Archive of Our Own ^beta

“So, how about it?” the young Adventurer asked, childishly kicking his feet in the dirt. “I’ll make sure to show you the best places in Mondstadt!”

Ifa was hesitant, “well…”

Bennett, if Ifa remembered his name correctly, looked at him with an expectant smile. In truth, Ifa would love to visit the City of Freedom, especially as the only other region he’s visited was Fontaine. However, the thought of leaving his clinic again for a longer duration left him, for lack of better words, anxious. With only less than five days out of town, his return was bombarded with appointment after appointment. Sure, he could be more strict in regards of who he would see, but the responsibility of being the most trusted veterinarian (and general doctor for all species at that) in Natlan left a heavy weight on his shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Ororon’s voice suddenly appeared, startling both the fellow vision users.

“Archons man, you gotta stop doing that – what are you even doing here?” Ifa asked.

“Oh, I was just following Cacucu around,” he pointed to the saurian mentioned, now perching on his shoulder.

‘Yeah, Bro!” Cacucu added.

Bennett answered for the vet, “I was just asking Ifa if he could tag along with me back to Mondstadt! There was a commission from our librarian asking for more textbooks regarding animal care… Or I think those were the words.” Bennett looked at his tattered notebook, after skimming a page, he nodded. “Okay, yeah! Anything related to veterinary science. Since I was here, I was wondering if Ifa had any books he could lend, and then thought, why not invited him too!”

Ororon seemed intrigued, “can I come?”

“Bro, I haven't even decided if I wanted to go,” Ifa sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to go but…”

“Oh shoot I’m sorry, I don’t mean to put you on the spot like that!” Bennett said, looking apologetic.

Ifa gave a lighthearted chuckle, “no, don’t worry about it. Here, If it’s not a hassle, can you give me till the end of the day? I gotta find someone to watch the clinic and reschedule some appointments." He put his hand on his chin, already thinking about potential candidates to ask.

“Absolutely! I’m not leaving until the morning anyway.”

With some further smaller comments, the two waved a goodbye. Already following the anemo users lead, Ororon and Cacucu tag along to the trek back to the Flower-Feather clan.

A minute of silence. “So, is it cool if I tag along?” Ororon repeated.

Ifa laughed, “yes dude, I was gonna invite you along anyway.”

—

The first thing Ifa noticed was the wind, or more specifically, the cleanliness of it. Natlan wasn't dangerously polluted by any means, but considering the effects of the abyss and warfare, the quality definitely turned stuffy.

“Ta-da! Welcome to Mondstadt!” Bennett was in front of the two, gesturing to the city with both arms outstretched. “Over there is Floral Whisper, there is Good Hunter, and there is Cat’s Tail-”

“-Bennett! Welcome back.” A feminine voice interrupted.

“Huh? Oh, hi, Master Jean!” Bennett waved, approaching the blonde sitting at what Bennett pointed to be Cat’s Tail.

Jean waved back, “and hello to you two-” Cacucu chirped a ‘bro!’, “-three.” She corrected. “How was Natlan? I see you’re wearing a new outfit.”

“Oh my gosh, it was awesome! I learned so much, and the Pyro Archon is so nice! She’s so cool.”

Before Bennett could begin retelling his adventure, another feminine figure appeared behind Jean, “the Pyro Archon, you say? How interesting.”

“Hi, Lisa!” Bennett exclaimed.

Lisa gave her own wave, “hello, Sweetie. I’m happy to see you back and well.” She turned to the newcomers, who were notably standing awkwardly behind the adventurer, “and who might you all be?”

“I’m Ifa, a saurian veterinarian from Natlan. This is my assistant Cacucu, and this, is Ororon. He’s a friend of mine.” Both Cacucu and Ororon give a hello of their own. “It’s nice to meet you two.”
Lisa’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly at the title of veterinarian, “My, how nice it is to meet you.” She turns to Bennett, “correct me if I am wrong, but Bennett, may these two guest appearances be related to my commission?”

Bennett suddenly seemed nervous at the attention of the librarian, “it is! Ifa owns his own vet clinic and has a lot of textbooks, both written by him and by others!” Ifa nodded along.

“That’s wonderful,” Lisa sauntered to the Natlanese, “would you care to have a drink with me later? I would love to hear more about what you have to offer.”

“Sure, but uh… Where?”

“Angel’s Share will be just fine.” seeing Ifa’s blatant confusion, she clarified, “oh dear, apologies. You see the fountain up the steps? Take a right and you’ll see the sign. Don’t worry, I’ll find a seat for us when the time arrives. Let’s say, around six?”

“Sounds good. Could he come too?” Ifa points to Ororon, who was now playing with a small kitten by the railing. At the call of his name, he perks up.

“Of course. The more the merrier.”

—

The rest of the hours consisted of tours, cultural learning, and an occasional taste testing. Bennett happily introduced his friends, one of whom was raised in the woods with wolves – that fact alone left Ifa beyond worried for the other’s wellbeing.
With how deeply rooted Mondstadt's history is, there was no moment lost with exploration and storytelling. It was no wonder time yielded faster than before.

“-And this is Angle’s Share! Sorry for the speedy goodbye, I really gotta go back and say hi to my dads, I have so much to tell them. I’ll see you guys later!” Bennett exclaimed. “If you guys need any help, everyone here is super nice. So, please don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Will do, bro. Thanks for showing us around!” Ifa replied happily, Ororon’s silent nod of agreement followed.

“Thanks, bro!” Cacucu joined.

The walk into the tavern change the atmosphere in an instant – nothing bad per se, but simply, louder.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.”

Ifa barely heard the man above the overlapping conversations, “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

“Excuse me. We do not permit animals inside the building.” He (who, Ifa could assume be some kind of worker) gestures to the saurian.

“Oh, um…” Ifa wasn't sure how to respond. He could see Lisa’s figure by the bar table with a drink in hand, and already being a little late, feels bad turning around last minute.

“Here, he can use my key to get back into our room,” Ororon suggests, handing the metal over to the bird. “You have the other one, so it should be fine.”

“Can he even unlock it?”

“I’m sure he’ll find a way.”

Cacucu sits atop Ifa’s head, key in claw. “Yeah, bro!” With a peck to the hat, the saurian flies away.

“Ah, Ifa and Ororon! There you are. Oh, is there a problem here?” Lisa turns to the worker with a confused stare.

Ifa waves his hand dismissing the concern, “It’s okay, Cacucu is heading back. Sorry, didn’t know ‘bout the whole animal thing.”

The worker just nodded, now allowing the Natlanese through the door.

“How do you two like Mondtstadt?” The librarian asked, sitting back in her chair, “I can only imagine how different it is to Natlan.”

“Oh, it's awesome, bro!” Lisa stared at him. “Oh – uh, sorry. It’s awesome, Lisa!”

“The agriculture here is nice,” Ororon added. “There’s so many new plants I’ve never seen before.”

“Are you a botanist, per chance?” Lisa asked, picking up her well-brewed tea.

“Me? No, I just like farming. Vegetables, specifically.”

“My, how interesting. Farmers, especially your age, are rather rare.” She turns her direction back to Ifa, “are you two thirsty by chance?”

The three chatted for quite a while, branching from scientific research to even humble arts and crafts. The conversation seemed to die off when, what Lisa had called them, the Knights of Favonius entered the tavern. The volume level dialed up, a degree Ifa didn't know was possible.

Lisa looks to the drunken men, “It seems our date has to be cut short. Thank you two for coming by. How about we see each other again tomorrow? Early morning, perhaps? I can show you around the library, if you so please.”

“That’d be great! It was nice to talk to you, Lisa,” Ifa gave a cordial smile, “see you tomorrow!” Once Lisa was out of sight, Ifa turned to Ororon. “You doing good, buddy?”

Ororon seems to be lost in thought. “Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” He points to the large huddle of people near the steps, “I think they’re playing a betting game. I'm curious who’s gonna win.”

—

Not even ten minutes pass before another figure approaches the newcomers, who were quite very obviously watching the gambling unfold. “Well, hello! You two look familiar. What brings you here?”

Ifa looks at the new voice, who was adorning a color scheme resembling an anemo vision, and speaking of, had one attached to his hip. His two braids sway as he sits next to the vet. “The names Venti, a traveling bard. I was just in Natlan not too long ago, perhaps we met each other in passing. But please, remind me of your names.”

“I'm Ifa, it’s nice to meet you, bro!” He holds out a hand for a shake, to which Venti obliged.

“I'm Ororon.” With the distance, the two just give a courteous wave.

“Bennett invited us to help out with a commission, we figured we might as well have a vacation while we’re at it,” Ifa continued.

“Bennett, huh? I’m happy to hear he made it back okay!” Venti then raises his hand to request a drink, with the bartender giving an exasperated glare. Though reluctant, he slides over a full glass anyway. “Give some to these new friends, too. Just put it on my tab.” Venti proclaims. The bartender looks annoyed, even muttering something along the lines of never paying said tab. A quick second passes, and in front of the foreigners are full glasses of dandelion wine. “The best wine in all of Teyvat!” Venti claims, raising his cup as a toast, “and to new friends – welcome to Mondstadt!”

Time got a little distorted. It could’ve been thirty minutes or three hours, but regardless, Ifa had accidentally entered a drinking competition with the bard. Keyword, accidentally. It started off with Ifa finishing his first glass;

“Need a refill?” Venti asked, absentmindedly swirling his finger around the rim of his third drunken glass.

“Oh, I’ll pass. Honestly, I didn’t even realize I finished it… It’d be best if I stopped here.” Ifa had never drunk much, considering there was always an emergency happening somewhere, it was only best if Ifa stayed as vigilant as possible.

“So that means you won't have mine?” Ororon asked, ever so politely, inching his barely sipped glass to him.

Venti looked genuinely shocked. “Oh dear, not a fan of alcohol?”

“More-or-less. My Granny drinks enough for me, so I'll pass tonight.”

Ifa thought for a moment. “Ugh, okay. I don’t want to waste a drink.”

This happened four more times.

Not in the same pattern, but with Venti eagerly wanting the vet to try a variety of flavors. To which, as Ifa proceedingly got more drunk, couldn't deny. It wasn’t until Ifa reached to grab another drink that Ororon had pushed the glass away. “Hmm.. I think that’s enough, dude. You’re lookin’ funny.”

“Funny?” Ifa asked, feeling the slurred word leave his mouth. The small sober part of his brain acknowledged this and reminded Ifa the fact that he should probably sit straighter. Leaning (frankly, almost sleeping) at the bar counter would not feel great on his back.

Ororon watched Ifa adjust himself in his chair. “Yeah. I think you had too much to drink. Your heads gonna hurt tomorrow.”

“Aw, what?” Venti shouted, clearly not aware on how to lower his volume. Unsteady, Venti looms an arm around Ifa. “No, no, no, another one! But this time try the apple cider,” he hiccups, “I promise you it's so good. It doesn’t even have alcohol in it – I mean, unless you want it to.” Ifa considers it.

Ororon brings his hand and plucks the bard's arm off Ifa. “No, I think we are gonna go. Let’s go, man, Cacucu is probably worried.”

“Aw, poor Cacucu… I hope he’s okay…” Ifa suddenly got sentimental, “I hope he’s not scared in a new environment.” As he got up, Ifa’s leg got stuck on the lower bar of the stool, catching him off guard and tripping him onto the closest person. With that person being Ororon, he slammed his head into the other's chest. Ifa’s quiet for a mere second. “Ow.”

With careful hands, Ororon grabs Ifa’s arms, keeping him steady. “You okay, dude?” The Mictlan couldn't help but laugh, seeing his usually collected friend in this state was hilarious. Though when Ifa didn’t move, his smile dropped. His hand raises and pats the other's shoulder, “Ifa?”

“Heh, your heart beatin’ fast.” Ifa slurred into his friend's scarf.

That simple comment quickly had Ororon shoving Ifa’s face away. So fast in fact that the drunk almost toppled backwards. “Whoa,” was all Ifa said.

“Let’s… just head to bed,” Ororon said, now grabbing Ifa’s upper arms and leading him to the exit.

“Booo!” Venti shouted, but was interrupted by a small flick on the forehead by the bartender. “You’re cut off.” Was the last thing Ororon heard before the door closed behind him.

The gentle breeze was welcomed, cooling down the two from the heat of being inside. “Okay, let’s go-” the moment Ororon had fully let go of Ifa, Ifa had taken one step and swayed. “-Okay, never mind. Here, hold on to my arm.”

Ifa looked at him with glossy eyes, then at his arm. “Why?”

“Huh? What do you mean why?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Ifa sways, even though he stands still. “Where are we going?”

Ororon sighs, “To our hotel… Or maybe it’s a motel. I don’t really know the difference.”

Ifa thinks about the response, then looks around. “Okay… Where’s Cacucu?”

“At the hotel with our stuff. The tavern didn’t allow animals.”

“Oh, okay… Is he okay?”

“I mean, probably. He’s pretty self-sufficient.” Apparently, that didn't comfort the vet.

“Can we see him?”

“Wha- dude, yes. I’m trying to head there now. So, hold on to my arm.”

Ifa missed the memo and grabbed Ororon’s hand. Instead of just holding palm to palm, Ifa interlocks their fingers, looking at Ororon expectantly.

“Um. I said arm.”

“What’s wrong with holding your hand?”

“Well, nothing but…” Ifa’s stare drills into Ororon. With downturned eyes and a pleading look, Ororon has to look away. “Nevermind, let’s just go.”

Every step Ororon attempted to take, Ifa followed suit but bumped against his side. “Hey, Ifa.”

A mumble.

“Ifa,” he repeated.

“Oro-” a hiccup, “-on.”

“Oron?”

“Mhm.”

Ororon couldn't hide his fond smile. “Okay, sure, man. Anyway, I hate to say it, but I kinda forget where to go. Would you happen to remember where our hotel is?”

“To where?”

“... Our hotel.” He repeats.

“Oh, um.” Ifa straightened and took in his surroundings. “No.”

“Oka–”

“Wait, key.”

“Key?”

Ifa removed his hand and patted down his white coat. Though with horrible coordination and half-lidded eyes, keeps missing the pockets. Ororon connected the dots.

“Do you think the key has a hint about the hotel?” He asked.

Ifa just nodded, now rummaging in his medical bag. Before he could stab himself with the sharp tools inside, Ororon swatted his hands away. “You’re stressing me out. I’ll find it.”

“I’m sorry,”

Ororon laughs, “why are you sorry?” He pats down Ifa’s side, trying to locate any indication of a key. Ifa mumbles something incoherent and slowly shuts his eyes. “Hey now, don’t fall asleep.” He pokes Ifa’s waist.

“M’not fallin’ asleep. Just resting my eyes,” Ifa says. Ororon continues to search Ifa, and finally patting down his front, he locates the key in the other's chest pocket. While trying to get the key out, Ifa opens his eyes and stares at the hand. “What are you doing, bro? Do you want my coat off?”
Oh. That would've been easier instead of man-handling his friend because he wouldn't stop fidgeting. Before Ororon could even reply, Ifa was shrugging off his coat.

Now, Ifa taking off his coat wasn't the problem. It was the fact his undershirt got caught in the sleeve and started tugging the collar down, revealing more skin than normal. Ororon heard the sounds of shoes against the pavement, and looking back, he’s made aware that they were in a populated city. Most people are minding their own but some are shamelessly watching the pair. Ororon feels something bubble in his chest – anxiety? Insecurity? Protectiveness?

“Ifa… Quit it. You don’t need to take off your coat.” Ororon grabs the white collar, shoving the two ends together to close off any visible skin. “You’re embarrassing yourself…” Ororon himself doesn't really care how the general public perceives him, but knowing Ifa, he views his reputation as a high priority.
This close, Ororon can smell the alcohol on his breath.

Ifa places his hand over Ororons, who still holds the coat closed. “Your eyes are so pretty, bro.”

“What?”

“Your eyes… The two different colors. In humans, it's a small percent of the population who have heterochro-ma as distinct as yours. Ifa mispronounces the term, but Ororon gets the idea. “In saurians, it’s also considerably rare. Makes me wonder in human hybrids, how many have distinctive eyes like yours.” Ifa begins to ramble, now going on the topic of the ranges of human hybrids.

Ororon was stunned. Yeah, Ifa has commented on his eyes before, specifically how rare the magenta color was. But pretty? Pretty? Him? And to also bring up his non-human side – what a rare occasion. Ifa was very respectful and had never excluded Ororon from feeling human, rarely even bringing attention to his ears or wings. But speaking of, Ifa’s eyes were very obviously not looking at his face, but rather on top of his head. Combine with the Tlalocan’s hands raising above Ororon's field of vision, the bat yanked them away and began walking westward.

“C’mon, let’s find our room.”

Ororon prefers the night. It's comfortable, easy to lurk in, and most of all, hides the bright reddening flush of his face.

—

It took forty five minutes to find their room. Granted, the key didn’t give a hint that could be recognized by them, but after asking a shop clerk, they were directed to the hotel. After fumbling with putting the key in the lock due to his non-dominant hand, with Ifa not helping in the slightest, Ororon pushes open the door as a worried Cacucu greets them.

“No way, bro!” Cacucu shouts, flying out the doorway and swirling around the two. Noticing Ifa’s disheveled appearance, the saurian began to panic. “Ifa? Ifa!”

“Shhh,” Ororon whispers, “he’s okay, little dude.”
At the same time, Ifa’s head perks at the sound of the qucusaur chirps. “Hi, buddy!”

Hearing his voice, Cacucu immediately perched on the other's head, which was now free from his hat…Wait. When did he lose his hat?

“Have you been okay, Cacucu? Are you hungry?” Ifa seemed to suddenly regain his sobriety, now holding the saurian in his arms like a baby and walking to their suitcases. “If you haven't already found them yourself, I brought some extra cookies in my bag. You want some?”

“The heck are you on about?”

“He had a lot to drink, Cacucu,” Ororon answered for the confused bird, “Ifa, go change and brush your teeth.” He hated to admit the drunken similarities between Granny and Ifa, but when it comes to a lack of self-awareness, that seems to take the cake. Though, at least in Ifa’s case, he just wants to coddle Cacucu like a mother with her newborn.

With a few pets on Cacucu’s top feather, Ifa allows the smaller to fly to Ororon and heads to the bathroom (now with semi more coordination before, but granted, still not the best.)

Ororon took this moment as a breather. Don’t get him wrong, he would do anything for his companion, but Archons, dealing with a drunk person was no different than a toddler. Placing his hands on his hips, he looks to the saurian, “What are we gonna do with him?”

Cacucu shook his head, “Oh dear,” he chirped.

Ororon nodded, “what you said, man.” He walks to his bed, taking off his jacket and placing it on the bedpost. Lying down, he allows himself to take in the sounds of his surroundings. Being he chose to sleep closest to the bathroom, he could hear the sound of the faucet running.

Quite a while passed before he heard the creak of the olden door.

Ororon peered open his eyes, “... Where’s your shirt.”

“Hm? Me?” Ifa asked.

Ororon heaves himself off his bed, legs now dangling off the side. “Yes, you. What happened to your shirt?”

It was not the first time he had seen the other without a top; in fact, whenever they visited Mualani, they always found a way in the water. But now, unable to find the words, Ororon feels more nervous seeing the other shirtless in a non-water environment.

“Oh, I spilt toothpaste on it and tried to wash it out. I didn’t want to go to bed with a wet shirt, so I just took it off.” Ifa responded.

A fair point, and honestly, nothing unusual about sleeping shirtless. However:
“Okay, I get the shirt… But why’d you put your coat back on?”

Ifa has the audacity to look down at his chest, seemingly confused by his own attire.

Cacucu laughs, or as close to a laugh a saurian could do, “are you for real, bro?”

“You’re a mess, man.” Ororon sighs and stands up to walk to their combined luggage corner. “Which pocket is your shirt in?”

“Oh, I can get it, hol’ on…” Ifa leans on the doorframe with anxious brows – almost like he was mentally hyping himself up for the treacherous walk.

“No, it's fine, I got it–” Ifa’s sudden appearance cut Ororon’s sentence clean off.

First of all, how Ifa approached him so fast is a mystery. Maybe it's a power people get when they’re drunk? The way Granny moves when she’s intoxicated can be scary (both for him and any nearby animal. The number of times she has crashed into a tree while lost in whatever mental land she’s in is an astronomically high number.)

Secondly, the vet's repeated opening of his bag, then closing, hinted he also had no idea where a shirt was. Cacucu tried to help, even hooking his claws on the end of the bag to try and open it further. This didn't work as Ifa, who was unaware of anything out of his line of sight, flipped the bag again, sending Cacucu across the room.
“Oh dear – I’m sorry, Cacucu!” Frantically, Ifa shimmied (and by shimmy, Ororon notes Ifa is just knee-crawling) to his defeated assistant.

Lastly, and what Ororon would call most importantly, was Ifa’s backside. Now with his front facing away, the Mictlan can only look at the others back.
“You’re coat… It’s open in the back?”

“Huh? Yeah, bro. It’s always been like that.” Ifa responds, adjusting Cacucu to an upright position. His words are still slightly slurred, but with the shock of hurling his animal brethren, it seems to shake him out of complete incoherence.

“I always thought, I don’t know, it was just the same color as your shirt…” Ororon was stumped. He wouldn't lie and say he doesn't watch his friend from afar. Ifa’s an interesting guy. Who wouldn’t want to watch him? (Ororon had made this comment to Chasca once when she caught him watching the vet from a hilltop. Chasca hadn't said anything, but he had a feeling he said something wrong.)
Though the bow user had surmised the attire made sense… He just never paid that much attention to that part of him.

Already with lost interest of the conversation, the anemo user begins rummaging back in his bag and now, takes everything out of it.

“Ifa, what are you doing?”

“I'm organizing,” he states, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

“Wha- no? Dude.” Ororon puts his hands over the bag, stopping him. “You need to go to bed. It’s late.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“It wasn't really an offer, I’m telling you. Go to bed,” his voice is stern. “Um…. Please.”

The two had a small stare-off, but if Ororon is anything but stubborn, he won the battle. With a sigh, Ifa stood up – trying very hard to not tip over – and faceplanted on his bed.

Ororon laughed, “you gonna get under the covers?”

Ifa’s response was muffled by the pillow.

“What was that?” The bat walked to his side, bending down slightly to be eye level to the other. Ororon noticed a strand of white hair sticking up unusually, and with a polite hand, adjusted it to lie smooth. His efforts were futile as Ifa turned his head, now facing his friend.

The vet held a questioning stare, “Come’ere,” he said.

Ororon complied and leaned closer.

Before he could even bother to ask a ‘why,’ Ifa brought his hand up to push the dark purple bangs. Confused, Ororon stood still as Ifa lifted his body to place a small kiss on his forehead.

“G’night, Ororon.” Like a light, Ifa slumped to sleep.

Ororon was on fire. Somehow shell-shocked but overjoyed at the same time – was that real? He looked around as if seeking confirmation, unfortunately the only other being was Cacucu, who was conked out in a pile of Ifa’s belongings.

The Mictlan stood up robotically and made his way to his own bed, plopping down and holding his forehead.

‘Woah.’

—

It wasn't the sun beaming on his face that awoke Ororon, instead, it was the sound of a pained grunt very close to his ears.
“Ugh, my head…”

“Rise and shine, bro!” Cacucu’s voice trilled in the air. He flies around the two men, spinning like a crib mobile.

“Hi, Cacucu.” Ifa’s voice was muffled by his hands, which were holding his face steady.

Not that Ororon minded, but he couldn’t help but ask, “when did you get in my bed?”

“Huh?”

“Good morning,” Ororon flipped over, now facing the other and repeated, “when’d you get in my bed?”

Ifa’s face was comical. His emotions range from confusion, shock, more confusion, and then pure, utter embarrassment (in that order.) His hands slide down his face, and with an exasperated tone, whispers, “ohhh my god.”

A beat of silence.

“I am so. Sorry.” Ifa refused to make eye contact.

It was the bat's turn to be confused, “what? Why are you sorry?”

“Are you kidding me? I made a complete fool of myself. I'm sorry you had to see that, bro…” Another beat. “...Why am I in your bed?” Cacucu flew somewhere around the room. “And where’s my shirt?”

Even Ororon is aware that out of context, this looks awful. His friend is half-naked, barely remembers the night, and is sleeping in the same bed with the only other person in the room.
Ororon is a modest and professional man and will respond with the most comforting answer. “Uhhh. I don’t know.”

“What?”

“Well, I mean, I’m not really sure why you are in my bed. You weren't here when I fell asleep. With your shirt, you took it off yourself.” Ifa sat up off the bed, taking the throw blanket at the end of the comforter and wrapped it around himself. Ororon follows suit, but instead takes the entire full-size quilt. “What all do you remember?” He asked, sliding down to sit on the floor in his nest of a blanket.

“Pretty much up until we left Angel’s Share, I think… Man, my head hurts.”

Cacucu seizes his moment to shine and brings Ifa his half-filled waterbottle, “here, bro!’

“You’re the best, lil’ buddy.”

With Ifa chugging the water like a lifeline, Ororon takes the time to look his friend over (to make sure he’s okay, of course. There’s nothing concupiscence going on inside his head. Or so he tells himself.)

“Oh, shit–” Ifa’s frantic shout shook Ororon out of his thoughts, “what time is it?”

“Uhh,” he looked out the window, “has to be right before noon or something…. Oh.”

It was at that moment that both of them realized they were incredibly late.

—

The two of them could've written a novel with the lengthy apology they spewed to Lisa. Though visibly annoyed, Lisa spared them a wrathful lecture.

The librarian waved her hand, “Goodness, you two are fine. I saw that Bard enter the tavern, and I could only assume how eager he was to see newcomers in Mondstadt. I imagine you had a drink or two?”

Embarrassed, Ifa tilted his hat down (how and when he got it back, Ororon could not tell you.) “Something like that…”

Lisa laughed, “well to make up for lost time, follow me.”

—

“As you can see, our demand for veterinary science greatly outweighs our supply,” Lisa says, holding the only three books about varying degrees of mammalian biology.

Ifa takes one of the books and flips through the pages, “ah, and it's a little outdated too. Don’t worry! I brought some books – hopefully they can be of use.” Placing the book down, he brings the satchel to the table. “This one is about anatomy, this one is medical herbs…”

Admittedly, Ororon zoned out. He was very intrigued by a young woman in the corner, who seemed to be talking to an electro-shadow bird. He heard something along the lines of “— the great revelation of the Immernachtreich, the 'Heilige Edikte der Verurteilung!” Such an interesting way of talking… He couldn't look away.

It wasn't until the last book was handed to Lisa that he locked back in.

“This is more than wonderful, darling. Truly, you have done me a great deal of favorability, and of course, you will be compensated for your generosity.”

“Oh, don’t even worry about it! I’m just happy to help.” Ifa smiles.

“I can’t just not show my thanks. How about this, if you won’t accept mora, how about a dinner? My treat for your two.” Lisa suggests.

Ifa looks over to his friend, and once locking eyes, he quickly looks away. “Uh – yeah, sure.” He clears his throat, “that would be great!”

She smiles, “wonderful. Do you remember where Good Hunter is?” The men both nod, “How about we meet at the same time as yesterday?”

“That works with us.”

“Perfect. Now, don’t be late, Sweeties.” Lisa coo’s, walking away with the bundle of books.

“So, what do we do now?” Ororon asked.

“Whatever you wanna do, bro,” Ifa replies, looking around the library.

Ororon cocks his head… What is he even looking at? He walks in front of the vet, “you good?”

Caught off guard, Ifa’s eyes widen, “Oh, um. Yes.” Cacucu flies to rest on his hat, “I’m fine! I swear.”

“Hm… if you're sure –”

“Hey, is that Ororon? And Ifa!” A chipper voice interrupted.

Turning, the Natlanese spot the famous Traveler with their floating companion.

“Ah, Traveler and Paimon! Hey, bro’s” Ifa waved.

“What are you two doing here?” The Traveler asked, holding out his hand for Cacucu to perch on. Happily obliging, Cacucu lands with a chirp.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Ororon said. “We came back with Bennett. Lisa had wanted more animal books, so Bennett brought us to give her some.”

“It was a commission she requested,” Ifa added.

Paimon smiled, “Ohh, I see! Well, since you guys are here, you wanna join us?”

Without thinking much about it, they agreed.

—

The joining of the Traveler and Paimon included multiple commissions all around Mondstadt. Some involved fighting hilichurl, some simple deliveries – but near the end, poor Cacucu was (somehow) panting from exhaustion.

“Man, bro… I forgot how different it is to fly outside Natlan,” Ifa pant’s, “It’s been so long since I’ve had to use my vision that much.”

Ororon wipes his brow, “yeah… That sucked.”

“Are you guys okay?” Paimon asked frantically, flying over to the two. The Traveler followed suit.

The Traveler looks incredibly apologetic, “I’m so sorry. I have never seen a Ruin Guard here. Are you okay?”

Only bearing a few bruises, they comfort the blonde and pixie, “yeah, we are okay.” Ifa says.

“Oh gosh… And you two have that dinner soon, right? How about we escort you! It’s the least we could do,” Paimon supplies.

Ororon nods, “sounds good to me.”

Paimon and Cacucu chattered the entire trek back, though more so Paimon, Cacucu was happily entertaining the others with his repeated responses.

Before long, they arrived at the city gates. “Wahoo! Made it back safe and sound,” Paimon cheered, “you said you guys are going to Good Hunter, right? Can we grab a snack, too?” She looked over to the Traveler, who couldn't help but smile.

“–Traveler! There you are, you gotta help us!” A man in knight attire shouted across the bridge. “There’s a bunch of Ruin Guards near the village; we need an extra set of hands.”

Paimon looked devastated, but the Traveler sprinted into action. “Got it. Sorry, guys, we’ll see you later.”

“Don’t even worry about it. Stay safe!” Ifa called out as the two ran off.

“...”

“...”

It was quiet.

…For the first time since the morning, Ifa and Ororon were alone.

“Listen-”
“-Hey, Ifa,”

The two shared a pitiful laugh, “sorry, you go.” Ifa said with a relaxed expression. Though… It looked forced, Ororon noted.

Ororon only ever saw Ifa deal with grief a few times, enough to count on both hands. When trying to comfort a dying animal, or even a person for that matter, to his own upbringing with life – Ifa has the same face. Eyes are closed to not make eye contact, a soft grin to show comfort, and an open palm, signifying trust. But beneath it all, just around the soul, is vulnerability.

“No,” a tone that left for no argument. “You go.”

Ifa’s eyes widened,“oh, okay. Um,” he breathes. “I just wanted to apologise. To you.”

“Me? Why?”

He looked uncomfortable. “I'm sorry for kissing you. Last night,” he added, as if it needed reminding. “I’ve just been able to remember the night, and ugh… That was really out of line of me, bro. I was drunk, but that is no excuse to treat you like that.”

“Huh?” Now, Ororon was really confused. The way Ifa was talking makes it sound like he did something worse than just a peck on the forehead. Honestly, even if it was a stranger who did that, Ororon wouldn't have cared. (Yeah, would've been weird but not the end of the world.) Frankly, this is Ifa who we are talking about – he could do anything to him, and Ororon wouldn't care.

Has Ifa been thinking about this all day? Ororon voiced this concern to him.

‘Well… Yeah. I didn’t even ask… I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.” Ifa looked like a kicked puppy.

Ororon had to fix this and asap. But… noticing a scratch on Ifa’s cheek, he saw a small trail of blood drip down his face. ‘Must’ve been from the Ruin Guard…’ He thought, absentmindedly. Lifting up his hand, his thumb glided across the vet's check, wiping off the dirt and blood.
“It’s fine, man, really. If anything, I liked it.”

“Huh?”

Faintly, Ifa’s face began to heat up. Ororon's thumb, still caressing his cheek, could feel the warmth rising. He then took his hand away, but not before letting his index finger rest underneath the other's chin, tilting it up ever so slightly.
If you asked Ororon, it wasn't intentional to touch his friend like that, but he’s happy it happened anyway.

“Are you for real, bro?” Cacucu shouted, disrupting any further thought between the two.

“Oh! Um. Yeah – Dinner time, bro. Uh,” Ifa laughs awkwardly, “don’t want to be late… Again.” He swiftly turns around, making his way to the restaurant.

Cacucu turned comically to Ororon, giving him a look of pure, genuine, ‘are you serious?’ The bat simply shrugged.

“Archons – what in the world happened to you two?” Lisa asked, “Your clothes are a mess. Did you tumble down a hill?”

Usually, Ifa was the one to answer for the two of them, but when he stayed silent, Ororon spoke up, “It was a Ruin Guard.”

A blonde woman, to which Ororon recognized as Jean, walked up to the table, “are you two alright?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. Nothing to worry about,” Ororon pulls out a chair for Ifa, then himself. He feels bad if he made Ifa uncomfortable… If he acts – what's the word? Gentleman-ly? Yeah, that one. If he acts gentlemanly, maybe Ifa will feel better.

Ifa just gave him a really confused look.

Lisa caught note of the gesture, “my, how kind.” She chuckles. “Well, I’m glad to hear you two are alright. In any sense, I hope you do not mind that I invited other guests for our dinner.”

Ifa finally spoke with a smile, “not at all.”

The dinner ended up slightly crowded. In order from around the table; there were the two Natlanese, Lisa, Jean, a girl named Barbara (who happily announced Jean was her older sister), Bennett, and the slightly feral young man named Razor. Later in the evening, the Traveler and Paimon were reunited with the group.

“– And then, Mr. Venti showed up! He really helped us a lot.” Bennett exclaimed. He was in the middle of reenacting his adventure in Natlan, with only occasionally having the Traveler correct him.

“He always knows when to show up at the right time, doesn't he?” Paimon said, between mouthfuls of food.

The whole dinner, Ororon had paid close attention to Ifa. Maybe a little too close, as at one point he had turned his entire body and chair to face him. Thankfully for Ifa’s sake, the Traveler had coughed, gaining the attention of the bat. The adventurer gave a questioning look, implying a ‘is everything okay?’ Ororon adjusted his chair and gave a plain thumbs up. All in all, Ororon had a blast.

From Ifa’s perspective, he was in a close adjacent to hell. First, he makes an absolute fool of himself to not only a bunch of strangers, but his best friend. (Ifa reminds himself, yes, that is what best friends are for, but it's still embarrassing!) Then, he gives a good night kiss to said best friend… And then the best friend says he liked it?!

The vet barely ate. Not that he wasn't hungry, but he just couldn't settle his stomach. Is the saying butterflies in your stomach still a thing? It certainly doesn't help that Ororon won't. Stop. Staring.

Ororon has always been an oddball. It’s one of the quirks Ifa adores about him; he’s so effortlessly himself. But there is a limit to how much he can tolerate the antics.

The dinner couldn't go any slower.

Even worse, the walk back to the hotel was beyond awkward. It was as if the two were complete strangers.

The Traveler had pulled him aside when everyone was saying their goodbyes. ‘‘Ororon, is everything okay?’

‘Oh, uh, yeah. I think so? It’s kinda complicated.’ Or maybe it wasn't. Ororon didn’t really know anymore.

‘Is Ifa mad at you?’

Oh shoot, was he? ‘Maybe?’

‘Well, maybe not mad. He looks more… worried? Is that the right word?’

Worried, huh? Looking at Ifa, he did have a concerned expression. But at what?

“Ack!” Ifa choked as Cacucu pulled on his hat, “Cacucu?”

“See ya, bro!” The saurian shouts, repeating it three more times for good measure.

“Huh? Do you want to explore by yourself?”

“Yeah, bro!”

“Oh, well…” Ifa looked over to his human companion. Ororon shrugged. “Okay, just… Be safe, alright? I trust you to not pick any fights, you hear?”

“Hahahaha!” The laugh echoed as the bird flew away.

“Wha – Cacucu?!”

“He’ll be fine,” Ororon drawled out, "probably."

Welp. Now the two were alone. Ugh, the tension could be cut with a knife.

They arrived at their temporary stay within minutes, with little to no conversation.

Unlocking the door first, Ifa hesitates, “I’m going to head to bed. I still have a wonky headache from yesterday, haha…” A clear lie. Even Ororon could tell.

To not push it, he just replied with a small, “alright, man.”

The nightly routine is simple – now that one of them is sober again. Shoes are off, hat is put away, and hood is down. However, instead of changing into casual attire, Ifa sits on his bed, hand massaging the back of his neck.

Alright. Ororon has had enough. “Ifa, what’s wrong? You’ve been off all day.”

“Oh no, it's nothing, bro. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, clearly I’m worried about it if I’m asking.”

A beat.

“Ugh, I don’t know, man.”

“You don’t know?”

“Well, I do. I just don’t know how to word it,” Ifa looks back to Ororon, who was lying in his own bed across the room. Looking back down to his lap, he continues. “What did you mean when you said you liked it?”

Ohhhh, that's what he’s thinking about. Honestly, Ororon forgot he said that. This whole time, he thought Ifa was upset that he wiped off the blood with his grubby hands.

“... Were you joking?” Ifa added, a bit quieter.

“What? Of course not,”

The lack of hesitation caught Ifa off guard. “Huh?”

“I meant what I said. I liked that you gave me a goodnight kiss. It was nice.”

“What?”

Ororon tilted his head in confusion, “I said–”

“No, no, I heard what you said. Just…” Ifa placed his hand over his mouth.

Fearing Ororon may not be able to hear him, which is such a lie, Ororon can’t even pretend in the slightest that it’s true. He just couldn't think of another excuse– he moved himself from bed to bed to sit behind Ifa. Feeling the dip of the mattress, Ifa took his hand away and placed it by his side, steadying himself.

“Ifa,”

He didn't respond.

The bat inches closer to the other. Ororon has never been one to second-guess his actions; if anything, he does whatever and accepts the consequences… And if he’s guessing right, maybe this outcome will be great for both of them.

With that train of thought, he slowly slips his hand into the open back of Ifa’s coat, and with delicate fingers, strokes up and down along Ifa's spine. The Mictlan crawled closer to the edge of the bed, and now sitting on his knees, allows himself to use both hands to caress the other's waist. At this point, Ororon's head was resting between Ifa’s shoulder blades and was gently feeling the muscles along his companion’s side.

“Ororon,” Ifa was quiet, attempting to look back, but couldn’t strain his head that far. His own hands rest on top of the others, not necessarily taking them off, but also not encouraging. “Are you aware of what you're doing?”

“Hm?” Ororon lifted his head, now letting it rest near the other's ear. “Of course I am.” Ororon could see the blush form on the vet's face. Cute.

Apparently, he said that outloud.

“Dude…” Ifa said with a breathy tone. In an attempt to possibly curl in on himself, whether out of embarrassment or not, Ifa grabs Ororon's palms, cradling the other man closer.

Ororon nuzzles himself into the bare neck, unabashedly sniffing the other's scent. “Is this okay?” His voice muffled.

Ifa takes a moment to think, which regrettably, does make the bat nervous… Had he actually read the room wrong?

“Um, yes–,” Ororon presses his lips against his neck. “– Yes,” Ifa repeats.

Ororon doesn't waste any time, immediately biting the side of his throat. He really doesn't have much experience with any intimate action, so this is pure instinct alone.

The grunt of pain elicited a buried emotion in both parties. Ifa attempted to silence himself, bringing his hand to cover his mouth and even clamping his teeth on his own thumb. Ororon had an innate feeling that the spot he bit just wasn't right; it just wasn't the correct spot to hold him in. He takes his hands out of the coat, wrapping them around the other's chest and tailors his mouth to bite over the nape of the vet.

“Ah– Ororon… Watch it…” Ifa demanded, though with no heat.

Ororon huffed in annoyance, but whatever Ifa says, it goes, he supposes. He licked the bite wound, and the dampness of the tongue shocked Ifa to ever-so-slightly arch his back.
Oh?

“Can you take off your coat?” Ororon asked, voice a little husky. Sure, he could’ve just taken off the coat ‘seductively’ like he's read in Granny's books, but it feels rude… What if Ifa is cold?

Ifa turned around and chuckled, a hazy look in his eyes as he stared at Ororon. He shrugs the white jacket off his shoulders, with the ‘clink!’ of his vision hitting against his gloves as he tosses it to the ground.

The gloves! Ororon can for sure take those off. With a movement a little too giddy for the heated moment, Ororon grabs the other's hand and peels off the heavy-duty attire. Or so he intended.

“...”

“...”

“Oh. How do I take these off?” Ororon asked, after a minute of just holding Ifa’s hand.

Ifa couldn't help but cackle a pure-hearted laugh, “oh my god, dude.” He takes off the gloves with ease, even holding out his palm to take off Ororon’s. Ororon more than happily obliged.

With a few more accessories tossed off, the two were adorned in only their undershirts and pants. Ifa now has his back close against the bedstand and with Ororon borderline straddling the other's lap.

Bemused, Ororon had asked, “can I kiss you?”

“You don’t have to ask, bro.” Ifa smiled, lifting his hands to cradle his friend's face.

‘Is friend the right word?’ Both of them had thought.

The kiss was sweet. Both metaphorically and literally – sweet in the sense that Ororon has always wanted to do this, and sweet as in Ifa tasted lovely. Ifa seemed to have more control of the situation, tilting their heads to allow the kiss to deepen.

Ororon wasn't really sure what to do, but the moment he felt Ifa’s tongue, he bit.

Ifa fell back, holding his lip, “ack- dude!” Taking his fingers away to check the damage, Ororon slapped the hand away, urging forward to lick the wound. The blood was metallic, but it was Ifa’s.
The vet had attempted to stop him from sucking the blood off his face, but unbeknownst to most: Ifa has the stamina, Ororon has the strength. Pushing the man down, Ororon overpowered the other with hands pinned down to their sides.

“Ororon…” Ifa had tried (honestly, tried is too strong of a word. It was a lackluster push) to move Ororon off him, but as soon as the other had trailed to his neck, his voice was cut short. Ororon grazes around the olden tattoo, playing a game of kissing each dot above the zig-zagged lines. He noticed that Ifa made more noises near the center of his throat.

Ifa’s hands did not go unnoticed, as once Ororon released his grip, he felt the pressure of fingers along his waist. The way Ifa was feeling up his torso had him beyond elated; he wanted more.

Crawling down, Ororon had slipped a hand under the darkened shirt, unapologetically groping the vet. Ifa let out a hushed moan, clearly not intended to leave his lips. Seemingly shocked by his own voice, Ifa’s eyes widened.

“Um,” Ifa began.

Ororon didn't care. “Take off your shirt.”

He didn't even get to take his hands off of Ororon before the bat ripped apart the buttons. Not even able to come up with a rebuttal, Ororon dove to kiss along his chest. As if a reflex, Ifa lifted his hands to the top of the purple mess of hair, accidentally pushing the electro user's face closer. His hands clamped the bat’s ears down, the thumb holding the inside of the ear against the scalp.

A well-known fact is that bats have exceptional hearing, and a common follow-up is that their ears are selectively sensitive. The pressure hurt, but oh my god, it felt great.

Ororon shared his own moan, almost salivating on the stomach he’s hovering over.

“Fuck – sorry,” Ifa stops, swallowing a gasp of air, “sorry.”

He couldn’t think of a verbal response, and instead absolutely tarnished Ifa’s body with bites. Any available skin was a war zone Ororon needed to step in. Ifa half-heartedly understood and began petting the bat’s ears rhythmically.

An unknown portion of Ororon's brain overrode his manual demeanor, a clear ‘he’s mine,’ act of possessiveness as he slid down a hand to Ifa’s pants. Only three of his fingers were able to snake under the fabric before a hand once again overlapped his.

A grunt, “N-no. Not today,” Ifa confronted, partly coherent. As if on fire, Ororon quickly removed his hand to place on the vet's shoulder instead.

“Hah, sorry,” While slightly disappointed, not today did imply there could be another.

With a shared smile, Ororon gladly continued marking Ifa.

—

Somewhere in the City of Freedom, two dragons meet at a crossroad.

“Oh, hello. Who are you, friend?” A young man had asked. “Are you lost?”

“No way, bro!” the saurian replied, flying around the other's head.

“Bro?” He had a serious look on his face, “So, you’re not lost?”

“No way, bro!” He repeated.

“Huh…I’ve never seen anything like you before… What’s your name? My name's Durin!”

The pink bird flew down, gesturing to his badge attached to his bag.

Durin read off the card, “Cacucu, huh? Well, it’s very nice to meet you! Would you wanna tag along with me? I have to drop something off to Grand Master Jean.”

“Yeah, Bro!”