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The winds blew softly at Windrise, the presence of a certain Archon calming them and caressing the two Anemo boys with their cool touch. Venti rested his head on Xiao’s lap as the yaksha sat down on one of the big tree’s branches. The bard strums his lyre in complement with the wind’s soft howls. It was a clear night, no cloud to be seen in the dark, star-filled sky—the bright moonlight gracing over the wind god’s face. Xiao looked down and was greeted with those turquoise, almost green, eyes. If Xiao stares deep enough into them, he could almost see the wind swirling in Venti’s eyes, no doubt proving the bard’s power.
“You have very pretty eyes,” Xiao blurts out. Venti’s strumming abruptly stops, clearly shocked by the compliment. He felt his cheeks warm up and a coy smile forming on his lips. Xiao didn’t seem to notice Venti’s embarrassment and continued on with his ramble, looking out into the field.
“They remind me of a perfect windy day. The sun shining bright but the cool of the wind keeping me from burning up.” Xiao brings his gaze back to Venti, staring at those turquoise eyes once again. “And if I stare deep enough into your pretty eyes, I can see the wind calmly traveling through them. They are…”
Xiao pauses, wanting to say the perfect word that would describe the bard’s eyes.
“Comforting. They bring comfort to me,” By this point, some of Venti’s hair has blocked his eyes, Xiao moved them away with a gentle touch. He found those turquoise eyes staring back at him, the swirling winds in them at a standstill. As if they were caught off guard. As if Venti was caught off guard. At the lack of response from his lover, the yaksha started to panic.
“I’m sorry, was what I said too much?” Xiao asked, taking hold of Venti’s hand, the adeptus’ amber eyes showing concern. Snapping out of his daze, Venti hurriedly got up from Xiao’s lap and cupped the yaksha’s face. Gazing into those bright amber eyes before giving his lover a kiss. It was soft and tender, a reflection of what their relationship was—a reflection of what they felt for each other.
“My, my, I never knew you had such a way with words, Xiao,” Venti said as they pulled away, chuckling at the yaksha’s heartfelt words. He could feel the prickle of tears start to form, but he pushed them away, not wanting to alarm Xiao. Thankfully, the adeptus didn’t seem to notice; he only felt relief flooding through him that he didn’t upset Venti.
“I just said what needed to be said. There’s nothing to be praised about that,” Xiao said nonchalantly, but his heart was beating crazily in his chest. He didn’t mean to ramble on about Venti’s eyes, but it was like, at that moment, Xiao’s heart worked first rather than his brain. It was unusual, slightly uncomfortable, and a first for Xiao, but at the same time, he wanted to do it again, for Venti. Despite not being used to leaving his heart out bare, Xiao would do it again.
“Hm, well, thank you anyways. You have very pretty eyes, too,” Venti replied. He didn’t need to elaborate on what he meant, having already written a song about the yaksha’s bright amber eyes.
Venti knew that Xiao wasn’t much for words. He knew that Xiao had a hard time expressing what he felt. Karmic bonds restraining the yaksha from whatever good is happening to the boy. So whenever Xiao expressed himself, Venti felt happy.
The bard strum a melody on his lyre. It was a familiar tune and made Xiao’s chest tighten. Taking in a sharp breath, he recalled the night he heard the melodies of a Dihua flute, a bard sitting down on a small rock. Karmic debt had weighed heavy on him that night, eating at him from the inside out.
Xiao couldn’t see the dark blue sky of the night. He couldn’t see the stars twinkling above his head. As much as he wanted to see and feel anything else but this pain, Xiao couldn’t. He felt red bonds tighten around his arms and legs, preventing him from moving. Unlike before, Xiao was unsure if this pain would pass.
Unlike before, he was unsure if he would survive.
There was a rush of emotion that flooded through him as the restraints tightened once more. Pain, anguish, fear.
But then, he felt a cool breeze pass by him, carrying the tune of a Dihua flute. Suddenly, the tight bonds loosened, and the pain subsided. The star-filled night sky was once again visible. Xiao took a deep breath as he stood up with the help of his polearm. Body still littered with untreated injuries, Xiao ignored the pain and ran to the source of a tune. When he stopped, he spotted a silhouette of a bard, sitting on a stone. Dawn was fast approaching, and the yaksha saw more and more of the bard. From the turquoise eyes to the Dihua flute near his lips. A rush of divinity swam through the air, and Xiao had never felt more fatigued.
The bard hopped off the stone and walked towards the fallen yaksha. Offering a hand, he helped Xiao up. Those amber eyes, which were usually bright and alert, were now dull and tired. The bard hopes he could help light those amber eyes once again.
“Let me help you,”
“Thank you,” Venti felt the sincerity of Xiao’s words and had an inkling that it was more than for the compliment. He squeezed the yaksha’s hand in comfort.
“Anytime,”
For the rest of the night, Venti leaned his head on Xiao’s shoulder, blanketed by the calm winds of Windrise. They looked out at the field in front of them, wanting nothing more but each other’s presence. They held each other close, hands intertwined with the other’s as they let the howl of the wind blow away their fatigue.
That night, two hearts blossomed in the middle of Windrise. And two unlikely flowers appeared in the field.
A cecilia and qingxin flower, glowing under the moonlight’s shine.