Chapter Text
When the school year started, the Dean had personally promised Xiao and his father that while they couldn’t waive the ruling that freshman students must live in the campus dorms, he at the very least wouldn’t have to worry about sharing it with a roommate.
Of course when the school year started no one could’ve predicted that an entirety of the East Building would fall victim to a burst water pipe that very quickly escalated into a flood. They considered it a lucky break that no one was seriously injured, and they were able to put this whole thing behind them by simply reassigning the students into vacant rooms.
All except one student, it seemed.
Xiao remembered the jolt of anxiety that shot through his body like a flash of lightning when the blond had shown up at his dorm, suitcases and a notice from the Dean in tow. This boy, Aether , had sheepishly explained that there simply weren’t any more empty rooms on campus and he promised he’d try his best not to intrude.
So there they were. Aether sat at their shared desk, noise canceling headset on and a team match of whatever game his Discord friends had settled on for the night booted up. In his defense he really wasn’t that loud, especially compared to the faint screams Xiao occasionally picked up when they were loud enough to breach the headset. But that didn’t keep his mere presence from being insanely distracting.
Xiao peered over his textbook at Aether, taking in the way his hands flew over his keyboard with expert timing, the focus in his golden eyes. The way his jawline flexed and his Adam's apple bobbed when he spoke.
Yeah… distracting.
It was bad enough that he was suddenly robbed of his personal space, but the perpetrator was also unfairly attractive?
Xiao begrudgingly willed himself to return to his studies, eyes skating over text but not quite absorbing the information. Every little sound his roommate made pulled his focus. Every cheer, gasp, or grunt efficiently emptied his brain and forced him to restart the sentence he had just read. At this rate he was never going to finish this essay tonight.
With a quiet sigh Xiao shut his book and began packing up his materials. It really wasn’t a big deal, he was planning on meeting with his study group the next morning anyways.
The sudden movement out of the corner of his eye seemed to alert the blond, who turned to face Xiao with an apologetic look.
“Sorry, am I being too loud again? I can log off for the night.” Aether offered sheepishly.
Xiao waved him off dismissively. “It's getting late, besides this essay isn't due until the end of the week. You're good to keep playing but I'm going to call it a night.”
Aether pursed his lips in thought for just a moment before giving a rushed goodbye to his friends and quickly logged out. “Nah, it is getting late. My first class tomorrow is also at, like, nine in the morning. Might as well try to get some shut eye, right?”
Xiao mumbled a quiet “If you insist.” before flicking off the lamp on his bedside table. “Good night, Aether.”
“Sleep tight, Xiao!”
Handsome, kind, considerate.
Distracting.
“You look like dogshit.” Cyno said bluntly.
Xiao grumbled as he slid into the chair Yanfei had so kindly saved for him at their usual table in the campus café.
In all honesty he wasn't quite sure why their study group regularly met at the café rather than the library or somewhere a bit more appropriate.
For the longest time Xiao thought Cyno kept dragging them all there to watch him fail miserably at making the cute barista laugh and that they would find a new spot once the dark haired man either turned him down or had him banned for harassment.
But, lo and behold, Cyno and Tighnari were just shy of their one month anniversary and they were still meeting at the same café at 9 A.M sharp every Thursday.
It was just three of them at first. Yanfei of all people had been the common ground between them. Cyno had sat next to her in her first lecture and leant her a pen, and Xiao being her cousin felt obligated in a way to look after her where he could and begrudgingly agreed to tag along.
The other two, unsurprisingly, really hit it off. They shared a strong sense of justice and desire to help others, as well as a deep love for puns and dad jokes.
Their group slowly began to expand, first with Yanfei dragging her friends Shinobu and Yelan along to compare notes from their shared lectures. Then Cyno did the same with Candace. And once Hu Tao found out her family was hanging out without her, she took inviting herself to their sessions into her own hands.
So that was that. Every Thursday morning they would essentially take over the corner booth of the small campus coffee shop. Despite countless suggestions to pick a new place to meet they always found themselves coming back.
“I didn't sleep very well last night.” Xiao grumbled. He took a large swig of his macchiato before fishing out his laptop and plopping it haphazardly onto the table.
Yanfei let out a sympathetic hum. “Roommate trouble?” Xiao nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”
“You know, we are law students. We could probably try to find a legal loophole or something to get you your private dorm back.” Shinobu said as she absently thumbed through her textbook. “Or at least try to get you out of the freshman dorm requirements.”
“What do you mean we? Aren't you planning on changing majors at midterm?” Xiao asked. Shinobu shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, we already talked to the Dean before the semester started. Giving me a private dorm in the first place was way out of their usual accommodation. And it's not like the guy has anywhere else to go if I kick him out.”
Their friend group had probably had this exact discussion five different times at this point. They always landed on the same conclusion, which was simply deciding to put a pin in the conversation and come back to it later. Honestly there was a sense of comfort in the never ending cycle they had worked themselves into.
“It'll be fine.” Xiao mumbled, trying to convince himself more than anyone else. “He's a nice person, plus I doubt he even knows about the original arrangement. I think I just need more time to adjust to having a roommate.”
“Whatever you say, Xiao.” Hu Tao said with a chuckle. “Now, who wants to see pictures from my last autopsy?”
One benefit of having family on campus was that Xiao never went without a friend when he needed one. The downside to his family being on campus was they would drag him to social events they didn't want to attend alone whether he wanted to go or not.
And so he finds himself in the dimly lit hallway of one of the many fraternity houses on campus, clutching a red solo cup filled with a mixed drink he's certain is 90% liquor. Xiao grimaced at the smell alone, opting to swirl the drink around rather than consume it. This was the last time he let Hu Tao convince him to attend one of these parties with her.
She had insisted she needed a chaperone, to which he begrudgingly agreed. “You're my big brother, Xiao! What would Dad think if you let your precious little sister go to a big scary frat party all alone?”
It hadn't even taken her ten minutes to abandon him in favor of trying to convince the other students to join her Mortuary Arts Appreciation club.
“Classic Hu Tao.” He thought to himself bitterly. From his position, the music blasting through the speakers was muffled just enough to keep it from being headache inducing, and this hall was considerably less crowded than the living room or kitchen. Plus the permanent scowl he affixed to his features would usually deter any drunk passersby from trying to engage him in conversation.
Usually.
Unless that passersby happened to be none other than his new roommate of course.
“Xiao! I had no idea you were coming to this party!” Aether gushed as he bounded up to the shorter man. The blond’s face was dusted with a rosy glow, his usual braid and his clothing were slightly disheveled. He clearly had a few drinks. Xiao’s stomach flipped. How unfair was it for him to be even more handsome like this.
“We could've come together!” Aether continued. “You look nice, I don't think I've seen you in anything other than a hoodie and jeans.”
Xiao fought to maintain his composure. True, he usually didn't venture far from his usual wardrobe that consisted of oversized hoodies. But Hu Tao had practically wrestled him into his current outfit, consisting of a pair of black joggers with an impractical amount of chains and zippers, a sleeveless black turtleneck that had an intricate dragon pattern stretching over his right shoulder and down the chest, and a teal green windbreaker that she had insisted he wear half zipped and slung low off of his shoulders. She had also graciously applied just a bit of eyeliner and a light shimmery gold eyeshadow for him.
“My sister picked out my outfit for me. She’s the one who dragged me here. You clean up well, too.”
Despite being slightly disheveled, the blond man still looked amazing in a white T-shirt stretched maybe a tad too tight over his chest, paired with dark ripped jeans and a loose black jacket with gold accents. His hands were adorned with fingerless brown leather gloves and a shock of black and gold nail polish.
“Who painted your nails?”
Aether seemed to light up at such a simple question.
“You know Nilou from the art department? She's a dance major but she does a lot of behind the scenes stuff for the theater too.” He beamed. “She's really talented, I should introduce you to her sometime!”
Xiao didn't like to think he was a jealous person. Especially not towards someone he had never met just because she happened to be close to his new roommate. Yet here he was, pushing down the bitter taste that was attempting to crawl up his throat.
Over a girl he had never even met. Over a girl and Aether . How pathetic of him. Xiao bit back his scowl as he dug into his pocket for his phone.
“Listen, my sister texted me that she's ready to leave. I'll see you back at the dorm, okay?”
“O-oh, okay! I could walk you two back to the building if you wanted me to. It's kinda late anyways and-”
“No need.” Xiao quickly cut him off. “This party kinda seems like it's more your scene, don't let us interrupt it.”
Without another word Xiao pivoted on the ball of his foot and made his swift retreat. If he was lucky he could find his sister and get out of here without running into Aether again.
“You could always tell him that you think he's hot. Worked for me and ‘Nari.”
Xiao shot Cyno a lethal glare through his fingers, which were expertly covering the raging blush that colored his cheeks.
Why did everyone else have to cancel on their usual study session? What could he possibly have done to deserve what was essentially an interrogation about his (lack of) a love life with his new roommate.
“Not even the top anthropologists in the world could explain Tighnari’s attraction to you. The first thing you ever said to him was a joke about his butt, he should’ve filed for a restraining order instead of going out with you.”
In the few weeks since their conversation at the frat party, Xiao and his roommate had barely said more than a few words to each other. One could blame their increasingly hectic class schedule and extracurriculars, but Xiao knew the truth.
He was avoiding Aether.
“I'm just saying.” Cyno continued. “You gotta shoot your shot. You might be surprised with the outcome.” He punctuated his sentence with a long swig of his latte, not so subtly showing off the myriad of hearts and flowers that Tighnari had doodled on his cup.
“I don't even know if he… swings that way.” Xiao muttered. His mind filled with memories of all their conversations, combing each interaction for even a clue of Aether’s preference. And of course, the little green monster proudly presented the thought of Aether flaunting his perfectly painted nails and praising that girl from the art department who had done them for him.
That had to be a hint, right? Even if he wasn't dating her, they were close enough that he had let her hold his hand, be close to him for long enough to paint each nail lovingly-
“Your face is so red right now dude. Is something the 'mato?”
Xiao cringed internally. When their other friends were here he could at least act like he hadn't heard the puns. This might as well be a hostage situation.
“Get it? Because you're red like a tomato.” Cyno punctuated his explanation with a small chuckle as if that would convince Xiao to laugh as well.
“Yeah, I got it. Aren't we supposed to be working on homework right now?”
“Don't try to change the subject, loverboy.” Cyno reached across the table and delivered a swift but lethal flick directly to Xiao’s forehead, launching into a speech before the other man could protest or retaliate.
“This is like the fourth week in a row that you've shown up to our study sesh looking like you got hit by the campus bus. The girls are all clearly too nice to say anything but lucky for you I'm not. If you keep avoiding how you feel you're just gonna run yourself ragged, and no one is worth flunking out of college. Not even a surprise sexy roommate.”
Xiao let out a long, defeated sigh. “Not everyone gets a fairy tale ending like you and Tighnari. At least if he had rejected you we could've relocated. What if I go and make a fool of myself and then I have to keep sharing a room with him?”
Cyno pursed his lips in thought. They sat there in silence as he thought for a few minutes. Then a few minutes more.
Xiao’s Americano was definitely cold by now.
“Sorry I've been trying to think of a joke to lighten the mood, but I got nothing.”
He was doomed.
It's a beautiful mid October afternoon, complete with perfect weather and a slight breeze that one could swear carried the scent of pumpkin spice with it. Or maybe the campus café had just put out a fresh tray of baked goods? Regardless, it's nice enough that the group agreed to reschedule and relocate their usual study session to the quad in order to take advantage of what could very well be the last nice day of the season.
Xiao can't concentrate like this. Trying to lock in on his class work was bad enough in a semi crowded café was already hard enough, now that they're outside on the grass with what feels like at least ten thousand other factors adding on to his distraction there's no way he's getting anything done today.
Currently he’s staring off into the horizon, pretending to listen to Cyno recap his latest date with Tighnari, when he spots a familiar head of blond hair across the quad.
Aether, most likely just leaving one of his classes (What even was his major? Had Xiao ever asked?) with his book bag slung haphazardly over one shoulder. He's walking with a small crowd of people, all of them laughing and joking with each other. A small pit forms in Xiao’s stomach, knowing that while he would definitely not enjoy being in a group like that, a part of his heart aches that he can't be over there walking alongside Aether.
The human heart truly was a fickle beast.
“Dude, is that your roommate over there?” Hu Tao’s voice cuts through the fog in his brain, snapping him back to reality in an instant. His sister, in her infinite quest to make his life as hard as possible, is helpfully pointing directly at Aether. Just in case everyone else in the study group wanted to ogle him as well, perhaps. Sure enough, everyone snapped to attention to follow her finger and gaze upon the object of Xiao’s frustration.
“Oh my god! You never said he was hot.” Yanfei said with a giggle. While that was definitely a lie, Xiao had to have mentioned that his attractiveness factored into how distracting he was, it still made his face run hot to have someone else acknowledge it.
“Do you think one of those people is his partner?” Candace added very unhelpfully. As if the fires of jealousy needed more fuel to fan its flames. As if he hadn't already considered that possibility and started agonizing over it. As if he hadn’t been agonizing over Aether potentially having a partner since he realized how attractive he found him. He was popular enough, it made sense that someone else would have made him theirs by now.
As if on cue, one of the girls in his group let out a boisterous laugh and threw an arm around Aether’s shoulders, her other hand patting his chest a few times. The force of her laugh rocks the two of them slightly, their steps faltering, resulting in the two of them falling even closer to each other. Xiao had to practically tear his gaze away and find the grass near his feet very interesting.
“Can we please get back to finishing this assignment? Distractions like this are exactly why we should be meeting in the library.” He said, hoping the others would just drop it and move on. The universe seems to grant him a small bit of mercy as they all slowly turned back to their work and moved on.
And who's to say if anyone else noticed the brief moment that his amber eyes flicked up at just the right time to make direct contact with Aether’s golden gaze, made even more brilliant in the late October afternoon sun.
When he returned to the dorm that afternoon, Aether is once again seated at their desk, headphones on and gameplay flashing brightly across his laptop screen. He briefly paused to turn and wave to Xiao as he entered his periphery. “We got a few more waves on this raid, once we’re done I’ll hop off so you can do your homework.”
“Keep playing, I’m not staying for long.” Truthfully, he had been brainstorming excuses to leave the entire walk back from class just in case this exact scenario came to pass. It was easy enough to avoid him when they were in class or asleep, of course. These situations however could only make him feel even more awkward if all he could do was try to ignore the other man.
And, as established, he just had this knack for distracting Xiao by simply taking up space in the room.
Aether’s mouth opened and closed a couple times like he was trying to think of something to say in response, perhaps to ask him where he was off to in such a hurry when not even a month ago it seemed like Xiao hadn’t ever left the dorms before. Before he could formulate his question, something on screen pulled his attention back and he snapped back into game mode as instantly and as easily as breathing.
“Guys we’re losing the point, group back up!” His words are accompanied by rapid, furious clacking from his keyboard and a few frustrated noises that sound suspiciously like whimpers.
Xiao hit send on a desperate text to the group chat for an excuse to get him out of here as soon as possible. Maybe if he just started wandering around campus he’d run into someone he knew. That kind of stuff happened in real life, not just in over the top TV dramas or cheesy fanfictions? Right?
“Nilou, we could really use some healing over here!”
That made him freeze in his tracks. Suddenly his roommate’s gameplay seemed very interesting. He leaned in slightly to peer over his shoulder and take in the laptop’s screen. He couldn’t recognize the game for the life of him, some generic multiplayer RPG that offered too many characters with a confusing system to obtain them that either took a crazy amount of luck or a big wallet to fill out the roster. Aether’s character seemed to be the main DPS of their team, fending off a large horde of enemies with each swing of his digital sword.
“Who are you playing with?” His mind instantly goes to the group he had seen him walking with a few days prior. It would make sense that they would also game together if they were close enough to walk through campus like that.
Golden eyes darted to him momentarily before quickly returning to his screen. “Just a sec. Gotta clear this wave.” No worries, Xiao suddenly had all the time in the world to hang around and wait on an answer.
Admittedly, a part of him did feel a twinge of guilt that his interest was only piqued once that girl was brought up again. It was honestly a little ridiculous, in hindsight. A good roommate would be interested in their roommate’s life and hobbies without an ulterior motive. A good roommate wouldn’t be jealous that their roommate had friends outside of their shared room. Hell a good person wouldn’t be jealous over something as trivial as that.
A bright green banner flashed across the screen with ‘STAGE CLEARED’ broadcasted in a bold font. Aether lets out a celebratory holler, pumping his fists with pure enthusiasm. “Good game everyone! Nice defense as always Layla, those shields really saved our asses in that last round!”
Xiao made a mental note of every name Aether said as he went through and gave each and every teammate a compliment. Toxic gamer stereotypes must hate to see this dude coming. As he continued listing people, it was no wonder he had managed to obtain such a big group of friends to play with.
“-nd Nilou, that last bit of healing came in clutch, I could’ve just kissed you through the screen babe. Anyways, I’m logging off so I can get some homework done. Later, y’all!”
The tinny sound of several people shouting their praises and farewells all at once breached the confines of Aether’s headphones, but all Xiao can hear is his heartbeat hammering in his chest.
That… that probably didn’t mean anything? He was pretty sure he had heard other people offer totally platonic kisses to their friends before. Granted, he couldn’t think of any examples right now. And granted, those platonic kisses probably weren’t accompanied by the use of pet names like ‘babe’. But what did he know?
“Sorry about that, dude. You asked who I was playing with, yeah?”
“...Yeah. I thought I recognized one of the names you said. You mentioned her before, Nilou, right?”
Xiao pretended not to notice the way Aether’s smile widened and his eyes brightened at her name and the way that it stung at his heart just a tiny bit.
“Yeah! You remembered, that’s awesome! The two of us go way back, we went to high school together and have been pretty close ever since. She usually doesn’t play as a healer but our usual guy had to do some tutoring today and couldn’t make it so she subbed in. She’s pretty great, I meant it when I said I should introduce you guys. One of these days when you’re not too busy she could maybe swing by?”
It’s totally normal to introduce roommates to your friends, that’s how people make new friends. And it’s totally normal to kiss those friends, and call them babe, and bring them back to the room when your roommate isn’t there because he’s just always so so busy and definitely not avoiding you and your totally platonic friend who you kiss and call babe-
The feeling of his cellphone vibrating in his hand pulled him out of what was shaping up to be a pretty nasty spiral. Candace of all people had responded to his plea for help, requesting assistance with organizing an upcoming event for the tae kwon do club. Not Xiao’s wheelhouse nor his cup of tea, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, he supposed.
“Sorry. I really gotta get going. Enjoy your…homework, I guess.”
“Okay. Catch you later, dude…”
He brushed the sting of being delegated to ‘dude’ once more off with a grimace as the door clicked shut behind him. Good people didn’t let things like being called ‘dude’ while someone else got to be called ‘babe’ send them into a vile, jealous spiral.
Maybe he wasn’t as good of a person as he thought he was.
The third Sunday of the month was reserved for family time. They had started this tradition years ago when Xiao was first adopted into their family as a way to help him ease into their lives and their dynamic.
What had initially started as a monthly meeting of the entire family for a dinner and usually some kind of kid friendly activity had evolved over the years to be more flexible. Since starting classes, family time had been delegated to a lengthy phone call.
So here he was, staring up at his ceiling with his father on speaker phone, trying desperately to stay tuned in while he droned on about business at the funeral parlor. Not that his father’s life wasn’t positively thrilling, but he had grown up hearing his fair share of stories about the wacky hijinks his clients would want to attempt for their loved ones' final hurrah. There was only a certain amount of times one could hear about it before it started to seem mundane.
Plus with Hu Tao going into the mortuary arts field specifically to work at the same parlor, he was sure he had years and years of more of those stories ahead of him.
“Ah, by the way. Your sister mentioned that the two of you went to a party at one of the fraternity houses. How was that?”
Xiao’s heart jumped into his stomach. “Oh uh- it was fine? She just wanted to try to scout people for her club, nothing crazy.”
It made sense that Hu Tao would tell their father about the party, especially if she had found anyone interested in a future with the mortuary arts. And it wasn't like they weren't allowed to go to parties or hang out with people on campus, they were in college after all.
“I see. When she told me I thought it seemed like a wonderful opportunity for you to make some new friends.”
This is what had Xiao’s guts churning. “Dad, we've talked about this…”
“Yes, yes. I know about the study group you two put together. But if you are attending more extracurricular events on campus you’ll at least have the chance to meet other students.”
Their father had a tendency to worry when it came to his children’s social lives. He tried to be subtle about it, tried to act casual in moments like these. But Xiao knew just below the surface the ball of stress and worry in his father’s chest was just as heavy as his own.
“Do you pester Hu Tao about the friends she’s making during your calls, too?” The snark dripping from his words are palpable, though his father politely pretended not to notice. That almost made Xiao more frustrated.
“I worry about both of you equally. Hu Tao does not struggle with socializing but she has her own concerns. You do not struggle with your studies, but I can’t help but worry about you sitting in your dorm all alone day in and day out.”
Xiao’s heart stuttered for a moment. Had he really forgotten to update his father on his rooming situation? How could that be possible, especially since this debacle had taken up so much space in his mind for the last month and a half.
“Uh, about that… There’s been some changes with that recently and-”
As if on cue, the door flung open, hitting the wall with a resounding BANG! that had Xiao jolting upright. He registered the sound of his phone clattering to the floor and the muffled sounds of his father checking on him.
‘-iao? Son, are you alright? I heard a loud noise, are you hurt?”
“Oh, hey dude.” Aether said almost sheepishly. “Didn’t realize you were in here.” The blond’s arms are overflowing with books and papers, foot still raised from the kick he had apparently used to open the door since his hands were occupied.
Xiao didn’t respond, instead dropping to the floor to search for his lost cell phone. Aether entered, kicking the door shut behind him with another jarring slam. “My backpack broke while I was walking back from the theater, I had to haul my shit all the way back here. Guess I should’ve texted you or something to see if you were here, then you could’ve opened the door for me. Oh man, I don’t even know if I have your number though.”
“Is there someone in your room? Xiao, please answer me!”
The beginnings of a migraine settled at the base of Xiao’s skull. His heart was pounding, frantically feeling around under his bed for his phone. Everything was so overwhelming, the pounding in his brain only growing as his roommate and father’s voices mingled together like a screeching alarm in his ears.
Finally he managed to locate his phone and ended the call before it dawned on him that he should’ve at least informed his dad that he was alright. His head flopped against the edge of his bed, burrowing into the duvet with a sigh. He would send him a text as soon as his nerves settled, and he supposed he would finally tell him about his new roommate.
“Dude, you okay? You’re breathing pretty hard.”
Right, Aether was here too. That was the whole reason things went to shit so quickly. Now that the panic had begun to subside, anger was taking its place.
“I'm fine. You just startled me. You still could have knocked, y'know, even if you didn't know I was here.” Xiao said, venom biting at his words. “Or you could've asked one of your friends to help you carry your things back. Like Nilou, or whatever."
“Wha- I wasn’t with her, she’s probably still at rehearsal now anyways-.”
Xiao pushed himself off the floor to his feet and pushed past Aether with a bit more force than was necessary to grab his jacket from the back of their desk chair.
“I need some air.”
Without another word, he stormed out of their room, pretending he didn’t hear his roommate calling out to him and letting the door slam behind him as he beelined for his sister’s dormitory.
Thank God he hadn’t overreacted. He could practically feel the universe rolling its eyes at him now.
When they were younger, Xiao never really cared about Halloween outside of getting candy. The costumes were just a hassle, not to mention all the children in his classes who insisted on hosting parties as an excuse to milk more out of such a pointless holiday.
Apparently the student body strongly disagreed with that sentiment. Every bulletin board on campus was positively plastered with fliers advertising different events and parties hosted by the various clubs and Greek letter organizations.
So naturally Xiao found himself in Yanfei’s dorm room while the girls from the study group tore through their drawers to find the perfect pieces for their costumes. He sat with his legs crossed, intercepting the clothing that’s flung his way and doing his best to organize them based on the girls’ chaotic ramblings.
“Sexy witch is kind of overdone, but you do have a lot of black, Shinobu. So either that or maybe sexy ninja…” Yanfei said, holding up yet another pair of black boots. “Or a sexy black cat if we can get you a pair of ears in time.”
“Why does every costume have to be sexy? Halloween is supposed to be scary!” Hu Tao whined. She was laying on her back on the other bed, head hanging over the side with her body covered in discarded garments. “I have a friend in the theater department who can hook us up with plenty of fake blood and makeup, we should all just go as zombies!”
Xiao couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Did everyone on campus have a friend involved with the arts except him? “I think you guys are overthinking all of this. You’re gonna wear a costume for like five hours one night of the year for what? Some lame frat party?”
“You just think it’s lame because you’re boring and no fun.” Hu Tao sniped back.
“The sorority parties are a lot more fun, anyways.” Yelan popped her head out of the closet, handing what seemed to be a sparkly navy blue evening gown to Yanfei. “A lot of houses will have a theme and a costume contest along with other games. There's much more to Greek life than drinking and being sexy, contrary to what popular media will tell you.”
“What’s your sorority’s theme this year, then?”
“Femme Fatales. I bought this amazing faux mink lined coat just for the party.”
Xiao rolled his eyes once more. The irony is not lost on him, but he knew if he pointed it out he would just open himself up for more casual bullying.
“What are you gonna dress up as, Xiao?” Shinobu asked. Before he could respond, both his sister and cousin let out quiet groans.
“Here we go…” Hu Tao muttered.
“I’m not dressing up. I don’t like Halloween, I don’t like parties. My plans are to stay in my room and either finish my coursework or watch horror movies alone. Like I do every year.”
The girls shared a silent look. He hated it when they did that. Hated that it felt like everyone else in the world had figured out telepathic communication while he was stuck with just his own thoughts. And half the time his thoughts weren’t even nice.
“What about your roommate?” Yanfei asked almost timidly, like she was afraid to pose the question.
Ugh.
“He’s probably gonna be too busy upholding the Greek life stereotypes at whatever frat party has the most kegs or whatever. I would bet money he doesn’t even set foot in the room until November 2nd.”
Yelan’s eyes lit up. Xiao clearly had no idea what kind of corner he had just backed himself into. “I’ll take you up on that bet. But no money, we should put something more interesting on the line.”
The tension that suddenly filled the room was palpable. “Interesting how?”
“Let’s set the parameters of our bet, first. What fun are the stakes if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into?”
Out of the corner of his eye he could see the subtle motions pleading him to drop it before this went any further. Though they had all been lucky enough to avoid it, Yelan was notorious on campus for her bets. And rumor had it a bet with Yelan was one you didn't want to lose.
“Fine. What do you have in mind?”
“Find out your roommate’s plans for Halloween. If he's partying all weekend, you win and you get to have your quiet night alone in your room. But if you're wrong, you have to come to my sorority’s party.” A sly smirk graced Yelan’s lips. “In costume, of course.”
Xiao scoffed. That was it? Hardly lived up to the grandiose stories whispered by their peers. “These stakes hardly seem more intense than money. Maybe you’re losing your edge?”
The look in Yanfei’s eyes clearly screamed “Are you insane?” partnered with a particularly evil smile on Hu Tao’s face. Did Xiao even know what he was getting himself into? Did he even care?
“Then you should have no problem agreeing to the terms.” Yelan extended her hand to shake on it, cementing their bet with the strongest contract one could form. “What do you say?”
With no hesitation, Xiao grasped her hand in his and shook it firmly. “You’re on. I’ll go ask him now.”
“Oh, I have a lot of class work to catch up on. Plus a huge exam that I need to study for. Man I wish I could party, though. My friend Itto’s frat is doing a slasher theme and it’s gonna be so sick!”
“...Huh?”
It killed him to admit that, just maybe, he should've heeded Yanfei’s warning.
If he had he wouldn't find himself stationed behind the bar in a crowded sorority house, splitting his time between serving the most foul smelling jungle juice to already tipsy party goers and tugging the hem of the red sweater dress Yelan and lent him in the hopes that it would cover more than just below his ass.
He at least could've had her clarify that when she said he would have to help out in costume, she would be the one choosing it.
“Rules are rules. Every house chooses a theme and if you're helping out you have to adhere to it!” Yelan had said, Xiao’s face grasped a bit too tightly in her hands so she could apply his lipstick (“Also mandatory!”) without him fussing.
“I think you look good, bro.” Cyno offered sympathetically. “Ada Wong is iconic, I can't believe one of the girls didn't claim her already.”
He's one to talk, of course. Cyno had somehow convinced Tighnari to wear a cheesy, couple’s costume. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Sickening.
“Don't you have to go be annoying somewhere else?” Xiao hissed, and practically shoved the red plastic cup of booze into the other man's hands.
“Not for another 45 minutes. Costume contest over at Delta Kappa got delayed so Candace and Dehya could make sure their costumes were perfect.” Cyno took a sip from his cup, grimacing at the taste. “Did you make this?”
“Nah, this is a house special. Apparently.” One of the sisters had insisted that this was the mix they made for every party they hosted, but something was definitely off this time around. No one could pinpoint what ratio of which liquor got messed up along the way, but Cyno was not the first to complain and Xiao had a feeling that he would not be the last.
“You don’t have to finish it if you don’t like it. Just leave it here, I’ll take care of it.” he said, holding out his hand. Cyno shot him an appreciative, sympathetic look, pressing the cup into his hand with a nod.
“You're a life saver, Ada Wong. Also I can see your buttcheeks when you bend over.”
Cyno artfully dodged the angry swipe of Xiao’s hand. “Just be glad I didn't go for the obvious pun about nuts. Have fun, Xiao!” The tips of his ears burned a furious red as the other man made a quick exit.
Xiao doubted very much that he would have any fun.
The party seemed to drag on, and he fell into the rhythm of serving drinks fairly quickly. Every so often someone would try to spark a conversation with him only to realize he was either A.) Not one of the sorority sisters or B.) Not interested in talking. From there they would usually drop their attempt and shuffle off into the crowd, letting him snap back to the task at hand.
A brief break from the monotony came in the form of Yelan sauntering up to the bar. She had truly gone all out on her outfit. She wore an asymmetrical blue cocktail dress with a high slit along the sides, properly showing off the various mesh and buckles that adorned her leather leggings. To top it all off, a white coat with opulent faux fur slung over one shoulder, and a timid looking red haired girl hanging off the other.
“Xiao, darling! Are you enjoying the party?” She punctuated her sentence with a light pat to the shorter man’s head, earning a venomous glare and a snarl. “You’ve been working so hard serving drinks, we really can’t thank you enough. But luckily I’ve come to relieve you of duty.”
“Ugh. Finally” He thought. He gave the redheaded girl a onceover glance. Her costume is equally as lavish as Yelan’s, but the vibe of her attire was entirely different.
She’s decked head to toe in an intricate network gold jewelry inlaid with sparkling sapphire colored gems. The fabric of her top and skirt are beautiful shades of blue and white with plenty of tassels and more gold. To top it all off, a gossamer thin veil attached to a headdress sporting a large pair of jet black horns and a striking golden crown.
“Your costume is… a lot.” Xiao said bluntly. The girl’s smile faltered only for a second, but long enough for a pang of guilt shot through Xiao’s chest. He quickly added “Sorry, it’s very detailed. I don’t think I recognize the character though.”
The girl let out an airy giggle. “Don’t be sorry, it’s not the first time I’ve heard it tonight. I knew that I would have to explain it a lot when I picked it, so I’m used to it! It’s an interpretation of the outfit worn by the Goddess of Flowers in the show ‘Dance of the Lotus Light’. Believe it or not, there’s a version of this that has even more jewelry and flowers! But I definitely couldn't convince the rest of the theatre department to let me borrow that version for a party.”
Her hands moved animatedly as spoke, eyes shimmering with passion. Of course she would be one the millions of students who were apparently involved with the infamous theatre department. Yelan let out a chuckle, looking at the other girl with a fond smile. “She’s your replacement. Hate to break it to you, but we got some complaints that the bartender was too antisocial and that he was killing the vibe.”
Xiao rolled his eyes. Of course they would replace him with the friendliest pretty girl they could find. “Whatever, as long as it gets me out of here.”
Yelan pursed her lips. “I was hoping you could be convinced to stay a bit longer and actually enjoy the party.” She cupped Xiao’s cheeks in her hands, pinching at the small amount of baby fat with a look that bordered on condescending. “Yanfei and Shinobu just showed up, at least have a drink with them?”
As if on cue, his cousin shot him an exaggerated wave from across the room, a huge smile plastered across her already rosy cheeks. Both she and Shinobu were dressed in all black, Yanfei wearing a large witch’s hat while the other girl sported a pair of cat ears. “It seems like maybe Yanfei has already had enough.”
The girls made their way across the party to join them over at the bar, Yanfei immediately throwing her arms around Xiao’s shoulders. “You look so good! We should get Yelan to dress you up more often!” He forced a smile to hide his instinctive grimace. Somehow her acknowledgement of his costume made him feel a touch more self conscious about it.
“Maybe next time you won’t have to get yourself into a crazy bet to come out and hang out with us.”
The red haired girl let out another giggle. “That explains a lot. I didn’t wanna say anything but you didn’t really strike me as the type of guy to dress up for Halloween. Especially not like that. ” She gestured vaguely at his outfit. Friendly, talkative, and perceptive to a fault.
He had to interject. “What about you? I’m guessing you didn’t lose a bet or anything like that? Just here helping out of the goodness of your heart?”
Yelan snorted, rolling her eyes. The other girl flashed him a pearly smile. “Not exactly. I do owe the sorority a favor, a few of the sisters are doing some volunteer stagehand work for the upcoming holiday showcases for the performing art departments. I was planning on coming to the party anyways when Yelan asked if I would be willing to let her cash in that favor now.”
“Since someone doesn't know how to talk to other people without coming off as an asshole.” Yelan griped. She gave Xiao’s shoulder a light squeeze. “You're lucky you're cute… and I adore your cousin.”
He wriggled his way out of her grasp, scowl deepening at the feeling of this stupid dress riding up again. Suffice to say he had learned his lesson when it came to making bets with this devil woman.
“Whatever. Can I change out of this in your room so I can hurry up and get the hell out of here?”
Yelan rolled her eyes, jerking her thumb in the general area where her room was located. “Fine, get out of here. But at least thank Nilou for covering the rest of your shift, you jerk!”
Wait.
Xiao’s heart plummeted into his stomach, eyes wide as he turned to look at his replacement once more. She responded with a curious tilt of her head, a soft pleasant smile on her lips.
Friendly, talkative, beautiful.
Nilou.
“You're Nilou? From the theatre department?” His voice came out almost like a hiss. “Aether’s friend Nilou?”
For the last month, Xiao had half convinced himself that maybe he had overreacted. That perhaps the burning jealousy he felt for a girl he had never met just because his attractive roommate was so close to her was unwarranted. But now here she stood before him, just as delightfully radiant as his green eyed monster had imagined. Aether, hell anyone, would be a fool not to have a crush on her.
“Oh! You know Aether too? That's so crazy!” Nilou chirped happily, clasping her hands together.
“For such a popular school, you sure do make a lot of connections with so many people!”
Yanfei threw an arm over Xiao’s shoulder, reeling him in tight for a bruising side hug. “They don't just know each other, Xiao is his roommate!” Her tone lilted into teasing territory on the final word. Xiao wished he could just curl into a ball and die on the spot.
Nilou, of course, responded with a shocked gasp and an animated flourish of her hands. “No way! Oh, he talks about you all the time! He’s like, soooo lucky that they assigned him to your dorm temporarily, you're a literal lifesaver to him!”
His guts churned with a familiar ache. Nervous that this conversation didn’t seem to have an end in sight, scared that it seemed every fear he had about Nilou being better than him in every way. Jealous that others found it so easy to get close with Aether when he could barely bring himself to say more than five words to him without regretting it. Every fiber of his being ached to quench it. There was no way he could just go back to his dorm and face the source of this burning feeling, not like this.
It wasn't often that Xiao would listen to his heart or his gut over his brain, and even less often that he would hear out those impulsive thoughts and actually act on them.
Which is why he's just as shocked as his friends when he quickly pours himself a cup of jungle juice and drinks down half of it in a single swig.
“Maybe I'll have a drink before I go.” His voice was hoarse from the burning liquor, mouth curved into a deep grimace from the taste. Yanfei let out an excited cheer, once again throwing her arms around his shoulders.
“Since you're staying, why not have Nilou make you something a little more…palatable?” Yelan offered. At least the sorority sisters could admit their “house special” wasn't very good.
“Yeah why the hell not.”
The world sways around him. The fog in his head coupled with uneven steps make his stomach churn. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push the nausea down with all his might. It took a moment for his brain to register anything but the light floating feeling, a moment to register the feeling of a warm chest against his own and a strong pair of hands planted firmly on the back of his thighs.
Naturally, he tried to squirm away from whatever foul beast had captured him in its grasp, only to feel the hands tighten, one of them moving between his shoulder blades to steady him.
“Hey hey hey, it's okay Xiao. Do we need to stop or slow down?” A familiar voice hit his ears. Gentle, caring, rich and smooth like gold.
“Aether?” His own voice came out slightly slurred, confused. A new wave of nausea surged through him, making his head swim uncomfortably. “What's going on? Where am I?”
“It's okay, you're okay. I'm just taking you back to the dorm, Nilou called and said you had too much to drink and passed out at the party.”
Suddenly it's all rushing back to him, flashing before his eyes like a long forgotten memory instead of the events of mere hours ago.
The custom drink Nilou had mixed for him was sweet like juice and went down with no bite or burn, adding yet another thing to the growing list of things she was better at than him and the broiling jealousy he just couldn't seem to squash. So he has another drink, and another hoping that each sip will finally be the one that quenches the flames.
His head pounded with the memory of dancing with Shinobu and Yanfei, holding back Yanfei’s hair and having Yelan do the same for him when his body couldn't handle the mix of liquor and queasiness. The last vague image he could recall was being sat down on a couch with an ice cold water bottle pressed into his palm.
So he got absolutely trashed, threw up, and passed out at a sorority party. All in this stupid sweater dress that he, naturally, had neglected to change out of before getting wasted. Just wonderful.
And to top it all off, of course, the catalyst for it all is carrying him home because he was too pathetically drunk to walk himself. Fantastic.
“This is a nightmare.” Xiao murmured, letting his head loll forward so he could bury his head in the crook of Aether’s shoulder. At this angle he could feel the blond man's laughter bubble in his throat, which only made his drunken embarrassment worsen. “I’m so sorry…”
“You don’t need to apologize, Xiao.” There’s a fondness in Aether’s voice that sinks its sickly sweetness into Xiao’s stomach with devastating precision. It doesn’t seem earned, given their estranged relationship at the moment. “I'd do this for you any time, and I know you would do the same for me.” Xiao let out a small hum. Yeah, he supposed he would do this if he was able to.
“You can go back to sleep if you want. We’ll be home soon, okay?” Aether mumbled, seemingly half to himself. All of a sudden his head felt heavy, eyelids fluttering shut of their own volition. In his current position, his nose is flush with Aether’s skin, his earthy scent filtering in with every breath. Between that and the firm grip on the back of his thighs, Xiao could feel his cheeks heating up and could only hope that the other man wasn't able to clock that as well.
This was an amazing reminder as to why he never liked drinking alcohol. Even when he was a young teen and his father had (reluctantly) let him try a sip of his osmanthus wine during their New Year’s dinner, he hated the burn far too much to entertain the taste.
Now, with every inch of muscle in his body screaming in pain, he has another thing to add to that ever growing list. Who knew that getting drunk like this could cause his chronic pain to flair up like this. On top of a hangover too, of course. Because nothing could ever be easy for him. The rest of his weekend had been spent in his bed, covers pulled tight over his head to try to block out the lights and sounds around him, his aching bleeding into Monday.
Then Monday passed, and then Tuesday.
It all seemed like a divine punishment for losing his composure and letting that green eyed monster dictate his actions. Over a man who he had known for barely three months no less.
The door creaked open, hallway light flooding into the room momentarily. Speak of the devil…
“Your cousin dropped off your class work and I bought you a Gatorade. You gotta keep your electrolytes up so your body can process things a little bit easier.” Aether said softly. Xiao heard the light tap of a plastic bottle being set down on the bedside table accompanied by quiet shuffling of papers. “How’s your pain? Do you need anything else?”
His roommate’s soft, caring tone made his stomach go sour. It was bad enough that he had carried his drunken ass across campus, up the stairs to their dorm, and then had gently tucked him into his bed. Hadn’t he suffered enough embarrassment when Aether had to help him down the hall to the communal bathrooms in the dead of night because his muscles screamed with every move but his stomach had to clear its contents immediately. He shivered at the memory of Aether’s firm hand on his back, heavy and grounding, rubbing soothing circles into his skin.
“Why are you doing all of this? Why are you being so… so nice? ” Xiao hissed, quiet enough that it was almost to himself. He turned slightly, as much as he could without causing his pain to flare, to look at the other man. To his surprise, Aether was much closer than he had anticipated, practically leaning over him as if he was about to pull back the covers to check on Xiao. He gave a sheepish smile, shoulders pulled up into a shrug.
“It’s just the right thing to do. You’re my roommate, but I’d do this for anyone if they needed it.”
There’s a beat of silence, just long enough to border on awkward. Aether is still partially leaning over him but refusing to look him in the eyes. His hands hover nervously, clearly unsure of what to do with them at this moment. Aether bit at his bottom lip, opening and closing his mouth like he was floundering for something to say.
“Did you need something?” Xiao said snippily.
“What did I do to make you hate me?” Aether replied.
Xiao bolted upright despite his body’s vehement protests. At this new angle the two of them are nearly nose to nose, Aether having to jerk back suddenly to avoid banging their heads together. This sudden action caused his feet to catch against each other, the blond man stumbling slightly before Xiao’s arm shot out to grab the other man’s arm and steady him.
“You think I hate you?”
Of course he thought he hated him. Had Xiao ever said anything kind to him in the last few months of sharing their dorm? Hell, for the last few weeks he hasn’t really said anything to him, period. Not to mention his outburst when he had interrupted his call with his Father. Coupled with what his sister referred to as his “resting bitch face”, it wasn’t hard to imagine how Aether had come to this conclusion.
“I totally don't blame you, though! I know this whole-” he waved his hands around senselessly to emphasize the sheer insanity of their situation “- thing came out nowhere for you, too. I get why you don't like me. I just wanna know if there's anything I can do to make it up to you.”
Xiao’s grip on the other man's wrist tightened slightly. He wasn't sure if it was a natural reaction, or if part of him was trying to keep him from retreating. “How did you know about my housing situation?”
Aether’s eyes drop, golden gaze boring holes into the floor. His voice came out strained, barely above a whisper. “The Dean told me when they were reassigning rooms. They didn't anticipate having to shut down the entire East Building and registration rates were higher than usual this year so…” He punctuated his sentence with a nervous laugh.
“Hell I even tried to crash at my buddy’s frat house but I'm not a brother and it was too late to pledge…so I figured if I was the best roommate I could be maybe you wouldn't hate me. Maybe we could even be…friends?”
Did Xiao’s eyes deceive him? Or did the light from his bedside lamp glint perfectly off the beginnings of tears welling along Aether’s bottom lashes? Oh god was he about to cry over this?
The hand on his wrist slid down to grasp his hand instead, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I don't hate you. I never have, and there’s definitely nothing you need to apologize for.” A deep sigh left his lips.
Maybe Xiao had been a little too hard on Aether. After all, it wasn't his fault that he was stupidly handsome and that Xiao’s stupid heart developed a stupid crush on him. It wasn't his fault that the same heart felt so sick with jealousy at the mere mention of another person that could be close to him.
“You've been a good roommate, better than I probably deserve. If anything I should apologize for giving you the cold shoulder this whole time, especially after everything you've done to help me these last few days.” He sighed, squeezing Aether’s hand once more. “I owe you. More than just an apology. Once my flare up settles down I’ll treat you to dinner or something, okay? You can pick where as long as it’s not too crazy expensive.”
(Maybe his stomach flipped a little at the thought of the two of them going to dinner together but that was no one’s business.)
The golden haired man smiled, a soft half smile breaking through the previous negative vibes. Finally, he returned the gentle hand squeeze before dropping Xiao’s hand. He sank to his knees, arms resting against the edge of the bed and his head nestled in his arms. After a few seconds of silence his shoulders began to shake softly, the telltale sound of muffled tears coming up for air.
“Oh God, please don’t cry.” Xiao said with all the delicacy of a rampaging bull. Now it’s his turn to fumble his hands around awkwardly, unsure if touching him would come across as comforting in this moment. He had never been good at handling or expressing his own emotions, let alone someone else’s. “I’m sorry, we don’t have to get dinner or go anywhere.”
As unlikely as it was that his peace offering was the cause of these tears, he would be more than willing to give it up if it meant Aether would stop crying. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t sacrifice to make him sit up and dry his tears, flash his sunny smile at him once more.
The soft sobs bubbled into a giggle in the blond’s throat as he finally picked his head up from where it had nested. The wet spot on the comforter went ignored in favor of brushing his golden bangs off his forehead. “No no, I promise these are good tears. I’m just…” Aether inhaled shakily. “I’m so glad you don’t hate me.”
The light from the bedside table caught the glistening tear tracks on his cheeks perfectly, shining on him at just the right angle to give him a golden glow that spread out like a sunbeam in their usually dimly lit dorm room. Even with puffy eyes and a little bit of snot running down his face, he looks angelic. Ethereal .
Xiao has no idea how his heart is going to survive the rest of the school year.