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Aether was heavily injured in a fight and calls Xiao for help; he brings Aether to Bubu Pharmacy after the fight. Aether gets healed by Qiqi but Baizhu says he has to “take it easy” and has to rest, Xiao brings Aether to one of the rooms of Wangshu Inn so he can rest. Xiao puts an adeptal barrier around the room giving access to no one except him and the staff in order to keep him safe before leaving Aether to rest on the bed. When Aether wakes up and realize, after multiples attempts, that he cannot get out of the room (door or windows), he calls for Xiao and ask him to let him out the room, Xiao tells him that he have everything he needs and that the staff know he is here so he should just rest before leaving again not answering Aether’s calls anymore. Aether gets tired of calling so he stays in the room. Xiao comes back to the room at nightfall expecting to see Aether fast asleep and recovering but instead he sees Aether curved into a ball at the bottom of the bed looking at him visibly enraged with distinct dark circles under his eyes proof that he didn’t rest at all.
“Aether…”
Xiao takes a step near the bed but Aether moves and gets down without saying a word.
“You shouldn’t get up you have to rest”
Aether did not listen nor answer, he walked past Xiao toward the door not making an attempt to open it as he felt Xiao’s hand on his arm.
“Aether it’s late you should rest”
Aether violently shook his arm making Xiao let go of it before facing him.
"HOW LONG WILL YOU NEED ME TO REST?!”
“Until-”
“Xiao this is not normal!!! You can’t just trap me in a room for hours on end!!!”
“I could not have you getting hurt by letting you leave”
“XIAO THIS IS LIKE TRAPPING A BIRD IN A CAGE!!!”
This sentence had Xiao on a chokehold as he immediately understood what Aether meant, both he and Aether used to have wings, both he and Aether knew of the pain of losing them and both he and Aether know what it is to be stripped of their freedom and Xiao had done it to Aether. He, who swore to protect him at any cost.
The room falls into silence, Aether turns back toward the door.
“Can I go now?”
Xiao resigned himself from arguing any further, barrier breaking in an instant.
“The door is open…”
Aether took a second before opening the door, taking a quick glance toward Xiao, completely immovable, before getting down the stairs and leaving the inn.
Aether was exhausted, it was late and he didn’t have his mora in order to go back to the harbor and have a room in another inn, he couldn’t see himself go back now.
He saw a tree in Guili Plains with high branches but seems easy to climb. Aether sighs before getting on a high branch robust enough for him. It was cold and uncomfortable but it was all he had at the moment.
Xiao left the room not long after Aether left, he saw that Aether didn’t take all of his belongings including his mora so he thought that he may not want to see him when he comes back to get them. But as time passed Xiao realized that he was not coming back and that he would have no way of getting a safe place to rest at this time and without mora so Xiao left the inn in search for Aether.
It did not take more than a couple minutes for Xiao to find him as he did not go far, Aether was cold and started getting feverish yet he didn’t wake up at Xiao’s touch, Xiao carried Aether bridal style back to the inn in the room he was in and placed him on the bed to sleep, he checked his belongings and gathered them on the side table in Aether’s reach before leaving the room once again.
Aether wakes up in the morning not knowing of how he got back to the inn, the answer of Xiao would come naturally but it wasn’t what Aether wanted to think about.
Aether makes his way to the door and opens it, no barrier, nothing keeping him inside.
“...”
He takes his belongings off the table and gets down out of the inn, Xiao is there slightly out of the path, dying hilichurls at his feet and a black aura around him.
“Xiao…”
Xiao turns around as his mask disappears from his face, the first expression that Aether can see on his face being doubtful and somewhat regretful, Aether doesn’t say a single word until Xiao speaks up.
“I am sorry, I have done something unforgivable to you and I do not expect to be forgiven”
Aether wanted to intervene, of course he was angry but he could never hold it against Xiao this way yet he didn’t because he felt that it wasn’t all Xiao had to say
“A cage stays a cage no matter at what angle you may look at it.”
“...”
“Yet it can also be a place for the bird to rest. For the gates stay open so the bird can leave at any moment. It is something Mo- Mr. Zhongli had told me and I wish for Wangshu Inn to be this place for you”
Aether smiles and takes a step toward Xiao extending his hand for him to take, Xiao looks at the hand and hesitates to take it.
“Is it really okay?”
“Yes! I still need to go back and eat something! Would you like to eat with me?”
“I am not fond of mortal food…”
“Then I will cook you almond tofu!”
“You should not inder yourself to make me something adepti do not need of sustenance”
Aether lets out a slight laugh
“If you think that cooking may be too difficult for me then come help me in the kitchen!”
“Only if you wish for my assistance”
Xiao takes Aether’s hand as they both go back to the inn.