Work Text:
‘Oh can you hear
My heart beating low
Below the earth
Where music is mellow
Hasten the tempo
For we’re not done yet
The moon’s still overhead, lads
Let’s dance til’ death
Does us part’
Slender fingers masterfully struck the guitar’s cords, accompanied by enchanting vocals. Even though the wall muffled some of the notes and lyrics, they were still very pleasant to listen to.
Xiao checks the cubic clock resting atop the nightstand next to his bed, and reads the numbers displayed on the screen: it’s past ten PM. A silent groan escapes past his lips as he stands up, struggling to put on the pair of jeans discarded on the floor, and a dirty white t-shirt he’d forgotten to toss into the laundry basket last night.
“Hey!” He knocks at the door of the adjacent room; that one belonged to his roommate, Venti, a seemingly polite yet cheeky guy, barely-passing grades under his belt, and a knack for making Xiao’s life hell. “You already forgot? No music, no singing, and no instrument tuning past ten.”
There is silence inside the room, the music momentarily stops before picking up again, louder this time. This little brat.
Xiao considers just leaving him be, take some earplugs and suck it up. But Xiao was in a bad mood, or rather — he was always in a bad mood when someone decided to dedicate each and every night of theirs to repeatedly ruining their roommate’s sleep schedule.
He briefly pauses before bursting in.
Venti’s eyes widen and he almost drops his guitar, catching it by the neck just in time to avoid a worst-case scenario. “Can’t you warn before entering??”
“I just did! Quit playing dumb.” Xiao crosses his arms over his chest, clear disappointment in his gaze.
“Ah.” Seeing that he would be unable to bargain his way out of this, Venti carefully sets the instrument down on its stand before looking back at the other. “Did I wake you up?”
“No,” Xiao sighs, “rather, I couldn’t fall asleep.” Despite his best intentions, he cannot help but notice how flustered Venti looks, and rapidly realizes why; he is only wearing a white tank top with boxers, and high striped socks with cat patterns printed on them. His two blue-dyed braids perfectly frame his flushed face from either side, in direct contrast to the paleness of his skin.
“I’m sorry.”
They both stare at each other for an awkward amount of time, Venti wondering whether or not Xiao would accept his apology, and Xiao wondering whether or not Venti was bullshitting him.
Ultimately, Xiao diverts his gaze and sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, regretting having come here already. He’d rarely ever stepped into Venti’s room, mostly out of privacy, of course — but there was something about the vivid-colored tapestry, walls covered in music band posters, and plushies piled up in every corner that willed him out of this room.
"Just… try not to do it again, yeah? Finals are in a month, I don't want to screw them up."
Upon mentioning the finals, a glimmer of disdain crosses Venti's gaze. "Right." He suddenly stands up from the bed, leaving a dent behind in the mattress, amongst the fluffy cushions. He walks toward Xiao which forces the latter to backpedal out of his room. “Good luck and goodnight.”
Xiao’s lips part to say something else, but the door closes right in front of him. He stands there in utter disbelief, jaw still hanging. A sigh escapes him and he heads back to his own room, plopping down on the cold gray sheets.
Their relationship had never quite gone past that point. They were friends and strangers, roommates and accidental acquaintances. But deep down, Xiao longed for more. Was it Venti’s natural charm? His skills in music and art? His adaptiveness and combativeness? Or perhaps his flaws made him perfect to Xiao’s eyes. How long has this been going? Seven… eight months? Perhaps even more, but around the second week of school at least, he’s certain.
Venti wasn’t Xiao’s first roommate. In fact, from what he can recall, the musician had desired to be alone in order to play his guitar without bothering his neighbor. This request, of course, was rejected and he was paired with a student named Bennett. Ironically, the two got along quite well and formed a small group of equally just as lonesome students. Xiao is still able to name all of them from the top of his head: Bennett, Fischl, Razor, Chongyun, Xingqiu and Hu Tao. However, something happened a few months later, which caused Venti to abruptly change rooms. And that is pretty much how they ended up sharing a room. Xiao does not know any more than that, or rather, Venti had never wished to tell him the juicy details. He understands that well, everyone has their own little secrets, himself included.
Staring at the blank ceiling overhead, it doesn’t take long for his eyelids to grow heavy before eventually closing shut.
————
The second day, Venti was sitting under a willow tree, outside in the sunny backyard, reading a romance book and munching bits out of a red apple. Their gazes had met, albeit momentarily. Xiao had not cared much at first, but still wondered why such a peculiar character was resting all alone far from everyone else.
Xiao wakes up to the ‘sweet’ sound of glass crashing to the floor and shattering.
Archons what now.
He jumps up to his feet, hastily changing into fresh clothes before heading right out. Into the kitchen, Venti was leaning over the sink, cursing under his breath.
“Are you alright??” Xiao rushes to his side, noticing the small amount of crimson dripping from his index finger. He snatches the towel under the sink and dampens it in lukewarm water. “Here,” carefully, he wraps the latter around Venti’s wound. “What happened?”
“I was making breakfast for the both of us — to apologize for yesterday night.” Venti pathetically sobs, gesturing at the broken plate on the wooden floor.
But you’re clumsy , Xiao wants to say, he doesn’t. “Ah… that’s really kind of you, but you need to be more careful.” He kneels down to pick up and gather the biggest shards of glass, then uses a broom to clean up the rest.
Venti was staring at him — no, through him rather —, putting his mind to work and trying to figure out the right words to formulate an answer. “Tell me Xiao… do you hate me…?”
The other makes a full pause at that, blinking at the trash bin before turning his head. “What? No! Of course not. Where'd you get that idea from?”
Venti guiltily looks down at his shoes, a pair of sneakers that used to be white. “I often have the impression… that people dislike me. Whether it’s because I’m loud, or annoying, or—”
“You’re none of that, Venti.” Xiao responds firmly, golden eyes locking with his. “I’m still here, am I not? Even after four months of sharing this dorm, I have no intention of leaving.”
“Well then, if you really believe that…” The musician anxiously bites on his inner cheek, “you’re weird.”
The silence which falls upon them, punctuated by the screams of some excited students in the corridor, is loud if you consider the storm of thoughts racing in their respective minds.
“... Sorry?” Xiao’s face is flush from embarrassment, but so is Venti’s. Him? Weird? Weirder than someone like Venti?? Why? Staying with him is weird? Do others think the same way? Is Xiao weird to some extent because he hangs out with him??
“Shi— I mean crap, that’s not what I meant! N-not in this way.” Venti sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, you shouldn’t believe that I’m not strange or annoying. You can say it— you can say what you really think of me.”
Xiao is about to respond, when a vile odor of burnt food penetrates his nostrils.
Venti smells it too, already flying to the stove where two eggs are cooking beyond edibility in a pan. “Shit shit shit shit.” So much for not wanting to swear. He soaks the whole thing in water, eggs included. Everything cools down, and they’re now left without breakfast. “I… I was never good at cooking.”
“I can see that.” Xiao is grateful for once that the fire alarm is not working, no needless interventions from the pawns or weird looks from their dorm-mates. “It’s okay. I’ll buy us something on the way, aight?”
The musician’s face lights up at the mention of not having to pay . He makes grabby hands like a child, and — without Xiao’s consent — pulls him into a bear hug.
“Ugh! You’re nineteen Venti, nineteen!” Xiao groans, wiggling out of his grasp but to no avail. He ends up dragging the smaller male to their doorstep, snatching his black and white baseball jacket from the pegs and his backpack from the floor.
“And what about it?? A grown man can do whatever he wants!” Venti whimpers, eventually letting go after one last tug.
Xiao rolls his eyes and shakes his head. His roommate truly was a hopeless case.
————
The third day, Venti was holding a kaleidoscope and looking through the lense, sat on the exact same hill under the same tree, all alone once more. There was a smile on his face and the wind was blowing through his raven hair, making his braids sway. Xiao stared at him a little longer than he had the first day.
“Xiao?” Venti calls out from the other side of the rectangular table.
They were presently at the library, studying. Well, Xiao at least was — plunged deep in a book of foreign literature.
“Yeah?” He responds without looking up at him or raising a brow.
“Catch!” Venti tosses him a red apple. It lands on the table, rolls at high speed and goes way past its original destination, hitting the foot of the girl sitting at the next table. “Whoops—”
The girl’s head tilts as she leans down to pick up the fruit, her two lavender pigtails spilling over her shoulders as she does. “You again??” A frown carves her delicate features.
“I’m sorry!” The musician excuses himself, bowing his head as though this would be enough to soothe the girl’s fury. “I really am sorry, Keqing—”
“I’ve had it with you and your childishness!” Keqing stands up, causing the other girls around her (in this case, Mona and Ganyu — who’s in fact, Xiao’s sister — two last-years just like him) to watch in disbelief. She heads over to their table and halts right behind Venti before dropping the apple atop his head with a bonk.
“Ow!” Venti rubs the now sore spot on his head, not doing anything to fight back. “That’s mean!” His eyes instinctively look for Xiao, but he is nowhere to be found.
“Hmph.” Keqing wipes her hands clean before turning on her heels. But before she could sit down, the librarian — Lisa — calls out her name, scolding her for disturbing her haven of silence and peace as well as the other students. Defeated, the three girls decide to leave the library, seeing that it was the wisest choice to make right now.
A few seconds after they exit the room, Xiao sits back down at the table with another book in his hands, and doesn’t say a single thing about what just happened.
“You… did that?” Venti dumbfoundedly gazes up at him, discarding the apple into his bag.
“Did what?” Golden eyes lock with him for a moment, before going right back to his physics book.
Venti doesn’t push it any further and pulls out his sketchbook diary, a pen filled with silver glitter, and writes in big bold letters at the top of a brand new page:
My roommate is secretly a superhero.
————
The fourth day, it was raining. Yet Venti was standing there at the exact same, exact same place, holding up a white Polaroid. Xiao always had a passion for photography, thus he halted in his tracks at the sight of the device, wondering if he knew how to handle it — knew how to choose his subject, take the perfect angle with just the right amount of exposure. A thought crosses Xiao’s mind then. What a picture-perfect individual he was.
Xiao pulls the hood of his baseball jacket over his head. It was pouring cats and dogs outside, forming puddles on the ground and turning soil into mud.
“Don’t you have an umbrella?” Venti glances up at him, a concerned look on his face.
“No, I don’t care for the rain.” He points at his destination, across the schoolfield where the road is. “The bus station is right across from there. Then I take the metro to the city's center.”
“That’s a long way…” Venti says matter-of-factly, taking his bag off his shoulder to fish something from inside it. “I won’t need it, here.” He extends his arm out to Xiao, holding in his hand a yellow umbrella with a childish duck face that reveals itself when spread out.
“Mh.” Xiao considers the offering, hesitating to grasp the object. “What about you? Won’t you get soaked?”
A grin crosses Venti’s face as he pulls out a second umbrella. This one is green, and has a frog face imprinted on it. “Nope! Got a matchin’ pair ehe~”
Xiao doesn’t know whether he should laugh or punch him, the expression of sheer conflict on his face is enough to indicate that.
“What… you don’t like it? I bought it specially for you! If you keep carelessly running around under the rain like this… you’ll end up catching a cold or worse!”
…What a fool you are. “Ah— no, I like it a lot. Thank you.” Xiao politely bows his head, opening the umbrella solely in order to make the other happy despite finding it ridiculous-looking. Yet, deep down, his soul was satisfied from the sincerity of the gift.
Venti’s face lits up and his eyes glimmer like constellations in the sky — if it weren’t covered by gray clouds as of now, that is. “Can I… can I come with you? I need to get to the city’s center.”
Xiao is almost surprised by the demand. After all, Venti had never requested something like that before, never even walked with him, nor on a sunny day. “... sure.”
The musician almost squeals from excitement, opening his own umbrella before starting to walk.
It wasn’t such a long walk, from the dorms to the gate, then across the parking lot where a handful of cars were stationed (most likely from staff, and those who could not go home during the weekends). Then they took the bus, with Xiao plugging one earphone inside one of his ears, listening with the other to Venti rambling about summer, the many festivals and celebrations that he eagerly awaited for.
“I love the music festival! I've been going there every year, you see, since I was very little.” He places his hand flat in the air below his waist. “High like this. So yeah, it’s very important for me.”
Xiao doesn’t respond until they’re outside again. Raindrops trickle down his face before he’s able to reopen his umbrella. “I’ve always hated crowded events. I would rather celebrate with a select few people in a convivial setting.”
“M. Introvert strikes yet again!” Venti is the only one laughing, which promptly makes him pursue his original spiel. “Well, due to school and all, I probably won’t make it home in time this year. I’ll spend my first music festival without my family…” The saddened expression on his face is almost enough to make Xiao feel bad as well. “They’re amazing people, I wish you could meet them one day!” And just like that, Venti’s sorrow is already gone and replaced with cheerfulness.
They arrive at the metro station just as it stops raining. It’s already time for them to part ways.
“Thank you for walking alongside me.” The hint of a smile graces Xiao’s face as he folds the now useless umbrella, storing it away safely in a pocket of his jacket.
“No, thank you for being my friend, Xiao.”
————
The fifth day, Venti had a sketchbook. He was drawing lines of whatever his gaze landed upon, from decaying flowers to the gray autumn sky, trees with their yellowing leaves, a green-eyed black cat, and some random students in various mundane situations. Xiao had once again stopped to take a proper look at him, see if anything had changed since yesterday, as if this could miraculously disperse all of his qualms. Venti had noticed him from afar and waved, expecting an exaggerated, uncharacteristic reaction from Xiao. But there was no response, for the other had already vanished amongst the crowd.
“Why are we here again?” Venti mutters to Xiao, although no one around them was close enough to hear anything.
Before them stood the house — no, sorry — villa of any typical wealthy family. Cubic shapes interlocked in the middle of half an acre of terrain, marble fountain throning at the entrance next to metallic gates (or silver? At this point, it wouldn’t surprise them). A wall of lush green hay delineates the garden, and the grass is just as green. A rocky path leads to the main building.
“Because Ajax and I are good acquaintances, we are in the photography club together. Spoke a few times, but I wouldn’t consider him my friend.” Xiao merely responds, heading to the front door where a bunch of students were smoking cigarettes.
“Rude!”
“How come?”
“He invited you to this party and accepted for me to come along, even though we don’t know a single thing about each other! He sounds like a cool guy.”
Xiao only snorts in return, clearly thinking otherwise. But well, he wasn’t about to diss the owner of the home they’re invited to, right?
They open the door and are immediately assaulted with loud electro music, a strong scent of cheap booze and food, and chatter — chatter everywhere in every corner. Both their heads are buzzing, and Venti’s already feels like exploding.
“Ah there he is! The one and only, incredible, marvelous—”
“Childe.”
The ginger laughs, giving Xiao an energetic pat on the back. “Happy to see you! Oh, and who’s your little friend here?”
Venti is half-hidden behind Xiao, refusing to go out of his way and shake a stranger’s hand. Speaking about people when they’re not here is easier than when they are. “I… uh…”
“This is Venti. He’s in the music club.” Xiao explains for him.
“Ah, band kid then? Fitting.” Childe smirks before gesturing at the kitchen. “You might wanna grab yourself a drink, feel free.”
Now, Xiao wasn’t one to drink and hated it more than anything. However, he wouldn’t mind getting wasted if that meant the night would go faster.
Venti, on the other hand, appears more than eager to taste each and every alcoholic drink, from cocktails to the punch and beers.
“I love this party already!” The musician chuckles after downing his first glass of the night (the first of a long series).
Xiao only rolls his eyes at that. “You’ll spend your night barfing and morning feeling like absolute shit. Is that your definition of a good party?”
“Oh c’mon Xiao, get that stick out of your ass!” He gives the other one playful push, attempting to lure a reaction out of him.
But Xiao is stone-faced, indifferent, and now has a pulsating headache due to this horrendous ‘party’. “Listen… if you need me, I’ll be outside.”
Venti barely waves at him to indicate that he understood his words, going right back to drinking like his life depends on it.
On his way to the garden, Xiao runs into Kunikuzushi, a hot-headed exchange student from Inazuma, accompanied by none other than Kazuha (his boyfriend, Xiao assumes), another student from the photography club. They giggle at each other, clearly wasted to the bone, and accidentally bump into him without apologizing in return.
“Oh, but isn’t it the good X! Didn’t think I’d see ya face around here tonight!” Kunikuzushi snickers, snatching the glass of some poor guest as the two lovers make their way upstairs. Yeah… definitely do not go upstairs.
Xiao sighs, hardly keeping up with all the information bombarded at him. He manages to make a quick escape outside by the pool, where familiar faces were enjoying themselves playing water polo — Keqing, Mona, Ganyu, forming one team on one side, and the twins — Aether and Lumine — alongside Xinyan, a student from the music club, on the other side.
They play normally for a while, until the musician decides to smash the ball mid-air. “Rock this!!” Except the ball doesn’t end up where she had expected, but rather, flies at hyper speed toward an oblivious Bennett.
The loud smack makes everyone gasp out of worry, and the girls promptly gather around the unlucky boy. “Are ya… okay?? Oh jeez, I’m so sorry!”
From time to time, Xiao wondered how Bennett could survive with what appeared to be a curse of extreme misfortune, cast upon him at all times. Poor boy.
“Hey, you!” Keqing calls from the poolside. “Yeah, you. Go get the first aid kit.”
“But I don’t know where—”
“Oh my Archons, just look around and ask!” She groans, muttering something to Ganyu afterward.
Xiao’s sister only waves at him quietly, since she’d only noticed him now — and frankly hadn’t expected him to come here in the first place.
“... Fine.” Xiao mumbles behind gritted teeth, heading right back inside to look for that stupid kit. Now, of course, any sensed person would check the bathroom first — but he has no knowledge of this place’s layout whatsoever.
Xiao ends up wandering from room to room for a good five minutes before finally finding it. He knocks, just in case, and is greeted by the sound of someone clearly not having a really good time with their digestive tract. “Hey um, so I need somethin’ in here, do you mind letting me in or is it really that bad?”
There’s no response for a moment, but the door eventually unlocks.
He’s almost not surprised to find Venti there, bent over the porcelain throne, hand covering his mouth.
“See, I told you this would happen. The alcohol’s pretty cheap too, you were asking for it.” Xiao pinches the bridge of his nose, voice filled with mostly dismay and a hint of disappointment.
“You really gonna lecture me… now…” Venti takes a deep breath in, screwing his eyes shut.
“No, I just—” Xiao briefly pauses, hesitating to voice his thoughts. “I just worry and I care, because you’re a dumbass, but you’re the dumbass I’m friends with.”
The both of them go momentarily silent, with the stifled sound of electro music still playing in the background.
“So please, don’t throw your health away…”
Venti diverts his gaze, focusing on the marble sink instead. “... Weren’t you here to pick up something?”
“Oh— oh right. Bennett’s had some trouble again.”
The ravenette chuckles. “I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”
“Poor guy took a volleyball to the face.” Xiao opens the cabinet, and thankfully finds the first aid kit right away. He opens the door again, flashing one last compassionate look at his roommate. “If you need me—”
“I know, I know!” Venti gags and coughs, avoiding another reflux. “Also… will you bring me back to dorms? There’s no buses this late and I don’t know anyone else who drives…”
Xiao smiles at him.
“Sure.”
————
The sixth day, Venti was no longer sitting alone under the willow tree. There were other students resembling him somewhat, in the sense that they had a hard time integrating the ‘popular groups’ and would rather be on their own. Bennett, the unlucky guy from the cooking club, Xingqiu from the literature club, and Chongyun who followed his best friend wherever he went. They were chatting about whatever: their lives, their families, their experience so far in this new foreign establishment, their plans for the next vacation or potential crushes. Venti spotted Xiao again in the crowd, caught him staring once more and eagerly waved with a bright smile displayed on his face.
It is a sunny afternoon of Spring. Xiao was leaning against the wall of the Starmora café, waiting outside for his roommate to show up.
Cigarette in hand, he watches the students come and go, groups or lonely fellows, friends, lovers.
“Sorry for being late! I’m here!” Venti shouts from a distance, running toward him like a madman.
He suddenly halts a few meters away from Xiao, but the weight of his bag makes him stumble and fall forward.
Xiao immediately reacts, tossing his cigarette away and catching Venti into his arms. “You okay??”
A nervous cough goes past Venti’s lips as he stands straight back up, sheepishly diverting his gaze. “I— yeah… thanks.”
“It’d be a shame to die now, one week from finals.” Xiao smiles at him, teasingly ruffling his hair.
“I don’t caaare!”
Xiao chuckles, “I recommend you do before it’s too late though, it would be a shame if we couldn’t graduate together at the same time, don’t you think?”
“...” Venti lets out a drawn-out sigh. “You’ve got a point.”
They enter the café, warmth enveloping the both of them as they step in. They’re greeted by Xiangling, who sometimes comes here during her free time to give the staff a helping hand.
“Hey! Long time no see!” She smiles brightly at them both after dealing with an impatient client.
“It’s been quite a while, you’re right. We’re quite busy with finals at the moment, that’s why.” Xiao informs her whilst walking up to the counter. “Same thing as usual, by the way.”
“Oh yeah! That’s understandable. It’s crazy for me too, I barely had the time to come here or help at my father’s restaurant!” Xiangling sighs before turning around to prepare their order.
Venti was anxiously looking inside his bag, searching for something he was unable to find. “Er… Xiao?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t have… I mean… I forgot my wallet at the dorm I think.”
Xiao only shakes his head, seemingly unbothered. “I can pay for you, it’s alright.”
“I’ll pay you back, promise!”
“You don’t have to, don’t worry.” He responds with a smile as he hands the money to Xiangling.
They take their order outside, eating as they walk through the lush grass fields. Venti sips on his matcha tea, whereas Xiao bites on some local Liyuen pastry.
The sun’s shining brightly, illuminating the entire city — save for the places permanently drowned in shadows due to the tall buildings around.
“Xiao, I wanted to ask you something important…” Venti suddenly blurts out, staring down at his own feet.
“Mh?”
“Do you… do you love someone?”
Xiao halts, his facial expression melting into a small confused frown. “Why are you asking me this?”
“Well…” Venti sighs, gazing up at the cloudless blue sky. “We’ve known each other for a while now, I was… curious, that’s it.”
Silence falls upon them for a moment, broken by a single sharp inhale.
“Why does it matter to you?”
“I—” Venti instantly regrets his stupid question. You idiot jinx everything. “I’m sorry, I know it’s personal. I didn’t mean to— ugh…”
Seeing how frustrated and pitiful his roommate now felt due to the harshness of his response, Xiao hums. “Perhaps.”
“Huh?”
“I said perhaps. I’m not sure.” Xiao crumples the paper of his pastry before tossing it into a bin nearby. “Love is just a word, it isn’t enough to define the way I feel.”
“Oh… I see. Well, whoever your heart belongs to, I hope they’ll treat you well!” Venti’s smile is painful, but forced to appear normal to anyone else’s eye.
“They do.” Is all Xiao answers before starting to walk again.
Better than anyone else.
————
The seventh day, Xiao joined Venti under the willow tree. ‘Why this tree in particular? What’s so special about it?’ Xiao asked, and Venti only smiled up at him. ‘My twin used to love willow trees. It’s the only one here, so…’ The musician responds with a sigh. ‘Used?’ The silence that ensues leads Xiao to sit next to him, and lean against the tree bark. ‘I’m sorry.’ Venti doesn’t reply and points at the sky instead. ‘Himmel, his name means sky. I like to believe he’s watching me from the stars, follows me wherever I go…’ They both gaze at those oceans of blue, making out shapes of the clouds. The moon and the stars, an empty road, two bright halos of light, complete darkness.
“Mhn…” Venti is woken up by the sound of his phone buzzing. He snatches the device from the nightstand, squinting his eyes due to the screen’s brightness, and checks all of the notifications.
Two missed calls from ‘Xiao<3’.
It appears Xiao had also texted him late at night, one hour ago or so. Curious, Venti checks the messages.
Xiao<3, 10:16PM: hey.
Xiao<3, 10:16PM: sorry for messaging so late, you must be sleeping already.
Xiao<3, 10:17PM: if you do wake up… could you join me at the willow tree?
Xiao<3, 10:22PM: don’t think much about it, it’s nothing bad. Just… come, okay?
Venti is almost bewildered by those texts. It’s the first time Xiao had invited him somewhere via SMS, or this late. Something must have happened that required his presence.
He hastily puts on a t-shirt, jeans and his pastel jacket before heading straight out.
Running into the empty corridors of the dormitories when everyone else was asleep. Alone. But he keeps running until he arrives outside, shivering due to a light summer breeze, yet the night was warm and the dark blue skies were inviting. He doesn’t stop until the willow tree appears in the distance.
‘Oh can you hear
My heart beating high
Above the clouds
Where songs are euphonious’
The familiar sound of guitar and lyrics go straight to Venti’s heart, skipping a beat. Was it…?
‘Lower the tempo
For the night’s soon coming to an end
The sunrise’s comin’, lads’
It draws him straight to the top of the hill.
‘And death will never do us part
We’ll always stay together
No matter what Fate says…’
“Xiao…?”
Sitting under the willow tree, guitar in hands, Xiao was playing with his eyes closed, feeling every breeze rush through his hair and the leaves above. He stops upon hearing Venti’s voice, setting the instrument aside.
“Ah, Venti. I didn’t think you’d come.” He smiles sweetly at him.
“The notifications woke me up. But it’s alright! I’m curious, why did you ask me to come over? Why… here?”
Xiao doesn’t respond and pats the grass next to him. Venti of course sits next to him promptly after, doing his best to suppress the urge to bombard his roommate with questions.
“A while ago, you asked me who I loved. You remember that, right?”
Venti slowly nods his head while bringing his knees to his chest.
“I told you words couldn’t describe my feelings.” Xiao looks down for a moment, hesitant. “So I used music instead.”
The musician’s eyes widen in the slightest at the words. Does that mean…?
Xiao gazes up at him, golden interlocking with blue. “This song’s for you.” He extends his hand out for the other to take it. “I always wondered why I felt this way around you, why my… stomach was getting warm and… it was so strange. But now I know.”
“I love you, Venti.”
Venti almost chokes on air, feeling tears well at the corner of his eyes already. He waves his hands in the air as if he’d just eaten something really spicy.
“Shit, you okay??” Xiao’s eyes widen from worry as he leans forward.
The other coughs, diverting his gaze. “Ack— yeah. Don’t worry it’s just… I didn’t expect that .”
Xiao chuckles, guiltily looking down. “Yeah, sorry… it was quite abrupt.”
“So, you… love me?”
“... I do, yeah.”
Venti ponders for a second or two before finally taking a hold of his hand, noting how cold Xiao’s felt. “... I love you too.” He smiles, coral blush dusting his cheeks.
“I’m… relieved to hear that.” Xiao smiles back at him, still feeling a tad bit awkward and anxious.
“So…” Venti begins, gaze drifting to the guitar, his guitar. “Would you mind playing again for me…?”
“Ah—” Xiao is surprised at the request, but obliges nonetheless. “Of course.” He leans back against the tree, angling the instrument right and positioning his fingers where they needed to be. He takes one deep inhale before starting to play, and with music filling the air around the both of them under a bright moon, his voice resounds.
‘Oh can you hear
My heart beating high
Above the clouds
Where songs are euphonious
Lower the tempo
For the night’s soon coming to an end
The sunrise’s comin’, lads’
And death will never do us part
We’ll always stay together
No matter what Fate says
My heart whole belongs to you’