Chapter Text
Paimon and the Traveler stood outside Good Hunter. Paimon was waiting impatiently for Venti and Oliver to arrive.
Once the pair finally showed up, Paimon immediately let her frustration known. She was starving, and the Traveler had been making her wait. "Ugh!" she grunted, folding her arms tightly. "Where were you two?! Paimon is hungry!"
"Oh, calm down, you floating bean," Venti teased, walking over with his boyfriend right by his side.
"Well, now that you're both here, we can finally order," Traveler said with a smile, turning toward the Good Hunter counter to speak with Sara.
Paimon pouted, crossing her arms again. "You two better not have snuck off to do some hanky-panky! Paimon needed her food!"
"WHA-?!" Oliver yelled, his face instantly flushing a deep, dark red. "N-No! We WeRE NOT!" Oliver's voice shot up into an incredibly high pitch, it probably rivaled Piamon's tone.
Venti froze, shooting a glance at Oliver. The Traveler did the same. Behind the counter, Sara dropped what she was doing and looked over, completely confused.
Oliver coughed, trying to save face. "I-I just worshipped the sTatUE!" His voice cracked horribly on the last words. Oliver froze, blinked, and slowly looked over at Venti.
A heavy silence hung in the air for five seconds. Then—
"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Venti burst into a fit of loud, hysterical laughter, practically clinging to his boyfriend for physical support. The Traveler and Paimon exchanged a look before they both started cracking up, too.
"Oliver, what was that?!" Traveler laughed, shaking his head. "You worshipped the statue? What statue? You mean the Barbatos statue outside the gates? The Statue of The Seven?"
"Paimon thinks it was a different type of worshipping, if you know what Paimon means~" Paimon smirked. She turned around and floated over to Sara, who just looked exhausted by the whole display.
Venti was finally beginning to calm down, taking deep, steadying breaths. "Ollie. Oh my word, Ollie," he giggled. "You're going to kill me one day with your silliness."
"You say that so much," Oliver grunted, turning his head away.
"Because it's true!" Venti laughed.
Up at the counter, the Traveler was ready to place the order. "You guys know what you want?" he asked, turning back to face them.
"If she still has Buoyant Breeze, I'll gladly take that delicious dish!" Venti declared dramatically.
Traveler chuckled, then turned his gaze to Oliver. "And you?"
"I-I will have what Venti is having," Oliver murmured.
"Of course~" Paimon facepalmed.
Traveler giggled, "Alright." He turned back to Sara.
"Hey! You didn't even ask what Paimon wanted!" Paimon exclaimed. "Paimon wants Fisherman's Toast!"
The Traveler nodded. "Yeah, that's because Traveler already knew what you wanted."
Paimon smiled brightly and clapped her hands. "Yay!" she cheered. Then, she paused. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped. "HEY! Are you making fun of how Paimon talks?!"
Sara simply sighed and turned toward the kitchen.
"No~" Traveler giggled, teasing her.
"Hmrf!" Paimon grunted.
~~~~~~
A short while later, all four of them were sitting around the outdoor table—well, except for Paimon, who simply floated in place at the edge of the table.
"You know," Oliver said between bites of his food, "for someone who always calls Venti lazy, it's pretty funny since I've never actually seen you use your legs."
"EEEH?!" Paimon's head whipped in Oliver's direction. In her shock, she dropped her food, and the toast landed on the table with a soft splat.
"Ooooh~ Burn~" Traveler said, covering his face to muffle his laughter.
"Damn, you really went there, Ollie," Venti snorted. "Oh my word, look at her face—" The bard laughed, pointing a finger at Paimon.
Traveler snorted in agreement. "She looks like you personally offended her."
"Urrrrg!" Paimon drifted through the air, zipping straight next to Oliver's arm. She began to repeatedly punch his shoulder, though her tiny fists did absolutely nothing. It was the equivalent of a mouse throwing a punch.
Paimon finally stopped and zipped back over to the Traveler, but not before Oliver made a daring move. Reaching out quickly, he tickled Paimon right under her arm.
"EeEEaK?!" Paimon squealed, darting instantly behind the Traveler's back.
"Oh!" Traveler gasped.
"BAHAHAH!" Venti roared. "The look on her face! Haha!"
"Heyyyy!" Paimon tried to sound intimidating and mad. "Don't tickle Paimon!"
"Hmm," Traveler mused, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Don't tickle, eh?" He reached back, gently scooping her up, and began to tickle her all over her small body.
"NOHOHOHO! TRAVELER, STOPPPP! STOP TICKLING PAIMON!!!" Paimon shrieked with laughter.
Eventually, Traveler relented and pulled his hands away. Paimon caught her breath, slowly drifting down to the edge of the table to retrieve her food.
"Meanies!" she snapped at all of them, taking an upset, aggressive bite out of her Fisherman's Toast.
Venti snorted. "So adorable!"
"Paimon is not adorable!" she grunted.
"You kinda are," Traveler giggled, reaching out to give her head a few affectionate pats.
Venti giggled, "Hehe." He looked over at the Traveler. "Hey, Traveler?"
"Yeah, Venti?" The Traveler glanced over at the bard. "What is it?"
"Oliver over here wanted to use the tub inside your bathroom later, if that's alright?" Venti asked. "Since we traveled through that hot desert all day, he really needs a nice soak."
Traveler nodded happily. "Of course. I wouldn't mind at all!" he smiled, closing his eyes warmly.
Venti giggled, clapping his hands together a few times. "Great!" He looked over at Oliver. "You wanna go later? After I go drink my wine, I mean?"
Paimon let out a loud scoff. "There's our bard. Always going straight for the wine."
Venti just giggled. "But wine is so tasty! Especially when it's sweet and not too bitter! Best wines ever!"
~~~~~~~
The small bell above the Angel's Share tavern door jingled as Venti and Oliver walked inside. The Traveler had headed back to his hotel room ahead of them, wanting to clean up and freshen up the bathroom so it would be completely ready for Oliver's bath when they will arrive later.
Inside the tavern, Diluc was standing behind the counter. Jean was sitting quietly at one of the tables, and Bennett was hanging out over at the side of the bar counter.
Diluc looked up from his work, noticing Venti walking through the door. The bard was now out of the desert attire he had picked out earlier and was back in his signature green clothes.
"You know, where did you even change?" Oliver whispered.
"Hehe~" Venti giggled mysteriously.
"Oh! Hello," Jean smiled, turning around to greet Venti and Oliver.
"Hey, guys!" Bennett waved, a big smile on his face.
Venti smiled back and hopped onto one of the bar stools, slipping right into the space between Bennett and Jean. Oliver took the stool to Venti's left, sitting right next to Jean.
"Did you end up going to Sumeru?" Jean asked kindly. "Did Tighnari like the flower samples?"
"Oh, yes! We did. And definitely! Tighnari absolutely loved them. Haha, you know how he is. He was overjoyed!" Venti beamed.
Bennett looked astonished, his eyes wide. "Woah! You've been all the way to Sumeru?" he asked, leaning in. "How did you survive that intense heat?"
Venti chuckled, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, trust me, Benny, we nearly didn't, haha."
"Ha!" Bennett laughed. "Well, at least you two came back in one piece! Knowing my luck, I wouldn't have come back at all, ehaha!"
Diluc slid a full bottle of dandelion wine right in front of the bard. "You went to Sumeru? What for?" he asked, resting his hands on the counter.
"They did a little quest for me. Well, Venti was the one who suggested it, actually," Jean explained with a smile. "He and his new friend over there went to give Tighnari some flower samples."
Venti giggled into his hand. "'Friend'... hehehe," he muttered playfully.
Jean arched an eyebrow, glancing at him. "What was that?" she asked.
"Oh hoho, me and Oliver are not friends. We're boyfriends!" Venti proclaimed proudly, a massive smile on his face.
Jean gasped softly. "Oh!"
Beside them, Bennett gasped too, a huge grin breaking across his face. "You are? Congrats!"
"Heh. I already knew," Diluc remarked, a small smirk playing on his lips.
"Wait, when?" Jean blinked, turning a surprised glance toward Diluc.
Venti snorted, looking up at the bartender. "Yeah, that's because I already told you, you dummy," Venti said before taking a long, deep gulp straight from his wine bottle.
Jean smiled warmly. "Hahaha, well, that certainly explains why I've been seeing you two together all over town." Then, Jean glanced at the clock and sighed, realizing she had to go. "I'd stay to talk more, but..." She fished some mora out of her pocket and dropped it onto the counter for Diluc. "I have to get back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. Still have some things I need to wrap up for the day."
Diluc gathered the mora and nodded. "Have a good rest of your day, Jean."
With that, Jean left the bar, leaving only a few quiet tavern regulars at the tables to the left, alongside Venti, Oliver, and Bennett at the counter.
Venti grabbed a clean glass for his boyfriend and poured some of his wine into it. "Here, have a drink."
Oliver smiled and nodded. "Okay!" He was honestly in the mood for it, so he picked up the glass and took a sip.
Well, it turned out to be a bit more than a sip. Within a few moments, he had drained the entire glass. Feeling a sudden rush, he asked Venti for another.
But after Oliver finished the second glass, Venti giggled and pulled the bottle back out of reach. "Hey," he smiled gently. "You were the one who told me you're a total lightweight. Maybe drinking any more will be a bit too much."
And Venti was probably right. For some reason, Oliver was already looking a little loopy, his eyes scanning the room unsteadily.
Diluc blinked, looking back and forth between the bard and the silent boy next to him. "Is... is he drunk?"
Bennett laughed. "From only two glasses? Geez, even with my terrible luck, I can at least hold four glasses on a good day!"
"What are you talking about?" Oliver spoke up, his words slurring heavily at the end. "I am not drunk," he insisted, flashing a wide, goofy smile.
"Yeah." Diluc nodded flatly. "He's drunk."
Venti sighed affectionately. "In his own dorky way."
AVATAR MALFUNCTION
"I swear, I am fine!" Oliver smiled. He looked up at Diluc, blinking slowly. "Your face looks like a squashed bean."
Diluc blinked once, his eyes widening slightly in sheer disbelief. "What?"
"GeRK~" Venti tried to hold in his laughter. He really, truly tried this time, but Bennett burst into hysterics next to him, causing the bard to completely erupt into giggles.
"What do you mean by that?!" Diluc demanded, his voice rising.
Venti banged his fists onto the wooden table. "Hahaha, oh nohoho!" he giggled. "Okay, drunk Ollie is really something else!"
"I'm not drunk!" Oliver protested. He went quiet for a moment, thinking. Then, after a short silence, he slid off his bar stool and quietly walked around to the back of the bard.
The remaining three at the counter watched Oliver with deeply curious expressions.
"What are you up to now?" Venti laughed.
Oliver crept up behind Venti, reaching down to grab the edges of the bard's green cape. He gathered the fabric along with Venti's arms, pulling them upward and stretching them out wide behind him.
"He's Batman!" Oliver declared, dropping his voice into a deep, brooding, raspy growl.
Venti just sat there, completely yielding and letting Oliver manipulate his limbs however he wanted. The bard blinked in utter confusion, glancing across the counter at Diluc, who looked profoundly bewildered. "Whahahahat?!" Venti laughed, looking over at Bennett, who was giggling furiously behind his hands.
"Ollie, who in the world is Batman?!" Venti laughed.
Oliver continued with his drunken antics, keeping his voice dark. "The Dark Knight!"
Diluc gasped, completely dropping the glass he was cleaning. It clattered against the counter. "W-WHAT??"
Venti snorted. "The what, babe?" Venti asked, throwing a quick, amused glance at Diluc.
Oliver finally let go of Venti's cape and arms. "You know! Batman! THE DARK KNIGHT!"
Diluc stared wide-eyed at Oliver, then glanced at Venti, and then over at Bennett. He began taking frantic glances back and forth between Bennett and Oliver. "A-Are you talking about the... the... Darknight Hero that helps out Mondstadt at night?"
"No—" Oliver muttered, completely losing his balance and collapsing onto the bard's back with a soft thud. "I'm talking about the Caped Crusader..."
Diluc had the absolute most perplexed look on his face.
AVATAR RESTORED
Oliver let out a sharp cough and instantly sat up straight. "Woo! Massive head rush! Wait... what was I just saying?" He blinked, looking around.
"You talked... about the Darknight Hero," Bennett chuckled, shaking his head.
"I think you were just drunk," Venti giggled. "But it's still kinda weird. Because you... shouldn't even know about him if your memories are supposed to be gone."
"And you talked about me—I mean, cough—the hero, as if he were a bat. They don't... he's not a bat," Diluc muttered quickly, adjusting his posture.
Oliver rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "I dunno."
Venti giggled softly. "Okay. Well, now we know never to give you more than a couple glasses of wine. Or else you turn into even more of a dork than usual," he teased.
~~~~~~~~~~
Keeping to his promise, the Traveler let Oliver use the wooden tub inside his hotel bathroom. It was a beautiful, rustic setup—no modern shower, just a large tub sitting right in the middle of the room. Traveler had already filled it to the brim with warm water, and thick soap suds coated the surface, making it look incredibly welcoming.
"If you need me or anything, just let us know!" Venti called out from the main room. He and the Traveler were hanging out just outside the door, chatting while they waited for Oliver to finish.
Oliver stripped off his clothes, carefully setting his shirt, pants, and underwear on the floor far away from the tub so they wouldn't get wet from any accidental splashes. He stepped up to the edge, dipping one foot into the warm water before stepping fully inside. Turning around, he slowly lowered his body into the bath.
"Ahhhh," Oliver let out a long, relaxed sigh. "Okay, yeah. That feels amazing," he whispered to himself, leaning his head back against the edge. "That definitely hits the spot."
All the tight tension in his muscles from walking through the scorching Sumeru desert all day began to slowly wither away. He knew he needed to wash up with the soap, but for a few minutes, he just wanted to relax. He closed his eyes, absentmindedly swirling his fingers through the water.
Suddenly, a violent, electric zap shot straight through his mind.
"Ah!" His eyes flew open, and he winced violently. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" He brought his hand up to his forehead, water running off his fingers and trickling down his arm.
AVATAR MALFUNCTION
As the sharp pain finally diminished, Oliver's eyes snapped fully open. He darted his gaze around the room.
His memory. It was completely back.
"It's back...," Oliver mumbled, his voice trembling. "Why does this keep happening?"
He wanted to call out to Venti right then and there, but he hesitated. For some reason, every time his memories returned, they would eventually fade away again, or something would happen to interrupt him. He stared down, his fingers swirling the warm water absentmindedly as he watched the steam rise into the air.
Oliver squinted, deep in thought. The steam. The warmth of the water. Heat...
He blinked as a realization washed over him. Heat.
"The heat..." Oliver mouthed, his eyes widening. "Oh my god, the heat—"
The heat was the answer. Every single time his memory had come back in these sudden, jarring bursts over the last few days, heat had been involved. The hot shower back in Fontaine. Fighting those hot Pyro slimes near Windrise. And lastly... the biggest trigger of all: his severe 'heatstroke' back in Sumeru.
"Oh fuck, I should have known!" Oliver berated himself quietly. "That was written in one of Doctor Barclay's notes!"
One of Doctor Barclay's written logs had explicitly mentioned that the Avatars had a severe vulnerability to heat within the Fictional Universe. Being exposed to high temperatures could cause catastrophic system malfunctions. Being in hot water or near minor Pyro slimes had only caused slight glitches. But being out in the open desert of Sumeru had almost caused his entire avatar to self-implode.
"Oh fuck, what would have happened to me if it actually imploded?" Oliver mumbled, panic rising in his chest. "Would my consciousness have just gone back to my body? Or would I have been dead for good?"
Neither option sounded great. Even if he survived and got pulled back to the transfer chair, the avatar body here would have likely blown up in a fiery explosion. It easily could have killed Venti, who was standing right next to him at the time. And even if Venti survived the blast, he would have been completely devastated seeing that play out.
Oliver noticed the hot water wasn't cooling down anytime soon, meaning his window of clarity was wide open. Bracing himself, he decided to call out. "Venti?!" he shouted. "I... uh, I need something in here!"
Outside, Venti gasped. "Sure thing! Coming in!"
A moment later, the bard slowly cracked the door open, slipping inside before closing it tightly behind him. "Hey," he smiled, walking over. "Looking pretty cute sitting in the water naked like that~" he teased playfully.
"V-Venti," Oliver blushed, his face heating up for a completely different reason.
Venti giggled, easing up on the teasing. "Hehe. What is it, then? Do you need me to hand you more soap or something?"
"No, no, I..." Oliver trailed off, casting his eyes down toward the floor next to the tub. "Can you come closer, please?"
Venti nodded. "Sure," he smiled, crouching down right next to the tub. "Yeah, baby?" He leaned over, closing his eyes to give his boyfriend a gentle kiss.
Oliver gasped and pushed Venti's face away.
"Hmm?" Venti's eyes snapped open, blinking in confusion.
Oliver immediately regretted the reflex, a wave of guilt washing over him. "I-I am so sorry, I..." He had a desperate reason for pushing Venti away, and it wasn't because he didn't love him. He loved the bard with everything he had. But there was something massive nagging at him.
"Venti," Oliver started, his voice serious. "The memory. It came back. And this time, I don't think it's going to go away anytime soon."
Venti's playful expression instantly dropped into utter shock. His voice fell to a breathless whisper. "Tell me everything." He gently placed a supportive hand on his boyfriend's wet shoulder.
"I..." Oliver took a deep, shaky breath, leaning against the edge of the tub closer to Venti. "I'm a college student, Venti. I was supposed to do an internship working for a company known as Barclay Computer Sciences. Doctor Samuel Barclay is the head founder of the entire program. Venti, I am not from this world. I need to get that out of the way first."
Venti listened intently, his eyes locked on Oliver.
"Doctor Barclay told me what I'd be doing, which was venturing off into different worlds using a machine he called the Transfer Chair. It literally transfers your consciousness into a constructed avatar within a digital dimension. My real body is still sitting in that transfer chair back in my universe, hooked up to a massive series of wires and tubes that feed me daily vitamins and minerals," Oliver explained, taking a breath to steady himself.
"But Doctor Barclay has proven to be completely untrustworthy. He's apparently conducting these experiments on all kinds of people—even teenagers. There's a severe glitch within the system, or at least within my avatar, that makes me completely forget about the real world whenever I arrive here. The avatar body malfunctions when I'm around heat, causing me to temporarily slip back into my true mind. The hot shower in Fontaine. This tub I'm sitting in right now. And the extreme heat of Sumeru."
Venti swallowed hard, processing the overwhelming influx of information. "That Doctor Barclay sounds incredibly dangerous. And mysterious."
Oliver let out a heavy sigh. "He is. I thought it was just a normal internship so I could pass my college class and shoot for a job within the field. But after accidentally getting jolted back into my real body a few times during malfunctions, I saw that I'm being kept in a completely different room now! And there are other people trapped there that he's used. I have no idea if he kidnapped them or what."
"Hmm..." Venti muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, is there a way to send you back permanently? To stop him, or unstrap you from the chair? Don't think I forgot, Oliver. I remember when you had that brief slip back in Fontaine. You told me you were tied down."
Oliver nodded grimly. "Yes. I am locked down by heavy mechanical clamps. I can't move them," he shook his head. "I'm new to computer sciences. Doctor Barclay was supposed to be just an internship for me to pass my class. Not whatever this is..."
"Okay," Venti said determinately, nodding his head. "We can form a plan. But first, finish up your bath. I'll be right outside the door if you need me again." Venti began to stand up, but Oliver suddenly reached out of the water and grabbed his hand tightly.
"Wait!"
Venti stopped, looking back down at Oliver in the tub. "Oh? Do you want that kiss this time?" he asked softly. He quickly crouched back down to the edge of the tub and planted a deep, loving kiss onto Oliver's lips.
When Venti finally pulled away, he noticed tears streaming down Oliver's cheeks.
Venti gasped, his expression morphing into pure worry and alarm. "O-Ollie? What's the matter?" He quickly placed both of his hands gently on Oliver's wet cheeks.
"I...," Oliver sobbed, completely breaking down now. He leaned his head heavily into Venti's palms. "You're not going to love me anymore..." he sniffled.
Venti's heart shattered at the words. "No, no! Ollie, don't say that! Why would you ever think that, honey?" He leaned closer, pressing their foreheads together. "Baby... baby, please don't cry. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what's bothering you, baby," he pleaded, kissing Oliver's forehead.
Oliver sniffled, gasping for air between his sobs. "I already know who you are. I've always known."
They pulled back slightly so Venti could look him in the eyes.
"Do you know what a video game is?" Oliver asked through his tears.
Venti tilted his head in confusion, then slowly shook it.
Oliver nodded understandingly. "Wait, yeah. Of course you wouldn't. Okay, well... think about a fictional storybook," he explained, wiping his nose. "Do you have that concept in your mind?"
The bard nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay. Now, imagine you're able to physically jump inside that book's world. You become a character within the story, abandoning your old reality to live in the reality of the book."
Venti caught on instantly, his eyes widening. "I'm... I'm a fictional character within your world?"
Oliver sniffled, wiping at his eyes again. "You... you caught onto that really quickly."
Venti looked down at the water, blinking in amazement. "Wow. I..." He paused. "But... how does that work? Have my godly deeds and achievements throughout the years somehow drifted into other dimensions as stories?"
Oliver blinked. "Well, not exactly. The story is mostly about the Traveler, if anything..."
"The Traveler..." Venti repeated quietly. He looked back up at Oliver. "What exactly is a video game, then?"
Oliver looked away, trying to find the words. "It's... well, think about a book again. But imagine you can see the book being played out right in front of you, like a stage play. And imagine you are in total control of that stage play, using your fingers to tell the characters exactly where to go and what to do. You have total control—well, as much control as the pre-written story allows."
Venti blinked slowly, taking it in. "That sounds magical... a very strange kind of magic. Completely different from what we have here in Teyvat."
Oliver let out a breathless, watery chuckle. "Well, that's one way to put it for a boy stuck in medieval times, I suppose."
Venti's thumbs began to gently stroke Oliver's cheeks, wiping away the tears. "Was that why you were crying?"
The profound sadness came rushing right back into Oliver's chest. "No... It's something else, Venti. Something else entirely." His voice wavered violently. "Venti, I look completely different in my world. I don't look like this."
He glanced up at the bard, his voice trembling. "I mean, I still have some of my features. The avatar was modeled after my basic looks, after all. But... there are huge differences."
Venti didn't hesitate for even a second. "Oh, Ollie."
He reached forward, pulling his boyfriend up out of the water and hugging him tightly against his chest, causing the bathwater to splash gently over the sides of the tub. He pressed a firm kiss to Oliver's shoulder, holding him close. "Oh, honey, the love I have for you right now knows absolutely no bounds. I don't care what you look like, okay? I am at a point where I truly, deeply love you. So even if you turned into a worm right now, I'd still love you to the ends of the earth."
Oliver's eyes welled with fresh tears as his face pressed into Venti's chest. He sobbed openly, feeling Venti's hand rubbing soothing circles into his back.
"Venti, you don't understand," Oliver cried. "I'm from a completely different... style. I don't look like you or anyone here."
Venti blinked, pulling back just enough to look at Oliver, though he kept his hands firmly on his cheeks. "Why would you need to look like me for me to love you?"
Oliver took a deep, agonizing breath. "Venti. You are what we call a 'manga' or 'anime' style in my world. I don't look like that. My eyes are smaller, my features are different, I'm probably incredibly tall compared to you in reality... even the world around me would probably leave you in shambles because it just doesn't look like the beautiful style of Teyvat." Oliver looked away, his voice breaking. "I look totally different, and I was so sure you'd just... stop loving me."
Venti narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone becoming unusually stern. "Hey. Look at me, baby."
Venti gently took Oliver's chin, forcing him to look back into his eyes. His expression immediately softened. "Oliver, please know that I am telling you the absolute truth. I love you. And like I said, even if you turned into a worm right now, that wouldn't change." He looked deeply into Oliver's eyes. "You said you've seen me in a fictional story. I assume you know my history, yes?"
Oliver sniffled, nodding his head. "Well, most of it. Hoyoverse is very stingy,"
Venti rubbed Oliver's cheeks with his thumbs. "Then you know that I wasn't always in this body, right? I was a wind spirit. A tiny, creature no bigger than a small stone you could hold in the palm of your hand." He looked at him intently. "If I suddenly changed back into that tiny form right now, you'd still love me, wouldn't you?"
Oliver blinked, the realization hitting him. He nodded immediately. He absolutely would. He loved every single version of the bard.
"So why in the world would you think I wouldn't do the same for you?" Venti asked softly.
Oliver looked down. Venti was entirely right. "I-I... I'm sorry."
"No," Venti murmured, leaning forward to plant a flurry of sweet, peppering kisses all over Oliver's face. "Don't be sorry, baby. I understand, you know? I can see where you're coming from with these fears. But I just want you to know, once and for all, that I will love you no matter what you look like. Okay? Please don't ever feel insecure about that again."
Venti leaned in, nuzzling his nose affectionately against Oliver's.
Oliver let out a long, peaceful sigh, completely melting against his boyfriend. "You know... once I get out of this tub and my body cools back down, I'm going to forget this entire conversation ever happened. Well, until I get hot again."
Venti kissed his cheek one more time, a determined look in his eyes. "But I won't. I'll never forget this, Ollie. You've given me so much more information than you did back in Fontaine. And if I ever need to talk to the real you to get more answers? Well, now I know exactly how to do it safely—and it's right here in Mondstadt!" He pointed at the steaming water.
Oliver chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We can always use this tub, assuming Aether lets us."
Venti smiled warmly, wrapping his arms around him in one final, tight embrace. "I love you, Oliver."
Oliver looked up into the eyes of the bard, feeling a profound sense of peace. "I love you too, Venti," he whispered, blinking away the last of his tears. "So, so much."