Chapter Text
“Boring. Useless.” Xiao lazily clicks his mouse. On the computer monitor, his avatar runs through a forest, collecting materials on his path. “I’m gonna run some boss fights, send your team comp suggestions in the chat.”
Immediately, the chat in the corner of his computer monitor floods with comments. Xiao leans back into his chair as he scrolls through. “Wait, wait, slow down, everyone. Noelle? Why do so many of you guys want me to use Noelle? I haven’t built her yet- actually, you know what? Let’s do it. Let’s solo this boss with my level 23 Noelle.”
Xiao lets a smirk creep onto his face as his chat cheers him on. Five years ago, he discovered Vision, a streaming site and immediately fell in love with the way different streamers engaged with their audiences. He found himself watching various videos when he was having a hard day, when he was bored, or when he just had free time. Making his own channel had been the result of losing a drunk bet against his best friend Ganyu, but there was no going back. Almost as soon as Xiao created his channel, ALATU5, he went viral for his raspy voice and the lowkey, casual vibes of his videos. Xiao never turns his webcam on, preferring the anonymity and privacy of a faceless streamer. Yet, hundreds of thousands of viewers listen to him play each week, and in the same way his viewers keep him company, Xiao makes sure to entertain and be a source of comfort for his fans. Sometimes, Xiao finds it intimidating -- he never expected his channel to grow this much. Xiao is now like the streamers he used to watch, even if all he does is challenge boss fights with his under-leveled characters.
The gamer quickly scans the messages that pop up on his screen as he navigates his team around the game’s battlefield. Xiao loves interacting with his audience. There’s the usual comments about the ASMR-like quality of his voice, the usual requests for a face reveal. Then, one comment catches his eye.
xxbardbatosxx: lol drop ur build. we should play together ;)
Xiao has to hold back a groan. He forces aloofness into his voice and adjusts his microphone. “Hey Venti, thanks for stopping by. I’d rather end my career and move to the countryside to start a farm, but good to know there’s an ass nearby if I ever need one.”
This time, when the chat blows up, Xiao ignores it, focusing on winning this boss fight. Gods, he already knows that his social media feed will be flooded with reactions to this interaction. It’s no small secret that Xiao and Venti don’t get along. They’ve competed for the spot of top channel on Vision’s streaming service ever since Xiao started his channel. There’s something about Venti’s carelessness and frivolity that irks Xiao. Venti’s videos are chaotic, a frenzied mix of competitive gaming videos and singing streams supported by an extremely devoted fanbase. Xiao’s and Venti’s content are nearly polar opposites, but that doesn’t stop Venti from commenting and poking fun at Xiao’s videos on social media, or their fans from speculating about the rivalry between them. He’s irritating and troublesome.
(And if Venti is the first streamer that Xiao ever followed, the first who Xiao supported until Venti’s small channel became one of the largest platforms on Vision, the first to inspire him to create his own content -- well, that’s all in the past. It’s different now. Venti’s different now.)
A loud bang interrupts Xiao from his thoughts. He whips his head toward his bedroom door, where Ganyu stands. Ganyu is his best friend, roommate, and the manager of his channel. If she needs anything, all she’d have to do is say his name, and Xiao would immediately be at her side. She gives him a signal -- they need to talk -- and Xiao turns back to his computer.
“Sorry guys, I’m gonna end our stream here today.” Xiao quickly saves his progress and starts to log off. “Thanks for joining me tonight, and I’ll be back tomorrow evening to pull for the new characters. This is Alatus, signing off. See you all next time!”
As soon as he turns off his mic, Ganyu strides over, clutching her phone tightly. “Xiao, have you been reading your emails?”
Xiao frowns. He fiddles with his headphones nervously. “No, I thought you were checking it. Why?”
Ganyu holds out her phone. “You have an email from Teyvat Expo.”
Xiao nearly falls out of his chair in shock. He snatches the phone from Ganyu’s hand, skimming over the email. “Invited to Teyvat Expo...top channel...special guest...Vision’s tenth year anniversary...panels...guest speaker...Holy shit, Ganyu.”
“I know!” Ganyu’s eyes sparkle with excitement. “This is crazy, they even want you to be one of the headliners!”
“Holy shit, Ganyu.” Xiao repeats, his head reeling. He feels dizzy. This can’t be real. Teyvat Expo is one of the largest conventions in the world, highlighting celebrities and figures from all corners of the Internet for a weekend of panels, events, and parties. Only the most popular content creators are invited to participate, and apparently now, Xiao is one of the main events.
“Who else is going?” Xiao breathes out. Ganyu scrolls through her phone again.
“Uh, Wanmin Cooking...Guhua and Ghosts...bard-oh. Venti’s invited.”
“Ugh.” The gamer frowns. The greatest moment of his gaming career, and of course there had to be a catch. Suddenly, Teyvat Expo seems a little less exciting.
“Come on, Xiao! Don’t let your stupid ego get in the way.” Ganyu’s silvery blue hair bounces as she starts to pace the room. “This is an incredible opportunity for you! You have to go!”
“Of course, I’m going.” Xiao lets his head flop back against his gaming chair. “ It’s just that Venti’s so insufferable online, I can’t even imagine meeting him in real life.”
“Well, then don’t. Don’t let Venti ruin this for you.” Ganyu responds immediately. “Besides, I’m not letting you go alone.”
“Aww, Ganyu.” Xiao teases. Ganyu flicks his forehead as she passes him.
“I bet if you went alone, you and Venti wouldn’t even last in the same room for five minutes, let alone an entire weekend.”
“True.” Xiao can’t deny that.
Ganyu stops and raises an eyebrow. “You know, as your friend, I’m so proud of you, Xiao. You’ve worked so hard, and all your efforts are paying off.”
Xiao is still processing the flood of emotions in his chest, but he knows that tone of voice. “And?”
“And as your manager, you better start packing and keeping up the videos, because we leave for Teyvat Expo in one month, and I do not want to catch you slacking. And that means no starting online fights with Venti online. Play nice.” Ganyu starts to leave the room, already typing out a response to the email on her phone. “Am I clear, Xiao?”
Xiao grins. He cracks his knuckles and turns back to his computer. “Crystal.”
~
The plane ride itself is uneventful. Just as Xiao expects, the airplane food is bland, the selection of movies is dated, and Ganyu falls asleep and snores like a goat throughout the entire flight. What Xiao doesn’t expect is the cute boy who sits three rows in front of him. Xiao manages to catch glimpses of short, teal braids and a bright green bucket hat, and he tries to ignore the warm flutter in his chest. There’s something familiar about the boy, something Xiao just can’t put his finger down. Xiao spends the entire flight staring at the boy, trying to remember where Xiao may have seen him before. But once the plane lands, the thought quickly disappears as Xiao and Ganyu are swept up in a whirlwind of customs.
Getting through the airport is easier than it looks. Before departing the plane, Xiao makes sure to obscure his face with a bucket hat, sunglasses, and face mask. No one suspects Xiao of being an internet celebrity, and he and Ganyu make it through security and to their complimentary luxury hotel without any trouble. It’s only now, as Xiao sits in the hotel’s conference room with Vision’s other guests for their briefing, that he starts to feel a hint of apprehension.
He glances around the room. Across the table, Xiangling from the Wanmin Cooking Channel studies her schedule intently. Xiao adores her Wanmin Cooking Channel, which is filled with bubbly tutorials for easy family cooking. He still remembers years of cooking college meals with Ganyu based off of Xiangling’s recipes, who was just as talented even when she was a budding teenage streamer. It’s almost surreal for Xiao to meet her in real life, twirling a neon highlighter between her fingers as she jots down notes.
Next to Xiangling sit two Liyue teens -- one with choppy navy hair and preppy business clothes, and the other with bright blue hair and casual streetwear. Xiao recognizes them too. They’re Xingqiu and Chongyun from Guha and Ghosts. The duo have a strangely complimentary dynamic. In each of their weekly videos, Xingqiu presents myths, legends, and folklore that Chongyun quickly attempts to find proof of himself. Though Chongyun has never found anything more supernatural than a stray raccoon or an errant gust of wind, the duo’s strong friendship have made them one of Vision’s most popular channels. Though Xiao suspects there may be a little more to this “friendship” than the two displayed on camera. Even now, Xingqiu lazily leans on Chongyun’s shoulder as Chongyun holds the schedule out for both of them to see.
Xiao tightens his fist around his own schedule in his hands. His eyes dart to the empty seat next to him. So Venti didn’t show up. Thank goodness, maybe Xiao can actually have a good time on this trip without having to deal with his obnoxious competition. He should be ecstatic, relieved, jumping around the room with joy.
But there’s a part of him that can’t help but feel disappointed.
Xiao shakes his head to clear his thoughts away. He refocuses his attention to the head of the conference table, where a Vision executive, Keqing, hands a packet of information to each of the streamers around the table.
“Alright, I’ll give a brief rundown of the schedule for this weekend. Tomorrow is the first official day of Teyvat Expo, so we’ve scheduled a variety of events for each of you depending on the topic of each of your channels.” Keqing explains. She taps away at a tablet in her arms. “It’s a great mix of panels, meet and greets, anything really to get you interacting with your audiences. Then, the next day, you all will come together for Vision’s team events. My colleague, Ningguang, has set up a photoshoot, then we want you all to take part in interviews that we can use for promotional material. Any questions so far?”
Xiangling hums in assent as Xingqiu and Chongyun nod quickly. Xiao raises his hand, and Keqing gestures at him to speak. He shifts nervously and takes a deep breath as his heart thunders in his chest.
“I’d like to remain anonymous if possible,” Xiao starts slowly. From the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of Ganyu, where she sits at the opposite side of the conference room with the other managers. She holds up a surreptitious thumbs-up. “Right now, my viewers haven’t seen my face yet, and I’d like to keep it that way for privacy.”
“Sure,” Keqing agrees. “Xiao, I’ve already spoken with your manager and we’ve been working on ways to keep your face hidden during panels. As long as you’re interacting with your fans and maintaining an active presence during our events, I don’t really see why you can’t keep your identity a secret.”
Xiao lets out a sigh of relief. He’s about to thank Keqing, when suddenly, the door bursts open and a short figure skips into the room. Xiao’s heart skips a beat. He recognizes that green bucket hat and teal braids from the plane flight, but now that Xiao has a clearer view of the boy’s face, he also recognizes that upturned nose and sea-green eyes from his time watching streams.
Oh.
Oh hell no.
“Sorry I’m late, Keqing!” Venti chirps cheerfully as he grabs Keqing’s hand and shakes it vigorously. “I got caught up with some security measures, but I’m sure I can catch up right away!”
Keqing yanks her hand out of Venti’s grip and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Just take a seat, Venti. We’ll talk later.”
Venti plops into the empty seat next to Xiao, who immediately pulls away. Xiao pretends not to notice the way that Venti’s smile wavers.
As Keqing returns to her presentation, Venti leans close to Xiao.
“Hey, you’re Alatus, right?” Venti whispers. Xiao pointedly ignores him. Undeterred, Venti nudges Xiao’s shoulder.
“Psst! Alatus!”
“Please leave me alone.” Xiao mutters lowly. He tries to concentrate on Keqing’s words, but it’s hard when Venti’s sitting so close to him. Something about security measures...something about bodyguards….
“I’ve met Xiangling and the boys before, so that means you’re Alatus. That’s not your real name though, is it?” Venti’s voice is surprisingly melodic, even when hushed. “My name’s pretty public, so it’s only fair that I know yours too. I think we’re too close to be strangers, no?”
It takes all of Xiao’s willpower to hold back a snort. “What makes you think we’re close?”
Venti tilts his head. “I watch all your streams. You respond to all my messages within seconds. What makes you think we aren’t?”
A loud cough cuts through the room as Keqing clears her throat. Xiao snaps back to attention, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Keqing shoots them a warning glare.
“As I was saying,” She continues pointedly. “We’ve received reports about potential sasaeng fans who may disrupt our programming. We’re doing our best to manage these security threats, but in the meantime, please let me know if any of you see any suspicious behavior or figures. Venti, since you're our high-risk guest, we’ve assigned you a bodyguard. Diluc is one of our best, so please let him know if there’s anything you need from him or from us.”
“I met Diluc earlier, and he’s great.” Venti pipes up. “Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.”
As Keqing returns to her presentation, Xiao frowns down at the table. Bodyguard? Sasaeng fans? In a way, it makes sense to Xiao. Venti’s fanclub, known as the Favonius or the “Faves”, are known to be intense, almost to the point of obsession. The idea of one of these fans chasing Venti, following his every move, is frankly terrifying.
Xiao peeks at Venti. The next words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop himself. “There’s a sasaeng fan after you?” He murmurs.
Venti jolts in his seat. “Uh, sorry, wasn’t expecting you to talk to me. Yeah, they left some notes in my mailbox, and my manager got concerned. At this point, I think I’d rather just be safe than sorry. But it’ll be fine. Nothing for you to worry about.”
The gamer sneaks a glance at Venti, who sprawls in his chair with every bit the image of lazy nonchalance. That isn’t the look of someone at risk from dangerous and obsessive fans. Yet, Xiao can also make out the dark circles that rim Venti’s eyes, and the way that his gaze shifts nervously to the door every few seconds. For a brief moment, Xiao feels a pang of pity in his heart. He can’t imagine being in Venti’s place, having to fear constant threat from stalkers and obsessive fans.
“Xiao.” He blurts out. Xiao’s voice is so quiet that he can barely hear himself. “You should call me Xiao.”
A flash of emotions flits across Venti’s face -- shock, excitement, confusion. Then, a small and tentative smile.
“Nice to meet you.” Venti whispers. “I like Xiao more than Alatus.”
After that, it’s hard for Xiao to remain focused on Keqing’s words.
~~
Lunch is an entirely different affair. Whatever tentative peace between Xiao and Venti quickly dissolves as the two glower at each other from across the table.
“I saw it first,” Venti whines.
“But it’s my order.” Xiao retorts. He clenches his fists and gives his coldest glare, but Venti doesn’t budge.
“I’m your senior, you should just give it to me-”
“Fuck you, that’s part of my lunch.”
“Well, if you’re so hung up on lunch, you can eat my a-”
“Are you both serious?” Ganyu interrupts incredulously. “It’s just almond tofu. We can get another one.”
“No, I think it’s the last one.” Xiangling says. She, Xingqiu, and Chongyun hang onto every last word, thoroughly entertained by the fact that Xiao is one minute away from going for Venti’s throat. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“We wouldn’t be in this situation if you just ate your own damn order.” Xiao growls.
“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Venti huffs and crosses his arms. “You mention it in your streams all the time, and now I’m craving almond tofu!”
“Because it’s literally my favorite food!” Xiao pauses. “Wait, you crave almond tofu because you watch my streams?”
“I watch everyone’s streams, it’s part of the business.” Venti scoffs. Xiao shoots him a cold look.
“Then crave someone else’s food!”
“This is hilarious.” Xingyun says. He pulls out his phone and starts recording Xiao and Venti. “Chongyun, get in frame so we can use this for our recap reel.”
“Ugh!” Xiao throws his hands in the air. Every time he starts to think that Venti might be a little tolerable, the tiny dipshit does something even more annoying that pushes Xiao to his limits.
“Xiao, is this really such a big deal?” Ganyu asks pointedly. “We have almond tofu at home.”
“Yeah, Xiao.” Venti adds, smug. “Listen to your manager. At least she knows who’s the number one channel around here.”
It takes Ganyu, Xiangling, and Chongyun to hold Xiao back from lunging across the table.
~~
“What’s your problem with Venti?” Ganyu asks that night.
Xiao lays on his bed, holding his phone above his face as he absentmindedly scrolls through his social media. His feed is flooded with fans excited to meet him at Teyvat Expo, and Xiao feels another tingle of nervous excitement shoot through his spine. For the first time, he’ll get to meet his fans tomorrow!
And there’s no way he’ll let a tiny asshole with teal braids and bright smile bring him down. Even if he did end up stealing Xiao’s almond tofu.
“I know you two are competitors, but I thought you moved past that. Maybe even become friends.” Ganyu continues from the couch across the hotel room, where she texts on her phone. She smiles down at her screen.
“Who are you texting?” Xiao asks. He’s never seen Ganyu this happy on her phone before.
“Just Keqing.”
“So,” Xiao raises an eyebrow. “You and Keqing?’
“We’re talking about you and Venti and your shared lack of brain cells. Answer my question, Xiao, I thought you two were friends.”
“We’re not friends,” Xiao corrects automatically.
“Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?” Ganyu retorts back. “Keqing could barely get you two to shut up this afternoon. And then there was that whole display at lunch.”
Xiao nearly drops his phone on his face. “That-” He splutters. “That’s irrelevant. We’re rivals, and he’s an asshole. Did you see how childish he was today?”
Ganyu fixes Xiao with an icy look. “And you weren’t? Cut him some slack, he’s going through a hard time right now.”
“Ah.” That’s right. The sasaeng fan. Xiao immediately sobers up as a tiny seed of guilt plants in his stomach. “Have you talked with Venti’s manager?”
“I did, and Jean’s really concerned. She thinks Venti shouldn’t have come to the Expo until they resolved the matter.”
Xiao frowns. “So why is he here?”
Ganyu shrugs and types out a text. “Jean said he wanted to meet you.”
This time, Xiao really does drop his phone on his face. Venti would risk his safety to...meet him?
“Ow.” Xiao moans, rubbing his sore nose. Ganyu snorts and gets up from her seat.
“You kind of deserve that, Xiao.”
“Yeah.” Xiao mutters. He decides that if he runs into Venti tomorrow, he’ll apologize. Or at least, he’ll try not to antagonize the other streamer too much.
“Alright get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow. Good night, Xiao.”
“Night Ganyu.”
~~
(After Ganyu leaves, Xiao logs onto his old Vision profile. Not ALATU5, but his very first account, guardianyaksha0417, from when Xiao was still an exhausted college student. He still has some of Venti’s early streams saved, and out of curiosity and nostalgia, he clicks on one. Immediately, Venti pops up on his screen, baby-faced and grinning mischievously.
“Wow! 50 viewers! That’s a record!” Venti’s voice is tinny. This is before he invested in a good microphone, before all the sponsorships and public attention. Before he became Barbatos. “I think this calls for a celebration! 1-2-3-4!”
Xiao smiles as Venti enthusiastically strums his guitar and starts to sing. The video quality is definitely choppy, but there’s no mistaking the excited smile on Venti’s face or the passion in his voice. Xiao closes his eyes. He misses the days when Venti was honest and genuine. No media stunts, no arrogant plays for attention, no competition for views. Just Venti, doing what Venti loves most.
Soon, Xiao falls asleep to Venti’s soft voice and upbeat melodies, still clutching his phone in his hand.
“Thank you guardianyaksha0417 for your donation! And for joining all of my streams! I wish I could express how much your support means to me. Honestly, you make me feel like I could do anything, so I hope you’ll stick around and watch me become the greatest singer in the world! I’ll make you proud, so stay by my side, okay?”)