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Xiao's feet come in contact with the cold water of the puddle. It's the break of dawn, the rays of light shining through the crevices of the towering mountains, basking a soft golden glow throughout Liyue.
Xiao feels the warmth of it as the sun starts to peak higher, feels it graze his cheeks, like the caress of a warm hand.
There's a gentle breeze carrying that certain dewy, earthy smell after the rain has passed.
Xiao takes a deep breath, reveling in the peace the moment offered him, before he continued in his patrol.
Arriving in the slightly more shadowed parts of Qingce village, Xiao takes a trek through the damp stone path built by the humans, taking in his surroundings. For some reason, everything seems pretty peaceful, it has always been around this area, that's why it's the only place Xiao can stand being in Liyue, except for some treasure hoarder activities.
He sees a flicker of geo energy being emitted, blinking a few times to see a crystal fly dance near his vision.
Xiao stills as a thought comes to him. He observes the crystal fly. It's golden wings elegantly fluttering, leaving behind a trail of geo energy looking like golden dust. It reminds him of golden braided hair that would flutter around whenever that person walked, and the soft smile they gave him every chance they met.
Xiao feels his heart skip a beat for a moment, thinking how well it would fit the traveller, and snatches the crystal fly without a second thought.
It quickly lays unmoving in his grasp. Xiao stops to observe it in his hands for a couple seconds, if not to calm the erratic beating of his heart. He suddenly recalls a memory of seeing children in the marsh adorning their hair with flowers.
"I wonder if…"
There weren't many people around Qingce, but if you happen to be a merchant travelling through the bamboo filled paths, you'll notice the flickering of green anemo energy in pursuit of the glowing geo crystal flies.
…
"Ohhh, almond tofu and grilled tiger fish! He'll definitely like it. No one can resist good food."
Aether hears his pixie friend exclaim behind him. He laughs, pushing her head away from getting too close to the stove.
He had heard of Xiao's birthday from Zhongli, and so had travelled to Wangshu Inn in search of the other wherein he was greeted by Verr Goldet, expressing her desire to give the adeptus a surprise in celebration for his birthday.
He readily agreed, and now that takes him here in the kitchen of wangshu inn, preparing the other's favorite food, or well, the only food he can stomach.
…
"Is Xiao here?We're almost done, just need to set this up on the table…"
"Shhh, Paimon you're too loud."
Aether carries the plate of almond tofu, Verr Goldet carrying the plate of grilled tiger fish beside him.
As they climb the balcony, he sees the familiar figure of the Adeptus perched on the balcony.
They crept silently towards the table in the balcony, careful not to let him know of their presence. Aether keeps his eyes on Xiao, noticing how relaxed the other seems to be. He can't help the smile that creeps to his face.
Just as they place the food on the table, Xiao quickly becomes aware of their presence, quickly turning in his heels.
"Traveller…"
"Happy birthday Xiao!" The three exclaim in unison. Aether laughs as he approaches the other, gesturing at the food.
"Come on, I know you say adepti don't need to eat. But a birthday only happens once a year! So let's celebrate."
Xiao scans the traveller's face, that bright smile plastered in them. The warm morning sun basks them in its light, giving them a warm kind of glow, almost ethereal looking. Beautiful.
Xiao's lips fall into a thin line, unsure of himself, he doesn't care for human customs, nor did he ever celebrate this thing they call "birthday," only knows it as the day he was bestowed the name "Xiao" when Morax had freed him of his God. But the smile Aether gives him is so bright and he cannot find it in himself to turn him down.
He nods, following Aether to the table.
Xiao stays silent as he eats, just listening to Aether's voice as he chats to him about his previous adventures, talking about the mondstadt festival, meeting new adventurers, and conquering a new dungeon. He occasionally says a comment or two, to which the traveller seems to glow in absolute joy from hearing, and he can't help the heat rising to his cheeks from that.
Verr Goldet stays silent, observing the two of them. There's a knowing smile on her face as they were almost done eating, she stands up and tags and claps her hand.
"Alright, Paimon and I stay behind to take care of these dishes, I believe you have some business with our birthday celebrant Aether?I shan't delay it."
"Huh, but we only came here—"She takes Paimon by the sleeve and drowns her voice out with a laugh, quickly piling up the dirty dishes with one hand and walking down the stairs.
Aether blushes as he realizes her implications, making a mental note to give her a gift as thanks later.
Xiao stares silently at him.
"Hey so uhm, I wanted to show you something, will you come with me?"
Aether bashfully tells him, scratching his chin. He doesn't want to take up more of Xiao's time, but if he will allow him…
"...Yes."
He lets out a breath of relief."O-oh! So you're free of your duties... that's great! Let's go then!" He takes the other's hand in excitement, dragging him down the stairs. It's only when they're outside the inn does Aether realizes what he had done and his cheeks burn in embarrassment, he takes a peek at Xiao and finds him looking back at him with innocent eyes, no signs of discomfort or whatever. He doesn't bother letting go.
…
They find themselves at the bottom of Qingyun mountain via the teleportation portal near Wangshu.
Xiao wonders what must be so interesting here, he's seen and scaled the place a million times, but he follows the other nonetheless. Drawn in with the way he gazes at him.
They take a trek up the mountain path, Aether talking to him about the most random of things about his days and things he found out while adventuring in that adorable animated way of his. Xiao quips in a sentence or two from time to time. And it makes Aether's heart warm knowing he finds himself comfortable enough to have a conversation with him, even if his topics weren't the most interesting.
It takes them a couple hours to scale the mountain, Aether only feels slightly exhausted compared to the first time he came to this place, he finds that he doesn't mind the aching soles of his feet from the long trek, or how parched he currently is.
The sun is almost setting by the distance. It colors the clouds and sky with a tint of purple pink and orange. Aether brings them to an area in the mountain that opens up to a meadow of flowers.
There's a gentle breeze that welcomes their arrival. Aether exhales deeply in satisfaction, admiring the scenery. From this vantage point, he can admire the river that flows through Liyue, reflecting the light of the setting sun. It looks absolutely beautiful.
He looks towards his companion to see that like he is, the other is mesmerized to. His gaze stays for a lengthy while, just admiring Xiao's face. The bead of sweat falling down the side of his face, his aureolin eyes taking in the scenery, his lips equally as parched as Aether.
The sight is beautiful but it falls short in front of Xiao. Nothing can compare to him, really.
The other turns to him, and it causes Aether's heart to leap into his chest. His face burns in embarrassment at being caught, but he had never seen Xiao look so relaxed like this.
"I...had nothing to do today, and chanced upon a crystal fly, I intended to only catch one...to put it in your hair. I think...you would look beautiful in it. And I ended up catching a couple more, I hope you don't mind." Xiao declares, looking at Aether's eyes without even a hint of embarrassment.
"Eh…" The cogs in Aether's mind stopped functioning as he processed the others' words.
It takes a couple seconds of pregnant silence between the two before Aether processes the message, face burning brighter than before as he stammers.
"S-sure!Sure!You can—you can put it right now you know!"
Aether's hand comes up to cover his face. He can't deal with Xiao's sincerity while saying words like that. It feels like his heart just ran a marathon from how adorable the other is, and, romantic without him even knowing.
"Okay...if you would...turn around."
Aether frantically nods and turns around.
They find themselves sitting in the meadow of flowers, Aether visibly more relaxed as he lets Xiao fiddle with his hair, a cloth with crystal flies beside him. Aether hums, relaxed, he feels the gentle tugs in his hair as Xiao works the cores of the crystal flies in them. It feels peculiar, having them as hair decorations, he's never known that they can be used for that, but just the thought of Xiao thinking he would look beautiful in it makes his heart leap.
"You know...I don't care much for celebrations…"Xiao starts as he's finally done with the last core. Aether turns around to face him.
"And...I do wish to be in the presence of large crowds...Being able to spend time with you is enough for me. The view here is truly breathtaking. I thank you for that."
Xiao lets his braid rest by his shoulder, looking up at Aether with a soft, genuine smile on his lips.
Aether is stunned, just taking his words in, and the expression he's never allowed anyone else the opportunity of seeing, being given to him, he feels truly blessed.
Aether feels a dozen of emotions and it's overwhelming. "I-I...yeah...I love...spending time...with you...too."
Oh of all the times he's claimed of being able to easily talk to people, he finds himself unable to speak at all.
But to Xiao, that mess of a stuttered response is enough, and he offers him another wide smile.
"Then...I'm glad. You gave me an opportunity to create memories with you. I'll definitely treasure them, Aether."
He doesn't know how to react, he feels so happy his heart might burst, Xiao really has a way with his words with all he talks about not being able to communicate properly, and he doesn't know if he can even formulate a proper response to all of this.
Instead, he takes both of the other's hand, and squeezes it, offering a smile of his own.
And that's enough.