[unedited]
SCENE I
"Hmmmm...?" You teased further, hoping to irritate the bard to the point of him bursting. You were well aware that he didn't have any feelings for you, unless they were feelings of disgust of course, but it was incredibly entertaining to see him flustered, so you continued to edge him on just for the fun of it.
Unfortunately for you though, your cruel words no longer proved torture to the bard, for he had finally regained his composure.
Barbatos sighed— a long sigh that is, and shuffled around in his spot. Once he got comfortable, he rested his head back against the same chimney you had cornered him against only moments ago.
He opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words, a waterfall of spritely, almost hysterical giggles barreled out. And it was blatantly obvious that they were directed towards you.
"What are you laughing at me all of a sudden for, you creep?" You questioned with an agitated tone, confused at the sudden, much uncalled for laughter.
"Hahaha! S- Sorry... it's just—" Heaving harsh breaths, he responded. "It's really hard to take you seriously right now, haha! I mean... Pfft— You look ridiculous!" His finger had rather quickly found its way to pointing at you.
"Huh? What do you mean—?"
"Pwahahaha! You don't even know?!" His laughing was so powerful that he had to hold his stomach with his arms, his legs kicking like a child. "Look at what you're wearing— a hospital gown?! And you were trying to seduce me? In a hospital gown?! Bahahahah! How in Teyvat did you think that would work?!"
In a split second your eyebrows furrowed and you looked away, a flurry of embarrassment rushing over you. You knew full well that he was right, you just didn't want to admit it. So instead of admitting your defeat, you crossed your arms with an ample of attitude and pushed the blame onto him. "Well... Ugh—! Who's fault do you think it is that I'm still wearing this stupid gown?! I've been so caught up dealing with your foolishness that I haven't gotten to think about anything else!"
You paused to bring the biggest amount of emphasis to your next words.
"And I wasn't trying to seduce you! You're disgusting, no, revolting!"
His laughing ceased, being replaced by the most annoying, unchanging smile you'd ever seen. "Thanks, and... yes you were."
"No I wasn't!"
"Yes you were."
"Whatever. Think what you want to think, because I know you really want to think I was seducing you." You rolled your eyes with a sarcastic grin, then laid your back down on the roof and observed the radiant blue sky. "Don't even try to deny it. Your face was as red as a tomato. Oh—! And don't worry, I saw you frantically trying to hide it with your hand."
He joined in your skywatching and laid down beside you, resting his intertwined hands on his chest. "Well in my defense, you can't just bury you face in a man's chest without warning and expect him not to react, you know."
You quickly tilted your head towards him and sneered. "Ha! Man? Sorry Barbatos, but I don't see any man." With mischievous eyes you looked him up and down as you heard him exert an utmost exasperated sigh.
Silence.
The bard didn't even bother to respond to your comment, he instead fixated his eyes on the different shapes and sizes of clouds that rolled by. His sudden silence was unexpected, for he usually would've argued back to keep his dignity after hearing an insult like that. But this time he didn't, and you were unsure why.
In hopes his thoughts would easily be displayed in his facial expressions, your eyes didn't hesitate to look anywhere else but him. His expression, like usual was very unreadable, after all being unreadable is a habit you pick up when lying about your identity for almost 3,000 years. Then somehow, before you knew it, you found yourself willfully observing his every detail.
Your e/c eyes memorized every curve and cranny of his face. His complexion was so smooth and pale that it appeared almost like freshly fallen snow when in the sun's gleaming morning rays. His nose, it was small and perfect, and you couldn't help but think that this old friend of yours had a truly stunning side profile. Then there were his eyes, even though they were facing upwards, you could still notice the bright sea green color that bounced playfully off of the light from above, amplifying both the tint of the sun and the tint of his eyes.
Then you realized, even before your separation after the archon war, and even when you two spent all of your time together, you had never taken the time to actually look at him.
"What are you staring at?" His voice quickly snapped you back to reality, as you now realized he was now focused on you.
Immediately you sat up, with quite a momentum too, as you brainstormed an excuse to why you were gawking at his face, for even you didn't know. With you fingers curling the ends of your luxurious h/c hair, you answered. "Oh... I was just uh— wondering why you suddenly went quiet." After a deep breath and a sharp avert of the eyes, you continued, your legs once again hanging off the side of the building. "Usually you would either get frustrated or have some sort of witty comeback that would make me frustrated, so... yeah... that's all."
You heard a breathy chuckle sound from your old friend. You weren't sure if you were overthinking it or not, but it sounded as if it ringed with a touch of sorrow. There was something off about it.
"I'm just a little tired." Barbatos breathed a deep, refreshing breath and followed in your move once again. He sat up as well, then leaned into your line of sight so he could view your eyes. It worried you that he might fall from the roof onto the plastered stone below, but then you remembered the fact that he was the almighty Anemo Archon, and a little eight meter plummet couldn't possibly compare to the damage he had been through in the past 2,600 or so years.
"Shall we get going then dear~?" He asked with a weary smile, standing up and holding out a hand for you to take.
You took it, but eyed him at the same time for his unnecessary use of the word "dear." All the while wondering what could be causing Venti's troubling tone.
"Barbatos... is something bothering you?" You weren't sure if your hunch of his grimness was correct or not, but it wouldn't hurt to ask, so you did, all the while tightening your grip on his hand ever so slightly.
To your surprise, he twitched a little after your question had reached his ears, and once again you sensed that all too familiar cold, gloomy feeling that something was off about him. Curious, you leaned to his front in order to observe the hopefully telling expression on his face, for you had noticed his eyes had been dimmed and hidden by his bangs.
Maybe this action of his was purposeful, maybe it wasn't. There was no way of knowing, but you did know that whatever his problem was, it was starting to make you feel uneasy.
The two of you were hand-in-hand, standing straight up on the very edge of one of the tallest buildings in Mondstadt, an aura of instability practically embracing you. With him by your side and surprisingly sightless from your peripheral vision, your eyes wandered downwards, completely downwards.
That is when you realized, it was a long drop from the top of this crimson roof to the ground beneath you.
Like a dream, the world around you went hazy, as you forgot where you were and what you were doing. Then, spiraling even further into the endless pit of confusion and still gawking at the deadly stone below, you pondered a very dark and chilling thought.
If I were to... fall again, would I actually die this time?
Suddenly, almost as if your old friend had read your thoughts, the bard snapped a smile onto his face and turned to you. "Haha! My dear Y/n, whatever are you thinking? I told you already... I'm just a little tired, but why do you look so grim all of a sudden?"
It seems he had noticed the dead, colorless look across your face.
"Hmm~?" He persisted with a hum, waiting for a response. "What's the matter?" The contrast of his expressions from time to time frightened you a great deal, for as if he was a completely different person, he now had the softest, warmest expression written on him. Then, almost like he was comforting you, he slyly brought a hand to your head, letting his pale fingers slide through your h/c hair with a gentle brush.
Somehow his efforts had worked, for it had certainly brought you back to reality, but unfortunately, a lingering swarm of confusion still remained within your mind.
Once again, it seemed he noticed your odd behavior, so maybe in attempt to aid you, he changed the subject and pulled you close, draping an arm around the back of your sullen shoulders.
"Well— erm... the Traveller put me in charge of you until he gets back so we should probably get moving. We need to get you some proper clothes and food, and well... there's a lot we need to talk about. It's been a long time since we've spoken, and... you know..."
The bard trailed off, visibly deciding if he should say the next part of his sentence or not. Then, after confirming his decision, he winked you a sneaky grin.
"I still need you to explain to me why in Teyvat you decided to blurt out in front of four knights of Favonius the obnoxious accusation that I tried to kidnap you."
Without any chance to respond, your old friend had lifted and carried you off with the cool and refreshing breeze of Mondstadt.
HOORAY I FINALLY POSTED ANOTHER CHAPTER HUZZAH HUZZAH WOOHOO rejoice. rejoice all of you. bow down to me and rejoice. sing to me. sing to me all of your precious carols for i have graced you all with a blessing worth more than gold itself.
anyways :)