The Windborn boy ─ Venti x reader ✔

49.

The day's hours tumbled past you like the stones in your heart when your mother's eyes fluttered open first.

Her glance was as weak and limpid as your tears. You covered your mouth with your palm when the sob of joy croaked away from your throat. Venti held a hand on your shoulder, a simple thin smile that had to remind you that she only just woke up.

"Mom..." you whispered, "you're okay." the words departed from your lips, they felt as though they would have never come from you, unfamiliar, and yet they were yours.

No matter how odd it felt, they were reassuring and warm. The confirmation your mother was well—the realization, it didn't hit you like a brick, it moved you like the worries that swam away from your mind.

"Yes, I'm okay sweetheart," she affirmed, her voice as soft as her smile and muffled at the same time.

The words were stuck in your throat, they tangled when you tried to spit them out. Nothing of that was necessary when you were with your mother.

There wasn't anything in this world you would exchange for that. Nothing, ever.

You jerked your head towards the figure behind you with the dark silky hair—presenting him with one of the most genuine smiles he's seen in a while.

Your mother smiled with a hint of sweetness to it. Her head turned to the next person to her—which was Venti. His eyes fluttered open when he felt the gaze linger on him, briefly but meaningful. 

Her inner elbow was connected to the infusion. The nausea she may have felt was one you only experienced a few times after swift surgeries in childhood. 

The churning feeling that turned in the stomach and made your mom want to gag if she were to eat anything steady—other than pretzels or drink something other than water without sparkle—was quite unsettling.

She sat up, "Could you please give me the pretzel sticks and the glass of water, future son-in-law?" she joked, "I can't reach for them currently with my state" and Venti couldn't help but snicker when you stiffened at the mention of marriage. Your eyes shot angrily towards your mother's face. "Mom! Venti and I are not that far" you exclaimed, your face turned warm like nowhere close before.

"Not yet at least," he added innocently. He placed the pretzel sticks and the water beside your mother's nightstand.

"Venti!" you exclaimed flustered.

The lingering awkward silence was interrupted by a soft laugh, when turning around you looked at your mother.

"You two are adorable," she smiled, "and thank you again, Venti. It means a lot that you were ready to sacrifice these recourses, even if they weren't a lot of effort for you. I am forever thankful." and when your mother finished a small smile was drawn over Venti's face. It was so sweet and innocent, and yet you knew there was a lot behind that smile he'd paint on the inches of his lips for others.

——

Venti was never one to intrude on personal moments. When the time came he picked up on the subtle hints he collected and left—at least for half an hour. He knew there was a lot to discuss. And time wouldn't run out that fast, right? At least he had thought that way up to now.

He was glad he had the resources to save someone—who was equally important to him. A trace of his old life as well as yours. The most meaningful way to cherish such a gift was spending time with her and Venti took it upon himself to take a nice long walk.

He would return later and he'd have enough time with you either way, compared to your mother who was given more time which both would want to use.

He sat down on an old moss-filled park bench placed near a tree that protected him from the sunlight, a nice spot. It reminded him of when you sat on a bench si similar—filled with moss and existed long enough to become a victim of graffiti, you were anxious back then. Compared to you, he was relatively relaxed with the current situation. The shadows ran deep over his skin while he watched some kids play around with a puzzle. They tried to solve a riddle near him.

They were establishing how they hated the difficulty when the climax of being stuck on the problem arrived. Venti snickered at the young kid's exasperated words as they ranted to each other.

"Have you tried this?" he asked pointing at the answer, "A river always flows and isn't sleeping." He smiled at the kinds when their eyes lit up. How did he know the answer? When the two of you were kids, he was just as frustrated as you after a while with the riddle until your mother brought the answer up.

One of the few reasons why he started indulging with riddles and poetry later since they were at their roots close. There was this fascination that grew with creativity—calming and quiet—it shut his mind out when it was the loudest. And sometimes that was all he needed.

"Thanks, mister..!" the kids trailed off in confusion. They searched in his gaze—his lively green eyes for an answer to his name.

"Mr. Venti.. just Venti." he provided for them to loosen the silence.

"Can you help us with other riddles?" they asked curiously.

He chuckled and nodded with a smile, "Okay," he said, "I'd like that."

And it almost felt like he was a child again with you by his side as the two of you solved riddles on stormy rain days in the living room when he felt cold, but those past days of comfort would never reach the current warmth of his heart occupied by you.

He'd always feel like the little boy then that had the nicest things kept in his heart.

——✧･ﾟ: ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆
RAINEE's NOTE; One of the last official chapters before it ends. This is it, 1 chapter and 2 until the final one