Venti's Hair
"Venti, stop moving," Kazuha says, repositioning Venti's head for the umpteenth time.
"We're dying the ends, you don't need me to sit still." Laughing, Venti tries to stop moving. "Why is it taking so long anyway?"
"We had to bleach it, remember?" Xiao, sitting on the counter, starts to pull up his sleeves.
"I know, but that feels like forever ago!" Venti sighs shifting in his seat again.
"So, are we going to study with them again?" Kazuha asks still applying the blue hair dye.
"What do you mean?" Venti eyes Kazuha, not trusting what he's about to ask.
"The group we met in the library. Mona and her friends." Cocking his head to the side, Kazuha waits for what feels like eternity for Venti's answer.
"Why would we? No offense, but I don't really fuck with Mona." Venti's tone and mood turns sour at the mention of Mona, who Venti's not really had a falling out with, but he still doesn't fuck with her.
"Felt, but I think Kazuha's more talking about Kaeya...And his brother." Xiao yawns, having only been up for an hour at most.
"What about Kaeya and his brother? And I swear...if you guys bring up that whole soulmate thing again, I'll kick you out." Venti says, still shifting around in his seat.
"Ok, harsh." Kazuha starts before getting interrupted.
"You just seemed really into this one, we want to give you a chance." Xiao says, pulling his legs up, sitting crisscross on the counter.
"I appreciate it, I do, but I'm gonna leave this one alone." Venti starts squirming more when Kazuha puts the plastic bag over his hair.
"Why?" Kazuha and Xiao ask, frowns playing at their faces.
"He clearly wasn't into me, and I'm not gonna waste my time with someone who doesn't want me." Looking up from his hands, Venti sees the shock written on his friend's faces. "What?"
"I don't think you've ever said that before." Kazuha starts only for Xiao to get up from the counter.
"And you've definitely never followed that before." Xiao moves to poke Venti's face. "Are you the real Venti?"
"He just doesn't seem interested in me, or anyone, other than Mona." Venti sighs, itching at his scalp. It itches, despite the fact that they're only dying the ends.
"Mona doesn't have a soulmark, she's not interested in anyone." Xiao laughs, smiling slightly.
"Just because she doesn't have a soul mark doesn't mean she's not interested. It just means she doesn't have a soulmate." Venti scowls, pulling his leg up to rest his foot on the edge of his chair.
"Time to rinse," Kazuha says, leading Venti to their bathtub in their shared bathroom. "I think she's ace."
"Ace doesn't mean she's aro, ya'know." Venti leans over the bathtub's edge, letting Kazuha turn on the shower head to rinse Venti's hair.
"I still don't understand why you're not into him anymore. Usually, you obsess over your 'soulmate' for at least a month or two." Xiao gets off the counter, moving over to help Kazuha thoroughly rinse Venti's hair.
"He just seems like he's not looking for anything. Not a fuck, not a date, not a friend, and I don't want to waste my time." Venti lets Kazuha and Xiao dry his hair with a towel once the water runs clear.
"Are you taking your meds? You're almost never this cynical." Kazuha asks worriedly.
Only for Venti to take offense, "Of course I'm taking my meds." He lies. Venti's prescription ran out a week ago and he hasn't had the time to go pick the new one up from Bubu Pharmacy.
Mostly because of classes, but also not taking his meds makes him not want to take his medication.
"Are you sure? Your pillbox has been empty for days." Xiao looks at Venti skeptically, pulling on the drawstring of his hoodie.
"Fine, I haven't been taking them, but I'm fine. I just...don't want to deal with anything right now." Venti sighs, looking up at his friends from the floor. "I know I should take them, I just don't want to anymore, ya'know?"
Standing up, the three boys grab a hair dryer and head to Venti's room. Venti jumps on his bed as soon as he can. He lets the smell of his favorite perfume fill his nose as he lays down on top of the blankets and sheets.
"I'll go with you to pick them up." Kazuha doesn't offer, it's more like a statement than anything else. "Do you need me to watch you take them?"
"I think that would help. Thank you, Zuzu." Kazuha hugs Venti, and Venti lets the smell of Kazuha's cologne enter his nose. "I really appreciate you guys."
"We know," Xiao joins the hug, having felt left out.
Tearing up a little bit, Venti hugs his friends like his life depends on it. And sometimes it really feels like it, Venti would be nothing without his friends.
Kazuha turns on the hair dryer, halting conversation while he dries Venti's hair. Venti loves the smell of hair dye, and how soft the deposit only dye makes his hair.
When Kazuha's done he helps Venti put in his signature braids, the hair keeps slipping out of his fingers, but Kazuha doesn't mind, he's loved playing with Venti's hair from the moment they met freshmen year.
"Hey, Venti?" Xiao looks at his boyfriend, confused on why he's calling Venti's name in a questioning manner.
"Yes, Zuzu?"
"Wanna get high?"
"Fuck yeah!"
/////
"There's going to be a party in Childe's dorm." Kazuha looks up from the text on his phone, staring at Xiao with loving eyes.
"Why do you still talk to Childe? He's a little bitch." Venti scowls, though he's not as mad as he could be, still most definitely high.
"Because he's dating our boss...and he throws really fun parties." Xiao stands before leaning back to pop his lower back.
"You're boss happens to be my brother, and the age gap is weird. Zhongli is 26, and didn't Childe just turn 21?" Venti a disgusted look makes its way on Venti's face and he makes a gagging noise.
"They're both adults, it's not like Childe's still in high-school." Kazuha scoffs before continuing. "Besides isn't that soulmate of yours just getting put of high-school?"
"I told you to drop it." Venti starts only to be cut off.
"His soulmark is on his hands, I've seen yours and it looks to be a close match, if I remember correctly." Kazuha smiles a wicked grin at the face of embarrassment Venti makes.
"I trusted you! And now you're telling me you've been staring?" Venti mocks a hurt expression, but ultimately smiles.
"You specifically showed me your soulmark, that just happens to be on your chest. And then you had me put my hands there to prove that I wasn't your soulmate." Kazuha deadpans, looking through Venti instead of at him.
"You did what?" Xiao asks, anger seeping into his voice.
"Don't be mad love, we did that before I met you." Moving over to kiss his boyfriend, Kazuha smiles when Xiao nods. Though he still looks a little hurt.
"So are we going to this party or no?" Xiao asks, hiding his face in Kazuha's shoulder.
"I think so, are you in Venti?" Venti sighs but nods, telling Kazuha that he's in. They'll always stick together with these things, if they got roofied it wouldn't have been the first time.
"Fine, but if Childe starts something I'm sending Ei after him." Ei disliked Childe for the same reason Venti did, maybe it's because they grew up so fast, but Childe seemed more childish than he should be. Even with the nickname.
"Deal." Kazuha smiles, it wouldn't be the first time Ei beat Childe's ass either.
"Can I invite Kaeya?" Xiao asks, pulling out his phone.
"When did you get Kaeya's number?" Venti asks and Kazuha smiles.
"He's in our math class, real smart kid. Honor roll or some shit like that." Xiao says, flipping through his contacts. He got Diluc's number from Kaeya too. And he already put it in Kazuha's and Venti's phones.
"Fine, invite him, but if Mona's there I'm dipping out." Venti's mouth turns to a frown when Kazuha shakes his head.
"No you're not. If Monas there you'll make some small talk before you avoid her all night, like you always do." Kazuha says sternly, his eyes never leaving Venti's face.
"Ok, fine." Is all Venti says in response. Biting on his nails, Venti actually feels nervous.
What if Diluc is there, Venti doesn't want to make a fool of himself. But he already did, didn't he? At the tea shop? In class?
Oh God, would Diluc laugh at him? Anxiety pools right under Venti's ribs, one breath, two breath, breathe Venti breathe.
"Let's get ready, we need to finish drying your hair, and Xiao needs pants." Kazuha smiles, pretending everything is normal even though Venti is clearly close to a panic attack to Kazuha's trained eyes.
The boys nod, jumping up and scrambling to get ready.
Deciding not to pregame was a good choice, Venti can't hold his tongue when he's drunk.
And if Mona's there and Venti's already drunk, there could be a problem.
An hour later, they're all ready, sitting on Ventis bed getting high again, smiling and watching playthroughs of their favorite games before its time to go.