"murder", he says | xiaoven x reader

chapter twenty five

venti felt a bit embarrassed sitting on your lap rather than the other way around as your lips and bodies pressed together, but you feared your weight would crush his rather- ahem- flimsy? figure. you insisted you didn't care (and you were honestly surprised he was worried about the presence of his masculinity) and he eventually settled. You'd be happy to sit on his lap, very happy at that, but when even your thighs alone are bigger than his, you don't want him straining. plus, he's feeling much better about it when you explained how masculine being "on top" is.

you try to speak as venti keeps kissing you- a consistent problem you've faced lately- and eventually are able to pull him away from sucking faces.

"the bath waters freezing, we'll get sick too if we don't get out" you say, glancing at ventis red puffy lips.

"can we continue if we're warm and dry? byt not fully dry aye y/n?-" you cut him off by standing and he slips off your lap into the water before huffing and getting out himself. he quickly wraps a towel around himself and hums happily. water drips from their hair.

you sigh and come up behind him snd start drying his hair with a smaller towel. he smiles and let's you do so, deciding to spend his time warming his body in the towel. Once you're done, his hair sticks up in every direction and you can't deny that he looks simply adorable- but you've always thought so. you look outside to the pouring rain.

"its looking like winter is setting in- let's hope another storm doesn't hit mondstadt." you comment and venti looks up at you.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, the worst we usually get is snow sent down from dragonspine" they sat before walking into the main room and behind the screen to find clothes.

"put something warm on, xiao doesn't like too many blankets on the bed." you explain, accompanied by an agreeing grunt from said bed. you smile and walk over to xiao.

"sleeping well?" you ask, reaching up to brush a few stray nails away from his face. "you look like you've slept for a week"

"that would be an accurate thing to describe how I feel, too." he says- clearly still exhausted despite the rest.

"and here you were saying you dont get sick from the weather, but this is the longest cold any of us have ever had." you scold- sighing sympathetically shortly after. "you must feel awful. anything you want?"

xiao shakes his head, sniffles then curls into the sheets, closing his eyes. you kiss his head and pull away, locking the balcony window and shutting the curtains. the whether outside was appalling. you'd be in your right mind to barricade the windows.

you decide to light the candles and lamps around the room instead, pouring xiao a fresh glass of water and boiling the kettle for tea. venti finally steps from behind the screen- wearing an old button up of yours and pants that he's been borrow from xiao for a while. xiao had no complaints given how little he wears them. I mean, when was the last time he wore a tang suit? you think you'd never actually saw him in it. though, you're yearning for a day you'd get to see him in a hanfu with layers of beautiful fabric. you might just buy him one and beg zhongli to hold a formal event. really, you'd go to any length.

you have already seen venti in a few different outfits- thanks to his adherence to playing dress-up- but xiao usually stays in his usual outfit or just plain black scrubs. you close your eyes and think of him in a hanfu. maybe you should even craft the garment yourself? deep teal chiffon, white silk- you'd layer the most expensive fabrics with the most beautiful designs, just for him. perhaps you'd have him strip nude to take his measurements? perhaps that is too lewd. hed refuse, anyway. he already knows you know his exact sizes (even when he loses or gains weight).

that remind you that xiao has gained weight, recently. it's not too much- but his thighs are more plush than ever and his hips have such a beautiful squish too them. you swear his cheeks are chubbier, too- and his pot belly is even pottier of a belly, lately. he looks absolutely lovely, you must say (and you have almost every time you see him), a lot more lively, too. it makes you happy to see.

you snap out of your thoughts when you feel venti hug you from behind, you turn to look at him and he's pouting, looking away from you.

"what's up?" you ask, patting his head.

"xiao has prettier clothes than me and never even wears them, I'm wishing I kept you to myself so you bought me all these outfits instead." venti explains, clearly not actually jealous but rather looking for attention.

"oh I didn't buy a lot of them- I made them. xiao fears he'll ruin my hard work if he wears them- guess he hasn't really had a day to relax and wear such items but I don't mind. I can make you some, if you'd like." you say. venti perks up brightly at this.

"you would, you really would?" they ask, excited. "I would show them off to everyone in mondstadt- even master diluc would be jealous."

"of course- we can even pick fabrics tomorrow, if you'd like? for now, let's get to bed, I'm sure xiao has had enough of us talking already." your speculation is confirmed by a tired grunt from the bed. venti smiles wide, kisses your lips then slips under the covers after getting xiao a glass of water, which he graciously upsets. they both sit up in bed and chat quietly whilst you close the windows and curtains.

xiao has quickly fallen asleep after you come back from buying firewood off of yanxiao and venti lays awake, flicking through your hand-bound sketchbook. you had no qualms about him seeing it- xiao must have invited them to as venti usually doesn't snoop through such things. you place the firewood by the fireplace then lock the door, sitting in bed next to venti.

"there are a lot of drawings of the archon war here, ran out of red ink on this one." he comments- half jokingly. he shakes his head after.

"funny you say that- your hair colour was the first I ran out of." there was, admittedly, a lot of drawings of xiao and venti in your sketchbook. especially plenty of doodles of a small bird and wind spirit. venti smiles.

"that makes me feel a bit fuzzy." he says before noticing the wind spirit on the page, he grins. "there I am! so youthful and handsome! I was popular amongst the lady wind spirits, you know?"

"mmhm~ sure you were, barbatos- did all wind spirits have a similar form?" you ask

"depends. if they had enough strength they changed their appearances- and I had a beautiful gown made for me- but under that" he picks up a pencil and scribbles in a few shapes as he talks. "most looked like this" he says after drawing the form of a wind spirit. "much less cute than me."

you smile and hum. "yeah, you're right you're the cutest."

"'the cutest'- when you saw me in my wind form, you threw me!" he complains- you shush him softly and point to xiao.

"you scared me, I was nice to you after. you were much easier to carry about in that form."

"and strangle, apparently." venti whispers, faking offence.

"come on, get to sleep or ill strangle you ill strangle you I  think form till you do." you jest, cupping his face and kissing their head before laying down, arms open. venti puts the book away before snuggling into you, yawning and closing his eyes.

"'wish I could stay here forever..."

"stay as long as you want, love- be it forever or just a few days, we'll have you graciously by our side." you say

"ill have you by my side if you shut up and sleep." xiao grumbles, lightly kicking his leg back into venti to which you both silently laugh and adjust your positions, drifting off to sleep.