Chapter Text
Diluc did a double take the moment Venti strolled in with Oliver trailing behind him. He set down the glass he was drying and crossed his arms. "Alright. Two days in a row with the same guy. This has got to be a boyfriend if you're still with him."
Venti gasped dramatically and threw himself onto the barstool like he'd been physically wounded. "Diluc~! Can't a charming, devastatingly attractive individual such as myself spend time with a cute boy without everyone making it were we are an item~?" He flopped forward onto the bar counter with a groan.
Diluc stared at him. "You don't spend time with anyone. Ever. So yes, this is a whole thing." He glanced at Oliver. "Especially with this one." he folded his arms. "You have feelings,"
The bard lifted his head with a grin. "And what if I do?" He propped his chin in his hands. "What are you, the feelings police?" he turned to Oliver whose face was more red than Diluc's hair.. "Oliver doesn't mind, do you~?"
Oliver opened his mouth.
"Atta boy~," Venti bit his lip, turned back to Diluc, and then— "PffFt—" He slapped a hand over his mouth. Then, he burst out laughing. Couldn't hold it in much longer. As if, he ever could.
Diluc shook his head. "At this rate, you're going to kill that poor man," without any more words, he turned around, grabbed one of the bottles, and handed Venti.
Venti giggled. He turned to Oliver. "Hey! Diluc! Pass over an empty glass~ Wanna make Oliver here try my favorite wine," Venti pulled off the cork, tossing it, then took a long drink, then set down the bottle on the counter. He winked at Oliver. "It's some good stuff~,"
The empty glass came sliding across the counter. Venti caught it.
"Venti. Sharing his wine." Diluc said it like he was narrating something historic. "Remarkable."
"Oh, hush, candy-hair~," Venti said, already pouring carefully into the glass. "Here." He handed it over to Oliver.
Oliver accepted it, looked down at it for a second, then took a sip. He blinked. "Wait. That's... actually really good?"
"RIGHT?!" Venti looked personally vindicated.
"It's... a subtle sweetness. But it doesn't have that harsh alcohol taste I usually don't like. I hate that burn... It just... goes down easy."
Venti's smile softened into something a little warmer. He nudged Oliver's shoulder. "Hey~ there you go again. You're remembering something~!"
Oliver blinked. "Oh— yeah. Yeah, you're right. I... I just remembered I don't like the taste of some alcohol. Whiskey especially. Whiskey is awful."
"Hard agree," Diluc said flatly from behind the counter.
Oliver took another quiet sip.
Venti smiled at him. "Hey now, remember you said you're a lightweight~," he teased. "Don't be drinking too much hehe~,"
"R-Right! I know, I know," Oliver said quickly.
The bell above the door rang.
Diluc glanced up. "Afternoon, Bennett."
Oliver blinked, then turned around, and saw a pretty short boy sit down in one of the stools next to him. "Hey Diluc! Can I get those cocktails you and Traveler put together last time? Oh— and make two, Razor's on his way, he's just running behind."
Oliver found himself staring. Something was tugging at the back of his mind. He couldn't quite grab it.
He looked up at the top of his head. White hair, had goggles rested on his head, instead of wearing them. A vest, he probably didn't wear anything under the vest, as it was pretty revealing and he saw a lot of skin.
Bennett caught his eye. "Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to just sit down without saying hi!" He stuck his hand out. "I'm Bennett!"
Oliver blinked. "...Oliver,"
There was something about Bennett... Why did he look familiar?
Bennett tilted his head slightly. "You okay?"
Venti had already leaned forward, eyes flicking between the two of them.
Bennett saw. "Oh! Geez, I guess I must be blind, haha!" Bennett laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't even see you in here either Ven! How're you?"
"Pretty good~! Just keeping Oliver company. He lost his memories."
"Oh." Bennett's expression went immediately soft with concern. "Oh no, that's really rough. Is there a way to get them back?"
Venti shrugged, took a slow pull from his bottle. "Not sure yet. For now I'm just making sure he's comfortable."
Venti told Oliver that when he remembers something, he shouldn't try to dwell onto it. But he also said to try to grasp it, if may have been in reach. Something was with Bennett. Oliver looked at Venti. "Venti? I... I dunno, something is in the back of my subconscious when I look at Bennett. But, I... I dunno what it is?"
"Oh—!" Venti sat up a little straighter.
"Huh?" Bennett blinked. "What happened?"
At that time, Diluc slid down the drink Bennett ordered, and he caught the glass. "Hey! Diluc be careful!" Bennett yelled at him. "You know I have that bad luck thing, I could have dropped it,"
"Oh- right, sorry!" Diluc quickly said.
Oliver blinked. 'Bad luck...?'
Bennett turned back to Venti and Oliver. "What's up?" He said.
Venti nudged Oliver with his elbow. "Seems like you might know Benny~."
Bennett blinked. "Know me? I-I don't think I ever met you before... uh, Oliver, was it?"
Oliver nodded.
"Maybe you two crossed paths before? You're always going on adventures, maybe you came across him out there somewhere? Even just one little meet up could have had a longing impression on his mind," Venti said.
Bennett shook his head, really trying to think. "Unless he had a different hairstyle back then, I don't remember ever coming across someone with a braided ponytail like that, except Traveler."
"Hmmm..." Venti turned to Oliver. "Well, Bennett is pretty known around Monstadt. Maybe you caught a glimpse of him somewhere? Now why would you remember him that hard if you did?" Venti's voice went into a low tease. "Maybe you had a crush on him!"
"What?!" Oliver and Bennett both yelled at the same time.
"No!" Bennett laughed, waving his hand. "I mean — even if that were a thing, I have a boyfriend. That's Razor."
Oliver shot Venti a flat look. "I don't think so, Venti." He paused. "Besides, at the moment I have a crush on you—"
He stopped.
The whole bar went quiet for half a second.
Did he just say that out loud?
Then Venti completely fell apart. He slammed both fists on the counter, doubled over laughing, loud and unrestrained, the sound bouncing off every wall in the tavern.
It startled Diluc so badly he nearly dropped the glasses he was holding. "WHA — HEY! Keep it down!" he snapped, mostly just because his heart was still racing.
Venti was already sliding off the stool. "Oh my WORHAHAHAAORRDDD!!!— YOU JUST — YOU—"
"Ah! Venti!" Bennett hopped off his own stool to help.
Oliver had rotated himself on his seat so he was facing completely the other direction. His face was on fire.
Eventually — eventually — the bard collected himself enough to climb back onto his stool, wiping at his eye. "Oh no... oh, this mystery boy is going to make me lose a lung one of these days..."
He turned to Oliver with the softest, most insufferable smile. "I can't believe you just said that out loud~ Aww, you're so cute~."
"It's your fault I have a crush in the first place," Oliver muttered, still facing away. "You teasing, chaotic mess."
Venti snorted. "Oh sure, all my fault huh~? I tease plenty of people and none of them have ever swooned like you do! Haha!"
Bennett was a little lost on the full context but found the whole thing funny enough that he was quietly giggling into his drink.
Oliver exhaled slowly and turned back around to face forward.
"There he is~," Venti said warmly.
"Oh my god, Venti, shut up~."
"Hmm~? You rang~?" Venti leaned in closer.
"Huh? What do you-," Then Oliver realized. "Oh- you! Ugh! That's not what I meant!" He laughed.
Venti giggled, bright and easy, and finished the last of his Dandelion Wine.
"Honestly," he sighed contentedly, setting the bottle down, "who needs wine to feel light-headed when you're sitting right there?"
Oliver put his face in his hands, and sighed.
That was, by his count, about the millionth sigh of the day.
~~~~~
Night crept in again. Oliver's second night in this world now.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Venti suddenly snatched Oliver's hand, pulling him along at full speed through the cobblestone streets. "To the tree!"
Oliver had no choice but to keep up with the erratic bard. They flew past the town gates, the guards watching Venti with that particular look they reserved for him. The look that said they had long since given up asking questions. They'd seen it all at this point with this man.
When they reached the tree, Venti threw his arms around Oliver in a sudden, bone-squeezing hug. "GKGH—!" Oliver wheezed.
"Hehe! Upsies!" And with that, Venti launched them both into the air, holding Oliver close as they went.
"Hey! A little warning next time!" Oliver yelped, arms gripping the bard.
Venti threaded through the branches with ease, weaving up until the hammock came into view. "Ta-da~!" He set Oliver down in it gently, then floated down after him, settling in right beside him.
~~~~
Oliver lay there staring upward through the canopy. Neither of them were asleep. Neither of them were really trying to be. They were just... breathing. Just existing there for a bit. Oliver couldn't speak for Venti, but his own head was a mess. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened today, not really. But he was so, incredibly, stupidly flustered by this bard. And it just kept getting worse.
He felt an elbow nudge him.
He turned his head slowly.
There was Venti, in the faint moon light, Oliver could see his smirk.
"W-What is it?"
"Hehe, nothing~!" Venti laughed quietly. "Just lookin' at you!"
Oliver turned back toward the sky.
"Heyyy, don't ignore meeee~!"
Oliver sighed. He looked back over.And the moment he did, Venti leaned in and kissed him. Short and sweet. His lips, soft and slightly damp, pressed against Oliver's for just a moment before pulling away with a little smooch.
Oliver just stared at him.
Venti, just grinning.
His heart was pounding. Like, genuinely hammering. Like he'd just sprinted a mile, except he was flat on his back in a hammock with a ridiculous bard grinning at him.
But he couldn't deny it anymore. He leaned in too. And kissed him back. And Venti, of course, let him.
It started simple. It stayed relatively simple. Though at some point it became something more, the two of them just... going with it. The hammock rocked slow and steady in the night breeze. Venti's hands came up to cup Oliver's face, gentle and warm.
They stayed like that for a while. Maybe ten minutes. Then it felt like time to breathe again, and they pulled apart. Venti pressed one last small kiss to Oliver's cheek, and then reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair away from his face.
Oliver's heart was still going. But that tiny little gesture absolutely demolished him.
"Oh my god... what are we even doing..."
Venti giggled. "Hehe~ You should feel honored I'm letting you get all close with me, honestly! I don't just date anyone, you know~!"
"N-Now we're dating..." Oliver groaned, burying his face in the bard's neck.
Venti's laugh was soft. He brought a hand up to the back of Oliver's head, fingers slow and easy as they combed through his hair, brushing over his braid every now and then.
"Ehehe~ you're gonna kiss me anymore, or you're just gonna live in my neck for the rest of the night?" Venti teased.
Oliver slowly lifted his head. He leaned in and kissed Venti's cheek.
"Hehe, there you go~," Venti giggled.
"Oh, be quiet—" Oliver kissed him on the lips again.
They went back and forth like that a little more before settling down. Venti pulled Oliver against him, letting him rest with his head against his chest. He kept running his fingers through his hair, light and unhurried.
They both just watched the moonlight shift through the branches overhead.
It was nice. Quiet. Until Venti opened his mouth.
"You remember when we were in the hot springs? And you got absolutely, totally, and weirdly flustered by my belly button?"
Oliver's eyes shot open, then he groaned loudly, "Venttttiiii! Come on! Stop!"
"Hey, hey, hey! No teasing! I'm being serious right now!" Venti insisted, giggling anyway. "I just wanna know. Like, is that your thing? Are you into it, or something?"
Oliver's face was burning. "...Yeah. It is," he mumbled. "I don't really know why. I just always have."
Venti smiled, pulling him a little closer. "Hey, your memory's getting better though!" he said, brighter now. "See? You remembered something about yourself!"
Oliver thought about that. He was right, sort of. He didn't remember how he'd developed the preference, just that he had it. But then again, most people couldn't explain why they liked what they liked.
What he did remember, vaguely, was that someone had made him feel terrible about it. He didn't know who. A past partner, maybe? Had he even had a partner before? It was all blurry.
"...I think someone made fun of me for it," Oliver said quietly. "Details are fuzzy. But I'm pretty sure that happened."
The teasing dropped out of Venti's expression entirely. "What? Really? Oh no—" He kissed Oliver's cheek. "That's awful. Who was it? Who did that to you?"
"As I said... fuzzy details. I doubt I'd have told a friend about something like that, so... probably a partner, if anyone."
Venti kept his arm around him, hand stroking Oliver's cheek carefully. "I hope my teasing about it didn't... surface some bad memories? Oh geez, that's not why you remember it, is it?"
Oliver shook his head quickly. "No, Venti. Seriously, it didn't. Your teasing is... different. You're trying to get a reaction out of me, but in a good way. Whatever happened before, that was the opposite. That was meant to push me away."
Venti nodded slowly. "Okay. Good." He kissed his cheek again.
Oliver blinked. "Y-You keep kissing me..."
Venti gasped dramatically, hand flying to his chest. "Are you saying you don't want the most dashing bard in all of Mondstadt giving you kisses under the moonlight?! I'm wounded." He kept one eye cracked open, watching to see if it was landing.
Oliver stared at him completely flatly.
Venti completely lost it. "HAHAHA what IS that face?!" He kissed Oliver's forehead anyway. "Okay, okay. Different topic. Since we where on the subject—" he grinned— "do you wanna actually see my belly button properly this time?"
Oliver nearly choked. "WHA!?"
"Don't give me that!" Venti laughed. "We both know you wanna~." He gently shifted Oliver off of him and sat up, turning so he was facing him.
He snapped his fingers. A little gust of wind, and his top came off in one clean motion, settling neatly on a nearby branch.
"There you are~!" Venti said, closing his eyes like he was presenting a gift, gesturing grandly toward his navel. "One handsome bard's beautiful innie! You're welcome!"
Oliver was blushing a lot, staring at Venti's midriff.
"Well? Aren't you going to do something?" Venti asked. "Like, touch it?"
Oliver swallowed. He reached over. Pressed his palm carefully against Venti's upper stomach. Venti smiled softly, arching into it just slightly, like he was offering.
His skin was incredibly smooth. Pale and soft in the moonlight. Oliver moved his fingers gently up and down, and Venti let out quiet little sounds, giggling under his breath.
And then—the obvious next step. Oliver pressed his finger into Venti's belly button. Into the tight slit-innie. Venti inhaled. "Oh!" He blinked a few times. "Hehe~ huh. I just realized I never actually had someone touch my belly button before. That really tickles~"
Oliver wiggled his finger softly. Venti squirmed. "Hehehe! Oliver~! Okay, that really tickles~!"
Oliver giggled himself, and continued to dig into the bard's navel. Eventually he pulled his finger out.
Venti exhaled a laugh. "Okay! Okay. I'm gonna need a second to adjust to that. Wow. That's gonna take some getting used too~" He leaned in and kissed Oliver's nose. "Give me a moment haha..."
Oliver looked down at Venti's stomach. At the little navel there. This felt surreal. Like if he thought about it too hard it might stop being real.
He wanted to do something else. He wasn't sure how out-there it would come across. He wasn't sure if Venti would be okay with it.
"Venti?"
"Yeah, Ollie?"
Oliver paused. "...O-Ollie?"
Venti tilted his head. "Yeah? Oh—you don't like it?"
"No! No, I do, I just—I think I remembered something. I think people used to call me that. Maybe friends."
Venti lit up and clapped his hands together. "You're remembering more stuff! That's great!" He poked Oliver's cheek fondly, then settled again. "Okay so what were you about to say?"
The blush came back immediately. "I... okay. If you don't want to, just say so right now, alright? Before I finish asking." Oliver steadied himself. "I... want to lick it. Your belly button."
Venti went quiet for a moment.
Oliver covered his face with both hands.
Venti's lips curled into a smirk. "Gettin' frisky aren't we~?"
"Please don't make this worse—"
Venti burst into giggles. "For the record—yes, absolutely yes, I want you to do that. But!" He held up a finger. "I now know for a fact that my belly button is extremely sensitive. So if I say stop, you stop immediately. Deal?"
Oliver nodded right away. "Of course, I wouldn't force you with anything."
Venti beamed. "You're genuinely so sweet~." He shifted, glancing around. "Should I... lay down?"
Oliver nodded. "I think I-I can get your belly button better like that~,"
Venti giggled and let out a few snorts. "Hehehahahhaha~ okay!" He layed down, his bare chest and stomach on display in the hammock. "Knock yourself out! Just don't knock me out~,"
Oliver's face was on fire staring down at him like that. He inched closer, practically draped over him, face just inches from Venti's stomach. He could see the detail of his skin much more clearly now. The faint texture of it. The exact shape of that tight little slit-innie, the way the opening was just barely visible. Curious, he brought two fingers down into it to part the rim slightly and peer inside.
Venti squirmed immediately with giggles. "Hehehe— what are you looking for in there~? I promise there's no treasure~! Or lint~ I keep myself clean~"
Oliver was trying to see what the bottom of Venti's belly button looked like, the knot. But with how dark it was, with the only illumination being the moon, made it hard to see.
So, eventually he stopped, then looked at Venti. "I-I am gonna lick it now-,"
"Hehe~ okay! Remember, be easy on me~ This poor bard's tummy is rather sensitive!"
Oliver looked back down at the belly button below him. He took a deep breath, then lowered closer, and began leaving small kisses on, and around Venti's navel. The bard melted at first. "Awww~," he cooed. "You're kissing it~,"
The licking came next. Oliver let stuck his tongue out, the wet body part of his, dove into Venti's belly button. To the best he could do, Oliver wiggled his tongue around in there.
Venti's whole body jolted. "BAHAHAHA— okay! OKAY! Too much! Too ticklish!! Hahaaa!!"
Oliver pulled back instantly.
Venti was catching his breath, laughing, cheeks flushed. "Okay, yeah, I need to get used to that. Thank you for stopping though. You're a sweetheart," He sat back up, wrapped both arms around Oliver, and kissed him firmly. Pulled back, studying his face. "You good? You look a little out of it."
"Absolutely not!" Oliver laughed. "I just played with your belly button!"
Venti snorted. "You're acting like you just saw me strip for the first time!" He giggled. Then, he smirked. "Maybe I should do that~!"
"What!? No! Come on, it's only so much my poor mortal heart can take!" Oliver laughed.
Venti giggled and waved a hand. "Okay, okay~ let's sleep. Big day tomorrow, early start~!"
"Is the early start just for you to fluster me some more?"
"haha, shut up~!"
~~~~~
Begin send back.
System reboot commencing.
Body transfer in 3... 2... 1...
~~~~~~
Oliver's eyes open with a suddenness. The same as last time. He blinked at the darkness around him as his vision adjusted slowly.
"Right..." he muttered.
He tried to move his arms. They didn't. "Still stuck—" He looked down at the straps across the armrests. "This is... not right."
Then the full picture of the situation settled over him. He blinked a few times rapidly. "Did I just—I just kissed Venti. I played with his belly button. I licked his—" If his hands were free he would have buried his face in them completely. "EEEEE," he hissed to himself. "My dream~!" He squealed.
But the good feeling only lasted a second. Dr. Barclay still wasn't here.
"Where is he?" He looked around the dim room. "This was never part of what we discussed." His mind started going over everything again.
Dr. Barclay was a scientist. He'd stumbled onto the hidden realm entirely by accident—a realm containing hundreds of separate worlds, all of them fictional to the dimension Oliver and the doctor and everyone else they knew came from.
Oliver had gotten pulled into this because of college. Dr. Barclay had connections to his computer science course, had spotted something in Oliver apparently, and offered him what he'd called an internship. Oliver had gone to the meeting. That was when the doctor explained it all. The worlds. And the tests he wanted to be done. He'd do them himself, but needed someone to watch over the equipment, and well, actually run the test.
And the offer: help run the experiments, get paid very well, and get to choose which world he'd visit. For someone like Oliver—a fictosexual—that wasn't a hard call. There was only one world he'd wanted. The one with his fictional crush in it.
Oliver sat there in the dark, quietly pleased with himself despite everything. He'd kissed Venti. He'd really kissed Venti. And played with his belly button~
"But Doc still isn't here," he muttered, the warmth fading a little. "And I still can't remember anything when I'm in there." He frowned. "He didn't seem like the kind of person who'd abandon someone mid-experiment. There has to be a reason."
His eyes had adjusted more now. He could make out the shape of things. And across from him—
"What is that?"
He stared.
Another chair. Just like his. He'd half-noticed it yesterday but couldn't make it out. Now he could see it clearly.
It was the same kind of chair. Same design. Just... empty.
"I thought there was only one. Doc said there was only one."
Beginning send back
"Oh, here we go—" Oliver muttered. "Amensia 100%..."
He closed his eyes, bracing to be sent back to Genshin Impact.