weekend at zhongli’s 🕶

[geophysics]

( continuation of {HERE}.

it’s strange, having any sort of guest in the usually quiet apartment he has learned to call his own. occasionally, he’ll visit what remains of his old domains scattered throughout liyue; now, they are overrun with plant life and monsters and zhongli thinks back to when they were filled with laughter and love, if he dares to even call it that.

nowadays, he resigns himself to the mortal way of living: paying rent for a humble one bedroom apartment close to his place of employment. while he does have a second bedroom, he also has a spare futon that was imported in from inazuma back before the trading embargo really heated up. it’s never served the purpose of what it’s meant to, of course, with his only overnight guest ever being hu tao who had come over to work through some files and then passed out in the guest room from sheer exhaustion.

this is different.

hosting venti, his oldest living friend, seems to make him hyper aware of how little he has to offer as a host. liyue harbor is rich in history and activities, but his apartment itself is bleak. to some degree, he suspects, venti won’t be surprised - zhongli is an old man, after all. a blockhead. his boring apartment, with traditional liyue fixtures and kettles, speaks to that. he supposes venti won’t be spending too much time in it, but it still makes zhongli aware of how mortal they are, now, even as retired gods in name.

so when morning comes, after he’s certain venti is comfortably suited, zhongli can’t stop thinking of how soft venti’s hair was when he touched and how much zhongli wanted to stay up all night with him counting stars and recounting old tales until venti fell asleep, perhaps leaned against him, and zhongli could ensure he slept safely.

he almost burns his hand on the stove as he prepares them breakfast, zoning out like this. his hair is pulled back as usual and he’s wearing something much more casual than his suit - simple house clothes that are a single layer each, that still cover most of his skin but make him look younger. )

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[geophysics]

( zhongli has rolled up the ankles of his pants, too, and for some reason undone the button of his shirt and set aside his tie. like this, he glistens in the bright sun as he steps closer to the edge of the water. )

I went swimming recently, in my domain. ( why wouldn’t he? gosh. ) Are you not curious if these waters outrank the pond you were just treasure-hunting in?

[windblume]

[ Truthfully, imagining Zhongli as unguarded feels like a dishonesty to their friendship. As much as he may pour drinks or end up teasing him — he likes that he posed a more serious nature. It made him trusted, safe — and seeing him in the manner as he was feels foreign. ]

That pond would only be suitable for frogs and the occasional dragonfly. I know these ruins, untouched and still… will still offer a far better thrill.

It’s just…

[ No, stop. Venti pumps the brakes before he gives him too much ammo. ]

Fine. Go on.

[geophysics]

( zhongli is oblivious to it.

he steps out into the cool water and exhales with a smile. perhaps the simple pleasures in life were what he was missing all these years. it’s nice to be retired.

his gaze wanders back to venti, and maybe it’s unfair that zhongli looks like a model out in the water. )

Are you staying on shore, old friend?

[windblume]

[ How can he pull his gaze away? Venti was no fool in that regard. That Zhongli as he was now… undone was a sight to behold. He feels the air escape his lungs far too quickly as he kneels down to kick his shoes off once more. ]

I thought the plan was to even the playing field. You’d only further insist I’m a soaking mess. You’d be the one to blame.

[ Phrasing. Venti thinks for a moment before finally letting his legs trace into the edge off the sharp drop. Hunched over to hide, uh, a natural reaction. His hand props his chin up casually. He can’t ignore how… nice it was to be like this with his friend. The man provided such nice eye candy, a new sight that makes his heart beat faster. He will join him shortly, give him a minute. ]

You know. There was a circle and number on the map around this part of the entrance. Think there’s something near the bottom?

[ Is Venti going to dive down? Most likely. ]

[geophysics]

( it’s been so long since zhongli has laid with anyone, mortal or immortal, so he’s mostly forgotten the normal ways of courtship or temptation. he finds his eyes lingering on venti often, but never in a way to be crass or crude.

having venti join him in the water is nice, though. a true signal that rex lapis has passed and an old god is trying to learn to be free.

he glances from venti to the center of the pool again. )

Another marking?

( well… if venti got the first one, maybe he ought to help? he wades out towards the middle, and then with the grace of a once-dragon, he takes the plunge for them and swims down to the bottom. golden eyes shimmer, lighting the way, and he takes a look or two around before resurfacing. empty handed. but his hair is now wet, and his shirt and pants soaked through, so isn’t that even more of a sight? a soaking wet god. )

[windblume]

[ Venti is a little pervert, but his conquests were far and few between. The ones he may remember were the ones gone with time. A drunken fling had been the usual, but… not like this.

That was Venti.

Barbatos sat on the edge looking at the majesty of a gem too rare for him to ignore. The luster of Zhongli’s body slick with water makes him finally just undo that damn corset and finally his shirt — huffing until he drops down with only tights and shorts.

When Zhongli resurfaces, Venti swims a bit closer. ]

More this way. Come on.

[ The curve of the maps marking he knows well, half a crescent was where the bard swims, floating above a small break in the wall. ]

Morax.

When is the last time you swam with someone?

[geophysics]

( zhongli tries not to stare at venti too much. venti is objectively very cute, pretty, alluring, and zhongli does his absolute best to respect an timeless friendship.

still, those pretty anemo markings on venti’s skin -

anyway. )

With someone? … I don’t recall.

( he floats in the water beside venti, staring at him through his soaked bangs.

the last two days have been new to him, completely. refreshing in a way. )

Are we close? ( to the marking. physically? very much so. )

[windblume]

[ A timeless friendship was a value so little enjoyed, but something more lingers under the surface.

And fortunately, they're both still in shallow enough water to not be completely blind by it.

Venti looks to him briefly before looking around – should be. Close, he means. So very close. ]

Look around the ledges, I'm going down.

[ And there he goes, disappearing in the clear waters. His little form beelines for the bottom, pushing apart grass or dirt that settles. With a few air bubbles chasing the surface, Venti spends a bit too long down and erupts back to the surface with a giant huff. ]

G-Ghkk.. ha-ha....ha... I think... ha... there's a – rock - against the wall. Giant. Can you move it? With... [ He wiggles his fingers obnoxiously. Geo? ] Y'know.

[geophysics]

( a little skinship never hurt anyone.

zhongli is surprised by venti’s reaction when he resurfaces. so much so that he reaches out to splay a warm palm against venti’s cold back — and honestly? it’s probably the first time he remembers touching barbatos’ skin since the era of that bikini outfit.

he pulls his hand away quickly when he realizes venti is okay and talking about a … rock? oh.

he turns abruptly to the side and dramatically summons all the rocks from beneath the surface into the air at once. someone is deeply embarrassed and overcompensating for feeling flustered. )

Go grab it.

[windblume]

[ If Barbatos was in his bikini outfit, it'd definitely be way worse. This feels more natural, less flashy.

As he floats into the water, he does catch his breath easier with Zhongli's soothing rub. His touch grounds him, funny enough, nearly raises him from the water. Venti's not lost on how close they were and with the raise of the rock, he's diving down frantically. Far less grateful.

Down Venti goes, closer to the small hole in the wall that the rock once blocked. He resurfaces a bit later, triumphant with another capsule. Instead of cor lapis, it's made of nautilus jade. ]

[geophysics]

( zhongli misses the touch, of course, and he spends the first few moments that venti is underwater unpacking that and how… unbelievably human and yearning that is.

his eyes land thankfully on the capsule. )

Did a child move that rock to block that? ( maybe with geo. otherwise, he’s surprised. then again, children had tiny hands and could easily shove things into tight spaces that were lost to time.

he reaches out without thinking, not for the capsule but to push venti’s soaking wet bangs out of his face. )

[windblume]

[ It was very likely they had wedged the capsule between the small gaps. Enough so that Venti could have seen the shimmer when he dove down. It too was heavy, ridges on the side making him feel like something was inside. ]

Depends on if you were throwing Visions around for children.

[ He snickers, but stops with a 'huh' right when his bangs were pushed back. Just as Zhongli looked different in such a sopping wet state, so did Venti. Younger, more fresh-faced. There's a curiosity in his eyes and his lips part just briefly.

The moment hangs in the air. ]

Morax?

[ Was this the real celebration, to see how he was looking at him? ]

[geophysics]

( ah. right.

zhongli retrieves his hand quickly, much like he had with venti’s braid the night before. he pivots away to begin head back to the shore. )

Come dry off.

( before he pops a boner or something. yeah. )

[windblume]

[ There was that moment that Venti feels was a dozen of moments at once. He didn't want Zhongli to pull away, he realizes. That's what makes him turn just as quickly when he mentions drying off.

Two boners would be popped at this rate. ]

Shall I summon the wind to blow us dry?

[ He's stupid, but not the worst idea as he crawls up onto the ledge and flops back onto his back. The Liyue sky... was more gold than he remembered. ]

[geophysics]

( zhongli isn’t sure what’s gotten into him. he’s certainly pressed a hand to barbatos’ back or shoulder before, and the wind god has been prodding at him and the other seven. but touches to his hair felt … different. intimate in a way that has restless energy in his veins.

he spares a glance at venti once he processes the suggestion. )

Yes, but only if it’s a reasonable amount of wind.

( do not summon a comical tornado or the like, he swears. no uprooting trees, either!!! he’s very careful with these terms. )

[windblume]

[ It was how different Zhongli's touch was and how honest Venti's eyes had. The way he looks at him, vulnerable and receptive before he even knew he was, was telling enough. The way Zhongli's soft hands didn't feel forceful nor rough. ]

Reasonable. Got it.

[ Because Zhongli didn't clarify – Venti will be creative! With his body a cyan glow, markings vivid and bright, a harsh wind blows down from nowhere. From the heavens, a pillow of air blows down to the boy's laying form. ]

Lay next to me.

[ He doesn't realize the intimacy there. Venti's braids already unloosened and his shorts puff around, sure – but it's like a perfected wind tunnel that wasn't too harsh on the skin. ]

[geophysics]

( zhongli listens without a single complaint.

it ought to be a cause of alarm to himself that he trusts so easily, that he obeys venti without a single ounce of hesitation.

zhongli joins venti on the cool earth and his eyes pass back over to him. like this, he can admire that pale skin and bright markings, the look of a fallen angel, and he feels the gnawing of loneliness that time has tried to crush and push down. )

Is this close enough?

( how daring, a low rumble of a voice as he looks at nothing but his friend, out here in the middle of nowhere without even hirichurls as witnesses. )

[windblume]

You're a mile away!

[ It was literally two feet. Even with the humid air pressing into them – Venti finally rolls onto his side and scoots on his hip closer. His eyes look down, marveling at the expanse of what geo would do this form – chisel him like a sculpture from the earth itself.

He didn't realize how tall the man was, really – until he was leaning just barely on top of him. ]

Let the wind work its magic with each caressing touch, let me know if it hurts too much.

[ He offers a rumble fitting of a dragon, Venti offers a gentle breeze to ghost against Zhongli. Before he lays back down, both of his hands rest on his own stomach, staring up at the sky. ]

Do you think we'll find something? Two for two.

[geophysics]

( zhongli already knows that he found something. he found it last night on that ship, in his apartment, when he almost reached out to close that eternal gap between them. but some things were not meant to change. some things were too — immovable.

but zhongli still feels a heat spread through him at venti’s closeness and words. maybe morax needs to get laid once this century so he doesn’t ruin his longest friendship.

right, the treasure map. )

At this rate, yes. There may be something. Whether it’s worth any value will be in the eye of the beholder.

[windblume]

We could find a pile of painted rocks and I'd be happy.

[ Honesty wasn't necessarily a forte of his, but he was with Zhongli. It keeps them busy, keeps his imaginative mind going – wishing and hoping for one more outrageous development after another.

Which... ]

Your friend. Back at Golden House. I didn't interrupt anything wading in the water, did I?

[ They're laying nearly bare, side by side, figured he might as well ask. It would keep his eyes from glancing over and admiring the man. ]

[geophysics]

( it takes zhongli a hot second to figure out what venti means. his brows pinch together instantly. )

No, you didn’t. I wouldn’t necessarily call him a friend. He is more of a… business acquaintance.

( out of necessity, and a very irksome one at that. )

Please ignore him. It’s best not to fuel his recklessness.

[windblume]

He works with dead guys too?

[ Technically... speaking! Venti isn't wrong! ]

Recklessness... huh. Could have sworn he was just jealous I was stealing all your time away. [ If the words hit Zhongli like stone spears, he can relax with how Venti bursts out. ] Pffff, he's probably shocked you're hanging out with someone as carefree and alive as me. No worries, I won't embarrass you too much if our paths cross again.

[geophysics]

( jealous?????

please don’t even suggest such a thing. the lewd thoughts make his stomach curl. disgusting. mortals were fine but that particular brand of disregard for the greater good — )

I assure you, his company is not something I keep often.

( fuckbuddy? why is he so bad at explaining that it was only a matter of the tsaritsa and convenience, geez. )

[windblume]

[ Mainly because Venti and the Tsaritsa had a falling out, so. Even if it was explained, he'd never let Zhongli live it down. Ever. ]

Oh. ...Do you keep company, then? [ Not like that. He's still disillusioned to think it was something else. Something deeper or more... ah, fueled. ] Beyond your work. Please tell me you have a social life.

[geophysics]

( slooooow blink. )

I— often go for walks, around the city. I’ve grown close chatting with the shopkeepers and workers.

( so no. he doesn’t have a social life whatsoever other than work and the people he sees when he’s taking his strolls. it’s not a completely lonely life, more like a retired grandpa would actually do.

and most importantly, there’s no grandma or second grandpa hanging around liyue in his bed. )