The Only Thing On Venti's Mind Is Dreams Of Diluc
Venti sits on the ground next to Albedo. The sun has long past set, giving way for the moon and stars. It's a beautiful night, one Venti almost feels like he's wasting talking about such subjects.
"And that's everything?" Albedo nods, looking at the moon instead if Venti. Venti nods, turning to look at Albedo. "I'm not going to fight you. But I do want you to know that I will if need be."
It's Albedo's turn to nod, understanding Venti's words. "I understand. I still don't think it's wise to tell him." Venti nods again, though he turns away, following Albedo's gaze to the moon.
"I think you're right." Venti sighs, leaning back until his back hits the ground. He gazes at the stars, his eyes look like they're glowing a deep vibrant blue-green.
"I think it's time for me to head home." Albedo starts, looking over to Venti, deciding not to comment on how his eyes seem to glow. "That is if we're done?"
Venti nods, sitting back up so that he can stand. When he does, he holds out a hand to Albedo, offering to help him up. "Are we still good?" Albedo asks, and it hurts him that Venti hesitates.
"Yeah, I'll see you in class?" Albedo nods, taking Venti's hand, before getting up and starting his walk home.
Sighing, Venti does the same. He decides to go to his home in Celestia instead of his dorm, not wanting to wake Kazuha up. He would probably disapprove of Venti's actions.
He didn't resort to violence, but he still hates when he has too. Fighting was never fun for him, but he did what was necessary to protect and honor his friends and family. All of the Archons did.
////
Nahida's awake. She shouldn't be, not after the long walk home. But she is, waiting up for Venti. He called ahead, saying for them not to lock the door because he forgot his key.
"Did you fight him?"
"What?" Venti asks, it's the first thing Nahida's said to him and he's been hope for an hour. Getting a drink, eating leftovers, sitting down in his room so he could sulk.
"Your friend." Nahida's standing in Venti's doorway while he sits on his bed, breathing in the perfume on his sheets. It's fresh, Nahida or someone else probably sprayed some shortly before he got home.
"How do you even know about that?" Venti asks, it still shocks him that Nahida somehow knows almost everything going on in his life. It's an uncanny ability that really bothers him sometimes. It's like he has no privacy.
"You were talking to Mom and Dad." Is all she says, and though it should make Venti angry, it doesn't. He always loves talking through things with Nahida.
"You little ease-dropper." He says though a smile adorns his lips. She smiles, giggling at him slightly. Venti waves his hand towards himself, telling Nahida to come in. She does, walking over to crawl into Venti's bed with him, and he envelops her into his arms.
They sit like that for a moment, Venti holding Nahida in his lap as he sits on his bed. "I didn't throw any punches, but I did make him talk to me." Nahida looks up at Venti from her seat in his lap.
"Why not, wasn't he saying things about your boyfriend?" Venti coughs, all of the air forced out of his lungs for a moment.
"He's not my boyfriend." Venti finally sputters out after a minute of coughing.
But Nahida only shakes her head. "But you like him." Venti hates how all-knowing Nahida is at times.
"I don't even know if he likes guys." It's moments like this that Venti is grateful that his family is excepting and that he told Nahida first. When he fist started questioning he never would have guessed that his family would see him as a boy so quickly, or that they would still respect him when he decided he didn't want to transition until he was older.
It feels great to say that, even if it still hurts a bit. He's a guy, and Nahida knows it, and the rest of his family knows it, and that is the greatest gift of all. Almost as great as Venti being adopted in the first place.
"I think you might be surprised." She says, in a knowing way that makes Venti's skin crawl. He knows she's right, he knows that Diluc is gay, but he still hasn't heard Diluc say it and therefore he still had to have some disbelief. "You didn't deny that you like him." Nahida says after a moment of silence, making Venti laugh.
"No, I didn't." Nahida smiles before crawling out of Venti's lap. Venti takes a moment to let Nahida get settles next to him before throwing himself back to stare at the ceiling.
"Are you going to tell him?" Venti shakes his head, not sure how much he wants to tell his sister. "I think you should talk to Ei." At this Venti jerks up, looking at Nahida in her eyes.
"Why would I talk to Ei?" He asks, and Nahida smiles again. Though it's a sad smile, one full of remorse.
"I'll go get her." Nahida gets out of the bed, walking to the door before Venti can even process her words.
"Is she home?" Nahida doesn't answer, already out of the room and down the hall. She comes back with Ei, who looks just as confused as Venti feels. Though the only reason Venti can is because he grew up with her.
She sits on the side of Venti's bed, looking at him with that loving older sister look. They don't see much of each other anymore, both busy with school and friends. "What's going on Barbados?" Venti doesn't flinch at his name, liking the way that Ei says it.
"He likes a guy." Nahida says, sitting on Venti's other side.
"Oh my gods, you're gay? I never knew." Ei laughs, and it makes Venti laugh too. She's joking, they all knew. Venti had been getting crushes on guys ever since he started feeling romantic attraction. The same with Ei, but for the longest time it was 'unrequited love' for her best friend Yae Miko. "What's his name?"
"Diluc," Venti mutters, but Ei hears him. he knows that she did, judging by the look of confusion on her face.
"I haven't heard of him, is he from around here?" She asks, only for Nahida and Venti to shake their heads. Diluc wasn't from Celestia, or Sumeru, or the Akadymia.
"No, he's from Mond." Ei nods, understanding.
"So what's the problem?" And that's the thing. What is the problem? Venti had been wondering that the whole time. Was it the rumors? He has very clear trauma from the crash. Something else? Not knowing if he liked Venti back?
That was the one. What if he didn't like Venti back? What if he wasn't looking for anything? "I don't know if he'll be into me," Venti answers after a full two minutes of silence. Ei and Nahida both nod, understanding. Ei more than Nahida. Ei was very familiar with the thought.
"You're a catch, Venti. Any guy would be lucky to have you." The statement makes Venti smile. He always could count on his siblings. "What do you like about him?" Venti's smile gets even bigger. Oh gods, the things he likes about Diluc.
Groaning, Venti rocks back for a moment before speaking. "Where do I even start?"
The three siblings all laugh, the girls glad that Diluc puts Venti in such high spirits.
"Well its sounds like you should tell him. If anything I'm sure he'll be flattered." Ei says, but it only makes Venti frown. "I know that's not what you want." Venti nods at this, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling.
Nahida sits quietly, looking at her brother and sister. She's getting tired, but so desperately wants to be there for this conversation. Be there for her brother.
"The worst part is." Venti starts, tears starting to adorn his eyes. "What if he's not into me because I'm trans? What if he's not interested because of my body?" It makes Ei and Nahida frown, as it always did when Venti was insecure about his body.
"If he is," Nahida starts softly. "He wasn't worth your time in the first place." Venti nods, refusing to let the tears fall. He knew this. He knows that his body is amazing, that it's his and that makes it perfect. But other people didn't think that way. Venti so desperately hopes that Diluc thought that way, though.
"And he'll have to answer to us," Ei adds, making Venti laugh a sad laugh.
"Thank you," Venti says, letting the warmth of their love wash over him.
"So, tell us what you like about him. I'd love to know how you truly see him." Ei smiles at Venti's smile. He's so excited to tell them, he can barely hold in his joy.
"Okay so, he used to write music, from what Jean said he can hear the instruments in his head like I can." Venti hates to mention Jean, but somehow it feels important. And a small spiteful part of him wants to tell Ei what Barbara said. Ei would take care of it, especially when she gets permission from their parents to take care of it. That silly little part of him gives Ei his blessing.
"He used to practice with a claymore, so he's super strong, I'm sure he could pick me up, and you know how hot that is." Nahida makes a squealing noise, too much information for her, but it's fine, she's insisting on being there. "He has this red hoodie that I want to steal, I'm sure it smells like him."
"And how does he smell?" Ei's just asking to give Venti something else to talk about, she doesn't care, but the way that Venti lights up makes it worth it.
"Like small lamp grass and warmth. So like home really." Leaning back again, Venti takes one of his stuffed animals, a wind sprite that Kazuha and Xiao made, and holds it to his chest.
"Wow, like home?" Nahida smiles, and Ei laughs as she speaks. Though Venti feels embarrassed, he said the quiet part out loud.
"Yeah..." He says sheepishly.
"So you like all that, but I'm sensing that there's a bigger problem." Gods damn it Ei, why does she have to be so, so, so perceptive.
Venti pauses, thinking about if he wants to share Diluc's business. "He has a lot of trauma. Some really bad shit happened and he isn't exactly handling it well. I mean, I know he's doing the best he can, but."
"But it's still a lot, and you don't know how to help?" Ei asks and Venti nods. How could he help? Diluc isn't really letting anybody in as far as Venti was aware. "Well, you could wait until he has his shit figured out, and risk him finding someone else." The pause that Ei takes doesn't make Venti feel hopeful. "OR," She enunciates. "You could take the chance."
Gods, does Venti want to take that chance? But he knows he won't. Venti's a coward, and he knows it.
"You're a coward." Nahida sighs. Seems like they know it too.
"I just realized." Venti sighs, giving himself another reason not to say anything. "Zhongli said something about us sleeping together and it totally freaked him out."
"There was more to that conversation, Venti," Nahida says, still freaking Venti out by how much she seems to know.
Sighing, Venti answers Ei's questioning look. "He said that sex freaked him out, that it wasn't me, just the idea of sex."
Ei nods, understanding. "Well, that doesn't mean that he's not interested, just that he doesn't want to sleep with you. If it's not you then it's something else. And if it's not you, then you have a chance."
Venti smiles at Ei's words. Maybe she's right, maybe he did have a chance with the man that is slowly becoming the man of Venti's dreams. Literally, Venti started having dreams. One's that feels almost prophetic. Dreams of a happy life together.
Venti smiles, liking what he's hearing. "I'm still going to wait, but I like what you're saying."
Ei and Nahida smile too, laughing slightly. "Okay, tell us more." Nahida giggles.
And so Venti does, he tells them everything. Everything from the dreams, to the daydreams, to the ways he wants to help, the wishes that he hasn't dared tell another soul. Because these are the people he trusts.
They stay up into the late hours of the night. The only thing on Venti's mind is dreams of Diluc.