Work Text:
Stress?
This is something Xiao has never experienced in his life. Not in that way. He didn't know what to feel, his head was full of more thoughts than ever, and the voices in his head weren't helping to calm him down. The man sighed loudly, closing his eyes and trying to calm down as much as possible. Sitting on top of Qingyun Peak, he tried to regain his composure. It didn't take long when he felt something approaching him from behind.
The man quickly summoned his weapon and mask, immediately trying to attack the intruder. He paused as Ganyu stood before him. The girl, slightly surprised, tried to defend herself against the unexpected attack.
"I'm sorry!" Girl quickly screamed slightly bowing "You looked like you were sleeping from a distance and I didn't want to wake you up."
"You know I don't need sleep." He sighed recalling the polearm and mask. The girl smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry you looked so peaceful and... human?" she said hesitantly, pondering the moments, the man only looked at her with pity, "It's just the first time I see you like this Master Xiao." she added with a sigh. Xiao looked at her incomprehensibly.
"I am like always." he stated without bothering about the girl anymore. Ganyu, on the other hand, was not finished.
"Everyone is stressed when they're marrying love of their life." The girl smiled sincerely watching Yaksha return to the previous state of meditation.
"These human emotions don't touch me." he answered her confidently and Ganyu sighed. She was really hoping that the man would stop pretending that nothing bothered him. Emotions were a beautiful thing and Ganyu, as a semi-adepti, knew perfectly well what they meant to people. First of all, she knew what a creature Xiao was, who really tried to pretend that people and their habits did not interest him.
Therefore, when she saw the men with Aether, she was happy. Living for Rex Lapis she had watched old Alatus from the beginning. She used to think that she may be like older sister to him one day, but she quickly realized that she was wrong. Adepti would not open up to anyone so easily.
The same Yaksha, closed to people, closed to emotions and closed to everything, was about to get married in a few days. For Ganyu it seemed abstract, even something that could not exist. She would never even think about it at all.
Meanwhile, she herself was helping Aether and Zhongli in the wedding preparations. Could she be proud? They didn't have a strong bond, but Ganyu was happy. Happy that a person living in pain could be happy. Maybe she was too empathetic, but she wanted things to go well.
Not only because it's her friend's wedding with her master. Ganyu also loved Aether and thanked him for saving her. The boy had a gift to change people's lives, thanks to him the loneliest creatures could feel loved. She wanted her friend to be loved too.
And she knew perfectly well that Xiao, under his mask, loved Aether more than anyone else. No matter how he hid, Xiao showed long ago that he cares about Traveler in the world the most.
Ganyu is happy now.
"Do you think I can give him voucher?" Hu Tao asked Aether who looked at her as if she had murdered someone.
"Hu Tao stop it!" panicked, "You'll not give coffins to anyone." the boy sighed. Was it a good idea to ask a girl for help? Probably not. If Yanfei were not busy, he would definitely ask for her help.
"Dear child talking about death is prohibited." Cloud Retainer spoke, appearing next to the two who were making decorations. The Adepti decided that Aether and Yaksha's wedding would take place on her mountain, saying 'it was the best place'. Although most knew that the woman herself was excited about this event and just wanted to help.
"Yeah I know bad luck and those things." she sighed "I'm just kidding."
"Please don't." Aether laughed as he finished the ornament. They didn't actually have to make them, Zhongli himself declared that he could arrange them (thanks to Childe's wallet), but Aether insisted that he wanted to make at least half of them himself. For this he took Hu Tao, who had nothing to do in the last few days.
"But why are you marrying gloomy Yaksha." Hu Tao said after a moment of silence, "You could have anyone with your looks. Especially someone more invented in realatioships and emotions."
Hu Tao's words left Aether in his mind. Why is he marrying Xiao? He couldn't say it.
He felt too many emotions that words could not describe.
"It's just... I-..."
"Yeah, yeah I know you love him and everything." the girl laughed showing that she was just teasing. Though she was definitely still wondering how it had come to where Aether had changed Xiao to the point where they are now getting married. "I bet you needed to propose right?" she said aloud, more to herself than to him. A long moment of silence, such that even Hu Tao could not hear anyone's doing anything, stopped her in the work. The girl immediately looked up at the boy, shocked. "You didn't?" she screamed looking at the whole flushed blond hair boy. Aether covered his entire face with his hands.
"He did."
"NO WAY!" Hu Tao shouted, getting up from the impression and shock. "THIS GLOOM OLD MAN WHO ONLY SIT ON ROOF EATING TOFU?"
"Hu Tao child improve your manners please." Retainer said calmly, adjusting the ornaments here and there and helping the two of them. She tried not to show it, but she really enjoyed the fact how alive it was in her house. Her thoughts went back to the years when she used to meet her old friends here. Hu Tao was a child who reminded her very much of Guizhong. Although the woman was more organized and calmer, she was also lively and enthusiastic about everything.
The woman wondered what Guizhong would think.
"I'm sorry Ms. Cloud but that was unexpected." she stated, Retainer thought about it as well. Of course, she did not expect Yaksha to propose the wedding, on the contrary, she immediately thought that it was Aether who took the initiative. That's why she also thought the blonde child in front of her was definitely special. She never denied it, she saw from the very beginning how the boy can change the people he meets. These people did not feel lonely because of him. She saw it after Ganyu. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she didn't feel alone too.
The Aether was definitely like a sunshine that could bathe the darkest recesses of the soul in the flames. She believed he had done the same for Xiao. The woman smiled warmly moving away from the two. Sometimes she forgot that the human form always expresses some emotion that can be read. There was happiness on her face now, she didn't feel painful nostalgia for the first time in a long time.
"He was the one who did it. I was so shocked that I fainted and Xiao was panicking that I died because of him." the boy sighed remembering that day. The memory of it always filled him with joy, but also with embarrassment. He loved Xiao immensely, but he was able to understand the excitement caused by Xiao's proposition to him. It was something definitely unexpected.
Aether thought that Xiao knew nothing about the wedding ceremony. He definitely thought Xiao was not paying attention to such a thing. He may have lived for over two thousand years, but still Yaksha shunned anything made by humans. He claimed they were invented by people and that never made sense. He thought the same about the family concept, so Aether immediately decided that there was no point in asking about such a thing as a wedding. He was happy to be with the man he loved, so he didn't have to think about it properly. Long ago, he had decided that he wanted to give all of himself and his life into Xiao's hands, and he didn't need a contract for that. Though the mere thought of calling Xiao his husband gave him a new feeling of ecstasy and excitement. Just thinking about it made him look red and happy.
"I have now so many things to say to him." Hu Tao stated. "I could tell this to fatui boy and we'll be able to bully him together." she said with a sinister smirk.
"Hu Tao please spare him." Aether laughed, pretending to be offended. "You can do it but don't overdo it."
"Sure, we will need to do it before Zhongli will find out and start to scold us."
"Xiao come one we can't wait more." Childe shouted, waiting for any reaction. Hu Tao told him that Xiao was like a cat and needed to be handled carefully, but he didn't know it would be that bad. You might think that Yaksha acts as usual and doesn't feel like talking to others. Only this time it was something else, and it fell to Tartaglia to bring him to Mt. Aozang and deal with man problems. If it weren't for the fact that it was Zhongli who asked him to do it personally, he would have thrown it to hell. "I don't know what happened, but I want to remind you that in a good three hours you're getting married and if you don't show up, Aether will cry."
It was the last resort he could think of. It certainly didn't help that he was here. Xiao did not like the redhead very much and did not hide it at all, while Childe had nothing against him. Both of them had to tolerate each other on the grounds that both cared for Zhongli. At least that's what Childe thought, Xiao didn't tolerate him at all, and if he could, he would have stuck his spear in his eye a long time ago.
Now, standing here, trying to get him out of his hiding place, he regretted every moment he agreed to go get Yaksha. Even Almond Tofu didn't pull him out. Childe didn't even know why Yaksha was hiding. He could feel his presence and knew he was being watched, but it was not helping him at all.
"Hmmm, then I'll tell Aether that nothing of it" Childe smiled contemptuously into the void, closing his eyes for a second "It had to be said right away that you don't want him, I would go for him myself."
A loud bang appeard beside his head, and Yaksha stood in splendor in a mask near him. Tartaglia looked to his left and saw his polearm.
"Don't even try landing this dirty hands on him." Xiao said loudly, summoning his weapon to himself. Childe laughed as he watched the man remove his mask.
"I'm not going to, I'm just teasing" the boy clapped his hands. "Since my little Yaksha has left, maybe it's time to hit the road?"
Childe saw Xiao's face sway and swore it was the first time he had seen a man doubt something. It was an even more strange experience.
Xiao hesitated.
"Stressed?" he asked calmly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Immediately a disgusted glance appeared on Yaksha's face, he knew Childe was starting to harass him again.
"No men, today I'm not doing anything!" He raised his hands in a defensive gesture, receiving only the shorter man's raised eyebrow. "Today, no fights and no nervousness. I promised Xiangsheng that I would come back with you with no problem and I'm going to do it."
Yaksha sighed loudly. He started walking towards the exit of the inn, Tartaglia, satisfied, immediately ran after him, calling for him.
Zhongli was currently sitting checking papers. He had just returned from putting on Aether's wedding robes and was getting a little impatient. Everything was buttoned up, he took care of it personally. He himself took the initiative that he would organize everything. Of course, Aether helped, but the man took over literally everything. Childe joked that Zhongli was like the father releasing his chick from the nest. The man did not even deny that so the redhead found another reason to pick on Xiao.
Zhongli sighed aloud, putting the papers aside, standing up. He started to panic a bit even though he was not showing anything. He began to regret sending Tartaglia for Xiao. He trusted the man, but at that moment he couldn't calm down his thoughts and the fact that wedding might not happen.
As a god of contracts, the former Archon has seen many weddings in his life and over the hundreds of years he has understood the meaning of this ceremony. Many of his former friends and companions were getting married, so he also understood what a wedding should look like. He once loved and understood the feelings that accompany whoever you want to spend your whole life with.
Only this time it was something more special.
This time, one of the students who signed contracts with him thousands of years ago was getting married. Xiao, the child he saved, was a very important existence in his long life. Zhongli did not fully understand the concept of the family, and Childe's jokes about Zhongli being Xiao's father were not fully understandable to him, but he firmly believed that he was responsible for Yaksha's life free and happy. He saved the boy and taught him to defend himself by giving him a weapon. The man was just beginning to understand that giving up polearm and signing a contract with him didn't quite give him the freedom he wanted for Xiao.
Zhongli felt a little bad about it, because it was almost no different from the previous boy Master, who forced him to kill. The man, however, could not change what happened. Therefore, releasing Xiao from his hands was one of the more rational things he did for Yaksha.
And it was Aether who saved Xiao at the very end. Zhongli could not do it.
"Mr. Zhongli, I brought your little boy." Childe shouted as he entered without knocking. Zhongli, torn from his mind, immediately looked at the door through which two people had passed.
"Thank you Tartaglia." he said calmly letting go of the stress he'd been going through in the last hour. Xiao was looking at everything but the amber eyed man, so Zhongli sighed, sending Childe's gaze to leave them behind.
As if on cue, the redhead read the message and disappeared as quickly as possible.
"I heard..." Zhongli began. He cleared his throat, drawing Xiao's attention. "that you didn't wanted to come out."
"I'm sorry," Yaksha said, looking down.
"No one wants to make you uncomfortable Xiao." the man began "And I believe it's not like that you didn't wanted to come. So what is happening?"
There was silence in the room. May the two men be lost in thought. Zhongli had many things to say to Xiao that couldn't pass his throat for hundreds of years.
"I'm scared." Yaksha's voice finally rang in the room. "I don't deserve so much happiness I got from Aether. He..." the boy finally looked at the man, Xiao was sad. That much Zhongli could read. "should have someone who can give him more happiness and someone who will treasure him for eons. Someone who isn't bond by their karma and not someone who is murderer."
"Shouldn't you say it before you propose to him?" Zhongli asked.
"I love Aether that's why I want him to love someone who is worth him." he said after a while.
"And you're not worth him?"
"Yes! I'm not! He's everything I didn't get from life. He's the only person who can change everything. He changed so many people, he taught them so many emotions and he brought them happiness." Xiao started out loud "He did it all to me too and he showed me that I can love. Aether will burn out with me."
Zhongli laughed lightly as he approached the door behind him. He opened them. As expected, a specific blonde hair was standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry Mr. Zhongli I fucked up my make up." the boy said wiping his eyes. Xiao flinched when he saw the boy he was just talking about. He just said his fears aloud to him.
Aether was crying.
"It's nothing we will fix it, now you two have to talk don't you?" Zhongli smiled with his hand pointing to the boy entering. Zhongli knew Aether was in a different room. And the paper walls did not help to hide the conversation they just had.
Zhongli smiled apologetically at Xiao for the intrigue he had created. The man just knew teal haired would hide his emotions until the end.
The man left the room, leaving the two future husbands on their own. He knew it would be better now.
"Xiangsheng, if I made Aether cry, everyone would try to kill me now. Don't you think that's unfair?" Childe sighed indignantly as he leaned against the wall.
"You eavesdropped?" Zhongli asked amused watching the redhead's reactions.
"Of the two wrongs, eavesdropping is less bad for me than Xiangsheng's manipulation." stated joking with a smirk. "You're old but sly."
Zhongli didn't answer, but he started walking his way to watch the final touches of the ceremony. Tartaglia left both men alone and followed the brown-haired man.
"Aether..." Xiao said as Zhongli left the room.
"Sorry don't look at me now I'm ugly" the boy replied hiding his face in his hands sniffing.
"No you're not." the man sighed as he approached the boy, he did not let him react and hugged him. Aether froze in place. Yaksha was not a touchy person. Blonde hair knew very well that Xiao needed a lot of cuddling and showing love, but that was the role of Aether, not Xiao who rarely showed initiation. He did it in a more subtle way, never trying to disturb the blonde.
"I wanna cry more now." he stated snuggling into the man. "Xiao I love you and I don't care about that all deserving someone. I need you not someone else."
"I-..."
"I told you right? When I said I love you for the first time I told you that your murders and regrets are all in past. You can't change past but I said I'll take half of your sadness. I'll take it and fullfill that other half with happiness because at the end of the day you're the only one who can't forgive yourself. " Aether spoke softly, but enough for Xiao to understand his words. He has now locked him in his world where Xiao's headache and the voices in his head stopped screaming. The only words that passed now were those of the man he loved.
"Why did you cried silly?" Xiao laughed lightly taking the boy's face in his hands, wiping the tears from the boy's eyes with the fingertips.
"I realized how much I'm loved... by you, by everyone. When Lumine was taken from me I felt all alone in this world." he said smiling, "but now I have all of you. And you're my family too. I need to protect you and Lumine, I'm not alone."
Xiao placed a light and short kiss on Aether's lips.
Could Xiao go for happiness? Could Xiao get this happiness? He didn't know it, he wasn't sure of anything. He knew that even if he couldn't, Aether wouldn't let him. The boy would follow him into the fire, and Xiao understood it perfectly well.
"Oh and Mr. Zhongli too, he's your father after all." Aether added after a moment. Xiao immediately let go of the boy and turned to him, heading towards the exit from the room. Aether immediately followed him. "I'm sorry I couldn't resist."
"You spend too much time with that fatui dog and funeral girl" the man sighed, but grabbed the blonde's hand. Aether knows they are about to get married, but the gesture made a faint pink color appear on his cheeks anyway. Now they will have more time for the boy to get used to such small gestures.
"I wanted to show myself in front of you when I'll look all pretty but I ugly cried." Aether sighed as Zhongli adjusted his makeup.
"It's fine." Yaksha said dressing the last layers of traditional clothing. The Retainer helped him with this, as Xiao definitely never wore so many robes.
"He meant that you're always pretty and he don't care if you're ugly when you're crying. You don't need to thank for translation." said aloud Childe sitting nearby, watching Zhongli with mesmerizing movements doing fixing Aether. The redhead noticed that the man had red eyeliner under his eyes, but he did not expect that the man knew so well about make-up. He looked like a pro.
"Isn't there sign that dogs are prohibited here?" Cloud Retainer laughed smoothly at Xiao's words.
"I'm impressed that those robes are ideal for midget like you. I didn't know kids are having weddings too." Childe replied calmly without even looking at the amber eyed man.
Xiao wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Zhongli.
"You don't need to argue on everything. Please you two just behave."
"Okay Zhongli-Xiangsheng"
"Yes Master"
Arguing two reacted immediately to which Aether laughed out loud. Only the ex-archon could calm these two.
"Xiangsheng where did you learn make-up?" Tartaglia asked after a while, still looking at the man who had finished and began to prepare some other cosmetics for Xiao.
"Hmm..." man muttered, wondering. "It was probably my old friend."
"Oh when I think about it Guizhong made you wore make-up." The Retainer stated, remembering the old days.
"Guizhong?" Childe was the only person in the room who didn't know that name.
"She was our old friend, she loved practicing make-up on us. Especially on Master Zhongli, she loved his eyeshape," the woman said and looked at Xiao thoughtfully. "She showed Xiao how to use eyeliner and he only knows how to do it." She laughed pointing slightly at Xiao's eyes which were always resting red eyeliner.
"She was skilled I see. Even our little Xiao was impressed by her then." Harbinger laughed and hoped for any reaction from Xiao to his teasing, but the man sat quietly tying the last rope.
"She was like mother for him." Retainer said loudly and everyone paid attention to her, along with mentioned man. The woman flushed slightly as she realized that her thoughts slipped from her head.
"Please Cloud Retainer it wasn't necessery." Xiao said, lightly rooted.
"So you had mother figure." Tartaglia said, though his gaze fell on Zhongli and his reaction. Or rather, a lack of reaction and thoughtfulness..The redhead sensed that the subject was not entirely pleasant for the man. After a moment, Zhongli back to them and his eyes turned to Aether.
"Aether thank you." blonde hair looked at the man. Aether did not speak, because he did not want to continue the topic of Guizhong, he knew how the wounds of the adeptis could go on deep after the loss of a loved one. "She would be happy and proud that her little Xiao is now marrying someone like you."
"Zhong-" Xiao started but stopped when he saw his gaze. Zhongli was not sad, quite the opposite. He looked calm with a slight smile.
"I'll take care on him now. I promised it to you and I can promise it to Guizhong." Aether smiled. Xiao looked away from everyone what Childe did not miss.
"Did you just flustered Vigilant Yaksha or I'm seeing things." the redhead said looking shocked at the man who looked back at them.
"You're delusional." he said, but the soft pink on the man's cheeks continued to betray him.
During wedding, Aether refrained from crying. The day he was getting married seemed utterly absurd to him. He never expected this.
Therefore, when they started the wedding tea ceremony, the boy couldn't stand it and cried happily. Xiao looked at him slightly smiling trying to give him encouragement.
The wedding wasn't big, but it was stopped in a traditional style, the guests were adepti and a few friends whom Aether had invited, as well as his sister, who was now wiping his tears, saying he shouldn't be crying in front of his husband. Not forgetting a specific bard, which was currently accosting his old friend, who had been talking calmly with the redhead fatui moments before.
Everything went well.
Xiao felt lucky to stand next to the twins and watch his husband being hugged by his sister now. The smile on his face which showed while drinking tea was even bigger now.
A few hours later Xiao and Aether returned to Zhongli's house where they had been staying for the last few days by arranging all the formalities and things for the ceremony.
Xiao often sat in the back of the traditionally built house, despite being in Liyue Harbor, the man felt he had to keep an eye on everything. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to watch what was happening around. Perhaps it was a habit he developed over the indefinite years he spent on the roof of the Wangshuu Inn.
Zhongli's garden was specific. Not only was there a lot of Glaze Lilies growing there, it was just big and beautiful. Flowers grew everywhere you looked.
Sea of flowers.
A stupid thought flashed through Xiao's mind that he had never uttered aloud few minutes before.
"Xiao." Aether said as he entered the garden and immediately looked for the man. The boy has already changed into more comfortable clothes. Not noticing the man, he entered the garden, sliding door behind him.
The blonde headed deeper into the garden. He found him on the ground.
Xiao was huddled in the grass with his eyes closed. It looked like he was asleep. And it was true. Aether smiled as he sat down next to the man who hadn't even reacted to his movement. He felt proud that Xiao was able to relax in front of him and stop being so alarmed.
Vigilant Yaksha was not such a vigilant with him.
The boy put his hand on the man's forehead, brushing away the bang, showing a diamond-shaped birthmark at the same time. Aether always wondered what it might be, but that was a topic for another occasion. Now they had time to be together for hundreds of years, he didn't have to rush it. He kissed the spot of the birthmark lightly and smiled to himself as he watched his husband lay still. Without wearing gloves, Aether only now realized how silk the man's hair was, how beautiful it was. Xiao was the most beautiful creature that ever existed.
"Aether?" boy was snapped out of his mind by Yaksha's calm voice.
"Hello. How was sleeping?" He smiled at him as he moved away slightly so that the man could get up and sit down.
"I've had dream." he said, pondering for a moment. "There was flute music. And I was dancing."
"Oh it was peaceful dream then?" Aether asked. He knew perfectly well that Xiao was always awake. He doesn't have to sleep, besides, he knew what a man experiences on a daily basis and how painful each day is. He didn't have to think long about the fact that a man's dreams brought only nightmares.
"I think... I was happy even if I had my mask on. There was sea of flowers and..." the man paused for a moment and looked at Aether. He took a long blond strand of the boy's hair and tucked it behind his ear. After that, he placed his hand on Aether's cheek and smiled. "You were there too. Smiling and dancing."
Aether laughed softly and kissed the man briefly, then did the same with his lips on Xiao's forehead.
"We have now more time. We can dance to flute when you want."
Aether looked at his now husband.
Xiao cried.