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[It hadn't been very long when Kaeya had seen Chuuya off, but he hadn't headed home right away. He needed a little time before doing so because he likely would need to have a conversation with Diluc and he wasn't exactly mentally prepared for it right now.

And it wasn't because he was scared of Diluc getting angry or anything of the sort, not anymore. It was just a tough subject and things felt a little too raw right now. But he also didn't want to be alone right now.]

I have some apple cider and a very close recreation of mint jelly with your name on it. Meet me at the park?

I can be there in five minutes, Kaeya.

[ He doesn't know what's up, nor does he ask if there's a reason. He's just happy to see Kaeya and he's also delighted for the treats. So when he says five minutes - it's really more like 2 or 3, since he can teleport. ]

[Venti would find Kaeya fairly deep into the park, laying down with his arm pillow his head as he watched the sky slowly heading toward sunset. There were two portable cups of apple cider (the boozy kind, of course) along with the box of treats. There was actually a bit more than what he had said but he hadn't wanted to spend time writing it all out.

He turned his head when he heard Venti teleport in and he smiled softly.]

Hey.

Hey.

[ His face is lit up when he sees the other. He's always happy to see Kaeya.
Venti sees Kaeya laying there and moves towards him, taking a seat next to him right away. He reaches over and places a palm on Kaeya's head. ]

I'm happy to see you.

[ It's not even about the snacks and booze! ]

[He leaned into the touch, eyes closing for a moment. He took Venti's hand and kissed it.]

I'm happy to see you too. And... [He sighed softly, pushing himself up to a seated position next to the Archon.] There's something I wanted to talk to you about. Long overdue.

Oh?

[ He is a curious being by nature - always has been for his long life. He has a tendency to butt in and try and see what's going on in the effort of trying to help. But since here, he's learned to let the people he cares about come to him when they want to. It's worked well.

And he's glad Kaeya has chosen for himself, too. He doesn't move his hand, instead wrapping his hand around the other's as he sat up. ]

Well, you can talk to me about whatever you need to or want to.

[To be honest, Kaeya wasn't sure how to begin. But he nodded nonetheless as he thought, taking a large swig of the cider for a bit of liquid courage.

Venti knew a bit of his story already and he was certain Diluc had told Venti a bit of his side as well. Venti also already knew his heritage, so it wasn't like there wasn't much more to reveal. But there was more, all the same. He set down the cup and reached behind his head to pull the cord of his eyepatch.

He supposed he could just start here, then.

Once the cord was untied, he hesitated a moment, holding the eyepatch in place. But after taking a breath, he pulled it off completely. His eye was closed, but there was quite an ugly scar from his eyebrow, down the eyelid, and to just at the edge of his cheekbone. Then, he slowly opened his eye as he keeping it covered meant it was going to initially be sensitive to light. But from here, Venti would see the main reason he had covered his eye.

He huffed a humorless laugh.]

Not so pretty now, huh?

[ He's quiet and patient as Kaeya chooses to remove that eyepatch. He watches him as he does. It's only fair to give him the time he needs to do so. He's honored to be shown something like this by Kaeya's own choice. He'll hold onto this moment tightly.

Kaeya's words sting more than anything else, though. And Venti gives them a moment to settle in before he speaks. He moves a hand up to settle it on Kaeya's cheek. He leans in, and places a soft kiss starting where the scar ends on Kaeya's cheek, then moves up. ]

No. Gorgeous.

[He involuntarily closed his eye again at the kiss, brows furrowing as the kisses continued and he huffed softly. Diluc said the same thing and he never understood it. His mismatched eyes were something he was never proud of, the scar notwithstanding. He never commented much on that, especially not to Diluc. There was no need to and battle wounds were a thing, even if this one had been caused by his sworn brother.]

Seems I'm in the minority, then. The scar is not part of... it's not from Khaenri'ah. I was reminded of it today, not that I needed the reminder.

[ The reality is, Kaeya's opinion of himself mattered far more than his or anyone else's. The way Venti loves and cares for Kaeya isn't in the same way as he does as Barbatos. The distinction was made very clear since coming to Nippon - and has been there for awhile. He knows that he may be a little biased, too. Kaeya is gorgeous. That simple. ]

You probably are.

[ He moves a finger over the portion of the scar on his cheek. ]

An injury, then?

[He nodded, his eyes still not quite meeting Venti's.]

The fight Diluc and I had that night four years ago. He got me with his sword. I never blamed him for it, though. Could have lost my sight permanently and I still wouldn't have.

[That much, he was certain. Kaeya never blamed him, not once. He never would.]

Ah -

[ He's content to listen, although he shifts his eyes in the hope of catching Kaeya's. But they never seem to meet. It's alright, though. He seems concerned, but not upset or angry - or even hurt. There's bits and pieces he's picked up over time about the relationship that Kaeya and Diluc have. He's glad to have seen how they've grown.

His hand doesn't move from Kaeya's cheek. ]

I see --

[ Even the bard is at a loss for words, but what does one say? He leaned in, and placed another kiss by Kaeya's eye. ]

I Understand. Thank you for telling me.

[ That seems right. ]

[It took a bit of effort, but Kaeya did eventually meet Venti's eyes as one more kiss is placed on his face near his eye. He could not help but search them, but he didn't see any hint of a falsehood in that statement. It wasn't that he expected to, but many could simply say they understood without actually understanding. Just to placate or some such.

But, as always, Venti was genuine and he should not have expected anything less. He sighed softly through his nose.]

It was long overdue, I'm sorry.

Don't apologize, Kaeya.

[ He sighs. He doesn't expect anyone to open their heart and soul up to him. For him, he understands that it takes time to build the sort of trust that they have, and even then -- there's some things that may take time to share. He's just glad that Kaeya knows and understands he's being honest - sincere. ]

It's okay. You can tell me things whenever you want.

[ He presses a small kiss to the corner of Kaeya's mouth. ]

Because I care about you and want you to be comfortable.

[Kaeya was never going to get used to hear those kinds of words. He told Diluc much the same before, but he also wasn't going to tell Venti to stop either. Instead, he reached out to ruffle his hair a bit.]

Come on, let's not let what I brought go to waste now.

[A bit of a deflection, but it was said with a return of that same kiss. He appreciated Venti. A lot.]

[ Kaeya makes it so easy to care about him. It's no shock that Venti loves him as dearly as he does. He was someone that meant the world to him, and even if the other had told him to stop - he doubts he ever would. He couldn't. It's been so much easier expressing how he feels since he got here, he's not about to stop now. ]

Trust me, I wouldn't let you forget about the cider.

[ Never. ]

Even if this engagement changes paths a few more times, I won't forget.

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