WITH LOVE / XIAOVEN

ten.

authors note: the oh so special confession chapter is here, yay!! i'm not gonna lie this was actually pretty difficult to write especially with their characterization so i apologize if it's not as long as the other chapters! also, this is not the last chapter bc some ppl might think that?? uhhh also good luck if ur wishing on the kazuha banner! i have 67 pity and like 50 wishes saved so hopefully i get him! :D
(also sorry this chapter ends kind of oddly, i wasnt sure how to end it T____T)

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"can i talk to you?"

xiao looks at venti with the same blank face that he always had. xiao doesn't show to venti that he is so anxious and that his stomach just dropped to the floor and he really just wants to drop dead on the floor. but instead xiao simply nods, "sure. what is it that you want to talk to me about?"

venti wrings his hands nervously, "actually can we... can we speak about it in our room? i don't want hu tao walking in on our conversation or anything."

xiao nods as he follows venti into their shared room and once they're both in the room, xiao sits on his messy bed with the blankets haphazardly thrown to the side. venti sits next to xiao on his bed, "are you anxious?"

xiao shrugs, "a bit."

that's a fucking lie, his brain screams at him. xiao has to restrain himself from shaking all over and forces himself to look venti in the eyes instead of avoiding him.

venti laughs softly, "it's not bad, i promise."

xiao nods nervously as he waits for venti to say what he needs to.

"i know we don't really discuss things, it's not us. we don't talk about things, we just know," venti says as his hands shake, "it's always nonverbal, we don't speak about, well, us. i mean, i know so much about you simply because we don't talk about it. i know you tug your right ear when you lie, you hate winter because it reminds you of your home, i know a lot xiao."

venti sighs, "but i can't ignore this, not anymore. it's not something i can bare to ignore."

venti reaches over to grip xiao's hand and all xiao can do is stare at him with wide eyes as he knows what venti is about to say.

"please don't say it."

ventis eyebrows furrow in confusion as xiao pulls his hands back, away from venti.

"we have to stop dancing around it xiao. all it does is hurt us both!"

xiao shakes his head as his eyes avoid the other man's gaze, his bangs blocking his eyes from venti's view, "it's going to ruin us and our career, venti. just don't say it, please. all your hard work would be ruined for some stupid love."

venti sighs as he cups xiao's face in his hands, his watering eyes looking back at venti's soft, caring eyes, "i love you."

xiao's voice cracks as a tear trails down his cheek, "don't say that again."

venti wipes his cheeks that are stained with tears with his thumbs, "i love you so, so much. i can't help it, i was born to love you."

xiao shakes venti's hands off of his face as he leans towards venti, leaning his face into the crook of venti's neck. it's silent for a moment or so before xiao mumbles something.

"hm?"

"soulmates are stupid," xiao says,"i love you on purpose."

a grin breaks out on venti's face, "ah, so you love me?"

xiao leans his face closer to venti, "of course i do. you're the person who made me understand what love truly is."

venti has to restrain himself to not grip his heart at this moment because god, xiao is just so cute and venti knows that xiao doesn't realize that what he just said made his heart overflow with joy and happiness.

xiao lightly draws on venti's arm with his finger as he speaks, "we still have to be careful if we are to be in a relationship, though. i know one of us will get kicked out or even worse if we get found out."

venti furrows his eyebrows as he looks down to xiao who's cheek is squished against venti's shoulder, resting on it.

"how do you know that? the company might just be decent and be like xingqiu and chongyun's, though."

"it's not, venti." xiao sighs,"because it's happened before."

"huh?"

xiao lifts himself from where he'd laid on venti to sit up straight. xiao rubs his tear stained cheeks as he nods, "yeah. it happened before you entered the company, though, so only very few know about it."
venti stared at xiao, expecting the other to continue but instead xiao stopped there.

"continue, xiao."

xiao nodded, "alright. it was when ganyu was still a trainee- zhongli had found out she'd been dating another trainee which broke their contract and so he asked both of them to either break up and leave the company or one of them leave the company and be blacklisted forever. i think you can guess which one they chose."

"oh." venti said. he didn't think the ceo would be so strict like that. sure, venti knew he would rather stick to contracts than anything else in the world but he didn't think the man would be so... so harsh.

"so please," xiao says, as he intertwined his hands with venti,"as much as i want to scream at the top of the rooftop so that everyone in liyue can hear me scream about how much i love you, i cannot. but still know that i will always be here for you."

venti flushes as he mumbles something and quickly looks away from xiao, hoping that the other did not even catch a syllable of what he'd said.

"what did you say?" xiao asks, trying to catch even a small glimpse of venti's eyes.

venti huffs out a breath of air before he looks at xiao with his cheeks flushed as he asks, "can i kiss you?"

xiao shakily nods as he whispers, "of course."

venti reaches up to cup xiao's face in his hands as he meets xiao's golden warm eyes. xiao can hear his heartbeat beating loudly in his eardrums as venti gently presses his lips to the other. they both melt into a kiss that feels like it lasts for an eternity- xiao doesn't want it to end, though.

but it does. they both need air to breathe, after all. venti softly laughs as he tucks a stray hair of xiao's behind his ear.

"you're so cute, my love." venti smiles at the other who quickly covers his face in embarrassment. it's moments like these that make venti remember how young and inexperienced xiao is with love.

"your love?" xiao asks softly, struck by how sweet and loving the words that come out of venti's mouth.

"of course. unless you want me to just call you my boyfriend? would you like that better?" venti teases as xiao tucks himself into the mess of blankets on his bed, embarrassed. venti laughs quietly to himself before xiao responds,

"i'd like to be your boyfriend, if you're okay with calling me that."

venti smiles, "i am."