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Xiao knew it could be the end. Giving his all to save these people could be what finally killed him. It could be the thing to end his eternal suffering brought on by his karmic debt. It would be a noble ending too, with one he could call a good friend by his side and the mystery of the disappearance of an old friend solved.
Zhongli had warned him before. It was a dangerous venture, one he didn’t expect to yield such results. Learning the fate of Bosacius was painful, but it put his mind at ease. His friend had died protecting the people of Liyue, with a companion by his side.
"Where have you been lately? There is not a soul who could tell me."
The familiar voice pulls the yaksha away from his thoughts. His eyes are drawn to a small Anemo wisp hovering around the Archon.
He was partially right. Not a soul would tell Venti of Xiao's whereabouts these past days. But Morax could have. If only his beloved Archons had better communication skills, someone would have noticed sooner. Someone would have been there to catch him before he fell.
Xiao feels it coming again. The looming dread of his karmic debt rising to the surface. He is far more susceptible to it if his mind is in a weakened state, and the lurking darkness gladly takes advantage of his vulnerability.
The whispers start. Soft at first, but quickly rising in volume and numbers. They don't speak so much in words, as murmurs in tongues long forgotten.
A single word can be recognised in the chaos. Alatus . It’s spoken repeatedly, with an urgency he can't quite grasp. What does his name mean to them? Who are they? Can’t they just leave him alone ?
Then.
A breeze.
Soft and sweet, it cradles him lovingly. It promises to hold on to him, protect him, chase away his demons. A promise that can be fulfilled, only if he reaches out.
“ Barbatos .” The name is a whisper on his lips.
As Xiao feels himself land again in the real world, he notices how badly his body is shaking. His hands are trembling uncontrollably and shivers run down his spine repeatedly. The only place that feels grounded, feels real, is the hands clinging only his shoulders. They keep him here, keep him real, and solid, and stop him from drifting away again.
“Well hello there, weary traveler. Where did you go?”
His eyes still feel unfocused, but he doesn’t need to see to know who is there. To know the one to ground him whenever he succumbs to the darkness within him. The one who wouldn’t leave him even if he begged.
Neither of them have to think about it. When their eyes meet, they collide. It’s not passionate, wild, or rushing. There is no storm consuming his being, roaring and angry. What forms in their collision, is something entirely different.
It is light. Like a leaf being lifted by a gentle breeze, carried along the wind to a new destination. But, however light, it will be lasting, for the winds shall not fall still in their hearts.
Venti withdraws from their embrace. He doesn’t allow Xiao to pull away entirely though, as he cups the yaksha’s face immediately.
“Are you back?” The bard asks, tone soft as one would use to prevent scaring off a baby deer.
Xiao nods, eyes cast down.
“Take a breath, my hurricane.” Venti’s left hand pushes back the turquoise strands of hair that cover Xiao’s face.
“The winds have settled
All leaves fall quiet
A storm’s herald
Is the prelude to riot.”
The bard’s song carefully helps the yaksha break out of his headspace. With his eyes wide and eyebrows drawn in fear, it is clear as day to anyone how much the yaksha needs Venti right now.
“It’s alright, songbird. I’m not going anywhere.” At the mention of the nickname, Xiao crushes his face into Venti’s chest. His fists desperately cling onto the green robe.
“He’s really gone,” he whispers. It had always been the most probable outcome. Both Xiao and Zhongli had put together the stories of Bosacius’ disappearance and the yaksha present at the sealing of the Chasm. However, believing something to be true and finding the evidence of the matter are two entirely different matters.
The confirmation of his close friend’s demise forced his mind to return to the olden days. Memories of the other yakshas of the Five flooded his brain. Along with those memories comes the cause of Xiao being the only left alive of the Five Yakshas of Liyue.
Xiao has always received praise for his strength and stamina, especially the Geo Archon doesn’t shy away from complimenting him. Very few actually know the pain and suffering he faces on many days. The constant pressure of his karmic debt, an ever-present threat, weighing him down. It is this burden that is tearing him apart at the seams.
Then there is Venti. Bright, light as a feather, always drifting wherever he sees fit. He is in the wind, swaying the tree branches on a quiet night; the breeze ruffling the grass in the early morning; and the harsh gusts biting Xiao’s cheeks when he ventures onto the heights of Qingyun Peak.
Venti, who will drift his way no matter what. Venti, with his sweet whispers and hearty laughs. Venti, already holding the needle and thread to put him back together.
“You learned of Bosacius’ fate?” Venti holds one hand firmly pressed to Xiao’s back, while the other is softly patting his hair, fingers curling around locks of deep green and bright turquoise.
Xiao’s throat feels tight, and words escape him. A simple ‘yes’ feels like it will make him fall apart all over again. He manages to nod, his eyes cast down and his shoulders hunched.
“Xiao, look at me, please.”
Archons, now even Venti is being careful around him. Like it wasn’t enough for the Traveler to treat him like a wild animal ready to flee. The Geo Archon also couldn’t stand seeing him. The man was nowhere to be seen after dragging Xiao out of the Chasm.
The Chasm… The darkest part of Liyue, home to death and suffering. A burial ground for friends and family. Even the headstrong Bosacius found his demise in the deep underground mines, with a stranger, and all while losing his grasp on his own mind.
A sharp stinging sensation at the back of his scalp pulls Xiao back into the present. His head is being tilted back by Venti’s tight grip on his hair. The Archon’s eyes are alight with emotion. Xiao isn’t sure if it’s worry, exasperation, anger, sadness, or love. Really, if it’s Venti, it could be all of those at the same time.
“You’re spiraling again, my hurricane.”
A smile pulls at the corner of Xiao’s mouth. He’d scoffed the first time Venti used that nickname for him, but now he cannot possibly deny how well it suits him.
“I’m sor-” Xiao starts, but his words get interrupted by a kiss. It’s just a quick peck, but it stops him from finishing the word.
“No, none of that.” Venti releases his grip on the yaksha’s hair. Instead, he now massages the scalp softly, soothing the strain he put on it.
The soft pressure on the back of his head calms Xiao’s mind, and with it, his body.
“Alatus, can you please tell me? Did you find your answers?” Venti asks, his hands continuing their movements.
The yaksha nods. He wants to explain, to talk about what he discovered in those dark depths. But he can’t. Not yet. First, Xiao has to wrap his head around all that happened, all that they discovered together.
A deep breath. Xiao drags his body upward, pulling his shoulders back and raising his head. “The others and I have gained much information from our trip inside the Chasm. It was,” a pause. “It wasn’t all bad.”
Venti exhales shakily.
Xiao’s eyes flash up. He’s been so preoccupied by his own troubles, he’s not even aware of his lover’s pain. Venti always seems so unaffected by the world around them, the jolly bard just doing whatever he pleases, having fun and pestering others.
“You worry me, my darling yaksha,” the Anemo Archon says. “I beg you not to do anything so reckless again. Please, don’t hurt yourself like that.”
The yaksha touches his Archon’s face gently. His fingers caress Venti’s cheeks, then slide down to cup his jaw. “Forgive me, my lord Barbatos.”
“You already know I can’t deny you anything.” Venti brings his hand up to cup Xiao’s. “Now, are you going to be okay?”
Of course not . They both know it. Xiao is going to need to take his time to process the happenings within the Chasm. He’s found the answer to something he’s been wondering about for a long time. He hadn’t expected to find Bosacius alive and well, but it still hurts to know the details of a close friend’s death.
“It’s alright for now,” Xiao finally answers. “As long as I have you by my side.” I can get through anything .
Venti giggles. It’s a pure sound, surprising the Archon himself.
“Even the big, bad Vigilant Yaksha can be corny, it seems.”
“Shut up and kiss me, you fool.”
The Archon doesn’t hesitate. They kiss as the sun sets on the city of Mondstadt and the hills of Liyue.
That night, they fall asleep with their limbs tangled together. There is no more talk of the Chasm and its secrets. The next few dawns, all that exists is the two of them in their own little world.
There is this phrase the Traveler mentioned to Venti. Time heals all wounds . Neither of them believed it to be true, but it could be a nice sentiment. Venti knows time will never take away all of Xiao’s pain, but time is necessary to process the things that have happened to the yaksha, time will teach him how to continue to live and find happiness in the world.