The Boy With the Flute [Xiaoven]

4. Fill My Ears With a Smyphony.

tw; dysfunctional families & verbal abuse.  please be cautious while reading! :D

Since yesterday was Friday, the weekend quickly strolled past. All I wanted was to flop on my bed and get some more well-deserved shut-eye. My Da took care of Qiqi for me, since he thankfully didn't have work this weekend, which led to me having a whole two days to myself. To me, that feels like actual paradise.

Though, I spent more than I expected thinking about him. The scoundrel and his devilish wink.

Maybe I'm over exaggerating. No, I'm definitely over exaggerating. It was just a simple wink, not like a full-on kiss or anything, right?

That's when I hear my door crack open suddenly.

"Xiao, you need to get some sunlight, you're not going to make it out all alive if you sit alone in your room all day." My Pa told me.

"What am I? A soldier in a world war? Let me do what I want." I responded, turning over lazily to face him. My Pa always wanted me to be active, which I wasn't a fan of, at all. I'd rather stay in school for the whole weekend than do whatever weird exercise practice he wants me to do now.

"The outdoors is good for you. Plus, I'll go get you some Almond Tofu if you do it." My Pa replied. He knew how to bribe me into doing stuff, and the trick was by saying Almond Tofu was the reward.

"Fine, whatever." I huff, rolling my eyes and folding my arms in defeat.

"There's my little comrade! Text me when you're coming home, alright?" I nod in response and left my room, not even bothering to close my door. Classic Pa right there.

And like that, I was already outside, walking around on my phone like walking was manual labor. My usual group chat with Hu Tao, Xingqiu and Chongyun were filled with the same old basic stuff. Hu Tao's weird shenanigans, Xingqiu obsessing over a new book or rambling about new story ideas he had, Chongyun complaining about how hot it's getting, then Xingqiu making a flirt from Chongyun's complaint, and so on and so forth, you get the picture. They're crazy, but that's teenagers for you.

I strolled by the nearby neighborhood playground. It was usually empty since the park had poor maintenance. It also had an eerie vibe, which drew parents away. That's why I liked it, it was calm and a place where I could get away from everything I can't handle; fears, possible failure, full commitment, those monsters that haunt my dreams every single night, everything.

But, out of the blue, I hear something.

It was the soft, but melodic sound of a flute. Each note hit perfectly on the spot, it was like a song sung by an angel. But who in the world is playing the flute in the middle of a dead and abandoned playground?

I looked around, and caught the eye of a person on the rusted swing set with a flute in hand, still playing it peacefully. I squinted my eyes and stared at the person

"Venti..?" I said, realizing who exactly was playing the flute. The boy stopped his tunes and lowered his instrument. He looked around for who said his name, then caught eye of me.

"Oh, it's you, Xiao! Hi!" He greeted, smiling and waving at me.

"Why are you in the middle of an abandoned park playing the flute?" I ask, walking towards him. Because seriously, who in their right mind would be doing what he is doing? Someone who just escaped a mental asylum, that's what.

"It's a complicated answer, you see.." Venti replied, looking down at the messy grass below him. I got onto the swing right next to him. The seat wasn't comfy, but swings aren't supposed to be comfy, they're supposed to swing properly, right?

"I'm all ears if you want to tell the story," I reply. Venti looks over to me, his eyes full of sudden sorrow.

"My house is a living hell. It's so noisy and there's always a fight in there. Every single day; it's basically routine. But, my mother got expessally mad at me because I was still failing math." Venti stops, taking a deep breath. He then continued his sentence.

"My mother is a monster when mad. She'll make anyone cry the Alantic ocean. Her giving me a lecture soon turned to her insulting me and calling me a god born mistake. And insult after another lead to one insult that was way too triggering for my own self. And that's why I'm here, escaping my house for the greater good." Venti continued, sighing and putting his flute back into its case. I felt bad, extremely bad. I knew what it was like to feel that way, so I tried my best to empathize.

"Well, you can swing by my place anything you'd like. My parent's would like having extra company around." I suggest. He glances over at me and a small smile appears on his face.

"That would be great! I bet your parents are amazing if they raised such a great child!" He added. I scoff in embarrassment, my face turning slightly red. My parents do deserve the world, yes, and have raised me well, but I'm not that amazing. I'm not an archon reincarnated or anything.

"Hmm.. I have your number? In case I... y'know, need to escape that hellhole?" Venti asked. I nodded and handed him over my phone so he can type his number and contact. When he was done, he handed the phone back over to me. He put his contact as his name in all lowercase with a small smiley face at the end. It was cute, I will admit that.

"Eheh.. thanks. I should get going before I get into more trouble." Venti said, getting off the swing and carrying his flute case. I looked at the time on my phone. Already nine o'clock? Time flies faster when I am talking to someone, huh?

"Yeah. Goodnight, maybe text me when you have a chance." I replied, giving a subtle smile to him.

"I will if I remember! I'll see you on Monday, Xiao! Bye!" Venti waved, then skipped off to his house, cheerfully as ever.

I could feel a smile inch on my face, getting bigger more I think about him. Goodness, I am letting my soft side get to this boy, huh?