Chapter Text
Some mornings, Xiao would wake up crying.
He couldn’t explain, but ever since the Celestia Comet split that night, he got this sinking feeling that he needed to find someone. He was obsessed with it.
The comet had apparently struck the neighboring town of Mondstadt when it split into two. According to the articles however, everybody was able to evacuate the city due to a drill. How coincidental.
Xiao hadn't ever been to Mondstadt before it was destroyed, so how can he explain why the news of that destroyed city just squeezed his heart.
That comet just seemed to change Xiao’s life in a way he couldn’t explain. He even dragged his father and Hu Tao over to the disaster site and the next thing he knew he woke up under some huge tree…
It was silly of him. He forgot why he even did it.
Xiao had no idea why he was so obsessed about a comet that passed three years ago. It’s not like it affected him or anyone he knew.
Ganyu helped Xiao pack his stuff into the back of his car. “Wow, a historian, huh?” She raised a brow. “I honestly didn’t see that coming from you.”
“And what exactly did you expect?” Xiao asked. “Oh I dunno! Probably something like a doctor, computer engineer… Something more profitable!” Hu Tao replied. Xiao crossed his arms. “Is that really how you see me?” “I didn’t mean it like that!” The brunette laughed, nudging his shoulder.
”I just meant… Well, you’ve always been so practical.” Hu Tao added. Ganyu couldn’t help but agree with her. “She’s kind of right, you know? You used to not care what job you’d have at all, as long as you could bring back a lot of money to your dad. Did you choose to study history to follow in his footsteps?”
Xiao shrugged his shoulders, “you aren’t wrong. That is part of it.” He began. “However, what really pushed me down this path was Mondstadt’s destruction…”
”I can’t imagine how much of their culture was lost that day…” He said. “The people of Mondstadt… Their traditions and religion… Lots of it would be lost to time and forgotten.”
Hu Tao and Ganyu fell silent when they saw the far-off look in Xiao’s eyes.
Xiao stopped himself before he could go on too long. “Erm… Long story short, I just don’t want our cultures to be forgotten too.”
”Wow, how noble of you, Xiao. I’m impressed.”
Xingqiu suddenly made himself known, Chongyun following him close behind with his hands in his pockets.
”Hey! Didn’t expect you two to come here!” Hu Tao exclaimed, hopping over to give them a hug. Xingqiu pat her back in return. “Dear Chongyun over here simply wanted to say goodbye to his favorite senior!”
Chongyun nodded his head, his face turning red. “Don’t say that, Qiu…” He then looked to Xiao. “I’ll do my best not to let the team down!” Chongyun said, making a full 90 degree bow. Xiao stifled a laugh. “Raise your head. I’m not that much older than you, Chongyun.”
Chongyun immediately straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry… Still a bit nervous. Going from co-captain to captain is a lot.”
Xiao patted his head. “You’ll do a good job. I chose you as captain for a reason. I trust you.” He said. “If you do need help though, just call.”
Chongyun sighed in relief, his shoulders relaxing. “Thank you…” He took a deep breath and met Xiao’s eyes. “Good luck in college by the way, and congrats on getting into University of Liyue. I hear the entrance exams are tough.” Xiao sighed. “They are, but I guess cram school was worth it.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be studying for entrance exams now too?” Ganyu smiled and placed her hands on her hips, looking at her juniors. “Come next summer, you three will be the ones leaving for college.”
Xingqiu sighed. “Yes, yes… My family will not stop talking about it. My summer is packed with tutoring for advanced studies.” Chongyun smiled, rolling his eyes at his partner’s complaints. “You may not need the help but I’d certainly appreciate it.”
”I don’t need to worry about college” Hu Tao said with a smug smirk on her face. “I’ll be taking over the funeral parlor once I graduate.”
Xiao rolled his eyes. “You still need college for that-“ “Whatever! Whatever!” Hu Tao dismissed his suggestion. “I’ll just ask mom, dad, and Grandpa! I’ll save more money that way.”
”Fine.” Xiao replied as he closed the back of his car. “Whatever you say, Tao.”
He walked over to the passenger seat of the car. “Bye everybody.” He said with a wave before he got inside the car. His father was sitting behind the wheel.
“See you, Xiao!” Ganyu waved.
”You better visit!” Hu Tao called after him, waving her arms in the air.
”Goodbye! Uh- Have fun!” Chongyun cupped his hands over his mouth and tried his best to project his voice. Xingqiu waved a bit more calmly. “Bye! Make good choices.”
Zhongli’s car pulled away from the apartment complex. “It’s going to be so weird to not have you in the house.” Zhongli said, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. Xiao leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think you’ll notice. It isn’t like I left my room too much to begin with.”
“I know,” his father replied, “But even so, just the thought that you aren’t there in your room will be new to me.” He said. “Oh, I can’t believe you’re growing up so fast!”
Xiao looked over to Zhongli and patted his back. “I’ll visit. I promise.”
They finally arrive at Xiao’s new campus. Xiao and Zhongli unloaded the bags and boxes from the back of the car. Luckily, it wasn’t too much stuff.
“Love you…” Xiao muttered. He was about to leave when Zhongli stopped him. “Hold on, I didn’t take a picture yet.”
With a sigh, Xiao turned around to see his dad holding up his phone. Xiao felt a bit stiff. He awkwardly smiled at the camera, his hands laying limply at his sides.
”Pose for the picture.” Zhongli said. Xiao raised his hand and gave the phone camera a thumbs up.
After five more photos for Zhongli’s facebook followers, the father and son exchanged their “I love you”’s and “I miss you”’s before finally leaving.
Xiao watched the car drive off with a slight emptiness in his chest. Although he never said it aloud, living out on his own would be weird. He always prided himself on his independence, but not being able to see his dad every day would still be an adjustment to him.
There was something Xiao had neglected to tell Hu Tao and Ganyu about his reasons for majoring in history, however. In fact, Xiao didn’t tell anyone the true reason behind his choices.
It was still about Mondstadt. That wasn’t a lie. It was still somewhat true that he genuinely cared about their culture and his own, however, his reason for researching history was more selfish than what he told everyone.
In truth, Xiao studied history because of that aching feeling inside that was searching for something. It had always been there ever since the comet, and something told him that looking into Mondstadt would help him find whatever it was.
Xiao steeled his nerves and walked into the campus. He made his way to the dorms with ease, luckily for him, he didn’t need to ask anybody for directions.
He made his way into the building and dragged his belongings into the elevator and got up to his floor. Xiao walked down the hallway and finally found his designated room, though something else caught his eye.
A brightly colored teal blue braid turning the corner.
Xiao’s interest was piqued. His heart was pulling him to follow the owner of those braids.
He shook his head. It’s probably nothing.
Xiao slid his keys into the door and welcomed himself into his new home for the next four to five years.
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡
When Venti moved to Liyue to study Music, he found himself already familiar with the place despite not having been to the city before.
Right now, he was sitting at a cafe, and eating some apple pie. “So, how’s Liyue? Is it as grand as everyone says it is?” His brother Cecil asked. He was currently on a bi-weekly facetime with his brother.
Venti nodded his head and swallowed a bite of his apple pie. “Yeah, I don’t think I’m over it yet!” He laughed. “It’s different from home, I’ll tell you that. Surprisingly loud too, so not too different I guess.”
”See? Who needs some fancy school in Fontaine? Liyue is great!” Cecil replied.
Venti hummed in agreement. He’ll admit that Liyue wasn’t his first choice for college. He was looking forward to study the arts in Fontaine instead, but he got rejected… Plus, it was way too far from Springvale! He’d have to take a plane to see his family during the holidays!
Was he coping right now?
Maybe a little, but no matter. Something told Venti that Liyue was right where he needed to be.
“On the other hand…” Venti looked back at his phone camera and decided to return the question. “How is Inazuma treating you?”
”Oh it’s great!” Cecil said. “Once you get past the hassle of actually getting into Inazuma, it’s quite relaxing. The locals are very welcoming too.”
Cecil then smirked. “Speaking of which, I met this really nice guy. Same age as you. His name’s Kazuha. Want me to set you up with him? I think you two could hit it off.”
Venti rolled his eyes. “I’m good. Quit being so obsessed with my love life!” He replied, causing his brother to laugh. “Is it so wrong for me to worry about my little brother? How is it that you’re in Liyue and you haven’t met a single hot person yet! That place has got to be swarming with them.”
”It’s not that I haven’t met anyone!” Venti retorted, a small pout on his lips. “It’s just that I haven’t met the one!”
Cecil rolled his eyes. “Quit being a Disney princess. You need to actually know people before falling in love with them. It’s not like the perfect partner is just going to suddenly appear!” Venti took another bite of his pastry, “I know that.” He replied. “I just feel like I’m looking for someone! Someone specific…”
”Fine…” Cecil sighed, “But if you don’t bring anyone home for Christmas this year, I’m so gonna find you a date” he smirked.
”Sure…” Vent retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “We’ll see how that goes. See ya, Cecil.” With that, Venti hung up the call.
Venti picked up his fork and began to sink his teeth into the delicious apple pie. He had become a bit of a regular at this cafe. He didn’t know how he even found it, his feet just lead him here one day as if it already knew this place.
He’s been a loyal patron ever since.
He was just about to enjoy his meal in peace when his phone buzzed to life once more.
A text notification popped up on the screen. It was from a guy he met at the college orientation after party. Venti sighed and picked up the phone.
“Hey” the text read. ”I had a lot of fun at the party last night. Are you interested in getting together for dinner, just the two of us?”
Venti decided to type a quick ‘sorry, not interested.’ He knew this probably wasn’t the person he was looking for. If it was, Venti imagined he would probably still remember the guy’s name and face.
He could already imagine what his friends back home would say…
”Just give them a chance…”
”You were always so picky with your food as a kid, now you’re picky with your partners too.”
”Maybe they’re the one!”
Maybe Venti was being a bit picky, maybe he was being too harsh on the people interested in him, but he knew there was a certain someone he was looking for.
Venti couldn’t help but feel like all he needed was to wait for that person, just a little longer…
As Venti enjoyed his afternoon snack, he overheard a conversation from a nearby table.
”The table’s so empty now without the others…” a blue haired boy with a bad bob said as he took a sip of his tea. The boy sitting next to him with lighter blue hair nodded. “Yeah. Remember when Xiao and Lumine brought us here everyday after practice?” He chuckled softly. “Soon the whole baseball team was coming here after every game.”
The boy with the chopped haircut put his book down. “Oh yes, it did wonders to my wallet.” A girl with long brown pigtails laughed and nudged his shoulder. “Oh please! You’re loaded! You paid with just your pocket change!”
“Well, I hope I can keep the bond going this school year- uh- I’ll pay myself of course!” The other boy stammered, causing the other to laugh. “Don’t stress about it. I don’t mind paying for you, Yun.”
”No, I insist. It’s rude. Plus, I don’t want to leech off of you.” ‘Yun’ replied. The other boy shook his head. “No, I insist. You know I love to spoil you~""I’m serious, Xingqiu. I can afford it just fine on my own. You don’t have to spend on me!” Yun said.
The two boys went back and forth with ‘I insist’, making the girl roll her eyes and smirk. “Oh young love.”
Venti chuckled under his breath. Those three were a colorful bunch. He hummed. Did he know them? They seemed kinda familiar.
Venti shook his head. He shouldn’t be eavesdropping on some high schoolers.
He finished his meal, and packed up his belongings before leaving the cafe.
Things have naturally changed a lot since the comet hit his home. Everyone in Mondstadt had moved to the surrounding areas, most of them went to the nearby town of Springvale which was slowly developing into a bigger city.
Most of all, he even managed to talk to his father properly after that.
Venti never imagined that he would be moving away from his homeland so soon, but he was just a train ride away. He always visited whenever he had an excuse to do so.
As much as Venti missed home, he knew there was much more out there just beyond Mondstadt’s borders because, when he had escaped Mondstadt with everyone by his side, he still felt like something was missing.
The person he wanted to celebrate the miracle with the most wasn’t there…
So he knew there was something more waiting for him outside of Mondstadt, and he never forgot about that feeling.
Venti got back to campus when he passed by a boy and his dad as he was walking up the stairs.
He never got to do that with his own dad, did he… How sweet. Though something about that scene gave him a strange sense of Deja vu.
Did he know those people too?
No, he couldn’t know them! He barely knew anyone in Liyue, but that boy was so familiar, even if he could only see the back of his head.
Venti took a step forward, wanting to say hi or ask if he knew them, but he couldn’t.
He didn’t want to ruin their moment, so he decided to just leave.
If fate was really drawing him to go talk to that boy, then surely the universe will pull them back to him. If it wasn’t fate, then it was probably all just in his head.
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡
A week had passed and Xiao had started university and his roommate wasn’t too bad. He and Heizou got along fine on most days and the guy was out most of the time anyways.
He didn’t mind Heizou that much. He was usually quite calm and got Xiao’s hints of wanting to be alone easily thanks to his “intuition”, until the guy started dragging him to parties.
“This is the last time I’m letting you take me to one of these.” Xiao groaned. Parties were nothing but tiring for him. It was too loud, and he wasn’t a fan of the flashing lights. Not to mention that it did a number on his social battery.
Heizou rolled his eyes and pushed his roommate in anyways. “You need to get out more! Hasn’t anyone told you that you’re supposed to meet new people in college, make new connections?” “Yeah, a million times.” Xiao grunted as his eyes were hit with the flashing lights.
“Come on! Lighten up!” The redhead said. “Some tomfoolery won’t hurt will it? Drink a little! Give someone your jacket, flirt a bit! Just loosen up. You might even end up… you know…” he smirked, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t.” If this guy was a future detective like he said, Xiao may have just lost faith in the justice system.
”Eh me neither. I thought you would.” Heizou snickered before leaving to go talk with his friends. Typical.
Now Xiao was stuck at another party, forced to go through meaningless small talk that he didn’t really have the energy for. Maybe he should just waste time in the corner until Heizou eventually got wasted and needed help getting back to their dorm.
Xiao sat near the closet, trying his hardest to look busy. He scrolled through his phone, not actually doing anything, but it was better than talking to people the whole time. It wasn’t an invincible strategy, but it worked well enough.
Whenever someone did walk up to him, Xiao would just nod and give them curt one word responses that killed the conversation pretty quickly.
”What kind of bands do you like?”
Xiao would just shrug. “Anything.”
”heh, guess you’re not really the talkative type, are you?”
Xiao just gave them a look. As true as it was, having his quietness pointed out to him got annoying after some time. “Yeah…”
With his inability to avoid contact and his aversion to small talk, most people would get the hint quickly and leave. His resting bitch face certainly got the point across.
He knew they meant well, but considering how it was nearly midnight, Xiao wasn’t exactly in the mood for making friends.
Being ignored and laying low was pretty hard though especially when your roommate just loved pushing you into irritating situations
A dance circle opened up in the middle of the room and a now tipsy Heizou, being as thoughtful as ever, decided to push Xiao towards the center. “Hey-! Heizou, quit it!” He exclaimed. “I don’t even know this song.”
”Go, Xiao! Go- hic- show them your moves!” Heizou laughed as he forced Xiao through the crowd. Xiao swore he was going to kill this guy. With one last push, Xiao found himself at the center of attention.
Xiao awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to roll with the punches, but it was far too embarrassing. He shook his head, “I- I can’t do this…”
He put his hands up in surrender and tried to walk out but nooo, he was pushed right back in!
Xiao stumbled backwards, trying to catch his balance when he bumped into someone.
”Sorry!” A high-pitched and airy voice spoke from behind him. Xiao’s eyes widened… That voice stuck out to him amongst all the cheering and loud music.
Xiao turned to face the voice’s owner, and suddenly everything around him seemed to stop. All the noise and lights became imperceptible to him as he stared at the boy in front of him.
He shook his head when he realized he was staring. “No, no, it’s fine…” He mumbled, taking a step back.
Xiao felt like he wanted to say more, but he was absolutely speechless. Not only was he absolutely beautiful, but Xiao felt like he already knew this guy.
His brightly colored braids were recognizable, but there was more to it than that. He had a rounded face with the softest looking cheeks, and his eyes…
Xiao felt like he’s already stared into them a million times.
”I uh…” Xiao shifted in place and shoved his hands into his pockets. “S-sorry.”
Xiao forced himself to tear his eyes away from the other’s, strange considering he usually had a hard time keeping eye contact with others. He was so lucky the lighting was a mess because he probably looked like a jueyun chili right about now.
He quickly scurried away, and the crowd was merciful enough to let him through this time.
Who was that boy? Why did Xiao feel so drawn to him?
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡
Venti stared after the other boy as he left. “That was weird…” he mumbled.
That boy looked so… familiar. His heart just started pounding in his chest when he saw him.
Was it because he was conventionally attractive and had that sharp look in his eyes that drew Venti in or was that boy exactly the person Venti was waiting for?
No, that’s stupid, right?
He just thought that boy was handsome. That had to be it.
After all, if that person really was the one, he wouldn’t have walked away like that so quickly, right?
Venti listened to logic and walked in the opposite direction. That was just some stranger in a party and nothing more, but oh Barbatos, his heart was telling him differently.
Venti tried to get over that man, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from subconsciously searching for him in the crowded room, hoping to see him again.
This is so dumb! Why was he looking around for this guy he exchanged only a few words with?! Was it something in the drinks or was he actually going insane?
He put his cup down and sighed. If they actually knew each other, he would’ve said something, but he didn’t. He just left.
Venti felt his eyes water.
He was crying? Again?
He quickly rubbed the tears out of his eyes.
Venti could remember waking up and randomly crying on some mornings, but right now? It was definitely weirder than normal.
”Hey…”
Someone greeted, tugging Venti’s sleeve gently. That raspy voice was oddly nostalgic.
“I’m sorry, but I feel like I know you.”
What a coincidence. Venti couldn’t help but giggle as he turned around. Lo and behold, the handsome boy from the dance circle was standing right in front of him.
”Funny.” Venti smiled, wiping a tear. “I felt the same thing.”
The boy couldn’t help but smile in return as they locked eyes with one another. Then they both spoke up in unison.
”What’s your name?”