★Twisted Wishes★ | Genshin x Twisted Wonderland

❤️Venti x Riddle❤️

Blossom: Hi! Since fall classes are starting soon, I'll be updating twice every week from now on, not every day. Sorry for the inconvenience! *cries*

Scenario: Venti explores Heartslabyul dorm, while Riddle studies in his room.

"Rule #458: A boy must never fall in love with another boy."

Of all the rules Riddle's mother had made him memorize, that was one Riddle never thought he'd break. Ever.

But the new boy was so... so annoying. Distracting, even. He had green eyes like the hedges in the rose maze, eyes you could get lost in, and hair that tumbled around his face in the lightest breeze. He gave away smiles and compliments as if they cost nothing at all, always winking and waving at passerby in the most unruly manner.

He'd transferred from Savanaclaw about a week ago, complaining about being allergic to feline beastmen ("Lions count as cats too!"). He represented everything Riddle stood against: laziness, irresponsibility, and blatant disregard for the rules.

So why did Riddle spend so much time thinking about him?

To be honest, Venti very much preferred Heartslabyul over Savanaclaw, and not just because he could go five minutes in the dorm without sneezing.

First there was the garden maze, a perfect place to hide from his responsibilities. The wind blew the scent of roses far and wide, and since Venti could fly, getting lost wasn't a problem.

Then there was the housewarden, Riddle Rosehearts. Venti had expected to be scolded every day for constantly skipping class and wandering off, but for whatever reason, Riddle always blushed and looked the other way whenever he spotted Venti.

It was cute!

The only problem with Heartslabyul was their uniform. Stiff suits and vests didn't really suit Venti, so he'd altered his usual outfit to fit Heartslabyul. His new design—a white cap adorned with a red rose and a red scalloped cape made to look like a rose petal—was perfect for flying around in the sky on a breezy day.

Flying around in the sky was, in fact, what Venti was doing on this particular day.

After lazily circling a tower and spooking a few first-years, Venti descended to the bottom floor. Peering inside the first window, he saw a red-haired figure bent over a desk piled high with books.

On a fine afternoon like this, most of the students were outdoors playing croquet or training on the field. The only one who'd be studying at this time was none other than... the housewarden of Heartslabyul himself, Riddle Rosehearts.

Looking at Riddle's face, which wore an expression of intense concentration, Venti felt strangely sad. How many times had his friend from long ago worn this expression? Indeed, though they couldn't look more different, Riddle and his bard friend shared many qualities: bravery, loyalty, determination... and the tendency to sacrifice himself for others.

Venti couldn't make the same mistake again.

"A lad like him, stuck indoors all day—that won't do," he mused out loud. "He deserves the blue sky too!" So he tapped on the window, enjoying Riddle's expression of fright, and waved.

After he'd gotten over his initial shock, Riddle opened the window, and Venti flew inside. "You're lucky there's no rule about not letting people in from the window," Riddle said crossly, shutting the window. "Now, what do you want?"

Ouch, thought Venti. Maybe he's still angry that I scared him. "I wanted to see you, of course!"

Riddle's face turned the same color as his hair. "H-huh? For what? Explain yourself!"

"Ah, an explanation? That'll cost you an apple," Venti replied. Truth be told, he wasn't really that hungry. He just liked seeing Riddle's face shift out of its perpetually tired expression.

Riddle gaped at him. "Y-you have some nerve!"

Venti grinned back. "Ehehe... you remind me of a girl I once knew: a fair dame named Vennessa, with red hair like you. Fiercely loyal she was, and filled with determined might... though you two have a striking difference in height."

Not missing the veiled jibe, Riddle huffed. "Kindly cease the rhyming."

"Alright, alright." Chuckling to himself, Venti sat on the edge of the desk and strummed his lyre. "At least let me play you a tune before I go."

In response, Riddle sat down on the bed. "Go on. I'll entertain you this once."

Which song should I play? For a moment, Venti considered Barbara's latest pop hit, but he didn't think Riddle would appreciate that kind of song. In the end, he settled upon a song that only he knew.

Fingers falling into a familiar pattern on the strings, Venti sang, "Fly, fly away." Memories, some happy, some sad, flooded his mind. "Like a bird in the sky. See the world on my behalf. To the... to the heavens may you fly." The final chord rang around the room.

"I've never heard that song before." Riddle's eyes were curious, ever thirsting for knowledge.

Venti toyed with the strings on his lyre. "Not many people have. I'm... probably the only one left who remembers it."

As if he could sense Venti's sadness, Riddle cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject: "You are... I heard you're known as the Anemo Archon where you're from. A god, correct?"

"Correct! The god of freedom, to be precise."

"Freedom." The concept was all but foreign to Riddle. Grip tightening on his pencil, he rolled the unfamiliar word around in his mouth.

"To live without rules binding you, and to go wherever you please, whenever you please. To not have to worry about what others may think of you." Venti sat beside Riddle on the bed and took the other boy's hand. Softly, he said, "Riddle, don't you want to be free?"

"I..."

"Try to imagine, just for a moment, that there are no rules," Venti encouraged. "If you could do anything you wanted right now, anything at all, what would you do?" His face was kind, open. As if he might understand Riddle's tangled feelings, if only Riddle could say them out loud.

But staring into Venti's eyes, Riddle couldn't find the words.

"I... want..." There was so little distance between them, Riddle realized dimly. And somehow, for some instinctual reason, he was leaning forward, and then there was no distance between them at all.

Only when they pulled apart did it dawn on Riddle: I kissed him. I kissed a student in my own dorm! I've never done anything like that before! "AUUUGHHH!" Mortified, he sprang under the covers and buried himself like a child playing hide-and-seek.

When he finally dared to peek out from beneath the blanket, Venti was standing at the bedside, an amused expression on his face.

"Someday when you're a little older, I'll return that kiss. For now, a walk through the skies might clear your clouded eyes," suggested Venti, holding out his hand. "Shall we?"

"J-just this once, I guess it's fine..." Face still burning, Riddle took Venti's hand and let himself be led to the window.

As they passed Riddle's desk, Venti glimpsed a page in an open rulebook. It read, "Rule #458: A boy must never fall in love with another boy."

Oh well, he thought with a smile. Rules were meant to be broken anyways.

Perhaps someday, they would both help each other find freedom from their pasts.

Blossom: Read all the way to the bottom? Have a red rose 🌹, and don't forget to vote!