Work Text:
“Did you really need to bring an entire tea set out here?” Venti lifted his empty teacup up to his face, looking over the painted details that had no doubt taken hours to do. His boyfriend had probably spent a pretty penny on them. “I think we could’ve gotten away with going to someplace and getting it to-go in paper cups.”
Zhongli tutted at him, shaking his head as he set the teapot down in the center of the large blanket they had laid over the lush grass, waiting for the tea to steep. “Now, Venti, just because you don’t appreciate the art of tea as much as you do wine, doesn’t mean you can give me lip for my love of doing this right.” The taller man sat with his back straight and legs neatly tucked under him, a stark contrast to Venti, who sat crossed-legged and curled up like a shrimp.
“Alright, fair, but still. When you asked me out for a picnic, I didn’t think we would be making it this difficult.” Venti set his cup down and watched the steam flow from the spout on the teapot.
He and Zhongli had been on more than a few dates at that point and he knew the man was all for doing things the way they were intended to be done, but a date where he watched him make tea wasn’t exactly super thrilling.
“Did you at least bring snacks that are quick to make and eat? I sorta skipped out on lunch because I knew we were doing this early dinner, so I’m starving.” His last few words were whined out, trying to stress that he was wanting to get to the food sooner rather than later.
The dark-haired man rolled his eyes, grabbing the basket from beside him and setting it closer to Venti. “I brought what I know how to make best.”
Just at that, Venti’s mouth began to water. If there was one thing Zhongli knew how to cook, it was slow-cooked bamboo shoot soup. Before meeting the man, Venti hadn’t been a huge fan of the flavor of bamboo. But after tasting his special soup, Venti didn’t mind it nearly as much, and even sometimes craved it.
“How could I say no to such a scrumptious meal?” Venti licked his lips and grabbed at the basket, pouting when it was snatched away from him.
“Wait a moment, it’s not exactly something that was easy to bring in a basket. I’ll put together a bowl for you,” Zhongli chuckled.
Venti kept his exaggerated pout while he watched the taller man put the ingredients together since they had to be packaged separately. Well, in Venti’s eyes they didn’t have to be. Soup was meant to be mixed up anyway, so having to wait for Zhongli to place everything just so was a nightmare to his grumbling stomach.
As soon as he was handed the bowl, Venti took his chopsticks and mixed it together, not out of spite but because he wanted a little bit of everything out of his first bite. Which is exactly what he got and it was heaven.
The pork had been cooked to perfection, not too chewy and not too tough. Even the bamboo wasn’t too bitter and Venti smiled while chewing it rather than cringing.
“Perfect as always, Zhongli,” he said around a mouthful of food.
“Swallow before speaking, dear,” his boyfriend laughed.
Venti wiggled his eyebrows, his mouth still not empty. “You like it when I swallow, don’t you?”
Zhongli’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, the man down at the tea as his shoulders grew stiff. “I- You shouldn’t be so bold outside,” he choked out.
“Why not? No one’s around to hear.” Venti gestured to the field around them, the park where others played or sat at far enough away to be background noise mixed in with the slight breeze. “Besides, it was funny, if someone did hear, they should laugh!”
“Still...” Zhongli grabbed the teapot, filling both his and Venti’s cups. “Perhaps you could be bold like that when we get back to your place?”
A sly smile came over Venti’s face. Zhongli seemed to notice that Venti was right about no one being able to hear them, emboldening the man to nearly directly ask him to get down and dirty with him after their date.
It was endearing how shy Zhongli acted in public. The things they did in the bedroom proved that he was anything but niave or bashful when it came down to the act itself, but Venti liked that the man wasn’t always like that. It offered a nice balance that he was happy to have in his life.
“I would be more than happy to be bold when we get back to my place,” he said with a wink. “But food first. I’m starving and there’s still a lot left in this bowl!”
Zhongli laughed, preparing his own bowl of the special soup. “Of course. Food first.”