Work Text:
"With that we close the chapter on the Archon War, as you know next week we'll have a test." Some students whisper, and others sigh, not liking the idea of a test. "Silence."
A student puts her hand up, he knows her name is Xiangling. She was very hardworking, but not one of his best students. "Professor Zhongli, will the material on the Yakshas be on the test as well."
"Everything we learned this year will be on the test." The bell rings and Zhongli exhales, watching as his students start packing his things. "So, study. Study!" He repeats until all the students are out of the door.
Zhongli gets up from his chair and closes his laptop, making sure he turns off the projector as well. He puts his things in his work bag and looks outside the classroom, always surprised to see how the students behaved when they were not in class.
He doesn't remember being like this when he was younger, he didn't scream in the hallways, he didn't run or pranked his friends. He just read and studied when there was time off, also taking the time to talk to his friends, but they were much calmer.
Kids these days.
Zhongli exits the classroom and makes sure his tie is not crooked by looking at his reflection on the door. He makes his way to the teacher's lounge, happy to have a few hours to himself while waiting for his next class.
Being a literature teacher had always sounded like a dream to him, he could read books all day and make the students also read them, sharing their views and having healthy debates. However life wasn't as straightforward as that, students were not all the same, most of them were rowdy and not happy at all to be reading.
He takes his phone out of his pocket and notices there's some messages on the teachers group chat but he ignores them, waiting to get to the lounge before reading them.
He finally reaches his destination and as soon as the door opens he's hit with the very strong scent of coffee, something that is not common around here. Most people liked their coffees weak and full of cream, so this was a total surprise.
What was another total surprise was to see a student in the teacher's lounge, manning the coffee machine no less.
"Excuse me, you can't be here, this place is only for teachers." Zhongli warns, putting his work bag on top of his designated desk.
The boy turns around and looks like a deer caught in the headlights, his expression shocked. "Uhm."
"I won't tell the principal, just go on, go to your next class." Zhongli waves his hand, dismissing the student and putting all of his attention on the tests he still needs to grade from another class.
"I'm Venti… the new art teacher." He says awkwardly.
Oh.
Zhongli gets up from his seat and bows. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea a new teacher was joining our school. You look young."
"I get that a lot." Venti smiles. "But I'm already 26 years old."
Zhongli feels a little embarrassed, but to his defense, Venti was dressed just like is 12th grade students, with some wide jeans and a colorful shirt. He even carried a backpack on his back, not to mention his two toned hair with braids.
"Once again I'm sorry. I'm Zhongli, I teach literature and history." he extends his hand and Venti shakes it. "If you need something you can always ask me."
Zhongli sits back down, going back to his tests, taking his favorite red pen from his pencil case. Venti picks his cup of coffee and walks around a bit, looking at his surroundings. Then he looks at the desk in front of Zhongli and sits down, probably the one that was assigned to him.
Zhongli sighs at the answers this student gave, it seemed like he hadn't studied at all, their answers were empty and with very little knowledge. He marks it with only three points and moves on, not surprised when he sees yet another short answer.
Venti taps his fingers on the mug and looks at Zhongli, it seems like he might have something to say. So Zhongli decides to get up and get a cup of coffee, his usual mug clean and shiny just like he likes, making him smile.
He looks at Venti and he seems a little nervous, chewing at the inside of his cheek. "Did you just get out of college?" Zhongli asks.
"This is my second job, I had a summer job teaching kids how to draw." he answers, seemingly more calm.
Zhongli sits back at his desk and puts his mug on the coaster he has. "You seem nervous, you don't need to. The students here like art a lot so you don't need to worry." he reassures.
Venti smiles. "Actually, I don't know how to bring this up…" Venti scratches the back of his neck. "You were the one who was supposed to show me the school. That's what the principal told me via email." he laughs awkwardly.
Zhongli almost wants to facepalm himself, all those messages in the group chat were probably to inform him of that. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to read the messages this morning. Let's go… Let me redeem myself."
Venti gets up and hugs his backpack, smiling as he exits the teacher's lounge. Zhongli takes his phone and puts it in his slack's pocket, wanting to read the messages more carefully once he has the time.
He guides Venti through the hallways, showing him the art room first, so that he can become acquainted with it. "The classroom is very empty since our former art teacher decided to quit suddenly."
"It looks very nice, it has a lot of lighting and it seems well ventilated." Venti smiles. "I see that we can have a lot of fun in class."
Zhongli feels himself falter, he wants to say to Venti that these students are very different from children, but he doesn't have the heart to do so. Teenagers were a whole lot harder to deal with, so he might run into some trouble.
He shows Venti the cafeteria, the gym, and most of the classrooms. The last stop was the library, which he was very proud of because he chose most of the collection here. Venti walks silently through the bookcases and nods at all the books, touching one about the Archons.
"Do you enjoy reading?" Zhongli whispers.
"I read when I can, it keeps me calm." Venti smiles, taking the book and perusing it a little, snorting when he sees a dirty doodle.
Zhongli picks the book and nods in disapproval. "Ruining books… could there be anything more disrespectful to these pages?" he sighs.
"Only misunderstanding what they want to tell you." Venti walks forward, his expression more serious.
They walk back to the teacher's lounge and Venti sits down at his desk, much more relaxed, a small smile on his face. Zhongli is also happy to be back, now he can go back to grading those tests.
Venti starts taking some things out of his backpack, some office supplies, a framed photo which he can't see what of, some decorations that look like they're from a cartoon and other little nicknacks that hurt Zhongli's eyes with how much color they have.
Zhongli had been thinking of this for a while, but he and Venti seemed like opposites, that was very noticeable by the way they were dressed and the way their desks looked. However they did seem to have a mutual liking of reading, which might be the only way they can create some sort of work relationship.
"When is your first class?" Zhongli asks, still reading the answer of one of his better students, very impressed at how well they understood the material.
"This afternoon, I'm going to teach the 10th graders, class B." He checks the schedule on top of his desk. "Any advice?"
"There are a lot of good students in that class, most of them are calm so you won't have attitude problems." Zhongli recalls, thinking of all the students. "Oh, there's a transfer student from Inazuma, Yoimyia, she doodles a lot in my class, so she might have a knack for drawing."
Venti stays silent for a while, smiling to himself. "I'll keep an eye on her…" Venti plays with his fingers for a while, looking at Zhongli like he wants to keep talking. He breathes deeply. "Would you like to have lunch with me?"
Zhongli is a little shocked at the question. "I usually have lunch at my desk…"
"Ah… nevermind."
"There are a lot of teachers that eat at the cafeteria, the gym teacher Mrs. Beidou, she's very sociable so I'm sure you'll get along with her." Zhongli tries to reassure him, he knows how lonely it can be to have lunch by yourself.
"Thank you for the suggestion." Venti still seems a little sad, but Zhongli doesn't comment.
He goes back to his tests and tries not to get too worked up at some questions that he reads.
What a long day.
»»
Zhongli is coming from the library when something catches his attention. There are some teenagers outside in the hallways, speaking and laughing, pieces of paper on their hands. There's also a huge commotion inside of the art classroom, so he goes and peeks inside, side-eyeing the kids that are sitting outside.
Inside of the classroom the scenario was way scarier. Most of the kids were standing up, chatting between themselves, and generally making a huge ruckus. He looks for Venti only to see him at the front of the class, a huge canvas in front of him, painting away calmly.
Zhongli knocks on the door but that doesn't catch his attention. He goes inside and almost gets a headache from how loud everyone is talking. However some of the kids start speaking a little lower once Zhongli enters, showing their respect.
"Excuse me, Mr. Venti?" he calls.
He turns around and smiles, he cleans his hands on a rag and gets up from his stool, paint all over his hands. "Yes."
"Can we speak for a quick minute?"
"Sure, come to the supply room."
Zhongli follows Venti to the art supply room, getting surprised at the amount of stuff laying around, from paints, canvases and painting tools, to other items that Zhongli doesn't quite recognize.
"What is with this commotion?" Zhongli doesn't cut any corners, he goes right into the issue.
Venti smiles. "What do you mean?"
"You have kids outside of class slacking off, you have others inside on their phones and screaming their lungs out… Are you having difficulty keeping them in check?"
Venti looks puzzled. "I'm letting their creativity flow, the art process is a very arduous one, creating art isn't easy. Sometimes we need to move around to get our creativity going."
"But you have kids… screaming, on their phones, slacking off." Zhongli repeats himself, hoping he notices how urgent it is.
"I'm failing to see the problem here."
"Okay, I will try to explain. In school, students are supposed to stay in their seats, they can be talking but not above a whisper, at least in this class… and they're supposed to be inside of the classroom." Zhongli explains calmly.
"It seems like you're teaching me how to do my job." Venti crosses his arms. "Art is different, I want my students to have a little freedom in this class."
"That freedom can exist, you were exhibiting it perfectly. You were sitting at your stool, painting calmly, listening to music." Zhongli supplies.
"I didn't know you were so bent out of shape, you're still quite young Mr. Zhongli."
"That remark was a little rude."
"You need to realise that this is my class, and only me and the principal can decide how things are." Venti explains, he looked extremely offended. "I'm not going to your class telling you how to teach your students, that seems very patronizing."
Zhongli sighs. "Okay, excuse me for offering advice when it wasn't needed, I just wanted to tell you how I felt about this situation."
"And you did, I need to go back to my class, possibly teach them that sitting hours at their desk can be bad for their bodies and psyche." Venti crosses his arms once again. "Goodbye Mr. Zhongli."
Zhongli exits the supply room and almost runs outside of his classroom, not wanting to get even madder over something like this.
Zhongli goes to the teacher's lounge and sits at his desk, thinking about what had just happened. Maybe Zhongli had been rude and put his nose where it doesn't belong, but he really doesn't agree with his method of teaching.
However something stuck to him much more, how Venti said he was bent out of shape. He couldn't really understand what he meant, but he implied that he thought like an old strict man. Zhongli was 32 years old, he had been teaching for a lot of years, even in University he was a teaching assistant.
He had always done things this way and it seemed to work, students respected him and stayed quiet and calm for the most part. They were disinterested most of the time, but he was too when he was their age, at least in the subjects he didn't like.
He sighs, wondering what he had done wrong, he didn't think his tone was that patronizing or rude, it surely didn't warrant an answer like that. Or maybe he did, not always did he realise how he talked to people, that had cost him some friendships in the past.
He had to make sure to talk to Venti about this, and resolve this issue.
»»
Zhongli meant to solve that issue as quickly as possible, but Venti had gone home right after that class, and now today, he only had classes in the afternoon, so he could only see him after lunch.
Yesterday's comments were still going around in circles in his mind, so much so that he went on the internet in search of new teaching methods.
It seems that these days there are a lot of schools around Teyvat that have a more light education. They let the students decide what they want to do during class, they have less rules and have more time to develop other skills.
He had found the topic interesting, especially the statistics, they showed that teens in this type of learning were less prone to mental illness and learned more social skills. However, the world wasn't ready for this type of education, most colleges and universities still cared about grades way more than other types of skills.
But Zhongli finds himself thinking that art class doesn't have to be so serious, they could adopt this type of teaching there.
The door behind him clicks, and when he turns around he's surprised to see Venti. "Mr. Zhongli, can we speak for a bit?"
Zhongli smiles and nods. "Of course, sit down."
As soon as Venti sits down he closes his eyes. "I'm so sorry, yesterday I was so rude to you, I didn't mean to insult you." he drops his head, apologizing further.
"I apologize as well, sometimes I don't realise my tone when I speak. I didn't mean to be so patronizing and teach you how to take care of the kids." Zhongli sighs, remembering the conversation in excruciating detail. "I guess I am a little bent out of shape."
Venti waves his hands in a panic. "I'm so sorry I said that, it wasn't appropriate at all, and I'm sure it's not true."
"It is a little." Zhongli smiles, hitting his pen lightly on the table. "I was taught to get respect from my students in the form of silence and undivided attention. I never considered other types of teaching that let the kids speak for themselves."
Venti looks surprised, his eyes darting around. "Oh, okay. Still, I'm sorry."
"I accept your apology if you accept mine." Zhongli smiles, wanting to put this whole issue to rest.
"I had the wrong impression about you…" Venti looks embarrassed, he hides his face by looking at his agenda, flipping the pages without a purpose. "I accept your apology."
Zhongli was ready to drop the conversation, but now he was curious about what he meant. "You had the wrong impression of me?"
Venti plays with his fingers. "From how the kids speak they make you seem like some type of dictator, with no regard for their opinions or feelings." Venti speaks slowly, probably feeling awkward relaying the student's thoughts. "I guess I believed them without knowing you first. When you came to my class and started talking like that… I just assumed…"
Zhongli nods his head, getting a little surprised at the opinion his students had of him. "I guess I am like that most of the time." Zhongli reflects on his years of teaching, now realizing that maybe his students were right.
"That's… surprising to hear now that I seem to know you a little more. You seem very open to others opinions and views, I mean you even searched a little more about my style of teaching."
Zhongli smiles. "Well, I guess I need to give that same opportunity and care to my students. I never realised they had such a bad opinion of me.'
"There's always time for a change." Venti smiles. "Just like me. I will keep my students in class and more focused on art. You were also right, some students were indeed slacking off and taking advantage of my good will."
"Let's try and change a little then."
Venti extends his hand and Zhongli takes it, this time it feels a whole lot warmer.
"Deal."
»»
It had been a week since that talk with Venti and he had tried his best to be a little less of himself during class. The students had noticed right away, looking at him like he had been replaced by an alien. When he had suggested that people should work in pairs for their exercises, they downright stopped and paused, wondering if it really was okay to speak during class.
With some classes it worked better than others, sometimes those exercises in pairs made them rowdy, so he had to control the volume more often. But in other classes the students seemed more relaxed and engaged in class, actually saying goodbye to Zhongli before then went home.
It was a journey for sure, but so far the results had been positive, so he figured he might as well continue and keep Venti's advice in mind.
He closes his work bag after class and picks it up, happy to see that some of his less attentive students were doing better in class. He gets out of the classroom and almost slams into Venti, who was carrying some tall boxes that barely let him see the way forward.
"Give me one of the boxes." Zhongli says, pulling up the sleeves of his shirt. He picks up the box, getting a big smile from Venti. "You need to be careful while walking the hallways, you could get hurt."
He hears some whispering around them, they seemed to get the attention of their students, who seemed happy with their interaction.
"Good morning Mr. Zhongli." he smiles, making his way down the hallway.
'The art and literature teacher, now that is unexpected' he hears as they walk, and some other comments along those lines. Apparently it was weird for them to be seen together, probably because their personalities were so different.
Zhongli helps carry the box to the art room, dropping it gently on the floor. Venti is right behind him, also dropping the box. However as he's getting up he clutches at his side, grunting.
"Are you okay?" Zhongli asks, Venti looked like he was in so much pain that he couldn't help but feel worried.
"I think I pulled a muscle yesterday while I was transporting a canvas and I guess it's been bothering me." Venti laughs awkwardly.
"Then why were you carrying those boxes? You should've asked for help, your injury could get worse if you strain it too much. You should be more careful, what if you can't paint because of that?"
By the time Zhongli finishes his lecture Venti is smiling, his cheeks the faintest red. "I should've asked for help, you're right. Next time I might bother you for help."
"Please do." Zhongli answers seriously, picking Venti's box and leaving it on top of the other.
"Okay…" Venti seems happy about something, but Zhongli can't really see what. "I will go to you when I need help."
"Is there anything else you need to do that involves any straining?"
"I… need to have lunch." Venti looks sideways and massages his side along his ribs. "Taking out the tray and the food made my injury worse if you can believe it."
"Of course I can, it's in the most menial things that stuff like this happens. Last year I sprained my neck looking back to park my car." Zhongli laughs.
Venti tries not to laugh, but he's doing a bad job at that. "I know you usually have lunch at your desk, but could you help me today?"
Zhongli doesn't even think twice, wanting to help Venti recover. "Of course, let's have lunch today."
Venti smiles widely, his teeth showing. Zhongli can't help but smile too, Venti's smile was pretty contagious. This lunch actually came in handy since he had no time to cook yesterday, he was just going to buy a salad at the school bar.
Venti exits the classroom still clutching at his side, wincing from time to time. Zhongli can't help but feel bad for him. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the nurse?"
Venti lifts up his shirt, showing an ace bandage around his rib, but Zhongli could only look at his waist, and a very small belly button piercing, that sparkled in the light. Zhongli looked away, not wanting to pry at his body, he didn't want to seem like a pervert.
Venti must have noticed and so he drops his shirt, hiding his face as he smiles, probably amused that Zhongli seemed so uncomfortable. They finally arrive at the cafeteria, there's a line, so they wait quietly while moving up.
Venti looks up at Zhongli, it seems like he wants to say something, he should just ask him instead of looking at him like that. "Are you feeling better?"
"In terms of pain, yes, but it seems like all eyes are on us." Venti points at the people sitting on the tables, the students ogling them.
Zhongli straightens his tie and pulls down the sleeves of his shirt, wanting to seem more professional. "Earlier it happened as well… everybody seemed surprised that I would help you."
Venti smiles, getting a little closer to Zhongli, laughing when the students start whispering. "This is so fun. I wonder why they seem so happy and shocked. It's not like we're so different."
The line starts moving slowly as some kid drops a bowl of soup on the floor. Zhongli ponders it for a little. "We are pretty different… I'm rigid and cold, I'm stuffy. You're free, light and airy."
Venti's cheeks are now a pretty shade of pink, and he avoids Zhongli's gaze. "You're not like that… At least I don't see you that way."
A student behind them stifles a little scream, hiding her face when both of them look back. Zhongli is confused but Venti laughs, clutching at his side when it starts to hurt. They finally arrive at the trays and he takes two, putting them on top of the railing.
They both decide to eat salads and drink juice, it seemed that maybe they had a little more in common than he thought. Then Zhongli picks some fruit salad for dessert while Venti eyes the pudding, he doesn't ask for it but Zhongli smiles and just picks it up, putting it on his tray.
They make their way to the table, Zhongli carrying two trays with ease. Everyone around them looks in awe at Zhongli, probably surprised to see how caring and strong he is. He gets a little embarrassed at that and drops the trays gently on an empty table meant for teachers.
Venti puts his backpack on the seat next to him and sits in front of Zhongli, starting to pick at his salad right away.
"The students are in an uproar today." Venti teases, smiling with his fork still in his mouth.
Zhongli clears his throat, taking a sip of his lavander melon juice. "I don't understand why, it's just two teachers having lunch."
Venti smiles once again, looking back at the students. "They're all looking at you, they seemed surprised about something."
Zhongli sighs. "I guess… I never have lunch here, and the first time I get here I'm helping you and carrying your tray. It must be a shock to them that I actually care about someone."
"You care about me?" Venti teases, his eyes a little dark, his smile devious.
"I mean, not like care care as in care, i just meant that i like, i mean not like like but I guess." Zhongli feels himself getting more and more embarrassed as he keeps digging his own grave.
"I know what you meant, I'm sorry." Venti laughs. "Sometimes I like to tease people a little too much…" he takes another bite of his salad.
"I do not care for teasing." Zhongli almost pouts, feeling a little shy. Venti seemed to know all of his weak points even when they didn't know much about each other. "But honestly, I hear whispers in the corridors of students having a crush on you." he decides to retaliate.
"Sometimes students have crushes on teachers, those are hard to avoid. Some people like older partners… like me." Venti smiles, eating away peacefully like he just hadn't said something like that.
"Oh… I guess, yeah there are preferences like that…" Zhongli doesn't really know how to answer.
"Of course, I would never humor a student's crush, that's plain wrong." Venti sighs, disgusted. "Teachers that humor them are the worst… they should get laid off and stay away from schools."
"I totally agree, totally unprofessional and morally wrong." Zhongli nods his head in disapproval. "I'm happy that I never had to deal with those types of situations."
"Oh right, you're also in charge of pedagogy in this school right?"
"Yes, I take care of problems between students, teachers and the principal. I'm the middle man in most situations."
"So you're very responsible, for the principal to trust you with such an important position."
Zhongli feels flustered, not used to praise. "I guess…"
Venti smiles. "Hmmmmmm. You don't seem used to people giving you compliments."
"Is the pudding to your liking?" Zhongli avoids the subject.
"Thank you for giving it to me, I wasn’t going to eat it, but it looked so good." Venti smiles and takes a piece with his spoon, directing it at Zhongli. "Want to try?"
Zhongli puts his hands in front of himself. "No, thank you!"
Venti insists. "Just a little piece, it's so good." Venti leans forward, the spoon closer to Zhongli's mouth.
He takes it quickly, almost choking in the process, he was so embarrassed he was sure that he was red all the way up his neck. Venti smiles widely and continues eating, and just then does he realise that they just shared a spoon. Didn't that bother Venti?
"You're too much. I might never help you again."
Venti relaxes in his chair and puts one leg over the other, the pudding forgotten. "Don't say that, I'm in so much pain I might pass out." he fakes being hurt.
"Fine, fine, don't cry."
They share a small smile and continue eating, speaking of this and that.
»»
Zhongli sits at his desk while the students work. Today he's feeling a little sleepy, so he just lets the students do some reading and work on the exercises in their workbooks in pairs. These days his students have become more relaxed around him, not being so tense when he asks questions or assigns them homework.
He feels more motivated to teach than ever, the spark that he had in the beginning coming back. He learned that students don't have to be quiet for them to respect him, most respect comes from being attentive and working calmly on their stuff.
His sleepiness attacks him all at once, so he hides a yawn with his hand. Yesterday his cat had given him some trouble, he kept coughing hairballs until the sun was up in the sky, so he gave him some medicine, but it was not in time to let Zhongli sleep. He barely got thirty minutes in.
"Teacher, we have a little trouble here." a student calls, he looks up to see it's Chongyun.
Zhongli gets up from his chair and goes to his desk, watching as one of his best students Xingqiu struggles with the book's interpretation. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Xingqiu and I have been reading the wind and earth chapters of the Archon War, but he sees it as a romance and not that much about war, which makes no sense to me." Chongyun sighs, his eyes tired. "We wanted to know your opinion, Mr. Zhongli."
"I feel like the whole class should listen to this question." Zhongli clears his throat before speaking. "Everyone, we've been studying the wind and earth chapters of the Archon War for a few weeks, do you feel that they might portray romance?"
Xiangling puts her hand up shyly, and Zhongli points at her, allowing her to speak. "I thought this book was about war between gods, the story of seven entities fighting to keep their land."
"So you see them as enemies?" Zhongli asks, truly riveted.
"The wind and earth archons seemed to have a good relationship after the war, for millennia they kept themselves connected, even when other nations were falling down in the Khaenri’ah chapter."
"And could we see it as love? Could this book be more than action and war?" Even Zhongli hadn't considered that.
Xingqiu puts his hand up, wanting to speak, Zhongli allows him. "Even when they're so different, even if they seem opposite of each other, they get along well, sharing dinners and wine. The wind archon seems… fond of the earth archon."
The whole class seems to agree with his idea, a few of his students with red cheeks imagining them. "That is a really good view, one that I never considered. Sometimes we think romance can't happen in the midst of war, but it might be so." Zhongli smiles.
Zhongli looks forward only to see Venti perched at the window, seemingly curious about his class. He gets a little subconscious, wondering if he had said something wrong or weird.
His students seem to notice and they start whispering, waving at their art teacher. "Perhaps we can ask the opinion of the art teacher as well." he smiles, pointing his hand at Venti.
He looks a little uncomfortable, but then he adjusts himself and smiles. "I agree with Xingqiu. Maybe there could be romance between two such different people. I also could feel romance forming between them as the chapters went by."
Everybody seems to swoon over that, picking up their heavy books and reading quickly between all the pages, looking for any signs of romance. The bell rings loudly and the students feel a little slow today, taking their time to pack their things as they talk about the book.
Zhongli can't help but smile the entire time as their students leave and tell their goodbyes, and once everyone is out Venti comes in.
"They can't stop talking about you in my classes." Venti laughs, looking outside the window, his students looking at the both of them. "Saying that they're so happy you changed, that you seem happy. A lot of them think that maybe you got a girlfriend."
Zhongli almost chokes, his ears and cheeks now warm. "I just realised that maybe I was too strict with them, nothing more."
"So you don't have a girlfriend?" Venti asks, his familiar teasing tone back.
"Not that it matters, but I don't have a partner." Zhongli clears his throat, packing away his things. "I have a cat, much better."
"Oh… a cat." Venti cringes.
"Something wrong?"
"I'm allergic to cats, like I can't stop sneezing and coughing once I'm near them. They're cute but being with them means death."
Venti seems a little sad, so Zhongli takes out his phone and shows him a picture of his cat, Xiao. "Here, you can always look at him from afar."
Venti takes the phone into his hands, and the commotion outside seems to get even louder, everyone seems excited about their exchange. "He's so cute, he's so black that in the light he almost looks blue. He looks a little grumpy though."
"You read him perfectly." Venti hands him the phone back and Zhongli puts it inside of his work bag. "He's very grumpy, but sometimes he sits next to me and demands that I pet him for hours on end."
"Sounds like a cat alright." Venti smiles. "Are you busy right now? I need to buy supplies for class, and my muscle still acts up from time to time."
Zhongli looks at the schedule inside of his bag, he didn't have any more classes today. "Sure, I can help, we can go in my car."
"I don't want to put you out, I have a car as well." Venti's cheeks get a little red.
"Come on, let's just go, before the next class begins and they need to use this classroom."
»»
The ride to the art supply store had been fairly calm, they listened to music and discovered that they both like classical music, recognizing most of the tracks that were on Zhongli's playlist. Venti still seems a little uncomfortable around him, or maybe it was his car.
When Venti first looked at his car his chin almost fell to the ground, it was an imported one, of the expensive kind. The seats were in leather and the windows were tinted, and Venti seemed scared to touch anything, much less sit down properly.
They get out of the car and Zhongli notices that Venti seems a little cold, his body trembling when a breeze passes by. He takes his coat from the backseat of his car and hands it to him.
"I know it's not your style, but it's cold."
Venti seems a little shy but takes the coat, putting it on. Zhongli didn't want to laugh but the coat almost reached the floor, the sleeves were also too big for him.
"Don't laugh." Venti smiles, adjusting his braids. "Thank you."
"You should wear warmer clothes, winter is almost here and it usually snows a lot in this part of Liyue." Zhongli warns, following Venti through the streets.
"I'll keep that in mind, I need to buy some sweaters." Venti turns the corner and looks at a big store, the windows showing all types of painting and drawing supplies. "We're here."
Zhongli opens the door for Venti and lets him go in first. "Don't get me wrong, but isn't the school supposed to buy the materials?"
"I like to choose things myself, and some of the supplies I really need for tomorrow, so I came here to place an order and get some more urgent things."
"Ah, I see. I don't know much about art so I didn't even know there was this much variety of materials." Zhongli looks all around him to notice several types of canvases, paint brushes that could rival any pen collection, and lots, and lots, of shades of paint. "I'm a little overwhelmed."
Venti laughs and puts a hand on Zhongli's back, the touch warm, it spreads over his entire body, almost like it's burning. "Don't worry too much, I just need some help carrying things to your car and then to class."
While Venti is picking some things he can't help but feel curious about the man, wanting to know more about him. "When did you figure out that you wanted to be an artist?"
Venti smiles, looking between two paint brushes. "I've been painting and playing violin since I was a child. In the end, I picked what made me happier."
"You play the violin?" Now that was surprising, immediately images of Venti playing spring to his head, a simple and calming melody, his body relaxed while moving his arm to play.
"I haven't played in a long time, I have carpal tunnel syndrome. Painting already makes my wrists hurt, so I decided I wouldn't ruin it any further by playing."
"That sounds awful." Zhongli feels empathetic towards Venti, if something happened and he couldn't read anymore, he would be devastated.
"I'm over it now, I'm happy I decided to become a teacher." Venti decides on the brush he wants and drops both of them, annotating the name and number on his phone. "Did you always want to become a teacher?"
"Not always, my dream was to be a writer. But in University I got the opportunity to be a teaching assistant and decided that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life."
"You could still write a book." Venti turns to Zhongli, he lifts his arms, almost like he wants to grab Zhongli, but he stops himself. "Those two things aren't incompatible."
"I know. I just don't have the right idea for a book." Zhongli sighs, remembering all the nights he spent struggling for a plot. "Writing is an extremely painful process, especially original stories."
Venti turns himself around once again, picking at some paint, his hands a little unsure. "If you ever decide to write something… I would be happy to read it."
Zhongli's heart skips about three entire beats, his chest full of warmth. He tries not to let it show, but it's almost impossible. What Venti just said had completely caught him off guard.
"Thank you…" Is the only thing he remembers to say.
"It seems I managed to make Mr. Zhongli flustered once again." He smiles victorious, continuing forward as he picks some more stuff, annotating everything on his phone.
"You do like to tease me… maybe a little too much." Zhongli grumbles, feeling like a whiny child.
Venti looks up at Zhongli, a smile still on his face. Zhongli doesn't know what it is, but Venti looks different, he seems more beautiful, a new air to him. Zhongli had never really stopped to notice, but the man in front of him was truly pretty.
When he was at school the corridors were dark, the fluorescent light not doing wonders on anyone. But now, under natural lighting, with the sun hitting his whole body, he looked almost like an angel. His white pants with white sweatshirt made him look angelic, the white on his pearl skin so enticing.
Venti must notice that Zhongli is deep in thought, so he waves a hand over his face, which he decides to grab. "I'm here." Zhongli simply says, his voice coming out deeper than usual.
Venti shivers and retracts his hand, almost like he was burned. His neck, face and ears have the faintest of pinks on, his eyes moving anywhere but Zhongli. Venti turns around picking at his own hand, hugging it to his chest.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Zhongli realises that maybe he had used too much force, Venti did tell him that his wrist gets hurt easily.
"N-no… I was just surprised." Venti admits, tumbling a little on his words. "Your hands are freezing."
"They're always cold." Zhongli touches the back of his hand to his cheek.
"They say that people who have cold hands have warmer hearts." Venti smiles. "I wonder if that's true."
"Wouldn't you like to know… Want to find out?" Zhongli teases, but Venti seems to take it seriously, his face surprised.
They both turn around awkwardly and Venti decides to stop shopping, knowing what he wants already. Zhongli volunteers to wait outside, especially because he wanted to breathe some fresh air, the store becoming too hot.
When he finally gets outside he breathes in the fresh air, letting it calm him down. His whole face felt like it was on fire. He feels like screaming, he was so embarrassed he could barely look up. What had gone through his head to say something like that? He was so awkward and embarrassing, why did he decide to tease Venti when he knows he's not good at it?
He takes his hands to his face and sighs into them, closing his eyes for a second. He opens them again and tries to remain calm, it wasn't that serious, he just needed to pretend nothing had happened, that it was just like any other day.
He enters the store once again when he notices that Venti has finished paying for everything. He picks at the heavier things and takes them outside of the store, opening his car quickly and putting everything in his trunk.
"What you said inside the store…" Venti is speaking in such a soft tone that he can barely hear him. "I was thinking…"
"I want to say sorry honestly." Zhongli sighs, interrupting Venti. "I was teasing you but I sounded too serious… I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Venti looks sad somehow, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Yeah, I guessed it would be the case. I guess I was the one caught in the teasing this time."
"It can't always be me."
"Yeah…"
Zhongli doesn't know why Venti seems so disappointed, but he tries not to pay it any mind. Maybe he just didn't like to be teased, it was a one time thing for Zhongli as well.
It wouldn't happen again.
»»
Zhongli was walking through the hallways of school, his arms tired from writing on the blackboard all day, and to make matters worse he almost trips on a piece of paper. He looks at the ground and picks it up, noticing that it's a drawing. It doesn't have a name, but he decides that maybe he should leave it in the art classroom.
He guessed that there shouldn't be anyone there right now, the sun was about to go down, and most of the art classes were in the morning and early afternoon. There was no risk to interrupt a class like last time, he could just leave the drawing on the top of some table and return to the teacher's lounge.
He makes his way there, but as soon as he arrives, something catches his attention. From the window he can see Venti inside, painting on a huge piece of canvas, his small body almost the same size as his painting. He's sitting at his stool just as last time, his concentration so deep.
Zhongli tries to peek at the painting, it seems to be a landscape, huge mountains full of grass painted in beautiful hues. The painting was far from over but he knew that it would turn into something beautiful.
Venti then cleans his brush on a rag and dips it in water, cleaning it one more time and taking another color from his pallet. Every single movement was planned and calm, almost like something out of another piece of art.
Zhongli lets himself enjoy the process a little longer, smiling a little when Venti seems to swear at the painting, something probably out of place.
That's when Venti finally looks at the window and almost lets his pallet fall on the ground, the paint brush falling on the floor. He seems to wince, grabbing at his wrist painfully.
Zhongli's body reacts before him, he opens the door with a bang and gets closer to Venti, dropping on one knee and holding his wrist. "Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?"
Venti looked beautiful in sunset lighting, even when he had paint smeared all over his cheek. He swallows dryly and takes his wrist away, massaging at it. "It's fine, this happens all the time."
"You should put some ice on it… I'll take you to the infirmary."
"There's no-"
"I'll take you to the infirmary and put some ice on it."
Venti gets up from his stool and nods, hiding his face by looking at the floor. Zhongli touches at his back to push him forward. Venti looks back flustered, but he keeps walking.
Once they're at the infirmary Zhongli opens the freezer and takes an ice pack, he knew where they were because he had gotten hurt before, but it was his ankle. He took a towel from one of the drawers and put the ice pack inside.
Venti was sitting on the couch, he seemed awkward and uncomfortable, his wrist limp on top of his leg. Zhongli sits down next to him with a sigh, picking up Venti's wrist once again and applying the ice to it gently.
Venti still hisses, putting his hand on Zhongli's arm, the touch like fire once again. "Does it hurt a lot?"
Venti knits his eyebrows, giving a half-hearted smile. "You didn't need to do this… I'm used to it."
"Just because it happens all the time, doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of it." Zhongli applies a little more pressure to the ice pack, a new hiss from Venti escaping his lips. "Look at how much pain you're in."
Venti looks like he's about to cry, his eyes now closed. "I just wanted to paint."
Zhongli eases up on the pressure, letting the ice pack rest on top of Venti's wrist. He breathes deeply and remembers the painting. "That painting was very beautiful."
He opens his eyes in surprise, looking directly into Zhongli's eyes. "Did you see it?"
"I was watching you from the window… I mean not in a creepy way. I saw you painting and was curious about what it was that was making you so concentrated."
"It's the view from where I used to live in Mondstat."
"It was beautiful." Zhongli smiles, his mind remembering Venti's nostalgic face as he painted.
Venti gets closer to Zhongli, his face mere inches away from his. He looked into his eyes, they were full of feelings, some Zhongli couldn't understand, but maybe…
Zhongli makes the mistake of looking at Venti's lips, they looked shiny, almost like they had lip gloss, the faint pink still visible.
The sun goes down on the horizon, making the room dark. There's some tension between them, especially when Zhongli returns his eyes to Venti.
Their breathing seems synced, their chests moving up and down slowly. Venti looked extremely calm, and after a few seconds he still couldn't take his eyes away from Zhongli, looking at every place on his face, almost like he's trying to memorise it.
Zhongli can feel his heart starting to waver, something so beautiful standing in front of him, looking at him like he's some statue in a museum. Venti then closes his eyes and kisses Zhongli lightly, his lips merely touching his, something tentative.
He looks back at Zhongli to see his reaction, however he could barely react. Instead he closes his eyes and kisses Venti once more, this time with a little more purpose. The ice pack falls on the floor but it is now forgotten, Venti lifts his hand and drops it gently on Zhongli's face, passing his fingers lightly.
Zhongli shivers, he had never kissed like this before, so slow and full of feeling. He also lifts his hands and puts them on either side of Venti's face, making him open his mouth the slightest bit, their tongues now touching.
It was so warm that Zhongli was starting to overheat, his clothes too tight for his body, his jacket too warm and stuffy. Venti is the first to stop the kiss, he puts his finger over his mouth and looks back at Zhongli, almost like he's searching for an answer.
"I know you're probably going to say this was inappropriate." Venti whispers, but when he looks back he smiles. "But I don't regret it one bit."
His honesty made Zhongli shiver, his heart skipping a beat once again, his lips missing Venti's instantly. He controls himself and forces himself to look away. "It was inappropriate… but I didn't mind it either."
"I wanted to know how kissing you felt like…" Venti whispers.
Zhongli looks back at Venti and loses it, picking his face again and kissing him. Venti releases a small sound of surprise but kisses him back, this time his hand going to Zhongli's chest, in search of his heartbeat.
"Yes, my heart is beating fast." Zhongli sighs, hiding his face by looking back.
"You need to be careful, at this age it could be dangerous." Venti teases.
"Excuse me?" Zhongli was incredulous. "I'm only 32."
"Exactly." Venti picks up the ice pack that fell on the floor and crosses his legs. "You need to be careful grandpa."
"Uh… I see how it is." Zhongli pretends to be offended. "I put ice on your wrist, I take care of you and then get this treatment."
Venti smiles to himself. "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous…"
Zhongli felt the same. "I want to know you more… before we… you know… do more."
Venti has a teasing smile as per usual. "You want to do more? What type of things are you thinking?"
Zhongli gets up from his seat, flustered. He circles the room and clears his throat. "You know what I meant… We should get to know each other better."
"Is that what you want?" Venti smiles, his foot moving up and down, looking almost like a tail. A tiger ready to pounce on its prey.
"Are you going to make me say it?" Zhongli sighs, his mind moving a thousand miles per minute, his heart still beating fast as well.
"Come on." Venti urges him. "It won't become official otherwise."
"Venti, would you like to know me better so we can… date in the future?" He manages to get out, his voice failing him a little.
Venti gets up from the couch, leaving the ice pack behind. He puts himself in front of Zhongli and looks him directly in the eyes. "It can't take too long though… that kiss left me wanting more." he smiles, looking at his lips.
"S-sure." he almost chokes, Venti's attitude making Zhongli seem smaller than him. "You're pretty bossy." Zhongli sighs.
"And you follow it well." Venti says before going to the door. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Zhongli." he waves his hand as he gets out of the room.
Zhongli is left standing there, in the dark, his thoughts completely messed up, a wave of warmth passing through his body once he remembers the kiss.
Another long day.
»»
Zhongli is sitting in his bed at home, a book perched in his lap. Since it was friday he didn't have to worry about going to bed early, he could enjoy his reading without thinking about the next day. It was hard to concentrate on the book but he had to try, this was his favorite thing to do, and he's wanted to read it for the longest time.
Venti was all he could think about, even the protagonist of the book was starting to look like Venti in his imagination. Since this afternoon, he couldn't stop thinking about how Venti's lips felt on his. Nobody had ever kissed him first, he was always the one to initiate things, but when Venti did it, he simply melted.
It was so foreign that he didn't even know how to react, who knew being kissed first could have such an effect on him. He tried to keep his mind away but even the smell of strong coffee reminded him of Venti and the first time they met.
His phone buzzes next to him, he usually wouldn't check it right away, but he's hoping it might be the man that never leaves his thoughts.
When he sees Venti's name he almost drops the phone. He would never admit it but he had been waiting for this all day.
'i have a proposition.'
'Okay. I'm all ears.'
'there's this bookstore that I love right in the middle of Liyue Harbor, and I thought that you might like to go with me 💜'
Zhongli was practically punching the air in happiness, his first date with Venti, and at a bookstore no less. It was the perfect combo.
'Sure, what time?'
'you don't seem that happy :(((( '
Zhongli snorts, knowing why Venti is saying that. He just doesn't understand emojis that much, and doesn't want to send something stupid and make a fool of himself.
'I am happy. I want to spend time with you.'
'literally stop 🙈 fine we'll meet there around 3, sounds good?'
'Yes ❤'
He decides to try and use an emoji and a heart seemed like the safest option. He just knew that if he sent the wrong smiling emoji it could mean he wasn't happy at all.
Venti then sends a bunch of hearts and gifs of cats hugging and cuddling, making Zhongli smile and feel like a teenager all over again. He couldn't wait to see Venti that afternoon, his chest was already warm imagining how much fun they would have.
He runs to his closet and tries to pick an appropriate outfit for a first date. When he doesn't really know what to pick he goes online, wanting to know what the new trends were.
After looking at some pictures he picks a simple sweater and a long coat, some black slacks to make it seem more chic, but still casual. He looked at the mirror a hundred times to make sure everything was perfect. A dash of cologne and he was ready.
He smiles to himself and tries not to let himself feel too happy.
»»
Zhongli cleans his hands on his chest, they were clammy and sweaty from nerves, but just thinking that he would go on a date after so many years made him want to jump into the ocean. First dates had always been hard for Zhongli, no matter how much he aged or got more experienced at it, he still felt nervous all the same.
He stands in front of the steps that lead to the bookstore Venti had mentioned through text. Zhongli arrived a little too early, about forty minutes, so now he waits awkwardly, looking like a lightpost, his body rigid.
The only thing that was making him feel calmer was the ocean breeze that was passing through the street, the cold wind helping with his nerves. Even the smell of the ocean was welcome, anything to distract him.
After concentrating a little on the people around him he lets his mind get lost in thoughts, dissociating. What wakes him up is a light tap at his arm, Zhongli looks down only to see Venti.
He looked just like always, extremely beautiful, fashionable and young. He seemed to shine as he smiled up at Zhongli, his arms clutching his backpack. "Hi…" Venti seems almost out of breath.
Zhongli smiles as well, somehow feeling relaxed. "You look very beautiful."
Venti covers his face and screams into his hands. "Why would you say that? Now I'm embarrassed."
Zhongli chuckles. "I was merely speaking the truth." He taps Venti's hand with his fingers to make him look at Zhongli. "Come on, I've been meaning to visit this bookstore for ages."
Venti smiles and nods, his cheeks still red. "Let's go."
Venti guides Zhongli up the steps that lead to the library and he's amazed at how beautiful the idea of a patio library is, especially with such nice weather. There are a bunch of books, old to new, from all the different categories and genres that exist, and they both get lost in all of them.
Venti shows Zhongli some of his favorite books and they read some synopsis of some newer ones. There couldn't be a more perfect date, this was even better than his imagination, he just couldn't stop smiling.
"This one talks about the Irminsul mythology, when I was younger I used to be obsessed with this." Venti shows him a book with a drawing of a beautiful tree on the cover. "I wish we could learn about this in school."
"If you went to school in Sumeru you would be able to learn it." Zhongli picks up the book and looks at some of the pages. "Maybe I'll buy this one, you seem to like it."
Venti smiles. "You don't need to."
"If you like it so much I want to know more. That way we can discuss it together."
Venti seems to freeze at that moment, his eyes look like they're full of stars, and there's a small smile on his face. He releases a small giggle and puts his head on Zhongli's arm. "You can't say stuff like that in public…" he almost whines.
"I don't think I said anything particularly bad." Zhongli feigns innocence, closing the book and joining it with the ones he was already planning on buying.
Venti gets on his tiptoes, and he still has some difficulty, but he puts his mouth to Zhongli's ear. "I can't kiss you in the middle of the street… seems awfully bad."
Zhongli's cheeks get warm and his heart starts beating faster. He locks eyes with Venti and he too wishes he could kiss him, especially when he's feeling like this moment is so right and perfect.
Instead he decides to lock hands with him, which earns him a surprised yelp from Venti. With their hands now joined he feels even warmer, something inside of him filling up until there's almost no space left.
They go to the cashier to pay their books and even then they don't let go of their hands.
But if Zhongli knew it, he would've, for their protection and privacy.
Their warmth was about to be cut short by something completely unpredictable.
»»
Zhongli had been flying ever since the date had ended, through the whole weekend he just couldn't forget their day and how much fun they had. Even if they couldn't show how much they liked each other by kissing, the way they held hands had said way more about their feelings.
He just couldn't stop thinking about it, he even became a little annoying and sent about ten messages to Venti telling him how much he liked their date, and how they should see each other again soon. Venti thought it was cute that Zhongli had had so much fun, but Zhongli was still afraid he had been too annoying about it.
And as the week started again he couldn't wait, because he knew that in the afternoon he would see Venti again, and maybe they could spend some time together after class.
He goes to his first class in such a good mood that the students around him seem to notice, whispers and smiles all around. However the whispers seemed a little different, they looked a little more directed, more secretive, and sometimes… almost mocking.
He enters class still feeling happy, but a little unsure about what was happening around him. His students enter the class before the bell rings and they swarm to his desk, big smiles on their faces.
"Teacher Zhongli, we just want to say we are happy for you." some student he doesn't remember the name right now snickers.
Zhongli finds it weird, so of course he needs to ask. "What is this about?"
The students talk and laugh between themselves, the girls a little shy, but then one of them decides to speak up. "You went to Xingqiu's family bookstore and a lot of us saw you holding hands with Mr. Venti. We want to tell you how happy we are that you have a boyfriend."
Zhongli practically feels something shatter inside of him. However he gets back on his feet quickly, anger rising within him. "All of you sit down and get ready for class. I don't want to hear anymore of this issue. You utter one more word about this and you'll be writing ten page essays about the importance of privacy." Zhongli knows his tone is aggressive and venomous, but his students had crossed the line.
The students are quiet the rest of the class, but Zhongli can tell that his students are still thinking about it, which makes him mad to the core. He hated that his privacy had been breached like this, but either way, maybe it was his fault. He knows that this would happen eventually, but he needed more time to adjust.
Venti.
He had to warn Venti about this, people were still scared of Zhongli so they didn't comment on this that much, so he's scared the students will be way more inappropriate with Venti. While his students work on some worksheets by themselves, he takes that as an opportunity to send the message.
'You need to be careful at school today. The students saw us yesterday. We need to talk.'
Zhongli can feel a huge hole in his chest, this situation was one of his worst nightmares, kids getting involved in his business. This is probably why he had never considered dating anyone at school.
That's not true, he never considered dating anyone because nobody had ever caught his eye, he needs to calm down his mind.
His phone vibrates silently inside of his bag, the screen lighting up.
'When?'
That seemed a little dry, especially when Zhongli had just told him something completely shocking. Zhongli sighs and just taps away at his phone.
'Can you get to school a little early?'
'I'll be there when you get out of class, meet me in the art room.'
Once again Zhongli is hit with the fact that Venti seems mad and unresponsive, he is too, but usually Venti isn't this dry in messages. He expected Venti to send a couple of sad emojis or maybe offer some solutions to their problem. But maybe he was just as lost as Zhongli, maybe he doesn't know how to deal with all of this either.
When the bell rings Zhongli can't help but sigh in relief, and his students seem to go back to speaking to each other, possibly about the latest gossip. He gets off the class before any of them, almost running to meet Venti and make sure he was doing alright.
He passes by a bunch of students that also seem to have gotten the news, by now he's sure that the whole school knows. He finally gets to the art room and looks inside, Venti is sitting at his usual stool, looking at the canvas solemnly.
Zhongli opens the door quietly and makes his way to Venti, he looks back at him and he seems tired, almost like he's about to cry.
"Hey…" Zhongli barely had a voice anymore, he had a lump in his throat that made it hard to talk.
Venti gets up from his stool, he looks at the ground and balls his fists at his side he seems awfully tense. "You can do it now, you don't need to make small talk… It's okay…"
Zhongli felt so confused he actually needed a few seconds to process. "Do what?"
"You can break up with me."
Zhongli's stomach dropped, he could feel panic rising within him. "What do you mean? Break up?"
Venti looks up at Zhongli, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You're here to break up with me right? Because they found out about us and you don't want to deal with the students talking about you."
Zhongli was starting to understand what was happening, he could feel his heart breaking. "You think I would break up with you…?"
"You weren't…?" Venti now looks vulnerable, his body trembling a little.
"How could you think that? Where did you get that stupid idea?" Zhongli couldn't help but get mad at the situation.
"I just… it seemed like something you would do… because the students wouldn't respect you anymore…"
Zhongli can't help but scoff, incredulous. "Is that how you think of me? As someone who would be so easy to bring down with some childish teasing? Do you think that poorly of me… do you doubt my feelings that much?"
Venti now seems truly panicked. "No. That's not what I was thinking…" he looks at the ground in shame.
Zhongli grabs Venti by his shoulders, kissing him. They both melt into each other, Venti's arms now around his back, warm tears touching his cheeks.
"I didn't come here to break up with you… I came here to make sure you were okay." Zhongli whispers, leaving a small kiss on his forehead.
Venti is still crying, he wipes away some tears and makes a pained expression. "I'm sorry Zhongli… I'm so sorry… I was so scared when you sent me that message. I was so scared you were going to break up with me because of this… I was afraid to lose you."
Zhongli sighs and hugs Venti, bringing him inside of the supply closet so they don't risk getting seen again. "I know you don't know me well enough yet… But once I decide to give my love to someone I don't let them go easily."
Venti smiles and lets his head fall on Zhongli's chest. "This is a terrible time to make me blush…" Venti sighs and hugs Zhongli once again, his body warm. "So that means you're okay with this?"
Zhongli looks outside the small window in the supply closet, his mind a little far away, the clouds looking so opulent on the gray skies. "I wouldn't say I'm okay with it… they found out about us too soon in the relationship…"
Venti looks up at Zhongli, confused. "What?"
"Well the students would've found out eventually that we were dating, I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon… it was a total breach of privacy too for them to comment so freely about us like that."
"I never expected you to be so understanding…"
Zhongli perches his chin on top of Venti's head, passing his hands on his back in a soothing manner. "Sometimes we need to make certain choices. I knew that by dating a teacher I would end up in a situation like this… But you… You still haven't told me how you feel."
Zhongli hated to admit that he was nervous, he was scared that Venti's rashness to think they would break up also came from him. "I was scared when I read your message… But… this isn't the first time this has happened to me."
Zhongli picks at Venti's shoulders once again and makes him look at him. "What?"
"Well…" Venti scratches his head. "At my last school I wasn't invited to stay another year because they found out I was dating one of the other teachers…"
Zhongli is a little shocked, but he doesn't seem that surprised. If anything he's curious. "So is that your fetish or something?"
Venti's eyes almost jump out. "What did you say?" he laughs, clutching at his side. "I can't believe you just asked me that."
"Well, I didn't know what else to say." Zhongli smiles, feeling fond when Venti smiles so wide. "I'm glad I made you laugh though…"
"I'm worried… Do you think they will fire us for dating?"
Zhongli scoffs. "No way, the gym teacher is married to the principal, they met at this school."
"Mrs. Ningguang and Mrs. Beidou are married?" Venti asks, almost screaming in shock.
"And they have a kid." Zhongli laughs. "So don't worry, if they say anything just let me handle it." Zhongli puts a protective hand on Venti's cheek. "I won't let you get away from this school…"
Venti smiles and closes his eyes, appreciating the warmth of Zhongli's hand. "You should go, you have class in about 3 minutes."
Zhongli looks at his wristwatch and gets surprised at how quickly twenty minutes can go by. "Are we okay? Are we still dating?"
Venti pulls Zhongli by his tie and kisses him, it was deep and Zhongli could tell how much it meant. "Let's meet after school."
Zhongli leaves just one more kiss on Venti's lips and smiles. "I'll take you to my place."
When he left he was happy to see that he managed to make Venti embarrassed, his cheeks a pretty pink and a warm smile decorating his face.
He couldn't be more happy about how things turned out.
»»
"Did the students bother you a lot?" Zhongli asks as soon as Venti enters his car, a grim expression on his face.
"Not really, they did the usual giggling, but they still managed to do the work I gave them." Venti puts his backpack on top of his lap and searches for something frantically.
"Still, you don't seem fine…" Zhongli was worried that maybe Venti would be lying to hide something that might’ve happened, so Zhongli wouldn't worry too much. "You can talk to me."
Venti finally seems to find what he was looking for, a small pill in his hand. "Finally!"
"What's that?"
Venti takes his water bottle and takes the pill quickly, exhaling and passing a hand through his chest. "Cat, you have one."
"Right, your allergies I completely forgot I'm so sorry Venti… Maybe it's best if we just go someplace else…" Zhongli felt really dumb for forgetting something so important about him.
"No need, I took my medication already, this will last me the rest of the day all the way through the night-" Venti then pauses and his cheeks get red. "I mean, it's not that I'm going to spend the night but… What I mean is…"
Zhongli can't help but laugh. "I wouldn't mind you staying the night…" he looks sideways at Venti, noticing he's even redder. "But let's save it for another day."
Venti puts his hands on his lap and he seems to be imagining something, his eyes a little lost on his fingers. Zhongli takes that as an opportunity to start the car and drive to his house.
The drive in itself was very quiet, Venti still seemed lost in thought and Zhongli didn't want to interrupt him. So he just pays attention to the road and the music playing through the car's speakers.
Right then Venti seems to wake up. "I'm sorry… I was so lost in thought that I'm not even being good company."
"I don't care about that, we can stay in silence, it wasn't uncomfortable." Zhongli reassures him by putting a hand over Venti's thigh.
He jumps a little in his seat, his hands a little unsure. "I-"
"If you react like that I'll start thinking that you were imagining something dirty while you were out." Zhongli jokes, a light laugh escaping him.
However Venti didn't take it as a joke, his cheeks got red and his eyes were now in his lap. Zhongli sees his apartment building and zooms to it, parking his car in his designated garage space.
As soon as the car stops and he turns it off he also takes off his seatbelt, turning his chest in Venti's direction and picking at his face, making him look into his eyes.
Venti has some difficulty keeping eye contact, his eyes wandering all over Zhongli's face, especially his lips. He decides to kiss him then, a small sound escaping Venti's lips once their tongues touch.
Zhongli wants more, he wants to hear more, he wants to touch more, and so he does. He takes off Venti's seatbelt and makes his own seat go back, picking up Venti in the process and putting him in his lap.
Venti yelps. "You're strong." he says surprised.
"I work out…" Zhongli whispers, flexing his muscles a little while Venti touches his arms and pecs. "Guess it came in handy today."
Venti blushes even further, and then he kisses him again, this time more hungry, his hands all over Zhongli's chest. He too touches Venti, wanting to feel his thighs and his waist. Soon the windows of his car are all fogged up, their breathings labored.
"You're so hot…" Venti whispers, kissing at Zhongli's neck and chest, his fingers toying with the hem of his shirt.
Zhongli lets Venti do his thing, taking the buttons one by one, and once he's done he lifts the t-shirt that he had under. Venti almost gasps when he sees Zhongli's chest, he puts his left hand all over it, feeling his abs, his pecs, and just looking, lots of looking.
"My face is up here." Zhongli jokes, his hand playing with one of Venti's braids.
"I just wasn't expecting this…"
"So you only like me for my looks uh… guess I've got to exercise more often." Zhongli sighs, putting his hand on Venti's neck and pulling him towards him, kissing his lips deeply.
Venti laughs into the kiss, his hands now off Zhongli's chest, and now on his shoulders. "It's not only that… but it was a nice surprise." Venti kisses him again, something slow and sensual.
"You can't keep kissing me like that." Zhongli sighs, his hands hugging Venti's waist tightly.
"Why not?" Venti asks innocently, his hands on Zhongli's chest again, feeling the warmth and smiling each time Zhongli's muscles twitch. "We're just kissing."
"You're being a menace." Zhongli stops the kiss by grabbing Venti's neck again, pushing him away. His eyes are dark and his breathing is labored. "Don't tell me you like this?" Zhongli moves his fingers slowly up and down Venti's neck, his face calm.
"Now it's you that needs to stop, or I won't let you get out of this car." Venti warns, his voice unusually deep.
Zhongli smiles and takes away his hand, happy to find something so interesting about Venti. He kisses him quickly and takes him off his lap with ease, sitting him down at his side.
"Should we go?" Zhongli smiles while buttoning his shirt, his necktie all crooked. "I don't want you to waste your allergy medication."
"Sure… allergy medication." Venti scoffs, also making sure his clothes are not crooked.
Zhongli gets off the car and circles it, opening the door for Venti, also extending his hand. Venti takes it with a blush, getting his backpack and Zhongli's work bag, handing it to him.
The ride on the elevator is full of small kisses and laughs, it seems they were unable to stay away from each other. At least Zhongli couldn't, kissing Venti was addicting, his body and lips were warm, and so it was becoming harder and harder to stay away.
Zhongli opens his apartment door with difficulty, Venti was hugging him from behind, his hands all over his chest, his face smushed into his back.
When the door finally opens they get in, Venti inhaling sharply. "Oh wow."
"What?"
"Your apartment." Venti lets go of Zhongli's back and looks around the living space, he probably wasn't expecting to see so many bookshelves and plants everywhere. "I thought you would have a more modern apartment but… what is this? dark academia, cottage core? it's so full of plants and eclectic, I love all the wood…" Venti pauses and then smiles. "Sorry, I like interior design a lot."
Zhongli smiles. "Well me too, only recently did this apartment start to look so cohesive." he looks around and finally spots him, sitting at his usual spot on the couch. "Okay, that little dark matter on the couch is Xiao."
Venti seems to have difficulty seeing him but once he finds him he smiles, approaching the couch carefully. "Is he friendly?"
Xiao twitches his ear, he seems to be awake, he is just keeping his eyes closed. "Usually, but I wouldn't get too close without his eyes being open." Zhongli sits down and puts his hand in between the cat's ears, a small and quiet purr escaping his lips. "Look, it's a friend." he coaxes Xiao to open his eyes.
Venti gets closer as soon as Xiao opens his eyes, his deep green eyes curious. However his interest is gone just as suddenly as it came in, he lowers his head and almost seems to sigh, his eyes closing again.
"Well." Venti laughs. "I guess that's about all you can get from a grumpy cat."
Zhongli smiles and gets up, hugging Venti's side. "He takes a while to warm up to people… in no time I'll have to fight him in order to get some love." Zhongli jokes, kissing Venti's neck lightly.
"That would be nice…" Venti smiles, his mind seemingly lost in thought once again. "Being in an apartment with your partner, sitting on the couch under a blanket, each one reading their own book, a cat in the middle demanding to be pet… sounds nice…"
That sends a shiver up his whole body, the perfect picture forming in his mind. He too can imagine that happening… and in this little picture, Venti is the one in it.
Zhongli hugs Venti's back and hugs him closer, hiding his face in his shoulder. Venti hugs Zhongli's arms and laughs lightly. "What is this? Are you hiding?"
Venti tries to turn back and look at Zhongli, however Zhongli does his best to keep him in his embrace. "Don't look."
"What… are you embarrassed?"
".... No." hides himself further in Venti's shoulder and neck.
Venti laughs and tries to escape his hold, however Zhongli was stronger than him. After a few seconds Venti manages to escape by tickling Zhongli's side, his arms getting weak.
"So you were blushing…" Venti teases, poking Zhongli's cheek, a huge smile on his face. "Did you imagine us together?"
".... Yes." Zhongli admits, looking at the floor with a sigh.
Venti pinches Zhongli's cheeks, laughing. "You're so cuuuuute." he moves Zhongli's cheeks around, making him blush even further.
"Let's make it happen." Zhongli manages to say.
Venti's hands stop and he lets them fall to his side, a small smile forms in his face, his eyes full of little stars. "I want nothing more."
Zhongli doesn't know much, but he knows that he wants this more than anything, he wants to bring Venti into his life and make it theirs. He wants to fill every corner with his presence and create as many memories as possible.
He never thought that books could be so real, that the things writers described would be so true. Now he understands what it means to develop feelings, to let them grow slowly, to finally feel his life starting.
Venti was everything Zhongli had ever dreamed of, and no book could begin to describe him and his beauty after he started to have feelings for him. No words would be enough for it, and he lets it not have definite meaning.
With time those words would get written, those feelings would have a meaning, and one day they would be said aloud.
Love.