Chapter Text
April 18th, 2021.
Xiao sighed as he took a sip of his champagne. He was stuck in an event with a lot of celebrities, and for someone who hates socializing, joining such events is a pain in the ass.
"Xiao, can't you at least uh... smile?" Aether asked, observing Xiao's face.
"No," Xiao grumbled.
"Come on! It's an event, y'know!" Aether groaned. "No one's going to like you or talk to you when you glare at everybody like that!"
"I didn't want to be here in the first place." Xiao retorted.
"Ugh, whatever. Manager Jean is glaring at you right now." Aether pointed to their manager, Jean, who was glaring at Xiao, with a 'look-nicer-you-gremlin' face.
"She's glaring at Venti, not me." Xiao pointed to Venti, who was, as usual, very drunk.
"Ugh, whatever." Aether sighed, giving up. "I'm going to go see Lumine. Where're Heizou and Kazuha?"
"Kazuha's in the restroom, but I don't know about Heizou." Xiao shrugged. "Probably with Shinobu."
"Sheesh, seriously? She goes abroad for a week and suddenly he's all mushy." Aether said, disgusted.
"Are you sure you're not just jealous?" Xiao took another sip of his champagne.
"Am not," Aether replied. "You're one to talk. You haven't even dated anyone before."
"At least I haven't been dumped a few times because I was too 'stupid'." Xiao crossed his arms.
"Okay, you know what, I'm going to go stop Venti from causing more chaos and actually be useful you asshole." Aether walked away.
"Works for me either way." Xiao shrugged. Aether looked back at him and gave Xiao the middle finger. "Fuck you too," Xiao muttered. He grumbled and checked his watch. It was already 11:25 PM, and Xiao doesn't really like going to events that last for more than 3 hours.
He looked around the crowd to find his manager, Jean, so that he could ask her whether or not they could go home, but Jean was nowhere to be found. She was always looking after them as if she was their bodyguard, not their manager. Well, she might as well be their bodyguard too since her strength was unrivaled. He sighed and went to look for his busy manager.
Xiao glanced at his watch again. It was already 12:15, but he still couldn't find Jean. And what's worse is that he couldn't contact her since he left his phone in the van. At this point, he was too tired and wanted to just go home without her permission.
'Why do events that end at dawn even exist, anyway?' Xiao thought, sighing. Xiao turned around, looking for the exit when he suddenly spotted a blonde-haired man standing on the balcony. 'I'll just ask Aether if he knows where manager Jean is.' Xiao thought. Xiao was headed toward the balcony when someone suddenly bumped into him.
"Ah, I apologize," It was Kuki Shinobu, Heizou's significant other, as he dubbed it. (He was just too shy to call her his girlfriend.)
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you." Xiao gave a slight bow. Xiao's expression turned to mild disgust when he saw Shinobu's neck. 'That Heizou, can't even wait for the event to finish?' Xiao thought. "Uh, well then, I'll get going."
"Alright, I apologize again." She bowed slightly and left.
"Seriously, that guy..." Xiao could already envision their manager scolding Heizou. The couple is officially dating, but Shinobu said she wanted to keep their relationship a secret for a while. "He's going to be scolded if manager Jean sees Shinobu..." Xiao muttered and continued to head to the balcony.
"Hey, Aether, have you seen manager Jean?" Xiao asked. "It's almost 1 AM, and I think I'm going to pass out if we won't go home right this—" Xiao paused as he realized, the person he was talking to wasn't Aether.
"Huh?" The blonde-haired girl turned around.
"Oh, sorry, I uh, thought you were my friend." Xiao cleared his throat in embarrassment. "You two look similar."
"Hm, Aether, you say..." The girl muttered. "Must be because he's my brother." Xiao flinched.
"Wait, you're—" He was interrupted when the girl suddenly bowed.
"I'm Lumine, Aether's twin sister." Lumine introduced herself.
"Ah, I'm uh, Xiao. I'm part of the band your brother's in." Xiao introduced himself awkwardly. He's not really the type to leave a good impression on people, since he would usually scare them away with his glare, even if he doesn't do it on purpose. But this was different, he felt rather... intimidated.
'Maybe it's because she's a girl.' Xiao thought. 'I don't really talk to girls much, so maybe it's because it's been a while. Yeah, it's definitely that. She is rather pretty if I say so myself...' Xiao flinched. 'Wait what—'
"If you're looking for him, I suggest going to the restroom. He's probably passed out or swimming in his barf by now." Lumine said.
"Alright, good luck in taking care of him." The girl smiled. Xiao wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He could already feel shivers up his spine at the thought of having to clean up Aether's puke. "By the way, you have really pretty eyes." Xiao flinched.
"Um, thanks." He scratched his neck as his face turned bright red. 'Am I seriously blushing like a high school boy right now? Archons, this is embarrassing... it makes me feel like someone who's deprived of compliments...' Xiao thought. "Usually they scare people. They say it's too scary or something."
"Well, you do look like a grumpy cat." Lumine chuckled. "With very pretty eyes." She added.
"A... cat?" Xiao's mouth gaped. 'I don't know if that's a compliment since cats are kind of an asshole...'
"Oh, don't get me wrong, that wasn't meant as an insult or anything." She cleared her throat. "Uh, anyway, I assume you have to go already?"
"Um, yeah, kind of," Xiao replied. "Well, that is if I ever find my manager."
"Oh, miss Jean? I saw her talking to the staff earlier." Lumine said. "Don't know where she is now, though. You should go, it's almost 1 AM. They might be looking for you."
"Well, that's ironic, considering I'm the one looking for them right now." He joked.
"Pfft, I never knew someone who's 'scary' as you could crack a joke." Lumine chuckled. "Anyway, if you find my brother, give him a beating for me. I can bribe you." She joked.
"Don't think I need a bribe to do that." He shrugged. "Anyway, I'll get going now, for real this time."
"Alright, alright," Lumine said. "Well, it was nice meeting you."
"Likewise," Xiao said. "Then, have a good night." He bowed and turned around. As he headed for the restroom, he placed his hand on his chest. He could feel his heart thumping loudly. 'What the fuck? Was I really that nervous talking to her...?'
"Ugh, where is that guy..." Xiao groaned as he entered the men's restroom. There weren't a lot of people even though almost a thousand guests attended the event. Xiao's eyes lay upon a blonde-haired man who was laying on the floor. "What the fuck."
"Urgh, s-stomach... u-ugh, it's going t-to... burst..." Aether groaned. Xiao facepalmed.
"Seriously, this guy..." Xiao groaned. 'Since when did he get so drunk? He was fine an hour ago, and I didn't even see him drink much...' Xiao kneeled beside Aether, then slapped his cheek lightly. Yep, he was definitely drunk. "Aether, cut your bullshit. Have you seen manager Jean?"
"Manager... Jean?" Aether wiped his eyes. "Why are there tears in my eyes...."
"Aether, answer me before I dunk your head on the toilet," Xiao said.
"Oh, manager Jean...? She's uh... I saw her near the exit door or something..." Aether groaned. "Ugh, I feel like I'm going to hurl." Xiao sighed and grabbed Aether's arm and carried him on his back. "Woo~ piggyback ride..." Aether giggled like a child. Xiao groaned.
"Holy shit, you're so heavy," Xiao said. "Why did you get so drunk, you dumbass..."
"Is it bad that little Aether wants to have fun?" He giggled.
"Stop giggling or I'll cut off your tongue." Xiao winced. 'His breath reeks of alcohol... manager Jean's going to scold him for sure.'
"Oh shit, I think I'm going to barf," Aether said.
"Stop joking, Aether," Xiao said. He was already having a headache.
"No shit, I'm not joking," Aether said. "I think I'm— blech!" Aether vomited at Xiao.
"What. The. Fuck." Xiao's mouth gaped.