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Chapter Text

Mondstadt was a miserable place. Xiao’s first bus had left too early, and the second one had arrived too late. Then there was road-work, so he had to grab a stop earlier. It was a half-hour of walking, the wheels on his suitcase squeaking and rattling on the cobblestones. He waited for the moment they just fell off in protest. The cold wind nipped his skin, and his fingers started to turn red, his gloves hidden somewhere at the bottom of his suitcase.

His navigation blared in his ears that he had to take a right. Turning the corner, Xiao felt he had stepped into a time machine. The houses were no longer modern and sleek looking. Instead, they were tall and skinny, the brickwork leading into pointy roofs. The windows were small and framed by dark brown wood and green shutters. Most of the first-floor was made out of exposed, red brick, while the upper floors were plastered with a pale colour.

Passing several skinny houses, he realised that Kaeya Alberich had been right that his place was easy to spot. Among the tall and red houses was a broad one with a blue, barn-like roof facing the street. The pale plaster was decorated with dark brown slats. There were small balconies with roofs of their own. There were flower pots attached to the windowsills and the railing of the small balcony, though the flowers weren’t blooming.

After climbing two flights of stairs, Xiao used the keys he had been sent to unlock the apartment door. He stepped straight into the living space, taking in the view.

Alberich had taken the time and energy to make his house look good and inviting. The living room on his left had an oversized, L-shaped couch facing the television. The navy colour carried into the pillows recklessly thrown on two grey seats Xiao almost bumped into upon entering. Attached to the shared, neighbouring wall was a large, wooden bookshelf that was hardly filled with books. A lot of it was decorative and very unpractical. The wall behind the couch had a door that led likely to the sleeping area.

Taking off his shoes and placing them in the shoe-rack, strategically placed next to the door, Xiao explored the rest of the apartment. The living, dining and kitchen were one long, narrow alley. The table was made of matching wood to the shelves; the chairs were a mishap of good-looking and downright stolen from the dumpster. The kitchen was an alley-kitchen, filled with cupboards and prepping space.

Behind a hidden door in the kitchen was the powder room and laundry, tucked out of sight and purely practical. Checking out the other part of the apartment, Xiao found Alberich’s own bedroom, a combined study and bedroom, and a bathroom. The rooms were long but shallow, likely making the best of the floor plan.

Though the apartment was nice and exceeded any expectations, Xiao felt drained as he sat down on the navy couch. Though he was a seasoned traveller, this trip had left him exhausted. He had spent most of the flight worrying about how he would survive a month-and-a-half in Mondstadt. For all the fretting he had done, there still was no solution.

He sighed, tipping his head back. What was he supposed to do here in Mondstadt? Drag his feet around and enjoy the sights? For a month-and-a-half? He would run out of things to do within days, and he didn’t even like sightseeing. That was Zhongli’s thing.

Sending Zhongli a message he safely arrived, Xiao let himself fall sideways on the couch. Looking at the coffee table, he spotted several sheets of paper. Seeing as the rest of the apartment was spotless, they likely were intentionally left behind.

Grabbing the papers, Xiao read them over. They mainly were instructions on how to run the house, when the garbage was picked up, how to operate the dial pad to let people in and not to use Alberich’s bedroom.

There was also the WiFi password, recommendations for local shops and four names and phone numbers. Diluc, Jean, Rosaria and Venti. Alberich even left behind hypothetical what-if scenarios and who to call. Jean and Diluc seemed to be the reliable types. At the same time, Venti and Rosaria were the types of people Xiao tended to avoid. The ‘don’t give him alcohol’ was very telling what kind of person Venti was.

Tossing the papers back on the coffee table, Xiao tried to figure out what he would do with his free time. He should at least do some sightseeing to make Zhongli happy. And maybe he should try out new things, something his friends had encouraged. That way, he wouldn’t waste his time. Admittedly, he didn’t ask to go on a holiday, especially not during the dreadful cold and rainy months. According to Zhongli, the city was beautiful during spring or summer. But the winter months clearly were dreadful, and Xiao wasn’t looking forward to the rest of his stay.

***

Three days later, Xiao was miserable and bored. He had ignored Zhongli’s calls and only had left the house to do groceries. The couch started to mould to his shape as he put on movies, barely watching them. He never cared for movies, only watching them with his pupil Chongyun. Chongyun made them fun, adding commentary and strong reactions. Xiao found most of them boring as he struggled to keep focus, his mind often wandering.

The movie that was currently playing was interrupted by the doorbell ringing loudly. Confused, Xiao turned off the television and walked over to the intercom. Recalling Alberich’s instructions, he pressed the button to speak. “Uh, hi?”

Xiao could kick himself but didn’t get the chance. The person who rang answered back, their voice crackly but chipper.

“Hi! I’m here to pick up some of Kaeya’s clothes? I’m quite sure he told you.”

Xiao had forgotten about the email Alberich had sent him. The man had decided to spend his time in Dragonspine—a colder place than Mondstadt—and hadn’t adequately prepared. So he had asked a friend if he could pick up some of his clothes. Xiao hadn’t minded, already grateful he could stay here for free. He didn’t get paid enough to pay rent for his own place and a lovely apartment for vacation.

“What’s your name?” Xiao asked. He couldn’t remember the name Alberich had given. He recalled that it was a guy whose name started with the letter ‘V’. Vincent? Victor? What kind of names did they use in Mondstadt again?

“Venti!” the man replied. Right, Venti. Xiao had found the name a little odd, but it isn’t as if he had picked it himself.

He buzzed the man in, waiting at the door for Venti to arrive. After a knock, Xiao opened the door, trying not to look too nervous. He wore nothing but sweats and a tank-top, and he knew he didn’t look presentable. But he feared missing Venti by getting changed.

Venti was dressed way too light for the weather. He wore a green bomber jacket, matched by a brown scarf, gloves and loose pants. He wore a pair of beat-up sneakers, showing off too much pale ankle. His hair was tucked into a beanie, covering his forehead and ears, so that at least was something. Catching the man’s gaze, he noticed that Venti had bright, turquoise eyes. He wasn’t returning Xiao’s gaze, his eyes just a little out of focus.

“Come in,” Xiao said, stepping aside.

Venti took off his shoes, putting them in the shoe rack. He immediately went to the bedroom, carrying a large weekend bag. Xiao followed him, feeling unease letting a stranger roam free in his temporary place. Venti did what he had said he was going to do. He tugged open several drawers and doors, starting to pile sweaters and other warm clothes in the bag. It didn’t take him long, and Xiao fiercely hoped the man would leave. He wasn’t mentally prepared to have a conversation right now, especially not with a stranger.

Once done, Venti put down the weekend bag and faced Xiao. Unsure what to do, Xiao had decided to lean against the doorpost, not entering the bedroom.

“So, what’s your name?” Venti asked.

It wasn’t the conversation starter Xiao had expected. He had expected a ‘what brings you here’, which was something he didn’t want to answer. His name, he could live with. “It’s Xiao,” he replied.

“Xiao,” Venti repeated, getting the pronunciation just right. “Did I get that right?”

Xiao nodded. Most foreigners stumbled over his name, often settling on something that sounded ‘about right’. He liked it when people tried, even if they still got it wrong. It wasn’t as if he could wrap his tongue around all the difficult words they used her in Mondstadt.

“Great. So, what brings you to Mondstadt? Winter break?”

Xiao frowned. “Winter break?”

“Yeah, from college?” Venti wore a sunny smile, highlighting his dimpled cheeks. “It’s a bit early, but still.”

Xiao knew he looked fairly young. He was short and didn’t grow a lot of facial hair, but it had been a while that he was mistaken for a student.

“I graduated college years ago,” Xiao said, crossing his arms. Venti’s smile didn’t waver, though his cheeks grew pink.

“So you’re on vacation?”

Xiao nodded.

“In Mondstadt, during winter?” Venti sounded sceptical. “This would be the last place I would go in the winter. It’s cold, wet, and there is hardly any snow.”

Xiao was surprised. “But aren’t you a local?”

“I’m, I just know that the winters here suck,” Venti said. “Unless you’re from Snezhnaya, then Mondstadt’s winters are serviceable.”

Xiao had been to Snezhnaya for matches. Admittedly, he hadn’t seen much of the cities, just going from hotel to competition hall and back. He remembered Snezhnaya for offering the most challenging competition and how tall the people were.

Silence stretched between them, and Xiao hoped that Venti would just grab his bag and leave. The couch was calling to him. Maybe a nap would make him feel a little more alive.

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?” Venti asked suddenly.

“No,” Xiao answered before thinking. Then he mentally back-tracked, worry settling in his chest. Venti wasn’t going to ask him out, was he? Xiao didn’t do dating. It was miserable to spend time with strangers in foreign settings.

“Perfect.” Venti clapped his hands, eyes shining with excitement. “My co-worker dropped out, so I need someone to fill in her shoes.”

“I… I’m likely not qualified,” Xiao said, trying to get out of whatever arrangement Venti proposed. His college degree was in nutrition and exercise, which wasn’t helpful in most situations.

“As long as you can deal with students, you’re fine.” Venti waved his concerns away. “I just need a helping hand; you could visit tomorrow and see. You can always bail if it isn’t up to your liking.”

Venti had a trustworthy face, and Xiao liked working with kids. He was both a martial arts coach and teacher. His students were between eight and twelve; excitable, fearless and loud. But Xiao never felt judged around them. They thought he probably was the coolest guy they knew.

“Okay,” Xiao agreed.

“I’ll let you come in later, so you aren’t stuck with us the whole day,” Venti explained, picking up the weekend bag. “Just give me your number, and I’ll send you all the details.”

Venti’s phone had a broken screen and an obnoxiously green case. The layout of his apps and the interface were all pastel colours, looking too cutesy for Xiao’s liking. He added his number to Venti’s contact list, a sprawling list of names from all over Teyvat.

“I’ll text you everything you need to know when I get home,” Venti promised.

Xiao watched the man leave, feeling a little off-kilter. He wasn’t sure what he had agreed to, but anything was better than lying on the couch, watching television. And if things were genuinely sketchy, he could take on Venti in a fight. Maybe his job would allow him to return sooner.

***

After lunch, Xiao grabbed the bus and headed towards the address Venti had given him. It wasn’t a long ride away, and with time to spare, Xiao arrived at his destination. He realised that he should’ve looked up the address as he got off.

When Venti had said students, Xiao had assumed he was talking about ten-year-olds. Likely, these students were twice that age.

 Across the street was a large, old building made out of several buildings. The first ‘building’ was skinny and deep, and it was as if someone had glued a broad but shallow building onto its side. Another skinny and deep building was glued to the broad building. This was repeated several times. It looked like they had taken a kid's attempt of stacking Tic Tac boxes when being bored at dinner with their parents as inspiration. The stone was brick-patterned and was a combination of pale, sandy colours. The windows were large and spanned entire building sections. A large sign read ‘Mondstadt University’.

It was the university where Zhongli had once taught at. Venti hadn’t struck him as a professor, but he knew looks were deceiving. But it made him wonder what he could do. Xiao finished community college and had called it a day; studying simply wasn’t his thing.

A few students were milling about, but nobody paid attention to him. Xiao followed Venti’s instructions and walked around the main building, finding a smaller one behind it. It took a bit to find the entrance Venti had mentioned. The door was heavy as he pulled it open.

He stepped into a somewhat industrial-looking space. Rafters hung overhead, and the sides were filled with storage closest, all locked up. On top of these closets were boxes filled with rubbish. Old looking electronics, scraps of fabrics, paint-buckets and more crafting supplies.

At the end of the short hall, there was another heavy door. Pulling it open, he ended up in a large space. It was bustling with students. Students sat at tables, going over notes or chatting in hushed tones. The floor was covered in old, paint-splattered sheets. Students were seated on plush pillows, painting or drawing on pieces of plywood. He could hear the sound of a saw being used on and off. Venti was nowhere to be seen.

Xiao approached one of the tables where a group of students were sitting. He saw pages of a script spread over the table, red ink crossing out and adding things.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Venti.” Xiao tried not to fidget when they eyed him with interest.

“I think Venti is helping out with costuming,” one of the students said. “First door on the left on the far wall.”

Xiao did find Venti there, together with several other students. The room was crammed, with two sewing machines and desks taking up most space. A young woman stood in the centre, twitching as likely a fellow student was pinning clothes on her body. The scraps of fabric looked to be held together with pins, tape, hope and dreams

Venti wore similar clothes to before, still showing off his pale ankles. His beanie was replaced with a beret, his hair tied back to create a small pony-tail. Locks of black and turquoise fell past his ears, framing his face.

Xiao waved, catching their attention. Venti’s eyes lit up, excusing himself. Xiao stepped out of the room, and Venti followed, closing the door behind him.

“Glad you came,” Venti said, leading to another room. A piece of paper was taped on the door that read ‘dressing room’. “Let’s talk in here. It’s the only place with privacy.”

Like the costuming room, the room was cramped and filled with a mishmash of furniture. There were clothing racks and various wig-heads with wigs placed on them. Someone had attached a rail to the ceiling, which hung a shower curtain. It would block off a part of the room, giving people privacy to get changed.

“So, how familiar are you with theatre?” Venti asked.

Suddenly, everything clicked together. The script, costumes and props. “Admittedly, I never cared much for it.”

Zhongli loved theatre. He used to talk about them extensively when they were travelling. He loved opera the most, something Xiao had thought was boring. He remembered almost nothing of what Zhongli had shown him.

“That’s no problem; I knew very little when I started this semester,” Venti said. “I just have to figure out what you can do. Are you good with a needle?”

Extensive first aid training had been mandatory for teaching and coaching children, so Xiao technically had used a needle before. But it was on synthetic skin, and he had done a piss-poor job at it. It worked in a pinch. “No.”

“That’s fine, didn’t expect it.” Venti was bouncing on the heels of his feet, unable to stand still. Xiao had moved to the wall, feeling less out of place with having something to his back. “Painting? Carpentry work? Working with light? Singing? Scriptwriting?”

“No to all of them.” Xiao felt flustered. His lack of life experience was suddenly very noticeable. Xiao had very little skill beyond his work, and even there, he felt unqualified.

Venti’s smile faltered a little. “You can always learn.”

“I think carpentry is doable,” Xiao suggested. “Never done it before, but it shouldn’t be too hard.”

If he had to spend his time cutting plywood to fill his time, he would do so. At least it would be a helpful skill, and he liked having a routine. It forced him to get up in time and shower.

Venti rubbed his jaw. He had started to pace the cramped room, walking mostly in circles due to the lack of space. “Okay, you might not be able to help with the physical part, but how good are your observation skills?”

“Good,” Xiao answered directly. “I’m a trainer and coach for a living.”

Venti’s eyes lit up, the corners crinkling a little. Xiao realised that Venti might be older than he initially had thought. It made sense. Putting a student in charge of other students often lead to issues.

“I can use that. I really need someone I can discuss the script with.” Venti’s pacing faltered, followed by a subtle intake of breath to even out his breathing. “Before you even agree with anything, it’s important to know that I want to have an inclusive space, though my previous co-worker didn’t agree. The play will include queer representation. Though I really need help, I don’t want to create a hostile environment for my students.”

If there hadn’t been a wall behind him, Xiao likely would’ve taken a step back. It reminded him of the one time he had seen Zhongli mad, where his old coach had physically shielded him from his parents, giving them a stern word. It was the day Xiao had moved out of his parent’s home, never to return again. “I understand. I think that will be perfectly doable.”

He had no idea if his answer was sufficient. The words were stiff and almost cold. But as he saw Venti relax, he knew that he hadn’t angered Venti. Though, there was one more thing. “I don’t know the play, so I’m not sure if I can help.”

“It’s Swan Lake,” Venti said. “It’s fairly well known, so it shouldn’t be too hard to grasp.”

“I never heard of Swan Lake,” Xiao admitted.

Venti looked slightly taken aback. “You don’t know Swan Lake? Did you never watch… eh, nevermind. I can bring a copy of the script tomorrow, though the students have changed most of the script by now.”

Xiao checked the time. It was barely past two, and Venti had told him he had plans for the entire afternoon. “Is there anything I can do, seeing as I have no knowledge about the play”. He mentally added ‘or anything’ but didn’t say that aloud.

“You could always help out the electrical guys; they often need people to hand them things.” 

Indeed, it turned out that the students in charge of electrical were delighted by his help. It had been a while since he felt like he was contributing something, though he blundered through all the electrical talk. He still wasn’t sure what the difference was between the yellow and blue cables. After several explanations, he was too afraid to ask.

***

Xiao never had envisioned himself becoming a coach. The school he used to compete for felt bad for him after losing his ability to compete, so they had offered him a coaching job. At twenty, he had little experience, so they had offered him to teach Chongyun. Thirteen-years-old, hardworking but a little more on the emotionally fragile side. The school knew that Chongyun would never succeed, and Xiao quickly caught on. But he liked Chongyun. They were somewhat close in age, and it seemed that Chongyun was comfortable around him. In the beginning, there even had been a spark in his eyes out of adoration. He still thought Xiao was worth looking up to, even though his career had crashed and burned.

Chongyun also brought some normalcy to Xiao’s life. He loved Zhongli dearly, but Zhongli was a massive nerd. He either knew everything about a topic or nothing. Then there were his college friends, Hu Tao and Yanfei. Hu Tao tried to summon ghosts several times, failing each, and Yanfei had forced their college to rewrite their rules several times, as she knew how to exploit them. They weren’t the best candidate to ask mundane questions.

Exhausted after an afternoon of fetching things for the electrical crew, Xiao let himself fall into one of the chairs. They were stylish but, foremost, comfortable. Unlocking his phone, Xiao called Chongyun. Though Liyue was ahead of them several hours, it shouldn’t be later than eleven. Though Chongyun was supposed to be asleep, he was likely hanging around with Xingqiu.

Chongyun picked up quickly, sounding out of breath. “Hi,” Chongyun said. “Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?”

Xiao had a sneaking suspicion he called at a very unfortunate time. But figuring that Chongyun picked up, it wasn’t his problem. “Does that mean I’m no longer allowed to call you?” Xiao asked.

Chongyun took a little too long to answer, clearly weighing his words. “Well, I’ve been told you aren’t allowed to help me with coaching stuff during your time off.”

Xiao wasn’t surprised. Of course, these assholes had forbidden Chongyun from talking to him. They really didn’t want to get into legal trouble overworking their staff. “It isn’t why I called. I need help with something.”

“But I’m not in Mondstadt,” Chongyun said, slightly panicky. “And I don’t know anyone there.”

“Not like that; I’m doing research for… something, and I know your boyfriend is very into books, so he might know where I could look.”

Chongyun let out a squeak. “Boyfriend? Xingqiu isn’t my boyfriend.”

Xiao rubbed his face. Chongyun was a terrible liar, and even if he wasn’t, Xiao wasn’t blind. He had seen the poorly done concealing job of love bites. Hu Tao had taught him how to cover a love bite, especially hers. A lot of concealer, the right colour-corrector, more foundation and concealer, and then setting powder. One day, he should teach Chongyun the same. “I know you two are dating, and I don’t care. You perform well, and you seem happier.”

Chongyun’s sigh was one of relief. “But what are you looking for?”

“I’m doing research about something called Swan Lake? Venti said that it was fairly popular, but I never heard of it.”

“It doesn’t ring a bell,” Chongyun admitted. “I’ll ask Xingqiu, wait, I’ll put you on speaker.”

Xingqiu had a good laugh when Chongyun had asked him about Swan Lake. Xiao figured he had been there. Likely, they had been making out when Xiao had called, not expecting anyone to interrupt their alone time.

“Swan Lake is a ballet from Tchaikovsky, the guy who also did the Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty?” Xingqiu sounded genuinely offended that neither of them knew the guy. “But it’s about a princess, cursed to be a swan during daylight, and only her true love can break the curse. I could send you some source material if you would like.”

“Give me anything you have,” Xiao answered immediately. The story sounded vaguely familiar. Maybe he had seen the play with Zhongli years ago.

Xiao ignored Chongyun’s groan and plea that Xingqiu shouldn’t do such a thing. Though Venti would bring him a script, he instead came prepared. It made him able to do something worthwhile. He still had an entire evening to fill and very little to do but cook dinner and sleep. So he might as well spend his time wisely and prepare.

Chapter Text

Hu Tao, the absolute menace she was, had sent him a flurry of texts at the ungodly hour of two after midnight. Maybe he should’ve gone to bed earlier, but he was still in the middle of a show he genuinely enjoyed.

‘Are you enjoying yourself?’ Hu Tao had texted, adding a flurry of emojis to make it more ‘lively’. Xiao felt like he needed a deciphering key when reading her texts.

The next question popped up, and Xiao groaned. ‘Are there any cute guys there?’ More and more texts pop up. He cherry-picked the questions to answer, refusing to talk to her about his love life or ‘feelings’.

‘The apartment is nice,’ Xiao answered back. ‘Mondstadt is miserable, though.’

Another flurry of emojis followed before Hu Tao actually texted something legible. ‘Then why did you go???’

Xiao sighed. ‘Zhongli suggested it.’

This was all Zhongli’s idea. Xiao’s job had forced him to take time off, or they risked getting sued for negligence. Zhongli had suggested that it would do him good to leave the city for a bit, enjoying a new place without the pressure of work. However, unable to afford a vacation, Xiao entered a house exchange. He stayed at Kaeya Alberich’s place while Alberich was off to Dragonspine. The owner of that place stayed in Xiao’s apartment. All he had to do was pay his own rent.

‘Of course, he did,’ Hu Tao texted back. ‘Anyway, why are you still awake??? Isn’t it early over there?’

‘Research.’

‘You sound like Yanfei,’ Hu Tao texted, adding several disgust-like emojis. ‘Yanfei is very sexy when she is competent, but it’s less fun when you wake up in the middle of the night, and your wife is reading over court papers next to you. The last time was a triple homicide, and she was just casually reading it. Who does that???’

‘You proposed to her at a cemetery,’ Xiao texted back.

‘You know I panicked!’ He was pretty sure she squawked, glaring at her phone screen. It was a forbidden topic inside Hu Tao and Yanfei’s household. Xiao thought it was sweet.

‘Go to bed,’ Hu Tao texted. ‘I’ll text you after work.’

Knowing Hu Tao, this was an empty promise. She often texted him during her working hours, sending him pictures of stray cats roaming the cemeteries. Xiao was quite sure she fed them, but he never had asked.

‘I’ll once I’m done.’

‘I’m surrounded by workaholics,’ Hu Tao typed. ‘No cat pictures for you today.’

Hu Tao was a terrible liar.

***

Xiao escaped the crowded bus, hurrying away from the wave of students heading towards the campus. Xiao remembered precisely why he tended to come early. He was not a morning person, but he liked his personal space. In hindsight, he should’ve asked Venti if he could come in later than eight-thirty.

Venti stood in the centre of the backstage area, just having finished addressing a handful of students. Today, Venti wore an unzipped, green jacket with a white tee underneath it. He wore tight, white-washed jeans that couldn’t be comfortable. Xiao had opted for a pair of loose sweats, wanting to be able to move around. Climbing up to reach those rafters wasn’t possible in skinny jeans.

“We’re testing lighting in the morning,” Venti told him, looking at the text scribbled on his hand. “Barbara and Bennett will be here at two to practice some scenes, and Fischl will be here for fittings at five.”

Xiao doubted that it was all, but he figured there wasn’t enough space on Venti’s hand to write it all down.

The curtains that separated the stage and backstage were pulled back, giving them an expansive view of the stage and the seats beyond. Xiao hadn’t even checked out the stage before, having spent his time running around fetching items.

“Venti, could you take the stage?” someone shouted from the back, likely one of the students in charge of the lighting. “We want to test out the lights—we also need a second person.”

“That’s our cue,” Venti said.

Xiao followed Venti’s directions, recognising the different beats of the play’s scenes. Though not all lined quite up with what Xiao had expected. Admittedly, Swan Lake had many variants, and Xiao wasn’t sure which one was the original and which one this play followed.

For one scene—which Xiao figured was the dancing scene where the prince dances with the impostor—he and Venti stood toe-to-toe. It was a little uncomfortable, especially as they had to shuffle across the stage so the crew could test moving the spotlight. There was no fluidly or grace to their movements, killing Xiao on the inside.

“You’re wearing make-up,” Venti suddenly remarked, breaking the stilled atmosphere. Xiao wasn’t surprised Venti noticed, seeing as they were almost bumping noses.

“I’m,” Xiao replied. “Is that an issue?”

“No, I’m just surprised,” Venti still stood close to him, clearly not knowing what personal space was. Xiao refused to back down either. “You don’t seem like the make-up type.”

Xiao stopped himself from rubbing his eyes, ruining his make-up. Hu Tao had taught him, both because he could help her out for her date nights and because Xiao found it interesting. It was nice that people stopped remarking that he looked tired.

“It’s useful,” Xiao admitted.

“It is.” Venti leaned in even closer, stopping their shuffle-dance. The spotlight stopped moving, basking them in light. “You’re good at it. Do you have a sister?”

Venti touched his under-eye, smoothing out the under-eye bag. Xiao hated that it just made him a little uncomfortable. In situations less intimate, he had seen Chongyun grow flustered and stammer around his now boyfriend. But Xiao was uneasy having someone up in his space. Venti wasn’t unattractive, but Xiao didn’t feel that so-called ‘spark’. He never had and had given up a long time ago.

“I’m an only child,” Xiao said, taking a step back. He felt more at ease having his personal space back. “In college, one of my friends taught me.”

Venti nodded. “I wish my college friends taught me anything useful.” He rubbed his forehead. “At times, I felt like the glue that held our group together.”

Xiao knew he should ask Venti if he wanted to talk about it. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t know what to do with people’s trauma; he was still trying to get his own life together.

The theatre-speaker crackled as it came to life. “Guys, we have to run through a few more tests, and my class starts in half an hour.”

Vaguely, Xiao heard people agreeing. Xiao checked the time, noticing it was nearing ten.

With the help of the instructions and Venti’s knowledge of the play, they went through the rest of the script. Not all of it went smoothly, with Xiao being blinded twice and the light turning red, refusing to change to a softer pink colour. But Xiao heard cheers as they finished. He couldn’t imagine that this play was up and running in a month, and he hadn’t even seen the acting yet.

Venti cupped his hands around his mouth. “Thank you guys,” he shouted. “Go to your classes; I don’t want your teachers to go after my ass.”

Xiao heard a couple of chuckles and laughs before the lights turned back to normal. Students flooded backstage, climbing down from the rafters or leaving the technical studio. There were a few hurried farewells while coats were being put on and bags were thrown over shoulders. Soon, it was just him and Venti, the quiet eerily.

“That went well,” Venti said. “Now, let’s get some early lunch; we still have to go over the script.”

Xiao followed Venti with the realisation that he had forgotten to bring lunch. It already had been a small miracle he had made it in time, just having enough time to put on clothes and manage to mask the dark circles under his eyes.

They sat down at a table; Xiao took out a water bottle and waited for Venti to take the lead. Xiao watched Venti take out a large container and unclasp the lid. He immediately picked up the strong smell of cinnamon.

“You want a piece?” Venti asked, putting a slice of pie on a paper plate. “I always make too much.”

 Xiao wasn’t sure how to feel about the offer. He was hungry, and it likely would be the only food he would have before dinner, but he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth.

“A small one,” Xiao said. “I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, and it’s bad for my diet.”

Xiao regretted adding that last part. It almost had been over a decade since he had to follow a diet, but sweets made him always feel nervous. It was as if coaches knew he had something he wasn’t supposed to have.

Venti’s knife was hovering above the pie, looking a little stunned. “You’re on a diet? You’re probably the fittest man I know—are you a professional athlete?”

Xiao bit back the ‘yes’ he was about to answer. Though it has been years, it was hard to unlearn a habit that had been ingrained since childhood. “No diet, though I don’t have a sweet tooth.”

Venti cut him a small piece of the pie. Xiao accepted the fork Venti offered and stuffed a piece in his mouth. It wasn’t as sweet as he expected, and the taste of cinnamon was just right. There was even a hint of apple cider and lemon, likely the one balancing the meal.

He shoved another piece of the slice in his mouth, quickly finishing off the slice. Dropping the fork on the plate, he sighed and slid down his chair slightly.

“I’m not sure if you hated it or liked it,” Venti remarked.

Xiao glanced at the man, annoyed at the smug look on Venti’s face. “You’re good at baking,” he muttered. “Didn’t peg you for a baker.”

Venti’s grin was blinding. “And I didn’t peg you as a make-up guy. Want another slice?”

Xiao ended up finishing half the pie, which was a little shameful. He could hear one of his old trainers scold him for overeating sugar, that it would ruin his chances. He pushed away these thoughts, knowing that there was no reason to keep an eye on his diet.

“Okay. We still have two hours to go. Let’s go over the script, and I explain things along the way.”

Venti took out a binder filled with pages of the script. The pages looked worn, and there were many scribbles in the margin. Not all papers were the same colour, and the numbering was entirely off. Xiao figured that there had been many changes to the script.

A little flustered, Xiao took out his own notebook. “I did my own research already,” he admitted, flipping open the notebook. “I asked a friend for several recommendations, so I watched and read them before falling asleep on the couch.”

Xiao pushed the notebook towards Venti, who flipped through it with increasing curiosity. “Those are quite extensive notes,” Venti remarked, his fingers tracing the sloppy words. “And you did all that in one night? What do you for a living?”

“I coach competitive martial arts,” Xiao mumbled. “I usually watch opponents’ previous games, figuring out weaknesses and strengths.”

Venti’s cheeks had turned an apple-red, his turquoise eyes a little too wide. “You absolutely could kick my ass.”

Not knowing what else to answer, Xiao muttered a ‘probably’. Venti didn’t pack too much muscle, and he was too short and small to have a physical advantage. Unless Xiao would heavily underestimate him, but he didn’t.

Instead of going over the script, Venti explained how everything worked. The different acts, the music, behind-the-scene work and the overall planning. The play was supposed to go have its debut after New Year.

As they were going over the script, other students had arrived. Most immediately went to work, creating the background noise of sewing machines humming and saws cutting through the plywood. Two students beelined for them as they were going over Venti’s ending notes.

Xiao thought the two looked very young, barely old enough to be students. The guy was quite the sight. He was tall and lanky, wearing too-short brown shorts in the middle of the winter. His purple hoodie was too big, hiding his fingers underneath the sleeves. He had pale blond hair and green eyes, and his pale skin was dotted with faint freckles. The girl was shorter than Xiao, with a similar pale complexion and blond hair as the guy. She wore her hair in two pigtails. The similarities between them ended there, with her eyes being blue. She wore a pink NASA sweater, tucked into a short, white skirt and coupled with galaxy-themed tights and ankle boots.

“Hi mister Venti,” the girl sounded chipper, practically bouncing on the spot. “We’re ready for practice.”

“I’ve been practising my lines and cues!” the guy almost shouted.

Venti smiled up at them, his eyes crinkling. “Thank you for coming. First, I want to introduce you to Xiao. He’ll be helping me out for a bit. Xiao, these are two of our main actors. Bennett will play Siegfried, and Barbara replaces Benno’s role.”

Xiao wondered how Barbara was going to fill in Benno’s role. He never liked the friend’s role, being annoying in the original play and a dick in the Swan Princess. Though, he was more worried about Bennett. The kid had a sweet face and didn’t fit with Siegfried’s more royal and haughty role. But Venti had mentioned rewrites, so he had no idea what to exactly expect. It would take him days to go through Venti’s extensive notes.

“Let’s get started.” Venti got up, gathering his notes. “Can’t waste your precious time.”

Xiao took a seat next to Venti on the stage and watched the two teens get into their roles. He had been right that Bennett didn’t fit the haughtiness of the original Siegfried, but the change in the script made it more fitting. In the play, he and Barbara were siblings, their shared gentle nature creating a believable sibling relationship. It at least looked plausible to Xiao.

Bennett missed an occasional cue or line, and Barbara tended to overcompensate or crack up. She burst out into giggles as Bennett stumbled over a couple of lines. They did pretty fatefully follow the script, but their stance was wooden.

“Am I allowed to interject?” Xiao whispered.

“In a couple of lines,” Venti whispered back. “I don’t want to interrupt their flow.”

As they finished the scene, Venti called for a break. Xiao followed Venti towards the two students, unsure how he could approach them. He listened to Venti discuss improvements, sounding much kinder and more expressive than Xiao. He wondered how Chongyun coped.

“Uhm, Bennett, right?” Xiao asked, addressing the lanky student.

Bennett nodded.

“Are there any props in this scene?” he asked.

Bennett frowned, looking over his script. “No, not as far as I know. This is the scene Barbara and I will be chatting. Why?”

“You’re fidgeting the whole time,” Xiao explained. “Which makes you look nervous, though you’re supposed to be at ease with your sister in this scene. You can be a little uncomfortable during your conversation but not fidgety. A prop maybe can help? I don’t know.”

Xiao glanced at Venti, hoping he could help add anything. Was he doing the right thing, or was he completely going off-script? He was used to Chongyun’s nerves before a match. Xiao always brought items with him that he could push in Chongyun’s hands. A pen he could fiddle with, or a scarf he could wind and unwind around his hands. Anything that stopped him from pacing around, driving everyone insane.

“We could add in a prop,” Venti said. “If that would help.”

Bennett’s cheeks had turned a dark red. “We at least can try, though I don’t think it will help.”

It helped but created an entirely different issue. Bennett fiddled with a glass—made out of plastic—was distracting. Bennett acted like a spring that was being loaded, waiting to jump.

“Okay, explain the scene to me,” Xiao asked Venti, flipping his notebook to a blank page.

“This is one of the first scenes in the play. We celebrate Siegfried’s twenty-first birthday. Now he’s officially old enough to become king. But this Siegfried is shyer and reserved and worries how he could become a good king. Nobody wants to dance with him, and he isn’t so sure he can find a wife. So he and his sister sneak away from the party and talk. Afterwards, they spot Odette and figure out what was going on, as they never have seen swans before.”

He read over the notes Venti had jotted down for the scene. The two could be sitting down somewhere, preferable a bench or a swinging seat hanging from the rafters. Music would be played softly so that the audience know the party is still ongoing. Then the music will stop, and swans will fly over, startling the two siblings.

“Swan Lake is a ballet, right?” Xiao asked.

“It is, but we just made it a play,” Venti admitted. “The only one with some dance experience is Barbara, and this is theatre, not a dance show. There will be casual dancing during the ballroom scene, but we just don’t have the time and talent to make it any bigger.”

“But you can make the two of them just dance? Like a slow waltz?”

Venti’s eyes lit up. “Actually, that isn’t a bad idea. It actually fits with the narrative of the story. Guys, could you come here for a second!”

Barbara and Bennett walked over. Xiao wasn’t sure what idea Venti had, but he hoped that the students wouldn’t resent him for suggesting it. He knew that Chongyun had been pissed when Xiao signed him up for dance classes, but it had done his job. His footwork never had been better. It helped that Xingqiu, Chongyun’s childhood best friend, was willing to join his suffering.

Venti gestured to the ground, and the three of them sat down. Xiao followed belatedly, surprised that they would sit on the dirty floor. “There is one more thing I would like to try before we go with the original plan; we play off Bennett’s fidgeting as nerves.”

Bennett looked ashamed, his eyes downcast. Xiao felt bad for singling him out. He wouldn’t do any better, tripping over his words and being wooden and stoic. He didn’t have the range of facial expressions that were necessary to perform.

“What if you two danced,” Venti suggested.

“No,” Bennett answered immediately. “I mean, I like that I can be more myself in this role, but I probably will trip over my feet and bring Barbara down with me, and she can’t hold me.”

Barbara gently patted Bennett’s arm. “I can handle some toe-crushing, don’t you worry. We’re already happy to have you! I know Fischl dragged you into this whole thing.”

“It’s a slow waltz because the two of you still have to talk,” Venti continued. As his excitement grew, his movements grew a little wilder. “But it brings more movement to the scene, and it ties in with the story itself.”

Bennett frowned, looking unconvinced. Admittedly, Xiao had no idea what nonsense Venti was spouting. He only had suggested it because this was originally a ballet. Even though the characters were siblings, it wouldn’t be too weird.

Barbara gasped. “Wait, Bennett, he’s right. One of your lines is about there being no girl who wants to dance with you. Having me dancing with you shows the audience that I stand with you and your struggles. That I’m not embarrassed to be associated with you.”

“Exactly!” Venti cheered. He went through his binder, going to one of the later scenes. “And we can use the dance to contrast the ballroom scene. Bennett’s dance with Fischl is more like your dance, but your dance with Fischl will be more romantic.”

“That’s brilliant,” Barbara said. She scooted over to Venti’s sitting, and they started to go over the scene. Venti made a pen appear out of thin air, and the two began to jot down notes.

“That’s fairly normal,” Bennett whispered as Xiao watched them with horror. “You’ve done a lot of theatre?”

Xiao shook his head. “Started sporting at a young age and never stopped.”

“I haven’t gotten a lot of luck with sports. Tried everything: soccer, basketball, tennis, cycling. I usually join the clubs my friend do, like, in spend years as a scout because Razor likes being outdoors.”

“From electrical?”

Bennett nodded. “Yeah, Fischl roped us into joining the theatre group. But it’s fun to spend time together like this, even though Fischl is the only one good at this.”

“What about track? You have the build for it.”

“I don’t know,” Bennett shrugged, looking down at his sneakers. “I think it would be boring to do it on my own, and I know Fischl and Razor aren’t interested.”

Before Xiao could find a reply, Venti announced they would practice the scene once again, but with dancing. It was clumsy at best, both Barbara and Bennett struggling to remember their lines and keeping their footing. Barbara did pick it up quicker, but Bennett really dragged it down.

But this time, Xiao kept his mouth shut. He had been there, struggling to walk again after his career-ending knee injury. Something that seemed so easy to everyone, including his parents, felt like a mountain to climb.

“And that’s a wrap,” Venti called. “It’s time to get to your classes before your profs scold me again.”

The two of them left after quick goodbyes. Xiao watched Venti sit down, his bright expression crumbling. He groaned, tipping his head back.

“If you want to bail out, now is the time,” Venti said. “We have too little time, too much to do and while all sweethearts, not the best cast.”

Xiao understood what Venti meant, but there had been something about Bennett that stuck with him. It felt as if the only way Bennett thought he could prove his worth was by being good at something, a feeling painfully familiar. Not to mention, he really wanted to have something to do during his vacation, and this was far from the worst thing he could imagine.

“I’m in,” Xiao said.

Venti looked up, unable to hide his startled expression. “You’re in?”

“I’m in,” Xiao confirmed.

Venti got up and clasped Xiao’s hands, their eyes meeting. “I know that one person won’t make the difference, but I’m happy to have you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Xiao said, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. At least Zhongli would be ecstatic when he heard the news, and Hu Tao would want evidence he wasn’t actually wasting away

***

Days passed in a blink of an eye. Xiao balanced on top of a ladder, fiddling with the electrical wiring. A student from electrical was telling him what to do. It seemed few dared to scale the ladder, fearing the height. Xiao had no issues with height, knowing that it would be fine as long as the ladder was stable.

“You attach the brown wire to the most-right outlet and turn it on. If it works, you can screw the lid back on,” the voice in Xiao’s ear told him.

Carefully following the instructions, Xiao flicked on the switch and saw the stage light up. Venti looked up from his position on the stage, shielding his eyes. He looked like the main character of the story, the hero that would end up getting the girl.

“Good job!” the student cheered. “Screw the panel back on. We can operate the spotlight remotely.”

Xiao took his time screwing the lid back on, careful not to let the screws fall. Once done, he climbed down, ignoring the groaning of the ladder with each step he took. He landed on the ground, the ladder letting out one last, long groan.

“Thanks, man,” the electrical engineering student said. “I hate those ladders. Anyway, Venti wanted to talk to you, probably going over the scenes.”

Handing over the earpiece, Xiao started to look for Venti. In the time Xiao had been helping out, the play had changed again and again. Changing scenes, adjusting costumes, tweaking lines. Xiao had long forgotten what was in the play and what wasn’t. Venti’s extended binder was all he trusted right now.

He found Venti sitting at one of the tables, all alone. Usually, he would have something to discuss with the prop makers or the actors themselves. Even electrical was sometimes gathered, though they tended to follow the script.

“You needed me?” Xiao asked, taking one of the seats.

Venti’s expression wasn’t quite a grimace, but there was a tightness to his expression Xiao wasn’t used to. The man looked to be chipper all the time.

“I’m worried we don’t get it done,” Venti admitted, running his hand through his hair. For once, he had let it hang loose. He looked several years younger like this. “People’s exams are coming up, and I’m too spread thin to get to everything. I also worry about the actors. Bennett struggles, Fischl is a bit too dramatic at times, and Mona isn’t here half of the time.”

Xiao knew Venti was right, but there was little they could do about it. The students did this for fun, not because they got paid or it was part of their schooling. While out-of-school activities were mandatory, you didn’t have to show up for more than an hour on end. Mona was in her graduation year, which meant she was incredibly busy with her thesis.

“What’s your planning for the coming weeks?” Xiao asked. Venti’s guilt-stricken expression told him enough. “You don’t have a planning?”

“My co-worker was the one who planned; I just assisted her,” Venti said, voice a little shrill. “I’m awful at planning. I know when I have to be here, and I see what happens.”

Xiao wasn’t the type that planned out his days unless it was work-related. He had Chongyun’s complete work schedule down, planning in the training sessions, competitions, rest days, etc. Halfway through each month, Chongyun would get the schedule for the next month.

“I could help out,” Xiao said. “Do you have a whiteboard here and some office supplies like post-it notes and magnets?”

“I’m sure we have things like that here somewhere,” Venti said. “Why?”

Xiao got up again, remembering the promise to the carpentry group. They needed help with making a construction, and the more hands, the better. “Once everyone has gone home, we’re making a schedule. Better make sure we have everything.”

***

The backstage space felt strangely empty without students working there. Venti had wheeled in a large whiteboard and found boxes with magnets and colourful post-it notes. Xiao wasn’t sure if they were allowed to use them, but Venti had reassured him that it was fine. Admittedly, Xiao didn’t entirely trust Venti in that regard.

“I’ve ordered pizzas,” Venti said as he has down next to Xiao, sounding out of breath. “I didn’t know what you would like, so I went with the grilled vegetable one. I got myself margarita, in case you don’t like yours.”

Pizzas were always high on salt and fats; usually something Xiao tended to avoid. But he was happy that Venti at least had picked something with vegetables. Aside from that, they were healthy, Xiao liked the texture.

“I think it should be fine,” Xiao said. “Now, we’re going over everything we still need to do and breaking them down into smaller tasks. Let’s start with costuming”

Grabbing a marker, Xiao started to draw on the whiteboard. He created three columns, jotting down ‘Saturday’, ‘Sunday’ and ‘Remaining’ as the headers. Then he made rows, noting down the different groups. Prop-makers, script-writers, electrical and sound, costuming and the actors.

“Okay, what are all the costuming tasks?” Xiao asked, turning his back to the whiteboard.

Venti started to flick through his binder, stopping at hastily scribbled notes and deciphering them. “We still have to get fabric for the swan dress,” he read aloud. “Mona’s mock-up is done, but she hasn’t come in for a fitting. Bennett and Noelle’s clothes are almost done; they just need to adjust some things. Also, they require fitting and… Did I say something wrong?”

Xiao watched Venti ramble, trying to keep track of what he was saying. “No, you didn’t; why?”

“You’re glaring,” Venti said, a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I thought you were mad.”

“No, that’s my natural expression,” Xiao said. “Though, it would be more useful to note everything down, hence the post-it notes.”

Together, they noted down everything Venti could come up with regarding costuming. They used the blue ones, making it easier to separate the different groups. It was something Yanfei had taught him and Hu Tao. Though she was a bit of a delinquent, Yanfei took her studies seriously. This included planning her exams and the things she needed to learn. Though the process was tiresome, it helped him and Hu Tao not procrastinate till the last night. It was very stratifying to rip a note in half once the task was done.

“Okay, which ones have priority?” Xiao asked as they ran out of things to jot down.

“Settling on a design for the swan dress, buy the fabric and get Fischl’s measurements for that dress,” Venti said. “And make sure that Mona’s mock-up fits her well. She isn’t here often, so her time should be utilised.”

Xiao gathered the notes and small magnets and stuck them to the whiteboard. The tasks Venti mentioned he put in the column Saturday, while the rest ended up in ‘Remainder’. “When will Mona come in?”

Venti got up, stepping next to Xiao. “She said Sunday morning,” Venti moved the task ‘mock-up measurements Mona’ to the Sunday column. “And Fischl will be there both mornings.”

Xiao drew a line through both columns, scribbling ‘morning’ and ‘afternoon’ above the two new columns. Venti moved the notes once again, ensuring they were in the right column. The task ‘design swan dress’ and ‘get Fischl’s measurements’ were moved to Saturday morning. ‘Purchase fabrics’ was moved to Saturday afternoon.

“Wait, I have an idea.” Venti rushed back to the table, uncapped the marker and jotted down a few more things. He added two blue notes to the ‘actors’ row. The blue note on Sunday morning read ‘MONA dress fitting.

They were halfway through the tasks for the prop department when the pizza arrived. Venti went to fetch them, and only when he returned did Xiao realise how hungry he was. The pizzas smelled divine, better than the ones Xiao had when he was away with Chongyun.

“It smells good,” Xiao admitted, propping open the box. “Is this Domino’s?”

Venti grimaced. “No, I have taste. Montana makes the best pizza’s here; I couldn’t recommend them enough.”

Xiao took a careful bite, surprised by the lack of saltiness. It was still fast food, but the vegetables tasted fresh and not too mushy, a texture he hated. With his fingers sticky from the sauce, Xiao picked up a marker and jot down the rest of the tasks. Venti talked him through the tasks, not bothering to finish his food before talking. Admittedly, Xiao was smearing sauce all across the notes, so he wasn’t being particularly hygienic. He liked to be at home before the last bus left, and he was stranded.

The whiteboard was filled with notes once they were done. The table was a mess with discarded notes, empty markers and pizza crumbs. Venti had tied his hair back, his cheeks turned red from the effort. Several times, he had drifted off, but Xiao quickly could reel him back in. He just had the ask the right question, and Venti went off, explaining everything in great detail.

Xiao picked up one of the few surviving markers, twirling it between his fingers. “So, what’s the goal for the end of the week?”

“Get all this done?” Venti asked. “This isn’t a trick question, is it? I didn’t know this was a pop-quiz.”

Xiao let out a sigh, crouched down in front of the whiteboard and noted something down at the bottom.

“A wise person once told me that nothing would ever be perfect, so good enough is good enough. The play is in about a month, and we have a lot to do. At the end of the week, I want to have one thing ticked off. The script.”

‘THE SCRIPT IS DONE’ Xiao jotted down. He saw Venti look at the words with a pained expression. Xiao had seen Venti’s face lit up as he discussed the script, adjusting things and perfecting it. The script had changed a lot; the students and Venti had made it their own. He could imagine the painful realisation that it would never be perfect, a notion he had struggled with enough. Staying up late at night to train, believing that his parents couldn’t criticise a single thing. But that perfection was unreachable, as he learnt the hard way.

“It has to be done,” Xiao said, using the gentle tone he used with Chongyun. “This way, we can focus on what we have and perfect that. The students need something to focus on, and an ever-changing script makes it all the more difficult, especially with our time.”

“And what if it isn’t good enough?”

“It will never be good enough,” Xiao said. “But it doesn’t have to be. The students should have fun, and you let them have the freedom they otherwise wouldn’t have.”

Venti’s face relaxed slightly, though the haunted look was still there. Though they were opposites on all fronts, Xiao had the feeling this was an experience they shared. The never-ending struggle to just be good enough, to hear someone say the ‘I’m proud of you’ that would never come.

Chapter Text

If Xinyan hadn’t told him, Xiao would have never realised that Bennett was there. He wasn’t scheduled for the morning, and he hadn’t been there during roll call. Xiao had been busy going over the lighting plan to notice anyone entering.

He pushed the curtain away, stepping onto the dimly-lit stage. A couple of lights flickered on, courtesy of the people messing with the lights.

Bennett sat on the edge of the stage, reading his script in what must be terrible light. Xiao made his steps loud on purpose, not wanting to spook the young man.

“You knew you didn’t have to come in until Wednesday, right?” Xiao asked as he sat down next to Bennett.

Bennett flinched, looking in Xiao’s direction. He tugged on a cord, removing one of his earbuds. “What did you say?”

“You were scheduled for Wednesday,” Xiao repeated.

“Oh, right.” Bennett’s cheeks turned red, and he scratched the back of his head. “The thing is, I couldn’t find my bus pass last night, so Razor brought me to school. But my first class won’t start ‘till eleven. So I figured I could get some practice done.”

“And what about schoolwork?” Xiao asked.

“No exams for me,” Bennett said. “Just projects and an essay, which I still have plenty of time for.”

Xiao swallowed the ‘are you sure’. He never had been particularly fond of school; Yanfei made sure he and Hu Tao actually did their work and graduated. “Razor will also bring you home?”

Bennett nodded. “Yeah. He’ll have to wait for an hour, but I promised dinner was on me. Not that he wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

“Maybe Venti could bring you home? I would have if I had a car.” He left out that he was only supposed to be here this morning. Venti would take over his shift around lunchtime to divide the workload. But Xiao had no other plans and wouldn’t mind sticking around longer.

“You don’t have a car?” Bennett asked, stunned. “Don’t all adults have a car?”

“Not all adults have cars,” Xiao said. For a long time, Xiao didn’t have a car until it became a necessity to visit his friends. “But I do, just not here.”

Realisation dawned upon Bennett’s face. “You’re not from around here?”

“No, I’m from Liyue; I’m staying here temporarily.” Xiao left out the details, figuring that it was none of Bennett’s business.

Bennett looked genuinely confused. “Venti mentioned he would ask a friend to help out, but I didn’t expect him to fly out a friend from Liyue. You must be really good at theatre!”

“I know nothing about theatre,” Xiao confessed. “Actually, Venti and I hardly know each other. It’s circumstantial that we met.”

Bennett was going over several possible responses, scrapping them before settling on a somewhat surprising remark. “I’m glad you met each other,” Bennett admitted. “You’re good at keeping everything on track. Though, it’s still a matter of us remembering the script.”

As Bennett waved his script, Xiao noticed that the pages were filled with scribbles and notes. It reminded him of Venti’s binder. He shouldn’t be surprised to see that Bennett took this all surprisingly serious.

“Is there anything you need help with?” Xiao asked. Venti had given him a digital copy of the script. Xiao already had read it all, sending suggestions to Venti to fix small things. No drastic changes, but some clunky dialogue or stiff moments. Admittedly, he first had sent it all off to Chongyun’s boyfriend, asking him if he could check it over. It had been over a decade since he had to do any kind of reading and critiquing, and he refused to make a fool out of himself.

“I’m okay,” Bennett admitted. “Razor helps me practise my lines, but the dancing got me stumped. I have two left feet, and my dance partners are shorter than Razor.”

Xiao had seen Bennett struggling with the dancing, which made him feel bad for suggesting it. The dancing did add a lot to the scene, though Bennett’s clumsy movement ruined the magic. Admittedly, it was a lot to ask from an untrained actor to both act and dance simultaneously. It was the same as playing an instrument while having to sing, all the while you just learned how to play your first Strauss piece.

“Fortunately, while I’ve no acting experience, I actually know how to dance.” Xiao got up and offered Bennett his hand. “I could give you a hand in practising if you want.”

Bennett looked hesitant to take his hand. When he eventually did, he was easy to pull up. The student was really built like a stick, weighing nothing.

“I’ll lead you through the basics,” Xiao explained, walking to the centre of the stage. Bennett followed him like a lost puppy. “Most ballroom dances you see in movies are actually the waltz. It’s a straightforward form of ballroom dancing, only having six steps for each party.”

Bennett nodded along as Xiao explained, still lost. Xiao figured that it was best to just demonstrate it. “Now, let’s get our position right. You’ll hold my right hand while placing your other hand on my back. If it’s too low, place it underneath my armpit. Not on the shoulder blade because it restricts my movements. I’ll place my other hand on your arm.”

The position brought him back to his childhood when his nth trainer had dropped him because he refused to dance with the girls. The girls giggled and blushed when the teacher forced him to dance with them, making him feel uncomfortable. Zhongli had been so kind to enrol him into a different class. The women were all older and more experienced, but they had welcomed him with open arms.

“You’re the lead, which is the role you’ll take on during the play. So, take a step forward with your left foot.” Bennett took the step, and Xiao followed, taking a step back with his right one. “Now, align your right foot with your left, but spread your legs.”

As Bennett moved his right foot, Xiao moved his left foot along. Then Xiao instructed him to bring his feet together—moving his left foot. Xiao mirrored his movement. Then a step back with his right foot, another one with his left but once again far apart, and then bring back his right foot next to his left. They ended up in the same position as they started. The waltz, technically, was just a dance within a box.

Bennett being the lead saved Xiao’s poor toes from being trampled. Though the pace was slow, Bennett slowly grasped the basics. But the moment Xiao added turning into the dance, Bennett lost count. Being the one having to lead, he struggled to get the steps right, unable to separate left from right. Xiao had bumped into him several times, realising too late that Bennett had taken the wrong step.

“I’m hopeless,” Bennett muttered, sitting on the dirty stage floor. “I can’t for the life of me remember the steps—especially with all the twisting and turning. Is it necessary?”

“No,” Xiao said, folding his arms. “The waltz doesn’t have to be complicated—by just doing the simple steps, you’ll be able to bring flow to the scenes.”

Bennett rubbed his nose, looking unconvinced. “But for the ballroom scene, it has to be grand. Venti has mentioned it has to be.”

“Unless Venti is the one dancing, we’ll have to do with what we have,” Xiao said. “You’re already done for the day? We’ve some time left.”

It was a tactic he used with Chongyun. When something wasn’t working out, he could get dejected. So Xiao challenged him.

“Sure, a little practice can’t hurt,” Bennett said, getting up from his seated position. “I apologise beforehand if anything goes wrong.”

“Don’t worry, having someone step on my toes isn’t the worst thing that happened to me,” Xiao said, meaning it. He had been punched in the face, his arm twisted on his back, kicked against the shins. You wouldn’t do professional martial arts if you feared getting bruised.

Around noon, Venti arrived with two boxes of freshly baked apple pie. Bennett had run off to his class, leaving Xiao supervising progress and keeping an eye on the schedule. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was until he caught a whiff of the cinnamon.

“What happened to mister ‘I don’t have a sweet tooth’,” Venti asked as Xiao grabbed a large piece of the pie. There was enough for everyone; there was still the fear he would miss out. He should remember to actually pack lunch.

“Leave me be; I’m hungry.” He grabbed a plastic fork and moved to another table. He had been very fortunate not to have a friend like Venti during his sports career because it would be horrid for his diet.

As he started to eat, Xinyan took the seat opposite of him. She was a third-year exchange student originating from Liyue. She had braided her black hair, a spiky hairband stopping hair from falling into her eyes. Her amber eyes were lined with red, which popped against her dark skin. There was also a smudge of green paint on her cheek. She, too, had a piece of pie, a plastic fork tucked behind her ear. She wore a grey school sweater splattered with paint and equally paint-splattered leggings. He liked her; she was a piece of home while away.

“It’s sweet what you did for Bennett,” Xinyan remarked, stuffing a piece of the pie in her mouth. “You’re a surprisingly good dancer.”

“My coach thought it was necessary to improve my footwork. Figuring it’s my fault Bennett has to dance, I at least can teach him how,” Xiao muttered, slowing down his eating. His parents would be appalled at his behaviour in front of a woman. Zhongli would be appalled at his behaviour.

“I’m glad Venti got you onboard. He has a good heart, but he’s messy,” Xinyan said, waving her fork and spreading crumbs all over the table.

“And you aren’t?” Xiao asked.

“Touché,” Xinyan said, her smile tugging at the corner of her eyes. “Nonetheless, you’re making things better. Venti is much more relaxed, which seems hard to believe. Before, he was running himself into the ground without achieving much.”

From where they were seated, Xiao could see Venti smiling as he talked with a few students from the costuming department.

“You aren’t going to fall in love, are you?” Xinyan teased.

Xiao tore his gaze away and grimaced. “After the several disastrous dates I had this year, I’m good.” He had really tried to find a plus one to bring to Yanfei and Hu Tao’s wedding. Unfortunately, the dates had ranged from awkward to downright horrible.

“It still could happen,” Xinyan teased. “You’re quite the catch. You used to be one of the best martial artists in Teyvat.”

“Used to be, which isn’t a good sign being my age,”  Xiao replied. “And how do you know anyway?”

“Chongyun,” Xinyan answered. “We attend the same college, where he doesn’t stop gushing about you. I almost would think he’s in love with you.”

It must be a small world. The ‘in love’ comment would’ve been awkward if Chongyun wasn’t dating Xingqiu. Though, he wasn’t sure if Yanfei already knew. Looking around, trying to pick another topic, he saw Venti approaching them.

“So, I heard that you gave Bennett a private dance class,” Venti stated, his voice sickly sweet.

“All I did was putting my few skills to use. He tries hard.” Xiao said.

Venti took the last remaining seat. “How is he fairing?”

“I think he’s getting there,” Xiao admitted, happy to not talk about where he learnt how to dance. “It takes a bit, but he does pick up things, and he has a lot of heart. With some practice, I think he’ll be fine.”

“Good,” Venti said, nodding. “I was worried I would have to scrap the dancing, as I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable performing. But if you’re working on it, and it’s doable, I’ll wait it out.”

While Venti talked, Xinyan had excused herself and caught up with a friend. The two students immediately started to chatter, their laughter loud and boisterous. If his memory didn’t fail him, Xiao would ask Chongyun how he knew Xinyan beyond just attending the same college. He doubted the two ran in the same circles.

“I’ll be heading home.” Xiao handed Venti the keys to the building. “I want to catch the bus in time.”

“It’s a pity,” Venti said, tucking the key in a jean pocket. “I still have so many questions. What other abilities are you hiding from me? Juggling? Knife throwing? Tight-rope walking?”

Xiao snorted. “I’m not a circus performer.”

“Well, you’re saying that, but do you have proof?”

Knowing Venti was teasing him, Xiao sighed, shook his head and got up. “Unfortunately, I’m not raised in a circus. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll find out the truth eventually!”

Xiao hoped Venti didn’t.

***

Xiao, admittedly, had lived a very sheltered life. Being home-schooled until college, he was thrown into the deep end when attending college. He blundered his way through maturity, trying to mirror the behaviour of his peers. But he quickly realised that all of them, whether sheltered or not, were clumsy in their attempt to reach adulthood. So he had turned to the only adult he trusted: Zhongli.

When he was young, Zhongli was what he wanted to be. A well-accomplished martial artist, a master’s degree in history, a wonderful wife. But as he got older and Zhongli became more his equal, he started to realise that Zhongli wasn’t as put together as he thought. He was still smarter than Xiao and had spent years with Guizhong before her unfortunate death. But the man’s put-together appearance hid all his flaws and shortcomings.

“I can’t get the webcam to work,” Zhongli said, sounding panicked. “It won’t turn on.”

Xiao heard the man aggressively clicking on what must be the on button. It was already a minor miracle he knew how to turn on a laptop and join a meeting. He never had met someone Zhongli’s age being this bad with technology.

“Did you remove the webcam lid?” Xiao asked, watching himself move nervously in the corner of his screen.

“Ah,” Zhongli said. “I see.”

The black screen changed into a close up from Zhongli. He sat back in his chair, now properly in view. Being a professor, Zhongli had irregular working hours. So he had asked if Xiao had time this morning to see how he was doing. Xiao had mixed feelings about it. It made him feel like a child that required checking in. It also made him feel wanted. His parents hadn’t even tried to keep him around; they had let him go when he no longer could fulfil their dream. 

“I’m sorry,” Zhongli apologised. “Work gave me a new laptop, and I’m still figuring it out.”

Xiao shrugged. “I’ve the time,” he said. It was true. Venti had the morning shift, and Xiao had to come in around one. Being an early riser, he had enough time to chat with Zhongli, taking into account that Zhongli could talk for hours.

“I apologise for not checking in sooner. Some… things happened, and I suddenly got swamped with work.” Zhongli was fiddling with an expensive fountain pen.

Xiao immediately knew Zhongli was hiding something from him. Zhongli always did stim in one way or another, usually by holding a teacup or stirring its contents. But expensive fountain pens meant he was nervous and unprepared. Likely, he kept a secret. He had been the same when he found out Guizhong was sick. A waterbottle had exploded in his face, and he finally told Xiao about Guizhong’s illness and the unsure future that was ahead of them.

Though he was curious, Xiao was happy to ignore it. It was up to Zhongli to tell him. “You’re aware you aren’t responsible for me?” Xiao said, aiming for nonchalance.

“I’m aware,” Zhongli said, pointing the pen at the screen. “But I like knowing you’re doing well. I care.”

He knew, and yet, there were still times he wondered why. Though he had a hunch why he kept that to himself. Zhongli and Guizhong, when she was alive, likely saw him as their son. They never had children, and Zhongli did spend a lot of time with Xiao as his coach. So when Xiao moved out after his relationship with his parents blew up, they took him under their wing. He even had his own room there, though he didn’t visit often. Even after Guizhong’s passing, Zhongli ensured he had a place he could call home.

Zhongli picked up the slack. “What have you been up to? The two weeks must have flown by; Mondstadt is such a gorgeous place. Have you seen any of the sights?”

Xiao realised that, in fact, he hadn’t even looked at Zhongli’s sight-seeing list. The moment Venti had roped him into helping out, he had been busy. “I’m surprisingly enjoying myself,” Xiao admitted. “Though the only sights have seen is Mondstadt university.”

Zhongli’s amber eyes lit up. Xiao had to admit, he liked that physical aspect of Zhongli. It had made people question if they were related, and at times, he wished they were. Rather than his parents, who cared more about his performance than his wellbeing.

“What do you think of the building?” Zhongli asked.

“The building is… interesting,” Xiao said.

“I know, right?” Zhongli sounded genuinely excited. “The building is an architectural masterpiece. Did you know it’s over a hundred years old? I really liked working there, though I missed Liyue too much to stay there.”

Xiao checked the time and figured he could let Zhongli tell him a bit about the university. He had thought the building was ugly—the many windows and different-toned brick making it too busy for him. But who was Xiao to actually judge? He knew nothing about architecture.

It was a half-hour of humming and nodding before Zhongli involved him in the conversation again. “Why did you go there?”

Xiao shook his head, refocussing. Right, how was he going to explain this? “I somehow got tangled up in helping out the theatre department.” Xiao left out Venti’s name, wanting to avoid any assumptions. Zhongli always asked if he had found someone lovely yet, and Xiao always said no. Zhongli wasn’t the one to talk; it had been five years since Guizhong passed away.

“Oh, does miss Weber still work there?” Zhongli asked. “I’ve seen one of her plays. She knows her classics well.”

Though usually, this was high praise from Zhongli, the way his eyebrows tugged into a frown told the opposite.

“No, I think she quit.” Venti had never told him who his colleague was. “The current teacher is actually an assistant teacher. His colleague dropped out because the play got too ‘queer’.”

Zhongli nodded along. “That’s good. I think theatre is a wonderful way to express yourself, so it’s good to hear that the teacher is open-minded. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” Xiao admitted. “I feel out of depth there, but I can contribute.”

Zhongli’s face softened a little, his eyebrows drawn together a little. It was a pitying look, which Xiao was familiar with. Zhongli never knew how to keep a poker face when Xiao complained about work and his colleagues.

“Which play are you doing?” Zhongli asked.

“It’s called Swan Lake.,” Xiao told Zhongli.

“I know that story,” Zhongli said, frowning a little in concentration. “It’s about a prince falling for a girl who turns into a swan during daylight, right? And together, they break the curse.”

“Something along those lines, yes,” Xiao said. “Though Ven—my colleague let them change the script.”

Xiao regretted telling Zhongli because they spent the next hour going over the play. He had sent Zhongli a copy of the script, which he uploaded on his tablet to make notes. It was surprising that Zhongli knew how to use a tablet and add comments to a PDF file. 

“It sounds cute,” Zhongli said once he finished sending back the script. “I might drop by if I have the time. When was it again?”

Xiao frowned. “Just after Christmas, I think,” he said. “I’ll ask the teacher. I’m sure you’re welcome—though you don’t have to come! It’s quite an expensive flight, and I am sure we can record it.”

“Xiao,” Zhongli said gently. “I would love to see what you’ve done. I think it’s good that you’re doing something fun. Just send me the dates, and I’ll see if I can come.”

Xiao nodded. He checked the time, noticing that they were approaching afternoon. He still had to eat lunch, get changed, and he wanted to come in on time. Venti had said he was busy this afternoon, so Xiao was responsible for keeping an eye on the kids.

“I’ll send you the information, but I’ve to leave. My shift starts at one.”

“It’s that late already.” Zhongli squinted at the corner of his screen. Xiao was fully aware that Zhongli should be wearing reading glasses, but he tended to forget them. They likely were left in his office or lost somewhere in his home. “I have dinner in half an hour—I still have to get changed.”

Xiao knew Zhongli well enough that the man’s erratic behaviour was unusual. Not only was Zhongli very punctual, but he never forgot work-related dinners. Which brought Xiao to the conclusion that this wasn’t a work-related dinner.

“You look fine,” Xiao said. Zhongli still wore his work clothes, a white button-up and likely black slacks. It was much better than Xiao’s sweats, muscle-top and jacket. Zhongli always looked ready for a date.

“Thanks.” Zhongli flashed him a nervous smile. “Uhm, how do I turn this off?”

Xiao explained how to end the call, and Zhongli’s face disappeared. Xiao sighed, leaning back into the office chair. Of course, the moment he was gone, Zhongli finally started dating again.

***

As he entered the stage, Xiao banged his knee against something. Cursing under his breath, he took out his phone to light up the dark space. It was a grand piano some had put right in front of the curtains. There was so much space on this stage, yet they had to put it there.

“You’re okay?” he heard Venti ask behind him. “Guys, can someone turn on the light?”

The stage flooded with light. Xiao realised that it was an orchestra set-up. The stage was filled with chairs and music-sheet stands. A couple of other large instruments, like a harp and the drums, were still there.

“I knew I had forgotten something,” Venti said, stepping next to Xiao. “They have a show tonight. I’m sure we can put things aside to practice as long as we put it back at the end.”

They had created enough space to practice the script when the actors arrived. Barbara ran her fingers on the piano keys, her eyes bright with excitement. She wore a baby doll blue dress with black leggings and ankle boots, being the most colourful among the bunch. Bennett had gone entirely black, wearing a too-large black sweater and dark jeans. Fischl was somewhere in-between, wearing a purple bomber jacket, a short, black dress and laced up combat boots. There other two, Noelle and Mona, would come in the afternoon—having smaller roles and less time in their busy schedule to practice.

“We’re going over the script as much as possible,” Venti said, holding his own copy. The binder was left backstage—too large to comfortably carry. “I’ll read the queen’s lines; Xiao will pick up Rothbart’s role.”

Xiao hadn’t yet brought up Zhongli’s suggestions. They had a tight schedule, having just under two hours to get through the whole script before Fischl had to leave for her class.

As Xiao sat back, he watched Venti, Bennett and Barbara start the first scene. Venti seemed natural for someone who claimed to know very little about theatre. He readily embraced the role of the mother of the two siblings.

“You seem surprised,” Fischl whispered.

Xiao felt embarrassed that Fischl could read him like an open book.

“I thought he couldn’t act,” Xiao admitted.

“So did I when he first joined to help out,” Fischl said. She sat on one of the chairs, using the backrest to lean her arms on. “But he’s fairly good. He’s really good at channelling a character, playing another life.”

He wasn’t sure if there was an underlying meaning to Fischl’s word, but Xiao realised there might be one. In his teenage years, he lied through his teeth to his parents that everything was going well. Academically, emotionally and physically. He was still their perfect son, though he had strayed from that path long ago. It could mean that Venti had grown up in similar circumstances or was just a good actor.

After a couple of scenes, Venti left. They were going through the party scene, the conversation between the siblings started to feel smooth and almost heartfelt. Bennett hadn’t been lying that he was practising; his lines and posture landed much better. A scene later, Fischl joined the two siblings. Xiao realised that the three had good on-stage chemistry. He knew that Bennett and Fischl were friends in real life, and they must be somewhat familiar with Barbara for her not to feel left out.

“It’s your turn,” Venti whispered, poking him in the side.

Reluctantly getting up, Xiao shuffled to the students and started to read his lines. He could imagine that Mona would like this role. Rothbart was the villain in the play, and though the role was changed a little, Mona could be a full-on asshole. Snarky lines, menacing promises and a heavy dose of glaring. Xiao brought none of these qualities to the stage, just reading the lines aloud. Clearly, acting wasn’t his calling, made evident by Venti’s sniggering on the side-line.

“There is nothing that can break the curse,” Xiao read aloud. “Just have patience. It will be gone in a couple of months.”

Fischl stomped her feet, getting into character. She brought a bit of spice and stubbornness to Odette’s otherwise placid role. “It’s because of the scholarship, isn’t it? You’re mad that I got it!”

“Not necessarily you. I refuse to miss out on attending the most prestigious sorcery school because the board can’t recognise talent.” Xiao imagined Mona flicking her long hair, not even looking at Fischl.

In response, Fischl took a step forward, crowding his space. Her eyes were expressive, her green eyes filled with acted anger. It made sense she got the starring role as Odette. “It gives you no right to curse me. You could’ve challenged me to a duel.”

Xiao took a step back, afraid that she would hit him. “And risking the chance I make a fool of myself? I’m not foolish; I know you’re good. But you have alternatives I don’t have.” Ignoring the physical acting, Xiao turned the page of the script, looking at his next line. “You could marry the crown prince. It’s an easy way in.”

Fischl bristled. “I don’t love Siegfried like that. Why don’t you marry royalty yourself? If you’re such a great sorceress, why not bewitch them in loving you.”

Xiao squinted at the lines, struggling to read Venti’s scribbled correction. “I’m not foolish enough to mess with love. But, consider your options. You’re losing your scholarship, so maybe marrying that little princeling of yours won’t be such a bad idea. He seems very willing to help.”  

Xiao retreated, and he saw Fischl crumple on the ground, an expression of anguish on her face. She was excellent, especially compared to Xiao’s wooden performance.

Barbara and Bennett’s characters returned, Barbara sitting down next to Fischl to throw an arm around her. Bennett sat down opposite the girls. They went over their lines, adding some much-needed background information to the play.

Xiao sat down next to Venti, shooting the man a glare. “Are you having fun?”

“Your delivery is a little wooden,” Venti said, unable to keep the smile from his voice.

“Thankfully, I’m not an actor,” Xiao said. “When will they have a break? We’ve been working for quite a while.”

Venti checked his phone. “After this scene. It has been going fairly well, though it’s nothing more than reading the script aloud.”

As promised, Venti called in a break as soon as the scene ended.

“That was exhausting,” Barbara said, sitting down in one of the chairs. “And we are barely halfway.”

“At least I didn’t stumble over my lines,” Bennett said. His green eyes were bright with excitement.

“You all three did great.” Venti clapped his hands together. “If we keep this up, we will be good by the time the play actually happens.”

Though Xiao was still sceptical, the other four had faith. Maybe that was all they needed. It wasn’t as if Xiao knew what he was doing.

“It’s a shame nobody here knows how to play the piano,” Barbara said, throwing a wistful look at the grand piano. “I always wanted to do a play with live music.”

Venti pinched the bridge of his nose. “If it wasn’t a logistical nightmare, I would happily do it. Except for a few, nobody here knows how to play an instrument. Unless anyone hasn’t told me about their hidden recorder skills.”

There were a couple of laughs, but nobody came forward with a suggestion. Xiao looked at the piano, wondering if he still had the necessary skills. It couldn’t be too hard, right? “I’ve played the piano before, though it has been a while.”

Four excited faces looked at him. “Show us something,” Barbara pleaded. “The piano is right there. It doesn’t have to be difficult.”

Xiao regretted everything. It had been years since he had played the piano, and he only had classes for half a year. It had been a gift from Zhongli, and while it had been fun, the classes were expensive and financially irresponsible. Not to mention, Xiao wasn’t really good at it.

“You know, when you mention something like that, you have no choice to play,” Venti said, getting up. “I have some sheet music for you—nothing too difficult.”

Venti disappeared briefly, only to return with a thick booklet. Xiao raised an eyebrow, wondering where Venti could find something like that.

“Up you go; at least give us a demonstration,” Venti put the sheet music on the piano.

Xiao reluctantly sat behind the piano, stretching his fingers as he had been taught. Venti’s sheet music didn’t look too complicated. He surely could do at least do a couple of seconds without failing.

Adjusting the seat, he read over the notes, placed his fingers on the keys. It was a relatively slow song, giving him enough breathing room to figure out the keys. It started with a dotted half F, followed by a dotted half E and a normal half F. Then, the quarter notes came, all on the lower lines and spaces. He kept his feet away from the pedals, knowing it was too complicated to add.

He surprised himself by being able to follow the beat. The piece was unfamiliar to him, but the pace was doable. He missed a couple of keys when he heard someone sing, their voice clear and gentle.

Where he had expected it to be Venti, it was actually Barbara who sang along. She had her eyes closed, hands pressed to her chest. “I walked with you once upon a dream,” she sang, clearly staying tuned to Xiao’s pace.

He was able to keep up the pace for a while, but as things got more complicated, he started to feel anxiety grabbing hold of him. His fingers flew over the keys, missing several and pressing the wrong ones. He began to feel sweaty, and he wasn’t even halfway done.

As he lost the pace completely, he slowed down, making sure he hit the right notes. His fingers slipped against the key, not having been this sweaty since pre-game nerves ten years ago. He quickly realised that Venti had set him up. This wasn’t an easy piece. It started out so, but it quickly got complicated and unfit for an untrained pianist. As he finished, he felt off-kilter. He should’ve had stopped the moment he lost track.

People started to clap. Looking away from the sheet music, he saw that the acting crew applauded him. Several other students had joined, giving him an undeserving standing ovation. He had made several mistakes, completely had lost the pace of the music, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he had missed entire lines. Likely, any of them could do this.

“Not bad,” Venti said, standing at the front of the crowd.

“I want to see you do better,” Xiao grumbled, wiping his sweaty fingers off his sweats.

After some consideration, Venti nodded. “Okay, let me give it a shot.” He shooed Xiao away and took the seat. The way he stretched his fingers and muscles showed that this wasn’t his first time. Without looking at the sheet, he pressed a couple of keys gentle, the notes ringing clear. “I can do the same piece as Xiao did,” Venti said, a hint of excitement in his voice. “Or I can do the original one. Any preference?”

More students gathered, crowding around the piano. Nobody spoke, most of them awkwardly shuffling around. Xiao had no idea if there was even a different version to what he just played.

“The Sleeping Beauty Waltz it is,” Venti said, changing the sheet paper. “I hope I still have it in me.”

Where Xiao started slow, Venti’s fingers flew over the piano the moment he started. There was a frantic elegance and grace to him that reminded Xiao of his piano teacher.

As Venti slowed down, he started to recognise the tune. It sounded similar to what he had played but a little faster and more accurate. Some of the students hummed along with the familiar parts, and he heard Barbara sing under her breath.

Venti’s final notes were met with applause. Xiao clapped, too, though his mind was elsewhere. Venti must be a trained pianist, seeing how easy he picked up what must be a difficult piece. Somehow, the piece and performance felt familiar; Xiao just couldn’t place it.

Chapter Text

Xiao didn’t like to ‘stalk’ people on the internet. He didn’t really care about most social media, and he felt like it was none of his business. So he never had bothered to look up Venti, and he wasn’t going to start now. But, as he got home, he couldn’t help but still wonder why Venti’s piece sounded familiar. It was nothing he had ever been taught; madame Ping surely would think it was too difficult.

He looked up the piece’s name online and then on YouTube. The more he listened to the piece, two things became clear. It turned out that Venti was a very, very skilled pianist. The piece was meant for two people, two pianists or a pianist and a violinist. But doing it on your own looked almost impossible. Secondly, the music sounded nostalgic. He must have heard it before, somewhere during his younger years. But after an hour of looking, Xiao couldn’t connect the waltz to any memory.

Reluctantly, he texted Zhongli. His ‘do you have time’ was quickly answered with a ‘yes’.

What was the best way to approach this? Xiao knew that Zhongli would never judge him. Still, he also was aware this was outside of what they usually discussed. He had never shown much interest in music before, so it must raise some questions.

‘I’m trying to figure out where I heard a piano piece before,’ Xiao texted back. ‘I figure you would know more.’

He sent over a link to Zhongli, hoping that Zhongli could figure out why it sounded familiar. If not, Xiao’s next option was Yanfei. She was good at finding things online, though he also had to explain the situation. When Yanfei knew, Hu Tao was bound to know too, and he would be in a world of pain.

‘It sounds familiar,’ Zhongli texted back after a bit, ‘I’ll see what I can find’.

Xiao took the time to finally do his chores. He wouldn’t care if this was his own place, but he feared that he somehow would turn this place into a dumpster fire. When he finally got the washing machine up and running, he heard his phone ding.

Checking his phone, he saw that Zhongli had sent him a wall of text back. It must have taken him ages to type, being somewhat clumsy with the small keys. Not that Xiao would be any faster. ‘I think you heard it with me when we visited Mondstadt for a tournament. I recall you being fascinated by the skills of both the pianist and violinist. However, I can’t remember who they were. This must be about ten years ago, if not longer, so I’m not sure if I can find anything useful.’

Though it didn’t spark a memory, Xiao thought it was plausible. When Zhongli had been coaching him, they often visited concerts, plays and whatever Zhongli could find that fitted their schedule. It wasn’t every day you would travel all across Teyvat without it costing you a dime.

‘I’ll see what I can find,’ Xiao texted back. ‘Thank you.’

He grabbed his laptop and dug through his memory, trying to find Yanfei’s advice. She had, years ago, taught him and Hu Tao to efficiently find information online. Unfortunately, neither of them really had paid attention. He recalled painting Hu Tao’s nails, trying not to smudge the black nail polish.

Adjusting the time period filter, Xiao started to put in different words. Mondstadt, duet, piano and violin, Sleeping Beauty Waltz. Eventually, a couple of pages deep into YouTube and after many failed videos, he found it.

The video had a couple of hundred views and looked like it was recorded by either an old phone or a hand camera. Nonetheless, the screen was shaky, and the audio quality was poor. But being so close to the stage, the footage was fairly sharp.

The duo obviously were siblings. The violinist wore a long black skirt and a grey blouse. Her black hair reached her chin. The pianist wore black slacks and a grey button-up. His hair was slightly shorter and styled differently, with one half swooped to the other half. Sweat glistered on their forehead and cheeks as they got further into the piece. It sounded like what Venti played, but better. These two, even at such a young age, clearly were skilled. Xiao figured they might be in their late teens, though it was hard to tell with their stiff clothes and short height.

As the piece ended, he saw the two bow to the public, holding each other’s hand. Xiao stopped the video. Looking at the date of the video, this could’ve been what he remembered. But though the music had been played masterfully, he doubted that was the reason it had stuck with him.

About to replay the video, he stopped, looking at the paused screen. Their smiles were painfully fake, and their eyes looked hallow. They both looked tired and worn, the bags underneath their eyes prominent. The girl’s jaw had an angry red spot, likely from the many hours of holding the violin there. Despite having put up a fantastic show, the two looked downright miserable.

Xiao finally realised why this memory had stuck with him, even though it had been years. He could imagine it, sitting in the audience, conflicted about his future. He had been heading to the top at that age, but he had hated every second of it. Martial arts was no longer fun, and it was never enough. After each game, if Zhongli wasn’t there, he would get a laundry list of what could be better. Likely, when he had seen their hollow expressions, he had felt like he was looking into a mirror. Being at the top of your game and knowing it wouldn’t be enough.

Feeling a little queasy, Xiao checked the channel. There were several videos, with the Sleeping Beauty Waltz being the very last one uploaded. He checked several of the videos, noticing the lack of excitement within each video. Though, there was another thing he saw. The siblings tended to trade places. In one video, the sister performed the piano, but she wore men’s clothes. In another piece, it was the brother who played the violin dressed in a skirt and blouse. If it wasn’t for the different eye colours, Xiao doubted he would’ve noticed. He doubted that anyone but their parents noticed. What he wouldn’t give to have a sibling that could’ve taken his place, even if it was just once. One day of not having to perform.

***

“What do you want?” Diluc’s greeting was cold and business-like. Venti took no offence. He knew that it would be busy in the Angel’s Share, and Diluc was understaffed.

“No, I’m not asking you to help out with the play,” Venti said, spinning in his desk chair. He had tried many times to convince Diluc, but he knew it had been a lost cause.

Diluc sighed in relief. “I’m correct to assume you’ve found someone else?” Diluc asked. His voice had grown a little softer and kinder.

“Yeah, he’s really helpful,” Venti said, hoping that the vague explanation was plenty.

He’s happy to have Xiao onboard. His help had been invaluable from the get-go. Behind his intimidating exterior, he was a sweet, well-meaning man. Incredibly patient, open-minded, and he knew how to read people well. When he had told Venti that it would never be good enough, and that was fine, it was like Xiao had torn all his walls down. It wasn’t often that someone told him that ‘having fun’ was good enough.

“You found another teacher to help you out?” Diluc asked, obviously picking his words carefully.  

“No,” Venti admitted. He was frustrated that Diluc could read him so well. Where was the ‘oh, that’s nice’. “We crossed paths on accident, and he was bored, so I offered him something to do.”

Admittedly, Venti’s brain had short-circuited when he had run into Xiao. He internally had cursed Kaeya for not warning him beforehand. Xiao had been wearing sweats and a muscle top, showing off his strong physique. Muscular shoulders and arms adorned with tattoos. The sliver of the stomach showed he was fit—likely rocking a six-pack. Inviting Xiao to help him out was the first thing his fried brain had come up with. It had been baffling that Xiao agreed.

“And to cure his boredom, he’s willing to work with students?” Diluc asked, unbothered to hide his scepticism.

“Not everyone hates kids like you do,” Venti muttered. Admittedly, he never had wanted to work with children. The job just had fallen into his lap, and in desperate need of work, he agreed. He enjoyed his work, though miss Weber had been awful, set in her old fashioned way. It was better now, though he had never signed up for the heavy workload.

“I don’t hate kids,” Diluc answered. “I’m just not comfortable with them. But why are you calling me if you don’t require help? You know I’m busy around this time.”

Venti huffed. “Can’t we just chat? I’m surrounded by students who aren’t my equal, and Xiao—”

While all his other friends would let it go, Diluc immediately picked up Xiao’s name. Though he and Diluc weren’t close, they knew each other the best. They met in college through Kaeya, not liking one another much. After the death of Diluc’s father, Venti had made it his mission to bring their friend group back together, pestering Diluc until he returned. The time spent together brought them closer, especially with them sharing similar childhoods. Wealthy parents, high expectations and burning out too soon. The only difference was that Diluc’s father actually treated Diluc as his son, while Venti had been nothing but an extension to their wealth and name.

“What’s Xiao like?” Diluc asked, not even bothering to sound innocent.

“Perfectly alright,” Venti muttered. “You’ll meet him tomorrow. Some of my orders will come in, and I send it to your pub as the school can get bitchy about these things.”

He heard Diluc’s loud and annoyed sigh. “And I won’t ‘bitch’ about your random orders turning up.”

“Less so,” Venti immediately answered. “We had to order things for the play, like clothes and painting supplies, but I wasn’t sure when they would arrive. So I played it safe.”

“Fine,” Diluc grunted. “Send him over tomorrow. Might I know what he looks like before letting a complete stranger in?”

Venti described Xiao to Diluc, not even having to pull up a picture. It was hard to forget Xiao. He was a very handsome man, and Venti had ingrained him into his memory. It helped that they saw each other almost daily, busy with the play.

“I hope you aren’t making a mistake,” Diluc ended the call without saying goodbye.

Venti tossed his phone onto his bed, sighing deeply. Was he that obvious? He probably was. Venti fell for people quickly, and he knew that it often ended badly. They wanted him for being fun, chipper and affectionate. But when he was in a rut, sitting on the kitchen floor and staring at the pie in the oven, unable to get himself to do anything else, he was no longer desirable. He doubted that Xiao was like that, but he had been burnt before. It was better to just not fall for anyone or not pursue it.

***

Xiao hadn’t been too happy when Venti texted him to run errands. Apparently, important deliveries would arrive today, but Venti had sent it to a friend’s place instead of sending it to the school. And apparently, Xiao was the only one but himself he trusted to pick it up. He wondered why it had to be him until he arrived at Angel’s Share.

Like Alberich’s apartment, the building screamed ‘I’m centuries old’. It was a two-story building with pale plaster. There was a small balcony with a triangle roof in the middle of the second story, with ‘Ragnvindr’ written on it. ‘Angle’s Share’ was written in a much larger font underneath the balcony. The second floor had detailed woodwork surrounding the small windows. It was a pub, and it didn’t look like a student pub. It looked classy, like a place Zhongli would visit.

Ignoring the ‘closed’ sign, Xiao entered the building. The interior was made out of dark tones, with a dark floor, black chairs and stained wooden tables. The bar was long, taking up over half the wall. There were hundreds of bottles on display, most brands completely new to him. There were also booths with leather seats and industrial lights dangling above them. It looked traditional without it looking outdated.

“Excuse me,” Xiao cleared his throat, not recalling if there was a bell signalling his presence. “I’m here to pick up Venti’s things?”

Xiao had been told Venti’s friend was called Diluc and had ‘fire-truck red’ hair. When a man appeared from the back, he had to admit Venti’s description hadn’t been wrong, just lacking.

  Diluc looked like he could be one of those mafia bosses in movies Chongyun watched on the plane. He put his fire-truck red hair up in a ponytail, his white gloves clinging to his skin like a second layer. He wore black slacks, a black button-up and a white vest. Definitely not the outfit of a man that served drinks to drunk students.

“So you’re Xiao,” Diluc said, twisting his hair tie around his hair. “Venti’s things haven’t arrived yet. It shouldn’t take long; they usually deliver here early. Take a seat.”

Awkwardly, Xiao took a seat on one of the bar stools. He was very out of place here, wearing sweats and a cosy sweater. He was going to help the props team with backgrounds today, so he wanted to wear something simple that was allowed to get dirty. He had no emotional attachment to these clothes, so he figured that these were perfectly fine to ruin.

Xiao took out his phone, and Diluc was doing whatever, which was a huge relief. He had thought that most of Venti’s friends were as talkative as he was, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.

“I… what do you do for a living?” Diluc suddenly asked.

Xiao looked up. He saw Diluc leaning on the bar, looking as awkward as he felt.

“I’m a martial arts coach and trainer,” Xiao answered.

He saw the surprise flicker across Diluc’s features. Somehow, they all were surprised. It probably was his height that made people misjudge him.

“It’s curious how you ended up helping out theatre students,” Diluc said. It clearly was a statement and not a judgemental remark.

Xiao shrugged. “My pupil is college age, so I’m fairly at ease with students. And I assume Venti knows what he’s doing.”

Diluc rubbed his chin. “Venti always has been the most creative one. Theatre, music, writing. I’m still surprised he stuck with us.”

He wondered who ‘us’ were. Venti had mentioned his friends once or twice, but not often. He remembered the names of Alberich’s list, though, including Venti, Diluc and two ladies named Jean and Rosaria. Admittedly, Venti was very tight-lipped about his personal life, but so was Xiao.

“Ignore that; there are still things I question, even years later.” Diluc picked up a glass to clean, though it already looked shiny. “But I figure that you aren’t from around here? Martial arts isn’t really popular in Mondstadt. A friend of mine went to Liyue for training.”

Xiao nodded. “I’m from Liyue. I’m staying here for work-related reasons,” Xiao lied through his teeth. He figured that there was no reason for Diluc to know he was a workaholic and that, apparently, he had been collecting vacation days for years. “But yes. Snezhnaya is usually our biggest competition. I recall there are a couple of good competitors in Mondstadt, but not as of lately.”

Diluc nodded. “We aren’t well known for our martial arts. Wine, on the other hand, is what we are known for. Do you drink?”

Xiao grimaced and shook his head. “Never was allowed and afterwards never grew to like it.”

“I’m sure there is no age restriction on alcohol in Liyue,” Diluc remarked, picking up another glass to clean. “I’ve had to kick out seventeen-year-olds who were used to going out and drinking back home.”

“Diet stuff,” Xiao grumbled in lieu of an answer.

There was honking outside, and the delivery man pushed open the door. Diluc waved casually at him, letting him drop all the boxes at the entrance. Xiao wondered why he wouldn’t let the alcohol be delivered in the back, figuring it would be stored there.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” the delivery man said, dropping off the last boxes. “You and your friends keep me busy.”

Diluc’s smile was forced and almost painful. “One day, my friends will deliver their things to their own address. See you next time.”

The driver cackled and closed the door behind him.

“Well, your things are here. I hope everything fits in your car.” Diluc exited the bar space, heading to the delivered goods.

Xiao hopped off his chair and trailed after him. “Car?” Xiao asked.

Diluc was already checking the first box, sighing deeply as he put it aside. “Yes, car. Venti tends to order a lot—especially with Christmas coming around. He either has everything ordered already, or he will be panicking on the twenty-third.”

“I’m with the bus,” Xiao said, watching one of the piles of boxes becoming bigger. He hoped that the large stack was for someone else. “I don’t have a car here.”

“And Venti didn’t mention that you would require a car?” Diluc asked slowly.

Xiao shook his head. “No, just that I had to pick things up.”

“I’m making him pay for my gas,” Diluc muttered. “I’ll bring you and the boxes. I swear, a goldfish has a better memory than Venti.”

They loaded the boxes into the back of Diluc’s car. Knowing very little about cars, Xiao’s only reaction was that it looked nice. Not expensive, but well-cared for. Much better than Xiao’s beat-up car back home, whose seats were locked into place. The passenger seat was for the tall people as it was permanently shoved to the back.

The entire trunk was filled with boxes, making Xiao wonder how Venti thought he could bring it all. Diluc gestured that he could take the passenger seat.

Xiao felt young. It reminded him of the first couple of times he shared a car with Zhongli. He just had been assigned a new coach, and Zhongli had looked unreachable. Tall and with a reputation to be strict but very good. Though Xiao and Diluc didn’t differ much in age, Diluc seemed so far away. A nice looking car, owning a bar, well-dressed. Not unlike Zhongli, come to think of it. The men had a similar feel to them, though Xiao knew Zhongli well enough by now not to feel uncomfortable.

***

The parking lot at the university was cramped, so it took Diluc a while to find a spot to park. There was a lot of cursing and glaring at students trying to park their cars. Admittedly, Xiao too sucked at parallel parking.

“Let’s deliver these to Venti,” Diluc said, popping open the trunk and grabbing a couple of boxes. Xiao did so, too, the boxes stacked as high as he dared.

As soon as they arrived at the large building behind the university, Diluc told him to fetch the rest of the stuff. He even gave Xiao the car keys, which he personally would never do with a stranger. It wasn’t as if Diluc actually knew him.

Having fetched all the boxes and locked the car, Xiao checked in on Venti. The students had dropped their work, having gathered to watch the spectacle that was Diluc and Venti.

“What did I miss?” Xiao asked one of the students.

“The newcomer is giving Venti an earful,” a student told him.

“Isn’t he Venti’s boyfriend?” another student asked.

“No way,” a third student said. “I think they’re just friends.”

The students started to bicker, and Xiao made his way through the throng. Diluc’s cheeks had turned red, and locks of hair fell into his eyes. Venti looked frustrated, his arms crossed and glaring at Diluc.

“Here are your keys.” Xiao handed Diluc the keys, surprising the man. He then turned his attention to Venti. “Venti, the boxes are in the way. Clean them up.”

This successfully broke up their discussion. Xiao had a very low tolerance for bickering. It reminded him too much of his parents. From dinner plans to the colour of the flowers, they always sought an excuse to fight. Some of his younger students also tended to fight, and he had quickly learned how to separate them.

Diluc said his goodbye and left, making a way through the throng of students. The students remained milling around, looking a little lost with the sudden end of their entertainment.

Xiao clapped his hands, a method he used with his much younger students. The loud noise got their attention. “Get back to your work,” he told them. “We have a deadline coming up.”

The students scattered. Xiao rubbed his face, already feeling exhausted. Meeting and visiting Diluc had been draining enough, and dealing with the conflict between him and Venti. Though he and Hu Tao, at times, bickered a little, it was never too much. Hu Tao knew when to stop, and Xiao was quickly over it, physically leaving the space.

“I apologise,” Venti said. Xiao turned, so he faced the man. “I hadn’t realised that all my packages would arrive on the same day—they said my Christmas presents wouldn’t arrive for another couple of days.”

“It’s alright,” Xiao lied.

“It isn’t, but thanks for lying,” Venti said, twirling his short ponytail around his finger. “You were quick getting everyone to work. Why do I have the feeling you coach children?”

The way Venti saw straight through his lie was surprising. Xiao had honed the skill of lying, especially to his parents. He wanted to know how Venti had figured it out but also knew that Venti tried to redirect the conversation. It was a technique he had been taught when doing teaching courses, redirecting conversations to remain on schedule.

“I give classes to kids between eight to twelve years old. But I spend the most time with my pupil Chongyun; private training, coaching, arranging competitions.”

Venti whistled, the noise surprisingly pleasant. “You must be terrific,” Venti said. “To be in charge of coaching someone.”

Xiao shrugged. “You don’t have to be spectacular to coach someone; all you require is a good eye and discipline.”

He didn’t like talking about his achievements because it made his failure more painful. He might have been good during his teenage years, but nowadays, he was a subpar coach that scraped by giving training whenever he could and the prize money he had earned during his prime.

“I disagree,” Venti said. “Teaching is hard. I think you’re doing a much better job than me.”

He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t awful, but he thought Venti was a better teacher. Maybe a little messy and a little unorganised, but he had heart. His students adore him; otherwise, Xiao couldn’t imagine the large turn-up each day. But he wasn’t sure how to voice this or if he wanted to. He was still annoyed with Venti for sending him on an impossible mission.

Their uncomfortable conversation was interrupted by one of the students. The student shuffled towards them, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there. “Mister Venti, can we borrow Xiao?” the student asked. “He promised us to help, and we could use extra hands.”

“Of course,” Venti said, shaking his head. “Sorry for hoarding his time. I’ve things to unpack, so you’re free to take him.”

Xiao had met students who literally took him by the arm and dragged him along, but this one just looked a little flustered, looking between Xiao and their destination. Likely, she was uncomfortable with him. Xiao knew he looked a little intimidating and unapproachable, especially compared to Venti. And some of the students only had seen him from a distance, likely discussing things with Venti.

“Should we get going?” Xiao said.

The student visibly relaxed. “Yes, of course! This way,” she said, turning around and headed to a group of prop makers, looking to have a heated discussion with each other. Xiao had no idea what they were discussing, but likely, it was up to him to make the final decision. He waited for the day they realised that, in fact, he should be the last person to ever make such decisions.

***

Xiao sat against the radiator, feeling the heat seep into his thin t-shirt. Large props for the stage were in several states of completion, some being so large they require a handful of people to move them, even on wheels. He had spent a little time helping Bennett today, but soon, he had been whisked away by the prop crew. Lacking direction in how the scenes flowed, they had been running behind the eight-ball. Now, they were playing catch-up, requiring all the additional hands they could get.

Xiao was exhausted, sore, and dreaded the weekend that was to come. The only good thing was that Venti seemed equally exhausted, sitting next to Xiao against the radiator. Venti did spend a lot more time with the actors and the lighting crew, running scenes and making sure everything worked well.

“I dread this weekend,” Venti muttered, leaning against Xiao’s shoulder. “Next week is the last week of college before it’s Christmas. People will return after New Year, and then we have our opening show. This weekend will likely be our last one.”

“You’re being dramatic,” Xiao grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“You’re rude,” Venti grumbled, softly jabbing Xiao in the side. “I’m just stressed. We have too little time for what we want to archive.”

Xiao gently pushed back. “All we want to achieve is creating a space where students can have fun. Students will support their friends anyway, and parents will do the same if they can come. I know my d—.” Xiao faked a cough. “My old coach would like to see this play, even if I won’t play in it. Admittedly, he loves things like this. Musicals, theatre, opera.”

“A martial arts coach likes theatre?” Venti teased.

“He no longer coaches,” Xiao said. “He’s currently a history professor. I think he taught at this school for a year. He even mentioned Miss Weber. Was she the original teacher?”

Venti nodded. “Miss Weber is fairly traditional. She wasn’t too happy when the students wanted to change the script, especially when I wasn’t stopping them.”

“You can’t pick or choose your teachers; you have to be lucky,” Xiao recalled all the coaches he had before Zhongli.

Venti shrugged. “Talking about teachers, I can’t believe you’re still on friendly terms with your coach. I loathe my piano teacher, violin teacher, and honestly, most of my teachers.”

“Zhongli is almost a surrogate father for me,” Xiao admitted. He never had told Zhongli he felt this way, though he was sure it showed. Hu Tao always referred to Zhongli as ‘your old man’. “He helped me move out, and I still have a room at his place if I ever need somewhere else to stay.”

Venti gently bumped their knees together. “Not on good terms with your parents?”

Xiao shook his head. “We disagreed on many things, and I moved out the moment I went to college. I haven’t talked with them since.”

“Same,” Venti said. “I moved out when I went to college and never returned since. I still talk with my brother—wait, let me show him.” Venti took out his phone and showed Xiao an image.

The picture showed both Venti and his brother. They looked almost identical. Venti’s brother was a bit taller than him and hadn’t dyed part of his hair. But aside from that, the eyes truly set them apart. Wherein Venti had turquoise eyes, his brother’s eyes were a gentle blue shade. They did share the same joyful sparkle in their eyes and their big grins.

“You’re twins?” Xiao asked.

Venti nodded and took back his phone. “Fraternal twins. He’s, unfortunately, a few minutes older, and he never let me forget that. He will be coming over after New Year.”

Xiao took out his own phone, wondering if he should show some pictures himself. Maybe he should show Hu Tao and Yanfei? They were a safe subject. The first picture he found of them was one of their wedding picture, where he was sandwiched between the two brides. He still cringed at the pale-pink button-up he had worn. The garment was gathering dust in the back of his closet, never to be seen again.

“These two are my college friends,” Xiao explained as he handed Venti the phone. “They got married last spring.”

Venti took his sweet time looking over the picture. Xiao stood out like a sore thumb compared to his two friends. Yanfei wore a wine red Qipao with golden details. It was ankle-length, with capped sleeves and a pretty long slit in her skirt. Her pink hair was up, and her green eyes pop against the eyeliner. To contrast her wife, Hu Tao wore a warm red Qun Kwa, a two-piece consisting of a jacket and long skirt. It was heavily embroidered with creatures, the accent-colours warmer. She wore makeup similar to Yanfei, though her lipstick had already started to smudge a little. Her hair was done half-up, the pin in her hair a family heirloom.

“What are their names?” Venti asked after a while.

“The one with the pink hair is Yanfei. She’s a lawyer, though don’t let that fool you. If she can find a loophole, she will find one.” Xiao had zoomed in on Yanfei’s face. He clumsily moved the focus to Hu Tao. “This is Hu Tao. She’s an absolute menace. Her family runs a very successful funeral parlour, and she is the boss. The first time I met her, she was trying to summon a ghost.”

“You know, I wasn’t sure what kind of friends you would have, but these two make complete sense,” Venti said. He cleared his throat, fiddling nervously with his phone. “Was it ever awkward between the three of you?”

“Sometimes, we’re all a little… strong-minded. Hu Tao’s idea of an outing is to visit a cemetery and try to summon ghosts. Yanfei had dragged us to court procedures before. And they’ve sat with me going over videos to help me do research for matches. Though often, Yanfei fell asleep, and Hu Tao thinks there wasn’t enough violence,” as Xiao finished, he realised how odd this all must sound to Venti. Though he never considered himself normal necessarily, visiting graves and court procedures might be strange.

“It sounds fun,” Venti said. He sounded very earnest, making Xiao wonder if Venti was lying or not. Most people he had told were at least a little freaked and usually didn’t want a second date.

“It works for us,” Xiao said, shrugging.

“I’m serious.” Venti bumped their shoulders together. “The most fun thing we did was game nights or go out drinking, but nobody has time anymore. I might have to take a leaf out of your book and drag them somewhere. Heavens know how little time off Jean and Diluc have.”

He remembered Jean’s name, and having met Diluc, he wouldn’t be surprised if the man worked a lot. The pub wouldn’t have opened for another eight hours, so Diluc didn’t have to be there this early. He surely had other people employed to do the work like cleaning or accepting orders.

The quiet that fell between them made Xiao’s mind wander to the schedule for the weekend, the whiteboard filled with different coloured notes. Several of the students had helped them out, making the process speedier and more bearable. He still had to send Yanfei a picture to say that he had paid attention to her explanations. He just never applied it to his study.

“Shall we brave the cold?” Venti asked, yawning as he spoke. “I’m tired, and this weekend will be busy.”

Xiao didn’t want to get up. It was still a half-hour commute back home, and then he had to cook. Sleep was much more tempting, but he knew he would wake up starving in a couple of hours. Cooking when hungry was even worse—it made him tempted to just shove the uncooked rice in his mouth.

“Come on, get up.” Venti grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him up. He failed miserably. “I’ll lock you in,” Venti threatened.

“The school will fire you,” Xiao said, but he got up.

They gathered their things. Xiao drowned into his thick coat, scarf and beanie. Venti wore more stylish but definitely colder clothes. Xiao could never.

“So, I’m too lazy to cook,” Venti said as they walked towards the exit, bags slung over their shoulders. “I know a good and affordable Liyuen restaurant. Care to join me?”

Usually, Xiao would say no. He didn’t like going out, especially with strangers. But he knew Venti well enough by now, and it saved him the suffering of having to cook or eat uncooked rice.

“Don’t complain if I think the food is bad,” Xiao said, though he knew everything was better than uncooked rice.

Chapter Text

“Just hold it together—yes, like that, don’t move.” Xiao froze, having two pieces of fabric pinched between his fingers. His arm was angled uncomfortably, and faux feathers were tickling his neck.

One of the seamstresses pinned the fabric together, fixing the fit. Fischl stood still, not twitching a muscle as two fellow students walked around her, fixing the fit of the dress. The swan dress was one of actually three dresses Fischl was going to wear. The swan dress was for when she was still a swan, another dress for the ball and a casual dress. The simple dress was repurposed and finished, but the others still needed work.

“Venti makes you do all the horrible jobs, doesn’t he?” Fischl teased.

“Not all of them are horrible,” Xiao said. “And I’m not a teacher or anything, so I do jobs most of the other students do.”

Fischl sighed dramatically. “If only the others were as excited as you were to saw plywood. How did you—”

“We need you to hold down some feathers,” the most ‘senior’ of the seamstresses said, tapping him on the shoulder. “Beware, the hot glue will burn your fingers, so be gentle.”

The two seamstresses were in their second and third year. The younger one, a blonde woman with pale skin and grey eyes, studied engineering. The older of the two was a graphic designer. She had electric-blue hair in a messy bun, brown eyes lined with black ink, and her foundation was a shade too dark for her pale skin. Likely her summer colour.

Xiao prepositions himself so he can hold down the feathers. Fischl wore a hoop skirt, giving the bottom of the dress more volume. It also meant that Xiao wasn’t awkwardly touching her butt or hip.

“Getting back to our conversation,” Fischl said. “How did you and Venti meet? You don’t seem like the guys that run in the same social circles.”

As the feathers remained put, the students glued on more and Xiao moved his hands, making sure he didn’t burn his fingers. “I stay in the apartment of a friend of his. It’s a temporary house swap. Venti had to pick up some clothes, inviting me to help out.”

“And you said yes?” Fischl asked in disbelief.

“I had nothing better to do,” Xiao said. “I had some vacation days I had to use up, so I’m making the best of the situation.”

The more feathers were added, the more it looked like an actual dress. The seamstresses insisted they glued on the feathers around the hips while Fischl wore the dress, making sure they fell right. The rest they could do without Fischl.

Fischl cleared her throat, smiling as she spoke. “So, you were charmed by his pretty eyes and bright smile and your brain short-circuited?”

It took a few beats for Fischl’s words to land. “I’m not attracted to Venti.”

“You aren’t?” the blonde seamstress asked, stopping her work. Xiao had forgotten that they were still there, likely listening along.

“No,” Xiao said, feeling flustered. He didn’t have feelings for Venti, and he didn’t want the students to think so. It could make things awkward between him and Venti.

“I thought you two were dating,” the other seamstress said. “Or you at least have a crush on him. You seemed pretty quick to get that redhead out of here a couple of days ago.”

“We don’t judge!” the blonde seamstress added. “I mean, Venti is amazing, and he deserves an amazing partner! You two have great chemistry together.”

Xiao would have turned around and left the room if he wasn’t keeping glued-on feathers in place. He felt uncomfortable. It was nice to have chemistry with Venti, and he wasn’t going to deny that they got along well. But people thought they were dating, that people expected it, made his skin crawl. He wanted to make that choice himself.

“I don’t have romantic feelings for Venti,” Xiao said. “We’re co-workers, and I would appreciate it if you won’t bring it up again.” His words were harsh, and he worried he had overstepped a line.

“Of course,” the seamstress with electric-blue hair said. “I apologise for overstepping boundaries. I think many of us thought you two were in an item. Now, you can let go of the feathers.”

Xiao stepped away from Fischl and the dress, catching her gaze. She mouthed an apology, making him feel a little better. Clearly, it wasn’t their intent to hurt him. They weren’t his parents, who would be appalled at the idea of him dating a man.

“Thank you for your help. I think the prop team have been salivating at the door to snatch you up.” One of the seamstresses opened the door and peeked around the corner. “Though, maybe that’s an exaggeration. Off you go.”

The three women waved him goodbye, and Xiao left to find the props crew. He found them quickly, and he was soon to put to work to help out Xinyan with painting trees.

He quickly realised she was terrific, creating a very detailed bark texture. “You’re really good at this,” Xiao remarked, painting the base colour.

Xinyan flashed him a bright smile. “I’ve been making my own guitars since I was sixteen. You’re… okay.”

“This is the first time I’ve been painting since kindergarten. I’m already happy I can hold a brush,” Xiao said. “Might I ask you something?”

Xinyan raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to ask me for painting advice?”

Xiao shook his head. “No, I just wonder if everyone thinks Venti and I are dating.”

Xinyan’s grin widened. “I fear some of them do, but no need to worry. If they get too curious, you just have to whoop their ass.”

“I think violence isn’t the answer,” Xiao said.

“That’s what Chongyun also says,” Xinyan remarked. “No wonder he adores you so much. I can’t wait to see him again; now I’ve met you, I can properly tease him.”

“Might I ask why?”

Xinyan grinned. “He always says you’re this big, cool guy, and you’re actually just a sweet guy who has no painting skills.”

Xiao looked at his handy work and realised he had spent the last couple of brushstrokes painting the paint-splattered floor cover. He withdrew his brush, feeling his cheeks heat up. Clearly, painting wasn’t his calling.

“Why does it bother you that people think you and Venti are together? I assumed you were queer, and I know Venti is.” Xinyan, too had stopped painting, though she hadn’t made a mess like he had.

“I’m queer, but that isn’t the issue.” The word ‘queer’ still felt foreign to his ears. Though all of his close friends weren’t straight, there were times he still felt shame for his interest in men. It had led to a big fight between him and his parents, and eventually, one of the reasons he left. But unlike Hu Tao and Yanfei, who were married and openly queer, Xiao tended to hide his sexuality, afraid of people’s judgement. “But this isn’t your responsibility. I was curious, and being in charge here, I shouldn’t burden you with my struggles.”

Xinyan folded her arms, tapping her paintbrush against her knee. “You forget I’m an adult too. I might not be as old as you, but I’m not a wee child. You can talk to me as your equal.”

“Thanks for calling me old,” Xiao grumbled. He realised she was right. She was an adult and had a say. She wasn’t a child like he had been when his parents made all the decisions, uncaring whether Xiao agreed.

“You’re welcome,” Xinyan teased. “Now, tell me, what’s going on in your head?”

The thing was, he never had talked with anyone about it. Not in full detail. He had dropped hints here and there, but he tended to shoulder his burdens alone. It was something he was used to, and letting go was difficult. He didn’t want to worry his friends or Zhongli, making them think he was broken. On the other hand, when would he see Xinyan again? He would leave this all behind, never to see anyone ever again. “I think I’m just not romantically interested in people, and it makes me worry that I lead people on. What if I can never return people’s feelings? What if I see them as friends and friends only, even though they see me as more?”

Xinyan hummed thoughtfully. “Did you ever have a crush on anyone?” she asked.

“No,” Xiao admitted. “At least, I don’t think I had? There hasn’t been anyone who made me feel… different. If that makes sense.”

“It does,” Xinyan said. “Did you ever have a close male friend your age?”

Xiao was taken aback by Xinyan’s question and racked his brain to see if he ever had. He would consider Chongyun a friend, but he wasn’t his age. Zhongli too, but he was a decade older. The friends his age were women. He had some male acquaintances from work and college, but he wouldn’t call them close friends. “No.”

“Don’t take my word for it,” Xinyan said, waggling her finger at him. “But you could be demiromantic or aromantic. Demiromantic means you don’t immediately fall for someone. It usually takes time, getting to know them more personally before falling in love. Say a good friend. Or, you could be aromantic. That means you don’t feel romantic attraction to people at all. It doesn’t mean you can’t have relationships, but it’s less traditional. It’s usually more like friendships or good roommates. The same thing exists for the sexual spectrum.”

Though he never had heard of these orientations, they made sense. He had tried dating but always hated being stuck with near-strangers in a supposedly romantic setting. Not to mention, it always took him a little to warm up to strangers. Upon meeting Hu Tao first, he had been annoyed by her. But eventually, he came to love her as a friend. Yanfei had been a little easier, though it helped that they were a trio. They could play off each other with no awkward one-on-one situations.

“I… thank you,” Xiao said, committing the words to memory. “I’ll do some research tonight.”

Xinyan gave him a thumbs-up. “It’s no problem,” she said. “Though, by tonight, I fear your brain will be fried. This is the first of many trees we have to do.”

And right she was. It had gotten dark by the time they were done, Venti just returning from the Lidl. He carried two large grocery bags, plopping them down on a table.

“I got food!” he called.

Wiping his paint-stained hands on his shirt, Xiao clumsily got up. His legs were sore and cramped. He held out a hand to Xinyan, which she gratefully accepted. He pulled her up on two feet and only let her go when she was standing steadily.

Venti knew the key to students’ hearts, which was food after a long, gruelling day. He had brought paper plates from home and come cutlery, and he was quick to unload many kinds of bread from the fresh aisle of the supermarket. There were dips, lunch meats, slices of cheese and everything you could imagine putting on fresh bread. There were also other options, like breakfast muffins, cups with yoghurt, and gluten-free, vegan, and lactose-free products. It probably was enough to feed three times the number of people present.

“Isn’t it a bit much?” Xiao asked, watching students put together their own dinner and scatter to eat it in peace.

Venti shrugged. “It’s free food. I’m not expecting anything to be leftover by the night’s end, and what hasn’t been eaten will be taken home. Most of the bread is still serviceable after being thrown in the oven to toast or dunked in soup.”

Xiao took a cup of yoghurt himself and watched Venti’s words come true. The table was slowly by little growing empty. Though mostly the men could eat for two, a few of the women gave them a run for their money.

“So, there are a couple of rumours going around,” Xiao whispered, ensuring nobody could hear them.

“Oh?” Venti cocked his head, his eyes sparkling. “Please do tell?”

“Students think we’re dating.”

Venti’s giggle quickly turned into laughter. Xiao didn’t find it funny, but maybe he was the odd one out. “I hadn’t heard about it, but I’m not surprised. It’s what students do. When they see two people who they think are compatible, they will ship them. Don’t worry too much about it, okay?”

Xiao nodded, having no idea what ‘ship’ meant, and he was a little put off by Venti’s reaction. Did Venti think it’s hilarious that people thought he and Xiao could be a thing? Or was he just surprised? Whatever it was, he hoped that Venti wouldn’t be weird around him.

***

He was helping Barbara and Bennett with the first dance scene when Venti waved him over. Figuring that the two could practise on their own for a bit—it started to look pretty fluid—he excused himself and walked over to Venti. He saw that the man was holding Xiao’s phone.

“Someone has been calling you.” Venti handed him his phone. “I can’t read the characters, but they have called four times, so it must be important.”

Looking at the caller ID, he saw that it was Chongyun. Knowing his pupil’s aversion to phone calls, it must be important.

“Keep an eye on these two,” Xiao said, picking up the coat he had thrown over the back of a chair. “I think it’s important.”

“Will do so.”

Once outside, Xiao called back. Chongyun picked up almost immediately.

“You answered,” Chongyun said, relief dripping from his words. “I’m sorry for calling you; I know it’s still early there. Did I wake you up?”

Xiao shook his head and then answered, realising this conversation was by phone. “No, I was working on the play. It’s the last big weekend we have.”

“Right. Admittedly, I forgot,” Chongyun said, stumbling over his words in a rush. “But I really need your help. So, uh, I have dinner with my family tonight, and I finally want to introduce Xingqiu as my boyfriend. I already know they will be fine with it, but, uh, let’s say I can’t wear a scarf indoors.”

Xiao wanted to cry. He never expected that Chongyun would come to him for any personal advice, and especially not advice about how to hide hickeys of all things. Why would Chongyun go to him? Xiao had been single all his life. Not to mention, Chongyun must have friends his age who knew what to do. But Xiao knew he couldn’t ask. Zhongli had taught him that it took a lot of guts to be vulnerable. Xiao would’ve been mortified if he had to call Zhongli for advice on covering hickeys, and likely, Chongyun felt the same.

“Okay, you’ve tried to hide hickeys before, right?” Xiao asked, already knowing the answer.

Chongyun sighed. “I knew I did a poor job concealing them—Xingqiu said it looked fine.”

“Xingqiu hasn’t picked up a single make-up brush in his entire life.” Xiao started to pace the school grounds, trying to keep warm. “But, where are you? You first need the required make-up.”

“I’m at a drugstore,” Chongyun whispered. “If anybody asks, I’m telling them I’m buying things for aunt Shenhe.”

Xiao wasn’t surprised at Chongyun’s discomfort at buying make-up. It was still considered feminine, and Chongyun was a tall, broad guy that didn’t look the part. “Okay, you can buy the cheapest stuff, as long as the concealer and foundation match your skin tone. You need a green colour-correcter, foundation, concealer, setting powder, and then…”

He started to coach Chongyun through all the things he needed and the steps he would take. It wasn’t too complicated, as long as you bought the right shades. He heard Chongyun’s nervous breathing and the sound of plastic being thrown in metal shopping baskets as he got everything Xiao instructed him to get.

“Say, Chongyun, do you know somebody named Xinyan,” Xiao asked.

Chongyun’s nervous breathing became a little sharp before finally levelling out. “Yes, we went to the same high school. I think she’s attending Mondstadt’s university this year as an exchange student; why are you… oh.”

“Yup, I met her. She’s part of the theatre crew, mentioned you a few times before,” Xiao explained.

“I completely forgot to mention her,” Chongyun said. “I mean, I hadn’t expected you to meet her, but still—”

“—It’s fine. It’s all coincidental. I just wanted to let you know I met her. Did you get everything you need?” Xiao asked.

“I did! I’ll be right back. I have to pay.” All the noise suddenly got muffled. Xiao waved to a student heading to their building. They waved back, a small smile on their face. After a long couple of minutes, Chongyun returned. “Sorry, that took me a bit longer than expected. But thank you so much. I didn’t know what to do, and nobody but you knows we’re together.”

The words made his heart squeeze. He hadn’t expected to be the first one to know. Admittedly, Xiao had figured it out himself, but still. Was this how Zhongli had felt when Xiao had confined him in things? Feeling like he had done something right to earn someone’s trust?

“I need a small favour,” Xiao admitted, checking his surroundings to ensure he was out of earshot. “Well, a favour from your boyfriend. I’m looking for books, or videos, about romantic orientations.”

“Oh, sure. I’m sure Xingqiu knows some titles. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Xiao hesitated. Chongyun knew he was queer, so it wasn’t anything new. But he never had discussed his love life with Chongyun, feeling uncomfortable doing so. Chongyun remained his junior, and though they were on friendly terms, this was a boundary he was nervous about crossing. “Preferably about demiromantic or aromantic, if these books exist.”

Xiao couldn’t place the soft ‘oh’ that followed, making him nervous. Though his feelings might now have a name, it still felt uncomfortable saying ‘I’m not normal’. While being queer became more and more accepted, lacking romantic and sexual desires wasn’t there yet. People always looked side-eyed when he said he was still single and simply not looking. Their main concern was always ‘what if you end up alone’ as if it was the worst thing that could happen.

 “I’ll ask him,” Chongyun said. “Thank you for the tips—I’ll text you later about how it went.”

“Good luck,” Xiao said, ending the call.

It had been over half an hour, and Xiao felt the cold biting into his skin. He snuck back inside, heading back to the stage as if he had been gone for just a  minute.

“Family emergency?” Venti asked.

Xiao snorted and shook his head. “No. Just some ‘I’m introducing my boyfriend to my family nerves’ as if it wasn’t obvious they have been dating for months.”

Venti’s grin widened. “It’s sweet that they call you. You would make a good father one day.”

Xiao rolled his eyes. “Fatherhood isn’t in the books for me,” he said.

“Then let me correct myself. You would make a good father figure.”

His protest died on his lips. Figuring he would never find anyone, he had long ago given up having children. Not that he would do well with them; he was scared he would fuck it up like his parents had done. But, he could also become someone like Zhongli, who showed children compassion and love. Someone who took someone unrelated to him under his wing and gave him the love and stability nobody else had given them.

“Maybe,” Xiao said. “But let’s save parenthood for after the play when I actually have time to see people my age.”

Venti’s laugh was merry and pleasant. “I don’t think that it won’t make any difference. When we first met, I was sure you had spent more time on that couch than anywhere else.”

Xiao didn’t say anything, though he made sure to remember that remark. Not to get back at Venti, but to remember that Venti’s entire over-excited and happy personality was a facade. Venti had more people and observation knowledge than he initially let on, hiding them behind a smile and sparkling turquoise eyes.

***

Xiao had fought tooth and nail to get the Monday afternoon slot. It had been a late Sunday, and neither wanted to be there at eight-thirty the next day. To come out victorious, Xiao had played the ‘I’m a volunteer’ card. He didn’t like to use his willingness to help out as a way to get privileges, but he really wanted to sleep in. He wasn’t sure if he could handle it otherwise.

Thankfully, Monday was a slow day, so Xiao was closing the door behind him at four. Bennett was with him, being the last student left. Having actual work to do, he for once agreed to quit earlier.

“I can’t wait for the holidays,” Bennett chirped. “I will see my dads again, not to mention the Christmas Markets. I’ve missed them so much.”

Xiao wasn’t sure what he was going to do during the holidays. He was convinced that the period between Christmas and New Year would be busy, with everyone celebrating the holidays but him. He could go home, but a stranger was still staying at his place, and he couldn’t return to work anyway. But he just nodded along and let Bennett rattle on.

“What bus do you need?” Bennett asked as they were reaching the bus stop.

“The one heading into the older district,” Xiao said, refusing the pronounce the name. He didn’t want to make a fool out of himself.

“Oh, we need the same bus,” Bennett said. “It’s surprising that it never happened before. Admittedly, I usually travel with Razor, but he left early for a trip he won’t return from until late tonight.”

With the many students and busses that left from this stop, Xiao was not surprised they hadn’t come across each other. Xiao didn’t pay much attention to the other passengers, usually keeping his gaze fixed on his phone until it was time to get off.

They sat next to each other, and Bennett talked for two about his survival-ability in the countryside assignment. Though it wasn’t the most complex stuff, Bennett seemed to be a thorough researcher. He at least wasn’t careless, mentioning the importance of matches, emergency lights and a pocket knife. As he was talking, he dug through his bag, his movements growing more erratic as time passed.

“I can’t find my keys,” Bennett whispered, going through his bag for the third time. Xiao had offered to hold onto his things, so he had his hands free to dig. “And Razor won’t be coming home until nine. Shoot, now I have to go to the public library again.”

“You could stay at my place for the time being,” Xiao blurted out. “It’s somewhat on the route, and Razor can pick you up.”

It had been a spur of the moment, and he was quick to regret it. He thought it was a little creepy to invite a student over, especially when Xiao wasn’t even an actual teacher. He had to make sure he did everything to assure Bennett felt safe and welcome and not uncomfortable staying at a place that belonged to a stranger.

“It’s not needed, really,” Bennett said. “Razor picked me up from the library before. I’ll have to get out in a couple of stops and catch another bus.”

“You’re welcome to come,” Xiao said. “But at least take care of yourself. Do you have your phone charged? Money with you?”

“Of course.” Bennett showed him the phone, frowning at the red-coloured battery bar. “Of course,” he sighed. “And I don’t have my charger with me—alright, I’ll come with you. I hope I won’t be too much of a burden.”

“I don’t mind. As long as you don’t mind my passable cooking.”

It was dark by the time they entered Xiao’s temporary apartment. Xiao found Bennett a charger, and the student immediately charged his phone, typing a message to Razor. Xiao went to the kitchen, putting a pan on the cooktop to boil water. “Is there anything you don’t like to eat?” Xiao asked, peering into the fridge to see whatever he had left.

“Anything spicy,” Bennett answered. “I can’t handle spiciness at all.”

Okay, no spicy products. That should be doable. “Sweet chicken?” Xiao suggested, seeing that his vegetable pack and chicken didn’t last much longer.

“Sweet chicken is fine.”

After asking and being cleared, Bennett put on the television while Xiao cooked. He didn’t have the brainpower to entertain Bennett while painstakingly putting everything together. He was an okay cook, but it wasn’t his favourite thing to do, and he was drained.

Upon finishing, Xiao put plates and cutlery on the table and announced that dinner was ready. Bennett sat down in one of the chairs, peering into the pot with rice and the saucepan. “It looks like real Liyuen food.”

“Because it is,” Xiao said, sitting down opposite him. “Now, dig in. I made too much, but I can save the leftovers for tomorrow.”

These were his famous last words. Wherein Xiao ate a reasonable amount, hungry but not starving, Bennett spooned the food into his mouth as if it was his last meal. It was a minor miracle the boy didn’t choke.

“You’re a much better cook than Razor and I,” Bennett mumbled, savouring one of his last few bites. “Could you adopt us? I promise to do the chores!”

Xiao shook his head, picking up the plates. “You’re adults, and I don’t think you want to come to Liyue with me. I’ll do the dishes, go write your essay. The WiFi password lies on the dresser.”

Once he was done with the dishes, Xiao went to take a shower while Bennett was typing away on his laptop, tongue peeking from between his lips. After the shower, he offered to brew Bennett tea. Admittedly, it had been days since he made tea for himself, unbothered. But he at least could give Bennett the impression he was actually a functioning adult. Despite being an obvious coffee lover, Alberich had a solid tea selection.

“I’m feeling pampered.” Bennett took a bite of the snack Xiao had provided.

Xiao looked with confusion at the cookie tin. They were just supermarket cookies. “I—they’re from the supermarket.”

“More like, I’m an unwanted guest, and you’re being incredibly nice to me.”

“I invited you myself,” Xiao argued. “And I do have some sense of hospitality. I’m doing the bare minimum. Is there anything else you need?”

As Bennett shook his head, Xiao went to retrieve the laundry and folded it on his bed. Usually, by now, he would be either in bed or watching some brainless television. But he couldn’t go to bed yet, and television would be bothersome for Bennett. So he was stuck with finally doing his chores.

He was back in the living space around nine. Bennett had closed his laptop a while ago, now glued to his fully charged phone. His face suddenly lit up. “He’s here. Could you let him in?”

Xiao nodded, unlocking the front door with the help of the dial pad. A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Before Xiao could react, Bennett opened the door, letting Razor enter.

Razor’s clothes were rough around the edges, but they always were. He wore sturdy boots with a pair of roughed-up jeans tucked in them. Two helmets were tucked underneath his arm. His motor jacket was oversized and warm-looking. His almost grey hair was tied together, and his cheeks were a dark red colour, a stark contrast to his pale skin.

“I’m sorry that I forgot my key again,” Bennett apologised. “I thought I had it with me, I promise, but—”

“It’s fine,” Razor said, gently patting his shoulder. “I’ll always pick you up.”

Bennett beamed and hugged Razor. Razor, who seemed to be used to the gesture, gently hugged him back, tucking his nose in the crook of Bennett’s neck. Xiao thought it looked intimate as if they had done this many times before. Maybe they had, and he was reading too much into it. People hugged each other all the time.

“I still have tea,” Xiao said. “If you want something to drink.”

Razor shook his head. “Toilet.”

“At the end of the kitchen,” Xiao said.

As Razor went to do his business, Bennett packed his things and finished the last of his tea.

“Thank you,” Bennett said as Razor was returning. “For letting me stay here. It’s much better than the library.”

“It’s no problem, and you should be taking Razor for picking you up.”

Razor shrugged. “I don’t mind. Bennett often forgets something.”

“Unfortunately, I do,” Bennett said, his cheeks flushed pink. “It isn’t as bad as first, but I still forget the occasional key or card.”

“Much improved,” Razor agreed. “Let’s go; you have a morning class.”

Bennett took the helmet Razor offered, bid Xiao farewell, and the two left. Instead of locking the door and immediately heading to bed, he made a detour to where his phone was charging. Opening his chat app, he scrolled past Chongyun’s ‘dinner went well’ message to find the last exchange he had with Venti. He opened their chat and paused, wondering if he should ask. After much debating, he pressed the power button. It wasn’t up to him to speculate if these two were dating or not. Though, he might pay a little more attention to the two of them to see if he had missed something obvious. It wouldn’t be the first time he had missed something so obvious.

Chapter Text

Xiao watched Bennett taking Fischl by the waist as the first tunes of ‘pas de six’ started to play. The original number was over ten minutes long, cut into seven parts. Bennett and Fischl’s characters would dance to the introduction part named ‘Intrada’, while Barbara and Fischl would dance to the third part, ‘Andante con moto’. The parts were slow enough for them to keep up.

Both actors were out of costume, though the rest of the play was in full swing. The proper lighting, the props and the music. They even had put a petticoat over Fischl’s clothes, ensuring that the actual dress would work.

Though there was still a stiffness to their dancing, it all felt pretty natural. Fischl had found her footing quite fast, and she was decent, but Bennett truly shone.

“How much time did you spend with him practising?” Venti asked. They were standing at the side, making notes on how this practices run was going. Though things kept going wrong, it slowly was getting better and better.

“I think somewhere between five and ten hours,” Xiao admitted. “Though I also practised with Fischl and Barbara this week, so it wasn’t just one-on-one training the whole time.”

Xiao didn’t like Venti’s grin as he had learnt to associate it with trouble. “You know you aren’t allowed to pick favourites.”

“Says you whose favourite obviously is Fischl,” Xiao said, mirroring the playful shoulder-bump Venti tended to do when teasing. “But Xinyan is my favourite. Bennett just reminds me of myself.”

Not himself when he was young and thriving, but when he wrestling through college, wondering if there was ever anything else he would ever be good at. Wherein Yanfei and Hu Tao had found their calling, Xiao was still searching. It felt as if Bennett was experiencing something similar, in which Fischl and Razor had discovered their calling while Bennett was still searching.

As Venti remained tight-lipped, Xiao risked a glance. Venti was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, looking troubled. There was something about Venti he couldn’t put his finger on. He had been tempted to look Venti up, but he always had gone against it. It was none of his business, and he didn’t understand why he cared.

The music petered off, and Xiao redirected his gaze to the actors. Bennett and Fischl stood in the centre, Bennett gently holding Fischl’s hand. Being miked, their exchange was easy to follow.

“I do love you,” Bennett said, choking on his words. “And I know that love could break your curse, but I…” Bennett left the rest of the sentence up for grabs for the public to finish.

“I know,” Fischl said, sounding sad. Even from a distance, he saw her overly sad expression. Subtle expressions worked in movies, but they needed to be bigger and bolder on stage. “I love you too, but…”

“It’s okay.” Bennett let go of Fischl’s hand, and she let it drop to her side. Then, he strode over to where Barbara was standing. There would be extras filling up the space in the future, hiding Barbara almost from sight. But right now, it looked a little awkward. He took her hand and brought her to the centre, taking the sidelines.

The next song started to play. Wherein Bennett and Fischl’s dance had been stiff, Barbara and Fischl moved fluidly, their bodies closer. Nonetheless, Xiao thought it felt a little off. They weren’t in complete sync, their footwork a little clumsy.

“It’s… not quite there,” Xiao whispered.

“I noticed,” Venti whispered back. “Do you want to focus on improving it?”

If this had been him in his prime, it wouldn’t have cut it. His teacher would tell him to try again, again, and again. But it wasn’t as if anyone was going to notice it, not to mention that the girls had to talk during the dance. It wouldn’t do if they were out of breath because they couldn’t get their dance quite right.

“We don’t have enough time for that,” Xiao settled on. “Honestly, as long as they don’t have two left feet, it would look perfectly presentable.”

Venti sighed. “You and your fancy words. You can just say that it isn’t worth working them for the bone for that little fluidity. It looks fine as it is.”

Maybe a little foolishly, Xiao had assumed Venti knew nothing about dancing. But he noticed the crinkling of his nose as he said it looked ‘fine’. “You know more than you let on,” Xiao said, a little hurt that Venti had kept it from him.

“Ehe,” Venti said, feigning innocence. “I know very little about ballroom dancing, but I did ballet for ten years.”

“And you let me take the lead?” Xiao hissed, feeling his throat tighten a little. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“You’re doing great,” Venti said. “Like I said, I’m not a ballroom dancer, and you’re a great teacher.”

They ran through the rest of the script, which was just a couple of scenes. There were still mistakes, forgotten lines, delayed light changes and props that had a mid-moving meltdown. But overall, it was a great practise round. Weeks ago, Xiao wouldn’t have expected to even come this close.

“That’s it for today,” Venti called as everyone gathered. “Have a lovely break! Remember, let us know if you want to come to practice. We have permission to come here during the holidays, as long either Xiao or I am here.”

They had discussed it last night. Xiao didn’t celebrate Christmas, nor did he have anyone to celebrate it with. Venti would spend time with friends for a couple of days, but he, too, had few plans. Figuring not everyone wanted to go home for Christmas or didn’t celebrate it, they would open the doors for students who needed somewhere to go.

The students cleaned up their things—haphazardly—and left in a hurry. There were flights to catch, suitcases to pack and parents to call. It left Venti and Xiao to clean up the rest. Food wrappers, water bottles and many other items were overlooked in their haste.

“So, now we’re done, I want to ask you something.” Venti stood with his hands on his hips, a determined look on his face. “Dance with me.”

“Dance with you?” Xiao asked. The only people who he asked him to dance were Yanfei and Hu Tao at their own wedding. Partially because he had taught both of them privately, they could one-up on each other. That plan had failed miserably, but Xiao had gotten a good laugh out of it.

“Yes,” Venti nodded. “Though you’re downplaying your abilities, I think you’re good. You just need a partner who can keep up.”

“And can you?” Xiao said, knowing he was playing right into Venti’s hand.

Venti’s confidence wavered a little, his smile softening. “I don’t know. But I’ve picked up some things while you were teaching.”

It was that moment of doubt that made him agree.

The stage felt empty, with no students making background noise. There was no squeaking of sneakers on the floor or the laughter and cussing when something went wrong.

Venti put on music, and Xiao immediately recognised it. Sleeping Beauty Waltz. It brought him back to the video he had watched, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. He still wondered how the two were doing now and hoped they were doing better than him.

They took their position as the fast part played. Xiao took the lead, figuring that his experience helped with the slightly more challenging role. Usually, he followed due to the height difference, but Venti was actually shorter than him. Though it couldn’t be more than a couple of centimetres. 

As the fast part petered out, Xiao took the first step, guiding Venti along. Venti hadn’t lied when saying he had done this before. Not necessarily ballroom dancing, but he had a great sense of rhythm, and he was light on his feet. 

“You’re really good at this,” Venti said after a bit, sounding out of breath.

“Average at best,” Xiao managed to answer before the speed of the music increased. His sneakers squeaked on the floor, followed by the gentle clicking of Venti’s boots. Sweat stood on the back of his neck, and he felt his breathing grow shallow. He was really out of shape. With the students, he easily could keep up because they were inexperienced. But Venti kept up with him, which meant he could do nothing but keep pace with the music.

As the music came to an end, Xiao forgot all manners. He let go of Venti and sat down, hating how shallow his breathing was. He took deep, slow breaths and slowly managed to get everything back under control. Venti also had plopped down on the ground, his head wedged between his knees. His breathing was painful to listen to, making Xiao wonder if he did any form of sports.

“That was torture,” Venti wheezed. “I’m getting so old.”

After wiping his forehead with his sleeve, Xiao scooted a little closer, nudging Venti’s foot with his own. “It’s just stamina,” Xiao said. “The older you get, the harder it is to remain fit. Especially if you don’t sport often.”

“I stopped ballet when I was fourteen and never looked back. I hate physical activity.” Venti’s breathing had evened out a little, but his voice was still muffled from being directed to the floor.

Xiao figured that Venti and his friends could get along well. Hu Tao hated physical activity. She had lounged on the couch while Xiao was dragging her moving boxes up the stairs. “But then why did you want to dance and pick that song.”

Venti finally looked up. His face was red, sweat causing his forehead to reflect the light. “This was the last piece I played before… well, I was completely done. I did so many concerts, played so many pieces, and broke down one day. Soon after, I moved out, and I haven’t played since, well, recently. I thought it was fun to pick this piece, to reclaim it.”

“Physical torture?” Xiao asked, ignoring how easily the words could apply to him. Wherein his parents forced him to succeed in anything he did, he tried to be gentler with Chongyun. Not asking for perfection but hoping that Chongyun just tried his best. Praising that effort, making sure that Chongyun didn’t fall into the same hell he had. It was taking a thing that had scarred him and making it better. Reclaiming it, so to speak.

“Having fun,” Venti said. “And making my own choice. I chose to drag you to the dance floor, and I was allowed to be bad.”

Wiping away more sweat, Xiao realised that slowly by little, Venti was letting himself be understood. “You were fairly good.”

“Ha, I knew that I still had it in me,” Venti said. Xiao knew that Venti was quickly rebuilding his walls, shutting Xiao out. “But, let’s get going. I fear it won’t be much of a holiday for us.”

Xiao let Venti pull him up. His hands were clammy and hot to the touch but not necessarily uncomfortable to hold. They were calloused, something Xiao hadn’t expected. Venti’s fingers looked elegant and almost dainty.

“I’m spending my vacation doing work; I don’t do vacation.”

Venti let go of his hand, already holding on for longer than necessary. “Your help has been invaluable,” Venti said, suddenly serious. “I don’t think we would’ve made it without you.”

Xiao shrugged. “I’m just two extra hands.”

“No, not just that. Don’t you get it,” Venti stepped close—too close for Xiao’s liking. “You took the reigns and ran the show. I would still be floundering if it hadn’t been for you—my lack of experience obviously showed.”

Xiao knew that Venti had been put in a rather tricky position. He likely just had to do the teacher’s bidding as an assistant teacher. But becoming the teacher meant he was responsible for everything, something he wasn’t hired for or had the necessary skills. Neither had Xiao, but Xiao had spent years teaching kids martial arts. It wasn’t the same, but it required the same organisation and discipline.

“You did take the difficult step to ask for help,” Xiao said, stealing the words right from a speech that Zhongli had given him many times before.

A curious expression crossed Venti’s face. It was almost an expression of guilt, though it didn’t make sense. It wasn’t as if the whole thing was scripted. “Don’t you have a bus to catch?” Venti said.

Checking the time, Xiao realised that he had to hurry to catch the bus. “Shit,” he cussed. “I’ll see you later.”

Xiao left, feeling like he was missing something. But he couldn’t wrap his head around it, and upon sitting down on the bus, he was too tired to even think about it. He was glad that Venti would have the weekend shift, so he could spend two days doing nothing but sleeping. Maybe that would clear things up.

***

Though Xiao didn’t celebrate Christmas, he had to admit that Mondstadt knew how to celebrate it. Xiao looked in awe at the busy Christmas market Zhongli had recommended. He had picked one of many plazas the market held, only having to follow the sound of Christmas music and loud chattering.

There were stalls upon stalls standing right next to one another, selling different wares. Christmas lights twinkled merrily, giving off a warm, golden glow. An enormous Christmas tree stood in the centre, towering above the buildings.

Passing a merry-go-round, he looked for a stall that had food that either looked edible or familiar. There were a lot of foods with marzipan, something Xiao thought was an acquired taste he didn’t have. He eventually found a stall that sold hot, non-alcohol beverages. It wasn’t food, but at least something warm.

“Do you have any tea?” Xiao asked upon reaching the stall.

The stall owner, a young lady, seemed a little surprised at his request. “Drinking tea on Christmas night?” she asked.

“I… don’t drink,” Xiao admitted, a little shameful. He had tried but never cared for it.

“You’re the first student that comes here for tea. Most of my customers are parents of young children or young children themselves.”

“I’m not a student,” Xiao muttered as he took out his wallet. One day, he would look young enough to not be mistaken for a student. “Do you have anything sweet?”

As he was served a paper cup, the sweet scent of Oolong tea hit him right in the face. Taking a sip, he likes the soft, fruity taste, fitting in with the warm light and the smell of sugar in the air.

With his cup of tea tightly wrapped in his hands, Xiao looked at the stalls from a distance. He wondered if he should bring Zhongli something. He never had been the one for trinkets, but he knew that Zhongli liked them. It was just a matter of figuring out what he should get.

As he inspected some very Christmas-y mugs, he felt someone tap on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he caught a glimpse of very familiar eyes.

“Hi,” Venti said, sounding out of breath. “Didn’t expect you to be here.”

Xiao shrugged. “I can say the same. Don’t you have Christmas to celebrate?”

Realising they were taking up space at the stall, Xiao guided them to a little less crowded spot. Venti was, for once, dressed appropriately for the weather. He wore a brown woollen coat, jeans that actually covered his ankles, and his face was partially hidden by a green scarf and beanie.

“I don’t really have anyone to celebrate Christmas with, and my friends and I celebrated it yesterday. So I figured I might as well see the market now I have time.” Venti shrugged. “You don’t seem the market-type either.”

Xiao had no real good reason. “It sounded… fun, I guess. It isn’t like I have much to do, and this seemed like a good opportunity to find trinkets to bring home.”

Venti’s eyes lit up. “I know this place like the back of my hand. Follow me.”

Though Venti knew the market well, they spent more time standing at the sweets stands than looking for trinkets. Venti’s lips were coated with sugar when Xiao had pried him away.

“Now I know exactly why I don’t go,” Venti said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Thankfully, he had taken off his gloves, or it would be even worse. Not that Xiao was a prime example of manners.

There was something about that statement that didn’t strike true to him. He never had seen Venti act odd around food, so either there must be another reason, or Xiao was overthinking.

“Now, let’s actually find the trinkets. I don’t like staying here much after nine.”

Xiao bought a hand-painted nutcracker and two ugly, very obnoxiously Christmas mugs. Not only were the mugs practical, but he could also imagine the reaction he would get. Yanfei’s attempt to not look disgusted and Hu Tao’s utter glee.

“I feel bad for your friends,” Venti said, watching the stall-owner wrap the mugs. “They are very… seasonal.”

“What else was I supposed to buy, food that expires in days?”

“I don’t know—it isn’t like I’m good with presents,” Venti said. “I never know what to give Wren, and we’re twins.”

Xiao’s poorly formulated and nonsensical answer died on his lips as he spotted two familiar figures. Bennett and Razor stood a couple of stalls over, holding hands and looking very cosy. He felt like intruding, though this was a very public space.

“The one thing I regret about teaching,” Venti said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Xiao felt discomfort at the words, not quite able to pinpoint it. “I can’t go out anymore, or I risk running into students.”

The unease faded. “It can be worse,” Xiao remembered Chongyun’s call about hiding hickey’s from his family—as if they didn’t know already he had a boyfriend. “Did you know they were dating?”

Venti nodded. “I thought it was obvious.”

“Not quite,” Xiao admitted. “I thought they were friends until I realised they live together, and Bennett wears Razor’s sweaters.”

“You can be observant yet blind,” Venti teased, taking him by the elbow and heading in the other direction.

“It just takes time,” Xiao grumbled. “It took me three years to figure out that my pupil had a crush on his childhood friend, but at least I knew it sooner than he did.”

Venti’s laugh was unrestrained and boisterous, and Xiao thought it was very charming.

Venti’s laugh died down, and Xiao’s gaze was met with a quizzical look. “What?” Xiao asked.

“Nothing,” Venti said. “Let’s continue exploring; there is much more to see.”

***

Xiao had felt a little off the last few days. It might be exhaustion finally catching up, or it was the holiday cheer he didn’t share with others. Whatever it was, it had made him a little jumpy. He already had knocked over a water bottle and had misplaced his keys twice. It must be obvious because several students had asked if he was okay.

“You know, we all appreciate that you and Venti keep the school open for us, but you look rugged,” Xinyan said, plopping on the seat opposite Xiao’s.

“Just exhaustion,” Xiao mumbled. “You kids are a lot to keep up with.”

It was a poor lie. A dozen or so students showed up at most, and most of them just slumped into a chair to study. Others propped laptops on the rickety tables and spent their time gaming or watching TV shows. Xiao barely had to do anything, which might be the issue. Though a few worked on the play, it clearly wasn’t their priority. He didn’t like doing nothing, and unlike his class of children, these were all adults that knew how to behave themselves.

“It’s almost over,” Xinyan said, a note of sadness in her voice.

The words caught Xiao off guard. It was indeed almost over. He had booked his ticket for the twelfth of January, which was still two weeks away. But they would have their opening show on the fourth, and from there on, it was over. No more practising, costume fitting or even prop making. It was all heading towards an end, and Xiao didn’t really want to leave.

“I know,” Xiao said. “Maybe I can catch up on sleep.” He knew that his smile looked pained, fooling no one.

“We’ll miss you,” Xinyan said, making a sweeping gesture around the room. “You and Venti really have a fun dynamic. This is my first year here, but I heard from others that the theatre club never have been more popular.”

Xiao felt a little discomfort at that remark. He still felt like a fraud, knowing very little about theatre and not having the same passion for it as the students. “I’m glad I could be of service,” he managed to say.

Xinyan rolled her eyes, sighing deeply. “You’re awful at accepting compliments,” she said, getting up. “But I’m serious. If you ever consider a career change, maybe teaching is your thing.”

Xiao’s protest died on his lips, realising that Xinyan wasn’t wrong. When younger, Xiao never wanted to be a teacher. He felt uncomfortable around younger children, and he had always felt like he was inadequate for teaching older students. After all, there was a reason work had put him in charge of the young ones, wherein his skill level didn’t have to be high. Just enough to teach the basics. But, he enjoyed teaching little kids and Chongyun, and now this. Though he was exhausted, he had loved his time in Mondstadt.

These thoughts were followed by a shiver of fear. He was turning into Zhongli. If Guizhong had been alive, she would have laughed the loudest when he told her that. When he was younger, he told her he thought that Zhongli was boring for becoming a professor. How the tables have turned. Here he was, ready to leave the remains of his career behind to work with students. Not necessarily becoming a professor, but something more fulfilling.

As if summoned by Xiao’s thoughts, Xiao’s phone screen lit up with Zhongli’s name. It was surprising, as it seemed that Zhongli had disappeared from the face of the earth. Xiao had a sneaky suspicion he might be seeing someone. 

“Could you keep an eye on the group?” he asked Xinyan.

“Sure,” Xinyan answered.

Xiao picked up his phone and left their table. It was unnecessary to put Xinyan in charge. They were all adults here, and he doubted that they could host a party in the time he was gone. Though, knowing Zhongli, it could be a while. Nonetheless, he didn’t expect them to break down the building by the time he had returned.

He stepped into the unoccupied dressing room and pressed the ‘call back’ button. It was just two rings before Zhongli picked up, likely expecting Xiao to be free to call.

“This is Zhongli speaking,” Zhongli said, ever being stupidly formal. Of course, this was Zhongli because Xiao was calling his mobile number.

“Hi, you called?” Xiao asked, leaning against the wall to make sure he was comfortable.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for not keeping in touch; I’ve been… busy,” Zhongli said. He heard someone snigger in the background, confirming Xiao’s suspicion. Zhongli had finally found someone else. “But I remembered that your play is happening soon; when is it again?”

“We have the first show on the fourth,” Xiao said. “Though technically, it’s the final rehearsal. Then it’s a full week, one more weekend, and that’s it.”

“Give me a moment to discuss this.” Zhongli did not cover his phone, making it easy for Xiao to follow the conversation. “The play is on the fourth. Is that doable?”

“Figuring I’m not going to Snehznaya for New Year, I’ve all the time.” The second voice was obviously male and sounded somewhat young. Xiao was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Zhongli to go for someone much younger than him.

“I’m back,” Zhongli said. “I would like to come on the fourth if you don’t mind. Could you send me the details?”

“Okay.” Xiao checked his email and made a screenshot of the flyer Venti had sent him. A graphic design student had made it for him, making it better than his and Venti’s combined effort. “I’ve sent it to you.”

“Got it,” Zhongli confirmed.

Xiao had started to pace the room, hearing the second voice making him a little agitated. He trusted Zhongli, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was a student. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Zhongli said, obviously still in a good mood from whoever he was currently seeing. That was good. Though Zhongli had moved on, the sadness always had lingered. Seeing someone else could make it better.

“How old is he?” Xiao asked.

“He? What do you—oh.” Zhongli paused.

The quiet made Xiao uneasy. Had he overstepped a boundary?

“Ajax is twenty-eight,” Zhongli said. “We met recently; he’s a wedding planner.”

The answer was surprisingly short and to the point. Zhongli’s answers were nothing but long-winded and almost whimsical. He was surprised that Zhongli never attempted to write a book or try poetry. To Xiao, it meant that Zhongli likely had thought about this repeatedly.

“That’s great,” Xiao said. “Not that I know this guy, but I’m glad you found someone.”

“Me too,” Zhongli said. “Do you have time? I can’t imagine you’re very busy with the university closed.”

Xiao cracked open the door, seeing what was going on. Nothing had changed. The only thing was that he still had to go to the local Lidl and get some lunch. But it was a short walk, and it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit later. He had learnt that students liked free food; timing didn’t matter much.

“I’m looking after a few students, but I have some time. They’re very well behaved,” Xiao said, once against closing the door.

“Great, so, how have you been doing?” Zhongli asked.

“I’m fine,” Xiao said, lying through his teeth. He was well, but there was just something off. But he didn’t want to discuss it with Zhongli, as he expected well-meaning but useless advice. “How have you been? How did you meet your guy?”

Xiao felt guilty for knowing Zhongli so well. Not wanting to talk about his own problems, he knew that all he had to do was redirect the conversation. Zhongli liked talking about things he loved, whether it was an opera, a bit of history or a memory.

Zhongli spends quite some time recapping his wedding-planning escapades. It sounded like he had a blast, and maybe, it was a good thing that his current partner was a bit younger. He would keep Zhongli on his toes and give him reasons to be excited and curious by the sound of it.

“I have to go,” Xiao said, realising that they were nearing lunchtime. “I have to fetch food, and I rather not be there during lunch.”

It was a tip Venti had given him. Don’t visit the Lidl between twelve and one, or risk standing in line behind dozens of or-so students. Apparently, the fresh bread department was a popular location among the students.

“Understandable. But isn’t the school to be closed?” Zhongli asked.

“It’s a long story; I’ll tell you later, okay?” Xiao asked.

“I’ll let you know when we drop by,” Zhongli said. “Can’t wait to see what you’ve done.”

Xiao ended the call before he could say anything, worried that he would say something dumb like ‘I hope I won’t disappoint’. There wasn’t anything to be disappointed about. It was just a play, exactly what he told Venti. It should be fun, and there is no reason he should worry about what his old coach thought about it. Yet, he feared for the day that he would see Zhongli’s forced smile, telling him it was good.

***

Xiao had opened the balcony door, gently leaning against the railing. The children below already have been setting off small fireworks, the parents looking on from afar. The sky was still mostly empty, though the clear sky promised good views of the fireworks.

The street below got busier as they were nearing midnight. A few kids waved at him and beckoned him to come down, but Xiao shook his head. He liked being up here. He had a better view, and he didn’t have to socialise. It was fun to experience a different kind of New Year for once, though he longed to be home.

The larger fireworks were shot in the air as the clock hit twelve. The sky lit up with bright colours and explosions, sparks gently falling back to the earth. There were cheers from downstairs, parents hugging their children and spouses. Others give each other gentle pats on the back, congratulating each other for making it another year.

Xiao felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Expecting a message from Zhongli, he was surprised to see it was from Venti. Xiao hadn’t even thought about wishing him a happy new year.

 Venti’s texting style was obnoxious and loud, a large contrast to Zhongli and Chongyun’s typing style. Xiao figured it was a ‘happy new year’ message between the many emojis and unnecessary characters.

“Idiot,” Xiao muttered, replying with ‘new year is in over a month’.

Venti reacted fairly fast. It started with a ‘haha’, which Xiao figured wasn’t an actual laugh and was followed by ‘maybe i should visit liyue to see what all the hype is about’.

Xiao stared at the text, feeling a little off about the comment. It took him a bit to reply, unsure how to react. He answered with ‘it’s better than New Year here’.

Instead of texting back, Venti decided that calling was the best option. Xiao got back inside, locked the door behind him, and accepted the call.

“You’re calling our New Year bad?” Venti said in greeting.

“Yes,” Xiao said. “We end our new year celebration with the Lantern Festival, which is always a grand undertaking. I think it’s a bit like the Christmas markets here. That alone is better than this, and we still have other things before that.”

He heard Venti huff a little, and he could imagine him pouting. “Yeah, well, you better back up your claims.”

Xiao realised that Venti was asking him to spend time together in Liyue. Xiao swallowed nervously, wondering if he should agree or not. He didn’t mind the idea of keeping in touch with Venti, but bringing him to the Lantern Festival was a big step.

He could hear Yanfei scold him, telling him to ‘never say yes or no immediately’. It was perfectly alright to come back to it later. “Can I think about it?” Xiao settled on.

Venti laughed. “Of course you can; I expected you would say no.”

The thing was, he often said no to people. Unless he knew them well, he had no desire to spend the entire day with them. But he figured that he knew Venti well enough by now to not feel uncomfortable spending time with him.

“It isn’t a yes,” Xiao said, his protest weak. “But, I’m heading for bed, if you don’t mind.”

“Even if I would mind, I doubt it stops you,” Venti said, his attempt at sounding serious failing miserably. “Off you go, you old man; you clearly need your beauty sleep.”

Xiao sighed. “Venti, you’re older than I’m. Not to mention, I think I need a lot of sleep to make a difference.”

Venti let out a strangled grunt. Xiao figured he just did not like being called old. It turned out that Venti was a couple of years older than him, almost thirty. It was unfair how little he aged; he barely looked older than his early twenties.

“Go to bed,” Venti said. “A friend has been trying to call me; talk to you later.”

“Good night,” Xiao said.

“Good night.”

Chapter Text

“Where’s the ladder?” Xiao asked, looking around the backstage area.

“I think the other group has it,” one of the students in charge of light and sound said. The student was red in the face, his eyes frantically darting around. They were running behind on schedule, and one of the lights had been acting up. “Is there another one?”

Another student, holding the new light bulb, shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

Xiao looked up at the rafters. It should be doable to get up there if someone boosted him up. “If you can lend me a hand, I think I can get up there.”

“Is that safe?” the first student asked.

“Not likely, but it will be fine,” Xiao said.

After stuffing the equipment in his sweatpant’s pockets, Xiao let himself be boosted up. He easily reached the first bar of the rafters. Pulling himself up, he grabbed the second bar to sit down on the first bar. Once having a good grasp of the second bar, he started to climb up. He reached the walkway that led to the pesky light. His landing on the walkway was feather-light, the steel barely rattling.

“Which light was it again?” Xiao called, looking down at the two tiny figures below.

“The one on your left,” the second student called. Xiao noticed that the first student wasn’t looking up anymore, his face hidden behind his hands.

Making sure to pull the plug on the large spotlight, Xiao started to unscrew the lid of the lamp. The bulb looked burnt, the clear glass tainted brown. Removing the bulb, he pocketed it and screwed in the new one. After putting the lid back on, he connected the lamp back to the electrical network.

“Try it!” he called.

The second student darted off, and a minute or so later, the light shone brightly again. Seeing as his job was done, he started to climb down the rafters. Once reaching the final rod, he gently dropped back to the ground.

“It’s done,” Xiao said. “You can uncover your eyes.”

The student finally removed his hands from his eyes. He had grown pale, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. “I think I just lost three years of my life,” he mumbled. “But good job. I think they need help with the props.”

After handing the tools back, Xiao headed over to where the students were putting together the background for the first couple of scenes.

“Xiao, perfect timing. We need extra hands here.” 

Xiao spent the next half hour holding large pieces in place as more minor details were added on with the help of a nail gun. Most of them weren’t wearing safety glasses, and at times, the guns came awfully close to someone’s finger. This felt very irresponsible, but Xiao just had climbed up rafters without aid, so he figured that none of them was being responsible. With so little time left, efficiency was essential.

Most of the background was assembled by the time Venti showed up, standing with his arms crossed. None of the students even paid attention to him, and Xiao only raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement.

“I hope they can miss you,” Venti said. “I need to borrow you.”

One of the students’ heads snapped towards Venti. “No, you can’t have him; we need him.”

Venti’s eyes, which usually were very friendly, narrowed. “I’m willing to take someone else. Do you have anyone who you can miss to do makeup?”

“I…” the student looked over the rest of her crew. “We still have to do some touch-ups, so I only can spare some of the guys.”

Xiao was whisked away by Venti, clearly being the most expendable one. He was shoved into the dressing room, being greeted by two of their actors and one harried-looking student in charge of makeup.

“Found your servant,” Venti said. “He knows the basics about makeup, so he should be serviceable.”

Serviceable sounded a little rude, but he let it slide upon seeing Venti’s harried look.

“I’m Mila,” the makeup artist said. “Klara called in sick, and Lilly has exams in…” Mila checked her phone. “Five minutes. Could you start with Bennett? I’ve printed out instructions, just in case.”

Bennett smiled nervously at him as Xiao scanned the instructions. It wasn’t particularly complicated, so this should be doable.

“I actually know what I’m doing,” Xiao said, picking up the darker shade of beige Mila had recommended. It made sense, seeing how bright the stage lights were. Anything better than Bennett looking like a ghost. “At least, I think so.”

Bennett squirmed a lot during the application process, making Xiao happy that Bennett’s makeup requirements were minimal.

“Is the lipstick necessary?” Bennett asked, sceptically eyeing the tube Xiao was holding.

“It’s to warm up your face a little,” Xiao said, parroting Mila’s instructions. “Now, hold still; we’re almost done.”

Once done, Bennett fled the room. Mila was still working on Fischl, tongue peeking from between her teeth as she applied eyeliner.

Xiao checked outside the room, spotting Mona sitting in a chair reading a study book. She was already dressed in her garb; an oversized, billowing coat with a hood and a dark-purple dress with bell sleeves. The sleeves created the movement to an otherwise fairly stiff costume.

“Mona, you’re up for makeup,” he called. He saw the last-year student lookup, surprise flickering over her face.

As soon as she sat down on her stool, Xiao went to work. First, he clipped her hair back. It was currently in a knot, which wasn’t the final look they were going for. But hair was a finicky thing and was, according to Venti, usually saved for last.

“Where are Klara and Lilly?” Mona asked as Xiao started to apply the foundation.

“Sick and exams,” Xiao explained. “So I fear you’ll have to do with me.”

“I’ve seen you with your own makeup,” Mona said, closing her mouth as Xiao’s sponge came dangerously to her mouth. For hygiene’s sake, they didn’t reuse sponges. “I get why Venti asked you to fill in.”

He was surprised that Mona had noticed. They hadn’t seen each other often, with Mona mostly working with Venti. Not to mention that Xiao didn’t have the time or energy to put on makeup every day. It was a rare thing, when he felt awful and had slept little.

“I’ll do my best,” Xiao said.

The basic makeup was the same. The slightly darker foundation, the concealer underneath the eyes, the warm brown colour in her eye-creased. But the contouring was a bit sharper, and the eyeliner, too, was sharp and crisp. It gave her a more severe look, especially compared to Barbara’s soft makeup.

“How did you learn to apply eyeliner? A girlfriend?” Mona asked.

She sounded a little awkward, which was just fine with him. It wasn’t as if he was any better. “A female friend. She hates putting on eyeliner, so she forced me to learn how to do hers.”

“Eyeliner is a bitch,” Mona said. “You have one lucky friend.”

“I guess,” Xiao muttered. He never had thought about it like that. He always felt lucky he had friends, and they stuck with him, so he never had thought it was also the other way around.

Once finished with Mona’s makeup, it was Barbara’s turn. Mila was now doing Noelle’s makeup. As Noelle played the queen, she had to look a little older. This was something that was far beyond Xiao’s skill level, so he was stuck with the easy makeup.

Barbara talked for two as Xiao did her makeup. Xiao was relieved when he was done, sending Barbara on her way. His back was killing him, and he felt sweaty in his sweater. The room was too cramped for two people to run around, trying to apply makeup as good and as fast as possible.

“Good work,” Mila held her hand up for a high-five the moment Noelle had left. Xiao awkwardly returned her high-five. “I swear, I don’t know where Venti has found you, but I can’t wait for the next semester.”

Xiao sudden realised that they didn’t know. They thought that Xiao was a permanent addition to the crew. “I won’t stay,” Xiao admitted. “I’m returning home soon.”

Mila’s smile dropped. “Does Venti know?”

“Of course he does; why shouldn’t he?”

“Nothing,” Mila shook her head. “Let’s see if the rest still need help; I think we’re about the start.”

It was chaos outside the room. Minutes before the play started, everyone ran around to get the last things working. The head of the props waved him over, pointing at the mechanism used to open and close the curtains. There was already a student on the other side of the stage, ready to open the curtains. He walked over there, waiting for his cue. As the music started, Xiao pressed the button to open the curtains.

The noise from the audience increased, and peeking from backstage, he noticed that the room was decently filled. Mostly fellow students, by the look of it, but also family members and friends. He at least counted five different elderly couples.

Xiao caught the first words of the opening act, in which Venti played the court-jester. The court-jester was the voice of reason and the narrator in the original play. Venti had decided that he would just be a narrator, sitting on the side and telling the story. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even hear Bennett’s first words before being whisked away to help with moving the props.

Before he knew it, the play had ended. Xiao was a sweaty mess; his arms ached from all the pulling, pushing and shoving he had done. The moment the play had ended, the crew started to cheer.

“Xiao, Venti wants you on stage!” one of the students called above the noise.

Before he could protest or ask, several students were ushering him onto the stage. The spotlights were bright, making him squint. As he peered ahead, he saw that the public was still there. Looking over his shoulder, he saw several students making ‘move forward’ gestures.

He walked forward, meeting Venti’s expecting gaze. Venti threw an arm around his shoulder when he came close enough, pulling him close. “Of course, I couldn’t have done it without all the students, but this play wouldn’t have been done if it wasn’t for Xiao. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime. I think applause is in order.”

Xiao wanted to do nothing but hide. The noise was deafening, and he felt like his face was set aflame. He would kill Venti the moment he got the opportunity. He didn’t like the limelight and having people stare at him. His childhood had been filled with people scrutinising his every move, and he didn’t need that right now.

Venti said several more things before he called it a wrap. The curtains closed, and Xiao felt the tension in his body melt away. Venti’s arm was still thrown around his shoulder, resting comfortably.

“I’m going to look for Zhongli,” Xiao muttered, ducking to escape Venti’s arm. “I’ll be back soon.”

Venti shook his head and made a shooing motion. “Take your time; we aren’t in a hurry.”

Xiao found Zhongli and another guy standing close to the stage. Ajax wasn’t what Xiao expected. He wasn’t Liyuen. From his clothing style, Xiao would guess he was from Snezhnaya. He was as tall as Zhongli, with messy ginger hair and blue eyes. He also looked to be several years older than Xiao, though they were the same age according to Zhongli.

Zhongli looked the same as always, though his clothes were new and his eyes crinkled with the smile he wore. It had been a while since he had seen a genuine smile from his old coach.

“Hi,” Xiao breathed, fanning his face in the hope he didn’t look as flustered as he felt. “I’m glad you came.”

Zhongli’s amber eyes lit up. Before Xiao could protest, he was pulled into a hug. His breath caught in his throat as he pressed his face against Zhongli’s chest, hugging him back. He hadn’t realised how much he had missed home.

“I’m so proud of you,” Zhongli said, gently stroking his hair. “You did so well.”

Xiao sniffed, hating that he felt tears well up. “Thanks.”

***

Xiao called Venti, leaning against the school building. Venti picked up after the third ring, which was much faster than Xiao ever did. His phone usually was, well, somewhere. In reach when necessary, but usually somewhere tucked in a bag, silenced and hard to find.

“Is something wrong?” Venti asked, sounding slightly panicked. “Did public transport fuck you over?”

“Nothing like that. I arrived home and realised I had forgotten my keys backstage,” Xiao lied through his teeth. His keys were neatly tucked into his jean pockets, but Venti didn’t have to know that.

He heard Venti sigh. “I can fetch them and bring them to you. It will take a while; Kaeya’s place is quite out of the way.”

“I would appreciate it,” Xiao said. “And I can wait. I still have to do groceries anyway.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in an hour, I hope,” Venti said, ending the call.

Xiao pocketed his phone and entered the building. Though he hadn’t a key himself, one of the students managed to borrow a spare one, with the promise they wouldn’t make a mess. Entering the backstage portion, the students froze in place.

“Ten minutes!” Xiao called.

There was even more scrambling. Colourful garlands hung from the rafters. The rickety tables were covered by paper tablecloths, making them look almost decent. A few tables were filled with foods and drinks, which honestly were just a collection of sugary sodas and junk food.

The students had found bean bags which they had spread across the space. Someone had found a display on wheels and had attached an old console to it. The screen read ‘Mario Party 8’ with cheery music playing. There were also board games spread out on the tables, ensuring there was something to do everywhere.

“Go outside and lock the door,” one of the students hissed, gesturing to the door. “Make sure he doesn’t show up unannounced.”

Xiao returned outside, the chill biting his exposed skin. Blinking a couple of times, he realised that something white was falling out of the sky. He held up his hand, watching it melt on his hand. Was this snow?

He watched the snow fall out of the sky, the white glistering in the moonlight. He was caught off guard as someone walked up to him, coming out of nowhere.

“Why are you here?” Venti asked.

Xiao looked away from the night sky. Venti was still dressed too light for the weather, his cheeks and nose ruddy from the cold.

“I figured I could meet you halfway,” Xiao said, shrugging.

Venti nodded and unlocked the door. They stepped inside, and Xiao let the door fall close, the clang quite loud. Venti flinched, and Xiao muttered an apology. If the students hadn’t heard this, he wasn’t sure what else would work.

Xiao followed Venti, ensuring that Venti was the one opening the door. Bright lights lit up the small hallway, followed by the loud noise of popping party-poppers and loud, out of sync cries of ‘surprise’.

Venti stood frozen in the doorway. Xiao gently pushed him ahead, and Venti stumbled into the room, turning his head to meet his gaze. His turquoise eyes shone with mirth, his grin bright and lighting up his face.

“I can’t believe you guys,” Venti said, entering the throng of theatre students.

While Venti socialised with his students, Xiao managed to slip away and curl up in a beanbag. They had decided to take the Wednesday off from the play, especially with half of the actors having exams that day. Nonetheless, Xiao was exhausted. He had spent over an hour hanging flags and garlands from the rafters. It felt as if he hadn’t had a break since the New Year celebration. He had been wrong, thinking they wouldn’t have to do anything else once the shows started. He was worn at the end of each show and sleeping in only helped little.

“Found you,” he heard someone say, sitting on the edge of the beanbag. “It’s funny how you almost blend in with the beanbag. If you just dye the rest of your hair black, you could be like a chameleon.”

Xiao turned around, catching Venti’s gentle eyes. “Yeah, well. There is no alcohol, so unless they try to get drunk on cola, I doubt I really have to keep an eye on them.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Venti said. “Now, scoot over. There is enough space for two.”

Though there were plenty of beanbags left, Xiao wiggled away to make enough space for two small adults. Venti slid in next to him, their sides touching.

“Shouldn’t you be partying,” Xiao asked, stifling a yawn. “It’s your party.”

“Listen, I know you’re a big grandpa, but I left most of my party days behind. I can’t handle all this energy, not to mention, it also should be your party.”

“For what? I just helped out,” Xiao said, meaning it. He didn’t want the attention; he was just happy he had managed to do something valuable and fun during his forced time off.

“You know you didn’t just help out.” Venti’s attempt at bumping shoulders was ruined by their close proximity. “I’m not sure I could’ve done it without you.”

“You’ll have to,” Xiao whispered. “I leave, remember?”

Venti sniffed. “Please don’t remind me. I think the group will be inconsolable.”

“Then you better make sure you find a proper replacement for me. There are surely many people who can do better than I.”

“Probably,” Venti admitted. “But I actually like working with you. Of course, plenty of people are capable of teaching, maybe more so than you and I. But we work well together, and I feel like we didn’t disappoint the students.”

Xiao sighed, looking up at the colourful flags hanging above him. How did he deal with words like these? He never had been someone’s first choice. He switched from coach to coach until he stuck with Zhongli. His parents had picked his career and study over his well-being. Even Yanfei and Hu Tao had picked each other over him, though that was an unfair comparison. He never wanted to date either of them, and they never stopped including him in their life.

A shadow suddenly loomed over them. Looking at the newcomer, he saw Fischl standing in front of them, hands on her hips. “This party is for you guys, and you return our kindness by doing what? Disappearing? Get up.”

After quite a struggle, they managed to get out of the beanbag. Xiao smoothed down his flattened hair, hoping it wouldn’t look too bad.

“Your hair looks fine.” Venti took him by the elbow, dragging him to where the group of students had gathered. It seemed they had stopped in the middle of their board games, so Xiao wondered what would happen.

“So.” Fischl clasped her hands together. “This party isn’t just for Venti.”

Venti let out a soft gasp, clutching his chest. “I feel betrayed.”

Some students sniggered while others rolled their eyes, used to Venti’s antics.

“Xiao, we’ll miss you dearly, and we got you something to make sure you won’t forget us.”

It was Venti who conquered a gift out of nowhere. It seemed that the two of them had kept the party secret. These students truly were a piece of work.

Expecting something like wine, Xiao was surprised at feeling the soft package put in his hands. The gift paper was plain, telling him nothing about the present. Under the watchful gaze of the students, he ripped open the present.

It was a sweater. Xiao unfolded it, seeing that it was the school logo and name. The fabric felt soft, and there was a large pouch at the front, so it would at least be practical.

“Check the back!” one of the students shouted. “It’s the best part.”

Turning the sweater around, he noticed that they had added custom lettering to the back. ‘Honorary stage director’ it read in big blocky letters. Below these words was a list of job titles. Most of them were silly, like apprentice electricians and wannabe makeup artist. Xiao’s eyes lingered on the last one. ‘Just two extra hands’, it read. He recalled telling Venti that, figuring that he was just that. Just another person.

“Thank you,” Xiao said, choking up a little. “I appreciate it.”

Appreciate wasn’t the right word, but he couldn’t come up with anything else. He held the sweater close to his chest, glad that it wasn’t a bottle of wine.

He got several personal goodbyes and even hugs from students. Some even burst into tears, sniffing as they said their goodbyes. Xiao felt overwhelmed, not understanding the distress or tears. They knew him for a month-and-a-half, at most. He knew many people who wouldn’t shed a single tear once he stepped out of their lives, and they had known each other for much longer. He grew up with some of them, yet they wouldn’t even bat an eye if he resigned.

Eventually, he was being dragged away by Venti, telling the students that he needed Xiao for something. They stepped outside in the cold. Xiao shivered. Snow crunched underneath his boots, the shimmering flakes still falling from the sky and coating every surface.

“You seemed like you needed a breather,” Venti said, seemingly unbothered by the cold.

Xiao leaned against the brick wall and let himself slide down. Burying his face into his legs, his sweater, he took deep breaths, trying to get rid of the shakes. He wasn’t often overwhelmed, but it just had been too much. What had he done to deserve this? He knew it was a joke, but he was just an extra pair of hands. He didn’t do anything that anyone else wouldn’t do.

Venti sat down next to him, willing to risk the cold of the snow. Xiao already disliked snow, no matter how gorgeous it was. “You’re crying, aren’t you?”

“No,” Xiao muttered.

“Sure,” Venti said, bumping their shoulders together. “You act all tough, but you’re just a big softy. But you deserve it. You put so much into this project, and for what? You didn’t even get paid, and you don’t know us. You could’ve walked away but stayed.”

Xiao looked up a little, blinking the forming tears away. Venti glowed in the moonlight, snow glittering in his dark hair. “I did it for selfish reasons.”

“So? We all do selfish things,” Venti said. “You somehow ended up here for a vacation and couldn’t have been more grateful for meeting you.”

Xiao leaned against Venti, leeching off his body warmth. There was something comforting about his presence, and right now, he rather stayed outside and be cold than return inside. He feared he would start crying, and he wasn’t ready for that.

“See, a softy,” Venti said.

“Oh, shut up.”

***

Xiao had arrived with the intent to help the crew fix a large prop that had a meltdown last night. However, upon arriving, several students ushered him to the stage. He found Venti sitting on the edge of the stage, holding something. Unlike Bennett, he had opted for proper lighting.

Manoeuvring past several bigger props, Xiao sat down next to Venti. He noticed that Venti was holding a letter. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just got this invitation for the university’s 125th-anniversary celebration,” Venti said, waving the letter.

“And the issue is?” Xiao asked.

“They want me to be part of the concert,” Venti said. “However, I don’t really play anymore.”

He knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but he didn’t tell Venti that. Because if someone asked him to give a demonstration, he would flat out say no. He was done with that part of his life, and no big opportunity would sway him.

“You’re a good pianist,” Xiao said.

Venti huffed a little, offering Xiao a sombre smile. “I’m actually a violinist; my brother is the pianist.”

It was only now Xiao noticed the violin case lying next to Venti. Though Venti had mentioned the violin before, he hadn’t realised that it was Venti’s main instrument. He had assumed it was the piano.

“You’re probably a good violinist, too,” Xiao said. “You know you don’t have to do it, right? It’s a request, not a demand.”

Venti sighed. “I know. It could be fun, but I don’t know what to play. What do kids these days listen to?”

Xiao shrugged. Most music-related things went straight over his head. He often enjoyed whatever was on.

“You had piano classes, right?” Venti asked, shuffling a little bit closer. “What was your favourite piece?”

In the half-year he had classes, madame Ping had taught him several pieces. He hadn’t hated any, but there was one he genuinely liked. It had been a relatively easy piece, one he had been familiar with before.

“It’s a short one, and you might not know it since it’s a Liyuen piece.” Xiao still remembered the keystrokes, though it had been years. It was the first piece madame Ping had taught him. “It’s called Lovers’ Oath.”

Venti’s ah was soft and filled with surprise. “I actually do know that. Wait, let me try.” Venti got up and took his violin and violin bow out of the case.

Xiao remained seated, craning his neck so he could see Venti. He wore a large, green cardigan that almost looked like a cape. He wore a white blouse underneath, tucked into brown pants that cut off a little too early, showing off colourful socks and comfy sneakers. Xiao couldn’t imagine him as a professional violinist, but maybe he had a skewed view of professional musicians.

The violin sounded airy and gentle; the notes were familiar. Xiao softly hummed along, the music bringing back memories. Commonly used in children’s toys, one Guizhong owned when she was young, Zhongli had commissioned a music box for their wedding. A wooden platform with flowers that spun as the music played. It stood proudly on Zhongli’s desk, almost more precious than any other wedding gift.

The violin stopped, and Xiao realised that he had an audience. Venti was looking down at him, his eyebrow pinched in worry. “Was it that bad that it made you cry?”

Embarrassed, Xiao wiped away a couple of stay tears. He never realised how much he had missed Guizhong. She, together with Zhongli, had taken on the role of his parents. But he never had realised how much he had needed the love and affection until now when he finally had the chance to stop and think.

“No, it was fine. It sounded good,” Xiao wrinkled his nose. “I guess I miss home a little.”

Venti put his violin and bow back into the case and sat next to him. He didn’t know what personal space was, but Xiao found it strangely comforting right now.

“Yeah, well, I’ll miss you too,” Venti said, leaning his head on Xiao’s shoulder. “I’ll think about you when I play this for the anniversary concert.”

“Are you sure this one is fine?” Xiao asked, looking at the several rows of chairs. “It’s simple.”

“They can take it or leave it,” Venti said.

“Rude.”

Venti sighed. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too,” Xiao admitted, almost not believing himself. He never wanted to be here, and now he didn’t want to leave. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was actually wanted and needed. He wondered if he would make a difference back home.

***

Venti didn’t like visiting Angel’s Share. Though Diluc kept the place clean and well-cared for, the smell of alcohol always lingered. He had sent Xiao to fetch his things, though that had turned into a disaster. But he knew that right now, Diluc was the only one physically and emotionally available. Kaeya, while having returned, was staying at Rosaria’s place. He had his own stuff to figure out, so they were obviously off-limits. He would have to schedule something with Jean, and right now, he just didn’t have the time to wait two weeks. So Diluc it was.

He took a deep breath and pulled open the door. The bell rang, and Diluc looked up, a cold expression on his face. Venti knew that the pub was still closed and that he wouldn’t be the first one entering without permission. Diluc’s expression shifted from annoyance to concern the moment he spotted Venti.

“Take one of the booths,” Diluc told him before disappearing into the back.

Venti took one of the booths, ensuring his back was turned towards the bar. Keeping an eye on his phone, he ignored the background noise. Nonetheless, he knew that Diluc was blocking off the bar from view with heavy curtains. There were more noises before Diluc took the seat opposite of him.

A glass of apple juice was placed in front of him. Pocketing his phone, he took hold of the glass, and he pressed his nose against the rim and inhaled deeply. Sugary, apples and foremost, no alcohol.

Diluc placed a couple of candles on the table and lit the wick. Looking at the label, he saw that the candles were rose-scented.

“You have rose-scented candles?” Venti teased.

Diluc shrugged. “Valentine’s day is coming up. You’re my test subject.”

Though the Valentine’s day excuse was feasible, Venti knew that Diluc had lit them for his sake. To get rid of the stench of alcohol.

“What brings you here?” Diluc asked. He was resting his chin on his hands, looking as dapper as ever. Venti believed that half of the visitors came here to ogle at Diluc and his well-fitting clothes. “You avoid this place unless you notify me beforehand.”

Venti wanted to wrinkle his nose and pout, but as he tried to speak, he felt his bottom-lip tremble and tears sting in his eyes. “I’m an idiot,” Venti said his voice breaking. “I told myself I wouldn’t do something stupid and fall in love, yet here I’m.” He sniffed. “Why can’t I just be friends with other guys?”

Diluc let out a sigh. “I’m not surprised. Xiao seems like a nice guy.”

This isn’t what Venti had hoped for. Diluc was always the voice of reason, and he would tell Venti that it wouldn’t be worthwhile. Once again, he was rushing into things and making up scenarios in his head. He wanted to hear these things because it would give him a reason not to try.

“But it’s a bad idea, right?” Venti asked. “To pursue this. I don’t think long-distance relationships are for me.”

“Distance hasn’t held you back before,” Diluc pointed out.

Venti shrugged. “But this is different. I’m older, wiser…”

“And this isn’t just a fling,” Diluc concluded.

“I wish it was.” Venti wrapped his fingers around the glass. “I don’t know why this time it’s different. I’ve had men who were better company, who made me feel special. But Xiao makes me feel…”

Seen was the answer. The good and bad, Xiao had seen it all. He had seen Venti’s struggle with picking up the slack and had decided to share his burden. Though Xiao had his reasons, he didn’t have to stay. But he did. He had allowed Venti to persuade him into playing the piano and indulged in Venti’s sudden desire to dance. It was never with reluctance, as his exes, but with a sigh and a small smile. Xiao made him feel like he didn’t have to hide who he was because he had seen it all. 

He caught Diluc’s expecting gaze. He figured that he had to answer, though he didn’t want to. It all felt very personal. But he came here to air out his feelings, so he had no choice but, to be honest. “Seen. I don’t have to be anyone else but me around him. I fear that I’ll lose that, whenever I confess or not. He returns home tomorrow, and though we had a good time, why should he stay in touch? He has his own life there, and likely, he will quickly forget about me. Like a summer fling, but in the winter.”

Diluc shook his head, looking agitated for the first time since this conversation started. “You’re already giving up by assuming the worst. Maybe he wants to cuts ties in the future, which would be unfortunate. But you should at least give it a shot. You gave all these good for nothing exes a shot, so why shouldn’t Xiao deserve one?”

Because it would hurt more if Xiao didn’t stay. “I fear he’ll break my heart.”

“And him leaving won’t break your heart?”

Venti bit his lip, realising that Diluc was right. It would hurt like hell if he never heard from Xiao again. He would be heartbroken nonetheless, so he might as well try to make it work.

Chapter Text

Xiao never dreaded leaving home because he knew he always would come back. Even when going to Mondstadt for his forced vacation, he knew he would return to Liyue. He could pick up his life and continue as if nothing had happened.

Yet, here he was, waiting for his flight several hours too early, wishing that his flight wasn’t for another week or two. Though he hated Mondstadt the moment he set foot in there, now he didn’t want to leave. Not because he loved the city, but because he loved the people. The students whose final show he wouldn’t be seeing and Venti, who he knew he was going to lose. He doubted that Venti cared enough to keep in touch on a regular base. Maybe once a month or on important dates, like holidays or birthdays. But they wouldn’t have their daily discussions, and he would sorely miss that.

Xiao sighed and took his phone out of the hoodie pocket, ignoring that this was the ‘honorary stage director’ hoodie. The rest was dirty, as he had refused to do laundry. He opened his chat app and opened the group chat with him, Yanfei and Hu Tao.

‘Could anyone call me?’ he texted.

Yanfei called him less than a minute later. Xiao couldn’t say he was surprised; Yanfei was glued to her phone. Mostly due to her work, she was easy to get hold of. He accepted the call, putting his earbuds in.

“Hi,” he greeted her.

“Hi,” Yanfei replied. She sounded a little out of breath. “What’s wrong? You never ask us to call you.”

Xiao looked at the flight schedule, seeing his flight standing at the bottom of the list. Tomorrow, there will be another flight, just like next week or the week after. And his work could wait. He still had vacation days, and getting fired wouldn’t be the worst.

“You don’t have to pick me up tonight,” Xiao told her. “I’m staying here a bit longer.”

“You’re not coming home?” Yanfei asked.

“Not right now,” Xiao said. He slouched into the uncomfortable chair, sandwiching his suitcase between his legs. “I… met someone nice, and I fear if I leave right now, I’ll lose him forever, whenever it’s as a friend or more.”

Yanfei, a well-accomplished attorney and generally the voice of reason, squealed like a teenage girl. “Hu Tao isn’t going to believe this! She will be so jealous that I heard it first. Take your time to sort things out. We’ll pick you up whenever you’re ready to come home.”

“Thank you.” Xiao glanced at the departure board, seeing that his flight had climbed up one spot. “I… how do you know if you love someone?”

“I can’t say that romance is my expertise,” Yanfei admitted. “For me, it happened gradually. Hu Tao slowly turned into my number one. When a case got me down, she was there to make me laugh. I could always lean on her, and eventually, I realised I wanted to have her there forever. Of course, I think she’s gorgeous, even upon first meeting her with her mascara running and dirt streaking her hair. But for me, eventually, it was her personality that made me fall for her.”

There was one thing that Yanfei mentioned that stood out to him. “It wasn’t immediately obvious?”

“Not for me. I think Hu Tao liked me from the get-go, but it took me a while to realise.”

“Oh,” was all Xiao could say. All the time, he had just assumed that his friends were normal in that regard, that they would pity him if he told them about his predicament. “I’m the same, I think. But both ways.”

Yanfei let out something that sounded like a muffled cough, but it might as well be a sigh or laughter. “I’m sorry, but I kinda thought it was obvious, with how you hated every date Hu Tao arranged for you.”

“I think I’m just bad with romance,” Xiao admitted. “It wasn’t until last night that I realised that I don’t know where we stand, and I wanted to know our future.”

“Then why are you still here?” Yanfei asked, obviously smiling. “Go do your thing. Heavens know you’re the only one who wouldn’t postpone a confession.”

Though his martial arts career had left him scarred, there was still one thing he remembered; trust your gut. When in the heat of a fight, muscle memory was all you had. When lying awake and realisation dawned upon him, he realised he had to talk with Venti. Not run away and hide, but talk it out. “Would you be so kind as to tell Hu Tao? You can send all the blame my way.”

“At worst, I’ll be stuck sleeping in the guestroom tonight,” Yanfei said. “Good luck, and let me know how it went.”

“Thank you,” Xiao said. “It’s silly, but I needed to hear that.”

Yanfei laughed. “That my wife bans me to the guestroom?” she teased. “But I’m serious; I’m happy that you managed to figure things out for yourself, that this trip isn’t as bad as you thought it would be.”

He wondered what would’ve happened if he never had gone to Mondstadt. Had this trip changed him? Or was it bound the happen anyway? “Otherwise, I might have come home sooner.”

***

His poor suitcase was screaming for retirement. Mondstadt’s cobblestones, while pretty, were horrible for the plastic wheels and the cheap plastic casing. Despite it being Saturday, the university campus was fairly crowded. Navigating the crowd, Xiao started to circle around the main building until the smaller building in the back came into view.

Though he wasn’t sure if Venti was there, it would be the first place he would look. With the play still running, Venti likely worked backstage, helping students put on the finishing touches if necessary. Though, it still might be a little early for a Saturday. Lunchtime was just approaching, which was the normal time for students to wake up at the weekend.

He saw no familiar faces as he left the crowd, nor did anyone he knew to head towards the smaller building. A few students were standing outside chatting, with the weather being surprisingly nice. Gone was the snow, thankfully. Though beautiful, it was cold and unpleasant to traverse.

The door was unlocked, which was a good sign. At least someone was there, someone with a key. He passed the familiar storage closets and boxes, which were even messier than when he had arrived. Pushing open the second door, he entered the backstage area.

Though he had been there yesterday, it felt like years. Maybe because he had expected to never return, and he had mentally said goodbye. A few props which required fixing were standing there, but otherwise, it was devoid of life but for a lone figure sitting at a table.

The door closed behind him, the loud thud alarming Venti. Xiao caught Venti’s surprised gaze, knowing not what to do but awkwardly wave. Maybe, skipping his flight was a bad idea; it likely made him look desperate.

Venti almost threw his chair on the ground in haste to get up. Xiao felt his heartbeat increase drastically as Venti almost ran to him, pulling him in a very tight hug.

“What about your flight?” Venti asked.

Regaining his bearing, Xiao hugged Venti back. His hair had a sweet floral smell to it, tickling Xiao’s nose as he pressed it against Venti’s neck. It was a surprisingly nice hug, with Venti being just the right height and the right level of softness. He also didn’t try to strangle Xiao, as Hu Tao liked to do. “I didn’t go,” Xiao admitted.

“Why?”

Xiao swallowed nervously. “I laid awake all night, realising that this might be the last time I’ve seen you, and I didn’t want that,” he explained. “I don’t know if I love you, but I love being with you if that makes sense. I wanted to give us a fair shot.”

He let go of Venti, not wanting to make him feel trapped. Venti’s face was scarlet, his pupils dilated to make his already bright eyes look even bigger. He moved his lips, but there were no words. Xiao felt his own cheeks heat up, realising that this might not have been the best decision. Was this a confession? He had explicitly mentioned it could be non-romantic, but still, maybe Venti thought—

Venti threw his arms around Xiao’s neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Xiao let out a noise that sounded like a squeak, entirely caught off guard. Instead of kissing back, he froze, his brain trying to find the manual for ‘kissing’. It probably was somewhere underneath a cupboard gathering dust.

The kiss ended rather quickly. Panic flitted across Venti’s face. “Shit, that wasn’t a love confession; I’m sorry.”

Xiao was, admittedly, a little dazed. “I, uh,” he shook his head to clear it. “I had worse kisses than that. It’s more like, I just don’t know, and I don’t want you to be disappointed if this leads to nothing.”

Venti stepped forward, their noses almost brushing. It was reminiscent of one of their earliest encounters, though this time around, Xiao didn’t feel the need to step back. Venti’s rough fingers slid against his jaw, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “I can’t say I’m all that well versed in romance either. I’ve had relationships, but never serious ones. I never had someone come back for me.” Venti’s words fell apart in the last sentence, sounding uncharacteristically fragile.

“I’ve never been in a relationship before,” Xiao admitted, placing his hand over Venti’s. “So take care of me.”

They jumped apart as someone cleared their throat. Venti’s startled expression relaxed, which made Xiao look over his shoulder.

He wished it was a student, but it was unmistakably  Venti’s twin brother. It wasn’t hard to see the resemblance between the two brothers. They had the same facial features, the same lines around his eyes, the same dimples, and they had a similar hairstyle.

“Weren’t you supposed to arrive next weekend?” Venti asked, pulling Xiao to his side. It was less awkward, though Venti’s twin was still glaring at them.

“The booking company double-booked my seat. They allowed me to pick another flight,” Venti’s twin answered. “So I decided to say hi. I didn’t expect you to cosy up with a student.”

Xiao wanted to sink through the floor. He should start growing a beard, even if it looked patchy. Anything to stop being mistaken for a student.

“I’m not foolish,” Venti said. “Xiao’s my co-worker.”

“Oh,” Venti’s twin’s eyes widened a little, his lips forming a cheeky smile. “You’re him.”

Xiao wondered, with fear in his heart, if this was a good or bad thing.

***

The two weeks flew by, and though Xiao still didn’t want to leave, he had made peace with it. He simply couldn’t stay here forever, not with his job back home and him currently sharing a guest room with Venti’s twin brother. Admittedly, Wren wasn’t home a lot, so more often than not, Xiao just had the room for himself. But there were still things he hadn’t told Venti, and he wanted to tell him face-to-face and not over text.

“I don’t like serious talks,” Venti muttered, nibbling a cookie he just had baked.

It turned out that Venti did bake a lot. Especially when he was stressed. Xiao might have put on a couple of kilos with how much food Venti had pushed in front of him.

“Me neither, but I think it’s important,” Xiao said. He and Yanfei had texted each other quite a bit the last week, with Yanfei giving him well-meaning advice. The one she kept on telling him was to tell Venti about his past. Not in great detail, but what was needed for Venti to understand him a little better. “Should I start?”

Venti nodded.

“At the age of nineteen, I won the gold medal in the Teyvat-wide martial arts competition,” Xiao told Venti.

Venti stopped nibbling his cookie, processing the words Xiao just had said. He almost looked sheepish when he finally opened his mouth. “Wait, you were the best in the world?”

Xiao nodded. “At least, at that moment. I’ve been practising martial arts since I was four. My life was martial arts, from being home-schooled to following a strict training schedule and diet. I knew little else. However, months after winning gold, I got an injury, and it went downhill from there.”

He watched as Venti processed the words. Venti’s eyes lit up as if he suddenly added two-and-two together. “You seem physically fine,” Venti said. “What happened?”

Venti already knew. From the way he spoke, Xiao was convinced Venti already knew what he was going to answer. This meant that likely, Venti had a hunch about what had happened in Xiao’s life. “I recovered from the injury, but it took a while, and I wasn’t able to pick up from where I left. My parents complained that I wasn’t trying hard enough, that I was just being dramatic. But I was just so tired. Not physically but mentally. The years of pushing myself past my limits caught up with me. I stopped, moved out, and stayed with Zhongli before I started college. After that, I started to work for the club where I trained at. It’s… doable, I suppose.”

Venti wasn’t just nodding and humming along to be polite. Xiao saw it in his face, how his eyes had grown sad at times, or how there was a flash of recognition when Xiao mentioned him being tired. Recalling the little bit Venti had told him about his music career, he wouldn’t be surprised if something similar happened to him.

“Thank you for telling me,” Venti said, stuffing the rest of his cookie in his mouth. “It probably explains why you’re such a workaholic,” he laughed. “Or why you can’t accept a damn compliment.”

 He wanted to say Venti was spouting bullshit, but he wasn’t lying. Being taught that nothing but perfection was accepted, it was hard to accept mediocrity. But it was unrealistic, and foremost, it wasn’t needed. Though his performance at the theatre club was mediocre at best, it had been enough.

“I guess it’s my turn to tell you about my tragic backstory,” Venti sighed. “Though, it isn’t all that different from yours. ”

Venti took out his phone and spent a while browsing. Then, he showed Xiao a photo. It was a boy and girl, the two looking alike. They both wore what seemed like expensive and very stiff clothes; the neckline of the girl’s dress was very high. The boy had short, black hair, while the girl’s hair seemed to go on forever. Xiao wouldn’t be surprised if the boy was Wren, though much younger. The girl, on the other hand, he didn’t know. Venti had never mentioned a sister.

“Wren and your sister?” Xiao asked, nervous about the answer. Maybe Venti never told him about her because she wasn’t there anymore.

“Me and Wren,” Venti said. “I was born a woman. My mother was over the moon. She had her perfect little girl, who she could dress up and flaunt at parties. Like you, I started to learn the violin at a very early age. And the piano and many other instruments. Ballet too. To become the perfect daughter, though neither felt achievable. I didn’t hate being a girl, but I looked at Wren, and I was like, I want that.”

Venti showed him another picture. Gone was the girl’s long hair, now as long as her brother’s. The dress was switched for a blouse and slacks. If Xiao hadn’t seen the previous picture, he would’ve guessed both were male.

“Though my parents could control a lot of my life, not everything. I got Wren to cut my hair and stole his clothes,” Venti smiled fondly at his phone. “Once I got accepted into college, I stopped making music, changed my name and started to live my life as a man. I’ve never looked back since.”

Xiao wasn’t sure where to begin. He hadn’t realised how similar their upbringing had been. Though, it might be the reason why they worked so well together. He never once thought Venti’s strive for perfection or becoming overwhelmed by things was odd. Everyone got overwhelmed at some point, especially when having to put on a production with little to no experience.

“I apologise for springing this on you,” Venti said, completely misreading Xiao’s silence. “I know you have little dating experience, and I have no idea how you’re feeling about, well, this.”

“I… I shouldn’t say I don’t care because I do care, but things change very little for me. I’m attracted to men, and for me, you always have been a man. And, uh, there is also something else I still have to tell you.” Xiao was fiddling with a coaster, unsure how to explain it. He had been so relieved that he could adore someone on a romantic level that he hadn’t realised yet that the supposed ‘desire’ never had come. One moment, he felt almost normal, and the next, he realised he was still different. “It takes me a while to warm up to people, whenever it’s romantic or platonic. But it always has been about the connections I formed and not necessarily the physical attraction. I never had someone that made me go, ‘oh, I want to have sex with them’. You’re actually the first person I even wanted to date. I know the timing is awful, but you being trans has nothing to do with it. I just don’t want you to feel undesirable because I’m…  not quite normal.”

Venti frowned. “There is nothing wrong with being asexual. It isn’t as if you need sex to survive.”

Xiao shrugged. “I know, but at times, I feel like I can’t offer what seems like an essential part of a relationship. Maybe it will come with time, but I don’t know. Right now, I’m mostly just indifferent towards sex.”

“So my attempts at dazzling you with my good looks have failed?” Venti asked, batting his lashes.

“I was more worried that you got yourself sick by wearing too-short pants.”

Venti’s laughter was infectious. It sounded very sincere, helped by the way Venti’s face had lit up. Xiao smiled, feeling like a heavy load was lifted from his shoulders. He had worried that the lack of sexual desire would make him unwanted. Venti was a good looking man, and Xiao was sure Venti could find someone who was happy to have an emotional and sexual relationship with him. But despite that, it seemed that Venti still wanted to be with him.

“No way in hell I’m letting you go,” Venti said, wiping away tears. “Not literally, but it has been a while since anybody made me smile this much. My other friends try, but your honesty is endearing.”

Xiao realised that Venti was complimenting him. Though Yanfei enjoyed his honesty when she needed a second opinion on work,  he tended to avoid being too blunt. He knew that it made people uncomfortable, even more so than his scowl. But Venti never expected him to be anyone but himself. Xiao just had to be Xiao, and that’s enough.

“Now, I’m going to make pie because I’ve been stressing over this forever, and I want you to try my killer Schwartzwalder Kirsch before you leave,” Venti paused before adding. “Without the kirsch.”

***

Xiao wanted to ruffle Chongyun’s hair, but with Chongyun being over a head taller, he settled on patting him on the back. Third place was nothing to sneeze at. Chongyun might not have natural talent, but he worked hard.

“Good job,” Xiao said. “This means they might even want you to compete Teyvat-wide. You’re still young enough.”

Chongyun looked down, his cheeks flustered. It was just the two of them, Xingqiu keeping Chongyun’s parents entertained.

“I, uh, I’m not staying here,” Chongyun admitted, sitting down on one of the folding chairs Xiao had put on the sidelines. “Xingqiu and I decided to spend our last year of college as transfer students. Xinyan had such a good time that she convinced us to at least give it a shot. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I kept postponing it. I’m sorry.”

Xiao sat down next to him. “Nothing to be sorry about; it’s your choice,” he said, unable to stop himself from smiling. It was quite the coincidence. “Fortunately, this is my last day on the job. I finally resigned, so you would’ve gotten another coach anyway. It saves them the hassle.”

Chongyun looked down at him, his pale hair flopping against his forehead. He was still sweating from the fight, a towel wrapping around his neck to catch most of the sweat. “You’re resigning?”

Xiao nodded. “Yeah, I was done.”

“I know I’m not supposed to talk myself down and all that, but I’m glad. I feel like you could’ve done so much more with someone more talented than I, but they just refused to give you someone. They didn’t appreciate you like they should,” Chongyun said, his flustered cheeks becoming redder by the second.

“I realised that,” Xiao said. He thought it was endearing that Chongyun still thought of him like that. Someone to be appreciated. But, Xinyan also had pointed out that Chongyun was a bit of a ‘fanboy’ apparently. “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’ve plans.”

“Plans involving someone from Mondstadt?” Chongyun asked, his smile a tad too innocent. Xingqiu was rubbing off on him in the worst way possible. Chongyun always has been a sweetheart, and now his boyfriend is trying to corrupt him.

“Maybe.”

***

Within a month of dating, Xiao had decided to schedule weekly meetings. It felt corporate, but he couldn’t keep up with Venti’s wall of texts. It just took so long to answer, and it usually left him drained. So, every week, for two hours or more, they would just sit and chat and catch up. Venti still texted him, and he texted back, but it was much more manageable.

“You look excited,” Venti said upon joining the call. “Did the viewing go well?”

Xiao nodded. “The apartment looked nice, at least from what they showed on camera. It’s still a fixer-upper, but even with the renovation costs, it’s still cheaper than the comps in the neighbourhood.”

Venti frowned; a crease appeared between his eyebrows. “How many renovation shows did you watch?”

“Just a couple,” Xiao said, pushing his extensive research out of sight. “I’m going to discuss the price with Yanfei and Hu Tao, but likely, I’ll put in an offer tomorrow.”

“I can’t believe you’re coming here.” Venti stretched lazily, the hem of his t-shirt riding up to show some stomach. Despite the sunny weather, Venti was still fairly pale. Xiao had gotten several sunburns from being outside already and now at least had a tan.

“Yeah, well, you like your job, and I’m currently jobless, so it was easier for me to make the move.” It wasn’t just that. He had no reason to stay here. Yanfei and Hu Tao were married and busy with their lives. Zhongli finally had someone new, and even Chongyun was leaving.

“Still, I’ve missed you.” Venti’s smile wasn’t as wide as usual, but it was very soft. “I really want to hug you.”

Xiao felt flustered at Venti’s comment. It was just hugging, but it was something he really enjoyed. Venti never made it uncomfortable, nor was he too clingy. Admittedly, they hadn’t seen each other in over a month, neither having the finances to travel between Liyue and Mondstadt.

“Anyway, there is also another job I’ve been applying for,” Xiao said, feeling all the more nervous. When Xiao had said he was thinking of coming to Mondstadt, Venti had been excited. But this was different and more serious.

“Another job?” Venti raised an eyebrow. “You’ll be giving martial arts classes, take a course at the university, and you need to renovate your new apartment. I’m already worried I won’t ever see you again, and now you’re thinking of taking on another job?”

Xiao nodded, feeling a little more secure in his decision. “Yeah. I saw that they needed part-time assistant teachers at the university. Though I have no teaching degree, they said my experience giving martial arts classes should be enough.”

“That’ll make us co-workers.” Clearly, Venti approved of this plan. “For which department? I thought I heard the martial arts department needs a new assistant teacher.”

“Theatre department, if you’ll have me.” Xiao paused for a moment. “And if they give me the job.”

“You want to work with me again?” Venti asked, his disbelief mixed with laughter. “Remember, the upcoming project will be ambitious. Princess Academy was such a big success that we decided to do the same thing next semester.”

“You know I’m supposed to work for like, 20 hours or so?” Xiao said.

“And will that ever stop you?”

“No.”

“Thought so,” Venti’s smile had yet to leave. “But, if you get the job, I think the students are happy to see you again.”

“If I get the job.”

“Yeah, well, I could put in a good word for you,” Venti offered.

Xiao shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll try it myself. The job is there just for additional financial security.”

“Okay, let me know if you need help nonetheless. Now, I’ve been browsing my bookshelves, and I might have an idea for the next play.”

Xiao was quite sure that this was the tenth time he had come up with an idea. However, he didn’t mind. He rather heard it from Venti directly and did not see the wall of text with ideas he had.

“So, have you ever heard of Cornelia Funke?”

Xiao shook his head.

Venti grinned. “It’s almost sacrilege not knowing her, though you aren’t a Mondstadter, so you get a pass. Anyway, let me explain what I was thinking…”

Xiao took the notebook labelled ‘Venti’s ideas’ from the top of his stack, opened it, and started to take notes. Venti tended to have a burst of inspiration and immediately forget what he just had said. So Xiao had offered to take notes.

“My only issue is that’s mostly children’s books,” Venti said after a while. “Maybe we should do something more adult?”

Xiao finished his last notes and looked up. “You could offer them a week to make submissions, then make them vote which idea they like the best. You can just add your ideas into the mix to make sure you at least have something doable.”

“But what if they hate my ideas?” Venti asked.

Xiao sighed. “I think, traditionally in theatre, you do more traditional plays. So you always can do something like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet.”

“But those are boring,” Venti protested. “I want them to do something fun, not having to do their nth iteration of Romeo and Juliet, though, maybe…”

Scribbling ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on top of a new page, Xiao listened to Venti coming up with an entirely different version of what was supposed to be a classic tale. Not that Xiao was too well-versed in the play. It was just that ever since he started dating Venti, he had been trying to learn more about theatre. Just so he understood the basic story concepts and wasn’t stuck scratching his head or having to look it up afterwards.

“We have to gender-bend the characters unless we get many more male actors. Still, it has potential. Though I think Thief Lord also could be fun.”

Flipping to the front page of the notebook, he added ‘Thief Lord’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to the list. He hoped that there were decent movie adaptations. He still had to watch the Pride and Prejudice movie, and there were still others on the list. Though Venti’s mind was brilliant, and listening to him brainstorm was wonderful, there was a lot to keep up with. Likely, he didn’t even have to get the job to be roped into helping out the theatre club. Though it would be nice to get paid this time around.

***

When applying to work for a martial arts school in Mondstadt, Xiao had no hidden agenda. He just wanted a job, and the school had a job opening. But upon getting the job for teaching, they also offered him a coaching job to test him out. An exchange student would be staying in Mondstadt for this year, and the school figured they would be a good fit.

Only when seeing Chongyun’s name, did Xiao connect the dots. The senior teacher, a middle-aged woman with cherry-red hair, had just smiled. He knew they hadn’t accepted him to just coach Chongyun, but it was a nice added bonus. Likely, Chongyun had a fair shot at winning gold in the local competition.

The same senior teacher was now accompanying him to meet Chongyun. Though Xiao was in the know, Chongyun wasn’t. Though, there were no hard feelings if Chongyun wanted another trainer. Xiao could imagine that he was sick of him by now.

The senior teacher brought in Chongyun, who froze in the door frame upon spotting Xiao sitting in the chair.

“This wasn’t planned,” Xiao said.

“No, it wasn’t,” the senior teacher said, taking the seat next to Xiao. “But I figured you might like your old coach back, and seeing as we have him anyway, I figured I at least could give you the option.”

Chongyun took the seat opposite of them, looking a little unnerved.

“You’re allowed to say no,” Xiao offered. “I don’t mind.”

“I’m thinking,” Chongyun muttered.

Tapping his chin, Chongyun seemed to take a long time to make his decision. Though Xiao said he didn’t mind, it would hurt a little. But they easily could assign him another student, or he would stick with just teaching. His schedule was busy as it was.

“Xingqiu would call me an idiot for saying no, so consider this me saying yes,” Chongyun said, his cheeks growing pink upon mentioning his boyfriend.

“Perfect,” the senior teacher said. “I’ll leave you two to figure out your schedules; Xiao already has the competitions for this fall.”

Though everything about the place itself was unfamiliar, them working together wasn’t. Though he had been willing to work with someone else, it was much easier to work with someone familiar.

“So, you’re working here?” Chongyun asked.

“Obviously,” Xiao said. “You’re attending Mondstadt University?”

Chongyun nodded.

“Already picked a club to join?” Xiao asked, cross-referencing their own schedules and the competition schedule.

“Xingqiu wants to join the book club,” Chongyun said. “But books aren’t really my thing. I considered the martial arts club, but since I promised my parents, I would do competitive martial arts while away, that isn’t an option either.”

“You could always try theatre?” Xiao suggested.

“Theatre?” Chongyun asked. “Why theatre?”

“Because that’s my club.”

“I’ll pass,” Chongyun managed to stammer.

Xiao laughed, shaking his head. “I hadn’t expected any less, though you’re always welcome.”

Chongyun looked at him with an odd expression. Xiao couldn’t figure out why and didn’t care enough to spend time worrying over it. He had dinner with Venti in two hours, and he rather not be late.

“Getting back to the schedule, what’s your goal for this year?”

Chongyun bit on his bottom lip. “Xingqiu would say, ‘just have fun’.”

“And you?”

“I want that gold medal.”

Xiao noted down ‘gold’ on top of the schedule. “Gold it is.”

***

Xiao was slightly offended that, apparently, sweats weren’t proper teaching attire. Fortunately, a pair of black, well-fitting joggers and a T-shirt were accepted. Though it was just September, the Mondstadt weather was getting a bit chilly. He wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to the weather here.

Pushing open the door, he noticed that the storage space was still poorly organised. Maybe he would ask Venti to finally get some students to do the sorting and re-organising. Or he would do it with Venti and just clock it as his working hours.

The backstage area looked exactly the same, though there were several new, young faces, and the clothes were summery. There were girls in shorts, skirts and dresses, while most men had opted for shorts. Though they ranged from knee-length shorts to ‘are you sure this isn’t underwear’.

“Oh, hi Xiao,” a student said upon spotting him. Xiao recalled he had been the one who taught Xiao how to use the drop saw.

“Nice to see you again,” Xiao said in greeting.

Venti had told him he would be somewhere around here, but Xiao couldn’t find him anywhere. Maybe on the stage? Likely.

“Wait, did you say Xiao?” he heard someone say. The whispers grew louder, and suddenly, half the crew was looking at him.

“You’re back!” A student jumped up from her chair. It took him a few seconds to recognise Barbara. Gone were her pigtails, replaced with a short bob. But her clothing style, a ruffled, white dress, was the same. “Guys, Xiao is back!”

Soon, Xiao was being crowded by many familiar faces. Overwhelmed and flustered, he realised that Venti must have forgotten to tell them. He never had meant it as a surprise.

“Sir, are you the new assistant teacher?” one of the students asked.

“I, yes. I guess Venti has forgotten to mention it.” Xiao looked around, finally spotting Venti. His partner looked like a deer caught in the headlight, his gaze moving from Xiao to the exit.

Fischl, who hadn’t changed at all, made her way through the crowd and stood in front of Xiao like a shield. With her hands on her hips, she was likely glaring at the crowd. “Guys, he isn’t a zoo animal. Just wait for Venti to introduce him.”

Fischl offered him a wide grin before the crowd dispersed. Venti slunk up to him, taking him by the waist and leaning closer. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”

Xiao sighed. He turned his head a little to nuzzle Venti’s cheek. Though he now lived in Mondstadt, they hadn’t managed to see each other often. It was nice to see him, though he would’ve appreciated it if he hadn’t been swarmed by students.

“Okay, everyone, gather up,” Venti called.

Xiao wondered what Venti was planning. They had agreed that their relationship wasn’t a secret, but they were going to keep it professional in front of the students. Venti holding Xiao by the waist was far from professional.

“I, foolishly, forgot to mention who our assistant teacher will be,” Venti said. “This is Xiao. He’ll assist us with our play for three days a week. People from last year might recognise him helping out with our Swan Lake play. Also, he’s off-limits.”

Venti let go of his waist, creating distance between them. Xiao groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course, Venti had to make sure that everyone knew that they were dating. As if the students would actually date him.

“Well, hi,” Xiao said, feeling a little off-kilter. Students were looking at him with big smiles, and some whispered to each other. Their gazes flitted between him and Venti. “I’ll be the assistant teacher here for at least the upcoming year. I’m a martial artist by trade, though I have some crafting skills. I’ll take the lead on the organisation and timetables. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

He had expected polite clapping, not the loud cheering. He threw Venti a panicked look, but unfortunately, Venti was just grinning, watching Xiao squirm uncomfortably.

He realised that this was why he had made the decision to go back to Mondstadt. Upon returning home to Liyue, he had received a few ‘welcome back’, but most just had been relieved they could get rid of the additional workload. But here, the students looked genuinely happy to see him back. He wasn’t the best one for the job; he was sure other applicants had better resumes than him. But they were happy to have him back nonetheless.

“Thank you,” Xiao managed to say as the applause died down. “Now, let’s get to work. Venti, tell them about our planning.”

Venti took the spot next to him and started to go over the planning. They had spent several nights going over the plans, littering Venti’s apartment floor with cookie crumbs and notes. The sound of Venti’s dying printer was ingrained in his memory as they tried to get at least two physical copies of the play.

The students left once Venti was done with his explanation. Venti did little to hide his sigh of relief. He looked harried, his cheeks flushed red and hair messy from the many times he had run his fingers through it.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Venti said, waving at the leaving students.

Xiao shrugged. “It isn’t like you need me to be here. You’re fine on your own.”

“I know,” Venti said. “But I like having you here to fall back on. And you make prepping much more fun. It has been long since I laughed this much.”

“It seems you enjoy my suffering.”  Xiao ran his hand through his hair. “I hadn’t expected the glue to explode in my face. I’m sure it’s still there.”

Venti smiled at him, his eyes crinkling and dimples on full display. He ran his hands through Xiao’s hair, making it messier than it already was. “As fluffy as ever.”

To take revenge, Xiao did his best to mess up Venti’s hair further. Venti let out a squeal and tried to swat his hands away. Eventually, Xiao let him go. Black and turquoise hair flopped into Venti’s flustered face.

“You’re mean,” Venti pouted, pushing his hair out of his face. “Dinner is on you.”

They had agreed Xiao would make dinner today anyway, so it wasn’t much of a threat. “Okay. Should we get going?”

Venti almost hugged Xiao’s arm as he linked them together. “Lead the way.”

It was almost romantic if they wouldn’t step in Venti’s car that moaned and groaned as Venti drove it. Nor did it help that Venti still had to do groceries, and Xiao didn’t even have company while cooking because Venti had to clean up last night’s mess.

The kitchen was a mess, and half of the ingredients he needed were hidden behind baking supplies. He figured that if they ever would start living together, they would’ve to sort their organisation system. As he dug up some leftover chicken, vegetables and noodles, he heard music coming from behind. The song was foreign to him, though Venti immediately sang along.

Venti passed him a couple of times to put things in the bins. Xiao had to admit he surprisingly liked this. He wasn’t sure if it was romantic, especially with Venti occasionally cursing in the background and Xiao tearing the kitchen apart in his search for seasoning. But he could say it was comfortable, and honestly, that’s all he could’ve asked for.