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"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Xiao could give Venti an entire list of reasons as to why this was a terrible idea in the first place, and even then that wouldn't be enough to get through half of them. Maybe it really was just Xiao's paranoid nature which caused this hesitance regarding going to the city, and especially going amongst people.
Xiao settled for a sigh as a response to Venti's question, he was sure it was rethorical anyway. His boyfriend tightly held his hand as he led him towards 'Angel's share'; a tavern Venti frequents and often speaks of during their meet ups.
It was difficult to convince Xiao to leave Liyue in the first place, let alone come all the way to the city of Mondstadt and visit a place that will surely be busy during these late night hours. Venti's eyes sparkled with excitement and glee in general, and Xiao simply couldn't refuse him, as much as he wanted to.
Xiao tightened his grip on Venti's hand. "I'm not good with alcohol," he mumbled, nervousness ebbing at him. Not having the familiar weight of his spear resting on his back caused a sort of feeling of wrong, and the pin-pricks in his fingertips wouldn't go away. (Did he develop separation anxiety with his weapon?)
"Hm?" Venti looked at him and warmly smiled. "Das ist okay! Du kannst mit Bier beginnen! It has less alcohol than wine." Xiao only nodded, but the tighness in his chest just wouldn't go away. Venti lightly pecked him on the lips as he opened the door for them to enter.
The atmosphere he was hit with immediately upon stepping inside was nothing short of nauseating and just... overwhelming. The loud chatter, the clicking of glasses, the piercing laughter, and the harsh smell of all kinds of liquor mixing together. How could Venti spend night after night in this place?
Xiao always perceived his heightened senses as a blessing. In combat, seeing every detail and hearing every noise was a gift, it helped read body language and told him exactly what his opponent's next move was. It kept him safe on patrols, stealth wasn't an option for his enemies. He also couldn't be tricked with any poisons or substances made to weaken him, as he could tell apart the ingredients just by their smell alone.
But he can't turn it off.
In non-survival situations, such senses are debilitating. Xiao can't function in crowds because he can hear every conversation, can tell where everyone is based on their footsteps, what food or drinks they have on them, the perfumes... but still, by far, not being able to stop reading body language has got to be the most hindering.
That person's drunk, that one is only tipsy. This one is shy, and the one next to her must have lost something important. Those two men that just left are about to engage in a physical brawl, and the two on the second floor are about to start an argument. The lady standing next to the door is an informant, and the girl sitting in the far corner is too young to be here based on her nervousness.
Xiao caught his own reflection on one of the polished wine glasses on the shelves behind the bar counter.
Scared.
His mind provided, and he just barely had enough time to suppress a flinch. He should just tell Venti. That would be the logical thing to do, tell his boyfriend and just leave. But Venti was so excited to just be here with Xiao. No, he had to endure. What was a little noise? He was a warrior, after all, this was a pathetic sight.
"Liebling?" Venti's voice snapped him out of his trance, and by the sounds of it, it isn't the first time he called for him. "Ich fragte, what do you want to drink?" Venti mentioned that beer had less alcohol but-
"Wine," he replied quickly. The haze which comes with consuming the beverage always dulls his senses. That's why he hates it, but now, it might be just the thing he needs. Venti looked at him skeptically for a second, and the bartender, which Xiao believes is called Diluc, because Venti has spoken about him on multiple occasions, eyed him suspiciously as well.
"Ist alles in Ordnung, Xiao?" He asked, face perfectly neutral, but his stance betraying his, albeit mild, concern. The man didn't know any other languages beside Mondstadtian, at least, that's what Venti said, but Xiao found it quite hard to believe.
"Ja, keine Sorge," Xiao managed to reply, insecurity about his pronunciation making his state worse than it already was. Diluc only showed a brief expression of surprise, probably at Xiao actually knowing the language, before slipping back into stoic.
"Bist du sicher?"
"Natürlich." Xiao just wished Venti would speak up, take the attention away from him. Xiao eyed Diluc as they both stood in silence for a bit; Mistrusting, his mind yelled, and Xiao couldn't tell if he was like that because he didn't believe Xiao's word, or because this was the first time he was dealing with an adeptus and was afraid Xiao would be aggressive.
Venti already told him that Diluc was aware of his identity as an Archon, and with Xiao's permission, he told him about Xiao not being human either. Still, a Mondstadtian man wouldn't know anything about adepti other than that they are fierce protectors of Liyue.
"Hier ist dein Getränk," Diluc said. It was only after Venti lightly tugged at his sleeve that Xiao realised he was still very awkwardly standing next to him. He sat down at the bar stool, shaky fingers playing with the glass in front of him.
"Are you sure that you're alright, Liebchen?"
"Yes."
He said it way harsher than he intended, but he was seriously getting fed up with listening to the two men argue about logistics and finances on the floor above them. Not to mention that lady clicking her way too long nails against the brim of her half-empty wine glass. The informant tapping her foot against the floor boards impatiently made him really wish he had his polearm on him right about now.
Venti was talking to him, and Xiao must have been replying based on the occasional nods and giggles from the other man. After the first sip, Xiao couldn't even taste his wine anymore, all it was was the burning, sizzling sensation that always came with these sorts of drinks. He fought hard against his gag reflex as he kept taking sip after sip.
The noise, the smell, the visuals, only became more apparent as time went on, they didn't dull in the slightest, and Xiao became increasingly more agitated as time passed. He turned away from Venti slightly, staring down at what must have been his third glass by now, and taking deep breaths in hopes of calming down.
The breaths turned into gasps, and the things happening all around him blurred together. Colours swirled in his vision, and vomit began slowly climbing up his throat. He was dizzy, he was in pain, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, it was too much, it was all too much-
He distantly noted a semi-loud "Liebling?" In his ear before he was suddenly tugged upright and led towards a door. A few seconds later, he was hit with fresh air, and he gasped, both in shock and in relief.
Although that peace lasted only for a few seconds. Instantly, his instincts took over, and he elbowed the person holding his upper arm in the face, which allowed him to break free of their grasp. Not wasting even a moment, he took off in a sprint, not really caring where he ended up as long as it was away.
He heard quick footsteps behind him, they were running after him. He sped up, trying to keep his dizziness under control. Was this the panic or the drunkenness? Were three glasses enough to get him drunk? Probably, since he wasn't used to it- that wasn't important right now, he needed to get away from his pursuer.
He heard his own labored breathing, too fast, too shallow to be good for running a long distance. The figure was catching up- where was his weapon-
He let out an embarrassing yelp as he was pushed to the ground, the figure above him pinning him and keeping him in place. They were saying something to him, but he couldn't hear, in his panic, he used his vision in an attempt to get this person off-
That failed too but- how...? How were they stronger than him? An average human shouldn't even be close to having the physical strength an adep-
He wheezed, his lungs begging him for air despite knowing that he doesn't need it to survive. Tears streamed down his face before he could stop them, and the mantra of "Pathetic." Repeated itself over and over again in his mind.
What the fuck is wrong with him? A little bit of loud sounds, a tinge of alcohol, and a small crowd are enough to reduce him to this state? What kind of guardian was he if he couldn't tolerate such basic things? It didn't cross his mind that he hated it because of what his previous master put him through
"Hör einfach auf meine Stimme." A gentle voice reached his ears. He tried to fight back, get up and regain some of his dignity, but the other person fought harder, keeping him down and restrained. He hated it, hated it with every fiber of his being, it's been centuries since he wasn't able to move, she was dead, dead, dead, dead- she couldn't-
But who else would be able to fight back against him so easily?
He cried out, he couldn't- wouldn't go back to that, not under any circumstances-! He gasped out, desperately using his vision to get her off, he wanted her off, she wasn't supposed to ever touch him again-
He yelled out for Venti.
Suddenly, the hands loosened their grip, but Xiao could only squirm a little bit, not get away completely. He kept screaming, calling for his lover, as he tried to attack her, get her away from him! He'd rather succumb to his Karmic Debt than ever go back to her-
The arms around him pulled him up into a sitting position, gently wrapping around his torso and pressing his head against their neck. He tried to fight back, claw at her, hit her, but this time, she didn't fully restrain him. The fingers only slowly caressed his back and played with his hair, but Xiao was free to move his arms as he wished.
He gasped out, wanting to get up, wanting his weapon, wanting his boyfriend- but that scent- alcohol. The other person's breath smelled like alcohol, wine. The voice was male and... Mondstadtian. The hands around him didn't hurt, they were gentle and he was-
"V-venti?" He stuttered out. Venti sighed in relief as he tighten his grip around Xiao.
"Bist du bei mir, Liebling?" He whispered and pressed a soft kiss to Xiao's forehead, twirling individual strands of hair around his finger as he slowly brought Xiao back to reality.
"I- I think?" He tried to blink away the last bits of haze, panic and terror that were etched deep into his bones. He dug his nails talons now into his palms hard enough to draw blood, and Venti had to carefully pry them away. "Where are we?"
Venti giggled, although there was no real joy behind it. "You're really fast, you know?" He said, kissing Xiao's cheek. "You managed to get outside of the city walls. Took quite a bit of effort to catch up to you without using too much power." Venti wiped Xiao's tears away, pressing his forehead against the top of Xiao's head. "You scared me."
"I'm sorry," Xiao whispered, exhaustion dragging at his limbs, the last bits of fear still not leaving his body. He took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. What he saw... "I saw her."
"Ich weiß."
"I was terrified, I thought that- I don't want to go back-"
"Shh..." Venti shifted their position so that Xiao was laying down, his head on Venti's lap as Venti hummed. "Tonight was a little too much, huh?" The wind turned warm against Xiao's skin, drying the tear tracks and comforting him.
"I'm sorry-"
"Shh..." Venti placed the palm of his hand over Xiao's eyes, the other hand caressing his shoulder. "Go to sleep, Liebchen." He began to hum absent-mindedly. "We'll talk tomorrow."
Xiao was too distracted with terror and tiredness to realise that Venti covered his eyes for one more reason other than to comfort him.
The blood dripping down Venti's clawed throat was something Xiao didn't need to see. It'll heal by tomorrow anyway.