Every nation has that one person who excels over the others. Whether it be in economics, combat, literature... or archery.
Inazuman Bayler Velice has sailed over the crashing waves to attend Mondstadt's first archery competition to claim a victory...
Amber led him across the valley to the Statue of the Seven nearest to Mondstadt. As she ran, she went on about the importance of a Knight named Vanessa. Bayler couldn't catch most of what she was saying, but he still played along as if he understood everything with crystal clarity.
Her laugh was breathless from all of the running, but that didn't stop her from anything. They leaped over a small stream cutting through the grass and finally encountered the statue.
It flowed with ethereal energy. The chiseled form of Barbatos angelically held a glowing orb in his hands. It emitted the faintest hue of teal, likely Anemo energy. Bayler looked up in awe, amazed by what Mondstadt's culture was like.
Amber stood beside him, but her eyes were more focused on the giant tree. She appeared just as starstruck as he was. It was cute how her mouth hung open just a little bit...
"Come on! We gotta get closer!" Amber took off toward the massive trunk. The roots were gnarly and twisted around the base, but she jumped over them with ease. Bayler had no choice but to follow hot on her tail.
Bayler stopped at the very bottom of the tree. He tilted his head back until his Adam's apple was bulging from his neck. Amber tugged on his arm earnestly, as if begging for attention. He looked down, and suddenly he had his back pressed into the thick bark of the tree.
His mask was no longer covering his face. Instead, Amber was now his protection. She kissed him fiercely, eyes closed, tongue begging for access. Her body was pressed dangerously close to his own, and he was almost afraid that night might repeat.
Still... he couldn't help but kiss her back. He cupped her cheeks and pulled her closer. His tongue slipped into her mouth and searched every corner. She tasted sweeter than honey, inside and out.
A muffled noise came from Amber, and she forced herself to pull away, gasping for breath. She looked up at him with glazed eyes ignited with passion. "Bayler..." she murmured, though it was more of a moan than anything.
He looked down at her, his face growing hot when she leaned her head against his chest. "I love you," she said quietly. "So, so much. That's what I wanted to tell you this whole time."
Bayler tensed. He tried to gently scrape her off of his body, but she had wrapped her arms around his torso and was held firmly in place. Her cheeks were beginning to melt into him in an adorably, squishy way.
"Where were you? I-I've heard rumors, but I want to hear it from you. That's it. Nothing else." Amber didn't look up to meet his heated gaze, no matter how desperately he wanted to lose himself in her eyes.
He fought hard. He should've abandoned her there, but he couldn't bring himself to. She was a precious orchid, one he had to protect. Amber was revealing her bleeding heart to him, and he had to honor her by listening to what she had to say. After the dick move he pulled, it was the least he could do.
"Takeda invited me out to the Angel's Share while you were competing," he murmured. "We ended up getting so drunk that we had no choice but to stumble back to my place. I swear I remembered... just not at the time."
"I see..."
"The second I got home, I realized what I had done, and there's nothing I can do to get you to forgive me for that." Bayler looked up at the array of leaves above their heads. "I'm sorry I didn't meet up with you."
Amber met his gaze, and he half-expected to see tears there. But there were none. She had the clearest of gazes and a smile to match. "You should've just told me! It wouldn't save us a lot of turmoil if you'd just come clean!"
Bayler was dumbfounded by this. "You threw a Baron Bunny at me!" His tone was more joking than scolding. "But it really seemed like you hated me, and I couldn't bring myself to face what I'd done."
"I was being a bit dramatic there. I do apologize for that. And yeah, I was mad. Did you really think I'd hate you that easily, Bayler? You know how I feel now... and..."
She bit the tender flesh of her lip, and looked up at him. Amber pecked his cheek with a kiss. "Can I ask if you feel the same way?"
The bedroom eyes she was giving him were tempting, but he knew that he couldn't give her false hope. Every day was a battle between the desire to confess and the reality that he couldn't have her. Now that he was being put on the spot, he wasn't sure what to go with.
"Amber, I still need time to figure that out and... at the moment I can't give you an answer. As we've seen, the feelings we may or may not have are messing up the competition." Bayler paused to read her expression. It was still the same. "After, I'll give you my answer."
Amber winked at him. "If all you needed was more time, that's fine!"
Her perkiness was unusual. It didn't quite seem to line up with how she was acting several moments before. Was she being genuine, or was he hurting her unknowingly?
Bayler's gaze rested upon her lips. He felt himself lean forward, as if it capture them with his own, and soon they were back to kissing each other passionately, never wanting to let the other leave.
К сожалению, это изображение не соответствует нашим правилам. Чтобы продолжить публикацию, пожалуйста, удалите изображение или загрузите другое.
