Work Text:
Dear Xiao,
It’s been a while since we’ve last written to each other.
I’ve been buried in all sorts of work lately, but with Nahida’s birthday approaching, things have gotten twice as hectic. I could really use your help with a particular problem I haven’t been able to find a solution for myself.
If you’re amenable to it, let’s meet at the Statue of The Seven outside Gandharva Ville Monday of next week.
I’ll see you there ahead of a written reply.
Wanderer
In the morning, Xiao opened Wanderer’s letter on the balcony of Wangshu Inn. Morning air nibbled at his skin, goosebumps sprouting, as he unfolded the envelope and read Wanderer’s neat cursive.
He had some guts poising it as less of a suggestion and more of an already agreed-upon arrangement, but Xiao couldn’t fault him for that. He had never turned down Wanderer’s last-minute arrangements to meet up before, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Wanderer had never asked for his help with anything before, which made the letter extra important. Xiao was a good Samaritan, someone who always sought to help others when given the opportunity. How could he not refuse something as obvious as this placed right before him?
Xiao arrived early at the aforementioned Statue of the Seven. Dew glimmered off the stone archon, catching the sunlight’s iridescent shine.
He heard the telltale jingle of Wanderer’s hat long before he appeared on the path ahead. Xiao waited a painful second as Wanderer ambled toward him, but the wait was too long, so he chose to cut it short by teleporting directly to him.
“Hey,” Wanderer said.
“It’s been too long,” Xiao said.
It wasn’t like Wanderer to engage in much physical affection in public, but he pulled Xiao into an awkward half-hug before gesturing him down the path.
“Has everything been alright?” Xiao asked.
“I’m so tired all the time,” Wanderer sighed. “The Akademiya has this thing called finals— basically, all the students have final projects due before classes end for the semester— and I’ve been drowning in mine. The scope’s completely fucked up beyond what I initially expected, and it’s due in a week, so I’ve been playing catch-up.”
“Then is now really a good time for me to visit?” Xiao asked.
“I won’t be able to finish the work without you,” Wanderer said.
“What kind of help, exactly, were you seeking?”
“Pest control.”
“I don’t know much about pests, but I’ll do my best,” Xiao said.
“Your presence is enough,” Wanderer said.
What kind of pests were they talking about here?
If it were monsters, Wanderer could dispatch them on his own in a matter of seconds. So, could it be literal bugs? Xiao had never seen him express any particular disgust for them or inability to handle them, but maybe this whole time they just hadn’t been in the right circumstances to see Wanderer’s fear manifest. If he was as busy with his work as he said, then he wouldn’t be able to waste any additional time on things like an infestation in his room.
Xiao carried his doubts with him quietly as they navigated the winding forest together. He had no trouble keeping up with Wanderer, setting his gaze on the wide-brimmed hat as he hopped and floated between tree branches through an apparent shortcut.
“Did you say Nahida’s birthday was approaching?” Xiao asked.
“Yeah,” Wanderer said. Another deep sigh. “She wants me to be the Knight of Flowers this year, whatever that means. I’d rather pluck an eye out.”
Good to see that his hatred for social engagements still ran deep.
“It must be because she trusts you,” Xiao said.
Wanderer scoffed. “That was her first mistake.”
They had made it to the outskirts of the city and Wanderer’s pace slowed. Xiao drew up beside him and peeked over to read the mix of annoyance and disappointment on his face. Or was it simple sadness? Xiao thought he was getting better at reading Wanderer’s moods, but there were other times when he was still a complete mystery to Xiao.
Xiao placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. “I think…”
“Hey—!”
Before time could progress another second, Xiao felt the movement of something on Wanderer’s other side and reflexively sprung into action. He wasn’t even sure himself what had happened; he only knew that in another flash, he’d pressed the tip of his spear against a stranger’s throat as his outstretched fingers reached toward Wanderer’s hat without touching it.
The movement had come naturally to Xiao as if Wanderer was an extension of himself and his personal space. He would never let a stranger touch him like that, especially out of thin air. Even as the man backed off, Xiao kept his spear drawn.
Brown curls fell around kind eyes. The man’s lips spread into a smile as Xiao moved to Wanderer’s side.
“Hey, Hat Guy! I thought that was you I saw!” the stranger said.
“Uh-huh,” Wanderer responded, turning on his heel to continue walking.
The stranger sighed. “Why are you always so ready to ignore me?”
“Do you know him?” Xiao whispered.
“Don’t pay attention to him. If you ignore him, he’ll go away.”
“Hey, Hat Guy—”
The man ran to catch up and Xiao turned to face him, sending him a glare. The man backed away again. Wanderer picked up his pace and Xiao met it accordingly, following him into a nearby tree with ease.
Wanderer pulled the door to his room open and they stepped inside. He sat on the edge of his bed and Xiao lingered by his side.
“Who was that?” Xiao asked.
“Nobody important,” Wanderer said. “I have to do some work. Do you mind keeping me some company?”
“Of course.”
That’s what Xiao had been hoping for from the beginning.
“I left all of my stuff at the library. Leave whatever you’re gonna leave here and then let’s go.”
Xiao hadn’t brought anything with him that couldn’t fit in his adeptus domain, so he ushered Wanderer on ahead and they made the trek up to the library together.
Xiao turned glances the whole walk to the library and even more once they entered. He expressed some doubt about being allowed beyond the doors at all, considering he wasn’t a student there to study, but Wanderer was bereft of even a single fuck and led him to his desk at the back of a row of impressive bookshelves. The space afforded a little more privacy, but not much, with a large column of stained-glass windows that let in sunlight and the noises of students gossiping outside.
Wanderer got straight to work as Xiao confirmed all of the exits and any threats. It took him a while to lower his guard even a little, still on the lookout for the “pests” until Wanderer grumbled that his standing was distracting and told him to sit down. Even then, Xiao was too on-edge to occupy his time with something like reading. He spent his time watching Wanderer write or staring at passersby.
“Hey.”
About an hour in, Wanderer nudged a paper in Xiao’s direction.
Xiao accepted it without question, sending him a confused stare.
“Can you hand this over to Nahida for me?”
“Sure,” Xiao said.
He considered asking where she was, but Wanderer looked like he might not answer even if he asked, so he went ahead without further details.
In all of Sumeru, Nahida could only be in a few different places, so Xiao began with the most obvious first and worked his way down. The Sanctuary of Surasthana didn’t provide the answer he was hoping for, so he went to the next place, and the next. He wound up being empty-handed and considered that maybe Nahida’s birthday had something to do with it. It would be best if he regrouped with Wanderer first before wasting any more time on the task.
As Xiao approached the library, he sensed that Wanderer wasn’t alone and slowed his pace to see if he could glimpse the intruder. It was the same man as before, curling brown locks spilling down his shoulders. He occupied the same spot Xiao had taken before, hands on his hips as he grumbled out a few words.
“You’re making it so hard for me to talk to you. I can’t even get near you when your bodyguard is around!”
“He’s not a bodyguard,” Wanderer replied, head still bowed deeply into his desk as he worked.
“Then what—”
Not one to allow unnecessary discomfort to stretch on, Xiao teleported to Wanderer’s side once more.
Wanderer cleared his throat.
“Hello,” the stranger said, his smile a little more hesitant than before.
“You’re interrupting Wanderer’s work,” Xiao said.
“Well, see, actually, Hat Guy and I—”
“Wanderer.”
“Um…”
“Leave. Now.”
“That’s a little unnecessary, don’t you think?”
“Is it?” Wanderer asked. “I told you I was busy. You didn’t listen. So, some measures had to be taken.”
“And those measures are to threaten me?!” the stranger shouted.
“Shh, we’re in a library, idiot,” Wanderer said. “And it’s finals. Use your outside voice outside.”
Xiao sent him an expression that asked, Do you want to take this outside?
“Okay, okay. Message heard loud and clear. I’ll leave you alone,” the man said.
He lifted his hands up in a defensive gesture, turned on his heels, and walked away.
“I had some trouble finding Nahida,” Xiao said. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Wanderer said. “She’s probably wrapped up in Sabzeruz Festival preparations. I can bug her about it another time.”
Xiao sat down beside him and placed the report in front of himself.
It was becoming increasingly obvious to him that he hadn’t been brought in to deal with an insect or even a monster but another human. His experience with that sort of problem usually came with only one solution: execution. And he couldn’t imagine Wanderer had contacted him with the intention of arranging a murder. So, maybe a gentler approach was just as good. Just being around Wanderer would be enough to ward the green-eyed stranger away until Wanderer was done with his work.
How long had this been going on for? That the man felt comfortable enough to touch Wanderer like that unprovoked? Humans were so confusing. Was that something that became natural for them after a short time, or did they have to build up to it? As a matter of fact, Xiao could recall that the last time he’d seen Venti, Venti had no qualms about touching him even though he’d already been with Wanderer for a while at that point. Wanderer hadn’t been pleased about that. Xiao recalled the way they’d bickered and made up at the Windblume Festival and how Venti had been part of the conflict.
So, maybe it actually wasn’t as acceptable as Xiao thought to touch someone else’s partner unprovoked like that. He certainly didn’t appreciate it when the tables were turned. Remembering the “Hat Guy” nickname was also enough to annoy him a reasonable amount.
Xiao was one of only three people who fully understood Wanderer’s history, so why did this nobody have nicknaming rights?
“You’re making a really scary face.”
Wanderer’s voice pulled Xiao back to the present and he looked over to find Wanderer staring at him. He cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks heat.
“Sorry,” Xiao said.
“It’s fine,” Wanderer said. “Does he piss you off as much as he does me?”
Xiao hesitated to answer. “Is he always like that?”
“Yeah. I don’t really get what his deal is.” Wanderer leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms above his head. To Xiao’s surprise, his joints creaked. “We should break for lunch. Is there anywhere you wanna go? My treat.”
“Are there any places that aren’t too busy?” Xiao asked.
“No,” Wanderer said. “There’s a few to-go places where we can pick something up and eat it elsewhere.”
“Then let’s do that.”
“Got it,” Wanderer said.
Xiao followed Wanderer out of the library and to a food booth not too far away. They picked up sandwiches, then Wanderer led him to a high-reaching bough of a tree behind the Akademiya.
They had been here together once before and Xiao liked that he could see the city from one direction and the forest from the other. Xiao would never tire of Wanderer’s presence beside him either as he unfolded the cloth covering his sandwich and took a bite.
Wanderer seemed to be in much better spirits once they had escaped the confines of the library. He pointed out strange sights to Xiao, like shroomboars traveling across a grassy field or the distant swirl of dust in the desert.
Once they finished their food, Wanderer rested his back against the trunk of the tree and stared at the sky. Xiao stared instead at the way the sun played with his hair.
“Tell me,” Xiao said.
“Hm?” Wanderer cracked open an eye.
“Did you only bring me along to be people repellant?”
“Maybe,” Wanderer said. “But also, once I finish my final, I want you to go with me to the the Sabzeruz Festival.”
“Nahida’s birthday party?” Xiao asked.
“Yeah. Is that… okay?”
“Of course. It would be my honor.”
Wanderer smiled. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Do you have much farther to go with your report?”
“I have a bit more to do, but it won’t be difficult. Speaking of, I’m ready to go back now.”
“Alright,” Xiao said. “As long as you aren’t pushing yourself too much.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not.”
The rest of the day went by without incident, with Xiao sitting at Wanderer’s side as he worked. Xiao picked up a book on Inazuman history and read a little bit, no longer as concerned about the stranger returning again.
They had dinner together then retired to bed.
It had been a dry, slow day, but even still, Xiao went to the baths before returning to Wanderer’s room to find him already in bed. Xiao quietly slid in after him and he responded to the weight immediately, shifting over to make room for him.
“You’re cold,” Xiao said, closing his hands around Wanderer’s underneath the covers.
Xiao had removed all of his armor, slimmed down to just his top and trousers, while Wanderer seemed to have forgone clothes altogether. The time they had spent separated made the sensation a little surprising to Xiao when Wanderer shuffled a little deeper into his arms. It would take a little more time yet before it felt familiar to him again.
“It’s a ploy for your attention,” Wanderer whispered. “And it seems to be working.”
“Why can’t you ask me for attention like a normal person?”
“Because neither of us are normal?”
Xiao huffed. Fair enough.
“You know, you made a lot of cute expressions today,” Wanderer said.
“Oh yeah?” Xiao asked.
Their interpretations of “cute” must have been completely different.
“Yeah, and seeing you so possessive was adorable. It’s really the best.”
“Really?” Xiao asked. “It felt inconvenient and uncomfortable.”
“Well, yeah, because you’re not used to putting people in their place when they’re so stubborn. But I’m really glad you came.”
“Can you not do it yourself?” Xiao asked. If anyone was capable, it would be Wanderer.
“I can, but it feels different coming from that special someone, you know?” Wanderer asked.
Xiao’s cheeks flared. He imagined how it might feel if someone was giving him a hard time and Wanderer suddenly swept him off his feet or obliterated them where they stood.
…Yeah. Yeah, that would feel good.
“Should I have said something cool?” Xiao asked.
“Huh?”
“Like, ‘back off’ or something. I wasn’t really thinking. I thought he was trying to kill you, but then I saw his face and realized those weren’t his intentions.”
“The silent and deadly look is good, too. I like it best when you only talk to me.”
“Possessive,” Xiao said.
Wanderer snorted. “Maybe a little. I’ve been working so hard, really, I deserve it.”
Xiao kissed him on his forehead. “You do.”
They didn’t say much else as they both fell into their respective rhythms for what they considered “sleep.”
In the morning, Wanderer was first to wake. By the time Xiao rolled out of bed, Wanderer was already dressed and working at his desk. Xiao stood and stretched, then began to pull on the day’s outfit.
“Morning,” Wanderer said, still not pulling his eyes off his work.
“Good morning,” Xiao said.
“I was thinking we could have breakfast here today. Give me a few minutes and I can get something started.”
“Okay.”
Xiao sat on the edge of Wanderer’s bed.
As promised, Wanderer wrapped his work up quickly then threw the quill back onto the table, pushed his chair back, and turned around.
“Aren’t you bored of staring at me?” Wanderer asked.
“Not really,” Xiao said.
“Hm. Well, okay. What do you want to eat?”
“Whatever’s fastest.”
“You care about convenience above all else?”
“Cooking bores me,” Xiao said.
“Oh, interesting. It’s more fun than this lame essay I’m writing, though.”
“I would rather be out flying kites for Zhongli.”
Wanderer’s eyebrows rose. “Is this hypothetical? Or…”
“Well, there was this one time…”
As they spoke, Wanderer led him into the abutting kitchen. As Wanderer began cooking, Xiao regaled him with tales of recent things he’d done in Liyue. He hadn’t really taken Wanderer as the type of person to find much interest in other people’s stories, but given their bond, maybe Wanderer had reason to be extra invested. He seemed contemplative, asking Xiao more questions, and Xiao became a little too conscious of the sound of his own voice by the end.
“Is today another work day?” Xiao asked.
“I have a meeting with Nahida in the morning, but it’s just boring stuff about the paper, so you’re free to explore the city in the meantime. I’ll call you over when we’re done.”
“I see. Alright,” Xiao said.
“You haven’t changed at all!”
Xiao had to lean down to let Nahida hug him properly. He felt a little flustered at the height difference being less than he expected when he felt her ruffling the hair on the top of his head and making affectionate noises at him. As Wanderer’s foremost supporter, Nahida held a special place in Xiao’s heart, and she always brought such a calming energy with her wherever she went.
If Xiao practiced human customs regularly, he might have asked Nahida what she wanted for her birthday, but since he didn’t have any Mora to spare and wasn’t very good at buying gifts in general, he held his tongue and went through the usual pleasantries instead. Wanderer was impatiently waiting for his chance to ask her all of his questions, so Xiao didn’t stick around long, instead sneaking off to give them the space Wanderer had desired.
It wasn’t long before Xiao found himself approached by a man not much taller than him dressed in what seemed to be appropriate dress for the desert.
“Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of Treasures Street?” the man asked.
“I don’t know this area. Sorry,” Xiao said.
“Then what about the Grand Bazaar? Do you know where that is?”
“No.”
“And the Akademiya?”
“It’s that way.”
“Hm. It’s just as I thought.”
“Huh?” Xiao asked.
“You aren’t familiar with this area at all. For one, you don’t recognize any of the city’s landmarks aside from where he works. Furthermore, anyone who saw me approaching wouldn’t behave so casually.”
“Should I know who you are?” Xiao asked.
“I am Cyno, General Mahamatra of the Akademiya. I work under Nahida alongside your friend. He’s probably mentioned me before.”
“No, I don’t believe so.”
“Oh. I see.”
If the man felt dejected by Xiao’s statement, he didn’t make the reaction apparent.
“Hey, what did the rich Fontanian say to his wife?”
“What?”
“He said, ’Je t’a-Mora.’”
Xiao stared at him nonchalantly, but on the inside, he was silently panicking. He wanted to leave a good impression with Wanderer’s friends, but he couldn’t understand a single thing this man was saying. Was this supposed to be one of those “jokes” Zhongli had told him about before? Then the appropriate thing to do would be to laugh, right?
“Ha ha…” Xiao mumbled, more of an exhalation of breath than a laugh, but it was enough to make Cyno smile. Xiao internally sighed with relief.
“It’s okay, you can laugh with your full chest. I won’t take offense.”
Xiao would do no such thing as he felt Cyno slap him once on the center of his back. Xiao flinched at the touch but bore it well enough as Cyno resumed conversing with a more lax demeanor.
“So, how do you know Wanderer?”
How was this man so difficult to talk to?
“It’s a long story,” Xiao said, which was true enough.
“Are you two dating?”
Xiao choked on his spit. He swallowed carefully, but his throat still felt lodged, incapable of summoning a single syllable. After a beat, he recovered enough to ask, “Are you with the green-eyed man?”
“Who?”
“The one with the brown hair,” Xiao said.
“You mean Sethos? Yes, I know him.”
“It’s none of your business what our relationship is,” Xiao harrumphed, then teleported away on a flash of anemo.
Xiao sulked in Wanderer’s bedroom whiling away the minutes until he was called for again. He hadn’t expected a stranger to approach him, let alone to ask so many unexpected questions. Wouldn’t it be considered rude to ask someone upfront about such personal things, especially when you didn’t know the first thing about them? It wasn’t like Xiao wanted Cyno to know him, though. He was fine with only knowing Wanderer and Nahida.
Xiao.
Wanderer’s voice pulled Xiao through the streets of Sumeru instantly. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was standing at Wanderer’s side among a pile of books and papers back in the library.
“That’s quite the face. Did something happen?”
“I ran into one of your ‘coworkers,’” Xiao said.
“What?” His face twisted up in confusion. “Who?”
“He said his name is Cyno.”
“I think I know who that is?” Wanderer sighed. “I really can’t be bothered with him right now. Is it alright if we talk in a few hours? I’m so close to being finished with this.”
“Of course,” Xiao said. “Don’t let me get in your way.”
He reclaimed his seat beside Wanderer as they sat down and Wanderer resumed work on his paper.
If Wanderer had a normal body, certainly he’d be feeling any number of status ailments by the time he finally put the quill down. For one, he hadn’t eaten a full meal since that morning, and he’d crawled out of bed in the middle of the night to sit at his desk and continue progress on his paper. All he felt as a product of all his hard work, though, was a throbbing frontal lobe and some sore joints.
Nahida had a lot of helpful edits to make on his paper, and the thing looked like a bleeding corpse on the desk with the number of red marks she’d left on it. The resurrection process took every braincell he had, so unfortunately, Xiao would have to wait until all revisions were finished.
Overall, Xiao was a stronger motivation than Wanderer expected. He thought it’d take a lot longer for him to finish his paper, but with that tantalizing treat sitting at his shoulder, he worked twice as fast, and was all but ready to flip the table over and push his chair across the room when he was finally done.
Of course, Wanderer did neither, instead calmly putting his pen down and turning to Xiao with an accomplished smile.
“It’s finished.”
Relief washed over Xiao’s face and Wanderer wanted to kiss him right there. Maybe later, when they weren’t in public and under the prying eyes of any random passersby.
Wanderer turned the paper into the proper instructor before leading Xiao to his room.
There, he sat Xiao down and said, “Tell me everything that happened.”
Xiao explained the interaction to him and he felt the muscles in his face go increasingly more rigid. Xiao hadn’t looked pleased, either, when they had initially met up after this man would have spoken to him.
“I know that guy. He’s the white-haired one who tries to make friends through terrible puns,” Wanderer said. He leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. “You can go ahead and ignore him, too.”
Xiao didn’t say anything. Perhaps he didn’t like that solution.
“What’s bugging you? You don’t like that?” Wanderer asked.
“I got the impression that he was surprised you had never mentioned him to me. And when he asked if we were dating, it made me realize that you aren’t close to anyone here.”
“Is that much of a surprise, though?”
“Perhaps not, but it worries me that you rebuff so many people’s desires to be your friend.”
“That’s just how I am,” Wanderer said.
“I know.”
Xiao frowned again. Wanderer sighed and scooted his chair closer to poke Xiao in the center of his forehead where his purple mark was.
“I might not enjoy the company of those dumbasses too much, but you know whose company I do like?”
“Whose?” Xiao asked.
“Yours.”
Wanderer grinned and closed the distance between them completely to kiss him. Xiao placed a hesitant hand on his knee and Wanderer reacted with another positive hum, shuffling closer. Maybe if he drowned Xiao in all the affection he could handle, there’d be no room in his heart for worry.
“Move over,” Wanderer said, then flopped into the space beside Xiao and pulled him into a tight hug.
Xiao laughed, a sound rare enough on its own to cleanse Wanderer of any remaining gloom he still felt from finals.
“It’s the middle of the day,” Xiao said.
“And I don’t see anyone stopping us,” Wanderer said. “I’m done for the semester, so now we can fool around however much we want.”
“If it’s really okay…”
“Of course it is,” Wanderer huffed.
He kissed Xiao on the tip of his nose as his hands wandered around his midsection. Xiao worked all of Wanderer’s nerves awake and set an excited fire in his stomach that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It wasn’t always easy to get him this worked up— but Wanderer loved when he managed it.
It was evening by the time they surfaced from Wanderer’s bed again. He scratched an itch on his neck then climbed out to get dressed. His plan was a bath and dinner, then a night walk in the trees surrounding Gandharva Ville. There was so much they were free to do now that his work was finished. And knowing Xiao, he’d be agreeable to all of it. After all, he was the one who’d asked for this from the start.
They bathed and got dressed then Wanderer led Xiao down the alleys of Treasures Street seeking a pleasant-enough restaurant to spoil him with when something caught the edge of his vision. He attempted to pull Xiao down a less-traveled alley in time but failed when he heard the chime of a semi-familiar woman’s voice.
“Hey, Mr. Hat Guy!”
“Urk!”
Xiao stuck close to his side as they turned around to face a red-haired woman.
“Nahida’s dinner is just about to start. Will you be joining?”
“No,” Wanderer said.
“Aw, why not?” she cranked up the puppy dog eyes to eleven, but Wanderer had never been one to succumb to something so stupid.
“I have other plans.” Wanderer not-so-subtly curled his hand around Xiao’s bicep and sent her a knowing look. Back off— or else.
“Plus ones are allowed! I’m sure everyone will be glad to meet him!”
Wanderer exchanged a brief, questioning glance with Xiao. His gaze said, I want to know.
“…Alright,” Wanderer sighed.
“Yay!” the woman hopped up and down and Wanderer held his head in his hand as he sighed.
This was what he was afraid of.
Wanderer had to do something.
He didn't want people to have the wrong idea about them and he especially didn't want anyone taking any passes at Xiao. While that was only a serious concern with one person among the group, it was a big enough deal for Wanderer to evaluate his options as the girl led them to the dining spot. If the green-eyed bastard was there, he’d have something to say to him. It’d have to be something like, “This guy’s mine, and you better not make his life difficult or I’ll kill you.”
They were late. And knowing this group, it wouldn’t go unnoticed.
The red-haired woman opened the door and Wanderer stepped confidently forward with Xiao flanking his side.
“Sorry we’re late,” the woman said.
“Oh, it’s Wanderer! And you brought—”
Wanderer cast his eyes on the source of the sound. The brown-haired thorn in his side frowned.
“—him.”
“Yeah, I did,” Wanderer said. “I trust all of you won’t make any trouble for my partner.”
It wasn’t often he felt embarrassed, but Wanderer avoided Xiao’s gaze as he picked two seats as far away as they could get from the center of the merrymaking. Far from the pest but also Nahida.
The others seemed either not to care or were otherwise occupied with thoughts of food, allowing Wanderer’s statement to pass by unchallenged.
Main dishes sat in front of them on giant, glimmering platters. In Wanderer’s peripheral vision, he saw Xiao poking at the assortment of utensils on their not-yet loaded plates. Wanderer probably wouldn’t eat much tonight; he didn’t really feel like it. Sometimes, it went that way, being a puppet and all. Unless the flavor was especially extraordinary, sometimes it wasn’t worth all the chewing.
The woman from before rang the edge of her wine glass and remained standing at the head of the dinner table. Voices quietened; she smiled.
“I’d like to thank everyone this evening for coming together to celebrate our beloved archon’s birthday…”
She rattled on some more sentimental bullshit about how great Nahida was as Wanderer’s ears began tuning her out. He subtly turned his attention to Xiao at his shoulder, who appeared to be counting the number of attendees with his eyes.
Once the girl sat down again and everyone applauded, Wanderer nudged Xiao in the side.
Xiao turned toward him as Wanderer whispered, “Both of our troublemakers are sitting next to each other.”
“He reminds me of Hu Tao,” Xiao whispered. “But even more annoying.”
Wanderer cracked a smile. “Oh, so you already know this annoyance well.”
“I wouldn’t say very well…”
“Excuse me, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting yet.”
A voice on Xiao’s other side drew Wanderer’s sharp gaze to a blond-haired man with a friendly smile. If Wanderer reached into the recesses of his mind, he could almost recall a name. Ka… something.
“Hello. My name is Xiao.”
“Kaveh. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Kaveh shook Xiao’s hand and smiled. “It’s not very often Wanderer comes out of his shell and attends social gatherings like this, so it must be your influence, huh?”
“I don’t know about that,” Xiao said. “Although I was curious to know what kinds of people he works with.”
“I’m right here, you know,” Wanderer said.
“Hi, Hat Guy!” Kaveh said. “Do you even work with anybody? I thought you didn’t.”
“I work with Nahida. That’s it.” Upon remembering he was answering Xiao’s question, he mentally kicked himself for the cold tone. Next time, he’d answer more neutrally.
“Mister… the white-haired guy said he works with Wanderer sometimes,” Xiao said.
“Oh, you mean Cyno. Yeah, I guess so. And probably Alhaitham, right?” Kaveh gestured with his chin toward the man at his other side.
Xiao stared quietly.
“Hey, at least say hi!” Kaveh admonished, then poked Alhaitham in the ribs with his elbow.
Wanderer sighed and lifted his wine glass to his lips. It wouldn’t do anything to him, but he could at least pretend it would.
Time passed. Kaveh’s deluge of questions eventually dried up, giving Wanderer a chance to whisper to Xiao more secret intel about the other dinner guests. Xiao seemed to enjoy the special attention, so Wanderer put forward the effort to make the evening interesting for him.
It wasn’t long before Wanderer noticed that Xiao was growing uncomfortable. He hadn’t exactly asked Xiao outright if he wanted to attend, so he wasn’t especially surprised that he was getting antsy. Nahida was drowning in attention lavished upon her by the other attendees and probably wouldn’t notice them missing for some time. And even once she did, she would understand why they left. There was always the festivities tomorrow for an opportunity to spend time together.
But, for now, Wanderer figured the most important piece of the evening had already concluded and invited Xiao outside with him to catch some fresh air.
Xiao was quiet for the first few seconds. He stuck close to Wanderer’s side, casting glances behind them worriedly. Was it his karmic debt? Or had someone followed them?
“What is it?” Wanderer asked, turning around to cast his glare toward the lantern-lit walkways.
“Sethos,” Xiao mumbled before the man approached them with a cautious smile and wave.
“Hi.”
“Oh. It’s just you.” Wanderer set a hand on his hip. “What do you want?”
“Look, I’m… really sorry if I did something to get on your bad side or whatever,” Sethos said.
“Mm-hmm.” Wanderer crossed his arms.
“Can’t you at least look like you’re taking my apology seriously?”
“This whole time, you only followed me around like a lovesick puppy because you wanted something from me, didn’t you?” Wanderer asked.
“Well, I—!” Sethos shouted, but then he flushed. He hid the lower half of his face with a hand as he muttered, “I’m not telling!”
“Wow, is that really what it is? I thought that was just a hunch,” Wanderer said. “I didn’t think you were serious.”
“I-I’m just trying to do the right thing by giving you some company since you’re always alone!”
“That’s how I like it, though,” Wanderer said. He stuck a thumb over his shoulder at Xiao. “And this guy does, too. Which is why we’re together.”
He didn’t have to look to know that Xiao had reacted to his words.
“I get it. You don’t have to keep rubbing it in,” Sethos said. “I said I’m sorry, and that’s it, and now I’m going back to enjoy the rest of my dinner!”
He marched off in a huff, and Wanderer allowed a brief, amused huff of his own to pass through his nostrils before he turned around to face Xiao. In contrast to Sethos’s bright flush, Xiao’s skin was rather pale. Wanderer pressed a hand against his cheek and frowned. He felt a little clammy and cold.
“Are you feeling well?” he asked.
“I… yes, I’m fine. The socialization was just a lot.”
“C’mon, let’s go back to my room. I don’t want unworthy eyes looking at you anymore.”
Wanderer smoothed out the unruly stray hairs curling around his ears, then pressed a kiss briefly to his chin before leading him back to his room.
You worry about other people too much, he wanted to say, but only knew that would worry Xiao even more when they entered and Xiao headed straight for the bed. So, instead, Wanderer stacked his mess of books up on his desk and began to clean as Xiao sat down to meditate.
He felt like he had accomplished something great. It had been a long time since he’d bullied a human like that, and for something as notable as saving face in front of his boyfriend. He couldn’t help another slip of an amused smile on his lips. There was no way in Hell his past self ever would have expected him to end up in a situation like this. So soft, and so covetous, of someone else’s company that he would do so much to feel it again.