Memories of Other Times [g.i One Shots]

Flowers Around My Soul

Pairing - Venti x Reader

Warnings - Light blood, death

When Barbatos’ friend died in the revolt against Decarabian, he thought a piece of his soul had died with him. A piece of his very core was ripped from his chest when he saw the light dim in the boy’s eyes before it faded completely.

He took on human form that day, and the first sound he ever made was not one of joy. It was not that of a beautiful melody that he had sung alongside his dearest friend or that of a laugh that sounded like bells. It was a scream of pure agony.

Over the body he hovered, in a form so familiar, and he screamed and cried, his tears marring the pale cheeks that had quickly lost their rosy color. His new hands clenched the fabric covered in blood, the squelching of the arrows moving only caused him to scream louder.

And there he was, in the middle of that battlefield, surrounded by hundreds of dead bodies, his soul being chipped away with every tear.

-

The scholars of Sumeru were an ambitious bunch, arrogant in their intelligence but with reason to be. Many of the scholars were unmatched in academics compared to those in other countries, devoting themselves completely to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

A scholar with a dendro vision was one such an experimenter who involved himself and a young lady he was fully and undeniably in love with, too deeply in that pursuit. It resulted in a deadly disease, one that ended up spreading across the nations and even to the immortal beings.

It was a cruel disease, one of love that suffocated you in your own desire. Flowers that formed from the powerful emotions would steadily infect the lungs eventually squeezing them till their victim could no longer breathe. The disease was almost completely incurable. No medicine or surgery could slow or kill the monstrous flowers except for one.

Only a requite of the secret love, now confessed, could dissolve the choking plants and allow the victim free breath.

-

Venti, as he called himself now, thought that the part of him that could truly love died long ago, died with him. 

That is what made it such a shock when the silk flower petal fluttered into his palm after the unusual coughing fit. It settled against his pale skin, saliva and blood littering the soft pink. His breath caught in his throat and he didn’t know if he was imagining it, but he thought he could feel other petals lining the back of his mouth.

His hand began to shake when you called his name. His head snapped to you and he was caught in your eyes, enraptured by their concern which sent a flutter in his heart and he felt another cough coming on before he was able to choke it back.

He stuttered out a reassurance, hiding the petal discreetly, praying you didn’t see it. Your concern was still there, he could see it, but you let it go, allowing him that reprieve of a conversation he wasn’t sure how to start. 

He spent the rest of the day with you, under Vanessa’s tree. You sat shoulder to shoulder, your head leaning on him as you fiddled with the ruffles of his sleeves. Eventually conversation dwindled and silence, a nice, quiet and comfortable silence, settled like a blanket. The sunset painted the hills of Mond, but Venti could only see the golds, pinks, and reds highlight all the most beautiful parts of your face.

You looked peaceful, breaths steadying as you slumped against his side, curling your hand around his own in a weak hold. Venti pressed his lips lightly to the crown of your forehead and you let out a sigh of contentment. Warmth spread through his being seeing you like this with him, tranquil and trusting, it made the petals grind uncomfortably against the cuts in his throat.

-

As the fully bloomed silk flower erupted from his throat, Venti finally accepted the reality that he was completely and truly in love with you. That part of him he had thought died oh so long ago was now beating painfully in his chest at the thought of him leaving you because of this ridiculous disease, and his own cowardice.

Ever since he saw you cross the gates of Mond, still decked in your Liyuen clothes, with a silk flower tucked behind your ear, wide-eyed and beautiful, he knew he was done for. He just wasn’t aware how far he would’ve fallen.

Now, the thought of you leaving him, whether it be by rejection or passing, it sent a wave of pain throughout his being. Of course he would never force you to stay, not only because of his ideals as the god of freedom, but because he wouldn’t be able to stand the look of misery on your face. The idea of keeping you with him, like a bird trapped in a cage unable to reach the gorgeous skies, was just, if not even more, as painful a thought.

However, that creeping feeling, that feeling of you looking at him with pity, with rejection, had him swallowing back the same flower that complemented you so well.

-

You had noticed, of course you did. He was getting paler, the flowers strangling every last puff of oxygen from his lungs. He was lightheaded, feet constantly knocking into each other as he walked now and wheezes escaping him instead of the normally beautiful tunes.

You had hugged him one day, arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders and face tucked into his neck, you were trembling, and he felt tears wet the ruffles of his shirt. He asked what was wrong as he circled his arms around your waist, holding you just as tightly as you were him. You sobbed, begging him to tell you what was wrong.

You had seen him get worse over the weeks, health deteriorating to a concerning degree. You had never inquired, getting the idea that he didn’t want to talk about it and respecting that, always making it known that you would be there for him, no matter what. But now he looked on the verge of death, and if he was being honest, he felt like it, and you couldn’t stand it any longer.

Venti felt that piece beating inside of himself once more, threatening to leap out of his chest at the absolute agony in your voice. He couldn’t take it, keeping his feelings away from you only ended up hurting you, something that wanted to make the tears lining his eyes fall free.

He confessed everything. Under the sunlight streaming through the leaves of Vanessa’s tree, he told of everything. Of his friend’s death, of being a god, of the archon war, of Vanessa, and all he had been through. The last thing he had told you was his feelings, the overwhelming love he felt for you scrambled all the thoughts in his head, his explanations coming out like rushed rambles and much less romantic than he would’ve liked.

The more he spoke the more nervous he got, flowers climbing up from his lungs as you only stood there silently through all his words. Your face is impassive, at least not full of pity, and your hands crossed in front of you properly.

When he finally finished, chest heaving and head spinning, you stepped towards him and pulled him in a firm hug. Those tears spilled down his apple cheeks, now devoid of their usual color. He felt weak, limbs limp and lacking the ability to hug you back.

A whispered ‘I love you’ against the shell of his ear had him full on sobbing, abandoning whatever happy go lucky mask he put on around others. His skin was itchy, like it was being pulled back and you saw every nerve alight with happiness now that you had said those words. A sudden rush of air filled his lungs, and vaguely he recognized that he could no longer feel the treacherous silk flowers constricting him from the inside-out.

But his head was too dizzy to care, drunk off the little kisses you were pressing to the crook of his neck and the calming hands running up and down his back.

He didn’t know how long the two of you stood there, trading small, intimate touches and sweet nothings whispered in the empty air, only for the two of you to hear.

A smile rested on his lips. Maybe he once thought that he was unable to love, but you, standing with him, he felt the purest love bloom in his chest, a stark contrast to the cold grip of the flowers. A peace he hadn't known in so long washed over him and he sighed, burying his face in your neck as well.

Word Count - 1471