Chapter Text
Diluc was inside his tavern, quietly serving drinks to a handful of afternoon customers. The midday lull meant Angel's Share wasn't particularly busy. Then, the three Archons walked in.
He glanced up as Venti, Zhongli, and Nahida approached the bar, with Oliver trailing closely behind them.
"Hi Diluc!" Venti chirped, already making his way to the bar.
Oliver, the last one in, gently pushed the heavy tavern door shut.
The bard hopped onto a barstool. "You might be wondering who these guys are!" he giggled.
"Uhh... Yes," Diluc nodded, resting his hand flat against the polished wood of the bar. "I am." He looked between Zhongli and Nahida. He was obviously already familiar with Oliver, and his established boyfriend status with the bard, but as he stared at Zhongli, he blinked. Diluc wasn't overly familiar with the other nations and their rulers, but he has done his reading up on Liyue, thier neighboring nation more than the average Mondstadter "You're the—"
"Yes," Zhongli said, before he could finish. "I don't doubt Mondstadt has heard of me. That said, I'd prefer not to cause a scene. Discretion would be appreciated." He found a stool at the far end of the bar and settled into it with quiet dignity.
Oliver took the stool right next to Venti, of course. Nahida took the stool to the right of the bard, though she was having a hard time getting up onto it.
"Eh!" she grunted, trying to scramble up the tall wooden legs. "Ugh, come on, reach it!" she mumbled to herself.
Venti glanced sideways at her, trying not to smile, and gave a small twirl of his finger. A gentle current of wind curled up beneath her and lifted her smoothly into the seat.
"W-Woah!" she said, adjusting herself on the cushion. "Thanks," she said, a little breathless.
"I'd like my Dandelion Wine, please!!!" Venti announced loudly, leaning forward on his elbows and beaming at Diluc. He threw an arm around Oliver. "And this guy—my adorable, lightweight boyfriend—gets one glass. He still deserves to celebrate, he earned it!"
Zhongli looked toward Diluc. "If you have Osmanthus Wine, that will be great."
"Luckily, I have a few," Diluc replied. "They were imported; I didn't brew these myself."
Venti snorted. "Thought you were going to ask for some boring old tea."
"Your nation doesn't have what I'd want," Zhongli said, unfazed. "I'll wait until I'm back in Liyue for that. But we're celebrating. Wouldn't hurt to try something different, were are celebrating after all,"
Diluc moved to prepare the drinks. He didn't ask Nahida what she wanted. Didn't question why there appeared to be a child sitting at his bar between two apparent archons. He just quietly placed a cup of grape juice in front of her.
Nahida blinked down at the cup of purple liquid and let out a long sigh. "I'm over five hundred, you know—" she muttered.
Diluc blinked. "...Huh?"
Venti pressed his hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking as he laughed. "She's the Dendro Archon, Diluc."
Diluc's expression shifted considerably. "Oh." He looked back at his bottles, then at Nahida. "I apologize, ma'am. What would you like?"
Venti nudged her. "Would you like to try my favorite? Dandelion Wine is the best!"
Nahida thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Sure," she smiled.
Once Diluc had turned around and served all four their drinks, he finally asked the burning question that had been on his mind the second he realized three Archons were casually sitting at his bar.
"Do any of you want to explain why the three of you are here?" He tried to keep his voice hushed. There were a few other customers inside, and while they were seated at tables at the far end of the tavern, he didn't want them eavesdropping. "Three of you, in the same tavern, in the same nation. That's not exactly a usual afternoon."
The three Archons and the human, Oliver, all looked at each other, shared a confused expression, and then glanced back at Diluc.
"Have you not noticed what was happening?" Zhongli asked. "Surely, you must have. It seemed the entirety of Teyvat was under that red sky."
Diluc's face scrunched up. "Red sky? How long was that going on for?"
"Uhh," Venti blinked. "For about a couple of hours? A half hour ago, we all fixed it."
Diluc looked genuinely baffled. "I haven't seen anything like that in here. I haven't seen anything strange outside, either. I took a couple of breaks and stepped outside a few times and saw nothing," he shrugged. "Also, my customers came and went all day. If there was something going on, they would have spoken about it."
The group exchanged another look.
"This is peculiar," Zhongli mused. "That doesn't make any sense. Has time been reset upon getting rid of our threat?"
"Maybe it has," Nahida theorized. "It seemed to have a control on everything. Maybe time had slowed down?"
"Likely unintentional," Venti said. "That dark thing wasn't trying to protect anyone."
"Nah," Oliver shook his head in agreement. "It was wanting to destroy everything."
"Exactly," Venti nodded.
"Dark.... Thing?" Diluc asked.
Venti glanced at him from across the bar. "Yeah?" He blinked. "What's the—" Then, realization dawned on the bard's face. "Wait a minute... you—" Venti gasped, nearly dropping his wine bottle onto the counter. "OH MY WORD!" he yelled out, his voice suddenly filled with alarm. "The dark creature you said you saw! You—Oh, no! And I completely dismissed it that morning and turned it into a joke!"
He suddenly leaned over the counter and grabbed Diluc's hands, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry, Master Diluc, I... Oh no, why wasn't I more considerate? I should have known you of all people speak the truth with everything you see..."
Oliver was a little bit confused about what they were talking about, but he remembered it—somewhat. He remembered Diluc mentioning the dark creature that one morning. But he felt as if he remembered something else too, a missing piece his brain just couldn't put together. He wasn't sure if it had to do with his memory loss, or something else entirely.
"It's fine, Venti," Diluc said, resting his hand back onto the counter as the bard finally sat back down on his stool. He looked intently at the Archons before him. "I reckon this is why you mentioned a 'celebration.' You all must have done something...?"
Venti sighed heavily and nodded. "Diluc, this dark thing was something worse than the entire Abyss."
Diluc's eyes widened further. "That doesn't sound good."
"It's been dealt with," Zhongli said. "Thanks in large part to a... crystal entity, of some kind."
Diluc blinked again. "The what?"
"Exactly what I said," Venti let out a few breathless giggles. "I was... kinda hurt slightly, apparently, and was knocked out. Don't worry, though, I'm okay!"
Beside him, Oliver was drinking some more of Venti's favorite wine. The bard hadn't noticed when Oliver grabbed another glass. It was hard for Oliver to believe that he couldn't handle a mere two glasses, so he had just assumed his boyfriend was being extra, or exaggerating as usual.
But after taking a few more sips of the wine, something zapped sharply in his mind.
AVATAR MALFUNCTION
Oliver stared across the bar. Then, slowly looked at Zhongli. He was was mid-sentence, explaining something to Diluc. His voice was calm and measured as usual. Familiar, somehow, in a way that Oliver couldn't place immediately. He stared. He listened. The voice filled some strange slot in his brain, slotting into a shape that was already there—
Then, completely out of the blue, Oliver pointed a dramatic finger directly at the Geo Archon and shouted, "Hawk Moth!"
Zhongli stopped talking. He turned and looked at Oliver with an expression of complete, patient confusion. "I'm sorry—could you repeat that?"
"DARK WINGS RISE!" Oliver yelled.
Zhongli blinked very slowly, then looked over at Venti.
Nahida and Diluc both just stared, looking incredibly lost.
Venti was absolutely losing it. He had both hands over his face, shoulders convulsing, making very small squeaking sounds. He'd also just noticed how much wine was left in the bottle. "Babe," he wheezed. "Just when did you get past me huh?" he giggled, covering his mouth.
"What is a 'Hawk Moth'?" Zhongli asked with genuine scholarly interest. "Is it a breed of a type of moth?"
AVATAR RESTORED
Oliver blinked. He rubbed his eyes once. Looked around. "What was I saying?"
Venti just shook his head, smiling affectionately. "Nothing, cutie. It's okay," he chuckled. He turned back to his fellow Archons. "So, what do you all plan to do later?"
"Well," Zhongli started, returning to his usual dignified posture, "it's nice that we're sitting like this, having a drink like a family. But I have to get back to my nation."
Nahida nodded, both hands wrapped around her glass. "Same for me. Even if things seem alright here, I want to make sure Sumeru's okay." She glanced at Diluc. "Everything sounds normal here, but we can't assume it's the same everywhere."
Venti nodded. "Great idea." He set his finished bottle of wine down and beamed at the Archons. "Okay, you two should head back then. Don't be a stranger to me, though! My nation is always welcoming to kind visitors!" The bard flashed them a massive, bright smile. "The town's gates are always opened!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay! Bathroom time!" Venti announced, already grabbing Oliver by the wrist and pulling him toward the door, pulling him out of Angel's Share.
"W-What? Again?!" Oliver stumbled after him. "I don't even feel like I need one! And don't say I smell again—!"
Venti burst out laughing as they walked out into the street. "Hey! But as I said before: As your boyfriend, I get to be 100% honest~"
Oliver groaned. He let himself be dragged anyway.
They cut across Mondstadt, Venti navigating with the ease of someone who'd walked these streets for centuries, until the familiar facade of the inn came into view. The bard pushed through the front door and hauled Oliver up the stairs without slowing down.
~~~~~~
"Again?!" Paimon shrieked.
The Traveler was already welcoming them in, fully prepared to let Oliver use the bath again without caring about what his tiny floating companion was complaining about.
"Haha," the Traveler chuckled. "That's okay, you two! At least I'm not paying them for using their water," he giggled. "It's all included in the rent I pay for the room."
Venti smiled widely and pulled Oliver into the bathroom. "Thanks, Traveler!" He grinned as he prepared to shut the door.
"You're going in there with him again?!" Paimon yelled.
Venti just winked at her and clicked the door shut.
"Paimon bets you're in there because you're going to have SE—"
The Traveler quickly clamped his hand over Paimon's mouth. "Okay, that's enough, Paimon," he sighed.
~~~~~~
The water filled the porcelain tub, the hot steam rising in a familiar, comfortable manner.
Oliver stripped off his clothes, sank into the hot water, rested his head against the back of the tub, and closed his eyes.
Oliver stripped off his clothes, and dropped into the tub, and rested against the back of the porcelain of the tub, and closed his eyes.
Zap
Oliver fluttered his eyes open. He looked up to see his boyfriend kneeling down by the edge of the tub, watching him.
"Wow," was all Oliver could manage to say before letting out a soft laugh.
Venti nodded, smiling back. "Yeah... wow. Couldn't have said it better!" he shook his head, laughing with him.
Oliver let out a small breath. "There's... a lot I need to tell you."
"Take your time, honey," Venti murmured, reaching out to gently place a hand on Oliver's bare shoulder.
Oliver felt an immediate wave of calm wash over him at the touch. His eyes flickered up to Venti for a moment, and he leaned in slightly, his lips puckered just a bit.
Venti smiled warmly, leaning in the rest of the way to press his lips against his boyfriend's.
Oliver closed his eyes, kissing him back gently. After a few sweet moments of their lips moving together, they slowly pulled away.
"I hope that little moment didn't derail what you were going to say~" Venti teased with a giggle.
Oliver let out a small laugh. "It's okay, my mind hasn't gone down just yet," he chuckled. He cleared his throat and adjusted his position in the warm water. "Okay." He looked back up at his boyfriend.
"About August," Oliver started, getting serious. "When that dark creature came near me it... I dunno what its deal is with the avatar I'm using, but it caused it to malfunction. I don't exactly know why, but it did. I got sent right back to my realm, back to August. And... well, the straps were off of me."
Venti's eyes went wide. "They were?" He hesitated. "Then why didn't you—"
Oliver gave Venti a deeply sad, affectionate look. "Venti? Why would I have done that? I... Venti, I love you." He lifted a wet hand out of the water, droplets running down his wrist, and gently cupped Venti's cheek. "I love you," he repeated softly. "So why would I just leave, when I knew you were in danger?"
The bard's heart swelled painfully in his chest. He leaned into the touch, rubbing his cheek against his boyfriend's wet palm.
"Also, all of your realm was in danger. That would have been stupid of me to leave. I had to frantically tell August to hook me back up," Oliver explained, looking down at the water for a second before meeting Venti's eyes again. "Though, he was actually cooperative about it. Apparently, he knows about the dark thing. There's more about that dark creature than meets the eye. August has apparently seen it before."
Venti, who was now holding onto Oliver's hand against his face, went wide-eyed again. "Wait, really? You said August was like you, hooked up to another transfer chair. Did... he see it in the world he was inside too?"
Oliver nodded slowly. "Apparently," he confirmed. "Anyway, after telling August as much as I could in that short time, he altered my avatar."
Venti arched a curious eyebrow. "Altered your... wait... oh! That's why you... hold on, that is why you suddenly could use Pyro and...?"
"I think so," Oliver mused. "Though about the sword, I... maybe Doctor Barclay himself made me able to use that in the beginning. August just made me more powerful." Oliver sighed in frustration. "Though... I felt as if I could have done more. I think maybe the powers were too sudden. I didn't know what to do with them."
"No." Venti leaned closer and kissed the side of Oliver's face. "You still did good. You tried your best. And I'm super flattered you came back just for me, and to help out my world. You had every right just to abandon us, but you didn't. I appreciate that, baby." Venti wrapped his arms tightly around Oliver's neck.
Oliver melted into the embrace, closing his eyes happily.
"You don't think—" Venti parted from him slightly, though their faces remained very close. "That dark thing could be from Doctor Barclay?"
Oliver blinked, taking a moment to process the possibility.
It wasn't totally impossible. "I don't know," he admitted. "It could be, but... No... Nah, it couldn't be," he shook his head with more certainty. "Apparently, that dark creature didn't know Doctor Barclay. It... Yeah. Actually, it didn't even know what the lab was when I first encountered it," he told Venti.
"And what was that crystal guy?" Oliver added.
Venti blinked, then let out a small giggle. "Babe, you're asking the wrong person, because I was knocked out," he snorted after. "Now I'm the wrong with your memory loss~,"
Oliver rolled his eyes, laughing. "Oh, haw haw," he shook his head, smiling warmly up at the bard.
"What did it even look like?" Venti asked, getting curious.
"Well... it... it's hard to explain. I think it was a person. Like, a human? There were spots of skin all over it. But it was mostly covered in blue crystal shards. Also, some black stone-looking thing. Most of their face was covered with it," Oliver described, looking off to the side as he visualized it. "It saved us..."
He looked back at Venti. "If it wasn't for that guy, we all would have been dead, probably."
"Huh," Venti mused. "Kinda suspicious of it, even though I never saw it. But if it had good intentions, that's good."
"Also, it had a cape," Oliver continued. "There was a number on it. A Number one. I... I swear that number looked familiar."
Venti could see the gears turning in Oliver's head, watching his boyfriend struggle to grasp the elusive memory. Deciding not to let him stress over it, Venti purposely shifted gears to liven the mood. "Oh~! Gotta ask you a few things~"
Oliver blinked. That specific sing-song tone meant his boyfriend was about to go on one of his teasing sprees.
Venti giggled mischievously. "What is a 'Bat man' and a 'Hawk Moth'?"
Oliver flushed, instantly looking away. "I'm a dork, okay."
Venti burst into a fit of laughter, almost falling backward off his knees. He had to grab onto the edge of the slippery tub to steady himself. "But seriously!" he laughed. "What are those two things? Like you screamed at Zhongli! He looked so shocked hahaha!"
"Okay, well, you remember when I talked about fictional things? From my world? Well, 'Batman' is a character from a comic series. He dresses up as a bat and goes to fight crime at night. He has a cape behind him that he uses to glide."
"Oh!" Venti gasped in delight. "So that's why you grabbed my cape and lifted my arms? Is that how he glides, like you said? Interesting... a cape with a purpose." Venti giggled again. "Maybe next time I glide with one of Favonius's gliders, I can grab the edges of my own cape and pretend I'm this 'Bat man' guy!"
Oliver blinked, then burst out laughing.
"Oh no, that'll definitely be a sight!" he wheezed. "Venti using his cape like Batman... Yeah, definitely something to witness. If only Diluc had a cape," he snickered. "Would have fit even more."
"And... the Hawk Moth thing?" Venti snorted. "The way you just pointed at Zhongli like that! Bahaha! He was so confused though, and you looked so silly~"
Oliver blinked slowly. Explaining that required... a lot more context. He'd have to explain how Zhongli and 'Hawk Moth' shared the same voice. He had already explained the concept of the Fictional Universe to Venti, but telling him that people from his world gave them voices was a different beast entirely. He was a little nervous Venti might completely freak out.
"Uh... can we save that for a different moment?" Oliver asked hesitantly. "It's just... a lot to explain with that one."
Venti didn't push it. "Okay! No worries!" He leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on Oliver's cheek.
~~~~~~~
Venti eventually gave Oliver some privacy to finish up washing. After the human dried off and dressed, he walked out, fully expecting to see Venti sitting in the living room with the Traveler and Paimon.
He wasn't there.
"Aether?" Oliver asked, looking around the room. "Where's Venti?"
The Traveler blinked. "Uhhh... there we go again," he muttered.
Paimon blinked rapidly, then suddenly zoomed over to hover securely at the Traveler's side.
"'There we go'?" Oliver repeated, confused. Suddenly, his mind zapped again. The comforting warmth of the bath had completely worn off by now. "What are you talking about, Traveler?"
The Traveler just shook his head dismissively. "It's fine. Here—" He held out a folded piece of paper. "Venti left this for you."
Oliver glanced down at the Traveler's hands and took the note.
Hey Ollie~
Meet me at Cape Oath! You can't miss it, just walk out the main gates of the city, and you'll see the very large point that hangs over the ocean. Don't worry, it's an easy path up towards there. Meet me there.
I have something important to show you~
Oliver silently read over the playful handwriting.
"That bard wants you to visit him on top of the peak of Cape Oath," the Traveler said. "You should probably head over there now, since you're dressed."
Paimon had her arms crossed and was very pointedly not saying anything supportive.
Oliver nodded, folding the note. "Okay," he said. "I'll try to make my way there. I have never been... I don't think I have, anyway," he admitted. "I hope it isn't too far."
"It should be about a thirty-minute walk from here," the Traveler offered.
Oliver nodded again. "Okay. Well, see you then, you two! And thanks for letting me take a bath."
"As I said, anytime!" the Traveler smiled brightly.
"Hrmf!" Paimon grunted, still clearly annoyed by the whole ordeal.
"Paimon, shh," the Traveler scolded gently, patting her on the head.