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“I insist” the traveler smiled as he brought out Adeptus Temptation from the kitchen. He wore gloves to carry the hot plate. The dish was carefully crafted and meticulously plated to appear the most “tempting”. Xiao wouldn't normally indulge in such human foods but wouldn’t say “No” to the enthusiastic cook, Aether. He was skilled, there was nothing to say about that but Xiao just couldn’t stomach the texture of most foods.
The offer was not for the food though, he had already agreed to visit him in his Serenitea Pot. The traveler informed him about how he finished decorating the furnishings and wanted him specifically to visit for dinner. He agreed because he overheard some people talking about how the traveler’s living space was immaculate and astonishing, he didn’t understand much about architecture but it looked… comfy. Fit for the blond. The current offer was for spending the night as well.
He was well aware the traveler had many rooms empty in the house he could borrow but he still felt uncomfortable abandoning his duties. It felt like he was avoiding his work and spending time on casualties.
“I deeply apologize,” Xiao said. He tried to change his face to an apologetic one but nothing on his facial expression changed, he figured. He stared with a bland expression.
Aether tried his chance again, “You can leave your worries away for one night. I promise it will be worth your time, I have a fireplace and an amazing view outside. You deserve to relax for one single night.” he took a bite out of the shrimp and waved at his tongue when he noticed how spicy he made it.
Xiao didn’t mind the spice, the food was bearable.
Actually, he even enjoyed it a bit.
“And, I also made Almond Tofu, if that interests you.”
“Don’t speak with your mouth full. But okay, and just to be clear, I am not staying for any of the bribing material you listed. I just decided it is affability to stay.”
The traveler nodded with a slight smile on his face.
After they finished their meal, Aether took them outside for some fresh air with desserts on hand. He had prepared a secluded spot with sakura trees covering a single bench that stood right near a cliff. The view was breath taking, with lights decorating the path downwards and the bright moon right in the front. There was no need for the place the be hidden as most of the time the traveler was alone anyway but places like that made his heart flutter and was perfect for relaxing after a long day. He liked helping people and solving problems, fighting for a cause however, this didn’t change the fact that it was exhausting. He invited Xiao to his secret place, when they passed through the bushes and leaves that covered the entrance Aether saw a ball of fur sleeping on the bench. A black and orange mixed colored cat having the best time of his life.
The traveler giggled when he saw it, he didn’t mind various animals invading the teapot but this one was so cute with his belly open. The cat stretched in his sleep and then comfortably took another position.
“I can take it away if you want,” Aether said even if he didn’t want to disturb it. Therefore, his eyes told another story.
“I don’t mind it,” Xiao said softly and sat next to the cat. He took a bite out of the almond tofu. The texture was so satisfying.
The traveler scooched next to Xiao to the little space left on the bench, silently munching his own plate of the desert.
“It’s beautiful, you are very talented in decoration.” Xiao broke the silence, his eyes still looking afar at the scenery.
“I’m glad you like it.” he felt his cheeks heat up. People liked him for many reasons and complimented him all the time but Xiao’s appreciation was so genuine and heartfelt that he got embarrassed. The serious boy wouldn’t say things like that if he didn’t mean it.
Xiao suddenly felt a weight on his leg. He looked down alerted but it was just two fluffy paws. The cat had woken up and decided to switch places for his nap. The cat slowly walked and curled up on Xiao’s lap.
“He liked you.” the blond chuckled.
Animals never liked Xiao, they would always run away from the aura of death around him. Also, since they are more sensitive, they could feel the pain that flooded the veins of the Yaksha. This cat was oddly different, maybe he wasn’t so unlikable after all.
The slight wind made the atmosphere perfect. Two two (actually the three) didn’t chat much but the silence was comforting anyway. None of them felt to need to make unnecessary small talk because neither of them wanted that kind of interaction. Instead, they recharged in each other’s presence, eating their almond tofu and admiring the view. After Aether felt his eyelids closing on their own, he showed Xiao the guest room and went to sleep in his room.
The yaksha didn’t need to sleep but he didn’t want to wake up Aether so he lay as still as possible on his bed. He could watch to moon from his window. Perhaps he could even see the cat again, that would be nice. He could maybe prove to himself that that was a one-time thing and the cat would run away from him this time or maybe-
Noises alerted Xiao, making him immediately teleport to check up on Aether. He didn’t want to disturb him if he is sleeping soundly but if something bad is happening to him, he had to protect him. When he arrived at his door he saw the blond turning and tossing under the covers, face scrunched up in pain, sweaty, still sleeping just dreaming. At least the problem wasn’t caused by external sources.
“Traveler?”
The boy didn’t seem to hear him. Seeing him in agony hurt Xiao’s softened heart.
“Aether?” he tried louder, being extra careful not to scare him.
The traveler woke up in panic, panting. He held his heart trying to calm down. Xiao walked to his side of the bed. He didn’t know how to comfort someone. And he especially didn’t want to screw up the one chance he had of being a reliable companion when the famous traveler willingly or coincidentally just showed his vulnerable self to him. He wanted to feel satisfied with how he will manage this situation because he cared for the blond boy more than others.
“Is everything alright?” Xiao broke the silence nervously.
“Yes, yes… I’m sorry if I woke you up.” Aether felt guilty, his cheeks reddened. “It’s… I just had a dream. I’ve been having peculiar dreams these days. But I’m okay now, no need to worry”
“I wasn’t sleeping.” Xiao was going to return to his room to give the traveler some space but something stopped him. He could potentially have a way of helping him though he didn’t want to come off as weird. Despite the traveler doing his best to reassure him, Xiao wasn’t convinced he was okay.
“You were having a nightmare.”
“Yes… I just keep falling for it, it’s embarrassing I know. It’s not real.”
“It’s nothing you should be ashamed of, nightmares can be draining.” Xiao’s gaze softened.
Aether put his head on the pillow again, fixing his long pieces of hair to be not under his head. He stared at the ceiling.
“I can’t stand alone at home at night. It was actually why I sent Paimon away, I kept disrupting her sleep as well. She said she didn’t mind it and was concerned about me but I didn’t want her to worry more seeing me in distress every night. Sounds selfish that I wanted her to be gone so she could have a good night's sleep but kept you here knowing I had the possibility of also disturbing you.”
“It’s not selfish to want somebody to stay with you. But I am not sure if I am the right person for it, I am not able to comfort you as well as other humans or your close friends. Do you want me to call for someone?” He felt incompetent for being socially incapable. Traveler was a ray of sunshine for people around him, he saved everyone out of their misery including him. But he can not do the same to him and it pained him. He felt like ANYONE else would be better than him at providing help.
Humans would hum relieving melodies, tell stories to take away his stress, or make him something to eat or drink but whatever they do, it would work. It would be the correct choice naturally. Even though ideas on how to act, came to his mind, he didn’t know which one would be correct to perform or say. That’s why he stood there like a fool.
“No… Just, would it be too much to ask for you to stay here?”
“You would prefer me?”
“Yes, I don’t want to be alone today. You know I have a lot of friends, companions, people whom I am dear to, but I still feel alone.” he smiled through the heavy feelings that burdened him.
Xiao sat on the side of his bed. “Traveler, I can actually help you with your problem but if you find it too invasive or weird I would understand.”
Aether looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to continue. He was trying to get ready for crazy suggestions but he doubted what would come out of the Yaksha’s mouth would be disturbing. He knew Xiao would care for his health first.
“I can feed on your nightmares. You might not even feel it, I would just be consuming the negative energy that radiates out of you. Of course, if you don’t want it, you can refuse the offer.”
“Will it not harm you at all?”
The traveler, the sweetheart he is, was still thinking about Xiao’s wellbeing. It was the first time someone cared about him before themselves.
“I did it many times before. Not out of my own free will, I was forced to do it with ill intentions, a lot of time has passed since then, but I still remember…” the screams, the pain I caused, the bodies without any energy left in them, forever doomed to feel the pain of living and being buried alive without being able to move… he sighed “ I can do it for you. It might tire you out for a couple of hours or so after you wake up but I can help you overcome it. ”
He was actually not as confident as he had stated but he didn’t want to scare Aether into refusing, he did believe the traveler would be able to sleep tight if he consumed his nightmare. But he was afraid he might lose control and consume too much of him, essentially altering him as a being , perhaps taking away some of his memories. He had to be very careful and he didn’t even know what he would see inside the traveler’s dreams.
“What if you will be triggered by it because of your past experiences? I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger for me.”
“No, it's fine, trust me.”
“I trust you. So, do I just sleep?”
“Yes.”
…
A collar wrapped around his neck, a long chain behind him deemed him a prisoner. Aether was unable to move further, a familiar path floating in the sky in front of him. The sun was setting.
He suddenly realized a part of his body that he hadn’t seen in a long time, his wings .
His friends from different regions stood far away, he tried calling them but they didn’t answer, they were far too indulged in their own conversation. Aether squinted, he was barely able to recognize who was who but he saw that sometimes they looked at him, giggling. He noticed Zhongli’s eyes shone with gold. He shut his eyes, there was something about that gaze that was disturbing.
The scenery glitched, colors around him changed for a mere second then returned to the sunset it was, he was able to notice the change of light and darkness through his closed eyelids.
When he opened his eyes his friends were gone. Only a single figure stood even further away but she was recognizable.
“LUMINE!” Aether shouted but the girl didn’t move.
He suspected she had heard him but chose to ignore it. Desperately, he pulled on the chain, wedging his fingers between his neck and the collar to prevent it from crushing his airway. Using the force of his wings, he strained against the restraints, choking as the blood surged to his head, making it hard to breathe. Finally, the chain snapped somewhere, but unseen pieces, still binding the lower parts of his wings, tore through his flesh. Pain erupted as black liquid gushed from his wings, causing him to scream in agony. He had never realized before what flowed inside them, but now he could only feel the torment.
The platform beneath him began to crumble, and he ran desperately, but the destruction moved faster than he could. Lumine remained infuriatingly distant, standing still while somehow slipping further away. How was that possible?
He leapt for the last sturdy piece of the path, catching it with his left hand. The movement and the strain of holding his weight intensified the pain in his back, sending electric shocks through his body that made him scream gutturally. He couldn’t let go now. His vision blurred with random colorful particles as he teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. Suddenly, a weight pressed down on his fingers, momentarily distracting him from the agony in his wings. Looking up, he saw Lumine. She was screaming at him angrily, but he couldn’t hear a thing—there was immense pressure in his ears. He couldn’t even hear his own voice as he screamed for help.
Then, a whisper... Lumine’s voice started to echo directly in his brain, her words bouncing off the walls of his insides, piercing his organs and causing internal bleeding.
Broootherr… You betrayed mee, I saw you having so MUCH fun with your friends here. YOU BETRAYED ME, YOU BETRAYED US… Were you ever going to look for me? You couldn’t even solve my little puzzle for you…
“STOP THIS IS NOT LUMINE” but he didn’t hear himself, he only saw Lumine laughing, cackling nonstop.
The scenery glitched once more, he felt himself fall to a surface, finally, he was able to stand but someone pushed on his shoulders from the back. He tried to turn but a wave of shock pained him again, he bit his hand to stop himself from screaming but he realized he was almost going to break his thumb off.
Blood… Black again dripped to the floor.
The someone behind him was the Unknown God, once again torturing him. He was on his knees, Lumine held his chin up making him witness the giant cube mirror piece floating around the path.
Everything was red… an overwhelming, bloody red.
Not all sides of the mirrors were reflecting, some were showing some scenes, scenes from Teyvat. Ruins have fallen, monsters from Khaenri’ah have invaded everywhere, he saw everyone he loved dead. Some were missing limbs, monsters were ripping them apart, not to eat but just for their amusement. Raiden, Nahida, Venti… all of them were murdered with their statues, maggots were eating their brains. Eyes lifeless but still looking right at his soul…
“NO, THIS CAN NOT BE REAL”
“It’s not” a whisper
The Unknown God grabbed his wings and pulled on them.
Aether cried, screamed, tried to get free but he couldn’t move.
His wings tore away slowly, detaching with agonizing slowness. The only thing he could see was his dead friends and Lumine’s smiling face.
As his eyes began to close and he started to give up on struggling, he saw a cyan light flash.
Xiao ripped through the plastic-like texture above the world.
“Are you okay?” Xiao’s eyes widened in sheer horror at the sight before him.
The view was a tableau of death and despair. He struggled to shake off the paralyzing fear that gripped him, knowing this was not the time to falter. Seeing Aether enduring such torment felt like a knife stabbing. He knew he had to act swiftly, not just to save Aether but to protect him from the lingering trauma threatening to consume his spirit. Xiao steadied himself, drawing upon every ounce of his inner strength. The fear still gnawing at the edges of his resolve, but he refused to let it control him.
Aether barely heard the question, his mind a fog of pain and confusion, unable to muster a response.
The yaksha’s touch, however, was decisive and destructive. Every swing of Xiao’s spear cut through the nightmare’s fabric, making the sinister cubes and the Unknown God vanish into the void. But Xiao also fell to his knees in pain, the nightmare was way too strong, way too vivid, Aether was someone out of this world, Xiao wasn’t able to handle the otherworldly power and fragments of traumatic memories.
He coughed up blood, dark teal. Aether’s voice reached him, frantic and filled with concern, but Xiao knew what had to be done. He forced himself to stabilize his breathing, focusing through the haze of pain. With a final, desperate effort, he lunged forward and sliced through the apparition of Lumine, ending the immediate threat.
“LUMINE!” Aether’s cry echoed, filled with anguish, but Xiao’s strike shattered the nightmare’s hold. He watched as the false Lumine dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the echoes of Aether’s heartbreak behind.
“Traveler” Xiao rasped “She is not real.”
Aether started crying uncontrollably, the emotional dam bursting after he lost his sister again.
Xiao struck the tip of his spear on the platform, causing it to explode in a shower of fragments. As the pieces vanished, the oppressive red sky began to clear.
Aether was falling in the air and there was nothing he could do now that he lost his wings for a second time. Panic surged through him.
He felt arms catch him.
The yaksha had caught him in mid-air, cradling him securely.
“Don’t faint, traveler stay with me, this is not real you can control what happens.”his voice steady and commanding.
But Aether was slipping into a state of severe stress and disassociation, unable to form coherent sentences. They landed near the edge of a tranquil lake, their feet immersed in the cool, calming water. The wound on Aether’s hand had healed, likely because he had forgotten about it, but his back was still bleeding, black liquid dripping into the water below. The surrounding mountains were silent and lifeless, the absence of wind adding to the eerie stillness. The red chaos had dissipated, but the landscape was far from beautiful.
“Traveler be careful!” he pushed him aside as a polearm attacked them, Rex Lapis was holding it. He had dragon scales all over his arms, his appearance was different. This version of Zhongli was a manifestation of Aether's scarred memories, a new nightmare about to be born from the previous encounter.
Xiao positioned himself between Aether and the menacing figure. “Traveler I can not consume any more of your energy or I won’t have the energy to get both of us out of here or protect you further.”
Traveler was panting and trying to calm himself but his heart was beating as if it was going to rip from his chest and the placement where his wings were still caused him to feel electrical shocks. He couldn’t prevent it or form a thought he was losing himself. Zhongli attacked again.
“TRAVELER! I can not… please.” Xiao pleaded desperately.
In a desperate attempt to snap Aether out of his torment, Xiao acted on instinct.
Grabbed the collar of Aether’s shirt and pressed his lips against his.
For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still.
The phantom Zhongli disappeared, the water gained movement, birds chirping in the distance became audible and a sense of calm settled over the landscape…
The traveler pushed him instinctively but immediately realized the distraction worked, he was able to forget about his nightmare for a second. The fragments of his nightmare began to fade, and clarity returned to his thoughts.
“Xiao…” Aether’s voice was soft, a mixture of gratitude and confusion.
I'm sorry," the Yaksha panted, his voice strained with exhaustion. “I didn’t mean to intrude on your personal space like that. Your nightmare was more intense than I anticipated and I couldn't dispel all of it in one go” the Yaksha panted.
“Did I cause you any harm?” the blond's concern returned as he gently touched Xiao's cheek.
“I’m fine.” Xiao looked away to the mountains.
The Yaksha was reliable, he hadn’t asked anything about what he just witnessed in his dreams. He too had traumatic experiences similar to this, maybe his ones were real and not just a dream. He was lucky he had Xiao, anyone else would have judged him for these nightmares, used his vulnerability against him.
“I’m glad it was YOU who was with me.”
“No problem, I just did what I could. Maybe someone more powerful would have saved you sooner, with causing you less pain. I am not perfect” Xiao murmured, his gaze drifting afar.
“Xiao, you are all I needed and I was lucky you were with me. I would not have survived this nightmare.”
Xiao nodded softly. They sat on a nearby rock without a word.
“What now? Do I wake up?”
“You were not getting a good night's sleep in days, let yourself rest. You can stay here until you wake up and meanwhile, you have control of this dream. I don’t have to stay here of course, if you would wish for me to go, I will leave.”
As Xiao finished speaking, a nosebleed suddenly struck. The traveler swiftly stemmed it, gently supporting Xiao's head.
“Don’t be ridiculous, I want you to stay here.” the traveler said whispering.
“You know, my karmic pain… it's less here. I think it’s because this is like an alternative universe and quite far away from the real world.”
“I’m happy I am of use to you even a little bit. You did so much for me yet I am only able to help you stop your nosebleed. It seemed one sided.”
The yaksha didn’t say anything but he was intently watching the traveler. He tried to avert his eyes from the traveler's lips, but they kept drawing his attention back, and Aether noticed.
“Xiao be honest with me… do you like me?”
This question was extremely unexpected for the adeptus. He lived all these years thinking his life didn’t matter and that he would always choose to save the majority rather than himself. He always thought he would sacrifice his life for someone else’s if it meant saving them but just a few minutes ago he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t risk getting incapacitated for the sake of destroying the phantom Zhongli because he realized he wanted to live to continue protecting the traveler. But, now, even the “protecting” part seemed like an excuse, he desperately wanted to save himself so that he could be near the traveler, be with him, not just for the reason of protecting him but just for spending time with him. Zhongli had noticed the Yaksha harbored feelings that are more than regular friendship for the traveler but Xiao had denied it. After the improvisation of the kiss, he felt weird. He touched his lips. He didn’t even know how to answer the question.
“Traveler, I spent years among humans trying their delicacies, learning their culture, learning their desires and motivations but I was unable the decipher the enigma of romantic feelings.” Xiao began, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “I am not human, liking you would be unfair to the world because you deserve to be liked by kind and thoughtful humans like yourself. I still do not know what ‘like’ means. I see and hear people doing things out of love that I would never want to do, if that is ‘liking you’ then no. However, I made a decision today that altered my view of myself. I declared myself ‘not worthless’ anymore because I wanted to stay alive for you. I chose to live so I could spend time with you. I first thought my motives were purely out of wanting to protect you but I was a fool. I lived for you. If that counts as… ‘like’ then, there is a chance I might…”
“Then, may I intrude on your privacy the same way you did to me earlier?”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
Aether cupped Xiao’s cheeks and got close to him. The Yaksha’s eyes were closed, he felt Aether’s lips, so slight pressure to his own. The contact made him realize Aether’s lips were soft and plump while his was cracked. With being this close and having no rush to save him from himself, he was able to notice the hint of vanilla fragrance coming from the blond. Something that felt warm with the smell of chestnuts and smoky wood. Aether felt cozy against him. He felt himself melt with his touch, the traveler’s hands touching his neck and arms shyly, the traveler didn’t want to make a move that would disturb him.
As they parted, Aether spoke first, his cheeks getting visibly warmer “I would never do something to you that you wouldn’t want, you know. You can express your feelings however you want, you do not have to conform to what other people who like each other do.”
“Thank you, I wish you would really like me.” Xiao said burying his face in his palms, avoiding seeing the traveler in his all cute state.
Aether felt a pang of confusion. They had just shared a kiss, both willingly, so why did Xiao seem hesitant to accept it as real?
But it wasn’t. Xiao knew he couldn’t trust the feelings of the dream Aether. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. It was just easier to confess and act upon his long time desires when they were still inside a dream.
“You will see…” Xiap stated lastly with a saddened expression on his face, his eyes now losing the shine they had seconds ago.
…
Aether blinked as he tried to configure where he was and what time it was. He just had the best sleep of his life, he felt so out of place for a minute as he looked around the room. Rubbing his eyes he realized the sun had already rose meaning he slept at least 8 hours. He tried to remember last night but his memories were hazy, he remembered Xiao’s offer to help but he didn’t remember if he had any nightmares after that, perhaps Xiao’s mere presence had saved him and prevented him from getting any nightmares. But weird enough, he woke up feeling with a feeling he couldn’t explain, joy, excitement, thrill? All these words yet none were enough to explain his state. Maybe, he did see a dream, a good one, but he just didn’t remember it.
Xiao was not there, he remembered him lying down right beside him.
“Xiao?”
“Yes?” the reply came immediately, the Yaksha was standing right at his doorstep.
Aether’s heart skipped a beat with the view but he couldn’t figure out why.
“Did I have any nightmares?”
So he didn’t remember…
“No nightmares, you slept like a baby through the night,” Xiao remarked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his eyes. Aether caught that fleeting hint of happiness.
“But… I felt like I had a dream. Maybe that feeling was just because finally getting to feel energized after those painful days.” Aether twirled his hair with his slender fingers as he was trying to concentrate on remembering. However, dreams get further away from you each second you spend awake.
“Probably.” Xiao shrugged.
“But did you stay beside me all night for nothing to happen? I didn’t want to waste your time like that. What if because you didn’t do anything, my nightmares come back?” Aether was worried, he looked up to catch Xiao’s eyes.
“I don’t think that will be the case. Even if that is, call my name and I will be there in your dream.”
“Is that possible? For you to appear in my dream?”
“I don’t know… Anyways, duty calls. Thank you for your hospitality, I had a great time.”
Aether rushed out of bed to bid farewell to him on his way out, as he ran, the duvet and one of the pillows tumbled to the floor. He realized he was still wearing his pajamas while Xiao was all professionally dressed, ready for the day. How embarrassing.
“Of course, any time.” He was able to get out of his mouth when Xiao vanished into thin air. The room suddenly felt less warm, he went to look for something to wear.