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“Are you still awake, Aether?” Xiao asked. He already knew the answer even before he opened the door and peered into the rehearsal room. Aether sat at his desk with his legs tucked beneath him. The light of his laptop illuminated his face in the dim room. His long hair fell loosely over his shoulders instead of the braid he usually wore. Most nights, Xiao would find Aether working late into the night to create new music for the idol group, Team Shunka.
Lumine formed Team Shunka with her friends Venti and Furina. Aether wanted to support his sister’s dreams of lighting up the stage with her friends and spreading their music around the world. He acted as Team Shunka’s manager. Unknown to most, he was also the ghostwriter for their songs. He didn’t want to be in the spotlight since hearing people enjoy his music with his sister was enough for him.
However, Xiao knew that this night was different. He knocked on the door frame and tried once more to get his attention. The low buzz of the computer monitor made Aether’s silence louder. He sighed and crossed the room to where he sat. Xiao placed his hand on the back of his chair and he pulled it back so the legs tilted off the ground.
Aether let out a sharp gasp and gripped his chair tighter to keep himself from falling off his seat. The world stopped spinning and he found himself looking up at Xiao. His chair was tethering on its hind legs but Aether didn’t feel afraid. He knew that Xiao wouldn’t let him fall. Aether adjusted his position on the chair so they were facing each other.
“I nearly had a heart attack. You should’ve knocked, Xiao.” Aether pouted at him. “You’re like a cat with how quietly you walk. Then again, you could also be a bird who flew into my room so I wasn’t able to hear your footsteps.”
“I did knock.”
“Oh,” Guilt shadowed Aether’s face. Despite how worried Xiao felt about Aether overworking himself, he couldn’t be angry or lecture him. He knew that Aether only wanted to protect his family. Aether groaned and stretched his arms in front of him. “I’m sorry. Did you or the band need anything? I’m still working on the video and I have to finish the lyrics but I can make some time for you.”
“It’s past midnight and you should be asleep. Lumine ordered me to check on you knowing your habits. I don’t know why she thinks I can convince you to rest better than she can.” He slowly lowered the chair. The ease of how Xiao lifted him made Aether think of how strong he was. He glanced at the peng tattoo on his bicep. Aether imagined himself in his arms and how he would trace his fingers over the tattoo. Heat rose onto his cheeks and he tried to shake the picture from his mind.
He brushed back his long hair that became disheveled from the fall. Aether pretended to look away from Xiao as he braided his hair back into place. He couldn’t tell Xiao his feelings for him. Beyond being co-workers, being in the idol industry would make any relationship complicated. He changed the subject to distract himself from Xiao. “Please tell Lumine not to worry that I’ll overwork myself. I already finished the lyrics for Shunka’s next release and I have time before the deadline of the second song. I’m watching the security footage right now.”
Xiao glanced over Aether’s shoulder to the laptop screen. Last week, a fan had sneaked backstage to see Lumine. When security asked him to leave, the fan became enraged and tried to attack them with a knife. No one was hurt since Xiao stopped the fan. He managed to escape though. They reported the incident to the police but Aether worried that the man would return.
“We’ll find the man. Cyno is in charge of the case and he’s the best detective I know. Zhongli has also hired more security for Team Shunka’s next performance. No harm will come to your sister.” He reassured him. Aether had to wonder if Xiao was able to read his mind. For a moment, his words warmed his heart. Then, he continued: “I’m sorry, I should’ve noticed the stalker sooner. Zhongli assigned me to guard Team Shunka.”
“It’s not your fault.” Aether said and shook his head. A tinge of sadness pricked his heart. Lumine ordered me to check on you. Zhongli assigned me to guard Team Shunka. His words reminded him that he was only with him because Zhongli hired him to be Lumine’s assistant. He loved his sister and never imagined he would feel jealous of her. While Aether considered Xiao a dear friend, he might not feel the same. How did Xiao see him— an obligation or simply Lumine's brother?
Aether sighed and gently shut his laptop closed. With the only source of light gone from the room, night finally fell over his room. He could only see the dim outline of Xiao in his room but Aether knew each detail of his face. Xiao held out his hand to him. “We’ll find the stalker. I’ll walk you to your room. You should rest or else you’ll be useless when that time comes.”
As the words left his lips, Xiao regretted how harsh he sounded. He needed to be blunt with people in the entertainment world so it became a habit for him. Aether was different from the others he knew though. He was earnest and open despite the pressure fame created for the twins. Unlike Lumine, Aether's role was hidden behind the stage. He was still well known for being Lumine’s brother though.
“I know that I’m not strong or trained to be a bodyguard like you. I still want to protect my sister and— everyone on the production team.” Aether stopped himself before he accidentally said Xiao’s name. “Actually, I have a plan. I was going to talk to you about it tomorrow but this is a good time too.”
When Xiao nodded, Aether took his hand and stood from the chair. They left the rehearsal room and the light of the hallway made him wince. He spent hours in the dark room so the artificial light hurt his eyes. Xiao reached over and gently pulled his hood over his head to shade his eyes. The small act of kindness made Aether’s heart skip. He didn’t say a word and merely continued to walk beside him.
“For my plan, we will lure him into a trap. Team Shunka will have a show with a meet-and-greet next week. I’m sure he’ll try to sneak backstage to meet Lumine. We need to create a fake opening where he’ll follow ‘Lumine’ into an empty room where we can catch him.” Aether’s plan surprised Xiao. He didn’t expect him to suggest they use Lumine as bait when her safety was important to him. Then, Aether added: “I will pretend to be Lumina and lead him to our trap.”
“You can’t!” He stopped and took Aether’s arm. The worry in his outburst surprised him and he turned a confused expression to Xiao. Their eyes only met for a moment before Xiao blushed and quickly looked away. “I know you love your sister but she wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger for her. Your plan also has one flaw. Even though you’re twins, you two are different.”
Xiao gently twilled his finger around a loose strand of blond hair that had fallen out of his braid. It was softer than he imagined it would be. He tried to stop himself and keep a professional distance between them yet he couldn’t keep Aether from his mind. He had imagined how his hair would shine like gold in the sunrise. While other men wouldn’t wear their hair long like Aether, Xiao thought that it suited him. He was beautiful.
“I considered that as well. Lumine has short hair so I’ll need to cut mine to match hers. Though, I’ll need extensions for my bangs. Chiori should be able to make me a wig and a copy of Lumine’s costume for our plan.” Aether assumed that Xiao would agree with his plan. Silence made his hesitation to answer more apparent. Xiao only continued to play with his hair and Aether wondered if he realized that he was doing so. He didn’t stop him though. He enjoyed the feeling of Xiao’s fingers in his hair.
Finally, Xiao answered: “I’m head of security. I will create the route and follow you so he can’t hurt you. Don’t cut your hair until then.”
“Paimon, don’t pull on my hair. You’re going to make me drop this plate. I have another plate of almond tofu for you if you behave. This one is for Xiao.” Aether moved the tray of food into one arm so he could shift his braid over his shoulder and out of Paimon’s reach. He only scolded her lightly because he couldn’t stay angry with her for long . He saw her as his younger sister and he knew that she wasn’t malicious. Even if she did want to hurt him, he doubted that she could.
They stepped onto the highest terrace of Wangshu Inn. Aether tilted his head back and searched the golden leaves for Xiao. To his disappointment, he couldn’t find him. Verr Goldet told him that Xiao hadn’t left to patrol Liyue yet. He considered calling his name but worried that he was in the midst of a fight and he would distract him. Aether decided to sit on the roof and wait for him to return. He was pulled back when Paimon adjusted the flower pin in his braid.
“Paimon is putting accessories in your hair! You want to look your best when you see Xiao again! You haven’t seen him in weeks and this is the part of the romance novel where you stun him with a surprise. That’s what happened in ‘Prideful Princess’! Paimon is helping you.” She insisted and continued to tug at his braid. She tried to slip a flower into his hair but he slowed his steps for her.
“First, detective novels and now romances? You’re reading a lot more these days. Everyone will be surprised.” Aether said in a teasing tone. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing when he saw Paimon pout. Her stubbornness reminded him of Lumine. If his hands weren’t full carrying the tray, he would’ve patted her head to reassure her. “It’s okay, Paimon. I’m sure Xiao will be staring at this almond tofu more than me. The smaller one is for you—”
While he was distracted, he stepped onto a loose tile. He let out a sharp gasp and instinctively called Xiao’s name. Aether tried to regain his foot but he felt himself fall backwards. He fell against a warm wall instead of the ground like he expected. Arms circled around him and caught the tray before the food could spill. Aether knew who saved him even before he spoke.
“You should be careful.” Xiao’s embrace tightened slightly with his words. “Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry, Aether! Paimon didn’t mean to make you fall.” Paimon cried.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” He hugged her and rubbed her back. Then, he turned in Xiao’s arms and lightly kissed him to reassure him as well. While they both fretted over him too much at times, he loved them. He was incredibly lonely when he first woke up on the beach without his sister. He never imagined that he would find two people he cared for just as much. “Let’s eat.”
Aether let go of Paimon and took the tray. He led them to the small table that Smiley Yanxiao built for them. Xiao couldn’t help but note how the terrace had slowly gained new furniture and decor since he met Aether. Before, he only had the necessities because he thought that was all he needed. Now, it was a haven they shared with a table, flowers from distant regions and benches to rest.
When Aether leaned down to place the plate on the table, his hair fell forward. His braid had become loose when he tripped. Aether had considered cutting his long hair so it wouldn’t become a hassle during battle or camping. He decided against it in the end. When he travelled with his sister, she would braid his hair. He couldn’t let go of that memory when he was faced with the question of why she chose the Abyss Order over her brother.
He started to fix his hair. Xiao’s strong fingers in his hair made him pause. He picked a yellow ginkgo leaf from his hair and tucked it behind his ear. He went on to braid his hair. In contrast to how strong he was, his touch was gentle and comforted Aether. He looked over his shoulder to Xiao and smiled when he saw his blush.
“Thank you, Xiao. I didn’t know that you could braid hair like this.”
“I didn’t know that you knew how to braid hair like this.” Aether sat in front of a mirror with Xiao standing behind him. To his surprise, Xiao told him that he knew a way to disguise Aether as Lumine without cutting his hair. He styled his long hair into a braid crown that wrapped around his hair. Chiori would create a hairband that looked the same for Lumine.
“HuTao is my sister. I asked for her help yesterday.” He rarely spoke about his family so the casual admittance surprised Aether. “We should talk about your plan to trap the person stalking your sister. I will be with you but you must be careful. I know the type of person you are. You’ll risk your own safety if you believe it will save someone else’s. If you can’t be cautious for yourself, consider how others will feel when you’re hurt.”
Aether looked down at his lap to avoid meeting Xiao’s gaze in the mirror. The praise made a familiar warmth swirl in his stomach. Between the lecture and the sensation of his fingers in his hair, vague memories rose in his mind. How would he react if he confessed that he dreamed of them together in a different world? The dreams felt far too real for Aether even though he knew they should be impossible.
He changed the topic to distract himself from the strange feeling. “I didn’t expect you to ask your sister for help with something so small. You’re not the type of person to care about someone’s appearance. I don’t mind cutting it either. It’s just hair and I will grow it back.”
“I thought cutting it would make you sad. You told Chiori that you grew out your hair to support Lumine when people bullied her for having short hair.” Xiao’s answer confused Aether more. He didn’t expect Xiao to remember such a small story that he heard in passing. Did he hold onto the story because he was interested in him or Lumine?
Aether stood backstage and watched the door in the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath and forced himself to appear calm. He tugged at the skirt of the idol dress and he was glad that the room was empty. For their plan, they hid Lumine in the dressing room while he would walk backstage as her. They asked the staff to leave so the fan would feel more confident to follow him. He scanned the room for Xiao but he appeared alone.
The door clicked open and Aether’s back straightened. He didn’t need to turn to see whether the person was the fan. The heavy breathing and desperate voice made anger tighten his hands into fists. He fought against the instinct to turn and confront the man immediately. He reminded himself that the stalker would simply run away again. They needed to trap him in the room long enough for the police to arrive and arrest him. Aether quickly ran down the path that he planned with Xiao.
“Wait, Lumine, don’t run away! I only want to talk to you. You haven’t responded to any of the letters that I sent you!” His words spurred Aether to quicken his pace. He was protective of his sister and he wanted to stop him as quickly as possible.
He reached the door and grabbed the doorknob to enter. The fan was much closer than he expected. A sharp shove sent him spiraling into the room. Aether couldn’t catch the swinging door and he crashed onto the ground. The frills of his idol dress tangled around his legs and stopped him from standing quickly. His heart dropped when he felt someone’s heavy breath behind him.
“Let me check if you're hurt,” The fan placed his hand on his leg.
“Don't touch me!” Aether lashed out. He quickly turned and struck his elbow against the man’s face. The attack staggered him enough for Aether to crawl out of his reach. He turned to face him and saw rage turn the fan's face red.
“You’re not Lumine!” He screamed. He raised his hand to hit him.
“Xiao!” Aether instinctively called his name.
“Get off him. He’s mine.” Xiao's voice made his heart skip. Before the fan could step towards him, he grabbed his collar and roughly pulled him away from Aether. A possessive gleam shone in his eyes. For a moment, he saw Xiao guarding him with a spear. Aether trusted that he would be nearby to protect him like he promised. Yet, he couldn't deny how happy he was to have him standing in front of him.
“You’re the one who kept me away from Lumine last time.” Any tirade he could’ve made was silenced by a sharp glare from Xiao.
“The police will be here in a few minutes. Try to run and I won’t stop you by simply throwing you to the ground again.” He didn’t raise his voice but his cold eyes were enough of a threat. Xiao always kept his emotions separate from his work so he could be objective. However, that was impossible when he saw the man push Aether. Anger threatened to overtake him. He knew that the protectiveness he felt for Aether wasn’t due to his job or title.
Security poured into the room and Xiao turned away from the fan. He trusted his co-workers with the situation and would rather focus on Aether. He took the jacket of his security uniform and wrapped it around his shoulders. Xiao barely heard the voices behind him as he looked over Aether for injuries. He let out a relieved sigh that he only had shallow scrapes from the fall. He couldn’t fully calm his nerves.
Xiao gently slipped his arms around Aether and lifted him off the ground. “Cyno, I’m going to take Aether to the infirmary.”
“You two should stay to give a report.” A part of Xiao knew that he should follow proper procedure.
“It’s fine,” A familiar voice interrupted them while Xiao was still trying to decide what to do. Zhongli walked into the room and glanced between Xiao and Aether. Guilt almost overshadowed Xiao when he was reminded that he had a responsibility as head of Shunka’s security. However, Zhongli smiled with understanding. “I saw what happened so I can make the report. Xiao, go help Aether.”
“Thank you, Zhongli.” Xiao nodded and stood with Aether.
“My leg doesn’t hurt so you don’t need to get a bandage for it. Neosporin should be enough.” Aether sat on the infirmary bed. Xiao carried the first aid kit to him and knelt on the ground. The concern in his golden eyes made him waver. He decided to indulge him a little and lifted his skirt enough to show him the scrape on his knee. “Here.”
He waited for him to apply the cream but Xiao merely stared up at him. His heartbeat quickened under his gaze. Aether was reminded that he was still wearing the idol dress and he pulled Xiao’s jacket over the costume. He felt grateful that they were the only two in the room. He let out an awkward laugh. “I’m not an idol so this doesn’t suit me, does it?”
“You’re beautiful.” The whisper left Xiao’s lips before he could stop him. He silently cursed himself after the words and prayed that Aether hadn’t heard him. How was Aether able to make him lose himself so easily? He never considered dating someone or falling in love before they met. He wanted to be by his side and protect him.
“Do you really think that?” Aether asked, his voice a little breathless. He knew that he shouldn’t be too hopeful but he held his breath as he waited for his answer. He closed his eyes and gathered the fabric of his jacket in his fingers. The scent of qingxin made him picture dancing with Xiao among a sea of flowers. “Earlier, you said ‘he’s mine’ to him.”
“Dear Archons.” Xiao groaned and ran his hand through his hair. “You must think I’m delusional like that fan. Sometimes, I dream of us eating together in a tree, dancing in a sea of flowers, playing the flute for you or— Please forget I said any of this. I know it’s a lot and I won’t bother you. I’ll ask Zhongli to transfer me to another team so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Xiao didn’t want to see Aether scared or uncomfortable— least of all being the one to do so. When he would’ve stood, Aether stopped him. He cupped his face but it was Aether’s eyes that kept him from leaving.
“We would eat almond tofu on the terrace of Wangshu Inn. You played the flute for me because I was having nightmares in the Chasm. At the end of our journey, we came to a sea of flowers and danced.” Aether described his dreams in detail and Xiao’s eyes widened in confusion. He had to wonder if he could read his mind.
Aether smiled down at Xiao and lovingly ran his thumb over his cheeks. While his clothes were different, his eyes were the same. There was still a lot about the situation that confused him. Whether their shared dreams and memories were due to reincarnation or a leyline disorder, he was glad that they found each other in this new world.
“You can call me yours if I can call you mine. Just like before.”