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"You really like Almond Tofu, don't you?"
Aether smiled, delighted. He was staring at Xiao while he was munching slowly on the dish he had made for him, the softest expression on his face.
"Hmp. I told you before, it's because it tastes like dreams."
"You mean that in a non metaphorical way?" Aether eyed him curiously and Xiao looked at him as if he had grown another head.
"Adepti do not sustain themselves on human food."
"Yeah, I know that." He knitted his brows, still confused with the course of the conversation.
"I do sustain myself on dreams." He explained and Aether gaped.
"You mean like eating people's dreams?"
Xiao grimaced.
"Yes, I used to do that." He played with the spoon in his hand, clearly lost in some unpleasant memory. "Now I have... my ways to obtain only what I need to survive."
"Is it painful for you?" Aether asked softly. It seemed like a delicate topic for Xiao, and something ached in his chest learning about all of this.
"Not really. I've lived long enough so I don't need it that often." He looked down at the plate of Almond Tofu again. "When I say this tastes like dreams, I mean it helps me to soothe my thirst somehow."
Aether fell silent. Thirst was a concept that he was painfully familiar with.
"What would it mean for someone..." He started, trying to choose his words carefully. "If you were to drink from their dreams?"
"Why do you ask that?" Xiao knitted his brows.
"I just want to know." He needed to know.
Xiao studied his face for a moment, a bit wary of his serious expression. He then sighed and began to explain.
"If I were to continuously feed on someone, I could permanently erase that person's capacity to dream. And for mortals, their ability to dream it's what fuels their will to live..."
"So they become like empty vessels." He whispered, it wasn’t even a question. He looked up at Xiao, panicking as he didn’t mean to interrupt him. He found those golden eyes staring right into his, like he was trying to learn what was on his mind.
"You sound like you've seen it before."
"I've witnessed things like that in the past." He nodded quietly. "And what if you feed on a person just once?"
Xiao kept staring at him a bit more, as if pondering if he should dig in what Aether had just told him. After a moment, he sighed again and resumed his explanation.
"They wouldn't remember their dream, of course, and maybe feel exhausted as if they hadn't slept at all."
"Well, that's something I'm kinda used to."
With a sly grin, Aether made up his mind. That only made Xiao’s confusion grow.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I don't know about your ways but if the day comes when the Almond Tofu is not enough to clench your thirst, you can always count on me to help you with that.“ He smiled tenderly at him, wishing he could convey all his feelings to Xiao.
“I would never do that to you, why would you offer something like that?”
Aether felt a pang on his chest. Xiao was mad. It was the first time he had seen him like that with him. He reached for his hand, fearing that Xiao could vanish at any moment.
”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.“ He bit down his lip. ”It’s just… I do know what is to thirst, after all.“
“What?”
Xiao waited for an answer as Aether took a deep breath.
“I’m the same as you, Xiao. I don’t actually sustain myself on human food, but something else,” he confessed.
“But you eat.”
“I do. I don’t mind eating and I enjoy the flavors. It’s easier to blend in like that,” he shrugged. “No one in Teyvat knows about this.”
“Then why are you telling me now?”
“Because I… care about you and I want to help you, if I can. I just want you to know that I'm not saying this lightly.”
“I couldn’t bear to hurt you, Aether.”
Xiao’s voice trembled, and Aether tightened the grip on his hands. Of course he knew that. Just as he knew deep inside that Xiao felt for him the same way he did, even though neither of them would put that into words.
“You won’t hurt me, Xiao. You just said you wouldn’t.”
Xiao opened his mouth, but words didn’t come out. He seemed to be struggling with something he couldn’t voice, something that wasn’t clear even for himself. And before he could come to an answer, all his body tensed up, his eyes looking somewhere that was miles away from where they were sitting.
“Xiao?”
“Sorry, I have to go.”
And just like that, he vanished into thin air, leaving a confused Aether and an unfinished plate of Almond Tofu behind.
— · —
Aether was sitting on what seemed like Qingyun Peak, but something felt odd about it. The fog was dense beneath his feet, and though he was looking at the sunset, the sun was fixed on the same spot without moving at all . It was one of those rare moments when he realize s he is dreaming. And when Xiao appeared right on his side without being called , h e could tell something was happening.
“Sorry for leaving like that earlier.” He said quietly, sitting by his side.
“ So what is this? You're walking into my dreams unannounced now?" He joked, though he was feeling a bit nervous.
"I went to your room but you were already asleep so..."
"Wait. Are you in my room now??"
"You look more relaxed when you sleep" Xiao smiled warmly and Aether could feel the heat creeping up his face.
"Y-you..."
"You didn't tell me." Xiao ignored his embarrassment and stared right into his eyes.
"What?"
"You said you didn't need food, that you sustained yourself on something else.“
“Oh. That.” Aether grimaced. "I didn't want to gross you out..."
"Like you could," he frowned.
"Even if I told you that I drink blood to live?" Xiao's brows twitched in surprise.
"Blood?"
"Pretty gross, huh? Eating dreams is kind of poetic in comparison, if you think about it."
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know.” Aether smiled, turning his gaze to the eternal sunset. "But rest assured, I haven't drink a single drop of blood since I arrived in Teyvat."
“Why?”
“Like you, I don’t really need it that much,” he shrugged. “In other worlds we are called things like Vampires and we are feared… we can easily kill people, after all.”
“But you don’t have to kill to feed.” It wasn’t even a question, and Aether felt warm to know Xiao understood him so much.
“I don’t,” he nodded and then smiled playfully. “Just a little bite and maybe you’ll feel a bit dizzy.”
He showed his fangs to him, his grin widening when he saw Xiao blushing.
“Y-you want to bite me?”
“What if I say I do? Would you let me?” Aether tilted his head, examining his face: it was like a poem.
“You said you didn’t need it.” Xiao was confused, and he let out a soft laugh.
“It’s true, I don’t need it.” He soothed him. “But, you know what, Xiao? I do lust for the blood of the person I love.”
Xiao gasped, taking in the meaning of those words. And as if he had found the answer he needed, he leaned forward and kissed him.
— · —
When Aether woke up, he could feel a warm touch lingering on his lips. It took him a few moments to realize it wasn’t some aftertaste of a dream, but another pair of lips kissing him. He blinked his eyes open, bewildered, only to find Xiao smiling over him. He felt his heart run wild on his chest, what was even happening?
“I love you, too, Aether.”
“What?”
Xiao laughed. Light, carefree. It was the most beautiful sound in the world ringing in his ears. But Aether was still dumbfounded.
“Why do I feel like I’m missing something?”
“I’m sorry, I ate it.” Xiao’s laughter turned into a guilty smile.
“You did what?” Aether abruptly sat up in the bed, the movement pushing Xiao to sit on his lap. They both gasped at once and blushed, realizing the situation they were in.
“You said that you lust for the person you love…” Xiao began, his boldness from before taken away by the gaze Aether gave him. “And that’s the same for me, Aether,” he muttered. “When you said that to me before, about helping me, I was really mad at myself because deep down I craved it.”
Aether looked at him, finally putting all the pieces together. And then it sunk in: Xiao had told him he loved him. Twice. As he stared blankly at him trying to find the right words, he noticed Xiao was taking off his clothes. Or more exactly, he had taken off his necklace and all the garments around his chest, leaving his neck exposed. Aether gulped.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I ate your dream, so I’m giving you my blood in exchange.”
“Your blood?” His throat suddenly felt dry and his fangs itched. How would Xiao know all that? Just how much had the two of them talked in that forever lost dream?
“You don’t want to?” He sounded somewhat disappointed.
Aether gulped again, grabbing Xiao's waist and pulling him closer to his body. He buried his face in the crock of his neck, shakily breathing out.
"I never said I didn't," he whispered. Xiao trembled slightly. "I love you, Xiao."
"I know."
"I wouldn't want to hurt you," he hugged him tightly.
"I know you won't."
Aether's fangs grazed his skin and Xiao tightened the grip onto his shirt. He tilted his head, giving him more space, inviting him to do it.
When the fangs pierced his skin, Xiao's breath hitched in his throat and he bit down his lip to suppress a moan. The blood flooded into Aether’s mouth, warm, sweet, agitated. He let out a deep groan, savoring every drop of it. Even when he pulled out his fangs, he lapped on the wound, not wanting to waste any of it.
“Aether…” Xiao’s voice sounded shaken. Aether raised his head to the call, half-lidded eyes still unfocused like he was drunk on the blood.
“Are you okay, Xiao? Aren’t you dizzy?” He smiled hazily, cupping his face in his hands.
“I’m fine. That was… uhm-” He averted his gaze sheepishly, the tip of his ears were tinted in red. Aether let out a soft laugh.
“I know.” He leaned in closer and pressed their lips together once again. They shared a sweet, tender kiss, and when they pulled apart, Aether smiled with unconcealed desire. “And you should know that your blood is not the only thing I crave from you.”
Xiao’s blush spread all over his face.
“I’m glad to hear that.”