✔ choosing you - old ver.

choice fifteen

"ven?" venti opened his eyes, seeing an unfamiliar room. he rolled his head, seeing his mom. he closed his eyes, breathing out. he opened his eyes again, them focusing better. 

"mom.." he muttered, jean leaning forward and brushing some hair from his face. 

"how are you feeling?" venti closed his eyes. 

"it feels like my arm is on fire.." he muttered, his voice hoarse which made him shut his mouth immediately. 

"You caught a fever," jean said, pointing to his arm which had an IV stuck into him. "The doctor said you got dehydrated." venti stared at the dreaded IV. ever since he was young, he hated them. 

 "Ganyu and Hu tao called me." Jean started, trying to start a conversation with her son who was laying sickly in a hospital bed. venti looked to jean, wanting her to continue. 

"they said- no, Hu tao demanded for an explanation." Jean chuckled, remembering the conversation between them. 

"So I just told them you get sick easily, and that fevers have always been something I'm worried about. is that alright?" she asked, venti shrugged, and rolling to his back, setting his right arm with the IV down carefully. 

"oh," jean uncrossed her legs. "are you alright? not just the illness- but just in general.." she leaned forward a bit, setting her hand on his head. "I know it's hard for you to give it up but you're not venti." venti stayed silent as Jean tried her best to continue. "just- please be yourself again, ven." venti rolled his head away, jean's face turning more worried. 

"just, consider it. You're not venti." the smaller boy stayed silent, until the door suddenly opened, leaving jean to whip her head upwards to see who suddenly burst in. venti stared at the figure infant of him, seeing the one person who said he'd never want to see venti's face again. he had pushed the door open, panting for air with his dark hair messy. venti quickly sat up, jean placing one hand on his back, making sure he doesn't fall or anything. 

"ven-" he panted, lowering his head, so venti was no longer able to see his face. "you're a damn liar-.." venti clenched his fists, looking at xiao with a mix of anger and sadness. 

"I'm a liar?!" he practically yelled, catching both xiao and jean off guard. 

"ven you're-" jean started, venti continuing over his mother's words. 

"you're the one that ran away! you never wanted to see me again so why the hell are you here?!" xiao looked up, taking time to look at venti through. his hair was messy too- his braids undone and wavy. his normal clothes replaced by the hospital gown. he seemed pale, and his eyes where tinted red along with the IV stuck into his arm giving him, what xiao assumed, was fluid so he was more hydrated. venti looked down, clearly regretting his small outbreak. 

"just leave if you're here just to call me a liar." jean wrapped her arms around her son, and pulled him in close. she looked to xiao, her face clearly not happy. 

"Mrs. Jean," xiao said, his voice quiet. "just please let me talk to him , I-" jean pointed at herself, then xiao, then the door. xiao's expression weekend but he nodded and walked out of the room. jean let go of her son and stood up, walking towards the door with no other words for venti.

"Xiao," jean looked seriously at the boy across from her. "you have 10 minutes. If I hear anything-I will kick you out and make sure you really can't visit this room again." Xiao lowered his head, but still nodded. 

"thank you." he looked to the door, and walking over, leaving jean by herself outside.

xiao closed the door behind him, and looked at venti who looked miserable. venti turned his body towards xiao, yet his eyes only a few seconds before the boy looked away. 

"what?" venti said, rolling to his right side to try and help the stinging of his right arm. xiao stepped more into the room, now standing in-front of venti. 

"are you alright?" he didn't know what to start a conversation..especially in this situation. 

"yeah, I'm fine." xiao sat down on venti's bed, trying to find things to say to bring back the happy venti he's used to. 

"Why are you here? the sick one asked, xiao immediately turning his head to venti. 

"uh, ganyu told me that you're in the hospital. I didn't know you here this sick.." he fiddled with his fingers, waiting fro venti to say something. 

"I just get sick easily, that's all." venti finally looked xiao in the face, taking more time to appreciate how he gave up on his normal good looks to see him as quick as he could. 

"you know," Xiao started, his eyes looked now at the floor. "I'm sorry. I got..mad, and I said things that weren't true. I said I never wanted to see you again but-" he looked at venti again. 

"I want to see you-everyday." he said, his tone seeming more firm that quiet this time. venti started at him, before a smile made his way onto his face. he started to laugh, leaving xiao to be confused. 

"what? did I say something?" he said, turning a bit red from the embarrassment of being laughed at. 

"n-no, it's not that," venti let out a breath and looked at xiao. "it's funny hearing you say that- but you're right. I did lie to you." xiao looked down. 

"I have too, actually I've lied about so many things, just to you." he said, finally admitting what he's done. venti let out a small and defeated laugh. 

"yeah well, I'm sure you weren't expecting to meet your crushes brother in highschool." xiao looked at venti. 

"my crush?" he asked, venti looking at xiao. 

"your crush." xiao looked confused. 

"I never liked venti." venti now looked confused at xiao. 

"but venti liked you." xiao took his hands and pulled on venti's cheeks. 

"I never liked him! he was just my only friend and I liked him in the sense we would be friends forever." he let go of venti, and the boy put his hands on his cheeks. 

"xiao-xiao that hurt.." he whined, looking to xiao once again. 

"but then- why did you react like that to me? you said-" xiao's face reddened as he looked down. 

"well because- you're his twin that I never got to meet- and I should have realised it sooner...I just-.." venti kept staring at Xiao. 

"I like you ven- not your brother. you've always been.." xiao looked to venti, who was turning red as well. 

"no, you can't, my brother-" venti was interrupted by xiao's sudden movement towards him. xiao put a hand on venti's eyes and he connected their lips, kissing venti. in that moment, so many things where running through xiao's head, while venti's mind was just blank.

xiao pulled away, removing his hand to find venti crying. he hadn't even noticed. tears rolled down venti's cheeks as he sat up and grabbed xiao's shirt burning his closer to him.

"damn you! why couldn't you just leave it as is?! I can't-"

Xiao's eyes remained downwards.

"because I love you."

+

thank you all for 4k, i tried to post earlier than normal. more because i had ideas. next chapter will be about what was happening with xiao when venti was in the hospital >:)

love you all :D

-author xing