Chapter Text
Xiao glared at the teacher from across the room. Earlier that morning, despite his protests, she had calmly walked over and detached him from his father's jacket, plopping him down in a chair and leaving him to fend for himself. The teacher shivered in her seat. For a grade schooler, he really had a very intimidating glare. Xiao continued staring daggers into the poor teacher's back as she stood up and paced around the room, adjusting a star here, hanging up a picture there.
His parents always dropped him off early at the daycare, and he was often left alone in the room with her for around half an hour as she set up for class and the other students trickled in. Xiao stared at her and wondered how much effort it would take to escape the room and find his dad again. He'd only left a few minutes ago, surely...
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the classroom door opening. Xiao glanced over and was met by a confusing sight. What looked like three bundles of fluff were being escorted into the room by the beaming teacher, who was glad for an escape from Xiao's death stare.
Then, as he watched, the tallest of the bundles took off the fur jacket they were wearing and was revealed to be the brightest person Xiao had ever seen. His eyes shone gold and his hair draped over his shoulders like a wave of light. There almost seemed to be a light emanating from him, drawing people in. His face was friendly and open, and he glanced around the room before smiling at Xiao. Xiao almost melted in his seat.
To the right of him, the girl hung up her coat as well. She was very obviously related to the shining boy. Her hair, while not golden, still shone gently in the light, and her eyes were a darker shade of the bright color in her brother's eyes. She glanced at her brother, cautiously, before swinging back around to shoot a glare at Xiao. He was taken aback: her stare was almost as intimidating as his. The teacher, who had been watching the interaction, almost sobbed.
With two of the mysteries revealed, Xiao's eyes swung back around to the last bundle of fur. When the jacket was removed, he saw a short girl with pure white hair. She had dark blue eyes and a diamond-shaped hairpin that caught the light. She looked at the two children standing beside her, then at Xiao, then back towards the twins. She shrugged and made her way over to the snack table.
Xiao watched her go, and when he turned back to the doorway, the boy was standing right in front of him, beaming. "I'm Aether!" he exclaimed cheerfully, holding out a hand. Xiao eyed it for a moment before crossing his arms. Golden boy or not, he wasn't about to trust anyone that easily. The boy looked downtrodden and withdrew his hand. Behind him, the girl's stare had turned positively deadly.
A shiver ran up his spine before he could stop himself- he forcefully turned back to the boy; Aether. After a short pause, Aether continued. "Behind me is my twin sister, Lumine! And over there..." he spun around the room, presumably looking for the other girl that had entered with them. *He looks cute,* Xiao couldn't help but note. *Like a lost puppy." Against his will, his stance softened and his arms came down to hang by his sides.
"Paimon's over there, Aether." Lumine finally spoke, her hands on her hips. Her voice was calm and measured, a stark difference from her brother's bubbly tone. Aether whirled back around and caught sight of the little girl, Paimon. She had devoured the plate of cookies and was working on the bags of chips.
"Right, that's Paimon! So, what's your name?"
"..." He didn't usually like talking to strangers. But Aether was waiting so expectantly... "Xiao," he muttered gruffly, glancing away from the ball of sunshine in front of him. "Xiao!" He startled hearing his name in Aether's mouth. "That's such a cool name! Let's be friends."
"...Fine."
"Yay!"
Suddenly, Aether leaned forward in one bound and wrapped him in a tight hug. Xiao stood stiffly, arms hovering hesitantly in the air. After a few moments, Aether pulled away. "Ahaha, sorry, I tend to get a bit excited sometimes."
"It's.. fine. I didn't mind it."
"Really?" Xiao nodded, his ears tinted pink. Aether seemed to glow brighter, if that was possible, and hugged him again. This time, Xiao returned it, albeit very gently. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lumine still glaring at him. Her eyes were narrowed and she radiated hostility.
Xiao stood confused for a moment before returning the glare. *Game on,* he thought, his arms tightening around Aether.