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While the responsible folks of the city were sleeping as usual to get ready for the day tomorrow , the drunkards were at their most lively part of the day in the tavern. Including venti of course.
He was sitting on top of a table, one leg on top of the other as he played his lyre with talent that could match that of barbatos making quite an audience of drunkards for him buying him drinks and cheering for more songs.
On the second floor was Dahlia leaning against the wooden railing with one hand holding his mug of wine and was like everyone else watching the Bard's performance. Or as he thought, he was staring at different people in the crowd scanning every single one of them And instead of wine dripping from his mouth it was drool. As a vampire he was so hungry that he didn't notice at all he was dozing off, thankfully everyone was more focused on the bard's performance so they didn't notice him and he was on the second floor.
Finally Venti reached the end of the song and bowed to the crowd which they gave him their applause in return. He then looked up at Dahlia who was still staring at the crowd. That's when Venti realized the state his Herald was in, he noticed him some time ago while performing but he was too focused on his performance to think more about it. And so with light steps he went upstairs to the Herald who didn't notice the bard's presence and was still staring at different people in the crowd, it was until venti tapped his shoulder that Dahlia flinched and looked at him blinking twice and then smlied.
"Have you finished your performance already, Venti? " Dahlia said with a little smile on his face but Venti only gave him narrowed eyes in response which made Dahlia tilt his head in confusion.
"...What? "
"Oh nothing! I was just wondering if you remember which songs I was performing." Venti replied with a small smile on his face as he caught the Herald from his wrist and pulled him away from the wooden railing and to the other side of the empty floor so no one would see them and think of joining their little conversation.
"How could I forget? I am your Herald after all. " Dahlia replied with confidence as he let himself be dragged to the dark corner of the second floor by Venti not thinking much of it.
"Your first song was about the legendary heroine lady vennessa, the second was about a little boy and his spirit friend, the third one was about the... Two dragons I think? And the fourth one... Uhm... "
Dahlia was taken back by his memories that failed him, he's usually very focused on venti's performance especially since he loved them a lot. But now he can't remember anything.
"Woe is me! My Herald kept looking at people from the audience instead of his god at the stage that he can't even remember his songs! " venti sighed dramatically.
".. I was? " Dahlia replied with genuine confusion. It was until he noticed that he didn't take a sip from his wine yet his mouth was watery with drool that he realized the state he was in.
"Oh..looks like I was careless tonight."
"Yep you were staring at people like a cat about to jump for a bird! "
Venti then pulled up his sleeve and directed his wrist towards Dahlia who immediately shoke his head and rejected it.
"Huh? But you're clearly hungry? "
"I already drank more than enough blood two days ago, I should know my place and not ask for more. "
"But Dahlia you know that I really have no problem with that!"
"No need to. I've already relied on you more than enough this month. "
"You think I'm counting? " the bard replied smugly while the Herald was still hesitating.
"Thanks but I can mange myself really, especially since I could drink you dry at this point with how little you weight, and you drinking only wine is not helping your case! "
"So your solution is to isolate yourself in a corner like a widow and stare at random people like you have a secret crush on them? "
"But that shouldn't be bothering you or anyone when I'm restraining myself. I may have dozed up a little but I didn't attack anyone. " a laugh escaped dahlia's mouth at venti's silly little comparison. Which earned him a pout from the bard in return.
"But I am the one giving you the blood to drink. You should be looking at me that way! " venti replied quickly without thinking.
Both venti and Dahlia froze at the statement almost not believing what they both heard. Even venti was stunned.
"Pffftttt are you jealous? Is the great barbatos god of freedom actually jealous and is trying to be possessive? " Dahlia immediately teased with a smile on his face shoving his finger on venti's face.
"Hah what blasphemy coming out of the Herald of freedom! I am definitely not! " venti moved his face away from dahlia's finger and crossed his arms.
The Herald laughed at the bard's silly confession and explanation to save what little dignity he had left. Unfortunately for dahlia, sharpened fangs were revealed. A sign for hunger.
Venti noticed that and his irritation slowly disappeared. And so he grabbed Dahlia once again while he was still wheezing and led him out of the tavern with the goal to head to dahlia's home, because venti was homeless and at this point he was living with the Herald.
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During the walk home, venti kept chatting about various things and while Dahlia tried his best to keep up with him, his mind kept repeating one thing "you should be looking at me that way" and while he felt a little bad for making his god feel that way, he can't deny that he felt that ego boost that made him smirk to himself at some point.
Finally arriving home, the bard opened the door with his spare key pushing it open and immediately removed his shoes and his beret along with his cape and corset , while the Herald closed the door behind him and removed his shoes too.
"Now that we're finally here you don't have any people to stare at anymore. " venti started while stretching.
"Are you ever letting that go? That is not a good look for the god of freedom you know." Dahlia replied letting out a small chuckle.
Venti then approached Dahlia and pulled up his sleeve again revealing his wrist.
"Well here's your meal! Bon appétit!" Venti said tilting his head to the side and smiling.
But Dahlia didn't take the wrist immediately, he just kept staring at the bard which earned him a look of confusing from him so Dahlia took the wrist in hands and moved it closer to his mouth, digging his fangs in starting to drink.
Usually there were no awkwardness or problem when he's drinking blood but right now Dahlia was drinking slowly and at some point he chocked on venti's blood.
"Ehe you seem to be distracted quite a lot today." venti said while pulling away his wrist and patting dahlia's back.
" *Cough* it's just your imagination-*cough* "
The words venti confessed earlier "you should be looking at me that way" kept running in dahlia's head for some reasons. Venti was the one who confessed that he should be the flustered one not me! Dahlia thought to himself while grinding his teeth and wiping the blood from his mouth.
What Dahlia thought as an ego boost backfired at him now. So he really thinks that way about me? My God wants me to only look at him? This bard is full of shit! While he was having these thoughts in his head, a little flush that appeared in his face and of course, venti noticed it.
Venti couldn't denit the fact that he didn't understand everything Dahlia was feeling right now, but he also can't deny that he at least understood half of the reason. And so his gaze softened and approached Dahlia again but this time, he was unbuttoning the first three buttons from his shirt and titled his head slightly exposing a side of his neck while also blushing a little. When Dahlia looked at him he was confused a little at first but then got what venti wanted him to do.
"Wha- are you a pervert? "
"Ugh! Im only doing this for you so you don't have to be the only one embarrassed here!"
This time both of their faces were flushing red. Dahlia was always drinking from venti's wrist, but drinking from his neck was a whole new thing. It meant that they had to get very close to eachother.
Well we already embarrassed ourselves enough Dahlia thought to himself while approaching venti, putting one hand at his waist and another at his shoulder. He did what he usually did with the bard's wrist before drinking, he licked his neck basically making it drip wet with salvia so his fangs can easily dig into his skin. After doing that Dahlia took a little glimpse at venti before continuing and this time the bard's face was completely red. Despite the embarrassment dahlia was enjoying this a little.
Venti shivered slightly at the bite and unconsciously he locked his arms around the herald's waist suddenly tightening as if he was using him as a support before getting used to it and relaxing again.
Dahlia drinking blood from venti's neck for the first time made him a little excited, suddenly wanting more and pushing his fangs more inside his skin which made him unknowingly push the bard back slowly to the point his back hit the wall.
When Dahlia finally pulled back, what he was faced with was the flushed face of his god who was breathing very slowly and his messy braids that were over his shoulders, venti slowly opened his eyes and smiled at him.
"..Hah...Took you long enough!" Venti teased Dahlia expecting him to pout but Dahlia offered no reaction in response and instead kept staring at him.
Almost like he couldn't take it anymore, the herald cupped the bard's cheek and leaned forward offering him a kiss.
Venti was a little suprised at this move but then he just closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, putting his arms on dahlia's shoulders while Dahlia brought Venti closer.
They kept going at it for a while, pulling back and then moving close again. And at the end of the night it ended up with them tangled up with each other in the bed.