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“Shut UP, Aether. You’re ruining my concentration.” Lumine snapped from where she laid sprawled across a musty old bed, blankly staring up at the ceiling.
Aether huffed, leaning back against the rotting wooden door, while Chongyun investigated the wardrobe next to him and Xingqiu fiddled with their camera and EMF sensor.
The group was currently investigating a supposedly haunted house, looking to bring attention to themselves on the journey to fame and notoriety, which would, in turn, lead to potentially prosperous careers for all of them.
It was a strange career choice, perhaps, but there was nothing the group was more enthusiastic about, and so it was a suitable choice.
The team consisted of four members.
Aether and Lumine, a set of twins particularly sensitive to paranormal occurrences, otherwise referred to as ‘mediums.’ They were the honorary leaders and founders of their team, which had begun as a tiny dream at the furthest recesses of their hearts.
Chongyun, who was matched by no other in his knowledge of exorcisms as well as the realm of the dead, yet had never come across a spirit himself due to his abundance of yang energy, which tended to keep weak spirits far away but useful in preventing violent spirits from causing any serious damage.
And finally, Xingqiu, the second son of a particularly wealthy family, who not only provided the equipment for their excursions, but also happened to be the only one who actually knew how to operate the equipment properly.
They were a tiny, but determined, team.
“Remind me again why I’m here.” A voice beside Aether grumbled, belonging to neither Chongyun, nor Xingqiu, nor Lumine.
“Because you had nothing better to do on a friday night?” Aether glanced over at his somewhat grumpy companion, his eyes shining perhaps a little more than they did when looking at anyone else. “And you knew how to pick the lock? And also because you like me?”
“Aether, Xiao, I swear on my mother’s grave that if you don’t shut up, I’ll strangle you with your bare hands.” Lumine snarled from the bed, where she was still lying sprawled out, presumably trying to channel whatever spirit refused to leave the halls of the old house.
“Oh, then this place would be really haunted.” Xingqiu commented as he clicked off the voice recorder, erased the evidence of Lumine’s threat, and turned it back on just in case Lumine went through with it. He leaned close to Aether and lowered his voice. “I think your crush is showing.” He whispered.
Thankfully, it was dark enough that Aether’s sudden blush was hidden from view, though he still looked away bashfully, hoping Xiao didn’t notice his sudden behavior change.
The group quieted down after that, and every so often, Aether cast sneaky glances at Xiao.
It was undeniable that Aether had a major crush on Xiao, though he was certain that Xiao didn’t feel the same. It was enough that Xiao stuck around, despite finding the group more than a little strange.
Before much time passed, there was a crash from the floor below them, where they had just left less than a half hour previously. There had been absolutely zero activity when they’d been down there before.
So, of course, everyone bolted for the stairs, each carrying their own personal cameras and voice recorders, in case they needed to split up to investigate more paranormal activity happening at the same time.
The moment they made it down the stairs and into the kitchen, all the activity had stopped, and everyone was silent as death itself.
As Aether moved the flashlight back and forth slowly, they examined the scene before them carefully, searching for more signs of activity they might be missing.
Scattered across the faded tile floor accompanied by fresh bloodstains was a glass that had presumably been pulled from one of the upper cabinets, which hadn’t been open before.
Everyone had been accounted for when the crash had happened, and so it meant that unless someone else was in the house with them, one of the spirits that haunted this house had done this. It was a little frightening, considering that there was now blood.
But there was no more activity while they remained in the kitchen.
“...I don’t like the idea of splitting up, but I think Chongyun might be scaring the spirit off.” Lumine sighed, casting a glance at the boy. “There’s still plenty of house to look at, so maybe it would be better to split into groups, since the spirit doesn’t seem to want to talk through me.”
“What a good idea!” Xingqiu replied, casting a furtive glance at Xiao. “Lumine, why don’t you come with Chongyun and I? We can explore the upper floors and these two can keep watch to see if the spirit returns down here.”
Admittedly, Aether was torn. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up, but at the same, he secretly relished the thought of being alone with Xiao. He was thinking with his heart instead of his head, however, and his heart was set on spending time alone with Xiao; a rare occurrence.
“I guess that’s a good idea, since the spirits seem to have a problem with Chongyun…” Aether replied, glancing at Xiao for his approval, only to be met with a noncommittal shrug.
“Don’t blame me; it’s not my fault the ghosts are cowards.” Chongyun rolled his eyes, and sulked as he made his way back to the stairs, followed closely by Xingqiu.
“Remember to call us if you see or hear anything! Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing serious that a spirit broke a glass!” Xingqiu called behind him.
Lumine rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “Call immediately if you get into trouble. I mean it. We don’t need a repeat of last time, Aether.” She glanced at Xiao, frowning a little. “Take care of him, or else.” Her expression hardened.
“He’ll be fine.” Xiao rolled his eyes at the menacing glare she gave him. He was seemingly unaffected by the look that tended to scare everyone Lumine deemed trash enough to deserve it.
After a moment, she left, following Xingqiu and Chongyun up the stairs. She cast several glances back, as if uncertain about leaving Aether down there.
“What happened last time?” Xiao asked once she was gone, turning to look around the room with his flashlight. He still seemed at ease, much to Aether’s relief.
“Well, I’m a ‘medium,’ so...I was trying to channel a spirit at the last house we investigated, but it...it wasn’t a friendly ghost.” Aether sighed, shivering as the temperature seemed to drop. “That’s why it was Lumine’s turn this time.”
“Hm…” Xiao hummed, but didn’t respond, though Aether thought he moved the slightest bit closer to him. Wishful thinking, he was sure.
For a while after that, they remained silent.
~*~
“Okay, so what’s the deal?” Lumine asked, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at Xingqiu and Chongyun. “There’s something fishy going on here, don’t think you can hide it from me.”
“Just helping a guy out.” Chongyun said matter of factly as he waved the flashlight around, searching for anything of interest.
“You ever heard of being a wingman?” Xingqiu asked with a mischievous smile. “Well, that’s what we are for Xiao right now.”
“We saw him pining for Aether, and...Xingqiu insisted we help.” Chongyun sighed; clearly he’d somehow been conned into helping with Xingqiu’s scheme. “Wasn’t my idea, I told him you’d find out.”
“Oh. My. God.” Lumine spoke slowly as she processed the information. “So this entire trip is fake? So that you can hook my brother up with that guy? Is this place even haunted?”
Understandably, Lumine was pissed. They’d come out all this way to catch proof of spirits in this particularly strange house, and it had all been so that her brother could get a date with someone who was hardly even honest with himself.
“Oh, this place is haunted. We just added some extra stuff to help things along. This place is supposed to house a particularly weak spirit, so I figured Chongyun would be able to scare it away while we did this.” Xingqiu shrugged, his mischievous smile never leaving his face, despite the ominous aura Lumine was beginning to emit.
“You are so dead.” Lumine growled, taking a step towards Xingqiu.
“Hey! Don’t be mad at me. Aether likes Xiao back, so we’re really just doing them both a favor.” Xingqiu stepped backwards, sensing the danger he was in now. “Aether told Chongyun the other day about his little crush, and Xiao is...obvious, so we figured it was harmless…”
“Oh my god, I am so done with you both.” Lumine glared at them, giving Chongyun a nasty look when he looked offended over being lumped in with Xingqiu.
“Xingqiu made me help, I didn’t want to.” He protested, knowing it was futile to argue. “Don’t blame me.”
His protests only made Lumine’s expression scarier; there was no saving them now.
~*~
“Brr…” Aether shivered as he looked around, wishing he’d brought an actual coat. “Why’d it get so cold all of a sudden? It wasn’t like this earlier…”
“You should’ve brought a coat.” Xiao let out a sigh as he glanced at Aether. He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but decided against it.
“Well, it wasn’t supposed to be this cold tonight. The temperature dropped suddenly, too…” It was like a lightbulb went off in Aether’s head, and he quickly reached for the infrared thermometer he had completely forgotten about until now.
He held it out in front of him, gaze fixated on the digital numbers on the little screen as he slowly turned it around the room, looking for any spots that were particularly cold compared to the others. If his hunch was right, there was a spirit nearby, cooling the temperature around them!
“Aether, it’s...the window is open. There’s a breeze coming in.” Xiao sighed, taking his coat off as he spotted the open window, and placing it around Aether’s shoulders. “That’s what’s making the temperature drop.”
A frown crossed Aether’s face, but he snuggled into the coat, walking over to the window and shutting it with a sigh, making a wide berth around the glass and blood. “The window wasn’t open when we got here…”
“I’m sure a spirit couldn’t open it.” Xiao rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “Don’t be silly, Aether. We must have missed it when we came in.”
Aether puffed his cheeks out in a pout as he looked around. “Meanie…” He looked away, refusing to even acknowledge Xiao when he nudged his shoulder.
“I never said you being silly was a bad thing.” Xiao mumbled, so softly that Aether thought he’d imagined it.
Either way, it was enough to cheer Aether up a little. He just glanced at him with a small smile, tilting his head.
“Thanks for coming along.” Aether said, tilting his head a bit as he went to examine a dusty photograph on the wall. “I really do like it when you hang around with us...I know we’re probably a little weird, but...we do like having you around.”
He focused his attention on the photograph, refusing to show his blushing face to Xiao as he sank further into the coat, breathing in the soft scent of Qingxin flowers that seemed to hover around him. It was comforting, and he felt safe.
“Stop being such a weirdo…!” The way Xiao spoke caught Aether off guard. He sounded almost...embarrassed?
Aether couldn’t help but laugh a little at his response. It was little moments like this that he adored; the softness that Xiao displayed but denied.
Before he had a chance to say anything else, a scream tore through the house, coming from somewhere above them. It sounded like Xingqiu.
A yelp escaped Aether’s lips as he looked up quickly, eyes widening in fear when he realized that it didn’t sound like a startled scream, but a scream of pure terror.
Xiao reached out and grabbed Aether’s wrist, pulling him close as he looked up at the ceiling, frowning at the loud thump that sent the dusty chandelier shuddering above them.
Aether fumbled for his radio, nearly dropping it as he pressed the ‘talk’ button. “Lumine? What’s happening? Are you all okay?” He called nervously, leaning into Xiao.
There was no answer; only static on the line, which really did nothing for Aether’s nerves. He bit his lip, wondering what they should do.
“One of them probably just knocked something over.” Xiao said with a sigh.
“Then why didn’t Lumine answer me?” Aether turned and buried his face against Xiao’s shoulder. “She wouldn’t ignore me on purpose.”
“Her radio is probably just dead or turned off.” Xiao sighed, but frowned when he saw that there was no consoling Aether. “Let’s go look for them. It was stupid to split up, anyway.” He hesitated before wrapping one arm around Aether’s shoulders and guiding him towards the stairs.
Aether leaned against him, frowning again as he followed Xiao. He was afraid, but he didn’t know what to do except follow Xiao.
~*~
“If you wanted to get them together, why did you pick such a stupid way?” Lumine snarled, towering over the guilty Xingqiu. “It’s interfering with our work, not to mention completely stupid!”
“I thought it was a classic ‘comfort the frightened love interest’ situation!” Xingqiu protested. “It’ll work!”
“Xingqiu, this isn’t one of your novels, you idiot!” Lumine fumed, whipping around to glare at Chongyun. “You must know how stupid this is, right?”
Chongyun looked away, seemingly ashamed, as he declined to comment. It was a clear sign of guilt.
“I swear…” Lumine turned away from them, scowling. “Well, you’d better come up with an explanation, because I hear them coming up here.”
“Well, that’s your fault, Lumine...you didn’t have to shove me so hard.” Xingqiu pouted as he sat up. “You figure it out.”
Chongyun seemed to have a plan, however, if the dusty drapes he’d pulled over his head were anything to go by.
~*~
Aether walked up the stairs with Xiao, looking around nervously. He couldn’t hear any sign of Lumine or the others, and the dark was only increasing his anxiety.
“They’re fine, Aether. They’re just idiots.” Xiao didn’t seem concerned at all, which made Aether feel a little more at ease. After all, what ghost or spirit could face Xiao’s menacing glare?
“Thanks, Xiao.” Aether mumbled as they reached the top of the stairs, turning to go into the room they’d been sitting in earlier. It was one of the rooms that was supposed to have the most activity
The moment Aether opened the door, a startled yelp escaped his lips. He backed up quickly, bumping into Xiao, who wrapped his arms around him securely.
Standing before them, was a truly horrifying spirit...or rather, Chongyun wearing the old drapes and acting like a sheet ghost, which, perhaps, was still terrifying in a completely different sort of way.
“Chongyun, you idiot!” Lumine seemed about ready to tear her hair out, and the look she gave Xiao was the sort of look that she reserved for the worst of the worst.
Normally, she was fairly level-headed, but she also wasn’t afraid to tell people when they were acting like fools. However, it was a mystery to Aether why she would be treating Xiao in such a way.
“What...what’s going on?” Aether asked, feeling as if he were the only one who was completely in the dark on this.
“Xingqiu, you need to explain.” Lumine tore the drapes off of Chongyun, rolling her eyes. Clearly, he’d been trying to complete their plan, despite the fact that Lumine had completely derailed it.
“Well, you see…” Xingqiu huffed, looking away. “Chongyun…”
“Xingqiu decided to help Xiao in his quest to pursue you.” Chongyun explained for Xingqiu, though it didn’t really make a lot of sense.
“In simpler terms, Chongyun.” Lumine rolled her eyes and shook her head. “They’re trying to get you two together. Romantically. Because, apparently, Xiao can’t ask you out by himself.”
Beside Aether, Xiao stood rigid. His face was turned away as Chongyun exposed their ridiculous plan.
“So…” Aether blinked. “That thump was you guys? And the broken glass and blood in the kitchen?” He asked, then turned to Xiao. “Why didn’t you tell me that you liked me? You really didn’t have to hide it, Xiao.”
“I...wasn’t hiding anything.” Xiao mumbled, still looking away from Aether.
Aether made him turn around, pouting at him. “You don’t have to hide it, because I like you, too.” He smiled after a moment, feeling rather warm and giddy knowing that this silliness, and mild panic, had been because Xiao hadn’t quite known how to tell him how he felt, and that he’d been roped into it by Xingqiu.
“You...what?” Xiao asked, finally turning to look at him, his usually expressionless eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
“Mhm! I wish you’d told me sooner, though, because I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.” Aether smiled as he grasped Xiao’s cheeks with both hands gently.
“Do what…?” Xiao was shocked even further when Aether pressed his lips against his own in a rather passionate kiss.
When Aether pulled away, he was still smiling brightly.
“Hey guys…” Aether asked as he pulled away and faced them again. “What do you think about making Xiao officially one of us?”
The sighs of exasperation were all he needed to hear; the answer was, of course, yes, just as Aether’s affection was reserved only for Xiao.