Iʀᴏᴅᴏʀɪ ғᴇsᴛɪᴠᴀʟ sʜᴏʀᴛ sᴛᴏʀɪᴇs
A collection of short stories taking place during the Hues of Violet Garden event of 2.6
ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴜᴘ! 1/?
Takes place after the Legends of the Kasen, Act I: The Strange Tale of Suikou's Tipsy Tincture, where Albedo decides to take Venti and Aether out for food and drinks as a way to find inspiration for his painting. Venti ends up overdoing it.
ᴀᴏ3
ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ alcoholism, overeating, belly kink, vomiting, stomach ache, fainting, burping, regurgitation
ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ 3.8k~
Albedo normally had a look of pure disinterest on his face, the traveler was already used to that.
His eyelids would form a perfectly straight line, with his pupils without glow, his lips pressed, and he would talk in that monotone yet soft way. And when something gave him the slightest bit of curiosity, it would earn only a mere raise of his eyebrows.
That was why Aether was more than a little surprised to see a genuine mischievous look on his face when Albedo peeked from behind his sketchbook. He was unapologetically leering at Venti seated across the two, his hand moving fast while he looked from him to the paper and then to him again.
Venti didn't seem to mind in the slightest. He barely blinked as he went through another portion of tempura, not that he could, Venti had his eyes practically closed at that point. A smile from cheek to cheek spread through his face as he chewed, already reaching for another one.
The bard didn't seem to have a limit, with plates on plates of Inazuman cuisine he had been slowly savoring along with bottles of sake already cluttering the table. He would slur for someone to come and serve him more alcohol.
Aether was morbidly curious as to how Venti was able to stuff so much in his tiny frame, especially when he was struggling to finish his third plate of what he took to be only the entree. It had to be something to do with being a former archon.
Albedo, on the other hand, hadn't touched the food he ordered for himself yet, it was getting cold, but pieces were steadily disappearing inside the mouth of a certain floating fairy.
That problem had solved itself though, after finishing her own food Paimon had slowly picked at Albedo's plate, then landed her sights on the colorful cocktail he had ordered for himself. sneakily eating the fruits of it.
Albedo didn't seem to notice or even care for that matter, he kept drawing with such precision it was truly difficult to see anything else.
Aether couldn't help but peep at the notebook from time to time, given that Albedo was seated just beside him. He watched, astounded at how many sketches the artist was making in what seemed like one continuous stroke. He barely picked up his charcoal off the page, laying down light shapes and lines that in an instant became a complete piece.
The traveler tried to not think of the time he tried to teach him, but the sting of playful envy was still there whether he wanted it or not. The fear was there too.
A weak yet persistent fear sent a shuddering cold down his spine any time Albedo would turn to shoot him a glance from the tail of his eye. Or in that same still voice, he would try to bounce an idea off of him.
Aether was on edge still, trying to be cautious of anything that went against who Albedo was. Since, for all he knew, the Albedo he had been friends with was dead and buried under several feet of snow.
At that moment it was truly just the both of them, for even Paimon lay curled on the table, hiccuping and giggling though sound asleep. It made Aether glad he hadn't drunk much of it yet, even though he wanted to.
Albedo lightly tapped the traveler's hand, pointing to the page where a single concept laid in charcoal, a boy curled in on himself and circled by empty bottles and scattered pages. It conveyed the feeling well, but the traveler was curious as to why he looked to be in such pain.
The traveler hummed briefly, trying to think of something in response, but his hesitation seemed to be enough to make Albedo reconsider. He retrieved the notebook, turning a fresh page to start sketching again.
Venti let out a sizable burp from where he sat, not bothering to muffle it on his fist as all it did was give him more room in his belly for food and drinks. Aether was starting to feel uneasy at the rate he was eating, it had already been their third batch of orders. Or was it the fourth? He had lost count already, already whispering his condolences for Albedo's savings.
“Drink some more, won't you? There's still plenty to go around”, Albedo suggested to the bard in a voice tone that seemed so far from his own, reaching over the table to grab a bottle of sake and feeling the lightness of it. “Or not, haha”, hearing him chuckle gave Aether a chill in his gut. “Would you like to order some more?”
“Yeees…”, Venti slurred from where he sat, without raising his head he patted his belly over his corset. “I have hic, some room left. C'mooon… let's order more dishes.”
Aether shot a mortified look at Albedo, who had a curly smirk on his lips, that same glint of malice still on his eyes.
“What about you, traveler, fancy anything specific?”, he asked, watching him curiously from the corner of his eye.
Aether was afraid that if he talked he would stutter, so he averted his gaze before he tried. “I think I'm full already, thank you.”
“Are you sure?” Albedo challenged, keeping him in his vision, eyes dull as if he was waiting for him to suddenly jump up. He shrugged as he continued: “Mora isn't an issue. I've been paid generously for my work here, it's only fair that I share it with my muses.”
Now the two of them were staring at Venti, who seemed to have dozed off in the short period it took to address the traveler, snuggled on his green cape. He had his head resting in the crook of his arm, his green beret close to slipping off, his braids sprawled over the table. Albedo let out a dry humorless chuckle.
“Besides”, he continued as he stood up, a slight smirk on his lips, and in his voice. “I don't mind splurging a bit on an experiment.”
He was gone before Aether had a chance to react, the words gradually floating to him as his steps echoed out. His eyes went wide as he looked at Venti, the boy's back was hitching with each drunk hiccup, his breathing slow and unstable.
Aether slipped into the seat beside him, hoping that Albedo wouldn't mind not having his company, and tried to get a better look at the bard's drowsy face.
“Venti?”, he called, laying a careful hand on his back. He felt strangely frigid to the touch, even wrapped in several layers of his typical Mondstadt attire, in contrast with the warm room he was as cold as a cadaver. “Are you awake?”
Aether waited for a moment, watching him closely for any alarming changes. His cheeks were as red as they could be, like a swollen intoxicated tomato framed by turquoise braids.
The traveler poked at his back, lightly, telling himself there was no way Venti had drank himself into a coma less than a day in.
“Huh…?”, the bard jolted up suddenly, his beret flying off. “Is the… the food here already? That was fast.”
“No. It isn't, not yet”, Aether informed promptly as he recovered from the scare, eyeing the corridor just to make sure.
“Aw… I hope it doesn't take long. I don't think I can… ehe, keep myself awake anymore”, Venti slurred, his words coming out slow but blended, without commas, only improper pauses. He had a leaning smile on, almost as if he was entertaining some devilish idea. “So, what about the portrait? Is it done, can I see it?"
Aether responded with a shake of his head, trying not to look at the open sketchbook on the table, thinking it could give Venti the impression he could snoop. The bard pouted at his response, then shrugged.
“Then that means even more food for me”, he giggled, throwing his head as he lazily stretched his back, no doubt it was sore from holding out poses for so long, or just laying hunched on the table.
There was a noticeable bump forcing his brown corset into a curve, and his stomach stuck out against his lean, almost frail torso.
Venti let out a brief moan as he exhaled, he seemed to be having difficulty keeping a rhythm to his breathing. He held the pose for a moment, frowning when a sharp pain tugged at his gut, the bones of his corset digging into his taut stomach like daggers.
“...guh…ughhh.”
He moaned again, his hands shakingly cupping his belly as he folded over his legs. Aether had the bard's name halfway through his lips, one hand reaching for him when he heard him grunt:
“Traveler, can you help me with this…”, he seemed to be searching for the right word while fumbling with the buttons on the front. “...darn corset?”.
“Okay…?” Aether dragged himself closer, unsure of what to do at first until the bard raised his torso and turned to him. His hands fell away from his gut almost dejectedly, revealing an obvious pouch squeezed in there.
With each breath the brown corset looked like it was going to burst open, like a dam placating a raging river, nearing its collapse. Aether caught himself staring, in the brief moment of silence he could hear faint gurgling sounds, and he frowned, thinking of just how much food and drink Venti had crammed in that already thin stomach.
“Just undo the buttons, please”, the bard whined, taking the traveler's hesitant hands in his and placing them over his corset. “It's hurting a little…”
To think this would make him act first. Aether's brain had seemingly short-circuited when he felt the warmth of his belly through the fabric, his stomach noticeably rippling under his palm. He tried to ignore it, the resistance of the surface pushing back on his fingers as he fumbled with the buttons, how dense and bloated the organ felt under so many layers of cloth, it was too much.
Aether felt slow and hot in the face, thinking about the small sips of alcohol he had through the night and how everything felt like it was boiling then evaporating inside of him. One moment of lost concentration and he was staring at the loose golden button he had just torn off.
“I think I broke it”, he gulped, he could swear his belly just grew an inch longer. Venti snorted and snatched it out of his hand.
“Yeah, don't worry, I always have to sew these back again”, he responded, stuffing it into the pocket of puffy shorts. “Keep going.”
Aether tried to focus, tugging at the buttons with such care he finally noticed those were only for decorations. How come none of them had noticed it? Maybe he was drunker than he thought…
He gently, hesitantly felt around Venti's waist, his fingers lending on a trail of small metal clasps hidden under the sews, the real culprits. Aether undid them one by one, careful as to not tear anything more. The corset nearly shot out as he got to the last one, like a door swinging back.
Venti let out a drawn-out groan as the pressure over his belly was released at once, one hand going to pet it, resting over the curve of his protruding stomach under his loose dress shirt.
“Hnnggg… I needed that”, he thanked, his voice airy. “Now I think I can handle more.”
“Venti, maybe you should slow down”, Aether warned, composing himself as he sat back on his knees. “You're gonna make yourself sick if you keep eating like this.”
“I can handle it”, the bard repeated, waving him off. “It's not every day I get to eat this much, especially not for free. So, allow me to savor this moment, and some more delicious food, won't you?”
Aether had a protest in mind, but it didn't make it to his lips, he knew it was useless to argue. And right on cue, the artist materialized himself at the end of the hallway, a pleased yet strange smile under his cold eyes.
“You'll have to excuse me, I am quite clueless when it comes to Inazuman table manners”, he informed as he sat down, a soft chuckle escaping him. “Heh, what a host I am..”
“Where's our food?”, Venti slurred, having his head buried in his arms once again, his green beret back to his head with the Cecilia tucked under it.
“I've been told it'll be here shortly, don't worry”, Albedo replied, picking up his notebook and charcoal once more. “Now, Venti, if you could hold that pose for a moment.”
The traveler took it as an opportunity to scoot away from Venti, feeling slightly awkward and stiff as Albedo barely noticed his absence.
“Hmm, you sure are committed to finding the perfect pose, huh?” Venti murmured, doing his best to stop his body from moving as he hiccupped. “I'm curious to see what this is going to look like in the end.”
“Oh, I've already decided how it's going to look. In fact, I'll go with one of my first sketches”, Albedo informed without batting an eye. “I'm just taking this opportunity to practice. It's quite rare for me to find an interesting live subject, so forgive me if I'm inconveniencing you.”
To that, Venti simply chuckled, finding some humor in being on the other side of the process for once, being the muse and the source of inspiration. If it wasn't for the uncomfortable pressure in his belly and the drowsiness settling in, they could have had an exhilarating exchange.
The waiters came and went, leaving their table with even more clutter, but Venti barely moved. Without raising his head, he took a piece of shrimp off the plate and slowly munched on it.
Aether simply watched from the side, hesitantly taking in his portion of the food as he felt his own stomach cower with the thought of eating as much. He couldn't take his eyes off Venti, and how he slowly but surely was clearing another plate, his movements sluggish and almost pained.
He already had a bad feeling and the increasing noises coming from under the bard's shirt only served to further concern him.
Almost as if to prove him right, Venti raised a shaking fist to his mouth, trying to muffle a series of queasy burps that left him grimacing over the taste they brought. Still, he tried to pick another piece of food, barely making it towards his mouth when his hand went limp. He buried his face further into the crook of his arm and groaned.
Not even Aether dared to say anything, batting his breath as he watched Venti carefully, his back hitching with muffled hiccups and his stomach gurgling under the table.
“Is something wrong?”, Albedo asked, raising his eyes from the page, a quizzical look in his eyes. “Ah, Venti? What's wrong?”
At first, he didn't respond, just weakly shook his head without raising it. Aether decided to put his voice to good use and responded for him:
“I think he's finally had enough.”
Albedo hummed, his gaze lost somewhere on the surface of the table as he thought.
“Has he? But just now he was saying how he wanted to order more”, he responded, settling his notebook down.
“Don't worry, urp…”, Venti squeaked out, swallowing audibly. “I'm just taking a break… ehe…”
Albedo had a finger resting on his chin, his eyes roving over the bard piled on the table, visibly shivering.
“Albedo… It is getting late, shouldn't we get going?”, Aether suggested, placing both of his hands on the table as if he was ready to get up. “We can just wrap these for later.”
“Oh, I didn't even know that was an option”, he replied, a small smile crawling to his lips. “Well, Venti?”
The bard responded by slowly raising himself, his face clammy and red reappearing from behind his elbows. He stared and smacked his lips as if there was a nasty taste in his mouth, but not a second later his hand was crawling back to the plate.
Aether was tempted to just take it off his hands and carry him off the restaurant, but what good would that do? He was clearly determined to finish that plate, so he watched as Venti crammed a piece of fried shrimp into his mouth.
Not a second later it fell out, barely a bite in it as it landed on his white buttoned-up shirt, leaving a greasy reddish stain, almost as if his maw just forgot it was supposed to chew. The traveler quickly searched for a napkin, but there wasn't any, he turned back online to find Venti looking even worse.
“I think—”, he squawked, the sentence trailing off into a short-lived but sizable burp, not even a warning before it turned wet and brought up a wave of vomit cascading down his chest.
“Oh my goodness”, Albedo whispered, one hand going to cover his mouth as it hung open in surprise. “Traveler, maybe we should–”
“I'm– I'm on it”, he murmured, but he was just as lost.
Venti coughed, raising a shaky hand to wipe at his cheek, barely aware of the damp mess coating his shirt. He looked at his hand, a hint of alarm flashing through his eyes and he cupped the hand under his chin, catching the vomit dripping from it.
“...oh… I'm, hic, sorry…”, he mumbled, his voice coming from the bottom of his throat, loaded with nausea. It was almost as if it hit him all at once, and he cupped the other hand, arching over his lap as his back hitched with drunk hiccups.
Aether jumped to his feet as he heard the retching start, a weak strained sound drowned out by vomit surging up his throat and splashing into Venti's hands and then his lap.
At first, he just stared, the shock of it happening so suddenly wearing off as he positioned himself behind Venti, placing a hand on his shoulders. He felt his muscles roll under his touch as he produced a waterfall of sake and fried seafood over his lap. It hit his hands, filling up one and falling onto the other until it reached his green shorts, staining them with grease and alcohol.
He tried calling his name to no avail as if it was going to cut his vomiting spell short, but it did nothing to help the drowning bard. He coughed, breaking the steady rush of liquid as it began tapering off, struggling retches leaving him gasping for air.
“Here”, he guided as the spell ceased into struggling gurgling breaths, leading Venti to turn the side and spared his lap once more. “There you go.”
He kneeled, instructing him to do the same, get on his hands and finish it onto the tatami, sparing their poor host the sight as the wooden table covered part of them. Albedo, however, was already upon his feet, making his way towards the two, a grave expression on his already cold facade.
“Traveler, maybe we should move him to the restroom?”, he asked, kneeling on the other side of the table.
“Ah, I don't… I don't even know if there is a restroom here”, he confessed, feeling the sickly bard tense up under his touch, his back shivering harshly. “And… we've already made a mess here. If we try to move him…”
He trailed off as he felt Venti's shoulders roll forward, his belly caving in as it gave a low sickly growl. Vomit erupted out of his mouth, violently splattering over the tatami, sounding like someone had emptied a bucket over it.
“Well, then”, Albedo muttered, his gaze wandering somewhere far off. With careful precision, he slipped off Venti's green cap and started undoing the bow holding it over his shoulders. “Traveler?”
But Aether was distracted, gathering Venti's choppy bangs in his hand, holding his already soiled braids behind his head. He didn't notice as Venti gave a husky whimper low in his throat and started sliding forward, the strength in his arms to hold himself up quickly fading.
“Traveler”, Albedo called again, slipping the cape and placing it aside, his eyes never leaving the shuddering bard. “Aether, he's going to–”
Venti plummeted to the floor, dismantling like a puppet with its strings cut off like he was wooden and lifeless. Albedo had mere seconds to react, laçoing him by the collar of his shirt just inches above the puddle of vomit on the tatami.
Aether reacted after him, grabbing Venti by the shoulders and bringing him to his chest, huffing from the surprise as he got up, getting behind him as he held him kneeled.
“Be careful. We could be dealing with alcohol poisoning here”, Albedo informed as he went to help support the man's weight. “Aether?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, I'm… I–”, he sputtered, his eyes wide and moist as he couldn't keep certain memories from flashing before his eyes. Seeing Venti like that, and unable to help turned his stomach. “I'm sorry, what did you say?”
“If we can't wake him up, he'll need medical attention”, Albedo spoke slowly, his tone more informative than gentle. “It shouldn't be alcohol poisoning, but we can't discard the possibility just now. Maybe if we could…”, he was muttering to himself now, eyes scanning Venti as if he was open and sprawled onto his metal desk. “Help me put him down.”
The two gently laid him on his back and then on his side, tilting his head to the ground, allowing a mouthful of vomit to trickle out. Albedo had a scowl on his face as he ran his knuckles on Venti's back, applying a little more pressure each time.
“The worst that could happen”, he murmured, sounding too serious for his own good. “Is him losing the festival, due to the hangover he'll inevitably have. Besides that”, he applied more pressure, giving it now an open palm. “There's no need to worry.”
Venti shook under his firm touch, his shoulders trembling before more vomit lazily spewed out of his mouth, forming a dense puddle under his cheeks. Aether reached out a hand, but before he could do anything, Venti's eyelids fluttered open, revealing glossy green orbs underneath.
“Hold him”, Albedo ordered, doing the same, supporting one of his shoulders as he coughed harshly, shaking his whole body.
Venti struggled under their hands, his violently hacking momentarily cut by more vomiting, renewing the coat of stomach acid on his shorts.
Aether winced as the violent sounds returned, but at least he could rest easy now. Sake wasn't going to kill his archon friend.
