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Call out my name. Adeptus Xiao. I will be here when you call.
That was the promise he made to the traveler. It was short, simple, but Aether had understood the weight behind those words. Xiao would never offer them lightly—it had taken time for them to reach this point. Xiao, against his better judgment and silent apprehension, had decided to place his trust in the other.
They’d formed a connection far too strong for Xiao to deny. So he offered those words to Aether, truthfully and sincerely. He would be there, if he was needed.
And Aether had made use of that promise.
“Xiao.”
They were far apart, but the whisper of his name echoed clearly through his ears. The adeptus wasted no time and found the one calling for him.
The first time, and every time after, was not what Xiao had been expecting.
Though the promise was made with any and every moment in mind, he’d held a slight assumption that Aether would summon him when he needed a weapon—needed someone to kill when he couldn’t. It wasn’t that he thought Aether would use him , but it simply made the most sense to Xiao.
He was a man who had spent his entire life killing, after all.
But the first time Aether called for him, Xiao had found the other tucked away by himself, lost in his thoughts. It had taken him aback slightly—the Aether he knew was someone full of life, someone who, albeit sometimes shy, wouldn’t hold back from saying whatever he wanted.
Yet there Aether was, simply staring at him, unable to find the words he so desperately wanted to say.
Xiao had understood immediately, and simply sat next to him without a word.
It was strange to see the other without a smile, but Xiao could tell that there was something weighing on Aether’s mind, keeping his bright grin trapped behind his muddled emotions. He didn’t ask, because it wasn’t necessary. Aether would tell him when he was ready.
They didn’t exchange any words as they sat there. They just watched the sun fall from the sky until the darkness wrapped itself around them.
Only when the silence between them faded away as the nearby town came to life, the sun tiredly dragging itself up over the horizon, did Aether speak to him.
“Thank you.”
Xiao wasn’t sure how to respond. He had done nothing but sit with the other through the entirety of the night, but maybe that was all Aether needed. Someone to be by his side. And if that was what the traveler needed from him, Xiao didn’t mind.
He simply nodded and left him without a word.
“Xiao.”
Every time that Aether called for him, Xiao answered. It didn’t matter what he was doing—he could have been locked in the heat of battle, ridding the world of dangerous beings. But once he heard his name, spoken by that sweet voice, Aether became his sole priority.
Aether was always by himself when Xiao came to him. He didn’t mind that, since he wasn’t exactly fond of others, Aether being his sole exception. He sometimes wondered if Aether did that on purpose out of consideration.
With each call of his name, he learned it was more than just that.
They never spoke much, until the day that Aether suddenly opened up to him about the heavy emotions he held within. Xiao simply sat in silence, listening, wondering how such a beautiful person could carry so much weight in their heart. He was surprised Aether hadn’t broken by this point, with how pained he sounded as he spoke.
And even though Aether held so much sorrow, once he finished speaking, the softest smile graced his lips.
He once again thanked Xiao, and then the adeptus left him.
But this time, Xiao didn’t go far. Even with Aether’s reassuring smile, he couldn’t help the worry he felt inside. Would Aether continue to be alone once he left? Would the pain consume him, wash him away into an endless sea of sorrow?
Xiao watched silently as Aether stood up and lifted his head to the sky. The smile never left his face as he made his way back to his companions. He left behind his pain, only a sense of comfort wrapped around him.
Aether was so much stronger than Xiao had realized.
“Xiao.”
From then on, when he was called for, silence wouldn’t be the only thing to accompany them. Aether began to open up, not just about his fears, but also about his hopes. He spoke of small, unimportant things, filling the air around them with warmth. Xiao also spoke, and he didn’t quite understand the feeling that came over him when Aether offered him a smile as he listened to his words.
Xiao continued watching Aether after they’d part, and over time he came to realize something.
The smile Aether showed others was different than the one he showed Xiao.
The smile Aether showed Xiao was filled with so much warmth and beauty. It was special, and just for him.
Sometimes, Xiao wondered why Aether chose him . Aether had so many people in his life, so many who were much more cheerful than Xiao. They’d surely be better choices for helping cheer the traveler up, for listening to him and staying by his side.
Xiao was bound by his promise—one he never regretted. But Aether didn’t have to call his name every single time. He didn’t have to, yet it was always Xiao’s name that his lips called out.
One day, Xiao asked Aether about this. The response he got what was not what he had expected. Aether simply laughed, his soft voice anchoring itself in Xiao’s memories. He’d never forget that sound.
“I’m not really sure how to put it into words…” Aether started, twiddling his thumbs as he tried to make sense of his thoughts. “It’s kind of like…”
Xiao sat silently, resting his head back against the large tree they were seated under. The moon sat high in the night sky, softly illuminating them.
“Everyone is really nice. I know they’d listen if I asked, but there’s something about being next to you, I guess…” His voice faded off, and Xiao let his gaze momentarily drift toward Aether.
The traveler sat there, cheeks dusted a light pink, staring back at him. Xiao’s breath caught in his throat.
Aether broke their eye contact immediately and stared down at his lap.
“I feel comfortable. In a way I haven’t felt since…”
Since his sister had been by his side. Xiao knew what he wanted to say, but couldn’t.
“Being with you like this, it feels like… home.”
Home.
Xiao sat in silence, keeping his gaze on Aether who in turn shifted slightly, awkwardly, knowing that he was being watched. Home… He didn’t necessarily understand it. If he thought about it, Xiao had never truly had a home in his life. If he did, it had been long forgotten. There were places he had stayed, sure, but he’d never consider them home. They were places he hated with every fiber of his being. And even after he’d been freed from that place, there was no home waiting for him. Xiao didn’t understand.
Slowly, Aether lifted his head. He stared up at the moon for a long moment before working up the courage to meet Xiao’s gaze once more.
The warm smile he wore took Xiao’s breath away.
“I’m sure it sounds silly, but I just feel so at peace whenever we’re together like this.”
That was something Xiao did understand.
Being next to Aether like this brought him a great deal of comfort. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way with anyone else. Aether wanted nothing from him except for his presence. And Xiao would never be able to put into words how grateful he was for that. In Aether’s eyes, Xiao wasn’t a thing , wasn’t a tool to be used and discarded when it lost its edge.
In Aether’s eyes, he was simply Xiao.
If this wasn’t home , he wasn’t sure what ever would be.
“I feel that way too.”
His words were barely a whisper, but he knew Aether heard them. Those beautiful amber eyes widened ever so slightly, and he could see the relief and happiness flash over them. Perhaps Aether had been worried that Xiao wouldn’t want to be something that personal to him.
It was a pointless fear, because Xiao wanted to be anything, everything to Aether.
And for the first time, a smile bloomed across Xiao’s lips. He looked into those eyes for a long while, Aether simply looking back. The flush never left his cheeks, the smile never left his lips.
This moment was theirs alone. This moment was something they shared, simply as two people who found nothing but comfort and acceptance within each other.
This was home.