#tomorrow i'm grabbing my lyre again as well

[maranull]

less than 400 words today, but I'm calling it a win. Imma slowly go back to the days of writing 1000. slowly

[kitsunecharm]

venti returns from the angel's share tavern well before it's closing time; it surprises you, when the door flings open—he's almost never home before either angel's share or the cat's tail have closed for the night, but one look at his face tells you exactly why he's home this early. his cheeks are flushed dark, bright eyes hazy—the hand around the neck of a bottle of wine is too loose, the other balled into a fist so tightly that his knuckles are white.

in a burst of wind, he's practically on top of you, leaning over the back of the couch to wrap his arms around you, cheek nuzzling against yours. "hello, my love. i missed you."

you chuckle, taking the bottle from his hand; he pouts and makes a halfhearted grab for it, though there's only a sip still sloshing around in the bottom. you set it on the table beside the couch before hauling the drunken bard over to sit beside you. the giggle he lets out is messy, interrupted by a hiccup, but cute.

"where's your lyre, baby?" you ask him as he situates himself against your side, his body molding to fit perfectly against yours. his cheek squishes against your shoulder, eyes gently shut.

"mm... master diluc has it. he says i can have it tomorrow, 'cause otherwise i'll just go to the cat's tail." the pout in his voice is exaggerated tenfold on his face, even with his eyes still closed. "he's right, but it's still not fair!"

"i'll tell him off tomorrow, then, love." you tell him, stroking a hand across his hair. it's half the truth—you'll go see him tomorrow, but only to collect venti's lyre and thank him for sending him home early, and to apologize for any trouble he caused.

"good." venti huffs, buries his face further into you. he's cute, but also getting you wet, somehow—wine spilled on his shirt, probably. you stand up and watch as he falls over dramatically, stretching out and whining.

"so mean!" he protests. "meanie. so mean."

"you've got wine all over you, baby. let's get you changed, hm? wouldn't that feel nice?" you offer. one green eye opens just the barest bit, almost calculating.

"maybe," he says, but lifts his arms up anyway, hands opening and closing. he's practically limp as you lift him into your arms, threatening to topple the both of you over.

his shirt is, in fact, covered in wine. you peel it off of him, giving him quiet instructions now and again for him to lift his arms, to hold still as you try to work him free of his corset.

he starts talking, at some point—about his day, about the things he's seen out in windrise or in the tavern, along the steep cliffs of the stormbearer mountains. he looks for your input every few sentences, either peering at you with an expectant expression or prompting you for your thoughts. each time you answer, his face lights up, and he continues with fervor until he again pauses.

he's still going when you gather him into your arms and settle him in the empty tub and turn the water on, only stops his chatter when you step to the drawers to look for soaps.

"i'm not leaving," you reassure him as soon as you hear him pause. you can't actually see his expression, but you can envision it—he has a way of making the most heart-wrenching looks when he's drunk.

"can you get in, too?" venti asks—his arms are thrown over the side of the tub when you look back, his chin resting on one. "please?"

he cheers when you roll your eyes and begin to shed your clothes, nearly splashes water onto both the towels and the floor. the tub is barely big enough for the both of you—venti sits with his back against your chest, trying to rest his head against your shoulder again.

"thank you," he sing-songs, "i love you."

"i love you too. now, come here and sit still so i can get you cleaned up and we can go to bed, yeah?"

you always forget how lovely venti is, particularly when he's stripped down and bare for you to see. the teal markings along his chest and thigh glow faintly with a gentle pulse, not unlike a heartbeat. they're smooth when you trace your fingers along them, a little warm, and make venti squirm against you with a little giggle.

the soap you picked out smells of cecilia flowers and leaves his skin smooth. you take your time, running your fingers along every little detail of his body—his round cheeks, soft tummy, along his thighs and down his arms. he laces your fingers together for a brief second when you run the cloth across his delicate hands, grinning up at you with a pleased hum, eyes bright and brilliant as gems.

he tips his head back to plant a kiss along your jawline while you try to work shampoo into his hair, whines when it nearly gets into his eyes. you scrub it into his scalp while he pretends to sulk. his eyes are sweet when you tip his head back to rinse it out, though, looking at you with his lips parted just a little bit, the scowl melting from his face.

the towels you swathe him in after the bath are thick and soft, though somehow venti still nearly manages to crawl into the sheets soaking wet. pajamas for venti consist of one of your favorite shirts—an oversized, soft thing that venti has long since seized from you, and then he’s jumping into the bed and under the covers, stretched out and waiting for you.

his skin is smooth and soft against yours when you slip in next to him, warm. you’ve washed away any trace of the cheeky bard that haunts the taverns and are left only with venti, watching you with sweet, adoring eyes, delicate and almost shy.

if he's thinking of anything, he doesn't voice it as you run your fingers along the outline of his body absently, hands wandering as you settle down.

there’s still a dusting of rosy pink across his soft cheeks as his eyes flutter closed. in the morning, he’ll undoubtedly rise complaining of a hangover, whining for your attention—but that’s tomorrow. now, there’s just his now sleeping body against yours, the peaceful night air, and the smell of cecilia flowers between you.

[kaneaken]

hello kaneaken! congrats on 100+ followers :3, I really like your writings<3 if you'd allow me to request, I think peter pan with venti would be so cute<3

author's note; hi :D sorry this took a bit to get released, but i'm happy you like my writing and i'm happy to do your request! venti does remind me of peter pan, so this was a fun drabble. i decided on wendy and peter pan's actual first meeting for this one. enjoy <3

content notes; gn!reader, possible ooc characters, kinda diverges from the peter pan's canon bc venti and reader are older, mention of reader being a mother, but venti doesn't really understand the concept of mothers, so reader is still gn (if that makes sense), based off the disney animated film, the ending is kinda just me making up things, kinda rushed ending bc i was making it really long on accident

you are awoken by a loud 'bang!' you sit up quickly and search for the source of the large crash. you gasp at the sight of the male

" venti! "

you throw your sheets off you to head over to venti

" oh, i knew you'd come back! "

venti scoots a bit from you, a sheepish smile forming on his face as you approach

" i saved your shadow for you. oh, i do hope it isn't rumpled "

you watch as venti scrubs a bar of soap aggressively against his shoe. you let out a small laugh before you offer your assistance

" let me help! sewing would be the proper way to do it. although, come to think of it, i've never thought about sewing on a shadow before "

you chuckle as you walk over to your desk to grabs your sewing supplies

" i made sure to save your shadow until you came back for it. and here you are! "

with your sewing supplies in hand, you approach venti once more. he seemed to be taking a step back for every step you took forward. was he scared of you?

he slowly reached your bed and you tell him to make himself comfortable, hoping to ease his nerves

" it shouldn't take too long " you say, smiling at him

you begin to talk about your grandmother, the one who had found his shadow in the first place. you hope that a little conversation would make him more comfortable

as you thread your needle, venti speaks up

" you talk too much, " he grumbles

" oh, heh "

alright, so conversation wasn't the way to go? a small silence passes over the room, but it is soon filled by venti's lyre playing

" i came to listen to the stories. that's why your grandma found my shadow, " he says

you perk up. he came to listen to your stories?

" my stories? but they're all about you? "

" of course! that's why i like 'em! " he says, " i tell 'em to the lost boys "

" the lost boys? oh, right! they're your men! " you say, finishing off your sewing

" yup! " venti answers, jumping off your bed

he walked around the room, making silly poses with his shadow

you giggle before speaking, " oh, i'm glad you were able to drop by tonight or else i might have never been able to see you again "

" why? " venti asks, glancing back at you

" well, i have to leave tomorrow "

" leave?! " venti stops and faces you completely, his face in complete shock

" tonight's my last night here in the nursery "

" but, but that means no more stories "

you give him a sad smile, " unfortunately, you're correct "

" no! i won't have it! " venti cries, grabbing your hand, " come on! "

" huh? but where are we going? " you sputter out

" the neverland! you'll never have to leave me if we go to the neverland! " venti says, giving you a big smile

" oh, well, that would be wonderful! " you sigh, happily

but just as venti is about to drag you out of the room, you stop

" but what would my mother say? "

" mother? what's a mother? " venti says

" well, a mother is someone who cares for you and tells you stories and- "

" good! you can be the lost boys' mother! " venti cheers as he pulls you towards your window again

" hold on, just a minute! " you pause, letting go of venti's hand. you pace around your room

" i have to pack and i have to leave a note because i can't stay too long, " you start listing off all the things you must do before you go

you sigh happily as you think about going to the neverland.

" oh, i'm so happy i could just kiss you! "

" kiss? "

" oh, well, um, " okay, he wasn't supposed to hear that, " it's a gesture that people do to a person they care about "

" oh, so then, you care about me, right? " venti says, grabbing your hand, " you'd give me a kiss, right? "

" um, well.. "

venti looks at you, eagerly, and you aren't entirely sure what to do. before you can decide for yourself, there is someone pulling venti away from you

" owie, hey! don't pull so hard! "

a tiny figure appears in front of venti's face, looking as if they're scolding him

you stand, confused. oh boy, what position did you put yourself in?