Chapter Text
The umbrella lights were on, food was on the tray (the kind you see in movies when there’s breakfast in bed), and the camera just needed adjusting.
Aether had his hair in a bun, even then the loose ends tickled the back of his neck. He adjusted the camera height accordingly, using a mirror to help see where he's in the frame.
The room smelled of spicy ramen and chicken tenders from a local wing spot down near the library. Aether moved around the ramen so it wouldn’t get cold enough to clump together, as he did so, he hummed one of the songs Venti released over the past week.
He grabbed a to-go bag, still full of food inside the box, and walked out of his room and walked down the hall before lightly knocking on Xiao’s door, trying to get the man’s attention without scaring him out of whatever he’s doing in there.
Soon the door opened, Xiao stood in the doorway with his hand running through his short turquoise hair. His golden eyes looked tired, even if they were a tad difficult to see through on Aether’s side with the lenses of his blue light glasses catching a glare.
“Yeah?” Xiao’s monotone voice was dry, like he forgot to drink water since he got home an hour ago.
“I got you some lunch, figured you’d want something too,” Aether smiled, holding up the bag for Xiao to see. “You hadn’t eaten since you got home, so I thought, ‘why not? I’m already here.’”
A soft smile came to Xiao’s face as he stared at the bag, already knowing what the order was: buffalo boneless wings, ranch, fries, and a salad.
“Thank you, Aether,” he took the bag, set it down in his room, and leaned against the doorframe — his arms crossed. “How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”
Aether waved his hand, dismissing the idea, “no no, it’s alright! I can afford to treat you once in a while, especially with last month’s pay.”
“Are you sure? You know I can afford it.”
Aether tilted his head down slightly, giving him a look that said, “are you serious?”
Xiao let out a tiny huff, almost a laugh, “don’t give me that look, I’m serious.”
“So am I, you don’t gotta pay me back.”
Another smile pulled at Xiao’s lips, “you won’t give up until I take it, are you?”
Aether’s smile grew, “you know me so well.”
“I’d hope so, we’ve been living together since high school graduation.”
The blonde nodded some and placed his arms behind his back, “get back to studying, you got a quiz tomorrow.”
“I will, I will!” Xiao chuckled, retreating back into his bedroom, “thank you.”
“Anytime, bud.”
When the door closed, Aether lingered for a moment, he could hear Xiao going back to typing on his computer and the sound of the plastic bag rustling.
The blonde re-entered his room, he sat back down at his little table and started recording.
He flashed a smile and gave the camera a little wave, “hey guys. Today we have some spicy ramen and spicy tenders.”