here's my 2023 art summary, complete with full images below! and i actually put the alt text on the images instead of below, because you *can* teach an old bird new tricks!
after being told last year that i'd never draw again, i'd say it's not too bad to have a year of art to show for it.
Summary: Venti should probably keep his voice down if he doesn't want to attract more trouble.
READ ON AO3
[A/N: day 2 <3 im following my own tickletober prompt list, so my prompts will be different from alot of others'! hope you still like this one :P]
“Don’t flinch, you’ll make it worse.”
Venti sucked in a quick breath through his teeth, retracting his wrist from Xiao’s hand. “Seriously, Xiao, I’m ok.” He is, really, it’s just a scratch. An annoying scratch that’s going to get in the way of his lyre playing for the rest of the day, but by tomorrow it will be fine.
Xiao doesn’t seem convinced, but sighs anyway. “If you say so.”
Venti and Xiao had seen earlier in the day that Aether had been running from one side of Liyue to the other just to finish some commissions. He looked incredibly tired, and Venti offered them both to do his last one so he wouldn't have to return back to Dihua Marsh and could rest instead.
“Really?” Aether had said, practically beaming. “That would be a great help! Thanks guys!”
Truthfully, Venti hadn’t asked Xiao if he was down to help, and at first it didn’t seem like he was. After seeing Aether’s face though, Xiao let a small fond smile slip onto his face and nodded his agreement. “Please, allow us.”
The commission was to defeat a ruin guard. Simple enough, except killing the one ended up angering a few more in the area without either of the vision holders noticing. Just as they were about to finish the commission, Venti was nearly hit by a homing missile.
“Barbados!” Xiao had yelled, appearing by his side just in time to pull him out of the way.
Venti had smiled up at Xiao. “My hero.”
“Shut up.” So quick to blush…
The ensuing fight led them both to this point. The worst of the injuries were a few soon-to-be bruises on Xiao’s arm and Venti’s wrist scratch, but Xiao was determined to make sure Venti wasn’t hurt beyond that.
“Is this necessary?” Venti asks, raising an eyebrow at the yaksha, who has removed Venti’s cap in favor of checking his head for any lumps or bumps. “Yes.” He says, seriously. It makes Venti giggle.
Xiao continues checking everywhere, eventually making his way to Venti’s waist. “Alright, if you really are fi-”
“Ah!”
They both freeze. Venti steps away, rubbing his side and huffing out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, that-”
“You’re injured.”
“Huh?” Venti tilts his head. “Oh! No! I’m really not Xiao, I-”
“Let me see.” Xiao says sternly, walking towards Venti as the other backs away slowly. “Venti, if you are injured I have to see.”
“But I’m not!” Venti whines, covering his sides. He’s clearly not convincing enough, because Xiao reaches out to hold him by the hips and inspect his sides. To Venti's credit, he does try to stay relatively quiet, the key word being ‘try’. He positively shrieks trying to jump back but not getting very far with Xiao’s vice-like grip on him. “X-xiao! I’m fi- AH!”
“Clearly you are not- can you stay still?” Xiao sounds a bit annoyed, reaching to pull the tie on his corset off. “I need to see the injury.”
“It’s not an injury!”
Xiao glares a bit and Venti has to slap his hand over his own mouth to keep from helping again when Xiao gives his side, no longer adorned with his corset, a particularly firm squeeze.
Venti, once again, shrieks. “OKAY! Okay, lehehets be done now ohokay?” He tries to squirm, but Xiao stops him.
“Why?”
“...huh?”
Xiao blinks. “Why should I stop?”
Venti feels his face start to heat up. “Well, because…just because.”
“It tickles?” Xiao asks, blatantly. Venti chokes, eyes widening, and Xiao just stares. “Right? That’s why you are yelling?”
“I wasn't yelling.”
“Yes you were.” To prove his point, Xiao wiggles his fingers against Venti’s sides, and the bard yelps, grabbing the other’s wrists. “See? Yelling. People are supposed to laugh when they’re tickled.”
Venti scoffs. “Yeah, well. Maybe if you were actually tickling me properly, I’d laugh.” A pause. “No. Xiao-”
“Hm?”
“That is not an invitation.”
“Hm.”
“Xiao, please. Listen to me. What’re you- ah! Nohoho!” Xiao’s fingers start scribbling over Venti’s sides. Not only does it send him into hysterics, but Venti slowly falls to the ground trying to cover his sides. Xiao simply sits next to him, wrapping an arm around his back and pulling him close.
“XIAHAHO PLEHEHEASE!” Venti shrieks, pushing as hard as he can against Xiao’s hands on his sides to no avail. Xiao had always been stronger than him, even more so when Venti is…incapacited such as this. “STOHOHOP IHIHIT!”
“Hm.” Xiao hummed, slowing down his fingers and tilting his head to make eye contact with the bard. “You’ll attract enemies if you continue to scream.”
Venti’s loud screeching had died down to more normal levels of laughter, allowing him to take a few breaths. “Nohohot my fahahault!” He whines, still pushing at Xiao’s hands. “Stohohop it- it tihihickles!”
“Clearly.” Xiao sounds deadpan, but Venti can see the small fond smile forming on his lips. It makes everything all the more flustering, and makes Venti’s heart skip a little beat. In a sudden burst of energy, he surges forward to place a chaste kiss on the yaksha’s lips.
Xiao stills, his hands go from scratching lightly at Venti’s sides to holding his hips firmly to kiss him again before he can pull away. Venti smiles against the kiss, throwing his own arms around Xiao’s shoulders and climbing into his lap fully. He loves moments like this, soft moments full of laughter and smiles and warm feelings, and he knows Xiao does too.
Xiao is, of course, still a menace, and he kneads a little into Venti’s hips causing him to squeak and pull back. Xiao places light kisses on Venti’s face as the bard puts very little energy into pushing at his chest to get away. “Ohohkay thats enohohough…” Venti says, finally wrapping his hands around the other’s wrists and gently pulling them away. “We should get back and turn this commission in for Aether.”
Xiao nods. “Yes.” He leans in, gripping Venti’s chin lightly and pulls his face close enough that their lips are practically touching. “Later.”
Hola personitas. Venimos con un aporte que nos ha costado un tiempito reunir. Es posible que algunos PB tengan 1 añito más de lo que pone, porque igual cumplieron recién. Esperamos les guste ^^
was perusing through stephen sanchez's tracklist on his album aptly called 'angel face' *cough*
and no one knows with him & laufey is already on the trouble playlist
but then the algorithm pushed this performance of him and kodi lee singing 'until i found you' on AGT and well... a once 'overplayed' song has new meaning.... crying on the toilet im so cool arent i
anyways, i constantly edit my stuff and make sure the songs embody my lil universe so thanks for all the suggestions so far & check out whats made the list !! <3
...how many years has it been unspoken tradition for the winners of the past season to perform on the first live results show of the following summer...
guess the Mayyas are too high budget for nbc to afford anymore
also it seems they are doing away with the dunkin save from now on.