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Shouts of sellers near the harbor and the smell of food lingering on the streets, this is what Xiao lives with every day. It’s not the best or the worst, but he’s gotten used to this environment. He then sat at a table in Wangshu Inn having a few bites of Almond Tofu.
While silently viewing the scenery, he then hears his name being spoken by someone making him approach them.
“You called?” he said not expecting who was calling him
A man in a dark suit sipping his tea while listening to a storyteller in the Heyu Tea House welcomed him.
“Oh Xiao” Zhongli looked at him with a gentle gaze “I would like to invite you somewhere”
The Adeptus tilted his head in confusion “Invite me?”
“Well, yes. As you know Lantern Rite is tonight and I heard you never celebrate it, so I decided to invite you to watch the lanterns tonight, together with a friend of mine”
Xiao contemplated for a bit, especially when he still had his duties as an Adeptus to uphold.
“I respectfully de-” the yaksha tried to reply but was cut off by the archon.
“Well we can’t have that can we,” he said with a smile “Take this as a time to have a break, from me to you”
The Adeptus deliberated once more whether or not to come “I understand, I’ll go then” he sighed.
Xiao didn’t know what to expect with the invitation to Lantern Rite, it’s not as if it was his first time receiving it though. He can still remember the traveler setting up a whole celebration in Wangshu Inn after denying their offer.
While Lantern Rite was surely a festival to go to in Liyue, he never liked being around so many people. This caused him not to create many relations with humans and entirely not enjoy the festival despite his small curiosity.
While doing his duties and fighting off demons, he then recalled what Morax had told him, they were going to watch the lanterns and fireworks together with a friend of his. Zhongli did have a few companions, although he wasn’t sure who he would consider a friend. His thoughts gathered and came to the conclusion that it was either Hu Tao of the funeral parlor or the harbinger Tartaglia.
“Ah Xiao, you actually arrived” Zhongli greeted him with a warm smile “Seems like the friend of mine will arrive quite later, we can go around the city before the firework show starts”
The yaksha nodded in response and the two proceeded to walk around the bustling streets of Liyue. While it was crowded and loud, he surprisingly didn’t mind it. The archon brought him to different shops and made him try different things, and before they knew it, it was already dark.
The pair went to the harbor and joined the mass of people waiting to release lanterns and watch the fireworks. He can see families having fun, little children wishing, and people awaiting the colors lighting up the night sky.
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Shouts and gasps of admiration towards the painted sky followed the release of lanterns and fireworks. While the sound of fireworks and voices were loud, he could hear a distinct sound that he hadn't heard for years. A sound he has admired and yearned for.
He faced towards the direction of the sound to see a bard playing the flute with a cecilia attached to his hat. He wore a smile that the yaksha wished he could have too. The bard was so close yet far, so familiar yet he doesn’t seem to know him.
Then…
“Barbatos…” the Adeptus whispered
Venti then looked in his direction as if he had heard Xiao call him. The archon’s gaze then fell to him and he was greeted with a warm smile. The Adeptus didn’t know what to do, his heart was racing as if he had just fought a thousand enemies.
Venti then slowly walked over to them and called “MORAX!”
The name he shouted caught the attention of the people surrounding them “Sorry, sorry. I meant Zhongli!”
Upon hearing both of his names, Zhongli looked at his friend with eyes of disappointment.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Venti complained, “Don’t you miss your old friend?”
Zhongli sighed “Sure, anyways this is Xi-” he got interrupted
“Xiao! Or should I say, Alatus?” Venti grinned
“Oh? Are you familiar with him already?”
“We have some history together” Venti then gripped Xiao’s arm and looked at him “Right Xiao?”
Knowing the archon was right beside him and hearing his name being said by him seemed to have made his heart race even more.
“Yes,” Xiao replied
“That’s interesting, well let’s talk later Venti, Director Hu called because of a client earlier,” Zhongli said “How about you two catch up while waiting for me”
“Take your time Zhongli, you're old enough as it is!” Venti smiled at his friend walking away.
The pair yielding anemo were now alone together in a crowd of people.
“So, did you like the tune I played earlier?” Venti asked him but didn’t get a response.
It wasn’t as if Xiao wanted to ignore him, especially being one of the seven, it was that he didn’t know what to do or respond.
“Hey Xiao~” he then felt a breath near his ear, he looked beside him and got surprised by how close the older’s face was to him.
“It was great,” he replied to his question earlier.
Silence then filled the air between the two of them, but it didn’t feel awkward whatsoever. The pair admired the beauty of the fireworks and lanterns, slowly stealing glances at each other from time to time.
The loud cheers gradually stopped and the crackling of fireworks was no longer heard. They stood beside each other before Venti decided to break the silence.
“Zhongli still isn’t back yet huh” he sighed “Too bad, he missed most of the show”
“I’m sure he watched it from afar”
Venti glanced at the lanterns being stored by some merchants near the harbor. The bard ran towards them and Xiao followed.
“Oh sir, can we buy two lanterns please?” Venti asked
“The release of them is already over, but sure.”
The man gave one Xiao lantern to each of them.
“That would be 200 mora each”
“Oh? It seems like both of us don’t have mora right now” Venti smiled.
“ZHONGLI WILL PAY FOR IT LATER” Venti shouted and grabbed Xiao’s hand while running away.
After running for quite some time, they reached a hill near the city where they stopped.
“And we made it!” Venti cheered.
Xiao looked at him and tilted his head, confused at the situation.
“Let’s both make a wish!”
“What?”
“Let’s make a wish using the lanterns”
“But-”
“No buts! We’re going to wish together okay”
Xiao stared at his lantern for a bit, not knowing what to wish for.
Strength? no
A pet? No
Almond To-
“What did you wish for my Alatus?”
“Huh?” Xiao quickly looked at him with his cheeks tinted pink.
“You were flustered by that?” Venti laughed “But what did you wish for?”
Xiao truly had nothing in mind, so he decided on the thing he wanted most at the moment “Almond Tofu”
Venti looked at him for a bit with a soft smile “Oh, that’s too bad”
“Why?”
“Do you know what I wished for?”
Xiao shook his head.
“Well, I wished for…” Venti then went closer to Xiao’s face “my Alatus to be my lover”
Huh?
The Adeptus couldn’t believe the words that the archon said.
“What?”
“I’d like you to be my lover” Venti grinned
“You like…me?”
“It wasn’t obvious?” Venti looked at him “I always visited Liyue long ago just to see you but I always didn’t know where you were”
“I…” Venti paused “I even played that song in hopes to comfort you, I never had hope that it would work, but it did and I’m really happy for it.
“So my Alatus, would you become my lover?”
Xiao looked at him once more, still not believing it was real. If it was, then he would never want to wake up.
“Yes…” Xiao replied with a small smile
Venti looked at him with tears in his eyes and a smile that could heal any pain he was bearing. He walked closer to him and their lips touched. Xiao felt like he was free, he didn’t feel any burden sharing his feelings with the one he truly loved.
The two looked at each other’s eyes once more, and under the bright night sky, the archon and the yaksha were in their own universe.