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"Will that be all today?" The beige haired teenager asks him, her tone devoid of any emotion, as if she isn't handing him eight bottles of rum, and four packets of cigarettes, despite it practically being illegal on their college campus.
"Yes, I believe so! Thank you, Lynette. Give my regards to Lyney and Freminet." He replied, his tone chipper as he snatched the items, before stuffing them in his bag as quickly as possible, eyeing the alley they were currently hidden in careful detail, so as to not possibly get arrested, even if the alley was darker then an empty cove with bats.
Lynette simply nodded, unbothered, as her face was cool without so much as a crack in her cool facade, as her hands folded themselves neatly, and she stood there, watching him without blinking.
Her hair was tied up into a carefully precise bun, with her bangs sticking out as ironically as ever, (along with her cat ears), while a half-burnt cigarette dangled limply from her lips, the dark red lipstick smearing itself slightly on the white filter, a checkered scarf with dark turquoise, tied neatly, peeking out from under her black jacket, yellow fur glued to the cuffs of it, along with the gloveless fingers she was sporting as she crossed her arms, patiently waiting. Apparently this was a trendy outfit amongst Fontaine and their people, although he wouldn't know too much about that prospect, not at least to a reasonable extent.
The alley they were currently occupying was nothing but a dump where college students would go and do... basically anything, being one of the only places within the college campus that went unchecked by the student council and security guards of the prestigious school.
It would usually become a business management place during the day, with the golden trio of Fontaine exchange students becoming the private 'dealers' of the school, wrapping everybody on their finger as they sold all kinds of items, no shame hidden whatsoever. However, by night, becoming a wasteland filled with... substances, alcohol and cigarettes, maybe also the odd college couple making out on the floor of the alley every once in a while.
There was an entire wait list the size of the entire college and possibly even longer, as they all had to come at specific times, routes, and use different numbers to contact the three siblings.
It had taken Venti a good 2 months of waiting in his turn patiently, to finally get the things he needed, and now that the sweet scent of alcohol wafted through his nose, he knew it was worth it.
"That will be... 28 Mora." The girl reminded, clicking her tongue at Venti's dumbfounded face, before outstretching her hand with a bored look on her face, as he finally caught on with the program and grabbed the money he needed to give.
"Thank you, I'll put you back on the list and give you your number and date soon."
"Thank you for your service, too! I'll be own my way now, bye!"
"Mhm. Goodbye." The girl waved a dismissing hand, as she took her time counting the money in her hand, walking further into the alley, without hesitating as the darkness simply made her vanish out of sight, her footsteps still being faintly heard if he tried straining his ears.
Taking that as his cue to leave before he got caught by those damned security dogs, he ran as quickly as he could, clutching the sage bag that was thrown over his shoulder haphazardly, as he took his shot.
There was always a reason on why Venti insisted buying from the "Magic life" store, even as the friends from his friend group all voiced out various noises of disagreement, arguing with him that the item were always outrageously overpriced, and the way they handled business was always sketchy (At least to the short Ravenette of his friend group.) But, he knew the way the three sibling worked their way through everything.
All the items were either bought from the highest markets possible, always managing to knock a hell of a punch, even in the first sip, and Venti, being the opportunist of a lifetime, as per usual, always took the chance to test his alcoholic capabilities, always funding the rush of it enthralling, exciting, addicting.
And if he had to pay a few more Mora and wait a few months longer to get some courage in his lungs, so what? It was a perfectly normal thing people did, and it wasn't like anybody just randomly bought alcohol on gloomy days, where clouds overshadowed everyone around and the breeze started whirling around harshly.
He turned through a few more turns, as he finally took ficus of the place he was running in, after being lost in thought for a long minute or two.
Vibrant lights blinded him, all of them trying to outdo each other in their flashiness, as they all pointed towards separate bars, trying to gain as many customers as possible, no matter the circumstance, even if it was broad daylight (not that it was, mind you.)
Ignoring all of them, he took some precarious strides towards the building in the corner, looking similar to an abandoned property, with growing mold on a few of the bricks at the front of it.
Opening the front door without a moment's notice, Venti keeps on with his quick tempo, easily reaching the stairs and climbing up just as efficiently, even as his gut wrenched nervously, and it wasn't even for the walls that were filled with endless graffiti or the monotone Grey peeling off to show bricks in the base of the building's structure, not even the odd stickiness of the railings had been the main problem.
Anxious excitement filled him as he moved up floors with anticipation, as he hummed absently, passing by his neighbour's, absently counting to himself.
Door 105, with poorly attempted pink paint bleeding itself into the oakwood, painting quite an ugly picture of what was supposed to be doodles of hello kitty.
Door 106, creatively themed as a coffin, with a small ghost on the doorbell of it.
Door 107, haphazard colours thrown around, almost as if the person who owned the apartment just decided to wing it when it came to making themselves feel at home.
And at last, he came to his own door.
Door 108, the basic design of it still very much present, yet still smelling like a barren science lab, as it wafted through the air, permeating throughout the hallway, even from miles away.
He stood infront of it, staring at it dumbfounded, even if it was his apartment door, as harmless as it ever was.
Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the groan he was about to let out, and opened the door carefully, only making a small creaking sound because of the rickety thing barely being on it's hinges.
He was greeted with the sight of his usual dim hallway, Grey walls plastering the place, along with dusty floorboards that kept making hard thumping sounds from their instability as he walked by, idly noticing the pair of converse shoe's already placed by the doorstep, and a jacket that was a bit too stocky for his build.
He let the faint scent of tobacco guide him outside to the balcony, with the curtains wafting through idly while the door remained half open, a figure leaning on the cold metal railing, staring up at nothing but the monotone sky.
"Enjoying the view, Xiao?"
It had startled the other man out of his stupor, as he looked back at Venti with a small amount of surprise on his face, but with an otherwise relaxed posture.
And Venti's heart sang whenever he got the chance to catch an eyeful at Xiao.
The man was stunning, his hair always a shaggy mess that made him look far more attractive then necessary, along with narrowed eyes, constantly on alert, yet always shining in it's golden hue, and Venti could easily imagine that winning a jackpot and swimming in the cash would pale in comparison to getting lost within Xiao's eyes, as long eyelashes curled themselves and use made Xiao look so much prettier whenever he blinked. He couldn't forget the two lip piercing spikes sitting right under the man's lips (which had a particular sheen that almost made it look like it was glowing) and the pointy ears with multiple earrings on them, two of them being similar to polearms, and the rest being more or less small stars and the occasional diamond shape scattered around, his outfit consisted of a sleevless Grey shirt, and some baggy pants thrown into the mix, and a necklace with half a heart.
He couldn't help but just take a good look at his friend, no, best friend, maybe closest person to ever know so much about him, maybe a person who he see's in his dreams every once in a while and... okay, yeah, Venti definitely might have a small crush on him, but that's not a big part of the picture.
"Mhm." Xiao hummed out, nodding absently as he turned around on one heel, marching back into the semi-warmth of Venti's apartment, and walking into the kitchen.
And it took all of a minute or two for Venti to compose himself as he sagged himself like a marionette loose of all it's strings, the other boy was driving him nuts without even knowing, and it just made him fight the urge to barge in there and kiss Xiao on the lips as aggressively as possible.
And of course, he couldn't do that. First he'd get punched and then possibly stomped on, and then he'd probably lose contact with Xiao forever, which, in his opinion, was not an ideal situation in the slightest.
So, with a bated breath, he walked back inside to his empty kitchen, devoid of almost anything.
The counters were a plain white, with a sink filled with nothing but dirty dishes, and the garbage bin right next to the counters filled with empty bottles, some shattered, some still intact, and some hanging by a thread with obvious signs of cracking.
He caught a glimpse of Xiao rummaging through the sage bag of cigarettes and rum, before grabbing them all with steady hands, and placing them slowly onto the counter tops.
And as the other man was about to grab the last cigarette box, Venti snatched it right out, holding it out with a tantalizing hand and a smirk that was no doubt plastered on his face with all the smugness in the world.
With a playful little smile, Xiao simply scoffed, placing his hands on his hips as they stood in the middle of the mostly broken-down kitchen.
"Will you be giving that back? Or should I explain to everyone else the lack of another pack?"
"You won't have to do that if you can take them."
Taking that as the challenge it is, Xiao leaps with a smile, holding a hand out as he tries to grab for it.
But, Venti is the quicker one out of them, managing to not only dodge the attempt, but also step around him and take out a cigarette in the process, as they passed into the living room.
Again, nothing to write home about. The cushions to the couches were filled with dust and possibly leftover crumbs of whatever takeout Venti had forgotten to clean up from, with the sole exception of a new coffee table he had bought prior to a few weeks ago, a neat little fake plant on it, along with a lighter sitting right next to it.
Grabbing it from it's place, he uses the lighter to start the cigarette up, noticing that Xiao's still following him, seemingly content In continuing this child's play, even if they were both fully grown adults currently fighting over a pack of cigarettes.
They make it to the hallway once again, where Xiao finally manages to corner Venti due to a dead end (even if it really wasn't, considering that both doors to his bedroom and his bathroom were right behind him).
Slightly out of breath, the other man takes a moment to get his wits together, and in the end, simply just stretches out a lazy hand, unknowingly mimicking Lynette's moves from a few hours ago, "Better to give up now and give it to me." He suggests, with a playful tone, stepping closer and closer, but all it does is make his grin turn wider and wider, as he's actively enjoying this little game of theirs.
Taking a small drag of the cigarette, he let's the swell of nicotine burn down his throat, filling his lungs as he calms down considerably, almost like a switch being turned off after being on the near edge of overheating.
"If, you want it." He begins, only to take another long drag of it, just to make Xiao waiting longer, as the cigar rests loosely on his lips, as he dangles it with his teeth, biting the filter ever do slightly, leaving a tiny mark on it. "Then you might as well come get it."
With a tilt of his head and an arched eyebrow, as if to convey a sort of 'touché' gesture, he walks up to Venti, before surprising him greatly.
The other man quickly takes the cigarette out of his mouth, before quickly shutting it tight with his own lips pressed up against it, as Venti let's out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, letting the nicotine move from his own mouth and travel down to Xiao's, giving both of them a fill of the cigarette, while Xiao holds it, twirling it with calloused fingers from training regimens and constant workouts.
It's not long before they're both tangling limbs around each other, with Venti wrapping his arms around Xiao's waist, while the other man loosely holds his shoulder, yet still twirling the cigarette like a particularly interesting toy.
A rush of burning swell into Venti's guts, and he's certain that it's not because of the nicotine at all, anymore, as he dives further in and tries to explore as much of Xiao's mouth as possible, letting every crevice be burned into his memory without a moment' hesitation.
And it's as the kissing continues, that both their eyes grow hazy, as they keep staring at each other, both with half-lidded eyes, and oh God he can't tear his gaze away from Xiao, and his face, looking way too striking to be ignored.
And the reality comes hitting him in full force when the door to his apartment swings open, and three people walk in, totally oblivious to the situation infront of them.
"I'm dying for some of that damned rum you've been going on for ages, Venti! You better have a good reason for making me wait so lo-" Heizou begins, the red-headed man the first to enter as he starts stretching his limbs, before his eyes widen and he promptly stops, leaving the other two gaping in their wake.
Kazuha and Scaramouche are holding hands, the two of them being a pair long since before he even knew either of them, yet he's never had the utter delight of seeing a couple match dumb-struck faces before.
But then he realizes that he's still kissing Xiao, and then he promptly also realizes the fact that he was kissing Xiao in the first place, and he immediately backs off, putting his hands in the air like a sign of raised defeat, acting like the police had caught him buying all the illegal substances, instead of his other friends catching him and Xiao kissing in the hallway of his own apartment.
"Well," Scaramouche begins, easily one of the three to regain his voice and composure the quickest, a look of bored amusement blatant on his face now. "Does this mean that me and Kazuha aren't the only package deal around here anymore?"
"It appears so, leafing." The white haired man speaks next, following quickly after his partner.
"Ugh, you four are insufferable. I'm taking two bottles to drink while I sit in the corner watching you all make out with your partners, you're all gross." Heizou says next, completely exasperated as he just walks into he kitchen, totally defeated, but still somewhat energetically.
And it's as Venti and Xiao share a confused look, Scaramouche scoffs, while Kazuha just smiles. "Congrats to you both, on both mine and Scara's behalf. Now, are we going to start drinking, or are we going to let Heizou drink your bottles dry? You've waited months for them, you know."
"Yeah, but it turns out I never needed it in the first place. But I still need alcohol after you three just begin barging in uninvited like you all own the place."
"This rat Warren place? I'd rather own a cardboard box, thank you very much." Scaramouche sniffs, although, Venti does note that he looks somewhat frazzled himself, blush Dusting off his cheeks and a his lips strangely swollen red.
"And on that note, I'm taking Xiao with me."