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Night cloaked the land in its shadows as the full moon climbed higher in the sky. Xiao was out on patrol, just like every night. He'd set off in search of demons in the neighboring area. Demons loved to roam the lands at night and it was his duty to make sure to slay every one of them, protect the people at all cost, just like his contract to the Geo God stated. Night seemed to be when the demons were more active, appearing out of the shadows to cause chaos to innocent villagers or travel merchants camping outdoors. The cold air blew gently against his skin as he walked down the dirt road, on the hunt for demons in the area. He was just outside of a small village making his rounds. No demons were in sight, and the area seemed safe. He continued wandering to the edge of the forest, his mind preoccupied as he mindlessly wandered around. His thoughts went back to earlier that day at the inn.
Aether had come by the inn to visit and grab something to eat before he set out on his next commissions. Xiao didn't interact with him, only keeping watch from a tree branch. Making sure to keep his distance from the strange boy. Xiao's chest felt strange every time Aether was near. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. His heart was pounding in his chest the longer he stared at Aether. His smiling face as he ate his food and mingled with the hotel staff before he set off, his long golden hair left Xiao in awe. It was so shiny and bright, it reminded Xiao of the sun.
The feeling inside Xiao's chest was driving him mad and it only happened when Aether was around. When Xiao asked Verr Goldet about it she told him that it was because he was in love with Aether. After hearing that, Xiao thought that was ridiculous as he was an adeptus and that he couldn't feel human emotions let alone understand them. But she explained that humans and even adepti have hearts and the reason why his heart sped up every time Aether was around was because he had fallen in love with him.
'Why is he on my mind so much? Is it really true that I love Aether?' Xiao thought to himself. He kept his eyes down at his feet as he walked, something he normally never did, but his mind was so clouded with Aether's face, his voice and his beautiful smile.
Suddenly out of nowhere, a blood curdling roar filled the quiet night sky. The sound snapped Xiao out of his thoughts, and he realized that he was only feet away from a geovishap. But this was no ordinary geovishap as it was at least five times bigger than the usual ones that roamed Liyue and it had an unusual dark aura surrounding its body. The overwhelming aura sent chills down Xiao's spine as he looked the monster in the eyes. Xiao blinked and in a flash it charged at him full speed. It swung one of its armored claws towards Xiao. He managed to summon his spear just in time to guard against the first strike from the beast. He let out a curse as he skidded on the dirt and saw that the monster charged right at him again. Xiao dawned his yaksha mask and prepared for the next assault.
"Damn! This thing is fast!! I need to keep it away from the village!" Xiao told himself, he glanced over his shoulder to see the village in the distance. The residents surely sound asleep by now unaware what was happening nearby. Xiao needed to protect them at all costs.
The geovishap closed the gap in a flash. Xiao dodged it but was cut on the stomach by one of the sharp claws. The wound cut deep into his stomach. He let out a scream covering the wound with his hand. He gritted his teeth and jumped at the furious beast, summoning his anemo powers and slashed away at the beast with the jade spear until it came crashing down to the earth, causing the geovishap to hiss as it tried getting back up on its feet. Xiao took this opportunity and turned on his heels to lure it away from the village, the geovishap took the bait and chased after Xiao.
Hours passed, Xiao was struggling to hold his own against the geovishap. It was abnormally fast and far more powerful than any opponent he has faced before. He managed to lure it into a nearby cave far away from the village so he could concentrate, but his energy was starting to deplete the longer the fight dragged on. Even with his mask on, the geovishap was putting up a fight almost as if it was getting stronger by the minute and Xiao was getting weaker from drawing on the power of his mask. He needed to end this battle before it was too late.
'How is this thing so powerful?! I can barely dodge its attacks!' Xiao cried out to himself, frustration started to take over. 'Is it the power of the sealed gods mutating it?!' He thought to himself, clinging to his spear for balance as he slowly stood up to prepare for another strike.
Xiao was covered in deep cuts all over his body, blood staining his white shirt red. His entire body trembled in pain. His mask was starting to take its toll on his body. Sweat dripped down from his forehead, and his breathing was labored. At some point he must have cracked a rib or two when he got smacked by the geovishap's tail, which sent him flying and landing in the dirt.
Xiao got to his feet and readied himself. The geovishap was approaching, smoke billowing out from its nostrils. It was angry, blood seeping through its heavily armored body, a trail of blood left on the ground as it inched closer to its prey. Xiao managed to pierce its armor but it was not enough to bring it down. The ground shook the closer it got. Xiao's vision was starting to go blurry. He almost collapsed to the ground but used the jade spear for support.
Then an image flooded his mind. It was Aether's smiling face. Xiao's heart leapt at the thought that if this geovishap would defeat him it would surely cause chaos, Xiao knew all too well that Aether would cross paths with this monster and deal with it himself. A thought that terrified Xiao. More than anything he did not wish to see Aether get hurt for his mistake, it was Xiao's burden to bear and he'd do everything in his power to protect the boy he treasured most. Suddenly without warning the geovishap somehow disappeared and reamerged behind Xiao. The color from his face disappeared the moment he sensed it behind him.
Xiao turned his head to see the geovishap's mouth gaping open as it closed in on him. Xiao jumped out of the way, but it grabbed hold of his leg, sending him spinning as it sent him flying across the cave. Xiao let out a scream from being thrown, his vision spinning out of control. He had a difficult time regaining his sense of direction but then his body was slammed hard against the cave wall, leaving a small cavity behind him from the impact. Xiao gasped from the impact. He coughed up blood then screamed when he realized that he was now pinned by the geovishap's giant claw. Its mouth was inches away from his face. The smell of hot ash and smoke lingered under Xiao's nose, almost making him vomit from the horrible stench.
'Shit!! Not good!' Xiao thought. He gritted his teeth as he desperately tried to free himself, but the more he struggled the more the geovishap pressed him further into the wall, slowly crushing him. He could hear small pops and cracks coming from his body causing him to cry out in pain.
'Dammit...If i don't do something fast I'm dead and who knows how many people will be killed by this thing if I don't stop it! I gotta think of something and fast!' Xiao winced at the thought, then it struck him. 'Guess I have no choice... I need to transform in order to take this thing down.' Xiao stared into the eyes of the geovishap.
Xiao let out a chuckle and smirked as the air started to ripple and became dense. In an instant, a burst of wind shot outward, causing the geovishap to become dumb founded as to what was going on, backing away from the cave wall and releasing its hold on Xiao. Pieces of clothing fell to the cave floor. Xiao's human skin dissolved and his true form had emerged. In the shadows, the shape of an eagle-like bird stood in place where a human once was. He unfolded his wings and charged towards his enemy, striking the geovishap in its chest plate cracking it open causing it to let out a scream as it stumbled backwards in a haze.
The battle continued, but Xiao was faster and stronger in his true form, no longer limited to his human body. His speed and strength proved to give him an advantage. The geovaship was having a difficult time keeping up with his speed. He slashed out at the beast, using his anemo powers and talons to tear into the thick armor, blood spilling everywhere. Xiao kept up his assault, not giving the monster a chance to counter, doing his best to wear the beast down until it finally fell to the ground. It was panting heavily from the long drawn out battle and was slowly dying. Xiao landed next to it, his talons digging into the dirt beneath him.
"It's over..." Xiao rasped out, folding his wings into his body, his chest heaving from the long battle that had just occurred. Xiao's body felt numb from his injuries, his head was throbbing.
Xiao let out a huff and turned around unfolding his wings, he was about to fly off, when suddenly he felt something slam into him from his side. His vision went black and he could have sworn he heard a loud pop coming from one of his wings. He tumbled in the dirt for a few yards, landing flat on his stomach his wings spread out on both sides of his body. Xiao groaned once his vision snapped back, his head felt dizzy. Xiao lifted his head up a bit only to scream out in excruciating pain. The geovaship had stomped down on his right wing causing an extremely horrible pain to erupt through Xiao's body. A loud snap was heard and Xiao knew right away his wing was broken.
'This thing doesn't know when to give up!' Xiao cursed inwardly. He was on the verge of passing out from the pain. He panicked when he saw that the geovaship was charging up for one final blast and at point blank range.
Xiao struggled to break free but it was no use. The geovishap was extremely heavy and easily outweighed Xiao both in size and weight. Xiao sighed, he closed his eyes and waited for the end. He was no match for a creature this big and powerful.
The void around him was pitch black as far as the eye could see, Xiao didn't speak as his eyes wandered, then he heard a voice. He recognized this voice, it was Aether's. He snapped his head around to see him there, smiling brightly at him. The light around him was blinding.
"Xiao!" The voice cried out. Xiao knew exactly who's voice that was. It was Aether's and he was calling out to him.
"Aether...I love you. I... l want to protect you. I want to see your smiling face again." Xiao whispered to himself.
With that a fire raged inside Xiao.
'That's it! I've had enough of this thing! I need to end this, now!!' Xiao shouted to himself, he dug his talons into the ground and through gritted teeth he summoned the last bit of strength he had left.
Xiao a huge gust of anemo energy filled the surrounding area. Xiao used his anemo to create a tornado. It engulfed his body with its razor sharp winds, kicking up dirt and debris. The geovaship released its hold on Xiao's wing and in a flash Xiao charged forth, razor sharp winds slashing away at the geovaship tearing it into pieces. Xiao clawed away at the beast with his sharp talons. Using his wings he used the tornado to eventually pick it up and flung it across the cave. It landed with a loud crash, parts of its rock hard armor scattered on the cave floor. It tried standing back up but was no use. It thrashed about, soon its body went motionless. It was finally dead. The color of its eyes were gone.
Xiao floated down and landed on the ground. He sighed, then turned around and made his way to the exit dragging his broken wing on the ground. The adrenaline from the battle was still kicking otherwise he'd be in terrible agony.
Xiao walked for a bit more, he made it to the entrance of the cave but the adrenaline he had before had completely worn off. The pain from his broken wing was starting to take a toll on his body. His head felt dizzy and soon his vision was blurry. Xiao couldn't take another step, he collapsed on the dirt.
"Guess I used up too much energy..." Xiao rasped out, coughing up a bit of blood. It wasn't long before his vision went dark.
.
.
.
Aether tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes wide open as he gazed out the window to his room. The soft blue color of the moon fills the teapot in its glow. He couldn't sleep for some reason, as something plagued his mind, what that was he had no idea. After trying to fall asleep he realized it was no use and he decided to go for a walk to clear his head. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his boots. Once his boots were on and he was fully dressed, he teleported out of the teapot. Cold breeze ruffled his hair the moment he reappeared outside the teapot. He quickly stashed the teapot away and looked up at the moon before going for a walk.
A few hours passed and Aether felt something was off up ahead. He could sense a presence in the air and he proceeded with caution. He rounded the corner and saw what looked like a small anemo vision laying in the dirt not far from a cave entrance.
'A vision?! What's it doing on the ground? Who does it belong to?' Aether asked himself, he bent down and picked up the tiny vision to get a better look at it. 'Guess I'll hold onto it and find its owner.'
Aether stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants and wandered closer to the cave, curiosity taking over his mind. Aether got closer, then he noticed something just in front of him. A mask with glowing eyes was on the ground, Aether knew right away who's mask it belonged to.
"Xiao's mask?! What is it doing here?!" Aether asked out loud, picking up the mask and looking around for the yaksha. He ran toward the cave.
Aether slowly walked inside and he picked up the smell of blood right away. The cave was dark and damp, Aether kept his guard up summoning his sword, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, fearing the unknown as he entered. After a bit of looking around, his heart dropped when he saw what was ahead of him. A dark colored bird was motionless on the ground, covered in blood. Aether ran right up to it and knelt down next to the animal. The bird was unusually large, it looked similar to how Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper looked, but it was bigger and shaped more like an eagle. Its head was bigger and its beak wasn't as narrow as theirs, not to mention the wings were huge and its tail fanned out almost like a peacock or a tail that a phoenix would have. This was definitely a strange animal.
'Is this another Adepti? Who could it be?' Aether wondered, his sword disappeared from his hand. "What on earth happened to you?" he reached his hand out to touch the bird only to be startled by it suddenly opening its eyes. Aether's eyes went wide, the bird wasn't dead after all. Then it clicked in his mind, bright amber eyes stared back at him. Aether only knew of one Adeptus with those eyes, and they were Xiao's.
"Aether?!" Xiao shouted, he let out a loud gasp, moving away from him but he didn't get far. Xiao moved the wrong way and a sharp pain shot through his body stopping him from moving another inch, he let out a low hiss. He had forgotten that his wing was broken.
"Xiao?! Is that you?! What happened?!" Aether started panic, scooting closer. Xiao shifted further away.
"Relax, I was caught in a battle with that geovishap over there." Xiao explained, he turned his head in the direction where the corpse lay motionless. "I had to transform into my true form in order to take it down, it was extremely powerful." Xiao's heart started beating fast again. Aether's being this close to him was making his chest feel heavy. 'Dammit, not again.' He told himself.
"Why did you fight it alone?! Why not come find me for help?!" Aether shouted, the cave made his voice echo.
Xiao didn't answer him.
"Xiao, answer me!" Aether demanded.
"Because! I wanted to protect you!" Xiao snapped back. He turned his head away, unable to look at Aether. Xiao could feel his face getting warm. Aether was near him again and his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, just like before whenever Aether was near.
Aether was dumb founded by those words, he shook his head snapping himself out of the trance.
"Alright, at least lemme take a look at your injuries," Aether reached out his hand and touched Xiao's wing, which made him flinch and move further away.
"No need, I will heal in time." Xiao said as he tried standing up, struggling to do so. His broken wing still hung limply from his body. Xiao let out a hiss as he got up. His legs wobbled a bit as he tried to start walking, but he lost his balance and started to fall to the dirt. He braced himself for the impact but was shocked to see that Aether's arms were wrapped around his body, preventing him from falling any further. "What are you doing?! I said I will be fine!" Xiao shouted.
"Let me help you, you can barely move. You need to clean and cover those wounds!" Aether protested, he was able to move in and grab Xiao around his chest, using himself as a brace to prevent Xiao from hitting the ground.
"Aether, I don't need your help!" Xiao yelled, he tried to shake Aether off of him but the blonde refused to let go.
"Stop being so damn stubborn! Your wing is broken, you can't even fly! Not to mention you're bleeding! You'll die!" Aether shouted back, still clinging to Xiao's body, careful not to pull on his feathers.
"Why do you even care what happens to me?!" Xiao countered, then he was stunned by Aether's next words.
"Because you're my friend and I care about you!" Aether fired back, his expression full of anger. But that expression soon faded and was replaced with the look of sadness. "I want to help..." Aether's voice wavered, his hands were trembling and tears were forming in his eyes. Xiao stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking again.
"Alright...Please don't cry." Xiao whispered, he cursed himself from how hurt Aether looked. A look Xiao doesn't like to see on Aether's face. He let out a sigh and admitted defeat.
Aether nodded and helped Xiao walk out of the cave. The pace was slow, Xiao let out groans and hisses walking next to Aether who was using his body to help hold him up.
'He's huge, I think he's even bigger than Moon Carver.' Aether thought to himself, he examined Xiao's body next to him as they walked, Xiao easily over towered him, if Aether had to guess he was at least eight feet tall standing straight, he was heavy too. His wing alone covered Aether's body entirely.
Once outside the cave, Aether summoned the teapot and they teleported inside, landing in the living room of the mansion. Xiao almost fell from the slippery wood, his talons not used to the smooth surface. Aether helped lower him down to the floor so he could sit and not injure himself further. Xiao tucked his wing close to his body as he sat down on the floor, his talon hidden under his body. His right wing didn't respond to his commands and laid lazily on the floor, he made sure not to move it much as it caused him severe pain if he did.
"Wait here, I'll go get the first aid kit and a bucket." Aether called out over his shoulder, running off to grab the supplies.
"A bucket? Aether wait?!" Xiao cried out but his voice didn't reach Aether. Xiao sighed, he was confused as to what Aether meant by that. Xiao looked around the mansion.
Hardwood floor spread throughout. Xiao could tell he was in the teapot that Madam Ping gave Aether so he could sleep in at night instead of camping out in the woods like he used to do. Now he didn't face the risk of being ambushed by monsters or bandits as he slept at night. Xiao could see a small kitchen and a living room fully furnished nearby, and down the hall were a couple of doors which probably led to the bedrooms. A set of stairs were nearby which lead to the second floor where more rooms probably were. The mansion was peaceful and warm, Xiao couldn't sense any demonic aura here, the abode was peaceful.
Xiao could hear soft footsteps on the hardwood getting closer. He craned his head around to see Aether approaching. He was only wearing his pants and a black crop top, his boots and the usual gold and white garments he wore were missing. He was holding a bucket and a bunch of towels along with the first aid kit.
"Back. I think I got everything. I need to clean you up before I tend to your injuries." Aether spoke.
Aether set down the towels and bucket that was full of water on the floor. Xiao cocked his head to the side, a look of confusion crossing his face. Aether sat down next to him and dipped one of the towels in the bucket, squeezing the extra water out to where it was damp.
"What is it that you are doing?" Xiao questioned, watching Aether's every move. Aether scooted closer and placed the towel on his back.
"You're covered in blood, I can't see where your wounds are so I need to give you a bath." Aether explained, he continued cleaning Xiao's feathers slowly and carefully. Dropping the now blood soaked towel into a trash bin nearby then grabbing another towel to repeat the process.
"This is ridiculous, an Adeptus being washed like some sort of house pet. No respect at all." Xiao huffed out, which made Aether chuckle.
"Once I'm done, I'll patch you up." Aether hummed. Xiao remained quiet.
'On second thought, this isn't too bad. It's quite relaxing.' Xiao told himself, the feeling of Aether touching his feathers felt somehow comforting. His hands were so gentle against his feathers, the sensation felt good. Xiao was starting to drift off but Aether snapped him out of his trance that he was in with a question.
"How come you can't turn back into your human form?" He asked as he moved around cleaning different parts of Xiao's body, careful not to step on his tail or his broken wing.
"Normally I would have if I had only sustained minor injuries, but seeing as the bones in my right wing are broken I cannot revert back until they are fully healed. If I try I would surely cause more damage, so much so that I face the possibility of losing my wing or in this case my arm for good. So it is best I stay in this form for the time being." Xiao explained. "Plus I need to speak with Cloud Retainer before I can revert back."
"Oh. I see. Why do you need to talk to Cloud Retainer?" Aether got curious.
"My clothes got destroyed the moment I shapeshifted. I will need new ones, but not just ordinary clothes. My clothes are woven with a special Adepti magic. They were made for long grueling battles, unlike the mortal clothes humans wear. Unless you wish to see me naked." Xiao explained, Aether giggled softly. "Where is my mask and vision?"
"Well, I can go talk to her if you'd like! You can stay here and rest while I go pay her a visit! And don't worry I have your mask and vision in my room." Aether answered.
"I do not wish to trouble you though."
"Nah, I don't mind."
Aether continued scrubbing the blood off slowly and the color of Xiao's feathers started to show. They were a dark green color just like his hair, except for the tips of his wings, they were gold in color, even the ones on his tail had gold tips on them. The same color as his eyes. The feathers were shiny and silky to the touch. Aether noticed that whenever he touched Xiao in a certain area his feathers would ruffle and fluff out, which made Aether curious.
'I wonder...Is he ticklish?' Aether questioned, his thoughts wandering at the possibility. Curiosity got the better of him and he brushed his finger in a spot to test that theory and just like that Xiao's whole body shivered. His feathers stood on end for a few minutes before falling back into place.
"Don't try anything funny." Xiao growled out.
"Sorry, I got curious." Aether let out a chuckle under his breath. A small smile appeared on his face, Xiao only replied with a huff but allowed him to continue cleaning the blood off.
"Seems your mouth doesn't move when you speak."
"None of the Illuminated beast's mouths move when we speak. Our mouths are not like humans. It is something we can not do in our true forms." Xiao explained.
"I see, either way you look stunning like this. I love the color of your feathers." Aether made his way towards Xiao's front where his breast plate was.
"Thank you, It's been so long since I was in my true form. I almost forgot-" Xiao's heart jumped to his throat and his whole body froze from what Aether did next.
Aether had moved to his front and started wiping the blood off on his breastplate feathers. Aether's head was inches away from his own, making him nervous. Xiao gulped hard, his throat felt dry. He had never let Aether get this close to him, his mind was racing. Then Xiao picked up his scent, he smelled like the sea. He liked it.
Aether hummed quietly as he kept cleaning Xiao, he noticed that the feathers on his chest were teal colored, just like his teal highlights. Aether smiled even more as the blood was almost completely gone and he could start treating Xiao's wounds.
"I need to get the blood off on your face, is that alright with you?" Aether stared up at Xiao.
Xiao swallowed hard and just nodded. Aether stood up and gently placed his hand under Xiao's beak.
"Just hang on, I need to move your head around in order to clean everything." Aether explained, Aether could see his reflection in Xiao's eyes, he was completely memorized by how bright they were.
"Do what you must, I trust you Aether." He replied, relaxing his head in Aether's hand.
Aether gently started wiping the blood off making sure to be extra careful around Xiao's eyes. Aether turned Xiao's head slowly to different angles to make sure he got every bit of blood. Xiao waited patently, but his heart was pounding in his chest. Having Aether this close to him was driving him insane, he thought back to what Verr Goldet had told him, realizing that he was indeed in love with Aether, but he wasn't sure how Aether felt about him.
Aether's soft hands brushed against his feathers, making Xiao's body tremble. His mind was going crazy the longer this continued until he finally admitted defeat but he didn't have the courage to say it out loud just yet.
'So beautiful...Aether...I love you.' Xiao thought to himself. ' I want...to kiss you. Wait!? What? Why did that just cross my mind just now!?' Xiao's mind was going crazy but when Aether spoke, it snapped him back to reality.
"And done! Think I got you all cleaned up!" Aether giggled, sounding proud of himself. He moved to clean up the area around Xiao.
"I appreciate everything you just did, Aether." Xiao hummed, watching him clean up the area, he saw Aether open the kit and slowly dig out its contents.
"No problem at all, you needed help." Aether replied.
Aether used his anemo to blow dry Xiao's feathers and body. The anemo quickly dried him and once that was accomplished Aether moved to start cleaning and patching the cuts. At one point Aether thought he heard what sounded like a purring sound coming from Xiao's chest, much like a cat. He shrugged it off and finished cleaning and covering the cuts. Now was time to set his wing to keep it from moving and being dragged on the ground. He needed Xiao to stand up in order to accomplish this task.
"Can you stand up?" Aether asked.
"I can try but I do not wish to scratch your floors with my talons. They are quite slippery, I am not used to this surface in this form. I may need help standing up. Umm...Could you help?" Xiao replied with a wary voice.
"Sure!" Aether wrapped his arms around the base of Xiao's neck, and started to help pull him up off the floor.
Xiao's neck was thicker than the other adepti, Aether's hands barely wrapped all the way around where he held Xiao in order to lift him up, he was indeed far bigger than Moon Carver. Xiao's talons slipped a bit on the wood but eventually he was able to stand without Aether's support.
"Alright, this is probably going to hurt but we need to fold your wing in and tuck it against your body so I can anchor it so it won't move around." A look of worry crossed Aether's face, as he explained what he needed to do next. He wasn't sure this would work but he needed to try. He bent down and grabbed the tip of Xiao's wing and waited.
Xiao cocked his head but didn't question Aether's request. He started to move his wing slowly but it wasn't responding well and the pain sent shock waves all over his body. His vision was starting to go blurry but he managed to stay focused but for how long he wasn't entirely sure. Every inch his wing moved brought on more and more pain, even with Aether's help the pain was horrible. Aether helped move his wing slowly, folding it in and pushing it where it sat naturally against Xiao's body.
"Okay try and hold it there while I wrap it up." Aether explained, Xiao only groaned and hissed in pain, his body trembling, he was on the verge of passing out. His talons slid on the wood flooring a bit but he was able to stabilize himself.
Aether taped the end to his back then he quickly threw the rolled up bandage over Xiao's back, it unrolled itself on the other side. He quickly ran around picking it up and feeding it under Xiao's stomach back to the other side where he started, making sure not to bind his other wing and legs. Once back on the other side again he pulled it snugly so it wouldn't move. He continued this step until he felt comfortable the wing would not move and was supported by the wrap. Aether asked Xiao to move it a little to make sure it was secure and sure enough the wing barely budged.
"Done! That should help with the healing! Keeping it still like that should speed things up!" Aether exclaimed, sounding proud with the task he was able to complete. He sat down on the floor, feeling a little exhausted.
"I can't thank you enough, you've done so much for me." Xiao hummed, he looked down and saw the floor had some blood on it from when he was bleeding. "Apologizes, I got blood all over your floors."
"Don't worry about it. It can be easily cleaned up. The seal protects the wood so the blood and water won't damage it long as I wipe it up quickly." Aether smiled brightly.
"Are you hungry? Because I'm starving." Aether asked, Xiao didn't answer but his stomach did with a groan sound. This made him flinch and turn his head away out of embarrassment. "Guess that's my answer. You can sit back down, I'll go make us something to eat." He chuckled standing up, he turned and walked towards the kitchen.
Xiao moved away from the area a bit before sitting back down, he waited and listened to the sound of dishes being moved around in the kitchen. Sounded like Aether was also gathering ingredients from the cabinets. He could hear cabinet doors opening and closing. Xiao's curiosity was piqued as to what Aether was cooking. Eventually the smell of almonds filled the mansion in its sweet aroma. Xiao's stomach made more noises as he waited. He was starving and wanted food badly. Wasn't long afterwards that Aether reappeared from the kitchen, walking up to him with what looked like a plate of almond tofu and a bowl. Aether sat down next to him with the dishes.
"Okay, I made your favorite dish. I can help you eat it, seeing as you don't have hands and fingers." Aether hummed, he used a fork to cut into the tofu and brought it near Xiao's beak.
Xiao's face felt hot, he had never been fed before so this was new to him. But hunger was getting to him so he accepted Aether's offer seeing as he went through all this trouble cooking it for him. He opened his mouth so that Aether could place the tofu in his mouth, he swallowed the piece of tofu, enjoying the sweet taste. Somehow this tofu tasted so much better than the ones he ordered at the inn.
'This tastes amazing, nothing like the inn's tofu, is it because Aether made it?' Xiao wandered. Aether cut another slice off and repeated the process of feeding him until the dish was completely consumed. Xiao was confused by what Aether did next, he had picked up the small bowl, dipped the spoon in it and brought it near his face.
"What is this?" Xiao questioned, a look of disdain on his face.
"It's a herbal soup, Baizhu taught me the recipe. It's to help with the pain." Aether explained, bringing the spoon near Xiao's beak but he didn't open it.
"But human medicine does not work on adepti."
"Just try. If anything will help you relax and heal faster. Zhongli gave me some pills he created to help you with your pain. I ground them up to a powder and mixed them in the soup, so it's no ordinary human food." Aether explained the contents of the dish. A look of sadness crossed his eyes.
Xiao didn't say a word and opened his beak once again, allowing Aether to feed him the soup. It tasted a bit bitter but it warmed his body up. He finished off the soup, and Aether quickly ate a sandwich that he had made for himself. With all the food consumed and the plates now empty, Aether gathered them up off the floor and went back to the kitchen. Xiao just sat and watched Aether move about. He mostly stared at his golden hair as it swayed about behind Aether as he moved around. Xiao cocked his head as he noticed Aether going to what looked like a closet in the hallway and pulling out what looked like sheets and pillows. Xiao was so fixated on what Aether was doing he didn't even realize he was moving his tail up and down on the floor.
Aether left the dishes in the kitchen and went to the hallway closet. He opened it up and pulled out a bunch of sheets and pillows. Aether saw out of the corner of his eye that Xiao was watching him and his tail was thumping softly on the floor just like a dog did when it was excited. Aether chuckled and smiled at the sight, this made Xiao's feathers fluff up and he looked away. Aether disappeared in one of the rooms for a few minutes, then walked back out.
"Okay, your bed is ready. I set you up in the spare room over there." Aether sounded excited by what he had created in the room.
"Bed?" Xiao sounded confused.
"Yeah, no way you can sleep on this hard floor so I made you a bed. Well I guess it's more of a nest. Come on, you will need your rest." Aether reached out to help Xiao stand up again.
Xiao stood up slowly once again with Aether's help. He took baby steps towards the room, making sure to lean on Aether for support as he slipped on the floor, his talons unable to grip the slick surface. Aether opened the door and there on the floor was a bunch of pillows laid out like a nest. Sheets covering the pillows, Xiao was in awe. Aether had done so much for him he didn't know how he could repay him for all the trouble he caused. Xiao stepped into the center, he patted the nest of pillows and sheets under his talons. The soft fabric felt like a fluffy cloud under his feet. He was getting excited as it reminded him of the time when he was in his true form all the time. Sleeping in a warm nest he had built himself every night high in the trees was comforting to him. Xiao slowly lowered himself down onto the soft fabric. It felt amazing under his belly, and so warm. Xiao felt at peace and relaxed.
"Thank you so much Aether, you didn't have to do this. I was fine sleeping out in the hall." Xiao spoke softly.
"I wanted to. So don't worry." Aether spoke, he placed his hand on Xiao's head without realizing what he had done. He withdrew his hand quickly, Aether's face turned a shade of pink by his actions. "Okay, you stay here I'm going to go clean up the hallway and shower." He called out over his shoulder as he exited the room.
"Aether..." Xiao let out a sigh.
Few minutes went by, and Xiao could hear the shower running nearby. Xiao's eyes felt heavy, he was slowly starting to drift off to sleep. Then he heard the door open and Aether walked in. He had on a plain white T-shirt and black shorts, his hair was loose, no longer in a braid and he was dripping wet. He was towel drying his long hair.
"I'll head out and talk to Cloud Retainer tomorrow." He grinned, turning around to leave the room.
"Aether wait." Xiao shouted.
Aether froze in his tracks.
"C-can you stay here with me?" Xiao stumbled as he asked, a look of shock on Aether's face, which soon melted away to a smile.
"Sure, I'll stay." Aether answered, he walked back over and sat down on the nest of pillows next to Xiao.
"Thank you Aether."
Aether almost jumped to his feet by what Xiao did next. He had lowered his head and laid it down on Aether's lap, making him confused as to what he was doing.
"Can we stay like this? I don't want to be alone right now." Xiao's voice was a whisper.
"You alright?" Aether asked. Aether started running his fingers across Xiao's head at a slow and steady pace.
"I just feel so drained." Xiao let out a long winded sigh. His voice was exhausted from everything that happened earlier.
"You should sleep." Aether whispered, he started to hum a lullaby, he saw that Xiao's eyes were starting to slowly close.
"Tsk, I. Don't. Need-..." Xiao started to protest, but he had completely passed out. Aether's soft hands on his head were so soothing. In a matter of seconds Xiao was out like a light. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Soft snores escaping his mouth, as he fell into a deep slumber.
'He must be exhausted from burning so much energy during that fight.' Aether chuckled softly, as he looked over Xiao's body slumbering peacefully.
"Xiao, you have no idea how much I care about you, I love you." Aether whispered.
Aether let out a long yawn before he laid down next to Xiao. Careful not to lay on his wing. His eyes slowly felt heavy, he could barely keep them open. The soft sound of purring Xiao was making was lulling him to sleep. Aether soon drifted off to sleep.
Aether, your hands are so soft and your voice is so soothing, I have fallen hard for you.'
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The next morning, Xiao's eyes opened slowly, the room was full of blinding light from the suns rays filling the tiny room. Xiao lifted his head up and looked down, his sight coming into focus. He felt something shift next to him and he looked down to see that Aether was snuggled up next to his body. He was curled up into a ball, his chest rose and fell and soft snores could be heard escaping from his mouth. Saliva was dripping out of his mouth forming a small pool on the sheets beneath him as he slumbered peacefully. Xiao couldn't help but chuckled at the sight.
'Beautiful...' Xiao thought, then shook his head and waited quietly for his sleeping beauty to awake.
After a few minutes, Aether made a noise and finally stirred. His eyes slowly opened and he sat up. His arms stretched above his head as he let out a long yawn. His hair was an unruly mess from the deep slumber he had. Xiao thought he was absolutely adorable like this, seeing Aether like this made his heart do back flips in his chest.
"Good morning." Aether smiled once his vision was in focus and saw Xiao.
"Morning. Though I'm surprised I was able to sleep. It's been years since I was able to get a good night's rest." Xiao shook his head, making his feathers fluff up then slowly fall back flat against his body.
"Your body needed a reset and heal from all the energy you used." Aether explained, he stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm going to go make us some breakfast."
Xiao didn't respond, he only watched as Aether disappeared from the room. He waited patiently in silence, listening to the sound of dishes and glassware being moved about in the kitchen nearby. Wasn't long before Aether had returned with food in his hands. He sat down next to Xiao once again and helped feed him before he ate his own food. After they finished, Aether set the dirty dishes in the sink and returned to the room. He grabbed the brush and sat down near Xiao. Aether started brushing his hair, combing out the tangled strands. Xiao was in a daze as he watched Aether brush his golden hair, then he braided it down his back, tying it off with his usual tie he always wore.
"I'm going to leave and talk to Cloud Retainer. I shouldn't be long." Aether said standing at the door.
"I will wait here. Please be careful Aether." His voice was laced with worry. "If you need me, call out my name."
"I will. I'll be back quickly." Aether reassured Xiao that he wouldn't get into trouble, he nodded his head, leaving the room with the door closing behind him.
Xiao let out a sigh, laying his head back down and tucking it close to his body. Aether had only just left the teapot and he was already missing him.
Hours passed and Xiao was starting to get worried. It was well past noon by now and there was no sign of Aether. Xiao was starting to panic but that faded the moment he heard the sound of the door knob slowly turning. His head shot up the moment the door opened to reveal Aether on the other side. His heart was pounding in his chest again.
"You're back." Xiao's eyes lit up the moment Aether crossed the door frame to the room. Happy to see he was unharmed. Aether hadn't called out his name but worry still plagued Xiao's mind.
"Yup, I talked to Cloud Retainer. She said she will have your clothes ready in about a week." Aether said. "She was a bit confused as to why I asked her for new clothes for you so I explained what had happened."
"That doesn't surprise me. I do not shapeshift nor stay in my true form like She and the others do. So requesting new clothes probably shocked her when she heard that I had to transform."
"That's possible." Aether chuckled. He walked over and placed his hand on Xiao's head. A huge smile appeared on his face.
Xiao closed his eyes and nuzzled his head in Aether's hand. The feeling was welcoming by this point. He trembled when he felt Aether wrap his arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Xiao's walls were starting to crumble the more time he spent with Aether.
'This is so comforting. I wish to stay by your side, Aether.' Xiao said to himself.
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A couple days passed, and Aether made sure Xiao was taken care of each morning after waking up, making sure he was comfortable and that he had everything he needed before Aether left to do his commissions. Xiao mostly stayed in the bedroom with the pillows as much as possible or he'd stay outside on the porch. His biggest fear was accidentally breaking something inside the mansion. His size made it very difficult for him to move about easily, so whenever Aether was about to leave he would request his help in walking him outside before he left. Xiao enjoyed the fresh air of the abode. The sun's rays warmed his feathers as he waited patiently for Aether's return each day.
When night came, Aether made sure to stay by Xiao's side until he was sound asleep. His soft hands gliding over his feathers helped calm his nerves and eventually he would pass out next to Aether. Sleep was something Xiao was not very fond of. Whenever he tried to, his dreams were always plagued with nightmares of his past preventing him from the rest he needed. But that was changing with Aether by his side. With him there he was able to sleep throughout the night, his nightmares seemed to have vanished. Xiao realized that it had been because Aether was sleeping next to him every night.
Eventually Xiao was strong enough to move about without Aether's aid. It did take Xiao time to get used to walking on the hardwood floor without falling, but he got used to it in no time. His wounds on his body had healed quickly and his bandages were removed. As time passed his wing was fully healed and he no longer needed it to be immobile anymore, so Aether removed the other bandages that were holding it in place. Xiao moved his wing about to make sure everything felt alright. All the broken bones had healed up nicely and Xiao was back to full health.
Aether was still in awe at how beautiful Xiao looked. His feathers shimmered in the light, he was very grateful to see this side of Xiao, even more grateful he was able to save his life. The feeling in Aether's chest was still there every time he was near Xiao.
Whenever Aether left for his daily travels Xiao would wait outside on the porch, staring out into the grassy field. A gentle breeze ruffled his feathers, as he waited patiently for Aether's to return. When he did, they would sit on the porch together and Xiao would listen to Aether about his travels outside the teapot.
"Cloud Retainer said she's almost done with your clothes."
Xiao didn't say a word, he just moved his head down on top of Aether's lap.
"I want to feel your touch a bit long Aether." Xiao spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aether chuckled and started to gently pet him, Xiao started purring again. Aether felt a bit uneasy, his heart was pounding. He needed to confess his feelings to Xiao and see how he felt. Even if Xiao didn't love him back, he'd still stay by his side.
"Xiao..."
"Hm?" Xiao lifted his head up to look at Aether.
"I-I love you, I've had a huge crush on you for sometime and-" Aether wanted to continue but Xiao cut him off.
"I love you too Aether." Xiao broke in, he paused for a moment, then continued. "I just didn't know how to tell you, these feelings whenever you were near me were so confusing. But over time I realized that I had fallen for you."
Aether's face turned pink, he wrapped his arms around Xiao's neck holding him gently. Xiao lowered his head down pulling Aether closer to his body. Aether could hear Xiao's heart beat.
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The next day, Aether left to go pick up Xiao's clothes. It didn't take him long and before Xiao knew it Aether had returned. Xiao was waiting inside, still nestled on the pillows. His head tucked closely to his body. Aether had moved his makeshift nest to the center of the mansion just outside the kitchen and near the fireplace. Xiao didn't want to be in a small room anymore so Aether moved his bed.
"Xiao, I got the clothes from Cloud Retainer!" Aether called out as he entered the mansion and approached Xiao who lifted his head up the moment he heard Aether.
"Thank you." Xiao stood up from the bed and without warning a cloud of dark green smoke surrounded his body. The smoke slowly disappeared revealing Xiao's face first. Amber eyes peering at Aether. As more smoke cleared away it slowly revealed more of Xiao's body. Aether's mouth fell open and his face started heating up.
"Gah! You're naked! I guess you weren't kidding after all!" Aether cried out, holding out the clothes. He looked away, his face turning a bright red, too shy to look at Xiao's body. Xiao let out a soft chuckle.
"Relax, we are both male." Xiao grabbed the garments from Aether and quickly put on the pants, covering his private areas. He didn't even bother putting on the rest of the clothes yet. He quickly stepped closer to Aether. Xiao had been wanting to do this for a while and now was the time to do it.
"Yeah b-but-Mnm..." Aether started to protest, when suddenly he was grabbed and Xiao had kissed him on the lips, stopping him from speaking. His eyes stared at Xiao's face only inches away. He soon disconnected his lips from Aether.
"Now that I am human again, I can kiss you." Xiao spoke proudly, a smirk formed on his lips. His amber eyes staring into Aether's eyes.
Aether's face was getting redder by the minute. Xiao's half naked body was right in front of him. Without thinking Aether stepped forward and kissed Xiao back. Xiao let out a soft moan and just placed his hands on Aether's waist and pulled him closer to his body.
'Thank you so much Aether, I will always remember these moments I have spent with you in my beast form. Your hands are so soft and your voice is so soothing. Your gentle nature, your smile is what kept me going. I will always stay by your side.'
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End.
*Notes*
Ok, I may have gotten a little carried away with writing this but I had so much fun! Hope everyone enjoys it! <3
Twitter post relating to the story: https://twitter.com/AdeptusMia/status/1505263096847376387?s=20&t=_KFVkiL3MLxQtyphClqm-w