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Zhongli lingered at the back of the class, hands curled tight around the strap of his sling bag as he peered at the paintings on the wall. Mondstadt's museum was certainly interesting; their paintings have a certain freeness to them, lacking the careful technique of Liyue's artists, but beautiful all the same.
Their time in the museum comes to an end before long, and they're led along to have their snack break in a nearby park. Zhongli eats his carefully packed meal and finds himself bored once done. His eyes snag on a butterfly flitting past; its wings an unusual shade of green and patterned with white swirls.
Zhongli is hopping off the bench and trotting after it before he can stop himself, taking advantage of the teacher's turned back. He ends up losing the butterfly but finds some interesting plants, and even identifies a few from books he read. Maybe he should ask his parents for a proper guide on Mondstadt's nature. This city was only a couple hours away, but the weather here was much more mild than Liyue.
Leaves crunch nearby, and Zhongli turns around to find a boy tumbling out of the underbrush, blinking disoriented green eyes.
"Oh, hello!" The boy beams at Zhongli upon noticing him, picking himself up. "You don't look like you're from round here!"
"I'm not." Zhongli answers hesitantly, taking in the boy's smudged clothes and black braids.
"I thought so! What are you doing here, though?" The boy tilts his head curiously, bright eyes fixating on Zhongli.
"Observing Mondstadt's plants. I've only ever seen some of them in books." Zhongli gestures at the park around them, and the boy lights up.
"Oh, then you have to come see Cecillas! They're really pretty, and they're my favourite flower!" The boy bounces on the spot, offering his hand. "Come on!"
Zhongli considers the offer for a moment before curiosity wins out and he grabs the boy's hand. The boy leads him away without hesitation, bringing them through the park confidently. The boy chatters on, asking various questions; Zhongli answers as best as he can, trying not to trip. It isn't long before the road they're on brings them into a clearing, and Zhongli's breath hitches in his throat.
The white flowers are everywhere, blooming wonderfully under the gentle sunlight and filling the air with a pleasant smell. The boy beams at him, clearly satisfied with Zhongli's awe and plopping down on the ground.
"C'mon, we have to enjoy the flowers like this!" Zhongli sits down gingerly, setting down his bag as he inhales the fresh air, shuffling to better study Cecilias. The boy starts to hum a cheerful tune, and they sit uninterrupted for a couple minutes or so before his teacher finally finds him, clearly frantic.
"Zhongli! I told you not to run off!" The teacher throws a curious glance at the humming boy who looks between her and Zhongli questioningly.
"Sorry." Zhongli says simply, because this trip had been fun, and he wasn’t regretting it. He allows his teacher to drag him away and tuning out her scolding in favour of waving at the boy who had brought him here. Said kid gives him yet another dazzling smile, waving back happily. It's not until Zhongli is on the train back to Liyue then he realises that he never got the boy's name.
(Weeks pass by; Zhongli soon forgets about the child he met in Mondstadt that he had dubbed Cecilia boy, accepting that he would likely never see them again.)
“With that said, everyone, say hello to Venti from Mondstadt!” Zhongli looks up idly just to see the new student the teacher had been rambling about, hoping that they won’t be the type to bother him, and starts.
A familiar figure skips into the class, dark blue braids swinging as a wide smile. “Hello! I’m Venti!”
Zhongli shuts his mouth as bright green eyes scour the chattering class and find him. Cecilia boy.
Venti’s smile seems to get even bigger once they notice Zhongli, a teasing glint in their eyes. Just like that, Zhongli finds himself smiling back.
Zhongli tries not to stare too much at Venti when class resumes, instead focusing on the lesson. He has trouble believing this at all; the odds of Venti transferring to his class specifically were so low. Even so, Zhongli feels a little pleased at this development; Venti was easy to talk to and interesting.
Break starts when the bell rings, and Zhongli watches in slight disappointment as the class swarms around Venti, asking questions. Zhongli opens his book of the day instead; it'll be a while before the interest in their newest classmate dies off. He finds himself getting lost in the book, a fairytale about a princess locked away in a tower.
"You're the kid I met at Mond!" Zhongli jumps when Venti pops up next to his desk out of nowhere.
"And you're the boy who showed me the Cecilias." Zhongli replies, marking his page and closing the book to look at Venti properly.
"Ehe, we never introduced ourselves, did we? I'm Venti!" Venti tilts his head, braids swinging with him.
"My name is Zhongli. Sorry I had to leave before."
Venti waves away his apology. "It's fine! Hey, whatcha reading!"
Zhongli blinks at the rapid shift in topics, but tilts his book so the boy can see.
"Woah, that’s a lot of words. I can't read them." Venti pouts, propping himself up on Zhongli's desk.
"I can read it for you." Zhongli offers before he can second guess it, and Venti looks delighted.
"Yay! I'll get a chair!" The boy bounds off to do just that, and Zhongli thinks, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have someone so happy for a friend.
(He’s not sure how it happens, but they end up going home together every day, and end up in the same schools as time goes on.)
"Zhongliiiii-" Venti whines, half-draped over Zhongli's shoulder as they walked along. "Let me copy your homework, please?"
"Absolutely not " He shuts down easily, and the boy deflates.
"But! This is such a golden opportunity! All these years, from kindergarten to high school, we've always ended up in the same class! It's fate telling us to copy each other's homework!" Venti smiles widely, and Zhongli looks down on the boy disapprovingly.
"I will help you with the homework. You have to at least attempt it." Venti heaves a sigh and stops hanging off Zhongli, skipping along.
"How has archery been?" Zhongli asks once the thought of Venti's latest club crosses his mind. His friend had a tendency to flit from one hobby to another, only ever sticking to music, but archery had been going on for a month now.
"Really fun, as per usual!" Venti brightens, half-turning towards him. "Coach said I'm going to become one of the best, ehe~"
"If that is so, I would like to see you in action, if I can." Zhongli smiles fondly, already examining his schedule for any free slots.
"Of course you can! Be prepared to be amazed!" Venti cackles, clearly excited. "I-"
A shout cuts him off, and seconds pass before Venti's dashing towards the origin, Zhongli following instantly. They find a group of men cornering a girl, one who he recognises as Jean, their school's council president. Said girl doesn't appear to be seriously injured, and is standing strong against her attackers.
Venti's paused to the side, green eyes burning brightly as their hands curled into fists. Zhongli reaches out to drag the boy back, but one of the men tries to land a hit on Jean, and Venti moves .
The boy executes a well-aimed punch at one of the men, packing the strength of nocking arrows from hours upon end, and the recipient of his attack stumbles back with a yelp.
Venti had been training, lately, in order to handle the strain of drawing a bow and keeping the arrow primed, ready to fly. It is to be expected; archery needs good aim, but being physically strong is also a requirement. Still, it’s only been a month and Venti has barely formed muscle, but they have always been quick when needed, with a grace comparable to a gymnast, and he flips away to avoid a hit. Zhongli pauses to watch Venti in action, the boy dancing around his attackers and kicking at sensitive parts. A man attempts to sneak up on Venti, and Zhongli knocks him aside in one smooth motion, stepping into the fight.
The attackers are all running away soon enough with curses on their lips, and Venti looks up at him with bruised knuckles and a grin. "Guess those lessons really came in handy, hm?"
Zhongli can't help but sigh at the statement, shaking out sore hands. It has been a while since he sparred with anyone. Maybe he should take up those combat lessons again.
"Thank you very much!" Jean chooses the time to speak up, awe on her face. "If you hadn't shown up-"
"It's no big deal!" Venti laughs, shaking his hand dismissively. "We could help, so we did. Are you alright?"
"Do you want us to escort you home, Miss?" Zhongli adds once Jean nods, noting the late time.
"Oh- no, it's fine, my house is the street over! If I'm not wrong, you two are from my school, yes? I'm Jean!" Jean smiles, expression smoothing out into something calmer but warm nonetheless
"Venti here, and this Zhongli! We're glad you're safe, Jean! Maybe don’t use alleyways for a while!" Venti flashes the girl a smile, who gives them her thanks once more with a bow before taking her leave.
"That was incredibly reckless." Zhongli says the moment she's gone, and Venti huffs.
"I wasn't going to leave her."
"I'm not saying you should have, but it would have been preferable if you warned me first."
"Ehe, sorry~ Let's go get ice cream as an apology! My treat!"
"Don't you have homework to do?"
"Ugh....we can eat it on the way to your house! How about that?"
"Acceptable, I suppose."
(It's the first time Venti throws himself into a fight with Zhongli on his heels, but it's certainly not his last. He's not sure how they get themselves into such messes, but they seem to be making friends for it, so it's not so bad.)
"So." Zhongli starts, eyes still fixed on his book. "You're the troublemaker." He finally spares a glance at the trembling student from his seat on his desk, who keeps quiet.
"Albert, isn't it?" Venti pipes up, clambering into a chair and leaning it closer to Zhongli with a smile.
"You have been stalking Barbara, a freshmen, despite various requests for you to leave her alone, correct?" Zhongli flips a page and leans forward slightly, staring down at Albert.
"Please- it was just-"
"You harassed an innocent girl." Venti keeps smiling, but all humor is gone from his voice, and the troublemaker shuts his mouth with an audible click, sweating nervously.
"We have rules in this school, Albert. Ones the teachers do not acknowledge, but enforced by us. You have broken one." Zhongli snaps shut his book and stands, setting it down. "For this, you will suffer the Wrath of the Rock."
If anyone hears the terrified scream echoing from a corner classroom, no one mentions it.
"Aren't you bored of it all?" Venti questions, staring out at the city below, fingers hooked into the school rooftop’s fence. Zhongli lifts his head from his book, lips turned downwards in confusion. Venti is a poet at heart; there will always be moments where the boy turns uncharacteristically serious, speaking in riddles and hiding it behind a grin.
"It is routine." Zhongli admits. "But that is fine, is it not?"
Venti appears to consider this, stepping away from the fence and skipping over to Zhongli.
"True! I'm glad I have you, though, I'm never sick of you." Venti plops down next to him, slumping on his shoulder. Warmth coalesces in Zhongli's chest and he feels like a dragon with his hoard.
"I am inclined to agree, though I could do without your numerous pranks." Zhongli says finally, and Venti cackles.
"What do you think we should do, once we get out of here, hm? Maybe we could start our own gang!" Venti jokes, but Zhongli takes a moment to consider it.
"I suppose it depends on if anyone does decide to keep following us." Zhongli muses.
"Eh, you're actually considering it? You know, sometimes I wonder how we got here. All we did was help people, and then they started calling us their leaders." Venti exhales, fiddling with his fingers. "We're just good at fighting, but we ended up with so many strong people! They’re surprisingly loyal, aren’t they?"
"It is an adequate term for our current situation. As for how we got here, I blame you." Zhongli deadpans, and Venti splutters. "You keep jumping into fights."
Venti fails to find a suitable excuse, and Zhongli pats the boy indulgently, sitting there until the bell rings.
(Zhongli and Venti somehow ended up a little more detached from things, with no qualms about using their skills to claw their way through a fight. Zhongli sees the world in contracts and cold logic, and Venti glides through the crowd with his sights set on his wants and the people under his wing.)
“C’mon, Zhongli! Pretty please?” Zhongli turns his head away from Venti and the boy’s clasped hands, refusing to give in.
“Skipping school is wrong, Venti, regardless of whether our exams are over or not.” Zhongli states as Venti moves to face him again.
“But we’re not going to be doing anything! It’s going to be so boring at school! It would be much more fun if we went out to the arcade! We can even go to the library!” Venti pleads, staring up at Zhongli with big blue eyes. He makes the mistake of looking at the black-haired boy and gets a face full of puppy dog eyes.
Zhongli struggles futilely for a moment - he swears their eyes are sparkling - before giving in. “Fine. I need to change first.”
“Yahoo!” Venti cheers, jumping and pumping his fist in the air as he follows Zhongli back into his house. “So worth getting up early for this!”
Zhongli sighs, watching Venti pull out casual clothes from his bag. “You were so sure this would work, weren’t you?”
Venti grins cheekily at him, blue eyes twinkling, and Zhongli’s heart does something weird. “You never deny me when I use puppy dog eyes, not for something like this!”
Zhongli closes his mouth for lack of retort and disappears into his room to change, feeling a little warm under his uniform.
They end up at the arcade, earning tickets and trying their luck at claw machines; Zhongli manages to grab a dragon plushie, while Venti gets a small keychain in the shape of some sort of robed creature. The boy declares it to be a wind wisp.
They also head to the library as per Venti’s promise, and while Zhongli pursues long rows of shelves filled with books, his friend melts into a sofa, fiddling with his phone. The two of them end up in a park after a pleasant lunch that Zhongli - having remembered his wallet - paid for, strolling along and enjoying the afternoon breeze.
“I can’t wait for the holidays.” Venti sighs dreamily, arms swinging back and forth. “Let’s go somewhere!”
“Final exams start next year.” Zhongli replies automatically, but tacks on an addition at Venti’s pout. “…But we could visit Mondstadt for a bit.”
Venti laughs, looping their arms together and swinging them, making up a rhyme on the spot. “Thank you, I’ll be happy to return to my home city with you!”
Zhongli chuckles lowly with fondness as the boy starts making plans, content with their happiness.
(They visit the park where they first met, all those years ago. Zhongli sweeps up two fallen Cecilias and carefully tucks them into Venti’s braids. Venti stares up at him with a flush creeping up his cheeks, and Zhongli thinks that’s a pretty look on the boy’s face.)
Zhongli isn’t sure when he starts looking at Venti like the boy's his world. Maybe he always was. They've been together since that one chance meeting in a park decorated with flowers, somehow finding and sticking with each other as the years passed by. They graduate together with smiles on their lips, and Venti turns to him with stars for eyes.
Oh.
Oh.
Zhongli swallows the lump in his throat, glad for his natural poker face as he lets Venti tackle him into a hug. He tries to keep his breaths even, his pulse steady, and hugs Venti back.
They part for the day, with Vennesa, Andrius and Dvalin dragging Venti off while Zhongli finds himself at Guizhong’s house, Azhdaha already there. He needs to figure out why his chest aches like this, and the two were his closest confidants after Venti.
"Guizhong, I don't understand why I feel like this. It’s not unpleasant, but…why?" Zhongli pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a calming sip of the osmanthus tea that Guizhong had brewed. Said woman lets out a tinkling laugh as she pours Azhdaha more tea, who shakes his head in gentle amusement.
"Oh, Morax." Guizhong coos, patting his cheek patronisingly. "It sounds like you're in love!"
Zhongli short circuits for a moment, setting down his cup before it slips out of his grasp. "What."
"Old friend." Azhdaha chuckles, swirling his tea. "Anyone can see the way you look at Venti and how you would do anything for him. Look at your hair, for example. Your life right now, in fact!"
Zhongli tugs at the end of his ponytail, which had been dip-dyed an amber brown that faded back into his natural hair colour. Venti had something similar, the ends of their braids now coloured an eye-catching blue, done together with Zhongli on Venti’s eighteen birthday. The teachers had not been pleased, but with graduation just around the corner there was little they could do.
Zhongli let his friend rope him into such a thing because hair dye came out eventually, and Venti had chosen it as his birthday present. It didn't look bad, but it certainly wasn't something Zhongli would have ever considered if not for Venti.
"Say I'm in love...with Venti. What do I do then?" Zhongli forces out, picking up his cup of tea once more.
Guizhong and Azhdaha exchange glances, before the former levels him with a pitying look and speaks. "Why, Zhongli, you'll have to tell him at some point."
When Zhongli leaves without a trace of his internal struggle in his posture, Guizhong dives for her phone to start organising a meet-up between the Zhongven Hell group, also known as Venti and Zhongli’s inner circle. They were (un)fortunate to witness the two pining in perfect clarity, and ended up creating a betting pool around them.
Guizhong arranges for a meetup that doubles as a graduation party, and a few hours later they’re all crammed into a booth at a noisy bar and ordering drinks.
"Pay up, I guessed Zhongli would realise his feelings by graduation!" Azhdaha cheers once everyone is settled, and groans sound as people rummage up money.
"Honestly, I thought it would take longer at his pace." Guizhong mourns, resting her chin in her hands. "Zhongli is well-versed in analysing his emotions, but realising something like love.."
"We should be grateful." Vennessa huffs, setting down her mug with a thunk as she runs a hand through her fiery red hair. "One step closer to those idiots getting together."
"Venti hasn't said a thing about his own feelings, so there's a long journey ahead of us." Dvalin reminds. "That blasted drunkard is too busy drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Just because he's legal now doesn't mean he can go crazy, I swear."
"We should keep an eye on him, we wouldn't want a bar fight to start. Or maybe we could arrange a cute meeting with Zhongli bringing Venti back home?" Ningguang laughs, taking a gentle inhale of her cigarette. The Tianquan fits into the casually dressed group even in her silk dress, no roughness to her posture but with a penchant for mischief that lets her blend right in.
"Ummm…should we really be talking about Mister Venti and Zhongli like this?" Ganyu fidgets at Ningguang's side, similarly dressed but with less composure, clearly hesitant. "It seems a little rude.."
"Don't worry about it, kid, this is a rite of passage into those two's inner circle." Dvalin dismisses, lazily tugging his blue hair out of the way of his eyes. "You're old enough to join the betting pool now, aren't you? Throw in your opinion if you want."
"Venti had better get his shit together soon." Vennessa says. "Then I can finally pay off his tab at his usual place so he stops complaining about it."
The group shares a chuckle and coins clink together as they bet on the next goal; that is, if Zhongli would confess within the year. Guizhong puts her money on yes.
(He does not, unfortunately. Guizhong does win the bet of whether Venti would wheedle Zhongli into getting a tattoo, though. The two had gotten tattoos at a small but respectable parlour they had staked out long ago, ones that have been planned for ages. Zhongli gets a dragon that coils around the upper part of his left arm, Venti gets a diamond shaped symbol on his right.
Guizhong laughs herself breathless when she finds out.)
Here's the thing, Venti and Zhongli are good at fighting. Venti is fast and agile; light on his feet and upon you before you can so much as blink, a lithe figure that is often underestimated. Zhongli grows tall and intimidating, amber gaze steady as he stares you down. He hits with all the force of a falling boulder and hand-to-hand combat comes to him easily after years of lessons.
They make a formidable pair; it is simple luck that they decided to strive for such heights when it came to fighting.
They have picked up people; strays, those they saved, those who join, those who look at Venti and Zhongli with nothing but fierce loyalty. Venti basks in the attention, Zhongli runs a critical eye and accepts.
The biggest thing here is that they have followers that don’t just dissolve once they leave the safety of their school. They have a group of qualified and dangerous people, all willing to follow their lead.
Venti is flighty and doesn't care much as long as they get to live as they please, and Zhongli finds himself intrigued at the thought of organised crime. A far cry from the honour student the school hailed him as.
It's a dangerous rope to walk, but maybe they could bring some semblance of law to this world, smooth out the rough edges and sand it down into something more acceptable. Teyvat has been stagnating for decades and it was high time someone changed it, so he’s going to start with Liyue.
Zhongli and Venti call up old friends who have made a name for themselves in other cities, people who had come to Liyue on a transfer program and bonded with them. One of the first they start with is Makoto, who had left for Inazuma - where the quickest way there was the sea - with her twin sister but had kept in touch.
"Makoto." Zhongli greets, and the purple-haired woman regards him. He doesn't have to look to know that the woman's twin sister lurks near enough to keep an eye on them. Ei rarely showed herself, preferring to keep to the shadows.
“Zhongli, Venti, it’s good to see you.” Makoto smiles gently, spearing a piece of cake on her fork and eating it delicately.
“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Can’t wait to get all seven of us back together again!” Venti chirps, seated beside Zhongli, glass of juice in hand.
“One of these days.” Makoto agrees amicably. “I’m sure Rukkhadevata, for one, will be pleased.” The name rolls off her tongue easily where others would have mangled it.
"We have come to form a contract with you." Zhongli produces a sheaf of papers, all neatly written on with terms he and Venti had spent hours discussing. "Feel free to review."
Makoto glances over the papers with a keen eye, looking back to him. "An alliance between us seven, hm?"
"Indeed. Venti and I would hate for us to come to a fight. It would be better if we worked together, would it not?"
Makoto beams, clearly pleased by the way of events as she pulls out a pen from her pocket. "I agree. I just have a few negotiations, though I'm sure you already expected that."
Zhongli allows himself a smile, filled with teeth, and Venti laughs beside him. "Of course. I would be happy to hear what you have to say."
Contracts are inlaid in stone, agreements are discussed and alliances are made. The seven of them link themselves together and build up from the foundation that has been laid from their school days. They put on pretentious names, call themselves Archons, leaders of Teyvat’s underworld, and stake their claims.
Here, Zhongli decides that it is better if he and Venti lead separate groups, for there are those who are more loyal to one than the other. So they split it up; Venti calls those under him the Knights of Favonius because he finds it amusing, and bestows the titles ‘The Four Winds of Mondstadt’ upon his inner circle.
Zhongli categorises his people according to combat or intelligence; the Adepti for battle, the Qixing for investigation, his personal guard names themselves Yakshas with pride, and Ningguang becomes his Tianquan, taking the place of second-in-command.
It is a difficult decision they make, deciding to lead different cities; Venti’s soul has always called out for the place of his birth and a long gone friend he speaks of on quiet nights. They make a compromise with an hour-long commute between cities and regular periods where they stay at the other’s house.
"Venti." Today Zhongli had dropped by Venti’s apartment to find it empty, and that the man had gone out for some business. He busied himself tidying up the place, and Venti had come back home to slump onto the couch, apparently having indulged in a few drinks before returning. "You reek of alcohol."
Venti makes a sleepy noise, and Zhongli sighs as he carefully sits down next to them. He observes his childhood friend; smooth skin, round cheeks, glossy hair and undeniably pretty. Venti's eyes flutter open to focus on Zhongli, and his heart skips a beat when the other smiles at him.
"Hey, blockhead." Venti slurs, making grabby hands at Zhongli. He moves automatically, adjusting Venti so they can snuggle close. The archer hums a sleepy tune, voice melodic even through the drunken haze they must be under, and Zhongli lets himself be lulled by it.
"You're the best, Zhongli." Venti hiccups once he's done humming, grabbing blindly at Zhongli's hand and clutching it close. "I'm so glad you stuck around."
"You are my oldest friend, Venti." Zhongli finds himself saying, smoothing his free hand over Venti's hand. "I will always be here."
Venti giggles, squeezing closer with a content look on their face. Once their breathing evens out, Zhongli picks them up to tuck them into their bed, flicking off the lights. He lingers in the doorway, warmth curling up in the space between his ribs, and turns away for his own room.
(For all that Venti is mischievous and a wanderer at heart, they have always been unwaveringly loyal and compassionate under the cheer. Venti adores Zhongli for reasons he does not understand, but he is grateful they stay with him, never straying too far. He is the earth, steady beneath their feet, and Venti is the wind, flying freely but always returning to Zhongli. He cannot ask for anything more.)
When Zhongli took down the mastermind of the latest mob who had dared to go against their contract, he did not expect to find that their guard dog was little more than a boy. They’re a feral one, but a quivering mess in Zhongli’s presence, clearly terrified. The image this behaviour paints makes Zhongli taste acid in the back of his throat and wish the one who had broken a boy so thoroughly had died a little slower.
He is out of his depth here, having no idea what to do with these clear signs of abuse; luckily Guizhong swoops in to bundle the boy up, murmuring gentle reassurances, and Zhongli slips away while the woman coaxes out a name from the poor boy.
Hours later, Xiao has been clothed, fed, and wrapped up in a weighted blanket, sitting on a couch. Guizhong fusses over him, pressing a cup of hot chocolate into the boy’s hands, and Zhongli lays out Xiao’s future. Certainly, there would be nothing of the treatment the boy had formerly suffered, but he makes sure Xiao knows that they are more than willing to take care of him.
The boy decides to stay, tentative gratitude in his golden eyes, and Zhongli tells himself to make sure they will always know they are cared for.
Xiao remains wary for days, keeping to the fringes of their group, but that changes when Venti comes to Liyue for his nearly weekly duet with Zhongli, a means of relaxation for their people. The boy hovers, completely entranced with every note Venti makes on a flute, and once Zhongli starts to play an accompanying piece on his piano, Bosacius drags Xiao into a dance. By the end of the night the boy has completely charmed his Yakshas, and months later stands proudly by Zhongli’s side.
(Xiao regards him and Venti with a certain kind of awe; Venti makes a considering noise when it’s brought up and says that it feels like they’re taking care of a stray cat who doesn’t quite understand kindness.)
Peace does not last long. People rebel, and Venti and Zhongli do not notice the traitors before war breaks out, politics being manipulated and innocents dying by the hour.
Their cities are in chaos and their friends are dying or dead, so they fight. They fight until only they remain of seven, standing in the ruins with adrenaline in their veins as they cling to each other, various injuries littering their bodies. They had survived.
Zhongli tilts his head down to look at Venti; there’s a steely glint to their eyes of a spirit not yet broken, messy blue braids that need to be remade, and he thinks, this is the person I will follow anywhere. This is who I love.
"I love you." Venti breathes into Zhongli's shoulder, pale fingers curling into Zhongli's jacket. "It took me a while, but I love you, you stupid blockhead."
Zhongli's head is dizzy with blood loss, a headache threatening to spill over, but he clings to the words desperately all the same, joy peeking through the shock.
"I love you too, Venti. More than anything." Zhongli murmurs into Venti's hair after a long moment of processing, and the other man laughs, a choked sound. Two men, glued together by a couple decades of memories
"Took us quite a while, huh?" Venti laughs. "I think everyone had bets for years . Figures that love would be what makes us stick through all this."
Zhongli shifts with a wince, carefully cups Venti’s face in his and leans in slowly, giving them time to pull away. They don’t, and he presses a chaste kiss to their lips, gentle but saturated with the love of more than a decade.
Venti wraps their arms around him as they part and giggles into the crook of Zhongli’s neck. Zhongli rests his head on Venti’s messy hair and heaves a content sigh.
Zhongli and Venti pull out of the burning pile that is their home, gather up what remains, and decide, enough . They dust their hands and leave behind the slaughter, paving their way forward into a more peaceful time. They're still young, after all.
Sometimes Venti falters through a song, hands shaking in remembrance of those they had lost, and sometimes Zhongli snaps awake from a nightmare that smelled of ashes. They hold each other through it all, soak in the feeling of someone alive and by their side, and learn to live all over again.
Zhongli and Venti hold a wedding with their closest friends the year after, rings of gold around their fingers. They live a simple, domestic life; not much changes from their previous lifestyle besides the lack of ‘messiness’ in it, and they cling fiercely to those who are left. People drift no matter how hard they try, and first they have to learn to deal with the absence of the five to their original seven.
Venti tells him ‘I love you’ grandly, like a declaration, sings it every day. Zhongli says ‘I love you’ in every meal he makes for two, every soft kiss on the forehead, every smile that spreads on his face. They are happy and in love, and it’s more than he could have ever asked for.
Years later, a golden-haired child with fiery-gold eyes walks into their lives in search of their long lost sibling. Zhongli takes in the raw honesty in their voice, the stubborness in their stance; looks over at Venti and knows that the other has taken it as a challenge.
Zhongli sighs, long-suffering but fond, and directs the young child to someone who could help them find their twin.