.” she pouts.

“Can you blame me, when I get to hold the brightest star in the universe in my arms?” he grins, loving the way she flushes even more. 

They lay there for a while. He recites her more romantic poems and she had taken the liberty in undoing his braids, tangling her fingers in the soft teal strands. Another kiss to the crown of her head, before he puts a fresh windwheel aster behind her ear. It’s almost a shame how real flowers wilt so quickly, and it doesn’t stick to her hair the way the inteyvats did. He makes a mental note to always give her flowers so she can wear it in her hair. 

“I love you.” she suddenly says, her voice quiet and soft.

It makes his heart flip, because Lumine doesn’t say it often. She has always been the one who shows her affection through action, so hearing her say it unprompted never fails to make him feel warm.

“I love you, too,” he replies, holding her gaze. “Forever.”

On colder nights, she’d flinch whenever he used the word, or any other verb that holds the same meaning. He wonders if it hurts her. He wonders if in the deepest part of her heart, she yearns for an entire lifetime with him, too. 

But Venti always stops himself before his mind goes to the dark places.

Today, Lumine hears him say the word and she smiles, gently tracing a line up his jaw, making him shiver. “Forever is a long time, Venti, even longer for a god who will not die.”

And he pouts. “Do you think that because I am the wind, my heart is fickle?” he raises his arm, motioning towards the sky and the wind blows over them, heeding his call. “Look at the wind. They seem untamed at a glance, blowing in whichever direction they please, whenever they want to. But that’s the thing, is it not? Just like how the wind will always blow, my heart will continue to love you.”

Lumine lets out a fond laugh. “Oh, Venti, you are such a sap,” she says and he wants to protest at that, but before he can utter any word, she leans in, giving him a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Well if that’s how you put it, then my love for you is like the stars above our head. Immeasurable, everlasting, and ever-present.”

Venti feels as if he could soar without wings. This is the first time she has ever expressed her love for him as something permanent. He can feel his heart twisting. A yearning that is so desperate it's almost painful. 

Nothing else, he thinks to himself as he buries his face on the crook of his lover's neck, kissing and nipping at the skin until he can feel her body twisting. I want nothing else but to be with her forever. Is that a selfish wish?

A question that is left unasked is a question that will receive no answer. But Venti is content with that. He holds her close to ward off the intrusive thoughts from his mind, tangling their body like the roots of Vennessa's Tree. 

"Should we head back now?" He asks, this time being the one who ends their intimate rendezvous instead of her. 

Lumine only holds him closer, letting her hand settle on the dip of his waist. "Let's just stay here for a little bit longer."

Stay here, for a little bit longer. Or maybe forever, together. 

Lately, she has been wondering about what her life and Venti would be like if she chose to stay here. It would undoubtedly be a very exhilarating life. They could embark on a new journey, make his dream come true by traveling together. Maybe they could fly to the edge of the sky, where nobody could ever find them, or sail to the corners of the world, finding something that has yet to be found. 

Though I've long since viewed this scenery a great many times, there is something different about seeing it again with you. 

He told her that once. A quiet conversation after a lively celebration at Angel’s Share. Such an ordinary, simplistic routine, one they’ve done a million times before. Lumine laughs at the memory, wondering if he’s aware that, in her eyes, his presence makes the world look brighter. Beauty in things that are significant and insignificant.

She feels reckless, like a besotted mortal who has abandoned all rhyme or reason, for making such a life-altering decision on a whim. Lumine had a plan. It was one that she had been following for years, one that had become her purpose and the goal she’d been trying to achieve. Now, the goal has changed. Once, she imagined her future to be a mirror of the past she had lost. Now, her future is different, slightly unforeseeable and a bit daunting, but that’s what makes it charming.

The preparation took five months, slightly longer than she would’ve liked and Lumine is thankful Venti isn’t asking anything about her… extended stay in Teyvat, because she really wants it to be absolutely perfect. Venti often makes himself content with the barest minimum, but she won’t allow that. Not this time.

Now she sits at the highest peak of Starsnatch Cliff. A white blanket spread underneath her, with green grasses and white cecilias sprouting along its edges. Before her are the food and the drinks, two bottles of Dawn Winery’s finest Dandelion Wine, one is carefully mixed with Snezhnayan Fire Water, just the way Venti likes it. 

She has prepared him a song and a gift, because she knows people in Mondstadt propose with a ring. But neither she and Venti are mortals, and worldly treasures mattered little to them, so instead of a diamond ring, Lumine has prepared something else.

And then, in a few hours, the sky above them will light up. There will be a meteor shower tonight, the brightest one, as predicted by Mona a few months ago. And then, afterwards, she’ll sing him a song… and ask him the question. 

Her heart flutters, anticipation lapping at her skin as she tries not to ponder about what his answer would be. Oh, heavens, no. If she thinks about it too much, she’s afraid she’s going to abandon everything, race down this cliff and run home with her tails tucked between her legs.

So she better not think about—

A strong gust of wind blows, breaking her chains of thought, bringing with it a teal light that glows so bright Lumine has to close her eyes. The breeze is cool against her skin, effortlessly soothing her frenzied nerves, and then slowly, she feels a ghost of touch around her jaws and a warm sensation on her back.

Venti wraps his arms around her shoulders, embracing her from behind. The air turns sweet in his presence and she immediately relaxes into his touch.

“I’m here, my firefly.” his soft lips brush against the shell of her ear, and Lumine can feel her body shivering from the sensation. 

Smiling, she turns her head, meeting him in a kiss. He lets out an appreciative hum at that, running his hand down her back and settles on her waist.

“Hey, you.” Lumine grins, unable to resist giving another kiss on the tip of his nose.

Venti preens, letting out a cute giggle. “Hello to you, too.”

Easily, he plops down beside her and Lumine takes the liberty of resting her head on his shoulder. It feels nice. She loves how his soft braid tickles her cheek. 

“I see you’ve prepared something really fancy, what’s the occasion?” Venti asks as he examines the assortment of food and drinks that are presented before him.

Lumine averts her gaze, playing with the strand of her golden hair. “Does it have to be a special occasion for me to set up a fancy date for the two of us?”

Venti doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he frowns, picking up one wine bottle and sniffs it before letting out a loud gasp. When he turns to look at her, his eyes are shining.

“Lumi, this is Dawn Winery’s finest Dandelion Wine, mixed with Snezhnayan Fire Water. This isn’t something you can buy on a whim, I know it. You have to pre-order it six months prior because the Fire Water needs to be shipped directly from Snezhnaya to preserve the strong taste,” he starts to ramble passionately. “So this is definitely a special occasion. You’ve got something up your sleeve, don’t you?”

She lets out a laugh. Cute. He’s too cute. 

“First of all, you only need a month. Diluc has been lying to you so you won’t rob him blind.” Lumine answers, trying hard not to laugh when she sees his flabbergasted expression.

“He what!?” he whines, looking immensely hurt. “This is… this is blasphemy!”

“Honestly, Venti, with how you drink, I don’t blame him.”

“No, Lumine, you have to blame him. Listen, he knows that I am the Anemo Archon Barbatos. He also knows that the Anemo Archon Barbatos was the one who taught the people of Mondstadt how to make wine. Ergo, Diluc knows that it is because of me, Anemo Archon Barbatos slash Venti the Bard, he could build Dawn Winery and become a wine tycoon! If any, this should’ve guaranteed me a free lifetime supply of any wine I like!” 

At this point, Lumine is already laughing so hard her stomach is starting to hurt. Meanwhile Venti, seeing how she only laughed instead of giving him a proper response or supporting his passionate opinion, starts to pout and complain even more.

“I’m sorry!” she manages to say before breaking out into another peal of laughter. “I mean… you deserve that. Maybe. If you weren’t such an alcoholic! If he allowed you free wines for the rest of your life, I’m afraid you’re going to put Dawn Winery into bankruptcy!”

Venti waves his hands nonchalantly. “I am a god! You think I can’t support him financially?” he blurts. Seeing the look of disbelief Lumine is giving him, he quickly adds. “Well, you have a point. But don’t forget, I know people, okay? I know Morax. I can… I can pull some strings! Make him produce more Mora!”

“It’s nice to see you proudly embracing your status as an Archon when faced with the oh, so harrowing wine problem,” Lumine replies, laughing when he shoots her a dirty look. In an attempt to appease him, she holds his hand, running her thumb along the soft skin. “But, circling back to our main topic… yes, I do have a… little surprise for you.”

In an instant, his expression shifts, but it’s not the joyful look she expected to see. Rather, he gives her a knowing smile. “A surprise, huh? One that you’ve prepared for a long time, too. That’s cute. Is this about your departure?”

Lumine almost falters, but she supposes she should have seen this coming. She and Aether have overextended their stay in Teyvat for a little bit too long that it’s beginning to draw questions. Venti never really asked her about it, but she is sure that he’s been counting on their numbered days.

So she decides to be truthful. “Yes but also no,” the girl squeezes his hand, picking her words carefully. “You’ll know before the night ends.”

“Will I love the surprise?” 

A nervous laugh spills from her lips. “...I hope so.”

Venti didn’t press any further. Instead, he kisses the crown of her head. “Okay. I will be on my best behavior. Shall we have this date?”

So they indulge in the meals and in the drinks, in kisses that are sweeter than wine and in gentle touches that burn through their skin like a brand. She lets him lie down on her lap as she feeds him grapes, lets her fingers brush against his lips and blushes when he begins to place kisses on her fingertips.

In turn, he recites to her all the romantic verses that come to mind. With every poetries, she’ll tell him how much she loves him and he’ll blush, perplexed by how she’s being very straight-forward.

When they’ve finished their meals, Lumine gives him her first surprise.

“Are you going to sing me a song?” Venti asks, watching as she positions the floral zither in her hand. 

“I am.”

“Is it going to be another song from the world you’ve visited?” 

It’s not something she does often, but Lumine can sing, and it is one of Venti’s most favorite things in the world. While he sings her songs from all spectrum of time in Teyvat, she sings him songs from beyond, songs that are so foreign and novel to his ears and it fills his heart with joy.

“It is. This one is my favorite. I… I always think of you when this song comes to mind,” she says. A shy confession. She slants her gaze towards him and he’s drowning, drowning in a sea of gold. “Are you ready?”

Venti lets out a dreamy sigh. “I am.”

Smiling, Lumine begins to strum her zither. A pure, melancholic melody floats in the night air, caressing his ears, traveling up and up to the heavens. He stills, mesmerized under her warm gaze. She looks at him as if he’s the one who hung the sun and the moon in the sky. And then her rosy lips part, and she sings.

“ If a picture paints a thousand words,

Then why can't I paint you?

The words will never show the you I've come to know.

If a face could launch a thousand ships,

Then where am I to go?

There's no one home but you,

You're all that's left me too.

And when my love for life is running dry,

You come and pour yourself on me.”

Such a romantic song, it is meant not only to convey love in its purest form, but also commitment. A hope for an ever after. Venti’s heart starts to race at the thought. A wish that has long been suppressed now bursting in his chest. 

Hoping. Yearning. 

Then insecurities begin to bubble. For what reason would a star, a voyager who walked through cosmos, would relinquish such freedom and wonder just to be with a man, tied down to a world? How worthy should that man be, to be worth more than witnessing the entire universe? Impossible. 

But Lumine is smiling at him. Her gaze is sure and certain and loving. 

The melody goes on, and she sings again.

“I f a man could be two places at one time,

I'd be with you.

Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.

If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,

I'd spend the end with you.

And when the world was through,

Then one by one the stars would all go out,

Then you and I would simply fly away.”

The song ends like a dream, because it felt too good to be true. Venti blinks, looking at her wide-eyed, while the smile on her face turns shy, blissfully unaware of the storm she has set off inside him.

“What a lovely song, it’s both romantic and poetic. How magical love is for being able to exist in different worlds and universes. Truly a universal feeling,” he manages to get ahold of himself, smiling wistfully. “Your voice makes it all the more beautiful, too. Thank you, Lumine. This is such a wonderful surprise.”

Setting the zither away, she doesn’t comment on Venti’s lack of acknowledgement towards the meaning of the song. Instead, Lumine only chuckles. “You don’t think that’s the only surprise I’ll prepare for you, do you?”

He lights up at that. “There’s more? To what do I owe this pleasure?”

She laces their hand together, shifting her gaze towards the sky. “Look to the sky, the next one will appear any minute now…”

Curious, yet not questioning her words, Venti looks up, smiling to himself when she rests her head on his shoulder again. He still wonders about her song, though. How it sounded like a hopeful oath for the future. How perplexing it was, because Lumine has always been very, very careful not to promise him any future for them. 

His heart twists once more, and though he expected pain, he didn’t think it would hurt so much. 

“Oh,” Lumine gasps, breaking his chain of thoughts. “It’s starting.”

Question sits on the tip of his tongue, but before Venti can voice it, he sees it. A tiny, silvery light shoots across the sky. Thin like a curved needle, it’s tail dragging along the dark backdrop before slowly fading away.

In an instant, he’s swept in a wave of nostalgia.

“Is that…”

Another one appears, this one shorter, appearing in a quick flash he almost missed it. And another, a longer one, as if someone’s drawing a line in the sky. Slowly, one by one, they shoot across the sky, like singular raindrops. Tiny but bright.

“Mona told me there’s going to be a meteor shower today,” Lumine answers him in a whisper, as if afraid to break this serene atmosphere between them. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

If he looked at her that moment, he’d realize that she has been looking at him all this time. But he didn’t, and Lumine is content in watching the shooting stars that are reflected on his emerald eyes.

“Beautiful,” he murmurs, completely in awe at the sight. Slowly, he begins to smile. Grinning from ear to ear, he finally turns to look at her. “You’re more beautiful, though. The most beautiful star in the entire universe!”

Lumine blushes, tucking one strand of hair behind her ears. “You’re so cheesy.”

“It’s the truth, though.” Venti shrugs, wrapping one hand around her shoulder. He shifts his attention back to the shooting stars. “Oh, look, Lumine! There’s one on the left. And… and another one! Top right! Wow, there are so many of them!”

Lumine still looks at him, at how his eyes reflect the beautiful galaxy above them, at the bright smile on his lips, laughing when he spots another shooting star. And at that moment, love swallows her whole, rising from her chest and spreading to the tips of her fingers, her body singing adoration for the man beside her. So beautiful, so perfect, so precious, she wonders how could she ever leave him?

“Have you ever seen a meteor shower?”

Slowly, he climbs down from the euphoria. “I have. But it’s been a long, long time since I saw one,” his voice turns soft, wistful. “The last shooting star I saw was…”

Venti trails off, now turning his gaze to look at her. His star, no, the star. The thought almost drives him to tears. “...You,” he finishes. “So many years ago. Bright and fiery and golden. You shot across Mondstadt’s sky and you fell down.”

“To you,” Lumine adds, squeezing his hand. “I fell down to you and you caught me. Now I’m yours.”

A soft gasp leaves his lips, as if he really did not expect her to say such a sweet thing. His hold on her loosens. “Stars aren’t meant to be kept.”

“I am more than a star.” she whispers.

Closing her eyes, Lumine holds his hand with both of her hands, squeezing it once again before letting go. “Venti,” she says, looking at him. “I’m going to give you my third surprise.”

Patiently, he waits. Shifts his body so he’s fully facing her. “I’m ready to receive it.”

Her heart begins to race, drumming wildly against her rib cages. Steeling herself, Lumine takes a deep breath. Exhales. 

And then she pulls out a box. A tiny one, made of wood with intricate floral carvings. Cecilia, windwheel aster, and dandelion tangled with one another. Carefully, she opens it, showing him the content. Inside is a feather. Her white and blue feather. 

“Is this… the feather on your hair?” he tilts his head in confusion.

Lumine nods. “In my homeworld, feathers hold an important meaning. It represents the wings. Our wings. And since my people learned how to fly before we could walk, you can say that we… really, really treasure our wings.”

He gives her a smile. “I can see that. I remember the day you got your wings back,” Venti closes his eyes, recalling the sweet memory in his mind. “You looked glorious that day, Lumine. So bright and golden, you really belong in the sky!”

A soft laugh escapes her lips, comforted by his words. “Thank you, Venti,” she says. “But back to feathers. Feathers represent wings and wings are important, right? And so, we have a tradition to give a feather to signify that you would like to give… yourself to someone.”

“Ah…” Venti murmurs, his expression turns soft. Slowly, his eyes start to turn wet, but he holds everything in. 

Is this her last gift? Her last surprise before she leaves him? At this moment, it’s almost hard not to feel undeserving. He longs to tell her that she has no need to do such a thing, because to be a shackle to her freedom is the last thing he wanted. No, he wants her to be free like a bird in the wild who knows no restraints or fear. 

Yes, he will cry, he will wail, and weep, and bleed in the pain knowing that he will never, ever see her again… but if he’s given another choice in life and the knowledge of what sort of pain he would feel from loving her, he’d still choose her over and over again. To be the object of her affection, to be the one she kisses good night, and be the one who can worship and love every inch of her skin when the moon is high and the world’s asleep… these things are so much greater than the pain.

In his silence, Venti doesn’t realize that Lumine is beginning to doubt. But she strengthens herself and continues speaking.

“This tradition, giving someone a feather as a symbol of giving ourself to them, is done for a very specific event,” her voice turns shaky. Fingers trembling as she holds out the box to him. “It is for when a person who loves someone with all their heart, body and soul, they decide to become one with their lover, for the rest of their lives, until death do they part.”

Venti stills, rosy lips parting as he lets her words sink in.

“For a proposal.” Lumine adds.

A sharp gasp leaves his mouth. The silver-tongued bard rendered speechless by the surprise he never would’ve seen coming. Eyes wide as he looks at the feather, then at her. 

“Venti,” Lumine calls him, her gaze certain and hopeful, lips curving into the sweetest smile. “You are my best friend and you are my lover. You are the breeze that soothes my soul, and the gale that brings me joy, bigger than I ever thought I could have. You have given me love, the kind I’ve never known. And I, too, deeply wish I could always be with you. For the rest of my life. Until death and beyond death. Until time itself comes to an end.”

Lumine pauses, feeling wetness spreading on her eyelashes. Takes a deep breath, calming herself down. She looks at him again. 

“Venti, will you marry me?”

A beat passes. Venti is staring at her wide-eyed, lips moving without a voice as he tries to recover from the shock. And as soon as he finds his voice, he answers.

“No.”

It feels like the moon itself has crashed down onto the ocean.

“...Excuse me?”

“N- no.” he repeats, shaking his head. 

“You…” Lumine falters, completely flabbergasted. “You don’t… want to?”

“No. Wait, I mean— yes. I… I mean, it’s not like that! Why would you… Oh, heavens…” Venti groans, ruffling his hair and burying his face in his hands, confusing Lumine even more.

“Venti, what are you talking about?”

An impatient sigh. Venti pulls something out from his pocket, a larger box made of dark blue colored velvet and shows it to her. 

“I was planning to propose to you.”

“...Oh,” Lumine’s eyes widen like a pair of saucers as she stares at the box in his hands. Slowly, anxiety starts to leave her body. “O- oh… you mean… today?”

“No, not today,” Venti lets out a dry sob, still wallowing in his predicament. “I mean I don’t know… I don’t know when. I just… the, um, the people have been talking about how… how you’re not going to leave and I just… I’ve been wanting to propose to you for a long, long time so I thought… B- but I was still finding the courage. Wasn’t sure if you’re going to like it because, you know, traveling and stuff… but I still made some preparations just in case. But… but now you’re proposing to me…”

“N- no,” Lumine quickly holds his arm, trying to console him because he looks so defeated. “It’s… uh, it’s okay! Let’s just… um, let’s just pretend this never happened! Yeah! Pretend I never propose to you so you can propose to me when you’re ready. How… how would you like that?”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Venti weakly says. Blinking rapidly, he slants his gaze towards her again. “You were… proposing to me.”

“I did, yes.”

“You were asking me if I’d like to marry you.”

“...Yes.”

He looks utterly confused now. “But what about your journey?”

At this, Lumine becomes quiet, glancing at the feather in her hand. “I’m still going to leave. I have to find another home for my people,” she pins her gaze on him, then, holding his hand. “But that doesn’t mean I have to stay there when it’s over. When me and Aether have finally rebuilt our homeworld, I am truly free to do whatever I want. So I’ve decided to return to Teyvat. To you. So we can have our happily ever after. Go do that adventure you’ve always dreamed of.”

“Wh- what?” the hope that was bursting in his chest now overflows throughout his body. “Is… is that really possible? But Lumine, you’re going to leave Aether. You’re going to leave your home. Are you sure you want this?”

She smiles. Oh, her beloved bard. Always thinking about her and her freedom. She falls in love with him all over again. 

“I want this. I’ve talked about this with Aether. He, too, thinks that after everything is over, it’d be nice if we can go on our separate lives. We’ve been together for far too long, after all,” Lumine explains, her expression turns wistful. A hint of bitterness for everything she and Aether have been missing out on since the demise of their homeland, since life forced them to become nomads. “I want to be with you, Venti. All the words I’ve said before, I mean it. I really do. You don’t have to worry about me. I choose you.”

Once again, Venti’s eyes begin to water, eyelashes turning wet from tears. “You’d really choose me? You can do… you can do anything you want and you’d still choose me?”

Gently, she caresses his cheek, brushing away a lonely strand of hair from his forehead. Only for it to return to its previous place. “Is it really that hard to believe? You once told me you’ll still love me even if I leave, even if I broke your heart. Now, I’m doing the same. I love you. I love you more than I have loved anything else in my long life. So I choose to be with you, Venti. It’s really not that complicated.”

“Oh, Lumine…” Venti lets out a sob and he buries himself in her embrace. “I love you. I love you. I love you so, so much.”

Underneath the moonlight, they hold each other. Grateful now that they have a chance to build their future. A promise for a life in the days to come. Venti holds her tightly. Cupping her cheeks before giving her the sweetest, most intoxicating kiss on her lips, and she kisses him in return, with as much ardor as he can give her. Loves him as much as he loves her.

“I will come home to you,” she whispers when they part. “It will take a long, long time. Perhaps centuries or even eons, but I will come home to you. I promise, Venti.”

He laughs, unable to resist placing another kiss on her forehead. “And I will wait for you. As long as it takes. I will never stop loving you.”

Preening under his tender gaze, Lumine holds his hand. “I was so afraid you rejected me because the God of Freedom didn’t believe in marriage.”

Venti lets out another laugh at that. “My love, I will gladly tether my body and soul to you. How would you like that, hm? Being the only one who’s able to catch the wind?”

“That doesn’t sound as impressive as the only one who’s able to catch a shooting star.”

“Hm, it’s only a matter of perspective,” he grins. “And speaking of proposals, don’t think I will say yes that easily. I am still going to propose to you even if it kills me to do so.”

“Really?” Lumine giggles, finding his competitiveness to be highly amusing. “Fine. As long as you’re happy. Although, I’m very curious as to what you’ve prepared for me. Had I known you’re going to propose to me I would’ve never ordered that expensive Dandelion Wine with Snezhanyan Fire Water.”

“Rude! Don’t regret what you’ve done, my darling,” Venti retorts, lightly booping her nose with his finger. “You can open the box. See what I’ve made for you.”

“I can?” she asks, excited.

When he nods, Lumine carefully takes the box and opens it. Lets out a quiet gasp when she sees its content. 

“Is this…”

A single cecilia blossom sits at the center of the box. Pure white, ever-lasting and undying. In the middle of the petals is a gem. Emerald in color, as bright as his eyes, and it emanates an ethereal glow. 

“Ever since the inteyvats on your hair withered, you’ve been wearing regular flowers. But flowers wilt. So… I thought of making you a better one. A preserved flower. One that will always stay fresh and alive for as long as I’m alive,” Venti explains shyly. “I thought it could be something to remember me in your journey.”

“I love it.” Lumine looks up at him, cheeks as pink as a peach. “It’s beautiful. Thank you. I love it so much. Will you put it on my hair?”

“Gladly, my love.”

Gently, he puts the cecilia on her hair. Emerald eyes turn tender when he gazes at him. “Beautiful,” he says. “So beautiful.” 

“Thank you.” she says, gently running her hand along the petals, marveling at the softness.

“I wanted to give you a poem as well,” Venti sighs. “Was thinking I’d propose with a very romantic poem, but it is… so hard to convey everything into verses and stanzas… so it’s not finished yet.”

Lumine shakes her head. “Don’t worry, I will wait for it,” she reassures him. “In the meantime, I can give you another gift.”

“Another?” he perks up. “The surprise keeps on going. You really are spoiling me rotten today.”

“I want it to be perfect,” she replies. “Give me your hand.”

He holds out his hand and she takes it. Gently holds his wrist before muttering something in a language that is foreign to his ears. A spell, it seems like. Because after she’s done speaking, a light appears on the pale skin of his wrist. Golden light forms shapes that consist of lines and circles, shining bright before it fades into a gold colored tattoo.

“This is…”

“My constellation. Viatrix.” Lumine explains fondly. “Let’s just say… with this, I have tethered myself to you. So we’ll never be apart, not at heart, and I’ll always find my way home to you.”

A tender smile blooms on his lips as he studies the tattoo. “Such a precious, beautiful gift. I always thought a star like you belonged in the sky, and looking at you from afar is the best way to appreciate you. But you’ve… tethered yourself to me. Willingly. Lumine, my heart and soul will always belong to you, too.”

They lace their hands together and Lumine giggles. “This is actually a tradition we do on wedding days. Tethering our constellations into each other. Romantic, isn’t it?”

“Really?” Venti starts to whine again. “If it’s for the wedding day you should’ve saved it! Why are you always one step ahead, Lumine? I haven’t even planned much for our wedding day!”

“Oh, hush. Stop complaining too much.” 

Looking at her in disbelief, Venti shakes his head before laughing. And she laughs, too, so hard her stomach starts to hurt, until he pulls her into his embrace and they bask in each other’s warmth.

“I can’t wait to be together with you forever.” Lumine sighs, resting her head on her chest.

“So do I,” Venti admits. “I will wait for you to return.”

“And I will return to you.”

“Of course you will.”

They kiss. And it’s sweet and soft. A huge weight lifted off their chest. Feeling so light now that there is something they can look forward to. Something that is not separation or parting.