Chapter Text
Oliver made his way out of the gates and onto the bridge connecting to the mainland.
"No bard with you today?" one of the guards at the side of the town gates lightly teased. They were used to seeing Oliver joined at the hip with Venti, so seeing him without his companion looked a little strange, to say the least.
Oliver just cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment, and continued his walk across the bridge. He looked ahead and saw a little boy throwing breadcrumbs to a flock of birds. Oliver made his way past him. He still had Venti's note in his pocket, wondering exactly where 'Cape Oath' was.
"He said to meet him there," Oliver mumbled to himself. "He said it was easy to find."
He reached the far edge of the bridge and paused, looking up.
The dirt path curved and wound ahead of him, weaving through the grassy slopes of Windrise, passing near the great tree, then disappearing into a roll of hills beyond it. But when he tilted his gaze upward and out toward the water, he could make out a cliff rising in the distance. "Huh..." Oliver muttered. "I... guess it's walkable."
It looked high up and pretty far out there, but other than that, it seemed doable given how the path continued. He just walked calmly; he didn't feel like running. "I wonder what he wanted to show me?" Oliver questioned as he strolled.
He had made it past the great tree and was far away from it now. "I've never come out this far before," he muttered to himself.
He had made it too far, actually.
He was now in monster territory.
Something zipped past his face and buried itself into the dirt with a sharp thwack. Oliver sucked in a sharp breath and snapped his head toward it.
Oliver blinked when he saw it was an arrow.
He turned the other way. A group of — people? Things? He had never seen anything like them. All seven of them were armed with crossbows, save for one holding a staff.
They were all in red clothing, except the staff-wielder, who wore blue. Behind them stood wooden structures that looked like a camp or a base of some sort.
"Hrrr!" One of them snarled, and loosed another arrow straight at him.
Oliver swiftly twisted his torso away, letting the arrow zip past him. Suddenly, his sword materialized in his hand, and he slashed the blade through the air.
A massive gust of wind unleashed from the sword. All of the monsters were blown backward, and their wooden structures were shattered to bits.
Only two of the monsters managed to keep their footing, looking shocked by the sudden destruction. But they didn't let up, charging forward to fight him.
Oliver narrowed his eyes and rushed at them.
As one tried to fire an arrow, Oliver zipped behind it—almost as if he had teleported—and slashed his sword across its back. The red-clothed monster dropped to the floor.
The one with the staff swung it toward him. Oliver's eyes widened as chunks of ice hurled in his direction.
He arched his back, bringing his sword up in defense. The blade grew scorching hot. Oliver squinted, slicing through a chunk of ice. "Nyaa!" he grunted, charging forward. He slashed and dodged through the barrage of ice until he closed the distance with the staff-bearer. Jumping into the air, he brought his sword crashing down, drilling it into the ground and emitting a burst of fire that scorched the grass.
The monster caught ablaze, withering away into dark ash.
Oliver pulled his sword from the ground and stood up, eyeing the remaining monsters behind him. He suddenly bolted toward them, instantly teleporting to one and slashing it down, then teleporting to another to unleash a shockwave of electricity. Teleporting to the next, he drove his sword toward the earth, causing sharp pillars of amber to pierce upward from the grass and stab into every monster in their path.
He thought that was all of them.
One monster was still there. One the human hadn't seen.
Something slammed into his arm. He went airborne, hit the grass hard, and tumbled. His sword left his hand and skidded into the dirt a few feet away.
"Urgg..." Oliver groaned, looking up. Seeing nothing in front of him, he checked behind. His eyes went wide. His sword instantly summoned back into his hand, and he brought it up just in time to block a sudden attack from a massive wooden shield.
The large monster wielding the shield was blasted backward by the force of Oliver's block and crashed to the floor.
Oliver took to the sky. Hovering in the air, he aimed his sword toward the ground, and a blazing strike of fire slammed down onto the monster, killing it instantly.
The human then dropped back to the grass, resting one fist on the ground and holding his sword in the other, pointing it away from his body.
With a fierce expression, Oliver looked up. He stood tall, slashing his sword at his side before it vanished into thin air.
But standing this close to the burning flames coating the grass made his memory zap back into place.
Oliver blinked, taking in the damage around him. "Did... I..." His eyebrow shot up. "If I actually did all of that in the game, Hoyoverse would have banned me." He looked down at his hands, where his sword had just been. "What exactly did August do with the avatar? Did he give me unlimited power? I... well, he did say that, didn't he? But... I have all the elements... I think."
He glanced up toward Cape Oath. "Venti wanted me to meet him up there. I shouldn't keep him waiting."
Oliver sighed and stepped away from the fire. As expected, as soon as he left the intense heat of the flames, his memory grew cloudy once more.
"What was I doing? Oh! Right, meeting Venti," Oliver nodded to himself.
~~~~~~~
It was a long walk. Thirty minutes, just as the Traveler had told him.
Though he finally made his way to the very top of the peak, a strange sound made him glance to his left as he walked.
"What... the fuck is that?" Oliver's eyes widened.
Nearby, a large purple vortex hovered over a patch of grass. Just there. If anything, it looked like a black hole, but it wasn't destroying anything. It just floated there, emitting an ominous hum.
Oliver arched an eyebrow. "What is that?!"
Then, he heard a familiar, quiet giggle. "Don't mind that," the voice said. "That was opened up by the Traveler, but it's actually harmless!"
Oliver looked to his right, and there stood his boyfriend.
Venti had changed back into his Archon form. The great white wings behind him fluttered slightly as he stood proudly. "Hey Ollie~," Venti giggled. "This is what I wanted to show you. I reckon the Traveler gave you my note? Haha, I mean, how else would you be here?"
Oliver felt his heartbeat thumping harder and harder inside his chest.
He had seen the Archon form before, but that was during and right after the battle, and Venti had quickly changed back. But now, he could study his boyfriend's revealing attire much closer.
"I know what I said before," Venti started, his smile wavering a bit. "About me having so many memories tied to this. Good, bad... just everyone and everything connected to it. But after that battle earlier today, and how amazing you've been... not just with helping out today, but just amazing in general." Venti's smile grew warmer. "You're a good boyfriend. I really want to show you all of me. You deserve it."
Venti giggled at his boyfriend's shy expression. "Hey, come a little closer! Don't be shy, cutie~." He stood near the edge of the cliff. "And seriously, don't worry about that portal." Venti gestured behind them, out to the ocean below the cliff. "All that leads to is a small island out there in the water."
Oliver swallowed hard as he took Venti in. He was standing right in front of him now, just a few inches away.
Venti giggled, clasping his hands behind his back with a bright smile. "Now," he dramatically gestured to his exposed midriff before tucking his arm away again, "you can look at my belly button all you want~."
Oliver blinked, then looked up at his boyfriend's face. "Venti, you... you look beautiful with this on."
Venti giggled, covering his mouth. "You look so turned on~."
"I... I uh..."
"Do you wanna feel my belly? While I'm like this?" he asked.
Oliver swallowed, then nodded slowly. "Mmhmm."
"Why am I asking. Of Course you do~! Then touch it~," Venti winked. "Play with my belly button, my belly~ whatever you want!"
Oliver's eyes drifted back to Venti's exposed, pale, and beautiful midriff. His gaze wandered up to Venti's chest and the short top he wore. Just on a patch of bare skin, Oliver noticed his boyfriend had a tattoo. A light blue mark that seemed to be glowing.
"Is that a tattoo?" Oliver asked, gently tracing a finger along it.
"Yeah!" Venti giggled, stepping closer to Oliver.
"Huh." Oliver pulled his finger back to study it. "You were shirtless before when we... you know, did things. I don't remember seeing that."
"Oh, these tattoos don't appear on my mortal form," Venti smiled. "They appear on my Archon form." Venti turned gently, lifting one leg gracefully. "See? I've got one on my thigh, too," he said.
Oliver blushed as he stared at Venti's thighs. "Huh."
Venti snorted, setting his foot back down and turning to face Oliver again.
"You wanna feel my wings before you go to town on my belly button~?" Venti asked with a soft giggle. Oliver hadn't made a move yet, but the bard knew he was just too shy or shocked right now to do anything.
When Oliver looked up, Venti fluttered his wings gently. "Wanna touch?" he asked.
Oliver nodded, bringing his hands closer. He opened his palms, letting his fingers gently brush against the soft feathers. Venti closed the distance, wrapping his arms around Oliver and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
He let his wings enclose around Oliver, wrapping them in a snug, close embrace. "I love you, Oliver," Venti murmured into the human's neck. "I love you so much." He pressed a few more soft kisses to his skin.
Oliver held onto Venti tightly, tears pricking his eyes. He felt so flattered, so overwhelmed with love, that Venti trusted him enough to share such a massive secret. Yes, he had known Venti was an Archon for a while now, but Venti trusted him—a complete stranger with no real ties to Teyvat. He could have easily told everyone that he was Barbatos. Oliver would never do that, and Venti knew it.
Venti pulled back from the embrace, wiping a stray tear from his own eye. "Okay, enough of that sappy stuff," he giggled softly. "Have fun with my belly button, okay~?"
Venti stood, placing his hands behind his back once more.
Oliver reached out, gently sliding his index finger down Venti's middle until it reached his navel. He let his finger trace the rim of the indent, feeling the skin twitch delicately beneath his touch.
Then, he slipped his finger inside. The walls of the belly button twitched around his finger, as Venti's navel was highly sensitive. The bard let out a quick, breathless giggle, "Heheee~." But he quickly relaxed into the sensation, arching his back slightly.
Blushing furiously, Oliver continued exploring Venti's belly button with his fingers, captivated by his boyfriend's soft sounds of pleasure.
"Hmm~," Venti hummed, pushing his slim stomach into Oliver's hand to let the finger sink deeper into his navel.
Oliver flushed deeper. This bard knew exactly how to melt him. Even though Venti claimed he'd never heard of this fetish before they met, he knew exactly which buttons to press.
Oliver pulled his fingers out from the deep navel; the sensitive walls clung to his skin for a second before letting go with a soft little pop.
"Oh~," Venti gasped lightly, looking up at him. "Hehe~."
Oliver knelt on the grass at Venti's feet.
"C-Can I lick it?" he asked in a shy, breathy whisper.
"Anything you want baby~,"
Oliver glanced around nervously. "Uh... You're sure no one can see us? No one will come over?"
Venti smiled reassuredly. "Nobody ever really comes up here since the Traveler opened that portal. People think it's dangerous. Well, I suppose it kinda is, if someone actually goes in. They wouldn't come back from the island, haha!"
"Oh... Uh... what if I ended up in there?"
"Hey, you're smart, and you know it's there. Why would you end up in it? And besides, even if you did jump in, I could just fly over and teleport you back home!"
"Oh... right," Oliver said.
Venti giggled, swaying subtly on his heels. "So don't worry, and show my belly button some more love~."
Oliver's eyes trailed back to Venti's welcoming tummy. He leaned in close, pressing a soft kiss to the skin just beside the navel. He peppered multiple kisses around the midriff, showing the bard how much he loved his midriff. His lips lingered at the belly button itself before he gently parted his mouth, letting his tongue lap playfully around the opening of the navel.
"Ahhh~," Venti moaned softly, arching his back once more.
Then, Oliver plunged his tongue into the depths of Venti's navel, wiggling it against the sensitive skin inside.
"Eeeaahh~," Venti gasped, his hands coming down to gently hold Oliver's head. "Ah~ Ollie~ That feels really good~." The luscious white wings behind him fluttered in time with his breathing.
Oliver placed open-mouthed kisses over the navel, his tongue swirling inside with every pass. He looked up at his boyfriend right in the middle of it, making completely love struck expression.
Venti practically mirrored the look; they were both completely intoxicated by each other.
Oliver pulled away from the belly, leaving a glistening trail of saliva on the pale skin and deep within the dark depths of Venti's innie.
Staying on his knees, Oliver brought his hand back up and pushed a finger deep inside.
"Aaohh!" Venti let out a shaky breath, biting his bottom lip. A shiver ran down his spine. "Oh, Ollie~," he breathed.
Oliver dug his finger around gently, intentionally brushing against the sensitive knot at the very bottom of the navel.
"Hehehe~," Venti giggled breathlessly. Inside the small swath of clothing covering his waist, he grew hard with arousal.
Oliver continued to wiggle his finger inside his absolute favorite body part, and Venti was completely unraveling from the sensation. "Ah~," he moaned softly.
Eventually, the pleasure pushed him over the edge. Venti finally let loose and climaxed, a small wet spot appearing on the fabric. He let out a long, shuddering breath, still feeling Oliver's finger resting inside his deep navel. Fluttering his eyes open, he peered down at his kneeling boyfriend. He let out another soft sigh and smiled brightly.
"I love your fetish so much~," Venti whispered, reaching down to affectionately rub Oliver's cheeks while his wings fluttered happily behind him.