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Two twin dragons with golden manes, a boy and a girl, glide through a dangerous stormy sky. The humans below are waiting for their landing to hunt them down. The two desperately try to reach the domain of Rex Lapis, who has opened a shelter for dragons like them. They were born and raised in the land of the wind god Barbatos, who had a large amount of spite for their kind but as recently claimed to his followers, they were monsters.
The two exhaust their energy past their limits as the hunt has been going on for days without rest. The humans were very aware they had an advantage in numbers. They change shifts on a constant to make sure the hunt can continue. In turn, this exhausted the twins during the chase.
The female dragon yelps and falls out of the sky. “LUMINE!” The other dragon dives toward her only to be struck by several more arrows before roughly landing on the ground. His vision blacks out, and the male dragon only hears the muffling of the raging humans.
The male dragon calls out to his sister, unfortunately grabbing the attention of more humans coming closer.
“The monster is still alive!”
“Finish it!”
Why?...
I’m scared.
It hurts.
Lumine.
—
“LUMINE!” A young man immediately sits up with his arm outward. He then groaned, clutching onto his head which felt as if it was throbbing and his body feeling damp from sweat. He examines himself. He had long blond hair that cascaded over his shoulder, and a brown and gold lined hanfu he wore. The man notices he is in front of a small shrine that contained a familiar-looking statue of a person holding an orb with feathered wings. He looks around to see he was in what felt like the middle of nowhere in a forest.
"Hey, do you need help?" He turns his head to see another person appear passing through the trees. They wore a worn-looking brown cloak over his hanfu of various shades of green and white. His dark hair peaked from his conical hat, and short twin braids at the front with teal highlights at the ends. "Hello? Anybody home?" The young man realizes he has yet to speak, but when he does, what comes out is a hoarse voice. Hearing this, the darker-haired person quickly grabs a water gourd and uncorks it before handing it over. The blond sips the water and adjusts his throat. "T-thank you." He said towards the darker-haired one. The other grins in response, "Glad to be of help! Though are you really alright? I don’t normally see people look like they woke up from a nightmare out here. I’m Venti!” The wanderer holds a hand out which the blond takes before the two do a brief handshake before Venti pulls him up. Afterward, he introduced himself, “Aether.”
Aether isn’t too sure why he said this was his name, but it feels familiar enough to be his name. Though, why can’t he recall or think about anything else? “Hellooo, earth the Aether? Do you just end up spacing out a lot?” Aether attempts to respond but instead groans, holding onto his head. The throbbing comes back. “S-sorry, I just.” Aether isn’t sure how to explain to the other he doesn’t recall anything. Venti hums and takes Aether’s free hand, “Let’s get you a place to rest.” Aether only nods, wanting his headache stops.
Venti brings them to a small house. He takes the liberty of helping the headache-ridden Aether to remove his shoes before leading him to the bed. Venti places the back of his hand over Aether’s forehead, hoping it isn’t a fever. Venti pushes a blanket closer to Aether’s body and gently pets his head, “I will be back. Just rest. I’ll see if I can find something to help you.” Venti says in a whisper. Despite the throbbing headache, Aether cannot help but feel comfort in the stranger’s words and relax enough to rest his eyes. Venti smiles while getting ready to leave, looking towards Aether one more time before doing so.
Aether finally wakes and sits up to wait a moment before sighing in relief. His headache has eased up for now. He notices the blanket Venti brought to him was of surprisingly fine quality. You wouldn’t have guessed this was in a house with a basic hut-like structure. Soft and felt of fine silk. Aether removes the blanket to stand to look around the house and notices a similar theme. The small-looking house contained various fancy trinkets and decorations. It left the blond feeling very confused. “Oh, you’re awake!”
Aether jumps at Venti’s sudden appearance. Venti huffs, “Why are you startled? That’s not a very nice way to greet your friends.” Aether blinks, “I'm very grateful for you helping me, but we just met.” Venti hums his way to the other and sits on the edge of the bed, “Well, yes. Though I had a suspicion. You lack knowledge about yourself, do you not?” Aether freezes and is about to go into thought, “Oh no, you don’t! Let whatever may be lost in there flow out naturally. The more you think about it, the more you’ll end up hurting yourself with those headaches.” Aether sighs before nodding. Venti beams before taking out a large cloth. “I asked my grouchy friend if he knew any tea that helps with headaches, so I’ll start boiling that soon. For now, have some of these snacks and some water.” Venti lays out a few snacks and a cup of water in front of Aether. Aether nods and does as he’s told. Admittedly, he felt a little bad for Venti taking him in like this when he doesn’t have to. For now, he will cooperate.
The rest of the night is peaceful as Venti shows Aether around the house’s area a little more. Aether asks Venti about the strange inconsistencies from extravagant to common household items and decorations in his home. Venti attempts to steer away from the conversation each time. While suspicions, Aether chooses not to press it for now.
Since living with Venti, Aether has made it part of his routine to help clean the house when Venti is away. Venti brought him to a small plot in the area. Venti says a very old friend used it as a garden, but that friend was no longer around. Aether doesn’t press about it and tells Venti he could try tending to it himself. The offer seems to make Venti happy. Aether’s assumption of Venti being a wanderer was wrong, but he still was a free spirit frolicking who knows where every day. Sometimes Venti takes him further away from the house. It’s then Aether finds out about the village that’s quite a ways away (it gives him the thought of selling whatever decent crops grow in the garden to help further supply the two of them).
Then one night, Aether begins to have these dreams. The dreams are of him flying in the sky, but it feels like he’s in a different body. Humans can’t fly. He assumes he dreams he’s a bird. Then he sees a dragon beside him. She was covered in white scales and had a mane of pale blond fur. How does he know this dragon is a girl? He can tell she’s smiling towards him before speeding ahead, “C’mon Aether! The last one home’s a rotten egg!” He feels himself growl, “Not so fast Lumine!” There’s a rumble. The sky turns red. They halt before huddling close to each other as the sky changes. Suddenly a being appears in white. He spreads his feathered wings and looks towards the two, his bright teal eyes glaring their way. Aether looks towards Lumine. She is not with him. He hears a commotion below only to see people surround a now gravely injured-looking Lumine. They step forward, their intentions seeming less than friendly as one of them raises a large rock toward her. No… NO-
With a scream, Aether wakes up in a familiar state of cold sweat as his heart pounds. He tries to breathe but ends up hyperventilating. "Aether? Aether!" Aether feels hands on both his shoulders to see Venti looking very worried. "Aether, deep breaths. You're okay. You're safe." Venti starts wiping away tears Aether hadn’t noticed were on his face til now. "You don't have to say anything, but let's just try and relax at the very least." After being given another cup of water, the two sit in silence as Aether sobs out the remaining emotions from his nightmares, and Venti patiently waits for him to cry out his frustrations.
A moment later, Aether finally rests. Venti sighs as he moves stray hairs from Aether’s face. Venti laid down next to his friend and whispered, "My friend… What in this world was so horrific to give you such awful nightmares?" Aether suddenly shifts his body closer to Venti's, making the other blush. Venti hugs him back and gently hums a soft tune.
Sadly it was not the end of the nightmares. Having Venti at his side gave some relief to Aether when these nightmares woke him up. Each day, Aether becomes more frustrated about the recurring nightmares. He could also clearly see he was not a dragon but a human. None of it made sense. Aether was just as frustrated he couldn’t remember his past properly. The two were out to gather wood for the winter. Caught in his thoughts, Aether trips, closing his eyes to peace himself. His stumble had the wood that was in his arms scramble around him. "Aether!" Venti places his pile and the axe down before rushing to check on his friend who had fallen face-first onto the ground. Venti turns Aether over before frantically checking for wounds.
Aether groans looking up at his concerned friend. "I-I'm okay Ven-" There's a sudden flash in Aether's vision. "Vent-" Aether sees Venti morphing suddenly from the friend who saved him, to the god from his nightmares. “V… Ven.. ti?..” Aether doesn't realize he’s shaking. Venti was the alternative identity of Barbatos, the God of Wind, who created the hunt… The hunt?
Aether then realizes, his nightmares were mixing in with his memories. His previous memories. Venti, his current friend, was the first identity of Barbatos, the wind god. The reason why Aether and his previous family were slain. Venti looks startled, “A-are you alright!?” Aether recoils, pushing himself out of Venti's grip and shouting, “NO!” Venti freezes.
The two stared at each other in silence before Aether is back to reality with the present, "I-I'm sorry… L-lets go home." Aether gathers the fallen wood pieces and scurries back to the house. Venti watches him a little longer before picking up the woodpile and axe again.
That night ends with an awkwardly quiet dinner, then bids goodnight quickly instead of their usual late talks. Venti worries for his friend but doesn’t want to pry either. Aether attempts to sleep, but his feelings about this discovery kept him awake a while longer. Aether has seemed distant since then. It worried Venti.
Later in the night, Aether waits for Venti to sleep. It surprised him. It’s unusual for gods to sleep They do not function like most living beings. Aether tiptoes over to the clothed object and picks it up. He unravels it from the cloth to reveal a strange black dagger. Aether can’t help but feel there was something strange about it. Those were his thoughts before blacking out and suddenly reawakening with him kneeling in front of Venti’s sleeping form with the dagger ready in his hands. Aether breaks into a cold sweat and his hands begin to shake. How did he get into this position? But wasn’t this a good opportunity? Aether shakes his head now concerned and confused at the sudden thought. Though, it wasn’t off-putting in the context of his situation. Strike now while you have the chance! Aether sniffles and realizes he’s starting to cry. But this is what he wanted to do, right? Avenge his family? Undo the harm to come? But… this wasn't Barbatos. It was Venti. A completely different person from the tyrant in his previous life. Right?
Venti stirs hearing Aether sniffle. Venti opens his eyes, the glint of the dagger chasing him to open his eyes wider and assess the situation. Slowly, Venti backs away from his sleeping spot before coming around carefully towards Aether. "Aether? Are you okay? Please put it down. You're safe. I promise I won't hurt you, so please." He's lying! Strike him now! Aether looked away as his heart felt like it was tearing apart. Aether jolts feeling Venti place a hand over his own. "It's okay. You can let go now. I love you."
Aether sobs as he drops the dagger. Venti moves to hug him as Aether breaks down further into tears. "Why?! I-I- was about to", "And you didn't." Venti holds him tighter and pets the top of Aether's head. "You didn't, and that's what matters." Aether's heart is pounding. "D-did you mean it?" Aether sobs out. Venti nods, "That's something I couldn't ever lie about… I was just a coward for not telling you sooner." Aether continues to cry while hugging Venti back, "It hurts... It hurts so much." Venti slightly parts from the embrace. He gently lifts Kong's head in one hand as they look face-to-face, "What hurts my love?"
"Loving you... I love you so much it hurts, but-" Venti cuts him off by planting his lips over Aether's. Aether gasps at the action, though this gives the lesser god access to his mouth which he very well takes advantage of by invading Aether's mouth with his tongue. Venti parts with only a string of saliva keep them connected. "Aether, is what you are saying right now true?" Aether nods while sobbing. Venti gives him a more chaste kiss before pulling back. "You have no idea how happy it makes me feel to hear from you. My sunshine," Venti gives him another peck, "my muse," and another, "my love." Aether's cries start to quiet as he takes in Venti's words. Venti continues to hold him tenderly, "I'm sorry for being a fool. The boundary of us being of different kinds has made my heart hesitate for so long, yet I cannot bear this look of sadness and grief.” Aether takes a brief moment of clarity after the confessions. Venti now hovers over him. Venti holds a hand in the direction of the dagger, a strong gust pushes it further away from the couple. "I promise, no more secrets between us," Venti says before kissing Aether again.
Aether feels Venti tugging at his clothes. Aether assists in undoing his hanfu to assist the wind god, before moving to remove Venti’s as well. Venti moves his head to Aether's now exposed neck and chest, marking the blond and making him moan. Venti takes this opportunity to strip Aether of everything. Aether's hair was undone, nude in the moonlight that shone over his soft skin. Venti feasted his eyes further at his new lover under him. Aether huffed before tugging at what was left of Venti's clothes as well, "You too!" Venti laughs and helps Aether remove his robes. Aether feels something drop on his abdomen and looks down before gulping. Venti looked huge. Leans forward giving a quick peck on Aether’s forehead, "Wait here love, I want this to be pleasurable for you."
Venti moves off him to look in a cupboard before pulling out some jar. Venti goes back into position with the jar in hand. He opens it before taking out the contents with his fingers. "This may feel strange, but I don't want you to get hurt." Aether gasps at the cool substance on Venti’s fingers at the rim of his entrance before poking and prodding at it. Venti takes another handful of the substance with his free hand to slather it onto his cock. He leans down to kiss his lover again as he begins to press his fingers into him. Aether’s gasp from the feeling allowed Venti to explore his mouth with his tongue again. Aether’s head spins at the overwhelming sensations he was feeling from top to bottom. Venti’s fingers go from thrusting then scissoring him open before adding more fingers to widen him further. He continues this motion until his fingers brush a particular spot that causes Aether to clench. Venti smirks and gives his lover small pecks around his face, “You’re doing very good. Such a good boy for me.” Aether continues to moan from the praises. He holds his breath as Venti’s tip starts to prod inside of him. Thankfully with the lubrication, Venti entered smoothly with barely any discomfort for Aether.
Aether is practically trembling and instinctively reaches his arms around Venti’s neck, pulling the lesser god closer. Venti responds to the action leaning in to kiss his liver once more, as he pushes himself inside. Once fully sheathed, Venti pets Aether’s head before telling him, “Tell me when it’s okay to move.” Venti patiently waits for Aether’s breathing to even out. When he does, he grasps Venti tighter, whimpering, “P-please move.” Venti thrusts in slowly, trying to hold back from moving at a pace Aether wasn’t comfortable with. Aether did his best to relax while trying to get used to both the sensation and Venti’s size. He kept going until Aether gasped, tightening his insides. Venti’s face has another smirk plastered onto it, “There it is.~” Before Aether could say anything, Venti thrusts once hitting a spot that made the blond grip harder. It isn’t long before Venti starts thrusting faster, their moans getting louder, and sounds of flesh that are slick and sweaty slapping against each other are all that’s heard.
Without warning, Venti lifts Aether onto his lap while they’re still connected and begins to thrust upwards. Aether moans louder as his hands scramble, unsure how to hold onto the lesser god while feeling such deeper intensity. “A-Aether. I t-think I’m coming close!” Aether only responds in coherent words but feels something tightening within his belly. “Here it comes!” Venti gives one more hard thrust before he pours himself inside Aether. Aether’s body shakes as he lets out a silent scream before his penis shoots out strings of semen covering their chests and stomachs.
Tired out, Aether leans against Venti, who sweetly kisses him on his cheek. “Let’s get ourselves cleaned up a little.”
The clean-up session has a now tuckered-out Aether on the dirty sheets, while Venti went to one of the barrels outside the house to get some water. Venti hums happily while wiping himself and his lover of their mess. Aether’s eyes are barely open as he blinks, watching Venti help move him away as he changes the sheets over the kang. Afterward, Venti moves to Aether, covering their naked but now clean bodies with a blanket. In the warmth of the blanket and Venti’s arms, Aether sleeps.
The couple lived a happy life together. Both are coming clean about their identities. Barbatos fears the worse and loneliness of being immortal if he fell for a human. Aether is a rebirthed human whose past life was as a dragon. Haunted by memories of when Barbatos ruled and his family was practically slaughtered.
"I'm… sorry my love."
"That was in the past for me. Right now, we're together."
One day on a stroll, the two came across a screech. Aether recognized the cry of a hatchling and rubbed toward it to see a young dragon, most likely still an infant surrounded and injured by boars. Venti managed to use his abilities to fend off and scare away the boars. Aether examines the hatchling trying to coax it closer to find any further injuries. Thankfully the hatchling trusts Aether to allow him to take it into its arms before it passes out.
It's been around a year since then, and the two have adopted Dvalin into their lives. Despite mainly domestic living, Aether taught Dvalin some of the principles he could live independently as a dragon. Venti proudly holds the now larger Dvalin in his arms. Aether can't help but smile at the scene. The peace doesn't last as Aether feels a ringing in his head. He falls over grabbing the attention of Venti and Dvalin.
"Aether!? Aether hold on!"
"Papa!? Is papa okay!?"
Aether's vision goes black
—
What Aether hadn't realized he had changed the course of the rivalry between the Anemo Archon and a corrupt dragon. The reason why Barbatos held contempt towards mythical beasts. He will probably never realize this, but he wouldn't acknowledge it as of yet.
—
“Aether? Aether, wake up! It’s your turn to watch Paimon!”
A familiar voice.
Aether slowly opens his eyes, registering a blur of white and yellow in front of him. “Aether! I’ll bring mother on you if you don’t wake up!” The blur in front of him focuses on Lumine, his sister. Aether’s eyes widen as he gets up, not realizing he shot up flying, causing him to hit his head on the roof of the cave his family was using as a den.
“Aether!?”
It took a moment to realize it was Lumine in front of him and that he was home. Their home. The den they had abandoned to run to safety after their parents were hunted. Lumine, his very confused and concerned sister was looking at him. Aether floated back down and took a deep breath, “Lumine? Is that you?” Lumine huffed, “It is, and you are acting weird today. Are you okay?” Aether nodded before asking, “Are we still in danger?” “Danger?”
Aether felt like everything was a dream. It was as if his family wasn’t born in an era dangerous for mythical beasts in the Kingdom of Mond. His parents were alive, he had a new baby sibling who would hatch soon, and as for Barbatos and his rule.
“Barbatos? The anemo archon hasn’t shown his face for centuries! Many believe he’s still asleep.”
According to Lumine. Aether’s head hurt thinking about what happened after what was supposedly after his death. Then to his sudden rebirth before becoming the lover of Barbatos at the time before he had power. Aether flew looking at the kingdom of Mondstat which looked larger than the village from many centuries ago. Though, he had a thought.
Aether arrived at one of the first Statues of the Seven dedicated to Barbatos. The place Aether had woken up after his rebirth. Before moving forward, Aether shifts to a human form of pale
skin, long blond hair tied up in a high ponytail, and a brown and golden lined hanfu. Aether then begins his walk, looking for the small hut he had found a home in centuries ago.
Lost in thought, he doesn’t realize he’s about to bump into someone until it happens and he stumbles back in recoil. Aether looks to the stranger to apologize, but freezes. In front of him, was a very familiar face. In more ways than one, Aether feels as if time has stopped. Venti stands in front of him in a set of clothes different from what he had worn when they first met.
The first to engage in interaction was Venti as he runs to Aether immediately embracing him. Venti pulls away to look at Aether’s face holding it in his hands, “Aether!? You’re Aether, right!? This isn’t a dream!?” Aether embraced Venti back saying, “I’m home.” "Barbatos." Aether looks up at the deeper voice seeing Dvalin, now a fully grown dragon. Dvalin sees him and carefully flies down before examining Aether. The tears continue to pour down Aether's eyes as he hugs Dvalin's head, "I'm home." He repeats. Venti smiles and coughs to get their attention, "It looks like we have a lot to catch up on."