A Street Dancer with a Black Bandana (Xiaoven)

Fifteen: Bar Fights.

September 28th, 4.30 am.
Diluc is halfway across the floor at a table talking to some people, getting orders, Venti was on the phone with Xiao. Since they weren't busy, Venti called Xiao to make sure he was okay.

The boy said hes fine and started a show called Bones, they talked about other things, what Xiao made to eat.

Venti looks at a guy and girl, humming, "Hang on, sweetheart." Venti sticks his phone into his pocket, walking over. "Hey, you two okay?" Venti looks at the man, him clearly drunk. "Uhm..I- hes bothering me and wont go away." Venti hums, and nods, "Sir, we are gonna have to ask you to leave." 

The man laughs, "You cant tell me what to do." He slurs his words, "Actually I can, I'm co-owner, and I'm asking you to leave politely." He says, forgetting that Xiao's on the phone.

"Fuck off! You cant tell me what to do."

"Sir, please leave before it gets ugly." The man stands up straighter, and Venti sighs, "You cant speak to me like that."

Venti hums, "I will talk to you like this. You need to leave, or I will use force."

Diluc walks over, "Problem?" He asks, and Venti nods, "Hes harassing her, and asking him to leave her alone. Hes refusing. Hes not understanding we will use force."

"Sir. We asked you to leave. Please do."

The man looks at Venti, fuming with anger, no one was surprised when he threw a punch, hitting Venti in the nose, making him stumble into a chair, holding his face, "Mother fucker!" He yells, and throws his own punch, the man stumbling.

Diluc tries to pull the man of Venti, all three yelling. Another man joins in with Diluc trying to pull the man off Venti.

They're successful, and Venti rolls onto his side holding his face while groaning.

Two men drag the drunken man out, and close the door.

Diluc helps Venti up, sitting him on a chair, and Xiao's voice comes from the back of Venti's pocket.

Diluc pulls the phone out, putting it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Diluc what the hell happened?"

The red head sighs, "Just another night. Another bar fight. Stop moving, Ven. I'm trying to clean the blood."

"My noses is fucking bleeding you're not gonna get all the blood right now."

"Are you guys okay?"

Diluc sits the phone on the table, speaker on, "Yeah we're fine." Diluc twists the smallers face, "Got you good, huh, kid?" He laughs, "Gonna have a bruise on your eye, busted lip, nothings broken so that's good."

Venti groans, "Man, that shit hurt." He whines, and Diluc laughs, "Actually I think you broke his nose when you kneed him."

"Mmm, yeah." Xiao listens in, "Wasnt the first time someones pinned me on the floor. So." He lets Diluc clean the wounds with the cleaning supplies another bartender brought them. He hisses at the burn.

"You can go back early. Your paycheck stays the same." Venti hums, "Yeah. It's fine, I'll stay. Gotta earn them tips if I wanna stay in my apartment." He laughs, "Venti if you need help with Bill's I can help."

"No, i wont have you paying for my bills, Alatus." Venti snaps, biting his lip in frustration, "I'm twenty four I need to be a grown up. Pay my own damn bills."

Diluc sighs, "You've been doing that since-since you were basically a kid. Dont worry. You deserve a break." Venti looks at the phone, hanging up.

~

Xiao looks at the black screen. Venti hung up. It kinda pissed him off. Hes just trying to help. He can feel Venti's frustration.

He squints his eyes, huffing, tossing the phone onto the table.

He rolls onto his stomach, picking up the sticky note, looking at numbers.

Max (Dont call unless severe emergency) ***-***-****

Yanfei. ****-***-**

Diluc/Kaeya. **-****-**

Ayato/Heizou/Chongyun. ***-***-***.

He hums, wondering who 'Max' was, sighing. He sits up, bored.

"Mm.." He paces around, and then lays on the ground staring the ceiling. He hums, looking to the side, spotting a camera. He reaches for it, then stares at it. Venti said he didnt mind if he looks around, or opens things, not like he was hiding things. Well, he was but not in places youd think to look.

He turns it on, several videos going back to years ago.

Different teachers and partners.

One that showed Diluc for the first time, and he clicks it. The voices and music make a slight Echo.

Xiao watches as Diluc helps Venti with the steps, gestures. Kaeya's there with him, also helping.

He sees Kazuha and Ayato in a spot, Kazuha and him stretching. He cant understand what Venti and Diluc are saying, its clear Venti knew very little english.

Kaeya's speaking to them as well. He skips it ahead, stopping at a part where Venti's kn the ground holding his foot, groaning. "Fuck!" He lays back, and Kaeya leans over him, saying something.

Xiao moves to an older one, his camera was tilted while he yelled at someone. Hes shoving a man away, "Fuck, you!"

"Get better at english, whore!"

Venti's barely shocked at the words, he walks over to pick up his camera, shaking his head, "No, don't walk away, bitch. You dont get to show yourself off like this and not exp-" Xiao watches Venti's face scrunch in anger, and what surprises the boy is the punch he throws, the male falling to the ground, "My body is not yours." He struggles with the words, and grabs a bag leaving.

Xiao watches as the screen freezes, signaling that was the end, that was one before meeting Diluc.

He watches a different one with Diluc, both sitting together with books with english on them.

They're talking in German, and Venti nods. Repeating the words but english, "My name..Is Venti." Hes slow, the accent thicker than now.

"Good job." Diluc ruffles the boys hair. In the video its black, no dye, but shorter.

Hours passed, when Venti arrived home he sees Xiao asleep on the floor, a pillow in his arms and the camera playing videos at low volume.  He picks up the camera, watching the video. It's one with Chongyun and him practicing together. He smiles, shutting it off.

sorry for not posting, I've been kinda busy. Everything's been kinda difficult for me :/ 

-Bennett