A Guiding Star

A Xiao/Aether Zine

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 Untitled
Fic by: Mora | Art by: lillachan
Aether loves many things in his life. He loves feeling the cool fall breeze after he exits his
company’s building, the air cooling him down after a long day of practice. He loves sneak-
ing sweets when his manager isn’t looking and enjoys the roars from his fans whenever he’s
performing on stage with his group.

However, what Aether enjoys more than anything else in the world is waking up next to his
husband and his daughter. Nothing beats those quiet mornings when he’s the first one up,
and he can just take in the two sleeping forms next to him. Xiao holds their daughter, Lumi,
close as she’s curled up near his chest.

Aether resists the urge to coo and pepper the two with kisses, fearing that his movement
will wake the two of them up. It’s still early, and they both need to rest. Instead, he decides
to lay back down and watch as their chests rise and fall in their deep slumber. Aether can’t
help but smile, but looming thoughts cause him to frown.

Yes, he loves waking up to his daughter and husband more than anything in the world, but
there’s one thing he would love more than that. Aether wishes he could tell the world about
his family.

Xiao and Aether had never planned to keep their relationship a secret for this long but since
both of them are idols, dating has always been seen as taboo. Companies rarely allow idols
to date openly to help keep an illusion up for fans. When Aether first debuted, he wasn’t
allowed to date for five years. However, that didn’t stop him from falling in love with Xiao,
one of his fellow group mates.

The two of them had merely been friendly at first like the rest of their bandmates. However,
it didn’t take long for their feelings to grow and for them to realize they were in love. When
they were finally able to act on it, they had kept it hidden from the company for months.
As soon as the company found out, they were not happy. It took a lot of convincing for the
company to allow them to date, but it was only under one condition. They weren’t allowed
to go public with their relationship.

Several years later and it’s still the case. The only people who know about their relationship
are their families, their group mates, and the company itself. No one else even suspects their
relationship, and Aether hates it. All he wishes for is to love Xiao openly, to be able to show
the world how proud he is of his little family, but it’s impossible.

The company won’t allow it, so all Aether can do is enjoy the moments with his family in
private, bask in their love and light while they’re alone so he can have the strength to pre-
tend not to love Xiao in public. It’s hard, but it’s part of the reason Aether treasures their
mornings so.
Xiao stirs and gently untangles himself from Lumi, making sure he doesn’t wake up his
daughter while he’s at it. Xiao covers a yawn, and his eyes lazily adjust to his now awakened
state. Their eyes meet after a moment, and Aether smiles softly.

“Good morning, love,” Aether says in a whisper as to not wake up Lumi. While he loves his
daughter deeply, sometimes he’s happy when he has moments alone with Xiao.

“Morning,” Xiao mutters softly, a fond gaze on his face, “did you sleep well?”

“Mmm,” Aether nods, smile on his lips. “I had a good dream last night.”

Xiao raises his eyebrow in inquisition. “What was it about?”

Aether pauses for a moment, unsure if he wants to tell Xiao about his dream. He’s not sure
what his husband will think, but in the end, he decides to go for it anyway.

“It was so nice,” Aether prefaces and Xiao gazes at him fondly as he waits for him to contin-
ue, “we were out in public with Lumi and neither of us were wearing masks. People would
glance at us casually when they realized who we were but nobody made a big deal about it
as if they already knew we were together.”

Xiao’s look is sympathetic.

“Aether,” he starts, but he can’t find the words to continue. Aether knows exactly what he’s
going to say.

You know we can’t do that.

Aether tries to keep himself from letting tears fall from his eyes as he tries to smile.

“I know, I know,” Aether reassures him sadly, “I’m just saying that it would be nice.”

Lumi begins to stir next to Xiao before either of them can say anything else much to Aether’s
relief. Their daughter squirms as she tries to sit up, her eyes still half lidded with sleep as she
looks at her fathers.

“M’ning,” she says as she rubs her sleep ridden eyes and lets out a yawn. Aether can’t help
but coo at how adorable his daughter is. He reaches over to give her a quick kiss on the
forehead.

“Morning princess,” Aether murmurs, “Did you sleep well?”

Lumi nods happily. “Mhmm!!”

Xiao watches the two of them from the sideline, and Aether can’t help but admire how
handsome his husband is. He has always been handsome to Aether, even before they started
dating, and Aether swears that Xiao grows more handsome with every passing day. And of
course, Aether’s love for him grows as well.

“Aether,” Xiao says once he notices that Aether is staring at him. Aether can’t help but be
embarrassed at being caught staring even if Xiao is his husband, but Xiao doesn’t seem to
mind. He leans in towards Aether until their lips meet for a chaste kiss. Aether finds himself
floating.

“Ewww,” Lumi says below them and Xiao pulls away while Aether does nothing to hide his
giggles. “Gross.”

“Aw, is our princess jealous?” Aether asks as he looks down at his daughter’s pout. She
shakes her head, but Aether knows that she also wants kisses. He and Xiao look at each oth-
er before leaning in to pepper both of Lumi’s cheeks with kisses as Aether tickles her sides.
Her squeals of joy fill the bedroom, and it’s music to Aether’s ears.

When they’ve finally settled, Xiao gets out of bed to get ready and make breakfast. Aether
works on washing Lumi’s face and brushing her teeth before they eat. They had promised
her they would go to the park today if the weather was nice. She had been wanting to get
out of the house for weeks now, but Aether and Xiao had busy schedules so they weren’t
able to take her.

Xiao’s sister, Ganyu, usually helped take care of Lumi when they were busy, and she often
took Lumi to the park or aquarium so the little girl could get out of the house. She had fallen
in love with the fishes in the aquarium and always wanted to go back, but they had settled
on the park instead. It was closer to their house, and it was less likely for anyone to notice
who they were.

Although Lumi doesn’t understand that her parents are famous, she has gotten used to her
parents having hectic schedules and not being able to see them for days at a time. Every mo-
ment they spent together was precious, so it didn’t matter where they went. Aether couldn’t
help but feel guilty; all he wishes is to give Lumi a normal childhood.

They eat the breakfast that Xiao has prepared them. It tastes delicious as always. One of the
many things that surprised Aether to find out about Xiao was that he was actually a good
cook. He only came to realize after they did a competition where his group members had to
cook against another idol group. They only won cause Xiao was actually good at cooking.
Aether knew if they had left it up to Venti, the whole kitchen would have been on fire.

Once they finish eating, Xiao cleans up Lumi and they go back into the room to change into
nicer clothes. Aether had changed while he was trying to get Lumi out of bed, so he cleans
up the dishes. Ten minutes later, Xiao and Lumi come back both wearing their clothes to
go out.

Aether can’t help but smile once more as he puts up the last dish to dry.

“Wow~ look how cute Lumi looks.”

Xiao had brushed her hair into two pigtails and she is wearing one of her favorite dresses.
Aether doesn’t like to brag, but he and Xiao have the cutest daughter ever.

“Papa said I look like a princess!” Lumi exclaims as Aether walks toward him. He bends
down until he’s eye level with her.

“That’s because you are a princess,” Aether confirms, and Lumi’s smile widens in excitement.
“Really?”

“Of course.” Aether takes a moment to smooth out the bottom of her dress and make sure
her shoes are tied. When he’s done, he finally stands back up.

“Well, shall we get going, princess?”

Lumi nods enthusiastically.

“Aeth, don’t forget this,” Xiao tells him and reaches over to give him something. Aether
frowns as soon as he sees the two objects in Xiao’s hand, a black face mask and sunglasses.
His heart clenches just at the sight of them although he knows that he has to wear them
when he’s out in public, especially when they’re out as a family.

Aether lets out a sigh and takes them from Xiao. He puts on the face mask before the glass-
es. Xiao does the same. Lumi, who is used to her parents covering their faces by now, waits
for them patiently. Aether is sad that this has become such a normal part of her childhood,
but there’s nothing he can do about it.

One day the world will know about his family, but it won’t be today. Aether can only hope
that it’s soon.

The park is bustling with young couples and their children which is a blessing and a curse
for Xiao and Aether. With so many people it will be easier to blend into the crowd, but there
is also a slight possibility that someone could recognize them from their group.

Aether tries to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that tells him this is a bad
idea so he can focus on making his daughter happy. They haven’t had much time to spend
as a family, and he doesn’t want to ruin it by being paranoid. Therefore, he decides that
everything will be fine.

Lumi grabs Xiao’s hand excitedly as they reach the park, and she desperately tries to drag
her father toward the playground.

“Can you push me on the swing, Daddy?” Lumi asks excitedly, not waiting for Xiao to give
her an answer as she pulls his hand once more. Xiao willingly lets himself get pulled by his
daughter, and Aether watches as the two of them walk over to the empty swing set. Lumi
sits on the swing and tightly wraps her fingers around the chains just how Aether had taught
her. Once she’s fully seated, Xiao gets behind her and begins to push her gently.
Lumi giggles as she begins to gain momentum and her feet leave the ground. She holds
on tightly to the chains to keep herself from falling and lets her father do all the work. Her
favorite thing to do at the park is swing, and Aether knows that she’ll have Xiao pushing her
for a while. He doesn’t seem to mind, a slight smile on his face as he continues to push his
daughter on the swing.

Their little girl giggles once more and then says, “faster daddy!”

“You know you can’t go too fast or you’ll feel sick,” Xiao reminds her as she swings back and
forth. There’s a slight pout on her lip as she nods in agreement.

“I know, but just a little?” She turns to give Xiao her signature puppy eyes, and Aether can
see the slight look of confliction on Xiao’s face as he weighs his options of either giving into
her cute demands or telling her no. Aether knows he’s going to give in as soon as Lumi pulls
out her secret weapon, and he watches as his husband pushes Lumi just a little bit harder so
she will go slightly faster.

Her giggles are worth the extra push that make her go a little higher than she normally does.
Aether takes a seat on one of the park benches so he can watch his husband and daughter
on the swing set. It will be a good half hour before Lumi decides she’s bored of swinging and
will come to Aether to follow her to another part of the playground.

He decides to look at his phone for a moment and instantly notices that he has quite a few
messages from Venti and Kazuha. Aether thumbs his password in and clicks on Venti’s
messages first.

Venti: Hey Aeth, where are you right now?

Venti: Aeth, I really think you should stay inside
Venti: Aeth, answer me

A rush of panic surges through Aether, and he wonders if his heart has stopped. His hands
are shaking as he tries to type a reply.

Aether: Venti, what’s going on?

There’s an immediate reply.

Venti: Oh thank god, you replied. Where are you?

Aether: At the park with Lumi.
Venti:.... oh um
Aether: Venti, what’s wrong you’re worrying me
Venti: You should probably um head home for now [link attached]

With his hands still shaking rather violently, Aether clicks on the article only for him to
suck in his breath as he reads the headline and sees the photo that’s displayed. It’s a picture
of Xiao and Lumi; Xiao is holding their daughter as she appears to be giggling from some-
thing he said. The headline reads: Xiao of AN-EMO seen with a child who appears to be his
daughter. No word on who the mother is.
Aether clicks off the article and types a quick reply to Venti.
Aether: When was this taken? This isn’t from today.
Venti: I don’t know...it feels like they’ve been sitting on this for awhile. Diluc is as surprised
as us, it seems like they didn’t tell the company anything before posting it.
Aether: fuck fuck fuck
Venti: you should head home, it’s best if you’re not in public right now. Text me when you
get home.

Aether does not reply to Venti and instead clicks on Xiao’s contact so he can message his
husband without bringing too much attention to them. If he calls Xiao’s name people will
look up, and even if he just calls him darling or the like, who knows who could be watching
him.

His mind races as he tries to come up with the right words to tell Xiao, but it all comes to a
blank. It’s as if Aether has lost all grasp of human language, and he can only sit silently on
the bench as he feels panic start to set in. Their worst nightmares have finally come true.
They didn’t want to introduce Lumi to the world this way, but Aether knew that it was in-
evitable.

Once he’s able to calm down momentarily, Aether taps a quick message to Xiao. He hears
his husband’s phone ping, and Xiao takes a moment from pushing Lumi on the swing to
unlock his phone and read the message. His eyes darken.

Xiao types a quick response before turning back to Lumi as if nothing is wrong.

Xiao: Head home, I’ll leave with Lumi in a bit, it’s best if we’re not seen together.

Aether doesn’t want to go home alone, but he knows that Xiao is right. Right now the media
only knows that Xiao has a daughter, but they don’t know about the relationship between
him and Aether. It’s better for them and their group if they keep it that way for now. Aether
sighs and begrudgingly gets up from the park bench. He sneaks one long and melancholy
look at his little family by the swing set before turning to go home.

The walk back to the apartment feels rather lonely, and Aether hates it. He processes the sit-
uation as he walks and wonders if it would just be better to finally come clean to the world.
If they let everyone know, he can finally hold Xiao’s hand in public, and he can finally take
Lumi out of the house without having to wear a mask everywhere they go.

Aether wishes he could shout it to the world, but he knows that he has to talk to Xiao and
their management first. In this situation, Aether knows that he can’t be selfish no matter
how much he wants to be. Xiao and him aren’t the only ones at stake in this relationship, it
also affects their group and the company itself hence why they’ve kept it a secret for so long.
He arrives back at the apartment to see that Venti and Diluc are waiting at his door.

“What are you doing here?” Aether asks, not expecting for Venti to show up so soon as he
hadn’t even messaged him to let him know that he was home yet.

Venti looks collected as he smiles at Aether. On the other hand, Diluc, their manager, looks
a bit irritated. Aether knows that Diluc is not irritated at them but rather the media for
publishing such private information, but Aether can’t help but feel guilty.

“I’m sorry,” Aether finds himself saying before he can stop himself. “I didn’t want it to hap-
pen like this.”

Diluc sighs. “It’s not your fault, Aether, these fucking vultures have no empathy.”

Venti claps his hands together to catch their attention. “Why don’t we go inside, just in case
anyone is watching?”

Aether nods and pulls out his keys, fiddling momentarily while he tries to find the right
one before opening the door to the apartment he shares with his family. The apartment
feels empty without Xiao and Lumi, but he lets Diluc and Venti in and then closes the door
behind him. He hopes that Xiao will be back soon, although he knows that Lumi will be
upset at having to leave the park so soon. Aether will make sure to make it up to her later
somehow; she deserves only the best after this mess is sorted.

“Would you like some tea?” Aether asks hoping that keeping himself preoccupied will keep
his mind off intrusive thoughts.

“Do you happen to have anything stronger?” Venti quips and immediately winces as Diluc
jabs him in the side.
“Tea would be nice,” Diluc informs him, so Aether works on getting the kettle on the stove.
As soon as the kettle begins to boil, he hears the jangling of keys and then the door opens to
reveal Xiao holding a rather pouty Lumi. However, her expression instantly changes when
she sees Venti and Diluc sitting on the couch.

“Uncle Luc! Uncle VenVen,” she exclaims as she tries to wiggle out of her father’s arms. Xiao
sets her down on the ground gently, and she immediately rushes toward the pair of men
on the couch. Venti scoops up the child in his arms in a tight embrace while Diluc lovingly
pats the top of her head.

Xiao clears his throat and the two men look at him expectantly.

“Lumi, why don’t you show Uncle Venti all the new friends daddy brought you?” Xiao sug-
gests to the little girl, but she shakes her head.

“I don’t wanna,” Lumi says defiantly probably still partially upset that they had to leave the
park so early. Thankfully Venti jumps in to help Xiao.

“You have new friends?” Venti asks her with awe in his voice, “I want to see them! Can I see
them Lumi?”

Lumi looks hesitant for a moment before nodding. The pure excitement on Venti’s face
is hard to resist, so the two of them walk out of the living room towards Lumi’s room at
the back of the apartment. Aether lets out a sigh of relief as he grabs three mugs from his
cabinet to pour in the hot water and place the tea bags in. Lumi will be out of earshot of
their conversation now. She’s still young, and Aether doesn’t want to ruin her childhood by
having her listen in to their problems. While she might not completely understand what’s
going on she can still pick up on their tones and emotions.

It’s best if she doesn’t hear this.

Aether brings the three mugs of tea to the coffee table and places them down gently. His
hands have stopped shaking but his heart is still racing on the inside. He sits next to Xiao
on the couch. Diluc has moved to the armchair to give them space together. There’s a stony
look on both him and Xiao’s face, and Aether keeps silent. He doesn’t want to be the first
to speak.

It’s Diluc who takes the initiative. He grabs one of the tea cups, sipping the hot tea before
letting out a sigh.

“Well,” Diluc begins, “the cat is out of the bag at this point.”

Aether purses his lips. “Isn’t there a way to change the narrative? Perhaps the company can
let out a statement saying that Lumi isn’t actually Xiao’s child--.”

“No,” Xiao states, cutting him off. “We’re not going to do that.”

Both Aether and Diluc look at the other man, Aether’s expression is filled with surprise
while Diluc looks comprehensive.

“But baby,” Aether tries to protest, “isn’t that the best course of action?”

“Even if it is, aren’t you tired of hiding, Aether?”

Aether can only hear the drums of his heartbeat as he tries to process Xiao’s words. His
hands feel sticky from sweat, and he finds himself wiping them on his jeans. Did Xiao really
say what Aether really thinks he said?

At Aether’s lack of response, Xiao turns to look at Diluc full of determination. His back
stands straight and his words are firm as he speaks them.

“I know this may be an inconvenience for the company, but I’m tired of hiding. I want Lumi
to have a childhood where her parents don’t have to hide who they are. If it means I have to
leave the group, then I will take that.”

Diluc sighs and shakes his head. “Nobody is going to make you leave. If that’s what you want
to do, then nobody is going to stop you. I’ll talk to Zhongli, and we’ll figure it out together.”
“Wait,” Aether chimes in, unable to understand if he’s hearing correctly, “Are you saying we
don’t have to hide anymore?”

Diluc nods. “I know it’s been hard for you two, and for that I’m sorry. This is a perfect op-
portunity to let the world know about your relationship and your family, you don’t have to
hide anymore.”
All the dread that Aether was feeling up until then washes away from him, and he’s filled
with a sense of peace. He turns to look at his husband who is smiling softly at him.

“Do you really mean it, Xiao?” Aether can’t help but wonder; he doesn’t want this to be a
dream.

“Of course my love, all I want is the best for us.”

Aether tackles Xiao into a hug and the two of them fall onto the couch. He can’t help but
pepper Xiao with kisses to which Xiao returns until Diluc clears his throat to remind them
that he’s still with them. They reluctantly break apart.

“Well, now that it’s all settled, I’ll have a word with Zhongli. I suggest you lay low until we
figure out all the details.”

“That’s fine.” Xiao shrugs nonchalantly, “it’s a small price to pay for freedom.”

Before anyone else can say anything, Lumi rushes back into the living room with Venti in
tow.

“Daddy, Papa look! I look like Uncle Venti!”

She’s dressed in a green dress and is wearing a replica of the cute green hat that Venti often
wears during his performances. In her hand is a lyre that Venti gifted her for her birthday.
She rushes up to her fathers proudly.

“You look better than Venti,” Xiao comments while she beams proudly. Xiao scoops her
up in his arms and begins to pepper her with kisses. The little girl squeals happily having
already forgotten about the park incident earlier.

Aether can’t help but look at this happy scene between the two most important people in his
life. Everything is going to be alright as long as he has Xiao and Lumi by his side.
 Calico Trouble
Fic by: Leon
The sound of a small creature crying out for help caught Xiao’s attention as he was walking
home from school, causing him to pause and look around for the source of the sound. He
made his way in the direction the noise seemed to be coming from, walking down one of
the alleys near his house while he looked around along the ground and among the piles of
trash that had been abandoned by those in the neighborhood who couldn’t be bothered to
properly dispose of their garbage. The farther in he walked, the more he was disgusted by
the people in the two apartment buildings looming above the alley he was standing in and
the louder the distressed sound became. He paused beside a box that had been abandoned
in the alleyway, the sound of the crying animal seeming to have reached its peak as soon as
he was by the box. Xiao crouched down, reaching out to move the flap of the box that made
it seem closed off to reveal a young calico kitten crying out for help. The kitten seemed to be
about three months old, just old enough that it didn’t need its mother’s milk any longer but
young enough that there was no way it would survive on its own as a stray.

He carefully picked up the small animal, zipping up his hoodie just enough that he could
hold it against his chest comfortably and keep it warm as he made his way quickly back
home. Xiao noticed his father’s car wasn’t in the driveway, causing him to let out a frustrat-
ed sigh as he unlocked the front door of his house. He closed the door behind him before
making his way upstairs to his bedroom and grabbed a couple of his older shirts, building
a makeshift nest-like structure for the kitten and setting it in the fabric pile before quickly
pulling out his phone. His father would be at work for another few hours and his father’s
partner was still away on a business trip in another country. There was no way he was going
to be able to take care of the small creature on his own and he was the most aware of that
fact. He was going to need to ask someone else to help him, someone who was better with
small animals than he was and might have some experience dealing with kittens. The kitten
let out another distressed sound and Xiao felt the last of his pride crumble as he pulled his
cellphone out of his pocket to call one of his friends for help. As he scrolled through his
contacts, he paused on the name of one of his classmates who lived close by, one who he
knew would likely have experience taking care of small animals like the kitten sitting on his
bed. Deciding there wasn’t really a better option for someone he could call, he hit the call
button while he shrugged off his backpack, tossing it into his desk chair while he listened to
the dial tone on his phone.

“Hello?”

Xiao could feel his body physically relax as he heard the familiar voice on the other end of
the call. “Aether, I need your help.”

“What happened? Did you forget the book for English class again?”

“No, this is about something else. I found a kitten on my way home and I have no idea how
to take care of it.” Xiao explained, gently running his fingers along the side of the small
creature while it let out another confused cry. “I didn’t want to leave it there.”

He could hear a sigh on the other end of the phone and waited for a tense moment before
he heard a reply on the other end of the phone.

“I’ll be over in about five minutes. Do you think you can keep the kitten calm until I get
there?”

“Yeah, I think I can manage that. Thanks Aether.”

“See you in a few minutes.”

“See you in a few minutes.” Xiao agreed as he offered his hand to the kitten for it to smell.

After he heard the line go silent, he turned his phone screen off and shoved it back into
his pocket before kneeling beside the bed. Xiao ran one finger along the small animal’s
side while he waited for his classmate to come over, watching as the kitten slowly started
to relax into the soft touches. The small animal started to let out a quiet purr as it batted at
the finger playfully. There was something about the kitten starting to trust him that made
his heart melt. After a few minutes, he heard a knock on the front door and watched as the
kitten tried to hide under one of his shirts. Xiao picked up his tiny new companion, keeping
it wrapped in one of his shirts to keep it comfortable as he made his way to the front door.
“Hey Aether.” he greeted as he opened the front door.

“Hi Xiao.” Aether smiled as he spotted the tiny kitten peeking out of the shirt his classmate
was holding. “So tiny! I asked Dain to pick up some soft food for the kitten, he should be
back from the store in a little while.”

Xiao nodded, stepping aside so he could let the blond into his house. He closed the door
behind the two of them before leading the way into the living room, the two of them set-
tling in on the couch to see how the kitten was doing. The tiny animal looked over Aether
curiously while it hid in the shirt it was wrapped in, sniffing the finger that was offered to
it before pawing at it to ask for attention. Aether let out a quiet squeal as he softly ran his
finger along the kitten’s cheek.

“Are they a boy or a girl?” Aether asked while he was petting the kitten.

“I haven’t checked.” Xiao replied, unwrapping the kitten from the blanket so that it could
look around the room. “The kitten’s just finally stopped panicking.”

“I wonder why someone would abandon this little cutie instead of taking them to an animal
shelter…” Aether let out a sigh before gently picking up the tiny animal, gently looking it
over to see if they needed to run to a vet. “Looks like she’s a girl.”

Xiao nodded, watching in amusement as the tiny creature swatted at his classmate’s hands.
“I don’t think she likes being held like that.”
“You’re right.” Aether mumbled as he quickly adjusted so the kitten was held comfortably
against his chest in a way that she was supported but still able to get away if she needed to.
“Are you gonna keep her?”

“If my dad’s fine with me keeping a pet then yeah.” Xiao replied honestly, reaching over to
softly pet the small creature he had brought home.

“Have you thought of what you wanna call her?” Aether asked, visibly holding back a squeal
as the kitten batted at his earring.

“I think...I want to name her after one of my friends from the orphanage I grew up in, In-
darias.“

Aether let out a confirming hum as he moved to cuddle up with his classmate. “I think
that’s a good way to remember your friend. I’m sure she’d be happy if she knew you were
safe now.”

Xiao nodded, burying his face in the other teen’s shoulder while the kitten curled up with a
yawn. He reached over to softly pet the tiny creature as the three of them relaxed together.
The sound of a knock on the front door startled Indarias and she let out an indignant meow
as she tried to climb into the pocket of Aether’s hoodie, only being stopped from succeeding
as Xiao picked her up and held her against his chest. The two high schoolers climbed off
the couch, making their way over to the front door to see who was there. Aether glanced
through the peephole in the door to see who was there before opening it to greet the person
on the other side.

“Hey Dain! Thanks for picking up wet food for the kitten for us.” Aether accepted the bag
his guardian handed over to him before hugging him.

Xiao nodded his thanks to the man who had brought cat food while he settled the kitten
so Indarias wouldn’t fall into his shirt. He listened to his classmate chatting with his guard-
ian while he comforted the small animal he was holding. Upon hearing his own name, he
looked up and started to actually pay attention to the conversation.

“I’ll be fine with Xiao, Dain. He won’t hurt me.” Aether sounded exasperated, whatever they
had both been talking about must be something that made him upset. “I’ll send you a text
later to let you know when I’ll be home.”

“Alright, I’ll let Lumine know you’ll be home late.” Dainsleif sighed and reached out to pat
the blond teen’s head. “Stay safe please, I know you’re in high school and that you’re a smart
kid but-”

“Okay, that’s more than enough! Thanks for bringing cat food and have a safe trip home!”
Aether’s face was bright red as he pushed his guardian down the path towards the car sitting
in the driveway.

Xiao focused his attention on Indarias once again, allowing his classmate to mitigate the sit-
uation while the kitten nuzzled his chest. She truly was a good kitten though she definitely
needed a bath before he could ask his dad if he could keep her. As much as his dad loved
animals, Xiao was sure that Indarias would make a better first impression clean instead of
with her fur all dirty and clumped together. Once Aether made his way back up to the front
door with his face still a shade of red, Xiao stepped aside so the two of them could make
their way back into the house.

“Sorry about Dain, he’s just a little….overprotective I guess.” the blond apologized as he
closed the front door behind himself.

“It’s alright, my dad’s boyfriend is like that too.” Xiao explained before being cut off by the
kitten meowing for attention.
“She must be hungry.” Aether smiled and reached over to pet Indarias.

“She needs a bath.” Xiao noted while he watched the small animal nuzzle his classmate’s
hand.

“Well, it’s Friday so we have all weekend to take care of her and I’ll be here to help.”

Xiao smiled at his classmate, watching as Aether’s face tinted pink once again. “Thanks
Aether.”

Feeding Indarias, as Xiao found out over the next two hours, was the easy part. She wasn’t
a picky eater and ate nearly half of one of the small cans of cat food in one sitting before
finally wandering away once she was full. No, what he had realized only after he and his
classmate were both all but soaked from head to toe was that bathing her was the hard
part. It had taken him a good fifteen minutes to dry the bathroom floor, the counter, and
any other surface the flighty kitten had climbed onto while she was wet. After that, he and
Aether had gone to his room to figure out what they were going to do while the now clean
kitten napped on his bed.

“There’s no way I can go home like this, Lumine would think one of the neighbor kids
soaked me with their garden hose again.” Aether mumbled while he dried his hair with a
towel, his hair tie having been tossed on the other teen’s desk so he wouldn’t lose track of it.
“You can stay the night if you want.” Xiao offered with his own towel still sitting on his head
while he dug through his dresser for something his classmate could wear.

“Are you sure?”

Xiao tossed a pair of basketball shorts and a loose shirt over to the other teen so he would
have something dry to wear. “I’m sure. We can order a pizza or something and we’ve got a
guest room you can use.”

Indarias let out a meow to catch her new owner’s attention, pawing at his foot while he was
digging through the dresser. Xiao grabbed a random pair of pajama pants before picking up
the kitten and kissing the top of her head. He heard Aether retreat back into the bathroom
attached to Xiao’s room to change into the dry clothes he was offered, leaving his classmate
to change in the bedroom. After Xiao had changed into his pajama pants, he heard the bath-
room door open and looked over to see the blond peeking his head out of the bathroom.

“I….your shorts, they’re too big….”

Xiao bit back a laugh as he grabbed a different pair of basketball shorts, making sure it had a
drawstring so the other teen could pull them tight before handing them over to him. He saw
the door close again and carefully carried Indarias out to the living room so he could order
takeout. The kitten explored her new abode full of curiosity and energy, peeking under
anything she couldn’t fit under and hopping up onto different surfaces to check things out
from different angles. Xiao paused in his scrolling on his phone to take a picture of Indarias
as she hopped up onto the windowsill to send it to Aether. Only moments after sending the
picture, he heard his classmate’s excited squeal from the hallway and looked up in time to
see the other boy making his way over to the couch.

It was odd to see someone else wearing his clothes but with how cute Aether looked in
them, he couldn’t help but think he’d like to see him like that again. Xiao held one arm out
invitingly to coax his classmate into sitting beside him. Aether plopped himself down right
beside the other teen and curled up against him, resting his head on his shoulder while Xiao
returned to scrolling through takeout options.

“Did you tell your family you’re staying the night?” Xiao asked after they settled on just
ordering a pepperoni pizza and breadsticks to share.

“Not yet. Maybe I should tell Lumine I’m staying at my boyfriend’s house.” the blond replied
with a teasing lilt in his voice as he opened his messaging app on his phone.

“Sure, go ahead.”

He could hear Aether almost choke and looked over to see him staring wide-eyed with his
face bright cherry red. “Are you sure?”

“Why not? I like you, my parents like you, and now my cat likes you.” Xiao shrugged before
pulling his companion over so he was tucked against his side again.

“That’s not how you ask someone out, Xiao.” Aether mumbled against his side before send-
ing a text and tossing his phone onto the other end of the couch. “Lumine is gonna kill you
when she finds out this is how you asked me out….”

“I can handle it.” he let out a quiet hum as he set his phone on the coffee table before shifting
so the other boy was more comfortable. “For you, I can handle anything.”
 Lay Your Weary Head To Rest
Fic by: Karamel | Art by: Audi
The consequences of one’s action are usually not the first thing one thinks of when doing
something. More often than not it’s only when things go wrong that one starts to regret not
doing something different. Yet regret isn’t the first thing that Aether thinks of as he stares at
his translucent pair of hands.

His sword sits on the table, unmoving and mocking. A million thoughts seem to race
through his head at once yet all Aether could hear is static as he tries to understand the
sight in front of him. Then, just as suddenly as it happened, his hand returns to normal once
again, opaque and solid and perfectly capable of lifting his sword to swing in battle.

“Aether, are you ready to go?” Aether stills as a voice call out from behind him.

Arms appear around his waist a second later and Aether relaxes into them. He looks back to
see Xiao staring at him inquisitively, an eyebrow raised. Leaning back, he gives the Adeptus
a quick peck on the cheek, before he notices Paimon floating by the door, eyes roaming
everywhere but them.

“All done, just needed to get my sword,” Aether says and offers a smile in reply before quick-
ly fastening his sword to his waist and tugging Xiao out of the house.

They were commissioned by the Adventurer’s Guild once again to chase away a group of
treasure hoarders terrorising a small inn. It’s nothing they have not done before and with
Xiao’s Adeptal powers coupled with Aether’s experience in battle, it didn’t take long before
the treasure hoarders left bruised and bloody, promising painful revenge the next time they
meet.

They use some of the mora Katherine hands them, as a reward for completing the com-
mission, to treat themselves at the Wanmin Restaurant before heading out to do some light
adventuring. Nothing out of the ordinary happens and the weird episode from the morning
is swiftly pushed to the back of Aether’s mind.

Pushed away and forgotten.

Till it happens again, that is.

Aether jolts awake to the sound of pained grunts beside him. Through the fog of sleep, he
slowly registers what is going on.

Xiao is sprawled out beside him, face contorted in pain as blood drips down his lips from
where he bit it too hard. Aether’s eyes travel down Xiao’s body to his wrist and once again,
the red shackles are back.

Ah, it’s happening again.

Karmic retribution, Xiao called them the morning after Aether witnessed it for the first
time, a month or so after they finally got together.

After that, it had taken Aether another two to three episodes before he finally figured out
a way to save Xiao from the pain. He remembered the days he spent helping Venti bring
Dvalin back, purifying the tainted tears with nothing more than his body.

It was just a passing thought of what if. After all, he did not have much else to lose aside
from the pain of watching his lover be tortured by unimaginable agony on a regular basis.
And so he tried, thankfully a single touch was all Aether needed to cleanse the karmic
retribution that was plaguing Xiao for the night and he sighed in relief as Xiao’s eyebrows
unfurrowed and he fell back into a more restful sleep.

The relief evolved into joy at the sight of Xiao looking significantly more well-rested the
next day, which translated into more gentle gazes and shy kisses whenever the Yaksha
thought Paimon wasn’t looking.

The thought of telling Xiao what he had done did occur to him but he ultimately decided
against it. Xiao would just fuss unnecessarily if he knew what Aether had done, and he just
might end up undoing months of work trying to get Xiao to open up to him if Xiao thinks
he’s putting Aether at risk to help him.

No harm, no foul, nothing is wrong. There’s no reason for Xiao to know.

Aether knows the drill by now. He raises his hand and gingerly places it on Xiao’s wrist,
right above where the red shackles lie, glowing ominously in the darkness of their bedroom.

A few seconds pass and nothing happens. Aether frowns and presses his hand down harder,
ignoring the slight burn of the shackles against his palm.

“Strange”, Aether grits his teeth and mutters to himself under his breath. He figures Xiao’s
too deep in his pain to hear anything he is saying. “Usually it’d be gone by now.”

He tries focusing on the shackles under his hand, channelling a little Anemo into his palm
in hopes of blowing the shackles off. It takes a few more tries but Aether finally manages to
get the shackles off, the red bands disintegrating into the night as the room once again falls
into darkness.
With his eyes still unadjusted to the sudden darkness, Aether raises his other hand to gently
cup Xiao’s face, releasing a breath he did not even realise he was holding as he felt the Yak-
sha’s even breath. He tries not to think about his other hand trembling violently against his
lap, tries not to think about the possibility of it not being altogether there, tries not to think
about the most likely reason why that is so.

Aether is already keeping a secret from Xiao. He hates to think that now, he’ll be keeping
another bigger one. Before he drifts off into a restless sleep, nestled in Xiao’s arms, he once
again tries not to think about how Xiao will react once he learns about this.

Don’t think about it, it’ll be okay.

Aether is once again completing a commission by the Adventurer’s Guild, this time one
posted by the Wangshu Funeral Parlour.

“Zhongli-xiansheng, do we really need to travel all this way just to find a tree?” Paimon
groans as she lazily floats behind them. Though Aether’s not entirely sure what she’s even
complaining about, Zhongli and he are the ones climbing up the mountain while she gets
to simply float her way up.

Zhongli nods as he steadily makes his way up the mountain of along the outskirts of Jueyun
Karst, “Our client this time was a notable salt merchant whose ancestors were responsible
for bringing the spice to Liyue centuries ago. As per his children’s request, only a coffin
made from the best trees in Liyue will be fit to bury their father in, and where else to find
the best trees than one that has been growing amongst Adepti?”

“I’m sure your clients will appreciate the efforts the funeral parlour has put in for this order,”
Aether beams as he tries to find his footing amidst the sandy mountainside. “It’s such a pity
that Xiao isn’t able to join us though, I’m sure he’d had enjoyed spending time with y—”

All Aether could hear as he fell were the shouts and screams of those beside him. Huh. It
took a second before Aether activated his wings, successfully preventing himself from be-
coming the next client of Hutao’s funeral parlour.

He holds onto his silence as he gently lands on the ground. Perhaps he would have been
more miffed at the fact that he slipped and fell off the mountain just as they were reaching
its summit, except the reason for his fall was peculiar, to say the least.

Aether originally thought that his weird affliction was limited to only his hands, seeing as
they were the ones directly in contact with Xiao’s karmic retributions. But he was very sure
he could see through his legs a moment ago as he fell off the mountainside.

Zhongli joins him a moment later, silent as the rocks he commands and Paimon joins them
soon after. It could have been slightly oppressing and mildly intimidating if Aether has not
been deep in his own thoughts at the moment.
It seems everything is decidedly not okay.

“Aether, care to explain what just happened?” A frown marred Zhongli’s eyebrows as he el-
egantly folds his pair of brown wings behind him, hands folded across his chest as he waits
for Aether’s reply.

Aether hesitates, not sure of what to say but the look on Zhongli’s faces brook no argument
and so he caves in, sharing everything from the recent incident a few days ago involving his
disappearing hand, and his guesses for why this was happening.

He had always thought his body had an infinite reserve of energy ready to be used. He now
knows that to not be the case.

Zhongli takes it all in silently before asking, “Is Xiao aware of this?”

Aether shakes his head, a wry smile on his face, “The Vigilant Yaksha already has enough
burdens to carry, it is no wish of mine for this to be another. Please keep this from him for
me.”

The last part he adds mainly for Paimon, who he knows has grown a lot closer to Adeptus
and is the most likely to share what has happened to him.

Zhongli stares at him, seeming to process everything he heard before giving a tired sigh.

“Aether, I say all this as a friend that has grown remarkably fond of you these past few
months,” Zhongli says. “There is no need to shoulder this burden all by yourself. Is Xiao
not someone you would trust at your back during a fight? Why not trust that he’ll be able
to help you with this as well.”

“Also, I do hope you reconsider trying to cleanse Xiao of his karmic bonds the next time
they appear. It is something even I am unable to rid him of and believe me I have tried.”
Zhongli adds with an earnest look in his eyes, the gold circles in his iris flashing. “I wish for
him to be free from them just as much as you but the very nature of his existence and job as
a Yaksha dictates that this must be what he needs to experience.”

“Do I just leave him be then? Let him suffer and writhe around in pain as I just watch?”
Aether asks, incredulity colouring his tone.

“You can be there to care for him once the shackles have run their course,” Zhongli offers.
“Aether, once again I say this as a friend to both you and Xiao, please do reconsider the ac-
tions you have taken and are planning to take in the future and the toll it will take on your
body, for Xiao if nothing else.”

“I... I’ll think about it,” Aether mutters, unable to look both Zhongli and Paimon in the eyes.

He considers Zhongli’s suggestion of telling Xiao everything. It was indeed cruel of him to
keep such a problem from his partner. But all he could think about was Xiao pulling away
from him, Xiao refusing to stay beside him any longer for fear of hurting him, and after
learning what it was like living with the Yaksha, waking up to gentle hugs and warm kisses
to the forehead, and a soft smile against the morning sun. The possibility of losing all that
was not something Aether wants to entertain.

I’ll tell him soon, one day, eventually. He doesn’t need to know about this now, one more
day wouldn’t hurt.

It’ll be okay.

“I’d ask how was your day but I can tell that it did not go so well,” Xiao points out as he slips
behind Aether, slotting himself in between Aether and the bedrest. Hands snake around
Aether’s waist to pull him tight against Xiao’s chest. “Did you guys not manage to find the
tree for Miss Hutao? Zhongli-xiansheng did say it wouldn’t be that difficult.”

Aether chuckles feebly, clutching the arms around him tightly, “It’s nothing. Perhaps some-
thing I had for dinner just disagreed with me.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Aether spies Paimon floating listlessly by the door, as if unsure
of what to do with herself. Usually, by now, she’d be with them in the room, jesting and
laughing till Xiao throws her out for the night.

But tonight is not that night.

Aether feels warm lips pressing against the back of his head, “If you say so, but you know
I’m right here if you need me.”

Aether turns around, flashing Xiao as bright a smile as he could muster, “Of course, all I
need to do is call your name.”

Xiao grins as he pulls Aether up into his lap, his gloved fingers slowly rubbing their way up
Aether’s thigh before stopping by the buckles of his belt, “Is it okay if I get you to call my
name again tonight?”

Aether squirms, his face flushes under Xiao’s lascivious gaze. If only the citizens of Liyue
knows what their Yaksha is like behind closed doors. Speaking of doors, Aether turns to
their bedroom door, only to see it closed, his floating companion long gone.

Aether gives an undignified squeak as he felt something wet licking the spot beneath his
ears, “Wha-?!”

“I’m still waiting for an answer Aether,” Xiao grumbles as he continues licking and sucking
at Aether earlobes before making his way down to Aether’s neck. Aether tries his best to
hold in his groans, only for Xiao to pull his hand down, pinning it to his side.

“A-as if I’d want to do anything else tonight,” Aether whimpers as he sees a predatory grin
flash across Xiao’s face, his pupils blown wide.
“And I’ll be right here to answer your calls,” Xiao smirks as he pushed Aether down onto
their soft bed.

Of all the worlds Aether has travelled to, he has come to learn that Teyvat’s moon shines
the brightest and is by far the prettiest. It’s perfect for long idyllic strolls along the beaches
of Teyvat, or when one simply wishes to enjoy the pleasure of another’s company under the
moonlit night.

Teyvat’s moon shines the brightest, only this time Aether wishes it doesn’t.

Under the light of the full moon, Aether can all too clearly see his bedsheets through his
legs. He gingerly raises a hand and tries to touch his legs which are barely there save for a
faint outline. His stomach drops when his hands simply fall through where his legs should
be.

He had only helped Xiao remove his karmic bonds one more time since his hands turned
translucent, isn’t this progressing a bit too quickly? Or was it only a matter of time? Regard-
less, a part of Aether knows his time is probably running out, and it is running out fast.

He turns to Xiao who is fast asleep beside him, arms draped around his waist. He feels his
heart hammering against his chest and tries his best to swallow the lump in his throat as
he lies back down into Xiao’s arms. The Adeptus unconsciously pulls him in tighter, before
nuzzling his forehead and falling back into a deep sleep. Despite himself, Aether chuckles at
the action and tries to go to sleep, he does have a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

Aether tries and tries to go to sleep, only for it to elude him as he finds himself staring at
Xiao’s face, trying to commit it to memory.

It all comes crashing down around Aether one day as he finds himself being blown back by
a particularly aggressive fire slime. He registers Xiao shouting his name a second before his
back makes contact with a tree and he slumps down in pain.

Xiao is beside him in a flash, arms around his shoulder as he checks to make sure Aether is
okay. His eyes scan from Aether’s face to his chest, and stops right where his legs are.

Aether follows Xiao’s gaze and feels his heart drop when he sees that his legs are once again
near-transparent.

“...What’s going on?” Xiao mutters under his breath.

Aether blanks out, unable to properly answer and Xiao asks a little loud, “Aether, what is
going on?!”
They hear a gasp behind them, it’s Paimon who has noticed what had happened.

“Wait right here!” She orders as she floats away. “I’ll get Zhongli-xiansheng here, he should
know what to do.”

“Zhongli-xiansheng is aware of this?” Xiao asks quietly once Paimon’s gone and Aether’s
heart gives a pang at how lost the yaksha looks beside him.

“I promised him not to tell anyone,” Aether beseeches. “He was just keeping to his promise,
don’t hold this against him.”

Silence follows as both Aether watches Xiao bring trembling hands up to touch his translu-
cent legs, so faint they were almost not there at all. He doesn’t miss the hitch in Xiao’s breath
when his hand touches nothing but air where his legs should be.

He keeps his eyes on Xiao, not knowing how much longer he will be able to do so.

“...Why?” Xiao asks as he silently adjusts his grip on Aether, clutching him tighter to his
chest.

“You...were in so much pain and I just wanted to help,” Aether stammers, thinking his words
through before they leave his mouth lest his lover gets hurt any more than he already is. “I
thought that if I do this enough, your karmic bonds will go away. It worked the first time
with Dvalin’s tears and I just thought—”

“Aether, I don’t need you to help me remove my karmic bonds for me, I need you to be with
me,” Xiao says with gritted teeth.

“What is the point of removing the pains of my retribution, if the price to pay is living with-
out you beside me?” Xiao mutters as he cradles Aether a little tighter in his arms. Aether
isn’t sure if Xiao’s face blurring is due to his quickly fading eyesight or the tears he can feel
running down his cheeks. He raises a hand to brush against Xiao’s face, only to feel moisture
on his fingers.

“I’m sorry,” Aether sighs, a part of his brain registers his breath turning shallower by the
second. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this too.”

“I just wanted you to be happy.”

Aether feels Xiao hugging him tighter, his face buried against Aether’s shoulders as trembles
wreck his body, “And I am. I am perfectly happy with what we have. With just you, me, and
that flying companion of yours in that little teapot you like so much. I really am, so please
don’t leave me.”

A piece of Aether’s heart breaks every time he hears Xiao pleading with him, soft broken
whispers against his neck as Aether’s consciousness slowly fades to black.

He knows he doesn’t have much longer. Mustering what strength he has left to wrap his
arms around Xiao, bringing his lips up to Xiao’s and giving him a gentle peck on the lips.

“Alatus, I’m sorry,” Aether sighs. “And I love you.”

Aether feels Xiao freeze beside him before a pair of warm lips descend on his lips. He re-
ceives a few more gentle kisses on his lips before he’s once again wrapped tightly in Xiao’s
embrace.

“No matter where or when you are,” Xiao utters, his voice resolute despite the tears. “I’ll find
you, I promise you I will.”

Aether smiles as he rests his heavy eyelids, I’ll be waiting then.

Xiao watches as Aether dissolves into a sea of warm yellow light in front of his eyes, the
yellow orbs dancing in circles around him as if unwilling to go away. He lifts his hand to
touch one and perhaps it is because of the tears in his eyes but he swears he sees a yellow orb
reaching towards him, gently nuzzling his finger before it floats away with the rest.

He stares at his arms. They were empty.

He’s really gone.

Xiao’s head is empty save for the static that washes over him, the rushing of blood in his ears
drowning out his screams as he curls in on himself. This was the state that Zhongli found
him in minutes later, with Paimon panting behind him. Both their faces quickly fell when
they noticed Xiao being all alone, his screams ringing out around them.

“Am I too late?” Paimon’s voice quivered as she turns around as if trying to look for some-
one. “I-I’m sorry, I tried to fly as fast as I could. I--”

“It’s okay,” Xiao says, voice hoarse from all the screaming.

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay,” he repeats again. Maybe if he says it enough, he might start believing
in it. He turns to Zhongli who is staring at him, worry apparent on his face. “Zhongli-xian-
sheng, I need some help. I made a promise that I need to uphold.”

Zhongli’s brows furrow as he considers Xiao’s request, “It will not do for you to go back on
a promise you made, let me see how I can be of assistance.”

Xiao’s heart tightens as he accepts Zhongli’s hand and stands up. He picks up his spear that
he had tossed to the side before sprinting over to Aether as well as Aether’s sword, holding
the weapons tight against his chest.

Wait for me, Aether.

—
Aether sighs as he leans over the counter. It was another slow day at the cafe again with little
to no customers yet he was not allowed to take a break lest he be reprimanded by his boss
once again.

“Stand up straight, greet everyone that passes by with a smile on your face,” Aether mutters
under his breath as he mechanically smiles at strangers that don’t even bother looking into
the cafe. Aether’s shoulders sag as he watched his thirtieth potential customer walk past
with nary a glance at him and sighed.

He tries not to think of a certain green-haired yaksha, of how he is coping as well as the
many other friends he left behind. He tries not to think about his sister, about whether she
was still allying herself with the abyss, and if she even knew he was gone.

“Excuse me?” A voice calls out from the cafe’s entrance.

Aether perks up at the sound of a new customer walking in and whips his head around to
greet the customer with the brightest smile he could muster only to freeze the moment he
catches sight of who it is.

“H-how did you--” Aether stutters as he stumbles out from behind the counter and makes
his way to the man in front of him. It’s Xiao, dressed in a comfortable looking black sweater
and distressed denim jeans. Aether couldn’t believe his eyes as he looks Xiao up and down.
“But I’m nowhere near Teyvat, how did you find me here?”

Xiao smiles, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind Aether’s ears before he replies, “I had
Zhongli-xiansheng help me strike a bargain with Celestia. In return for my Adeptal powers,
I’ll be given the ability to locate and reach you no matter where you are.”

“But wouldn’t that make you a--” mortal. Aether bites his lips, unable to picture the Xiao
he’d always known as a mere mortal.

Xiao chuckles, “Indeed it does, I’m very much human right now.”

“How could you so easily give up your powers just like that,” Aether says, his chest tighten-
ing at the thought of Xiao’s mortality and his own very non-mortal existence. “What were
you thinking?”

“Isn’t that obvious,” Xiao cocks at eyebrow, a soft grin tugging the side of his lips. “I was
thinking of you.”

“But--” Aether pauses as Xiao raises a finger to his lips.

“We’ll think about it when the time comes,” Xiao says. “For now I want to spend as much
time as possible with you. You’ve been gone for far too long.”

Aether feels his face heat up as Xiao wraps him into his arm with a tight hug.
“I promised you I’ll find you and now that I have,” Xiao whispers by his ear. “You know, the
days following your departure were some of the darkest I’ve lived through. You took my
sunshine away the day you left.”

Aether laughs as he returns Xiao’s hug just as tightly, “I’m back now, aren’t I? I promise not
to disappear on you again.”

“You better not be disappearing on me again,” Xiao growls, his hug tightens as he rubs his
face against where Aether’s nape.

“I’m never letting you go again, I promise.”

 The Effects of Karma
Fic by: SerendipitousLyss
Aether sighs softly as he plops down on the edge of one of Wangshu Inn’s plush beds, thor-
oughly worn out from a day of hard work. He sinks into the bed bonelessly, a smile on his
face despite the soreness of his limbs that comes with a long day of work. Humming softly,
he slips his boots off and sets them side where they’ll be read for him come morning, then
tugs on the elastic band holding his braid in place. His hair has become tangled over time
despite the braid keeping it in place, so he runs his fingers through it to rid it of knots.

Outside his room’s open window, the sun has long set, the last of its rays barely peeking out
from behind Liyue’s distant mountains. He stifles a yawn behind his head when he realizes
how late it’s already become.

He separates his hair into three sections, a small frown tugging at his lips. He hadn’t seen
Xiao upon his return to Wangshu Inn, which means he likely hasn’t returned from his own
work. In fact, it’s been a few days since he’s seen his partner’s face; it’s not unusual for Xiao
to disappear for days at a time as he battles against Liyue’s many demons, but it doesn’t keep
Aether from worrying about when he’ll return to him.

He’s in the middle of redoing his braid when a knock at the door draws his attention.
Straightening his back, he blinks in surprise; he hadn’t expected any visitors. “Come in,” he
calls, fingers still deftly moving as he works at weaving together his unruly waves.

The door swings open slowly, its hinges giving barely a squeak, to reveal Xiao standing in
the doorway. The sight of him brings a smile to Aether’s face immediately. “Xiao! I thought
you weren’t going to be…”

He trails off when their eyes meet, his smile abruptly fading. He hardly notices the wounds
that cover Xiao’s body—wounds can be patched, and neither one of them is a stranger to
getting injured—but his eyes are what cause Aether to cut himself off.

There are shadows under them, and his gaze is unfocused, glassy. Normally, his amber eyes
would be sharp and perceptive, alight with life and energy, and maybe a little soft around
Aether, but now, he looks half-dead. “Xiao, what happened?” he questions as the adeptus
takes a step into the room.

Xiao doesn’t even close the door behind him, and he doesn’t offer up a response to Aether’s
concerned words. He crosses the floor in a few long strides and wraps Aether up in a
bone-crushing embrace, tripping over his feet gracelessly as he does.

Aether yelps as he’s thrown suddenly backward, his head hitting the mattress. Xiao falls
on top of him, his legs half-hanging off the edge of the bed, and he buries his face into the
juncture between Aether’s shoulder and his neck.

The collision doesn’t knock the breath out of him, but the sudden force of evil energy that
suddenly swirls around the both of them certainly does. It’s both unseeable and intangible,
but Aether feels it seize his heart nonetheless, drawing a gasp from his lungs with the force
of it. He digs his fingers into Xiao’s shoulders instinctually, shivering.

It’s far from the first time he’s been exposed to Xiao’s karma, but it’s easily the strongest it’s
felt. Aether takes a moment to catch his breath, forcing himself to breathe evenly in and
out, and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment as the voices of defeated demons attempt to
invade his mind.

It takes him a few long moments to shut them out, carefully quieting his mind and steeling
his mental resolve against their attacks. Once he has, he relaxes slightly, reaching up to
thread his fingers into the hair at the base of Xiao’s neck. “Bad day?” he questions in a low
murmur, a faint smile coming to his face, though his eyes still flash with concern.

Xiao’s only form of acknowledgement is to grunt softly and squeeze Aether even tighter, his
arms locked around Aether’s waist in an iron grip.

It startles a laugh out of him to have his partner cling to him so unabashedly—Xiao isn’t
known for his physical affection, after all. “Sorry. I know you’re fighting right now.” He
lowers his voice to a whisper, moving his hand from Xiao’s neck to brush his bangs from
his face. His fingertips linger against Xiao’s skin, coming to rest at his temple. “Will you let
me help?”

Aether’s power of purification is one he has always carried, though the feel of it differs from
world to world as his body acclimates to each one’s separate physics and natural laws. He
draws on his power now the same way he’d draw on the power of the elements, letting it flow
through his fingertips and wash over Xiao’s sweat-slicked skin.

There’s only so much he can do to alleviate Xiao’s pain, though. When he reaches for the
accumulated karma that latches onto Xiao’s soul, he feels his partner stiffen in response to
it. “Hurts,” Xiao bites out, the word slightly muffled into Aether’s shoulder.

Aether frowns, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. For Xiao to admit he’s in pain, it
must be even worse than he’d originally thought. “I know, I’m sorry,” he whispers, a pit of
worry forming in his stomach. “Bear with it for just a little longer.”

He rolls Xiao carefully off of him so they can both lay on their sides in the bed, taking his
face in both of his hands as he continues to gently push back against Xiao’s karma with his
own purifying abilities. He keeps his gaze firmly on Xiao’s face, searching his expression for
the smallest of changes.

Xiao’s eyes stay tightly shut even after he’s pulled gently away from Aether’s shoulders, his
hands still clutching the other’s waist like an anchor. Aether brushes his thumb against
Xiao’s cheek, a soft and tender motion, and in response, Xiao’s eyes peek open.

“Hi,” Aether greets him with a soft smile, relaxing slightly at the sight of those familiar am-
ber eyes. Xiao’s gaze is still stormy, swirling with the corruption of dozens of slain demons,
but Aether can see them slowly starting to clear up in response to his gentle assistance.
“Hello,” Xiao says in reply, his voice hoarse and scratchy with exertion. He blinks once,
twice, then looks down at the sheets beneath them. Streaks of red stain pristine white from
his still-bleeding wounds and he cringes at the sight of them. “Sorry,” he mumbles, glancing
away.

Aether shakes his head, snaking one arm around Xiao’s neck to draw his head down against
his chest. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have Verr send someone up with clean sheets later,” he
says, pushing Xiao’s bangs up and away from his face with a tender touch. “Focus on resting
up, okay? You’re safe now.”

Xiao sighs, his body relaxing incrementally into the mattress as the burden of his kar-
ma slowly dissipates in response to Aether’s purifying presence. The grimace on his face
smoothes over more and more each time Aether runs his fingers through his hair.

Aether smiles when Xiao shifts his head minutely to press his ear against his chest, just
above his heart. He loops his free arm around Xiao’s waist to hold him close, taking a mo-
ment to revel in the feeling of having him here, warm in his arms.

Even as beat up and pained as he is, Aether can’t help but find Xiao beautiful. He curls into
himself like a child might, his legs tangling themselves with Aether’s. He strokes his hand
up and down Xiao’s back, taking a brief moment to bury his nose into his dark hair before
pulling back again.

A few long minutes pass like this as Xiao slowly relaxes, his tense muscles uncoiling them-
selves, until Aether pulls back from the embrace just slightly to observe his expression. He
peers down into Xiao’s face and is struck by how young he looks with his brow unfurrowed,
his expression unmarred by his usual dark scowl. He brushes Xiao’s hair behind his ear
and lets himself stare, admiring the long eyelashes that shield his closed eyes from view.
Carefully, he thumbs away a line of blood from his cheek and watches as his eyelids twitch
in response to his touch.

The whirlwind in him has calmed, finally. He sinks into the bed like a ragdoll, his energy
entirely expended, though he keeps one arm slung over Aether’s waist and does not remove
his head from off his chest.

“Better?” Aether questions once their air around them has finally quieted.

Xiao hums in affirmation, tightening his grip just slightly to hold Aether closer against him.
“Thank you,” he murmurs tiredly.

Aether pokes him in the cheek with one finger. “Hey, don’t go to sleep yet,” he chides, “you’re
still bleeding all over me, you know. We need to get you cleaned up.”

Xiao opens his eyes and glares at nothing in particular, clearly dissatisfied with the idea of
having to move at all, but he eventually gives in, gently untangling himself from Aether so
he can linger on the edge of the bed.

As Aether sits up, his long hair unravels itself from its half-braid and falls around his shoul-
ders. He pushes himself to his feet and holds his hand out to the half-asleep Xiao. “Come
on, I’ll help you get patched up,” he beckons, offering him a soft smile.

Xiao hesitates for a moment, perhaps deciding if he wants to accept the help or insist on
taking care of himself. Perhaps it’s his exhaustion that wins out in the end, because after
a handful of seconds he accepts Aether’s hand and lets his partner pull him to his feet.
“They’re not serious,” he says, his deep voice soft and open. It’s the kind of vulnerable tone
he only even takes when it’s just the two of them.

Aether takes advantage of the situation to tug Xiao’s hand to his face, pressing his lips briefly
against the back of it. “I know, but it’s still important to keep them clean. You go ahead, I’ll
to ask for some clean sheets,” he insists.

Xiao still looks like he wants to argue, his brow furrowed and a pout on his face, but he
relents anyway. He heads into the bathroom while Aether puts in his request, stripping his
bloodied shirt off and sitting himself down on the edge of the bathtub so his blood doesn’t
stain anything else. Then, he gets a head start on the tedious process of cleaning his wounds.
Most of the process consists of simply wiping away the dried blood from wounds that have
already closed—as an Adeptus, his body heals much faster than a mortals, and so many of
his cuts have already crusted over and will fade into new scars in a matter of days. By the
time Aether returns, he’s already gotten to most of the wounds on his arms and is struggling
to reach a rather deep one that stretches across the middle of his back.

“Let me,” Aether says firmly, pulling up a stool behind Xiao and snatching the damp rag
from his hand before he can argue. He dabs at the cut with the utmost care, cleaning away
the dried blood from his skin with gentle swipes.

“You don’t have to,” Xiao starts to protest.

Aether clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “I don’t, but I’m going to do it anyway, because I
want to,” he says firmly. “I care about you, Xiao. Let me show it once in a while, okay?”

The look Xiao gives him is reserved, hesitant, but he gives in to Aether’s will and simply
relaxes, allowing Aether to clean his wound in peace. “I care about you, too,” he says after a
moment of quiet, the words so soft they’re nearly whispered.

It’s far from the first time they’ve expressed such sentiments to each other, but it still never
fails to make warmth bloom in Aether’s chest to hear that he is loved. He leans his head
over Xiao’s shoulder and presses his lips to the corner of his jaw in a brief, affectionate kiss,
his hands coming to rest on his shoulders. When Xiao leans just slightly into it, chasing the
contact, Aether smiles against his skin.

He pulls back to examine his work, pleased to see that Xiao’s body is already hard at work
healing itself, angry red wounds already shrinking into thin pink lines that will leave new
scars behind. “All done,” he declares, setting the soiled rag in the sink to soak alongside
Xiao’s shirt so that they don’t stain.

Xiao tugs on a clean shirt, a loose-fitting white one that serves more for comfort than it does
for battle. “I’ll change the sheets,” he offers, a hint of embarrassment coming to his face at
the memories of the stains he’d left behind. “You should also put on some clean clothes.”

Aether blinks and glances down at himself, cringing when he sees the blood stains that have
made their way onto him as well. Well, he supposes, it’s to be expected when a wounded
Yaksha throws himself at you without bothering to clean himself up first. “I’ll do that,” he
sighs, pushing the bathroom door closed as Xiao leaves the room. He trades out his cropped
undershirt and trousers for a clean pair of cloth sleeping pants and a shirt that’s just a bit too
large to fit him properly, then moves to the bathroom vanity to fix his hair.

Before Xiao had arrived, he’d been in the middle of braiding it, so some of the strands have
tangled themselves into knots at the back of his head once more during the commotion. He
picks up his hairbrush from the countertop and runs it through his long hair a few times to
rid it of knots, then sets to work re-braiding it. It’s a time-consuming task, but he finds that
keeping it tied back is the best way to ensure that it will stay tidy and free of tangles even
through all the hard work and fighting he does.

Once he’s satisfied with his work, he heads back out into the bedroom proper and sees that
Xiao has switched the dirty sheets with clean replacements and has already wormed his
way underneath the blankets. It’s an odd but strangely adorable sight, to see the guardian
Yaksha buried in blankets up to his chin, physically exhausted despite his insistence that his
immortal body does not require sleep to function.

Aether leans to the side to peek down at Xiao’s face, partially obscured by the blankets.
“You’ve made yourself comfortable, I see,” he chuckles, a fond smile coming to his face.

Xiao doesn’t offer up a response, but the blankets shift around him to make room for his
hand, which he reaches out to Aether in invitation. “C’mere,” he says, soft but demanding.
Snorting in amusement, Aether considers teasing the adeptus a bit more for this surpris-
ingly vulnerable display, then decides against it. Xiao’s had a long day, after all, one that has
surely left him in desperate need of rest. “Okay, I’m coming,” he relents instead, lifting the
corner of the covers to give him room to climb in beside his partner.

Xiao reaches for him immediately, snaking one arm around his waist to pull him close. His
warm palm slides beneath the fabric of his shirt to press against his bare skin, and Aether
is more than willing to snuggle as close as Xiao will allow, pressing his forehead into the
hollow of his partner’s neck.

“Are you feeling better?” Aether questions. With Xiao’s arm comfortably weighing him
down and the blanket covering them both, he feels safe, like nothing could possibly come
to hurt them now.

Xiao hums softly, and Aether feels fingers brush through his hair with careful, hesitant
touches. It’s all the confirmation Aether needs to know that, at least for now, his karma has
once again been contained to bearable levels.

Someday, he hopes that burden will disappear for good, but the source of the festering cor-
ruption is so deep, so firmly ingrained in Xiao’s body and soul, that he fears sometimes if it
even can be removed. Even now, this close together, he can feel the souls of dead demons
like a perverted heartbeat that resonates deep beneath his skin. He hopes the day never
comes when that presence envelops him completely.

“Hey,” he whispers. He’s not even sure if Xiao is still awake, his breaths soft and even and his
heartbeat steady beneath his fingers. “Will you stay with me until morning?”

Xiao has never liked to stay in one place for too long. It’s a consequence of his contract, the
neverending battle to quell the demons that spawn from the corpses of long-dead gods.
Aether knows this, so he doesn’t demand anything he knows Xiao cannot give him. He
splays his fingers over Xiao’s chest, his palm resting over his heart.

Xiao does not respond with words, but Aether feels his grip on his waist tighten just slightly.
It brings a soft smile to Aether’s face, and he knows his plea has been heard. He lets his eyes
flutter closed, lulled to half-sleep by the soft mattress and Xiao’s arm secure around him,
and knows that this comfort will stay with him all night.

With a soft, contented sigh, Aether buries his face into Xiao’s chest and lets himself drift off
to sleep.
 that's not just friendship, that's romance
Fic by: Ko
“Xiao, this is amazing!” Bennett laughed, giving him a thumbs up. He nearly slipped back
off the log he and Beidou were sitting on, but she managed to catch him with one arm,
pushing him back up to a good sitting position.

“Careful, kid.” She chuckled. “He’s right though, Xiao, this is fantastic. I didn’t think adeptus
had to eat, so I assumed they couldn’t cook.”

Xiao looked between the two of them before glancing away. “It’s Aether’s birthday, I thought
I would make dinner for him as a treat.”

Bennett smiled. “Well, I’m glad you did. It’s delicious.”

Aether turned to smile at Xiao. “It’s the best birthday dinner anyone could ask for.”

Xiao felt his cheeks heat up.

“Aren’t you gonna eat anything?” Beidou asked.

Xiao shook his head and crossed his arms. “I will eat dessert with you all, as I made almond
tofu. It’s the only human food that I can really stomach.” He admitted. “I don’t always re-
quire sustenance in the same way as humans do.”

Bennett nodded, leaning in to listen to him. “Do you sleep? I always share the tent with
Beidou, so I’ve never seen it.”

“No, I don’t sleep. I take long mediation breaks, and I’m rejuvenated when I’m done.”

Aether smiled at him. “Xiao likes to watch over all of us when we sleep, which is sweet of
him. He takes his meditations in the morning, after I wake up.”

Xiao’s cheeks felt hotter. “I don’t want you-” He paused. “-any of you getting hurt.”

“Can Xiao be a permanent part of our team?” Bennett asked, grinning excitedly at Aether.

“Sure, if that’s what he wants.” Aether smiled, holding a hand out to Xiao.

Xiao had always been the type to work alone, ever since the other Yaksha disappeared. He
had decided that working alone was better, until Aether came along. Aether swept him up
in a whirlwind of strange emotions, all of which Xiao was still trying to figure out. He felt
warm and fuzzy inside whenever Aether smiled at him, and, when he had disclosed that
information to Beidou, she told him that he was in love.
At first, Xiao refused to believe it. Human emotions were beneath him. Emotions felt like
a luxury, something he couldn’t afford to have. He used to believe that, if, for a second, his
attention was turned away from Liyue, demons could attack. However, he now knew that
was not the case. Of course, he was ever vigilant, and always kept an eye and an ear out for
demons, though he now felt he could focus on other things.

He didn’t know how to respond, so he looked at the other three before glancing at Aether’s
outstretched hand.

Beidou set her plate down. “Bennett, follow me. What were those flowers you liked?”

“Windwheel Asters?” Bennett’s face lit up. “Are we gonna go look for some?”

“Let’s go take a look and see if we can find any nearby. There might be some on the main-
land.” She led him to a boat, then turned and winked at Xiao. “We’ll be back, I think getting
some flowers for the dessert display will be a good idea.”

“Yeah! That sounds awesome!” Bennett climbed into the boat, slipping and sinking his boot
in the sand.

As he watched Beidou haul Bennett out of where he was stuck, he was reminded of how
much being around others helped him. His three new teammates were always there to help
him. Despite not wanting to admit it, they were helpful to him, and he appreciated every-
thing that they did for him.

“See you boys later!” Beidou waved as she began rowing them across the water.

“Don’t start dessert without us!” He chuckled.

“We won’t!” Aether laughed, waving to them as the rowboat got smaller in the distance.

Xiao looked over at Aether, unsure what to say to him. He wanted to tell him everything
that he felt, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was too scared, too nervous.

“Thank you again for dinner. I’m sorry if all the compliments overwhelmed you.” Aether
smiled. “It was really good, though.”

Xiao closed his eyes, smiling a bit. “I’m glad you liked it.”

Aether chuckled. “Come here.”

Xiao opened his eyes again to follow the other. They sat down together near one of the fires
they had made, near the edge of the small island they were on.

“I think I know why you brought me here.” Aether blushed up.

Panic set in, and Xiao wanted to disappear. “You do?”

Aether nodded. “Beidou told me about this place before. She said, when she was growing
up, she used to bring girls here all the time to tell them she liked them.”

Xiao frowned, looking away. “And?”

“I assumed you were trying to...also confess something.” He shrugged. “If I’m wrong, that’s
okay, but I want you to know that I have something of my own to tell you.”

“You do?”

Aether nodded. “I do, yes.”

They both fell silent, looking away from each other. It was a mutual understanding, Xiao
assumed, that they both knew the other liked them. Aether seemed flustered and hesitant
to say it, and Xiao felt the same way.

Finally, Xiao spoke up.

“I like you, Aether.” He admitted. “I would like to be romantic with you, but it won’t be easy
for me to express myself.” His words were slow, and carefully thought out.

Aether smiled. “I like you too, Xiao. We can take this at whatever pace you want. We don’t
need a label, if you think it will make you uncomfortable.” He shrugged.

Xiao leaned in to kiss the other gently. It was slow, and chaste, but Xiao felt sparks. He
pulled back, then looked out at the water once more.

Aether dropped his head on Xiao’s shoulder, and they both sat in a comfortable silence. The
moon was starting to make its way above them, providing a beautiful glow over the ocean.
The wind made the air chilly, but the fire was enough to keep them both warm.

When Xiao noticed the rowboat coming back over the horizon, he gently shook Aether,
who had dozed off on his shoulder.

“Aether, they’re back.”

Aether blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Oh, good! I’m excited about
dessert.” He blushed up, his smile a bit sheepish.

Xiao felt his cheeks flush hot, and he stood up, holding out a hand for the other.

“Welcome back!” Aether waved after standing up, shifting his hand to lock their fingers
together. “Any luck?”

Bennet shook his head. “No, we didn’t find any. Maybe they’re only in Mondstadt.”

Beidou shrugged, glancing at Xiao and winking. “Bennett, I think you’re right. Next time
we’re in Mondstadt, we’ll stop and get some flowers.”
The four of them returned to their main campfire, and Xiao began serving almond tofu to
everyone. This time, he sat on the same log as Aether, brushing up against him. He smiled,
feeling at ease for the first time in a long time.

Xiao had always been one to work alone, but now, things were different. That night, he let
himself relax at the campfire. He let himself laugh at the stories Beidou and Bennett told
about their many adventures. Most importantly, he let himself express his feelings.
Maybe being a part of a team wasn’t so bad after all.
 Dance, Dance Like No One’s Watching
Fic by: Karamel | Art by: Taz
“Remind me again why we’re sitting here?” Xiao said, voice raised to make sure his friends
could hear him. He could already feel a dull ache building at the back of his head and the
spreadsheet in front of him was not helping.

Xingqiu glanced up from the textbook in his hand and quirked an eyebrow, “That’s easy.
Every other table on campus was taken and the only one that’s empty is this one right here.
Though now I can see why this table was vacant.”

Beside him, Xiao could see Ganyu massaging her temples as she attempted to make sense
of the numbers in front of her and it seems Xiangling had long given up. She laid dejectedly
on the wooden table, papers spread haphazardly around her.

It was a Saturday morning and they had all agreed to meet at nine in the morning to discuss
their economics project, under the assumption that no one else would be willing to meet
this early on a weekend. Oh, how wrong they were. Who’d thought that almost every possi-
ble study table in Teyvat University would long be occupied by the time they arrived, save
this one inconspicuous table beside the campus’ dance studio.

The four of them were so relieved to have found an empty table they’d quickly set up base
there, only to realise minutes later exactly why no one wanted to use this table.

It was not because it was at a remote corner of the university, far from any eateries and caf-
eteria. None of them was strangers to long walks just to get some food to eat. It was also not
because the table had no shelter. After all, there were plenty of tables around them that were
subject to the whims of the weather and they were all occupied.

No, it was all because the room beside them would not stop blasting music out loud. Even
now, Xiao could have sworn he heard the same few lines from that one famous Mondstadt
singer more than fifty times now.

“Perhaps we should rendezvous another day to continue this paper,” Ganyu suggested. “I
don’t think whoever is in there will be ending anytime soon.”

Xiao sighed as he rolled his shoulders around to loosen them up, he had not even been sit-
ting down for all that long but the inability to focus on this project had him sitting so tensely
his muscles had gone stiff.

“Let me go have a talk with whoever’s in the room first,” Xiao glowered as he stood up to
make his way to the dance studio. “I’m not sure about you three but I took an hour to travel
here and I’m not about to go home without getting at least some work done. I could still be
sleeping in right now if it wasn’t for this project.”
Xiao watched as his friends waved him off, Xiangling doing it with her head still on the
table. She had never been all that fond of economics, which showed whenever they had to
work on projects for the module together, but insisted on taking it all to help her ‘future
multi-million dollar restaurant’. If nothing else, Xiao was going to make sure they get to
work on their project today in peace to end Xiangling’s misery as swiftly as possible.

Xiao decided to make his way into the studio when he realised no one was going to open
the door for him on his third knock, and see just who exactly was this mysterious dancer
plaguing them the whole morning.

“Hey--” Xiao had only managed to get a word out when he caught sight of him.

An angel with a head full of soft blonde hair the colour of warm sunlight messily arranged
at the top of his head was twirling around a pole by the side of the studio. The various spot-
lights aimed at the boy helping to give the illusion of a heavenly aura.

Xiao belatedly noted the cropped top and sinfully short pants the boy was wearing, quickly
moving his eyes away from the flat planes of his exposed tummy to admire the way the boy
effortlessly brought a leg above his head to hook his ankles around the pole, slowly lowering
his legs as he arched his back, before releasing his hands. He held the pose for a moment
before recovering, landing softly on the balls of his feet.

“That was a lot smoother than last time, I see you’ve been practising,” The music was paused
and a girl’s voice rang out, breaking Xiao out of his daze. He watched from the corner, hid-
den from sight, as a girl with light blonde hair stepped forward, handing the boy a towel to
wipe his sweat away with.

“I have to, otherwise I’d have you breathing down my neck again” Xiao stared as the boy
beamed in response to the girl’s praise, his entire body seemingly glowing. “Besides, I’ve to
make full use of this pole Childe helped us get installed.”

“Well, your competition’s in a month and as your twin, it is my responsibility to make sure
you’re more than well prepared to compete. Maybe this time you’ll be able to walk home
with the championship trophy-- Hey!”

Xiao startled out of his reverie. Cocking his head up, he saw the twins staring at him. It
seems he’d been found out.

“We booked this studio for a private session and I’m afraid our slot’s not up yet,” the girl
frowned, hands propped on her hips as she glowered at him. He noticed how her body was
posed in front of her brother’s as if shielding him from Xiao’s view. “If you’d like to use this
studio, you can go book a slot and wait your turn, not stand by the door like an utter creep.”

Xiao opened his mouth, before quickly closing it, not knowing what to say. The issue of the
loud music long gone from his head the moment he spied the boy twirling around the metal
pole. He noticed said boy smiling apologetically at him, mouthing a “sorry” as he tried to
hold back his twin in front of him.

“I-I’m-- Sorry, forgive me. Bye.” was all that the response Xiao could muster before he
yanked open the studio’s door and made a run for it. He could hear shouts coming from
behind him but in his panic, he couldn’t tell which twin it came from. To his dismay, he
could still see flashes of the boy’s performance from before playing in his mind as he bolted
back to his study table.

“Xiao are you okay? Your face is incredibly flushed,” Ganyu asked, her brows furrowed in
concern as she raised a hand to place it against his forehead. “Strange, you don’t seem to
have a fever, best to just drink more water then. We made some progress while you were
gone, we just need to finish this table and we can call it a day for now.”

Xiao quietly accepted the bottle of water Xingqiu passed him before taking a deep breath to
settle his emotions. Silencing his thoughts, he pushed the memory of the boy from his head
and delved back into the project. He’ll probably never see him again anyway.

“Aether! There you are!” Xiangling’s cries in the lecture hall were loud enough for Xiao to
turn his head around, headphones still on his ears, as he looked in the direction she was
waving at. To his utter mortification, he realised the person she called out to was the same
boy from two days ago.

The boy, Aether Xiangling had called him, offered a bright grin and a wave in response
before noticing Xiao standing beside her. Shock flashed across his eyes before he quickly
schooled his expression into a polite smile, nodding his head at Xiao as a greeting.

“You two know each other?” Xiangling asked as she settled down beside Aether, with Xiao
sitting down next to her. They both placed their bags on the next two chairs beside Xiao to
save them for Ganyu and Xingqiu.

Xiao fidgeted as he studied Aether, who only laughed before replying “We’ve seen each oth-
er around campus. Despite what one might think, Teyvat University isn’t that big. I’m sure
we’ve seen almost everyone that studies here at least once before.”

Xiao exhaled a soft sigh of relief that Aether did not out him as the creep that was silently
watching his pole dance on Saturday. Not that he meant to, but that was neither here nor
there.

“That makes sense now that you mention it,” Xiangling nods in reply, before something
caught her eye and she hurriedly waved Ganyu and Xingqiu to the seats they’d saved before
their lecturer arrived. “What are you doing in this module anyway, I don’t think a perform-
ing arts major like you need to be studying the principles of economics.”

“The head of my faculty said we needed to take a cross-disciplinary module to pass this se-
mester,” Aether sighed, laying his head down on his table melodramatically and Xiao noted
that his long head of sunkissed blonde hair was now tied into a neat braid that ran down
his back. “I honestly don’t know how well I’ll be at this, I just hope I don’t fail this module.”

“Oh you’ll be fine,” Xiangling waved off his worry before hooking an arm around Xiao,
bringing him a little closer to Aether. “You can ask Xiao or me for help on your assignments
anytime. Though I might be busy helping at my dad’s restaurant so contacting Xiao would
perhaps be a safer bet.”

Xiao was not sure if it was the look of incredulity on his face that Xiangling just volunteered
his services in his stead just like that, but Aether took one look at his face and gave a short
chuckle, golden eyes curving up as he said, “Is that so? I’ll be in your care then, Xiao.”
Never mind, Xiao can forgive Xiangling this once.

After the lecture, Xiao waved goodbye to his friends who had other lectures to rush off to
before taking his time to pack his bag. It was simply because he wanted to rest in the cool
lecture hall a little longer, Xiao reasoned with himself in his head, not because of the blonde
dancer beside him.

“Hey,” Xiao looked up at the soft voice that came from beside him and saw Aether now
sitting beside him, arms folded neatly on his lap though he did not miss him fiddling with
the phone in his hand. “We started off on a fairly awkward note last Saturday. I think my
sister’s still upset at what happened but if you’re a friend of Xiangling’s then you can’t be all
that bad. I’m sure you had a reason to be in the studio on Saturday and-- Nevermind that,
basically what I’m trying to say is... do you want to be friends?”

Xiao silently listened as Aether babbled in front of him, a part of him even found the action
adorable, before staring at the hand Aether held out in front of him. Does anyone outright
ask to be friends with someone anymore? Most importantly, Aether wants to be friends
with him? That was not something that happened every day. In fact, he only became friends
with Xiangling, Ganyu and Xingqiu after having to work with them on projects for two
whole semesters straight.

Xiao must have been staring for longer than he meant to as Aether’s smile slipped a little
and he made to retract his hand before Xiao hurriedly grasped it, shaking it solemnly, “I
guess we’re friends now?”

Aether gave a bright smile in response and Xiao, who had not counted on ever being on the
receiving end of Aether’s smile, finally learned about how dangerous it was for his heart.
He wasn’t sure if all the fluttering inside were butterflies anymore, with how strongly it was
beating against his chest.

“Seeing as how we are now friends, I guess I could ask for your help now?” Aether hesitantly
asked, as if still afraid of overstepping his boundaries as Xiao’s newly made friend.

“But we’ve not gotten any assignments for this module yet,” Xiao raised an eyebrow, eyes
looking anywhere but Aether’s hand still held within his. He silently noted that there were
slight calluses on his palm and fingers, probably from Aether’s years of dancing on the pole.
“No, it’s nothing to do with economics,” Aether said with a flippant wave of his other hand.
He did not seem to mind, or perhaps did not yet notice, Xiao still holding onto his other
hand. “It’s just, Lumine will be busy with assignments from next week so she won’t be able to
help me out during my dance practices as often. Seeing as how we share a module, I figured
our schedules might match a little more and you can help me out instead.”

Aether continued, “It’s really nothing much, just helping to see if my routine is okay or if I’m
being sloppy with my moves, plus helping me take a video after every practice. It’s all small
stuff, but I’m too used to having Lumine there to help that I think I’d rather ask if you’ll be
free first before trying to do it myself.”

“Don’t you have other friends to ask? I’m sure you’re a lot closer to Xiangling than you are
with me,” Xiao asked, a part of him wishing he hadn’t just killed his chance to sit in during
Aether’s practice.

A light blush dusted Aether’s cheeks, “It sounds ridiculous but I’m still a little shy to per-
form pole dancing around my friends. I’ve performed in many stages before in front of
strangers and family, but with friends, I’m still wary of what they’d say if they knew a guy
was pole dancing.”

“If they see how good you are on the pole, I’m sure they’ll have nothing but praises to show-
er you,” Xiao said, a smile rising on his face as he noted the flush on Aether’s face growing.

“W-well, I’m still too shy to ask others for help but seeing as you’ve already seen me dancing
on the pole, I figured you’d be the best person to ask,” Aether grinned and before Xiao knew
it, he was already nodding in response.

“Alright, I’ll help. Just let me know when your practice starts,” he said, though a voice at the
back of his head wondered if he’ll even be able to properly focus on Aether dance enough to
give proper critique. “Just a warning though, the most dancing I’ve done was Chinese dance
back in kindergarten. I probably know as much about dancing now as any other average
joe on the street.”

Aether chuckled, “It’s fine, it’s not like Lumine’s a dancer too. I just need your opinion on
whether you think my routine is okay.”

“Right, it’ll be okay then. I shouldn’t botch that up too badly,” Xiao offered a small smirk and
waved goodbye to his new friend as he made his way to his next lesson.

He, unfortunately, missed the dazed look on Aether’s face that appeared after he gave his
smirk, and the flush that had spread to Aether’s neck.

Having been tasked with making sure Aether’s routine looked alright, Xiao made sure to
do his homework before Aether’s scheduled dance practice the following Saturday. After
a whole night of watching pole dance videos, he finally learned that Aether’s cropped top
wasn’t just a fashion statement, but also necessary to allow more friction between his body
and the pole.

He understood all that, but his brain still decided to stop working the moment he entered
the dance studio and saw Aether in his black, skin-tight top that perfectly shows off his
toned, lightly muscled stomach, as well as the extremely short polyester pants that cupped
his bottom extremely tightly and left very little to the imagination.

“You actually made it!” Aether exclaimed excitedly as he traipsed over to where Xiao stood
utterly still, still trying to digest the sight in front of him. “I was worried you’d be busy with
assignments.”

Xiao smiled in response, praying it did not look as stiff as it felt before settling down in front
of the mirror. “It’s still early in the semester. Barring that one hellish lecturer that decided
assigning a group project in the first week of school was a fun idea, we actually don’t have
all that much to do now.”

“That’s nice, we arts majors already have performances to start preparing for,” Aether said
wistfully as he stretched. Xiao took out his phone and tried his best not to notice the boy
bending forward in front of him to touch his toes though he inevitably could not help
peeking.

Celestia help me.

Aether had decided to do his stretches whilst facing away from him, giving him a wholly
uninterrupted view of his polyester-clad bottom. The universe is testing him, Xiao is certain
of it.

Just then the door clicked open and in strode Lumine, looking none-too-pleased at Xiao’s
presence in the studio.

“What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be working on your assignment?”
Aether stared at his sister as she sets her bag down by the mirror before making her way
over to him to give him a light knock on the head. “Ow!”

“Quit it, I did not put any strength behind that at all. Dainsleif came down with a bad case
of the flu this morning so we decided to call off the meeting. Since my Saturday morning
was freed up, I decided to come over and help you but,” Lumine said as she levelled a gaze
towards Xiao. Not knowing how to respond to the provocation, Xiao returned her stare
only for Lumine to click her tongue and look away a moment later. “I did not know you’ve
already invited someone. I don’t think you’ve ever asked anyone aside from me to help you
before, what makes him so special?”

Xiao watched as Aether waved a hand in front of his twin, trying not to appear too flustered
as he replied, “Xiao’s already seen me dance and since you were busy, I decided to ask him
to help out with my practice. It’s no big deal, seriously.”

Lumine sneered, “You sure he’s okay? We did find him snooping around the studio the
other day, staring at you. Who knows what’s going on in that mind of his-- Aether this isn’t
the first time a creep has tried to get close to you, could you be a little more careful please.”

You do know that I can hear all this right? Xiao thought as he watched Aether try his best to
soothe his sister’s ruffled feathers. He tried not to think about Lumine’s second statement.
Just how many times has Lumine had to fend off over-enthusiastic admirers for her twin.
The answer was probably one time too many. Not wanting to be lumped together with
them, Xiao decided it was probably best to clear his name.

“I was not deliberately trying to be a creep, as you put it,” he said and held back a smile
when Aether had to shush Lumine who seemed to have something smart to say about his
statement. “It was just, my project group was having trouble concentrating due to the music
that was playing in the studio and I just came to ask for the volume to be lowered. That’s it.”

Silence followed and Xiao watched as Lumine narrowed her eyes, studying him up and
down before sauntering to the studio’s mirror and sitting down. It seemed he’d passed her
test.

“Whatever. I still don’t fully believe your story but as long as you mean Aether no harm
you can stay here,” Lumine said as she made herself comfortable. Xiao hesitantly sat a small
distance away from her, not yet convinced she won’t go after him for his previous actions.
“Aether, are you ready to start practising yet?”
Aether gave her a thumbs up, hands white with powdered chalk, before Lumine pushed
the button on his speakers. Immediately the song that had haunted Xiao and his group of
friends that fateful morning started playing again, only this time Xiao had Aether’s perfor-
mance to watch alongside it.

He stared, speechless, as Aether’s gaze immediately goes from soft sunshine to the sharp
edges of an amber, mesmerising and utterly breathtaking. He watched as Aether fluidly
transitioned from one move to the next. One moment he was on his knees, arching his
back with his chest to the pole and the next he was doing a windmill with his legs whilst his
hands supported his upper body.

A part of Xiao knew he was staring but he was unable to look away. He tried his best to
look at Aether’s performance objectively, trying to figure out what’s best to improve, but all
Xiao could see was Aether’s long legs swinging up to hook onto the pole above his head, he
arched his back and released a hand from the pole to grasp onto a foot, bringing it closer
towards his head.

Xiao could feel his face starting to heat up and to his chagrin, felt a familiar stirring in his
pants. He subtly raised his knee to try and hide it, hoping that no one would notice.

Aether ended his routine with an impressive looking twirl around the pole and finally a nice
bow. After holding the bow for a few seconds, he looked up excitedly, eyes sparkling, “How
was that? I think I did pretty good this-- Oh Celestia, Xiao your nose is bleeding!”

Xiao started, raising a hand to his nose only to realise that yes, his nose was indeed bleeding.
Of course it was.

If his status as a creep in Lumine’s eyes weren’t strong enough, this probably cemented it.

True enough, Lumine ended up giving him a weird stare as she offered him a packet of
tissues, as if second-guessing her decision to let him near her brother.

“Xiao, are you okay?” Aether fussed, pulling out several tissues before stuffing it towards
Xiao’s face. “Is it the heat? You should be drinking a lot more water now that it’s so sunny
outside. You can head home first since you’re not feeling well, Lumine’s here to help anyway.”

“No no, it’s okay, I don’t mind staying. I feel perfectly fine and--” Xiao paused as he watched
Aether give him what others might refer to as puppy dog eyes, which Xiao now knows does
strange things to his heart.

“I don’t know if I can properly concentrate on dancing knowing that you’re staying despite
being unwell,” Aether pouted and Xiao could feel the walls around his resolve start to crum-
ble a little more as he stared at Aether’s pursed lips.

Perhaps it was a good idea to go home after all.

“Fine, I’ll head home. But will I be able to join in on your next practice? I feel bad leaving
this early when I promised to help,” he watched as Aether gave him a relieved smile, nod-
ding his head enthusiastically.

“Sure! I’ll text you the next time I’ve practice!” Behind Aether’s back, he could see Lumine
rolling her eyes before looking away.

Knowing Aether’s sister was just looking out for him, Xiao didn’t put Lumine’s actions to
heart and only offered a warm smile to Aether as he walked out the door, “Till next time
then.”

Aether replied with a small wave, “Yes, I look forward to it!”

And so did he.

Thank you for reading!