Chapter Text
Oliver was having the time of his life. His fingers still ruthlessly tickling his boyfriend's sides. The bard's laughter was pure, contagious, and just utterly adorable. It was absolute music to Oliver's ears. He was completely melting.
Oliver dug his fingers just a little deeper into Venti's side, earning a sharp, giggly, "EeEEK~!"
Venti squirmed, weakly attempting to bat Oliver's hands away. "HAHAHA! Noooo! Stop~!" But despite his verbal protests, there was no real force behind his hands. He wasn't putting up a fight at all; he was loving every second of all the tickles.
"Hahahaha!" Venti erupted into another fit of giggles as Oliver's fingers dug playfully at his ribs. The bard thrashed and squirmed, letting out those adorable, breathless bursts of laughter over and over again.
Eventually, Oliver eased up on the tickling—but not before giving the bard's belly button one last, quick dig.
"EEP!" Venti jolted.
Once Oliver finally retreated his hands, Venti let out a breathless sigh and collapsed backward into the hammock, his arms sprawling out to his sides. "Oh my word," he panted, his chest heaving as quiet giggles still bubbled up from his lips. "That was fun."
Oliver's eyes drifted down to Venti's midriff, mesmerized by the way it slowly rose and fell with each of the bard's recovering breaths.
"Oh Ollie," Venti giggled. "Your fingers are definitely something else when it comes to tickling. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I was tickled before I met you. But I can definitely say it's exciting and super fun~"
Oliver smiled softly, bringing his gaze back up to his boyfriend's face.
"Though—" Venti giggled again, adjusting himself until he was sitting upright. "You failed what you were supposed to do~" Venti shook his head in mock disappointment, flashing that signature, teasing smile of his. "You didn't take off all of my clothes~" He cast a pointed glance down at his shorts.
Oliver blinked.
Oops.
Venti did say that, didn't he? Caught up in the moment of delivering his boyfriend's ticklish 'punishment,' Oliver had completely forgotten about the pants.
"But since I'm nice, I'm gonna let it slide~," Venti said, giving him a playful wink.
Oliver rolled his eyes. This brat...
Venti smiled. He reached down, resting his hand gently against his stocking-covered leg. "But that doesn't mean you can't take them off now," he murmured, his voice dropping into a sweet, seductive tone. "Take them off now, to see what's inside again?"
Venti moved his hand over his crotch, pressing down against the fabric to outline his penis below the fabric.
Oliver's heart rate spiked.
"That is if... you're up for another round of this with your bard boyfriend~," Venti spoke seductively. "Well, are you~?"
Oh, Oliver definitely was. He wanted Venti again. Moving closer over the bard, he slowly lowered his hands to the waistband of Venti's shorts. He pulled them down gently, revealing Venti's undergarments. They weren't exactly modern underwear, but a pair of those old-school bloomers Oliver knew he'd seen in a somewhere, even if he couldn't quite place exactly how he knew them.
Oliver gulped. He gently ran his thumb over the small lump beneath the fabric, feeling it twitch slightly in response.
"Hmm~," Venti bit his lip, his eyes softening with a hazy, turned-on look. It was so gentle, and undeniably cute.
Oliver rubbed the spot a few more times before gripping the hem of the underwear and slowly tugging it down. Inch by inch, he revealed more of the bard's pale skin. With a final, slightly firmer pull, Venti's small, twitching penis sprang free.
Oliver's eyes flicked up to Venti's face. The bard was still wearing that highly seductive expression. "Have fun, windblume~"
Shifting lower in the hammock, Oliver pressed a soft kiss near the base of Venti's shaft and testicles. He trailed gentle little kisses over the bard's balls before working his way up the shaft, peppering the front, back, and sides with affection. Finally, he reached the tip, leaving a few soft, lingering kisses right at the head.
Venti was absolutely melting into the hammock, blissfully reacting to all the love being showered on him. The feeling of his boyfriend's lips ghosting over his sensitive skin was intoxicating. When he felt those lips fully press against the head of his penis, a soft moan escaped him.
"Oooh~," Venti gripped the fabric of the hammock beneath them, his back arching beautifully. "You do that so good~"
Opening his mouth, Oliver swirled his tongue around the head, keeping his eyes locked affectionately on Venti's face.
"Ahh!" Venti's hips twitched, his back arching even higher. "Feels so good~" Then, a new, teasing edge entered the bard's voice. "Take it in~," he whispered.
Oliver didn't hesitate. He took Venti's small length into his mouth, his eyes fluttering shut. He loved the taste of his boyfriend. He bobbed his head back and forth along the shaft, soft noises of total bliss humming in his throat. "Mmrf~"
Venti groaned, his hips rolling upward. "I'm gonna cum," he whispered breathlessly. "You want it this time?"
Oliver nodded eagerly, his tongue giving the tip one last good flick.
That final touch completely undid the bard. "AhhHH!" Venti moaned loudly. His body jolted, and he shot a heavy load of cum directly into Oliver's waiting mouth.
"Hrmf!" Oliver's eyes fluttered as the warmth splattered against his tongue. He sucked harder, dutifully swallowing every last drop.
Once Venti finally relaxed, Oliver pulled away with a soft pop, a single strand of saliva connecting his lips to Venti's penis for a fleeting second.
Wiping his mouth, Oliver looked up at the softly panting bard. "You're seriously so good at that," Venti murmured.
Oliver smiled softly. He pulled himself up the length of the hammock and pressed a deep, loving kiss to Venti's lips. The two of them held each other close, gently making out as a soft, cool, and peaceful breeze brushed over them.
~~~~~
"I want to show you my... secret, before we go eat dinner at Good Hunter," Venti said quietly.
Oliver, who was snuggled deeply against Venti's side, arched an eyebrow. "Secret?"
"Yeah. My... uh, Archon clothes."
Oliver blinked. He looked up at Venti, who was staring blankly ahead with an unusually still expression. "The... revealing clothes you mentioned?"
It took a moment, but Venti nodded. "Yeah."
"Let's go." Venti held Oliver tight, slowly picking him up as he lowered themselves out of the hammock, dropping safely from the tree branches to the solid ground below.
"Meet me at the church," Venti said, his voice sounding distant. In a blink, the bard vanished into thin air, leaving Oliver standing alone in the night near the great tree.
"Oh... Okay." Oliver turned his head, his gaze drifting toward the glowing city of Mondstadt in the distance, before glancing up at the towering statue of Barbatos, its stone arms stretched out. He nodded to himself, and made his way over.
~~~~~~~~
It took a while to trek back to the city alone, and even more time to navigate the empty streets all the way to the cathedral at the far end of Mondstadt.
There was barely a soul outside; most of the shops were locked up tight for the night. Only Good Hunter and the taverns stayed open this late.
As he approached the heavy gates of the Favonius Cathedral, Oliver realized he had never actually been inside before. A few days ago, he remembered hearing someone talk about attending a service to worship Barbatos, but Venti hadn't said a word about it. Then again, Venti had been incredibly drunk at the tavern at the time. He probably hadn't even heard the man.
"I wonder why he drinks so much anyway," Oliver mumbled to himself as he pushed open the massive doors. "It's not like he can get drunk easily. Does he purposely get drunk?"
Stepping inside, the layout was exactly what you'd expect from a grand church. Symmetrical rows of wooden pews, towering stained-glass windows lining the walls, and a grand altar at the very front.
"Venti?" Oliver called out into the cavernous space. The church felt dead and empty.
"Over here," came the bard's soft voice.
Looking to his right, Oliver spotted Venti standing quietly near one of the massive stained-glass windows. As Oliver stepped fully inside, the heavy door slammed shut behind him with a thunderous BANG, startling him out of his skin.
"Oi?!" Oliver jolted. In the dead silence of the cathedral, the echo was magnified tenfold between the door, and also his scream.
A gentle laugh fluttered through the shadows of the church. "Just get over here, you dork," Venti chuckled softly.
Oliver hurried over to his boyfriend. "Hey," he said, keeping his voice low. "Why did you want me to... see you in here?"
Venti kept his gaze fixed on the stained glass. He remained silent for a long moment before answering, his tone fragile. "I dunno. I guess because there aren't many people here." Venti let out a heavy sigh, letting his eyes fall shut. "I... You see..." He cleared his throat. "I want to show you my Archon clothes. I really do."
He turned his head slowly to look at Oliver. "But... it's not really clothes. I mean, technically it is, but it's also a form. My true form. My form as an Archon... as the god that I am."
Venti looked back up at the vibrant glass. It really was beautiful. The moonlight piercing through the colors made the figure in the glass seem to glow. Oliver didn't need to guess who it was. The artwork was a magnificent depiction of Barbatos.
"My Archon form is tied to... so many memories. Good ones," Venti sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Bad ones," He closed his eyes, then reopened them. "I've... experienced so many things. I've witnessed Mondstadt go through literal hell, right up until I was able to fix everything and give my people their freedom."
Oliver looked at his boyfriend, his heart aching softly. He didn't have to try hard to understand the gravity of Venti's words. "Venti..." he started gently. "If you're feeling like this, you know you don't have to show me your form. It sounds like something you shouldn't force yourself to do if you aren't completely comfortable."
"No," Venti said firmly. "It's nothing like that. Oliver... I want to show you. You deserve to see all of me. You're my first boyfriend who ever found out that I was Barbatos. None of my previous partners ever knew. Well—actually, some did figure it out, but they left me really quickly after that. Thankfully, they listened to my wishes and kept my identity a secret. All of them did... heh, even friends..."
Venti turned fully to face Oliver, his expression incredibly vulnerable. "I feel... very loose around you for some reason. I feel like I can share everything, even though it's been super hard, and you're a mortal. I want to share everything with you."
"Ve-Venti... I-I..." Oliver was entirely speechless. He had no idea Venti had been carrying this much weight inside. He desperately wanted to pull the bard into a tight hug, but he held back, letting Venti finish.
"Barbatos... he... I have done so much. It's too much for a mortal mind to grasp. But for some reason, you don't care. Would you care... if I told you that I was the one who shaped most of this land? Mondstadt, I mean?" His voice dropped to a faint whisper. "I'm so powerful I could probably reshape all of Teyvat if I wanted to. But I choose not to."
Oliver blinked. Then, he simply shrugged. "So what if you can do all of that?"
Venti blinked in shock. A moment later, he sniffled, wiping at his eyes. "How did I ever end up with you?" he giggled, the heavy tension breaking slightly. "Oh my word... I mean, it's not exactly rare for an Archon to date a mortal, but it usually ends quickly when they realize that we're... very powerful." Venti looked up at Oliver with wide eyes. "If I flew up into the sky right now and started shifting all the mountains around... you wouldn't think dating me was... too much?"
"Well," Oliver smirked. "If you do that, you better look sexy up in the sky while you're doing it~"
Venti froze. A few seconds passed before he completely lost his composure. "Bhahaha!" he cackled, clutching his stomach. "Okay, okay, you might need to work on your teasing, but that was actually a bit smooth~"
Oliver smiled warmly, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around Venti. "But seriously, Venti. No. I wouldn't mind. After how incredibly nice you've been to me? Look, I know my memory is all fucked up, but... I don't think I was ever in a good relationship before this. You've been so amazing. You care about me. You care about the things I like. You've never been mean to me intentionally. Haha, you're just a massive tease! And I like that! There, I said it. I love it when you tease me, because it shows how comfortable you are with me. You're sweet."
Venti placed a hand over his chest, beaming up at his boyfriend. For a moment, he couldn't form a single word. His heart was simply too full.
Oliver smiled and leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to his lips. Venti melted against him immediately.
They stood there in the moonlight shining through the window, gently making out in the silent cathedral until they eventually pulled apart.
"Thank you, Oliver," Venti smiled. "But I... I don't think I can change into my Archon form just yet. I mean, I really want to, but—"
"Hey," Oliver squeezed Venti's shoulder. "You don't have to show me right now. Not until you're one hundred percent ready."
"Yeah, but... I did say I wanted to. Mostly because—" Venti shot a mischievous glance back at the stained-glass window of Barbatos. "—my clothes in that form show off my entire bare midriff. And I know you'd completely melt."
Oliver sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Typical Venti. Ignoring all of his deep-rooted insecurities just because he found a way to tease me with my kinks."
Venti beamed, letting out a bright laugh. "Hey, what can I say? You're prime teasing material." He leaned affectionately into Oliver's side, and Oliver wrapped an arm securely around his waist.
"I love you, Ollie," Venti said softly. "Other people with your fetishes would be stepping all over my boundaries right now. I'm sure some people would try to force me into that form this very second just to satisfy their fetish."
Oliver smiled, holding Venti a little closer. "I like to think I'm not like that, haha. Well, I'd hope not, anyway."
Venti giggled. "You definitely aren't."
"And hey, if you really want me to see your midriff, you could always just... you know, wear that two-piece swimsuit you wore to Summer-rue..." Oliver clamped his eyes shut in instant regret.
Despite his best efforts to brace himself, Venti still let out an explosive, deafening, "PIFFFTTT!!!"
Oliver took a deep breath and looked away in defeat. "I absolutely hate the name of that nation..."
"Bhahaha!" Venti howled with laughter, shaking his head. "You sound so mad! That name seriously has it out for you!"
Oliver couldn't help but smile. "The freaking name just completely hijacked the entire seriousness of this emotional moment!"
"Babe..." Venti snorted, wiping a tear from his eye. "It was serious, right up until you started talking about my two-piece."
"Hey! Sexiness is a very serious matter!" Oliver smirked. "And actually, I gotta ask. Why did you even wear that in Sumeru? How did you not get a tan?"
"Ollie... that is the one thing we Archons literally cannot do," Venti laughed. "No tans, nothing. I am pale forever, all thanks to the friend whose form I took." Venti's gaze dropped for a brief, somber second before bouncing back to Oliver. "Does that make you feel weird, too? That my godly form—even this 'Venti' form—can't be physically altered by the sun?"
"Ven... if anything, I'm jealous. I'm pretty sure I get serious sunburns if I'm out in the sun for more than ten minutes. I got the weakest dark skin ever. All my African ancestors are shaking their heads in disappointment."
Venti laughed brightly. "Well! I suppose that really is something to be jelly about, haha." He nudged Oliver playfully. "What about tans for you?"
"Dude, my brown skin isn't exactly gonna get any browner."
Venti blinked, then slapped a hand over his mouth as laughter bubbled up again. "Oh! Haha!" He reached up and pressed a sweet kiss to Oliver's cheek. "Right. Good point. You said sunburns you can definitely get?"
"I'm pretty sure. I don't even know what happened back in Sumeru. I... wow, I think I nearly died out there. The desert life is definitely not for me."
Venti smiled. That was definitely something he needed to discuss with Oliver soon. He needed to explain to the "cloudy-minded" version of his boyfriend exactly how extreme heat affected him. But, that conversation could wait a little longer.
Taking a happy sigh, Venti laced his fingers through Oliver's and started leading him toward the heavy doors. "Let's go eat~," he hummed happily. "And since you even love my tummy noises so much... I'll let you listen to all the food swimming around inside me later. Getting all slurpy and grumbly... I..." Venti completely lost it, bursting into chaotic laughter. "BHAHAHAHAHA OH MY WORD... Why did I make it sound so... ew!"
Oliver rolled his eyes heavenward. "Okay, there was absolutely no need to explain my kink like that," he grumbled, though he couldn't fight the massive grin taking over his face.
"But it is like that, is it not~?" Venti teased relentlessly.
"No! I just like the tummy... growls..."
Venti snorted. "Fine, fine~ I'll still let you listen anyway, because I love you to death!" His expression softened into something purely affectionate. "Also, you deserve it for being such a sweetheart. You deserve everything you love~"
"You're way too nice to me..."
Venti smiled, squeezing his boyfriend's hands tightly. He leaned up, capturing Oliver's lips in one more sweet, lingering kiss.
"Because I want to be, baby."