Chapter Text
A sudden flash of light flared, and then—BAM!
Oliver hit the ground hard, sending a spray of dirt and grass into the air. With a rough cough and a heavy groan, he slowly peeled himself off the earth.
"Oh, god," he mumbled, shaking his dizzy head. "Ugh..." He swayed, nearly toppling over again before finally finding his footing.
He blinked, squinting against the harsh glare. "Where... where am I?" Hot sunlight beat down on his shoulders. "Okay, it... it was just night a second ago," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He blinked rapidly, his gaze darting around the unfamiliar landscape.
Lush grass surrounded him, leading up to a large, elegant wooden house. A serene lake shimmered nearby. "Am I..." he started, his mind flashing back to the peculiar teapot he had just touched. "Am I inside the—"
He cut himself off as he turned to his left. There, kneeling by a modest garden and digging in the dirt, was the Traveler.
Oliver stared. "Wait... that's him. What's he doing here?" He approached slowly. The Traveler was busy pulling vegetables—what looked like carrots—from the soil.
"Um, hello?" Oliver offered softly, standing just behind him.
"AHH?!" The Traveler spun around with a terrified gasp, instinctively hurling a freshly picked carrot straight at Oliver's face.
His yes widened, "OUCH!" Oliver yelped, stumbling backward as the root vegetable bounced off his nose and hit the ground.
Regaining his balance, Oliver saw the Traveler standing now, though looking incredibly confused.
"Wait a second, you're the guy Venti met," the Traveler said, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "How are you inside my Serenitea Pot?" He paused, stuttering as the reality set in. "W-Wait, how did you even get into my room?!"
"H-Hold on," Oliver stammered, frantically digging into his pockets for the hotel key. It was empty. Crap, he thought. He must have left it in the room, or he dropped it during the warp. He looked back at the Traveler.
"I think it dropped," Oliver confessed. "Uh, I-I was helping Jean out, and she asked me to bring you your hotel key because you left it in her office."
The Traveler blinked, his guarded expression instantly softening. "Shoot. I did?" He dusted the soil off his hands. "Well, thank you. I had no idea I'd even lost it."
Oliver tilted his head. "Wait... but then, how did you get in your room?"
"The door was already open," the Traveler explained with a shrug. "I figured the cleaning staff just forgot to lock it. I walked right in and locked it." He stepped a bit closer. "Do you have the key on you now?"
"I... I think I dropped it right as I got sucked in here," Oliver admitted. "It should be back in the hotel room." He glanced at the sprawling nice house and the garden. "Uh... how do I get out of here, exactly?"
The Traveler placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder and snapped his fingers on the other hand.
Suddenly, the scenery warped, and the two of them materialized back inside the hotel room.
Oliver gasped, his knees buckling slightly. "Ah?!" He whipped his head toward the Traveler. "Wait, you can teleport around, too?!"
The Traveler chuckled, shaking his head. "Not on my own. Only in and out of the teapot. Though, I can use the Statues of The Seven to teleport."
Kind of like Venti, Oliver thought. But not quite the same... he doesn't seem like he can teleport wherever he wants.
"So, where's that key?" the Traveler asked.
"Oh! It's..." Oliver scanned the table holding the magical teapot, his eyes tracking down to the floor. There it was, resting near the front leg of the table. "Right there." He crouched down, retrieved the small key, and dropped it into the Traveler's waiting palm. "Here you go."
"Thank you," the Traveler said genuinely.
Oliver rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a flush of embarrassment. "Sorry I basically barged in. The door was locked when I tried it, and no one answered my knocking. I realized I had the key, and the front desk worker was gone, so I didn't have anyone safe to hand it off to."
"I guess Paimon didn't hear you?" the Traveler said.
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "That tiny girl who was with you? She's in here?"
The Traveler nodded toward the bed, gesturing to a tiny, barely noticeable lump beneath the thick blankets.
"Okay," Oliver laughed softly. "There was no way I was going to spot her."
The Traveler laughed along with him. "Yeah she's pretty much lost under the blanket."
"Good thing I didn't decide to take a seat on the bed," Oliver joked, shaking his head.
"That would have been a disaster," the Traveler giggled, resting a hand on his hip as he cleared his throat. "So, how are things with your memory? Paimon mentioned Venti is trying to help you piece it back together."
"Oh!" Oliver perked up. "Yeah... we're still working on it. I have absolutely no clue when I'll get it all back. I've had a few moments where things slip back into place, apparently, but they usually wipe away less than five seconds later." He sighed, though a fond smile touched his lips. "But Venti has been an incredible help. I'm really grateful."
The Traveler smiled warmly. "I'm glad. And again, thanks for the key. I definitely would have woken up tomorrow in a panic, haha."
Oliver returned the smile and pivoted to leave. He made it a few steps before the Traveler caught his arm. "Wait a second... your hair—"
Oliver paused, looking back as the blond adventurer inspected his braid.
"Weird. Your hair looks just like mine, just a different color. I never realized." the Traveler noted with a playful grin. "Strange. Are you trying to copy me or something?" He giggled.
Oliver hadn't thought much of it. He'd noticed the similarity before, and so had Venti, but they usually just shrugged it off. Wait... Venti?
Oh, shit... Venti!
"Oh crap!" Oliver gasped, his eyes widening in horror. "Venti has been waiting for me at Good Hunter for so long! I have to go!" Then he reached for the door. "Bye Aether!"
"Oh! Alright! See you around!" the Traveler waved as Oliver bolted out the door. Then, he blinked. "Wait, what? H-How do you know my-," But Oliver was already gone.
~~~~
Sure enough, Venti was waiting by the Good Hunter counter, his arms loosely folded. Fortunately, he didn't look frustrated in the slightest about waiting so long. When he spotted Oliver sprinting over, he pushed off the wall with a bright smile.
"There you are!" Venti teased. "Gee, I was starting to think Traveler kidnapped you."
Oliver chuckled, panting slightly as he reached the bard. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Ready?"
Venti nodded emphatically. "Yes! But please, order something different this time. No more Sticky Honey Roast~," he giggled, shooting Oliver a playful look. "You've had that like four nights in a row."
Oliver rolled his eyes with a good-natured smirk. "Fine, fine... I'll try something else."
Sara stood patiently behind the counter, ready for their order.
"I think I'll take a break from apples today," Venti announced with a smile. "Just because I know Oliver is going to get on my case for telling him to branch out while I did not." He threw a playful glare at Oliver before glancing back at the menu. "Uhhh... OOH! You have Buoyant Breeze tonight! I think I'll have that!"
Sara nodded, jotting it down.
Venti beamed, turning to Oliver. "That's my absolute favorite dish. I mean, I like her apple salad, but I really, really love Buoyant Breeze. It is sooo good. I even got the Traveler hooked on it back when we cooked it together."
Oliver looked from Sara to Venti. "Oh? Your favorite?" He quickly looked back at the waitress. "I'll have that, too!"
Venti's cheeks dusted with pink, and he let out a delighted giggle. "Awww. Are you ordering it just because I said it's my favorite?" Smiling brightly, he leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to Oliver's cheek.
Oliver giggled softly, his own face warming. "Yeah!" he said, grinning.
With a fond smile, Venti looped an arm around Oliver. "Come on, let's go sit~"
They chose a nearby table, sliding into chairs opposite one another. By now, the sky had surrendered to night, erasing the last slivers of the sunset. Not long after, Sara arrived with their meals, setting two steaming bowls down in front of them.
"Enjoy," she said with a polite smile before returning behind the counter.
Venti picked up his spoon, his teal eyes sparkling as he looked at Oliver. "If you taste it carefully, you can actually taste the flavor of 'a wind that brings hope and tiny twists of fate.'" He winked. "That's what I always say to people when they eat this for the first time."
Oliver stared down at the hearty broth.
"Another name for it is Barbatos Ratatouille," Venti added. "But I almost never call it that."
Oliver lifted his spoon, but paused, glancing up at his companion. Ratatouille. "Huh." He blinked. "I don't know why, but the image of a literal rat just popped into my head."
Venti paused, then let out a sudden snort. "What? Is it because I said ratatouille?" He broke into a fit of giggles. "Were you trying to make a pun there? Oh my word, if Tighnari were here, he'd probably strangle you."
Oliver then took a hearty bite. His eyes immediately went wide. "Okay... yeah. That is good."
Venti beamed with pride. "Eeee~ he likes my dish~," he hummed happily.
Oliver flushed, hiding his face a little before going in for another spoonful. "So you do have taste after all," he teased.
"Oh, stop! Venti always has taste! I'm glad you enjoy it," he smiled.
~~~~~
Later that in the night, a gentle breeze swayed their comfortable hammock back and forth. Oliver was lying beside Venti, but decided the proximity wasn't quite enough. Shifting his weight, he carefully climbed over to rest directly on top of the bard.
"Oh—" Venti let out a surprised giggle as Oliver dropped his weight onto him. "Oof! Hey, watch it~"
Once Oliver settled, burying his face comfortably into the crook of Venti's neck, the bard began running gentle fingers through his hair. After a quiet moment, Oliver started pressing soft, lingering kisses to the skin of his neck. Venti happily tilted his head, giving the human better access.
He hummed and giggled at the feather-light touches, his hand never stopping its soothing rhythm in Oliver's hair.
Oliver propped himself up slightly, meeting Venti's bright eyes. Knowing exactly what the human wanted to do, Venti smiled and let his eyes flutter shut. Oliver leaned down, pressing his lips to Venti's, and they shared a soft, unhurried kiss. Venti wrapped his arms around Oliver's back, pulling him flush against his chest as they made out softly.
Eventually, Venti pulled back just enough to speak, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You wanna play with my belly button at all~?"
Oliver's face flooded with deep redness, but he nodded eagerly. He looked a bit shy, just like he always did when Venti offered this. But beneath the embarrassment, he was super happy that Venti didn't care about what he liked.
Because the bard was already shirtless, there was no fabric to push out of the way after Oliver shifted downward. With gentle precision, he pressed his finger into the dip of Venti's navel.
Venti giggled, his spine arching instinctively at the contact before he relaxed back into the hammock. He was growing accustomed to the sensitive feeling inside his navel; it still tickled immensely, but it was no longer unbearable. He looked down at Oliver having fun with a fond, teasing smile.
"You're so cute when you do that," he murmured, pushing his stomach up just a fraction toward Oliver's touch.
Seeing Venti so relaxed and accommodating made Oliver's heart hammer so loudly against his ribs that he feared Venti could hear it himself. He could only let out a giddy laugh.
"Who would have thought it would be my belly button to melt a person this much~," Venti teased, his tone swelling with unmistakable pride.
Venti bit his lower lip as he felt Oliver's finger dig a little deeper. "Eee~," he let out a breathy squeak. "Hehehe~ that part always feels so ticklish. You know, when you dig your finger against the bottom of it."
Encouraged, Oliver leaned down, pressing open-mouthed kisses to Venti's stomach. He traced the rim of the navel with his tongue before playfully plunging it deep inside.
"Oh!" Venti gasped, his eyes flying wide open before fluttering shut once more. A string of helpless giggles spilled from his lips. "Ahh~" he moaned softly at the squirming sensation inside his innie. "That feels so good~"
After a few more affectionate kisses to the area, Oliver stopped the licking. He crawled back up to rest his head on Venti's chest, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.
Venti giggled, returning the embrace immediately. "Awww? Done with my belly button so soon~?" He lifted Oliver's chin up, then Venti planted a sweet kiss on his's lips.
Oliver kissed back before settling his head down, his cheeks still burning. "Still kinda shy about my belly button fetish," he mumbled into Venti's skin.
"Hey~ I told you that you don't gotta be all shy about it. I like it," Venti promised, his hand resuming its gentle path up and down Oliver's back. "It's such a cute fetish to have."
"I-I know, but... I'm just taking my pace, I guess."
Venti's laugh was as light as a breeze. "Okay~," he whispered, pressing one last, loving kiss to Oliver. "You can take your time." He nuzzled his cheek against Oliver's head. "Get some sleep, okay? You've been up all day."
Oliver smiled softly. Enveloped in the warmth of Venti's embrace, he closed his eyes and drifted off.