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"Oh my…"
You'd think the god of this nation would seem a little more disturbed by the Abyssal erosion taking place right before their eyes, eating away at the vitality of foliage and the stability of earth. Then again, Venti has always had more than a few solutions at his disposal for just about anything, no?
There's a silly thought for a change —Aether mused as they flexed a gloved hand without really raising it just yet — could they purify all of that? By hand? They've been able to purify Stormterror's tears unscathed before, but how long will that keep up? And won't it just come back with Stormterror's poisoned reign on the winds of Mondstadt?
Venti watched them with an enigmatic amusement, as if waiting for the next decision; a decision that could finalize his opinion of this strange traveler. Despite his smile, the wind stirred strangely, like the churning of your gut.
He's nervous.
…Well, it won't do to leave the Archon of the place feeling unbalanced, the guilt tells them. Or maybe it's just uneasiness stirred up by the Abyss.
The push and pull of conflict finally ceased, and with the drag of saltwater ceasing, the traveler approached the damaged area, raising up a hand to begin the svelte hand— the what?
With a sudden interruption, Venti grabbed the Traveler's hand and twirled them back around to face them, making sure to disorient them just a bit so they don't think of something so silly again.
The bard smiled a little wider, and this time, even while dizzy and with their innards all mixed up (foreshadowing /j), the Traveler notices that it's... happier than before.
"As much as I admire your honorable soul—" and every word was true; you could tell from the way even the anxious winds had softened into a tender zephyr tousling their– no wait, Aether's hair is already tousled anyway, does this count as un-tousling it? "—the damages caused here, and across all of Mondstadt, are much too great to simply let one man handle it."
The last time that happened, it went very, very catastrophically. One could even say it was a cataclysm.
The Traveler looked almost befuddled; perhaps the concept of little ol' Venti not being lazy for once really was so bizarre.
(Sigh, it almost motivates Venti to try more some times. If only they'd look up at him… but this life of wine and whimsical responses are simply too addicting.)
"What's that look for?" he proclaimed with an un-intimidating puff of his chest, the kind he uses to give his poems and songs a bit more life when they've a story to share. "I'll have you know I'm a perfectly hard-working Archon!"
Aether made a weird face that seemed to convey "what are you talking about" in far too rich a tone for Venti's liking, even glancing at Venti's face and to determine his seriousness on the matter. "Uh, nevermind that for now," They pull away, and Venti lets go too. "How are we supposed to deal with all that, then?"
"…Well!" Venti's gaze slid back to the on-going Abyssal rot just nearby, the red and brown and slight ooze of purple that sickened everything and everyone.
The Abyss was a highly adaptable pestilence, if nothing else. It had come from Dvalin's prior corruption and into his winds, and had seeped into Mondstadt's highly anemo-absorbant environment until it contaminated plants, stone and water.
It seems to have mimicked a milder version of the power given to him by the Thousand Winds, using his influence from the Statues of the Seven, making everything it touches erode at an unnatural pace.
Sudden aging, memory loss and rot all include the human consequence of consuming these corrupted goods, all symptoms of erosion instead of the usual Abyssal flare of an overzealous, poisonous ambition.
"If we want an effective solution, it has to be within the winds themselves so it can be reabsorbed by Teyvat's lifeforms..." Venti began inquisitively, only to following it up by turning to stare at the Traveler with a little grin. A trivia question for Mondstadt's beloved Honorary Knight!
"Uh…" Venti can do that, can't he? Though, the Statues of the Seven have an "output" of energy that's far-reaching, but Venti's still the input.
"We need to put something in you," the Traveler concludes blankly, even as it comes out wrong. It can't get worse than that, anyway…
"You, to be precise!" Oh. It got worse.
The Traveler's face scrunches up into a look of genuine confusion, and then a flushed bemusement. What is that meant to entail?! "I'm a minor!" Thankfully, they have their prefered excuse for avoiding adult responsibilities at the ready. They look young enough anyway...
Naturally, Venti teased them for it, "Oh my, have you your pacified? No? Splendid, that makes the two of us!" They are two immortals with a youthful visage. It's perfectly fine!
Probably.
Venti doesn't pull the Traveler in immediately, which should've been an attempt at patience or reassurance but is somehow even creepier because he's just staring at them with a silly grin. He's so lucky he's pretty.
Aether vaguely points downward, his face scrunched up, "You mean...?" It's as if it couldn't get even worse! Even the bard looks a little confused this time around.
"...I was thinking something along the lines of a kiss." At least it's not a kiss down-stairs. That's... doable, right? But why a kiss? Why anything intimate, actually? Why not eat a strand of hair or something like that green kid?…
Questions churning up in Aether's head like saltwater get addressed before they can even mention it, "The purest energy is that which comes from genuine emotion, and I imagine only then could your purification abilities stand a chance against a whole nation's infestation," the bard began as if reciting a poem, but none of the words had any double meaning to analyze.
"The alternative would involve genuine harm, and I can't have the Honorary Knight pained and injured now, can I? Who knows if that such gruesome fluids would even have your benevolent properties."
Logically, if the Traveler can purify the Abyss, this power of theirs would need a "focal point," like a Vision. When an organism doesn't have a Vision, this energy is spread throughout their entire body, and since water is a potent solvent for these energies, their drool or blood would be quite concentrated with it.
Mondstadt's winds are passively linked to Venti's breath, health and emotions. During Stormterror's reign of terror. "Getting in the mood," combined with the taste of the Traveler, should (in theory) give Mondstadt "purifying" winds that will resolve the situation on its own.
The math maths perfectly!
"Ah! But fret not — I would never ask something quite so sudden without good reason!" The bard assured with lively enthusiasm that contrasted the nervous winds, "So then..."
The request in the statement is clear - he's checking if they can take it further, but not daring to voice it.
Aether hesitates, before turning back to look at the heavily contaminated area, weighing in the situation. Surely Venti had an alternative solution, rightv Nothing else could give one such confidence when a nation is rotting from the inside... and yet, he wasn't saying anything.
Was he truly at a loss?
They've already seen just a fraction of the Abyss' effects on the citizen of Mondstadt, and picturing the consequences of letting it fester and corrode more and more and more... it's quite the unsightly visual, compared to kissing a... RELATIVELY pretty boy they are already acquainted with. Well, so much for trying to remain disconnected to this world until Lumine was there.
Then again, they can't continue their journey together peacefully if a whole nation is on the verge of collapse, and it's good to get on a god's good side...
...
"Well, it's just a kiss..."
The Nile here has humbled Egypt in 67 different languages but nevermind that... Venti couldn't judge them when they willingly accepted such discomforting intimacy. It truly means a lot, coming from someone so closed-off. Venti only realizes the slight flush on his cheeks when the wind frolics upon them.
"They say a kiss is a sealed contracts in some parts of this world," he began casually, probably testing their resolve. He's a God of Freedom, but not "that" kind of freedom, after all. He has to make sure the Traveler knows what a kiss means in Teyvat, even if he's… well, terrified for Mondstadt. If they back out, he can always find another solution, right?.. "Would one from beyond this world, as untethered as yourself, be willing for such intimacy?"
Contract? Contract? Aether did NOT sign up for this... sure, they were pretty old, and they'd probably outlive this world (here we go, again), but making these big promises when they don't even remember what they began traveling for in the first place is still a lot!
But maybe it doesn't have to be that. Maybe it's not a contract of devotion, just... a promise of something, anything. A promise to oneself and whoever it affects, right? Yeah, yeah... they can eat their cake and keep it too. It's for Lumine and their travels, really... and if it just so happens the bard is really pretty, it's not like anyone will judge, right?
"Then," Aether stepped closer, holding the svelte hand more firmly this time. It's cool, but the intimacy is slightly hindered by their gloves. No matter, "I promise you a better tomorrow. Is that alright?"
Venti actually reddened even more, his eyes growing just a little stupefied before softening into this tender look. "More than alright."
You'd almost think Venti realized something new.
The thought is not even left to grow when chapped lips met Venti's much softer ones, hand-in-hand. The Traveler goes still, not quite expecting the sheer difference in texture, but Venti redoubles his efforts to compensate for the Traveler's lapse in confidence with a soft suctioning sensation that makes Aether blank. Because of course Venti takes the lead in such a situation...
Whatever this kiss represents is sealed the moment their tongues meet. It's weird, they can feel that sly tongue of his that has charmed so many hearts across Teyvat, but it's suddenly so soft and warm and docile in their mouth. But it's not... as repulsive as you'd expect? The tastes and scents are also pretty nice, a bit like apples. You'd think a broke busker on the streets would have a little less hygiene...
It makes the Traveler a bit insecure about their oral hygiene actually. Do they smell and taste okay?
But better than that was Venti's teasing nip to the lip. A push and pull, not one quite as harsh as their thoughts. It's easy to fall into, and Aether finds themself trying to match the rhythm with their own efforts.
The unconscious effect of the Traveler's presence already stirs with winds like a sentinel; the air grows a little cooler, and the air feels more refreshing; the effect had on the Abyss that could be felt in the soil and erosion of stone was minimal, almost negligible.
That won't do.
Venti redoubles his effort, until even the Traveler has to lean back a little. The bard teasingly takes in Aether's whole tongue and suckles softly, much to Aether's confusion and embarrassment. It's hard to put into words how exactly it feels at this point, with how creative it gets and looks.
"Mmm?" the Traveler questioned wordlessly, never quite having seen tongue-sucking during a kiss in those books with kissing and stuff.
Tongues are left alone in response for an answer, and Venti slowly slips his lips off their tongue, "Why not?"
"Is it even physically stimulating to you?" Aether points out, "It feels weird on my end."
Perhaps that was the answer he sought, because Venti grinned wider, "Water — in this case, drool — is a solvent even for certain energies, feelings and memories, including yours... wrapping my lips around something does feel nice though..."
Did this twink just suck his tongue off to make a joke about blowjobs?
"...Right, let's keep it oral—" aaaand that's where the Traveler fumbled, they realize. They could've picked any other word, for fuck's sake.
"Why of course, I'll keep it plenty oral~!" the bard follows through with his promise with a tug at his scarf, like it was some sort of leash and Aether was expected to obey. Had it always been so tight? Aether leans down, as per Venti's silent request.
His reward is a soft kiss that quickly devolves back to tongue and drool. The Traveler starts trying to return some of the enthusiasm, but it could obviously use some work. It's a little gross, but it's more doable knowing who they're doing it with.
Becoming less and less confident, Venti's kisses begin to slow down and lose their expert's touch. In response, the Traveler is tempted to tease Venti as payback with more effort into the kiss, but they take the lack of enthusiasm as a lack of consent and reluctantly pull back.
"Is that enough?"
Venti doesn't respond for a while, and he has only opened his eyes half-way. When he does, it's like waking from a dream, "Huh?"
"The kiss. Will it be enough?"
"...Oh! Oh, yes, it will do Mondstadt wonders. You should consider joining the Four Winds, ehe~!" Venti tucks his hands behind his back like a whimsical little gentleman, but it's not quite as fast as usual.
'Ehe.' Is he hiding something? The Traveler isn't really sure what they'd be trying to investigate though, and as a matter of fact, the Abyssal rot they were making-out in front of is already chipping away bit by bit... whatever it is, it probably can't hurt.
"How about you go investigate the area and I sit back for a bit?" whatever the bard is hiding, naturally, takes backseat to his usual laziness. Maybe it's for the best, he seems to need some alone time.
Was the kiss that bad? Or was it good? Ah, that's too optimistic, let's just leave it at that and let things happen how they'd naturally happen...
Venti's smile fell when Aether turned away, and he flopped to the grass unceremoniously with a whiny sigh. If the Traveler were just a bit more assertive, he'd get to kiss AND be lazy!..
And really, where is this sudden fatigue coming from?!
-
Aether doesn't take long to return, and they find a very sleepy Venti who... is he sulking? Holy shit, he's sulking. Aether crossed their arms inquisitively and observes Venti with a smidge of worry. "You alright?"
"Sleepy..." like... a post-orgasm kind of sleepy??? French kis— ahem, Fontainian kisses don't warrant sleepiness or orgasms, do they??
"Come join me."
Aether looks up and down, just to assess if this was legit or if Venti needed something, like some medicine. He seems fine, a little red but that could be the sun and his naturally chubby cheeks. It can't hurt, so they crouch down next to Venti and flop on to the ground next to him, their position far less modest than the bard's, in typical Aether style.