Chapter Text
Xiao picks up the old box that he finished sorting through and sets it down on another corner, coughing from the dust particles that swirled around him. He manages to move and sort most of the boxes up and out of the attic within the span of 4 hours. He plops down on a random box and looks around, nostalgia taking over him.
He remembers when he was a kid, afraid of shadows and the dark. His mother would tell him to get her something from the attic, but he wouldn't be able to go up there without her coming with and holding his hand. She would hum a soothing tune as they looked through the boxes together, and she’d pull him close if a shadow moved a little too eerily.
Xiao loved his mother, he really did. It's a shame, she passed away when he was 7. He doesn't remember much of her, other than her love for random trinkets and gadgets.
He also remembers her singing to him and his sister a lullaby before bed, usually accompanied with a guitar. He remembers the house being full of music when she was alive, she did have a knack collecting antique instruments.
Xiao sighs contently as he remembers the few memories he has of his mother.
When she died, his father wasn't able to handle himself for a while. He never abandoned them, but Xiao and his sister grew up way faster than normal. He developed a sense of responsibility and maturity by the age of 15, but his social skills never seemed to blossom. His sister was much better at that than he was.
Still, he wouldn't change his upbringing for anything. He’s thankful for the hardships, as they shaped him to the person he is now.
Xiao shakes his head, standing up to get back to moving boxes.
The attic needed to be cleaned out, they were moving after all. The house was a bit old anyway, and it was far enough from the city that grocery visits were a pain in the ass.
Besides, his father met someone new.
Xiao is not particularly fond of his father's boyfriend (he refuses to refer to him as his step-dad), but he’s glad that his dad has found love again. After his mother's death Xiao thought his father would wallow in grief forever, until his current boyfriend barged into his life.
He doesn't like him. He’s been brutally honest about that before, but his dad looks happy. He’ll grit his teeth through it if that's what it takes to keep his dad smiling.
The house they were moving this stuff to was big, apparently owned by his father's boyfriend. At least that was a bonus.
Of course, they’re not taking everything. Some are going to be sold in a garage sale, the ones that don't have some sentimental value to them. His sister is currently downstairs packing stuff into boxes, he’d been tasked with the attic.
Oh, joy.
Xiao swats away the clump of dust that threatened to fall into his eye. He groans, looking around to see a little less boxes than when he first got there - progress is progress.
He grabs the nearest box and opens it absent-mindedly. He’s been doing the same thing for hours now. Open, Sort, Move, and repeat. He’d open the boxes to check through the items, sort out which had sentimental value to them and which hadn't, and move the box to one of the two piles outside the attic - Selling and Keeping respectively.
Xiao rummages through the box he just opened, eyes widening in the slightest at its contents.
A very interesting set of books on rituals and spirits, a deck of tarot cards, an old lyre, and a-
A flute?
Funny, Xiao thinks. He’s never seen his mother use a flute, at least he doesn't remember. The old lyre in the box was a part of her collection of ancient instruments, but this flute didn't look as ancient as that lyre. It looked like it was made during his mother's time at least.
He remembers his mother using a guitar, a piano, a violin- Heck, even a bonggo! Never a flute.
Xiao twirls it around in his fingers, the exterior of the flute oddly free of dust. He hums, curiosity taking over as he clears his throat and pulls the opening of the flute to his mouth.
He blows, and immediately regrets it.
Dust fills Xiao's lungs and coats his lips. He could taste some dust that got into his mouth, and a strand of hair. How does a strand of hair even get into a flute?
He sputters and throws the flute to the ground, coughing violently into the crook of his elbow. He doesn't realize that the dust around the attic is slowly swirling around the flute, at least not until he sees a quick flash accompanied by a voice.
“Woo! That was a great nap!”
Xiao snaps his head up, eyes landing on the creature owning the voice that just spoke.
The creature looked male, and was wearing a teal cape kept together by a deep blue and gold bow; underneath the bow was a light green gem. A cute beret-like hat - same color as his cape - rested on his head with a few Cecilias dangling off of it. The shirt he was wearing was a frilly Victorian style blouse, with a leather corset in his midsection. He wore teal shorts that matched his cape and hat, and white stockings that had 3 gold diamond-shapes on the sides of his upper thighs. He wore simple brown shoes with small heels, the ends of the straps of the shoes had the very same light green gem that could be found on his chest, just smaller.
Xiao freezes. The creature - Boy? Man? Guy? - turns to Xiao and tilts his head in confusion. It’s ironic, Xiao thinks, he should be the one confused considering the man (?) in front of him is floating off the ground with an outfit that looks like it came from 500 years ago, also he looks a little translucent. Maybe Xiao’s inhaled a little too much dust for one day.
“You’re not Guizhong, who are you?” The male asks, gliding backwards to put some distance between the two.
Xiao blinks. The creature said ‘Guizhong’. That’s the name of his late mother, how could he know that?
“How..” Xiao curses himself for the rasp that comes up from his throat, no doubt the effect of all the dust he’s been inhaling. “How do you know my mom’s name?” He finally manages to speak without the dryness of his throat inconveniencing him.
The male’s eyes widen comically, but his mouth easily curls upwards in a smile. “You’re Guizhong’s son! How wonderful, she always did talk about her adorable children.” He claps his hands together and leans forward to float towards Xiao. For once, Xiao doesn’t flinch away - actually, he physically can’t. He briefly wonders if he stepped in super glue because his feet won’t move at all.
“Hm, you seem a bit older than 7, though.” He hears the creature mutter. “Maybe it’s the genes, Guizhong looks older than her actual age too!” A giggle. “Anywho! Where is that Guizhong? It's been a while since she called for me.” The man looks around expectedly, Xiao furrows his eyebrows.
“I don’t know how you know my mother - or what you even are for that matter - but Guizhong is dead. She died 14 years ago. I’m 21, not 7.”
This time, the creature’s eyes widen in shock and his lips curl downwards into a frown. His gaze drifts down to the wooden planks that made up the floor. “I…see.” In all the reactions Xiao has seen regarding his mother’s death, including his father and sister, this was by far the most anti-climactic. There were no tears being shed, no sobs, not even a glisten of tears in his eyes; while there was no doubt a solemn expression on his face, it looked as if the creature had skipped all stages of grief and ended up on acceptance right off the bat.
“Well, I always knew she was mortal, limited time and all. She was the only person who would constantly talk to me, the other flute bearers didn’t care and only used me.” The creature shrugs, a sad smile on his face like he was reminiscing old memories.
Xiao doesn't know what to do with that information. First of all, this man knew his mom? Second, what are flute bearers? there were others? And third, ‘used him’? What was that even supposed to mean?
It seems like the creature read his mind, because he lets out a giggle and wind brushes against Xiao's cheek.
Wait-
Wind?
Xiao looks around at the windows around the attic, all sealed shut. He assumes it might be wind coming from the open door of the attic, but he doesn't remember it being particularly windy today.
His train of thought comes to a halt when he feels his hair being lifted up by the wind, but instead of floating down after like normal it stays afloat as the wind continuously circles his head.
The man laughs, it's only then that Xiao notices his hand is pointed directly at him. When the other puts his hand down, the wind stops abruptly. Suspiciously.
“Well, If you look that confused I assume Guizhong wasn't able to tell you about me before she passed.” The creature smiles, eyes crinkling. “I can tell you all about it! If you're willing to listen, little…”
The creature drawls on, as if anticipating an answer from Xiao. It only hits Xiao 2 minutes later that the other wants his name.
“Xiao.” He coughs out awkwardly. “My name is Xiao.”
The creature smiles, “Well, little Xiao. I’m Venti and I’d love to tell you a story, if you are willing to listen.”
Xiao nods hesitantly, almost yelping when he feels himself being pushed back by the wind (Again, should wind really be this strong and precise?). Luckily, the wind also politely brought a box underneath him so he could land on it and sit down. Celestia knows why Venti couldn't just ask him to sit down, but he’ll never dare to question a creature that accumulated from a cloud of dust after Xiao blew into a flute.
Surprisingly, Venti doesn't pull out a storybook or just start talking like normal storytellers (Xiao doesn’t know why he finds the image of Venti bringing out a storybook and reading is just a little bit funny, but he suppresses the chuckle bubbling up in his throat). Instead, he grabs the discarded flute from the ground and lifts it up to bring it to his mouth.
Xiao tilts his head in confusion, before he can ask how this is supposed to be storytelling, a scene flashes in his mind, like he was watching a movie.
He sees his mom strumming her guitar on her bed, humming a random tune that Xiao vaguely recognizes as a lullaby she used to sing to him before bed. She’s gorgeous, silver white hair flowing down her back, styled up in a half-bun to keep her hair from covering her face and intertwining with the strings of her guitar. She looks young, he’s sure that this memory is from before him and his sister. Nonetheless, he’s filled with a warmth in his heart as he sees his mother smiling and humming, very much alive. He knows it’s not real, but he can’t help it. He wishes she had more time.
Xiao notices a figure from the side of his eye, but the scene being a movie style kept him from seeing who the figure was fully. It didn’t take long for him to know, though, the figure speaks in a voice he (unfortunately) recognizes.
“Guizhong! You’re always busy, we never have any jobs anymore. I might get rusty, you know.” The voice whines, making Guizhong look up with a fond smile on her face. “Oh Venti, if you’ve forgotten, I’m not an exorcist like your previous master. I don’t want to spend time patrolling the city for demons and whatnot, wouldn’t you like to come sit here with me and sing? You have a wonderful voice.”
Venti huffs, finally moving into frame to hover in front of Guizhong. “If you just took my flute as an antique decoration, you can sell me off again. There’s nothing to do.” He crosses her arms and stands (floats?) firmly in front of her. Guizhong laughs and places down her guitar, humming to herself. “Do you really want a full-time job?” She asks, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Venti seems to match her energy, leaning forward eagerly. “As long as it’s not as stuffy and taxing as exorcising demons all day, I’ll take it.”
Guizhong laughs and brushes her fingers through her long hair, lightly brushing over the glaze lily hair clip that held her bun back. “Protect my loved ones, current and future ones. That’s a full-time job for you.” She says, despite the way she suggested it earlier the ‘job’ seemed more like a favor. A simple wish.
Venti leans back and it looks like he’s biting the inside of his cheek. He finally sighs and looks at Guizhong, a fond look on his face. “How innocent, do you trust me that much?” He asks, hands on his hips. Guizhong looks at him, standing up from her bed. “I know you have a good heart in you Venti, despite being translucent.” She laughs, shoving her hand straight through his chest. “And…unbodied too.” A playful glint in her eyes as she removes her hand from his chest.
A gust of wind gently passes through Guizhong's soft hair, splitting the hair into two sections to lift it up and bend it to a heart shape over her head. Venti laughs at the sight, Guizhong simply stands there with an amused smile.
“Well then! Guizhong,” He starts, after he’s finished laughing. “I, Venti, pledge myself to you as the wind spirit of the flute to protect your loved ones, current and future ones you may have.” Guizhong’s hair slowly floats down to her original hairstyle as Venti bows politely. The two share a laugh and Guizhong sits back down on her bed, grabbing her guitar and tapping the spot beside her for Venti.
Venti comes over and simply hovers over the spot Guizhong tapped on, legs crossed. She strums on her guitar as Venti hums the very same tune she was humming earlier.
Their voices harmonize beautifully, Xiao thinks. Venti has a higher voice than most men do, but it compliments Guizhong’s smoother voice. The lullaby itself is devoid of any lyrics, just a simple instrumental with a few vocals here and there. Xiao distantly remembers it as a common lullaby his mom used to sing to him, and it was one of his favorites too.
Xiao feels at peace, not even realizing he’s back at the attic until he hears his sister coming up the stairs.
His eyes shoot open, and he sees a glimpse of fog jamming itself into the flute that is now somehow on his lap. He doesn’t question it, staring expectedly at the open trap door of the attic. He sees a head of blue hair come up from the opening, pushing himself to stand up. He walks over to the door and offers out a hand, helping his sister up the ladder leading to the attic.
“Hey Xiao!” His sister huffs, clearly tired from moving and packing all around the house. She looks around the attic and sees a few boxes left in the corner, walking towards it. “I’ve finished downstairs, so I’ll help you out here!” She smiles, dragging a box to the center of the room and ripping it open. Xiao tilts his head to the side and walks over to her, still clutching the flute in his hand.
“You’ve already finished? The entire downstairs?” He asks incredulously. His sister lets out a laugh, “I called over my girlfriend to help out. She was a big help! Dad and his boyfriend are downstairs too, finishing up.”
Of course his sister decided to call her girlfriend. He definitely doesn’t have anything against her, unlike his dad’s boyfriend, his sister’s partner is way more likeable. Organized, neat, knows when to stand up for herself and overall is a very headstrong person. He respects that.
The last part of her sentence processes in his mind, making him scowl.
“Childe’s here?” He says, irritation in his voice. He’s standing next to his sister, who is crouched down in front of the box she opened earlier. His sister rolls her eyes, “Now come on Xiao, he isn’t even that bad! Get to know him sometime, will you?” She pats his thigh.
“Ganyu, the man is in his 30s. He’s closer to our age than the lady who lives on the field nearby! And dad’s what? 46?” Xiao kneels down to help her with sorting out the contents of the box, ignoring Ganyu’s lecture about not judging a book by its cover because it’s absolutely ridiculous, he might not talk to Childe that often but he’s talked to him enough times to determine that the guy is bound to get on his nerves sooner or later. If Childe starts making an actual effort to get close to him, it might be sooner.
After they cleared out most of the leftover boxes in the attic, Ganyu pops a question.
“Hey, Xiao?” She starts, setting aside a tattered up teddy bear. Xiao looks up at her and hums, urging her to continue. “Actually, while I was coming up here I heard a flute. Were you playing?”
The picture frame Xiao was holding almost slipped out of his hands.
Huh, he forgot about that.
He clears his throat and wipes the dust off the picture frame, smiling when he sees it’s a picture of his father and mother when they were still dating. He sets it aside and turns his attention back to Ganyu. “Well, yeah I was just experimenting.” He lies, desperately hoping Ganyu wouldn’t push further.
Of course, since all the Archons and Gods hate him, Ganyu pushes further.
“Oh, really?” There’s an excited glint in her eyes, it makes Xiao’s heart pang with guilt at the lie. “I haven’t heard you play in ages! Play now, oh please!!” Ganyu's clapping her hands together like a seal waiting for a treat. Xiao decides to play it off, “You just heard me play a while ago, did you not?”
Ganyu pouts, “Don’t act smart with me. I am your older sister, you know.” She huffs and leans forward to flick her finger against Xiao’s forehead. He jolts back and massages the red spot on his forehead, glaring at his sister. She pointedly ignores the daggers being glared into her, “I just want music to fill this household again! Remember, mom used to sing all the time.” She says.
Xiao stops glaring at her and sighs. “Of course I remember.” He gives her a small smile, “The house was always filled with her hums and lullabies. I bet dad misses that too.” He says fondly, looking back on the scene he witnessed earlier thanks to Venti, still an unknown being to him.
“We all do.” Ganyu says with a smile, “I just want this family to be lively again! Of course, that means you have to get along with Childe and-”
Xiao lightly whacks her head with the flute - which he was still holding close. Ganyu yelps, barely covering her head as protection when the wooden instrument hits her skull. “Ow!”
“If it makes you and dad happy, I can try and get along with him.” Xiao mutters, emphasizing on the word ‘try’. Ganyu still hops over to hug him tightly and squeals. He pushes her away in a very annoyed younger brother way and goes back to sorting through the last box.
After they’ve finished, they go downstairs, where Xiao meets his (self-proclaimed) sworn enemy - Childe.
“Hello, Xiao.” His father greets as Xiao walks down the stairs beside his sister. He nods and gives his dad a smile, which immediately turned into a scowl when he heard the next greeting he received. “Hiya kiddo!” Childe waves enthusiastically, leaning on his father’s shoulders. Xiao rolls his eyes, “You’re barely 10 years older than me, do not call me kiddo.” There’s a bit of bite to his words, but the faces of his sister and father make him subconsciously tone down the harshness.
“Ouch! Zhongli, your youngest is wounding me again.” Childe dramatically leans over Zhongli, who simply pats his head and gives him a kiss. Xiao does everything in his power to stop himself from rolling his eyes.
Thankfully, Ganyu – amazing, precious Ganyu – changes the subject. “Me and Xiao just finished up in the attic!” She says, and her girlfriend somehow appears right by her side. Xiao looks around and hopes nobody notices, because what the fuck - does having a partner give you the ability to just be by their side in the blink of an eye?
“I just called the movers and they should be here by early morning tomorrow.” Ganyu’s girlfriend says, a hand on her hips. Ganyu leans over and gives her a peck on her cheek, “Aww Keqing, you’ve been a big help today! Thank you.” She says in a so obviously sweet tone that it almost makes Xiao want to barf. Almost.
“It’s not a problem, babe.” Keqing smiles and returns the kiss; Now Xiao might actually throw up. He has got to get out of here.
“Uhm, I’ll be heading home now.” He says, making a beeline for the door. Zhongli’s voice stops him because goddamnit, he can’t refuse his father. “Oh Xiao, you’re leaving already?” He says, Xiao can hear the frown in his voice. He thinks of an excuse, turning around swiftly. “I have to go, I promised Kazuha and the others I’d join them for a drink or whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow.” and with that, he’s off. Nevermind the fact that there was some truth to that sentence, Kazuha and his other friends did in fact ask him to join their drinking session but he politely declined, he’s not the party type.
Xiao makes his way to his motorcycle and shoves his hands in his pockets, surprised to pull out a flute alongside his keys. He belatedly realizes that he forgot he shoved the flute into his pockets just before him and Ganyu went down. He thinks about going back in and dropping the flute off but no, he’d rather not see Childe again - or his sister being overly sweet with her girlfriend.
So, he shoves the flute back into his pocket, makes sure it’s secure and won’t fall off as he gets on his bike and drives away.