Chapter Text
Voici un corps mort
Raide comme un bâton,
Froid comme le marbre
Léger comme un esprit,
Lève-toi.
-
Xiao took a looooong slurp of his almond milk tea. "Remind me exactly why we're inviting her again?"
"Because -" Lumine quirked a brow at him. "- Albedo's been speaking highly about her. It isn't everyday someone captures his attention." Kazuha offered a wordless nod from right beside her, too engrossed in picking at his sandwich to add much else.
"Tch," Xiao scoffed in disbelief, opting for another prolonged sip of his drink. "I doubt his interest is as profound as you make it out to be. She's either a rebound or another subject he wants to inspect under a microscope."
Lumine scoffed, as well. She clenched and unclenched her fist, trying to quell the irritation he'd spurred within her. "Look, if you aren't going to be supportive, then maybe you should -"
"What's goooooooood?" The trio peered up from their respective lunches to respond to the greeting, mixed reactions adorning their faces upon recognizing Ajax as its source. To his right was Kaeya, whose hand was intertwined with his.
Kazuha smiled and lifted his hand in a brief wave. "It's good to see you again, Ajax. I take it you've been treating our Kaeya properly?"
"You'd better be," Xiao chimed in. Aside from his furrowed brows, his face was as unreadable as ever. Still, there was no mistaking the protective tone his voice had assumed.
"Come on, guys!" Kaeya chuckled aloud. "Cut my dearest some slack. He's gonna be pulling through with the good shit tonight." He squeezed Ajax's hand as if to emphasize this. "Hard liquor. Imported. Probably worth at least one-half of your kidney."
Xiao had barked out something impassive and inadvertently snarky in response, causing Kaeya to messily tousle his hair. Meanwhile, Kazuha had invited Ajax to take the seat beside him. Just like that the table had become a lot more lively than it had been only moments ago.
Lumine sighed to herself in relief, using this opportunity to wolf down as much of her pad see ew as possible. Of course, she also tried to keep track of the various conversations circulating among her tablemates, laughing and responding when prompted. Inevitably, though, she knew she'd end up having to break the ice between her friends at some point. That was how things usually ended up, anyway.
Too bad it had to come too soon for comfort.
"Where is Albedo, anyways?" Kaeya posed his inquiry in between bites of his teriyaki bowl. "It's Friday. He knows Fridays are our Springvale picnic days." He delivered a particularly harsh jab to one piece of chicken. "In fact, isn't he the one who proposed this to begin with? Because he's normally neck deep in lab shit every other day?"
The silence given to him in response was severed only by the sound of a text tone...or rather, presumably the sound of a text tone. It wasn't exactly commonplace for phones to meow when receiving new text messages.
To the table's surprise, it was Xiao who toggled his phone on to skim whatever message he received. His eyes brightened for a split second before he tucked his phone away.
"Sorry. There's somewhere I have to be." Before anyone could protest or question him, he'd already begun gathering his belongings. Lumine made note of the knowing glance Kazuha seemed to spare his way.
"Drive safe," she said, also making note of how swiftly Xiao moved. Whatever it is he had to tend to, must have been pretty significant. His reclusive nature aside, Xiao never declined opportunities to spend time with the few friends he had. The same went for leaving study sessions and hangouts early.
"I will. Thanks." He disposed of his trash and bid the group his farewell, mumbling out another apology as he made his exit.
And just like that, the table was immersed in yet another silence - not perpetually, but definitely longer than anyone would have preferred.
"Hmm, I just remembered that Albedo's been out running clinical trials for his new empirical study." Kazuha laid out this half-lie of an excuse after approximately seven minutes of muted chewing and drinking. "Remember? He scored that one grant from Dr. Lohefalter this past summer?"
"Fuck yeah!" Ajax chirped, thankfully taking the bait. He motioned to feed his boyfriend a spoonful of okroshka. "I'd forgotten all about that, too. Funny considering how this one -" Here, he playfully nudged Kaeya in the ribs. " - Wouldn't shut up about it."
Kaeya snickered. "You know me - ride or die, no matter what. I gotta be there for the wins, too...not just the L's." He flicked some of his rice at Ajax, who retaliated by slipping several ice cubes down his shirt. All the while, Kazuha feigned disgust, condemning the couple for the "crimes against his virgin eyes".
For the most part, Lumine was relieved that the tension had dissipated. Social interactions weren't her strong suit to begin with, and they became all the more difficult since Kaeya and Albedo split up, and the former had entrusted his affections to a quintessential frat boy. So, seeing her friends - and her friends' friends - happy and aglow was good. It's what they deserved after the hell they had all went through earlier that year.
Yet, her relief faltered as quickly as it had bloomed. Her thoughts appeared to go full-circle, honing in on Aether, who would've no doubt handled this situation - and just about any interpersonal situation, really - with ease. Aether, who always knew how to make them happy - her happy.
Aether, her other half - her better half.
But Aether wasn't there. He was gone. And no matter how hard she tried, Lumine couldn't fit into his shoes, let alone walk in them.
-
"Mmm, now don't tell me that those rippling arm muscles are just for show!"
Xiao flushed, his eyes traveling from the cobblestone wall of the mansion to the girl peeking her head out the window just one floor above him.
"Then, you try scaling a three-story house -" he challenged. With a grunt, he heaved himself up another half-foot. "- In Vans."
Cue a snort, followed by a girlish laughter that tugged at Xiao's heartstrings. "Challenge accepted. But how about I one-up you and do it in heels." When the girl noticed him complete the second story, she leaned further out the window, offering him her hand to take once he'd finished his climb.
"Keqing," Xiao panted. He attempted to ignore the ache in his left arm as she soon claimed his hand in hers, effectively pulling him in through the window.
"Yeah?" Keqing lay herself down, the hints of a smug smile toying with her features.
"You're infuriating." Xiao followed suit, collapsing onto the throw rug right next to her. He then flopped over so that they were face-to-face. The pink tint on her cheeks mirrored his. "You're inhumanly infuriating."
Another bout of girlish laughter fills the air, and once again, something stirred inside Xiao. Without thinking, he carefully reached toward the girl beside him, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Huh," Keqing remarked. She chanced a dubious brow at him but didn't swat his hand away. "Tell me...is it me who's inhumanly infuriating? Or is it perhaps -" Swiftly, she leaned in, close enough so that their foreheads were touching. "- The growing urge to kiss the smirk off my lips? Because from what I've gathered, you tend to say one thing but...mean something entirely different."
If it weren't for his pride, Xiao would've given in right then and there - kissed her until her lips were red, until neither of them could muster another breath - but instead, he squinted his eyes into a light glare and willed the blush to disappear from his cheeks. "This is why no one likes trust fund kids." He sat himself up, smoothing down the wrinkles that formed on his shirt.
"Disowned trust fund kid," Keqing corrected, also sitting herself up. She reached to playfully slug him in the arm before redoing one of her twin tails. “I’d be more choosy with my battles if I were you, teacher’s pet.”
”I’m more of a stray than anything,” came Xiao’s monotonous reply. He absentmindedly started combing through flyaway strands of Keqing’s hair as she tended to it. “Perhaps your little nickname for me will hold more weight once my dad starts acting like one.”
”You and me both.” Keqing tucked a final strand of hair behind her ear before leaning to rest her head on Xiao’s shoulder. Silence quickly enveloped the pair, though rest assured, it was comfortable. She liked the fact that Xiao was one of the rare few she could say absolutely nothing to for minutes - hours even - and it’d be fine.
Given Xiao’s world-weariness and general introversion, of course he felt the same way.
The silence between the pair lasted for about three to four minutes. It was ultimately severed by a question Xiao had been sitting on for hours. And by hours, he actually meant weeks.
”…So, Lumine is hosting a…kickback thing tonight.” He was now very aware of the lack of distance separating them, emphasized by Keqing’s adjusting her position so that their eyes could meet.
”Good to know,” she replied. “Even better to know that you’ll be attending, I take it?”
Xiao groaned inwardly. She was going to force him to explicitly ask her to come along. Why couldn’t she just…willingly take the hint? Why did she have to make everything such a challenge?
Yet, he was unable to deny the glorious rush he felt upon posing the question she’d prodded out of him. Forgive him - taking on challenges was his not so guilty pleasure.
”Do you think you could make it? I would…have a lot more…fun if you went with me.”
Lifting her head off of his shoulder, Keqing turned to him, regarding him intensely before mustering a soft smile at him.
-
”I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t show…”
Mona, the purported woman of the hour, tossed her head back with a laugh. “Better fashionably late than never, hm?” Albedo took her jacket, hanging it up on the coat stand as she made her grand entrance into Lumine’s apartment. Almost immediately, a dozen or so pair of eyes latched onto her, tracing her every move until she claimed a spot on the floor beside Lumine herself.
”Thank you for inviting me to join you all.” Mona offered her hand for the blonde to shake. “It’s a pleasure to formally meet you, Lumine.”
Lumine took the other girl’s hand, shaking it firmly. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve given anyone a handshake,” she joked, an attempt at an easygoing grin on her lips.
Luckily, Mona seemed to take the bait and smiled in return. “Maybe I’m just old-fashioned. But you’ll get to learn all about that after we’ve downed a few shots, I’m sure.” Ajax, who was seated on the couch, let out a holler at the prospect of taking shots before introducing himself…as well as everyone else within eyesight.
”Surely, we’re more than capable of speaking on our own individual behalf,” Albedo narrowed his eyes at Ajax after the latter had name-dropped him. He’d just joined the other guests on the floor, sitting in between Mona and Kazuha. His usual spot on the couch, next to Kaeya, had been…occupied.
”And at any rate,” Albedo continued. “Mona and I are already acquainted. I’m the one who invited her.”
At this point, Ajax had tuned him out. He was now fixated on a video playing inaudibly on Kaeya’s phone. It was definitely something comedic given the shit-eating grins on both of their faces.
”Anyway,” Lumine cleared her throat, effectively breaking the silence that would have inevitably ensued. “Now that mostly everyone is here, how about we all…play a game?”
”Not without shots we won’t,” Rosaria, one of Kaeya’s closest friends, declared.
”I second that!” Ajax cried out, now less visibly focused on the video he and Kaeya had been watching.
Lumine nodded in agreement. “Shots it is. But first, we have to decide on a game we can all play…preferably something that’d be fun for the sober designated drivers here, too.”
Without missing a beat, Mona raised a hand. Her other hand rested reassuringly on one of Albedo’s, who had been sneaking gloomy glances at Ajax and Kaeya all the while.
”I think I might have just the game for us - loved by the inebriated and non-inebriated alike.” Mona beamed, a mischievous spark glowing in her eyes that seemed to grow the longer the attention given to her was. “It’s a little something I picked up back at the school I transferred from. Consider it a party favorite among the peak sororities and fraternities. Rest assured, it’ll only take a couple of minutes to explain.”
Here, the mischief lurking in Mona’s eyes appeared to come forward full force.
”And by the time I’m done going over instructions, everyone will be excited to play and, more importantly, dying to win.”