windblume: (pic#15190729)
๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข ๐ŸŽต แด›สœแด‡ แด›แดษดแด‡-แด…แด‡แด€๊œฐ ส™แด€ส€แด… ([personal profile] windblume) wrote in [community profile] primos2021-11-21 07:52 pm

from @bakerstreet

from here with [personal profile] meteorder




I've gotten a lot better with my drinks, thank you kindly! I think sticking to one type helps keep my pranking fingers at bay. Jeez, I'm actually pretty long overdue for a good pranking... maybe Master Diluc ... maybe Miss Lisa...

Gah! Now you have me thinking of pranks, stop that.


[ He's trying to be good! Although, Zhongli may find it more bothersome to think back on spilled drinks, isn't that just life? A bunch of spilled drinks? They had a good laugh, even if Venti ran for his life in the process of it.

Even now... he thinks of it from time to time. ]


My timing is as it needs to be. I'll arrive promptly at the outskirts of Mondstadt's east gate and give you the best tour. The history, the gossip, and the best company you can expect. Just... let's avoid the church, eh? The sisters have been a bit agitated lately.

[ Funny enough, Venti's already taking down notes in a small leather notebook โ€“ all key points of his city and the people he'd introduce Zhongli to. Little stars and hearts around important bullet items line the paper, but... he stops between messages to soak it in. It's funny how the tables have turned...

Morax is not dead. That news brought him such joy, just as Venti's awakening must have done the same to the geo archon. The bard can't help but smile a bit wider. ]


There's just a few rules you have to follow. Ready to hear them?
meteorder: (Default)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-14 08:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Barbatos has never been clingy, but perhaps for those that he enjoys the company of he likes to push boundaries in terms of personal space. while Morax would probably be adverse to the contact with others who hovered in his general vicinity, Barbatos has slammed himself up so hard against the rock that he's worn it down that Morax doesn't seem to mind the intrusion.

Zhongi releases his support as Venti steps back. the little notebook is open between his thumb and forefinger, tilting it up in an elegant manner that now, after so long, comes easy to him. there isn't much to read on his face, he looks, if anything, quietly contemplating.

without much change in expression, he hands the notebook back to Venti.
]

Why didn't you say something sooner?

[ ah, Barbatos. ]
meteorder: (pic#15473366)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-14 09:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Zhongli is, in some way, completely out of his depth. Venti makes a scrunched up expression of disapproval and it takes him a moment to pull it back – he's certain that if Guizhong were to see this, that she'd be laughing at him.

Cut him some slack, Morax, he obviously has it out for you.

with a pinch of his forehead, and a suffering sigh, he tries again. even as the breath passes through his nose, he sounds a little softer.
]

You were never good at getting what you wanted.

[ though it sounds less like an accusation and more like something far fonder. he offers out an arm this time for him to come closer. they can try that again. ]

Come here, Barbatos.
meteorder: (8 mora)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-14 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ wasn't there always that tension between freedom and contracts? one allows for space, while the other is firmly rooted to the ground. they're both needed, in their own nature, but the nuances cause them to draw together, rather than drift apart.

see: the freedom in the contract is the gap between what is written and what is not, and there is always room for negotiation.

see: the restriction of freedom is in what can't be requested, in fear that the request would influence the freedom of whom it was requested upon.

Zhongli wonders if this is the impasse, but as soon as Venti steps forward he finds that he doesn't care. the offered arm draws around his waist as he steps forward, pulling him close again. it's not a light embrace, but Morax's tight grip, pressing him inward until their bodies are flush. the other arm rests over his shoulders, bringing him until he's buried against his chest, like the coils of a dragon. it's unbecoming to be a little desperate, but he has missed this.
]

I know things have been hard for you.

[ his voice is a gentle purr in his chest. ]
meteorder: (Default)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-15 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Venti wiggles his arms around him and he feels more at ease than he has in a long, long while. as if his decision for retirement was truly the right thing to do, and there were no regrets to leave behind. ]

The death of duty is not the same as passing to the other realms. You don't need to concern yourself with the nuances between the two โ€“ย I am exactly as I would have myself be in this moment.

[ so, the answer is yes, but he never wanted to die. he knew it was not his time, neither historically nor fatefully. there was no other choice beween leaving Liyue to Celestia and leaving Liyue to the humans. ]

Pity and comfort are not one and the same, Barbatos.
meteorder: (pic#15473365)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-28 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ even if Venti wanted to pull away now, Zhongli knew better. he had handed over the pages of his book, laid them open, and with it, himself bare. given, Zhongli has learned that Venti can wiggle his way out of almost anything if he puts his mind to it, but he won't let him run away from something like this.

for a brief moment, he frowns, more thoughtful than judgmental. then he tilts up Venti's chin with long, gloved fingers, examining his expression as if he were looking for something. he's pink โ€“ Zhongli can see the blood rushing in Venti's cheeks, almost to his ears.
]

I stepped away from my duties as an Archon because I saw what you had done with Mondstadt. There is no need to be proud of what inspires you.

[ it seems a little silly, he supposes, to admit it so easily. it feels as if he's giving Barbatos something he hadn't worked for, or perhaps he's being too harsh, and perhaps he already had. after all, Liyue was thriving at the end of the world because of Barbatos' declarations of freedoms. ]

And for what? I will not put my eyes on Mondstadt when you're right in front of me.
Edited (i will not use the same icon three times in a row. who do you think i am) 2022-06-28 05:02 (UTC)
meteorder: (2 mora)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-28 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ so noisy, even now, after getting what he wanted. Zhongli could have prophesied Barbatos' unease, much to his displeasure. Barbatos has always been a creature of unrestrained freedom and fleeting pleasures, where Zhongli has been been tethered (to Liyue or to duty or to something or other). now, when Zhongli is gently tapping a toe to release the ties, Venti is the one who seems ... nervous. ]

Barbatos. [ he says, like a name is something grounding. ] Does this bother you?

[ there is some vindication in admitting feelings, but he wonders if Barbatos is afraid of rejection, or afraid of acceptance, as one would have different tethers than the other. it was like a game: the question what does he want from me? turns into doubt that Barbatos knew, himself. ]

Do you think I'll stamp your name on a contract and never let you out again? [ but in some way, all relationships were contracts, weren't they? ] You were always bad at utilizing them.
meteorder: (1 mora)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-29 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ while he doesn't have a drunk Venti in his arms now, he certainly expects one later. that, he supposes, is something that comes along with the entire package that is Barbatos. ]

I never did expect you to ask. [ he thought Barbatos would just do it, but he supposes that he only partially accounted for the jitteriness. then again, Barbatos was taken by his whims more than not. ] You must be familiar, considering kissing is the subject of many songs written by man wandering bards ...

[ is he going to continue? he definitely needs to be shut up, because it looks like if he's not stopped, he'll just continue. it's as if he's unintentionally handing Venti a new weapon for his arsenal.

he'll regret it later tonight.
]
meteorder: (pic#15473365)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-29 06:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Zhongli would have kept talking, as it seems like he always has something to say, but his words pause as Venti spreads his fingers over the back of his neck and over the curve of his face.

for someone who prides themselves in being as still as stone, Zhongli bends so easily to meet him.

it starts sweet โ€“ย the brush of the lips as Venti huffs indignantly before closing the space between them. for the moment, Zhongli savors the contact. it's been a long time since he's had it, and even longer since it's brought some comfort to him. there's a swell inside of him that feels all too much like the call of Geo, but he keeps it at bay. the intensity is there, as if it's pushing up against the barriers, but it's no surprise, Zhongli has always held back.

he likes the taste, something that he's thought about for at least a thousand years, pressed up against him in mild desperation. it, surprisingly, seems to come naturally to him, even as he parts his lips and gives Venti some room to explore.

(yet, he's still here, holding back.)
]
meteorder: (4 mora)

yes

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-06-29 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ there have been many lovers and partners, all of Zhongli's relationships like contracts. when he takes them, he doesn't fear incompatibility or how good at it he may or may not be, he simply offers himself into it. while Zhongli has the ability to make many things complicated, moments of this are quite simple.

physical pleasure is much like many of the other things that he's learned to appreciate in his life โ€“ this is his first offering off it after he stepped down as Liyue's Archon. there are other responsibilities, but all of which are less pressing.

he touches a thumb to his bottom lip curiously, as if he's testing something. then Venti's pleading with him, and his head tilts like he's not entirely certain how to place it.

is he still unsure?

perhaps it's that Zhongli doesn't feel things in the same way Venti does, or that there's still little rifts between them that had always been there. Zhongli doesn't mind them, actually, he's learned quite a bit from those gaping gaps between the two of them. he's not sure how to express that, or how to convey it to Venti to soothe him. so, he doesn't say anything, and instead leans forward again to kiss him.

it's less soft this time, as if something that he had been holding back is slowly being chipped away, releasing a ferocity that's normally kept for the dragon that he once was. this time he fills the pocket of Venti's mouth, pressing his body backward and into the closest bookshelf.
]
meteorder: (Default)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-07-13 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ in most things that Zhongli does, he is meticulous and tenacious, much like stone resting on the peak of a mountain. he is, in some ways, immovable and stubborn, all of his movements outlined before they were made in so many documents and contracts. while Morax โ€” Zhongli โ€“ย is not known for his passion, but it boils inside of him all the same. on most days he tames it well, and on others, it pours out and overflows over his edges.

he offers Venti no mercy, his kisses filled with heady heat that rises between them. when one kiss breaks, he tilts his head in for another, the length of dark hair falling over his shoulder. it is rather uncouth to show such affection in a public place, but after six-thousand years of life, two-thousand five-hundred of that spent in the throes of war, he finds that he doesn't care much. however, anyone bold enough to disturb them will incur the judgmental wrath of the former Geo Archon, even Miss Lisa.

still, Zhongli holds him steady, an arm around his waist just so that if Venti wished to lean on him enough to suspend himself from the ground again, that he could without second thought.
]

Is this a sufficient answer?

[ but it's not long before he's leaning in again for another. ]
meteorder: (1 mora)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-07-24 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ there was slow steadiness to stone, but there was also the consequence of a rockslide. Zhongli could be both, and he is in this moment.

while Zhongli always found a way to do his own duty through his loneliness (particularly around the time of Venti's long naps), it didn't mean that he wasn't stricken by it all the same. sometimes mid-step. sometimes when signing a contract, and the curve of someone's script would remind him of a long, lost moment with a lover.

it was a moment of release, a tight kiss with their bodies pressed together against the bookshelf.

then there's Barbatos.
]

You are ...

[ he says with breathless, fond exaggeration. he barely pulls back to reply. ]

Impossible.

[ though he has to wonder, as he presses his forehead against Venti's, as he loses himself in the not-loneliness of needed affection and warm, wet kisses, if this had been Venti's plan all along. ]
meteorder: (Default)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-08-03 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ he doesn't answer the question, because he knows the answer.

instead, Venti pulls him down and he obliges. Zhongli, while certainly someone who has carved his own way through many canyons, still requires some level of seduction. Venti wiggles, almost flutters in his arms, and Zhongli keeps a grip on him.

for someone like him, affection doesn't matter where and when it's expressed. Venti will have to lead him elsewhere before he stops.
]

After so long, I thought you would know me better.

[ than assuming he'd leave Barbatos unsatisfied.

this, in a way, is also a contract.
]
meteorder: (1 mora)

[personal profile] meteorder 2022-08-04 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ then Venti lights up, as if the two of them hadn't spent the last two-hundred years in various states of loss. perhaps loneliness could say a lot about the two of them, and Zhongli thinks, perhaps, that they should've done this sooner.

a gloved hand rests on the back of Venti's shoulders, moving up and down absently, but methodically. he's gotten better at this from the last time that Venti had seen him, but it's been five-hundred years. he stands under Venti's wandering fingers and hands, giving him room to explore.
]

I haven't explored any options for lodging, yet. Would you be more comfortable elsewhere?

[ yes, they certainly should've done this sooner. ]

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