"murder", he says | xiaoven x reader

chapter twenty seven

"you bought a lot... you sure food is okay too?" venti asks wearily, arms filled with bags (insisting to carry them so 'people can be jealous') peering at the restaurant. you nod, smiling slightly.

" 'course. you're worth a lot more to me than a few mora. I can just... get more later." you shrug, bending down to kiss him on the cheek. his face scrunches cutely. he grins mischievously.

"you can get more of me later-" he starts, you put a hand on his back to push him into the restaurant.

"fill your boots, venti. and don't say you're wearing shoes, I know."

venti grins, swinging his legs and burrowing his face in the menu. you sit next to him, reaching out to his short tufts of hair, fiddling with them absentmindedly. you feel a small pull in your chest- unlike when xiao calls you. its more like a foreboding feeling. it's not lead to anything too bad before, but you're still anxious to return home. venti peeks at you through the corner of his eye, highly aware of the disruption. who would he be if he couldn't feel the pain of his devout follower?

"ah~ Im not craving anything here~ you think you can cook for me at home? it's getting dark~" venti says, hoping that it was a good enough act to get you home to help your worries. you snap out of your thoughts, smiling wisely at him.

"course I can! but you can't just eat cake again. let's get home." you kiss his head, standing and helping him carry a few bags. once you're out of the main area, venti teleports you to the top of wangshu inn, they skip down to your room happily.

"shnookems, were home!~♡" you muse through the door. you unlock the door, pushing it open and immediately taking note on xiaos absence. he's not in the bathroom, either. your heart drops. venti feels it, too. he looks to you, quickly places his bags down.

"maybe he went out to sort a disruption?" they question nervously. his heart drops further in response to your own pain. you hand raises, shakily pointing to an empty corner.

"his bag is missing and he's gotten changed..." you whisper, turning towards the door. "I need to go find him-"

"wait here. I'll get him back, kay?" venti takes your hands, sitting you on the bed.

"but-"

"nu uh, I'll be two shakes alright?" he kisses your head, jumping out the window and activating his glider before you can object. you sniffle, laying down and hugging xiaos pillow. surely he didn't leave, did he?

venti uses the wind to track xiaos whereabouts, finding that hes passing through luhua pool. venti arrives quickly, appearing in a flurry of feathers and xiao jumps, slipping in the water (he should get those grippy shoes) and falling on his behind. he goes to summon his spear before he sees venti. even if he looked quite mad, he doesn't reach for his weapon.

"just where do you think you're going?" venti asks. xiao sighs and looks up at him.

"I need to leave." he grumbles, uselessly wiping off water from his thighs. he was still sitting in it.

"why? everything was fine-"

"that's the problem. everything was too great. they cared too much."

"are you kidding? care is an understatement. y/n is completely enamoured.  Id almost be jealous if they didn't treat me the same. them loving you is no reason to leave. why do you aim to torture yourself?" venti asks, voice soft, hurt. he kneels infront of xiao, dirtying his own clothes.

"because I don't deserve it- and they don't deserve to have this burden. I'm going to wait till they forget me. worry not- I will keep them safe from a dis-"