primos | weekend at zhongli’s 🕶

weekend at zhongli’s 🕶

( 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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( it seems if anyone is going to push for more transparency, it’s going to be zhongli, evidently. not like he minds being the forward one.

his hand squeezes at venti’s hip as his brows furrow. )

You wouldn’t be rooted, persay. But if you didn’t opt to spend the night in here, with me, I would be disappointed.

( not mad, just disappointed. which is worse, venti? )

[ The grip on his hip was forceful enough to sober him up. He chews his bottom lip, lost in a thought... thinking of how far they've come. How they're adapting to this call... ]

You make a compelling argument. A wash of disappointment across a dear friend's face... it would break my heart.

[ He leans down, scooping Zhongli's jawline into his grasp. ]

I'll stay the night with you, Morax.

Nights, Barbatos.

( now who is a demanding god? now that he’s had a taste, maybe he’s a little less reluctant to let things fall between his fingertips. he won’t outright admit that he has feelings so strong for barbatos they dizzy him, not yet, but this much firm kindness he can afford the both of them. )

Nights...

[ He sighs in appreciation, at the thought of many nights passing with Zhongli by his side. The bed had certain done its fair job of keeping him satisfied, but now? Not so much. The promise of Zhongli next to him was different... encouraging... ]

Nights it is, Morax. Many of them.

( zhongli cups venti’s cheek, then, admiring the pretty teal and cyan of his eyes. he’s quiet for a second, simply breathing, before he brushes a gentle kiss to venti’s lips. )

Barbatos, I…

( old man, not knowing how to put any of his feelings into words.

he’s never had to. )

[ Such closeness... he never thought he'd need it. They were happy as friends, weren't they...? Did he miss any cues? Any lingering glances? ...Did Venti ignore his own interest at bothering the Liyue leader during their prime?

He unravels centuries of doubt, but holds them to himself. Would his flirtations truly have been returned if he just pushed... a little more? ]

Sh... I know.

[ How difficult it may be to find the words. Barbatos of all having a time to return a sentiment? Ha! He's left deepening a kiss, letting his hair dance down against Zhongli's features. ]

Do you really?

( he doesn’t mean to push too hard, to question venti. he’s just now understanding what he’s been feeling so strongly over the centuries. a warm ember that’s grown into a wildfire.

zhongli returns the kiss, chasing that high, smoothing his tongue along venti’s lips.

he knows patience is a virtue. but perhaps he’s waited long enough. )

[ The bard had done well not to be burnt. Not since the fall of Old Mondstadt. Not since he kept himself so fleeting that no one could hold him.

But Zhongli did. He keeps him for seemingly a month, but there was something else…

Something that feels longing — perhaps further than he’d like to admit.

When he pries his lips away, his forehead pressed to Zhongli with a huff. ]

Use your words, Zhongli.

( zhongli loops his arms loosely around venti’s waist. when they have their foreheads pressed together, he feels like time truly does stand still; like it’s even more inconsequential than usual for these immortals. )

Venti. I— don’t exactly do this, ( to which he accents with a brush of his fingers along venti’s waist. ) normally. It’s not something I consider casual.

( old man. )

[ Venti, at his root, can be selfish. Perhaps hearing Zhongli speak – to expand his inner thoughts – would help encourage his own. He had been so sure that he lost Morax and that fear still settles with him. ]

So you're telling me... you aren't Liyue's most eligible bachelor? I don't know... the way the shopkeeps have looked at you...

[ He deflects a serious declaration with his jest – and he sobers up almost immediately. Why does he always do that..? A hand comes up, clutching his neck, holding onto him softly. ]

We haven't... even done much. Yet, I mean. [ Sly with his words, he's honest. ] Do you want to, ahaha.. ...see where the wind takes us?

[ He's not exactly sure how to word anything, lost in a haze of interest that he feels embarrassed to pursue now after so long. ]

( yet.

zhongli’s pulse is quick, full of warmth and adrenaline. he watches venti with close attentiveness, endearingly so.

where the wind takes us? )

As long as I’m near you, yes. ( keeping things flowing as always. but zhongli feels … inclined to want to put something more into cement. )

I don’t view any of this as casual.

[ The conversation was a fresh wound, in a sense. Their losses, while centuries old, still toes into unfamiliar territories. They had loved and lost. They have sacrificed lives filled with companionship with duty and freedom.

When Zhongli speaks, Venti gulps. ]

How can it be casual if it's new? This... ha, whatever we are right now... It wasn't what we started with when I arrived.

[ What changed? He's a fool for thinking something had – beyond their own courage to seek for more. ]

It's a little exciting, isn't it?

( it’s irrefutably true. they’re no longer what they were when venti first rode in on the winds.

they may never be that again.

venti’s last few words bring a twitch of a smile to the immovable lips of immovable stone. )

Only you would call it that. ( but he goes to cup venti’s cheek, thumb tracing a cheekbone. )

Should I be plain, then?

I'm not wrong. [ He thinks he can get off easy. To be fleeting and slip between the cracks of this newly built foundation. It'd be cruel to ignore it, but Venti looks down to Zhongli and thinks of what the people of Liyue saw – of a dead Rex Lapis.

It was only after having experienced the fear of losing him did things begin to click.

He gulps at the lingering uncertainty, but the tenderness he shows ushers him away from olden times. Venti works best working towards a future while honoring the past, after all. ]

You? Plain? If you believe you're capable... [ But, Venti as impulsive. He can't just wait for an answer – ] It doesn't matter... whatever you want, I think... hm. I'm fairly certain I want it too, Zhongli.

( should he be plain? should he take that metaphorical leap? venti doesn’t seem nearly as flighty as he thought he may be, but perhaps that’s because they’ve spent actual centuries side-stepping this and never facing it. maybe they’re both finally too tired to fight it anymore.

maybe they both want to be happy.

zhongli smiles softer at the words. )

Then, allow me to ask it properly. I would like to be your partner, in every sense of the word. To travel at your side, and to keep your bed warm.

[ Freedom was engrained into his very being. The form he took now represented more than youth and a childish view of the world. It represented true freedom. While he was no longer a wisp, not bound to go anywhere with no home to settle in... this form now with no gnosis feels settled. Right here, on top of Zhongli.

Their back and forth was legendary. Their tales both weaved into Liyue lore as much as Mondstadt's. Their borders open, their people doing business together... and now? Venti has business with Zhongli.

Hearing him say it makes his heart grow tight, his eyes look away as if he can't bare the thought of showing a response undeserving. ]

Morax.

[ They toed a line so many times since he arrived so a proposal of this nature feels like a culmination. ]

You know what that means, right? Truly?

[ For every bit of care and tenderness – there will be annoyance. For every bed they claim as theirs, Venti would most likely drag him along for adventures far from it. For every word they failed to say, Venti can think of thousands to replace them. ]

...Lot of lost time to be made up for.

[ Venti says hushed under a mumbled pout while his eyes fall back onto him. ]

( the pout is adorable. it just makes zhongli yearn for him even more.

gently, zhongli extends his hand and cups venti’s cheek. eyes like cor lapis remain fixed on him, and he offers a sweeter, nostalgic smile. )

Barbatos.

( a pause, as he traces his cheekbone with his thumb, ardently. )

I can give myself fully to you, now. I would rather no other place than at your side. If that is what you also would like.

( he means it, no longer tied to liyue despite how fond he is of it. like a parent finally seeing its kid grown, he needs to leave the nest, too.

maybe with venti he can. )

[ As much as Liyue needed to be pried from Morax's dead hands... the same could technically be said about Mondstadt. Venti lingers, while not being involved, and he feels a call to always linger like a breeze... but?

His time in Liyue was special to him.

It wasn't until Zhongli was underneath him does he realize why.

It feels like home. ]

F-Fully...

[ Venti stammers with an awkward laugh, nuzzling his features into the cut of Zhongli's jawline. It is commitment, but it scares him how easily he'd allow himself to be captivated like this. ]

Before I agree... I must make some rules!

[ Good deflection from just yelling out yes! ]

( zhongli blinks in surprise. )

Rules?

( isn’t that his job? he chuckles, fingers coming up to play with venti’s hair encouragingly. )

I wouldn’t suggest a contract, but if you’d like terms clearly spelled out, please go ahead.

( wow. )

When in Liyue...

[ You honor the God of Contracts and make unofficial rules. Nothing so terribly binding, but a shiver goes down his spine – to think of what kind of demands Zhongli would make of him?

Pervert, stop letting your mind wander... ]

On the off chance I've earned your ire... no meteors! I've grown to be an adequate lover, not fighter, so such things lose their umpf.

[ Teasing, he tilts his head. ]

Unless that was your way of flirting with me.

( it wasn’t always. but morax was one of those tease and give a hard time to the ones you love sort of guys. until he reached his old age, anyway. now he’s just — this guy. )

No meteors. Only pebbles.

( hah!!! compromise. )

Is that all? Or is there something you’re really concerned about?

Pebbles, only on special occasions.

[ Like, y'know, when Venti deserves it? His hands move down to cup at Zhongli's features. Those thumbs run on either side of Zhongli's lips, soft and gentle. ]

I'll think... of some more things... Um. Do you have any? If we're being fair and all.

( venti? venti why.

zhongli sighs and tilts his head in order to kiss venti’s fingertips. he truly has it bad. )

No. My only request is that you try to be honest with me. I know you will not lie, but I’d like to hear what’s on your mind, particularly if something is bothering you.

I… want to be there for you.

... Like earlier? [ When he so suddenly lead Zhongli here and touched himself with such little explanation? It was the threshold they needed to get over themselves yet... ] It's not that I wish to lead you astray! It's... hm...

[ The words Zhongli's offer were gentle as a smoothed stone, one precious and gifted to others. They were welcomed to calm him. ]

Some things even I have difficulty bringing up. For such things disrupt the pleasantries of the mundane... [ And Venti hates to waste time unless it was under such beautiful skies or the shade of an apple tree. ] ...Last night. What brought you to such a way...?

If you're to be there for me, I shall be here for you.

( it does make sense. he can’t blame venti for not knowing how to word things or even how to tackle topics. he certainly is still learning all that, too.

at the mention of last night, his cheeks flush red.

he looks to the side, breathing a little heavier. ah. well.

he supposes he can be honest with venti now. )

In full honesty? You. ( perhaps he ought to clarify. ) I… kept imagining how you looked in the water, so carefree and beautiful. And how it felt laying beside you on shore, almost holding you on that pillar.

( he feels terribly guilty admitting he was jacking it because of venti, but. he’ll take his lashings now. )

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sorry for blue-balling your heart for days venti

he deserves it

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