Work Text:
"Cut! Thank you for your hard work. Venti, everyone!" The director shouts happily, making everyone whoop in celebration. Venti sighs, feeling happy that his music video was finally done. They've been filming for a week, and it felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders.
I can finally go back to hanging out with the kids, Venti thought, smiling. It's been a while since he's properly sat down and had dinner with his family, with him running around the shoot and home, trying to outrun time. They've probably been ordering food from outside, since I'm not home to cook.
"Venti, come here for a second." Amber, his manager, gestures for him, and he follows.
"What is it?"
"Can you wait here a second? We have a surprise for you." Amber smiles, a knowing look in her eyes. Venti cocks his head, confused. A surprise? He tried to think if there was anything special about today. Nope, nothing that he could remember. Before he could ask, Amber disappears from behind a corner, fast enough that Venti couldn't catch her. He sighs, obliging to stay put.
I want to go home...
Before he could call out to anyone in the studio, the lights go out. Venti panics, his fear of the dark starting to act up. The side door opens, and in comes the crew alongside amber carrying a small cake with presents. He watches, gasping when he finally realizes what this was all about.
June 16th. My birthday.
"Surprise! Happy birthday! This is your gift for your hard work from all of us!" Amber announces excitedly. Venti laughs, tears stinging his eyes.
"Thank you!! Thank you for remembering my birthday, I didn't even remember it myself." Venti wipes his tears before they could fall, taking the gifts into his arms.
"Come on, blow the candle!" The director instructs, and he does. The lights come on again, and he smiles.
"Thank you again, I love all of you guys so much! Never quit!!" Venti says, making all of them laugh. He celebrates with his team for a while, enjoying the company of these people who practically raised him as an idol. It was close to eight when he finally did reach home, about an hour than the time his shooting finished. He leaves his gifts in the car, mentally taking a note to get them out later after he took a shower.
He walked to the door, wondering with a smile whether Diluc and the kids remembered his birthday or not. Before going in, he checks his socials. Indeed, his name was trending on the bird app, with every single one of his fans wishing him a happy birthday. He smiles brighter, feeling appreciated. He checks his messages, a little disappointed when he sees that there were no messages wishing him from the people he'd been expecting. There were some from his colleagues, juniors at his company and friends. But none from the important people, like Xiao or Kazuha.
Even Diluc didn't message him.
He sighs, shoving his phone in his pocket before entering the house.
"I'm home!" Venti closes the door behind him, untying off his boots in the process. The house was deadly silent, and all the lights were out.
"Hello? Diluc? Kids?" He called out, kicking off his boots. There was no answer, nor was there any indication that there was anyone in the house.
Where is everyone? He thought, arranging his shoes on the rack. His family's shoes weren't there, though they should be. They were all supposed to be home earlier than him that day. Sighing, he hangs his coat on the coat rack before dropping his bag on the couch.
Maybe they forgot.
He shrugs it off, going into the living room. He was about to turn to go upstairs when the lights turned on, with a loud shout of "Happy birthday!!" He blinked a couple of times, adjusting his eyes to the blinding light before recognizing the people in the room. Kazuha, Xiao and Aether was on one side, Albedo, Kaeya, Childe and Zhongli was on the other. In the middle of it all was Diluc, and his sides were occupied by Heaven and Cosmo, smiling cheekily.
"Happy birthday, darling." Diluc steps closer, kissing his forehead. He stares, confused, before bursting into the tears. The whole room panics, blaming Diluc for making him cry.
"Bro, what the hell? You said he was going to be happy, not crying!" Kaeya says, looking at Diluc accusingly.
"I didn't know he was going to cry! Darling, why are you crying?" Diuc tries to comfort him, but couldn't get close due to Venti's members in front of him.
"You're such a crybaby." Xiao teases, patting his head.
"Oh come on, you do this every year." Aether chuckles, shaking his head.
"You don't change, now do you?" Kazuha sighs, though he was smiling.
"Why is he crying??" Albedo looks back and forth between Venti and everyone, looking confused and a tad worried. Venti takes a deep breath, getting choked up.
"Thank you..." Venti says, choking on air. He wipes his tears, though they didn't seem to stop. "I... I really love all of you." He covers his face with his hands, getting embarrassed about his behavior.
"So you're happy? You like this?" Albedo asks, gesturing to everyone around the room. Venti nods quickly, smiling.
"Yes. Of course I do, thank you."
They all breathed a sigh of relief (except Xiao, Aether and Kazuha, who only shakes their head), and they continue with the surprise party. His favorite Resin cake was there, and there was lots of native Monstadt food, and some from Liyue and Albedo even made a dish from Khaenri'ah. Venti had never seen so many food at one table, and he made sure to eat all of them (even though he knew he was going to exercise all that off later).
As he ate, he watched everyone in the room, talking and watching to each other. His heart felt full while watching everyone care for his children, and he felt at peace.
This year's birthday might not be that bad after all.