DUTY | 𝗔 Chili 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗰 | GENSHIN IMPACT

(100 VIEWS SPECIAL) Wangshu Inn II

a/n

Hi everyone, we hit 100 views!! As promised, this chapter is a special extra that focuses on one of our background ships, not Childe x Zhongli. The ship I chose is.... Xiaother! (Xiao x Aether)! If you don't like this ship, please skip this chapter instead of leaving hate on the ship itself.

--



It had been so long since Xiao had last had time to appreciate the breathtaking view provided from the lonely balcony of Wangshu Inn. 

Most of the customers had either left, or had retired to their respective rooms, leaving the only sound of Xiao's heartbeat. 

His lone heartbeat.

It never failed to remind him that he was alone. 

The soft light of the moon now gleamed brighter than before as the faint clouds dissipated into the wind. It was a full moon. 

Xiao despised full moons, as they brought back agonising memories of his fallen comrades.

Memories of their gleaming, smiling faces.

Memories of the centuries he spent with them. 

Memories of staring into the moon with them.

Memories of banishing evil with them.

Memories of their cruel deaths,

 to the hands of the very karmic binds causing his own suffering. 

The male clenched his fists, his nails digging into his skin through his gloves, his eyes shut tight as he desperately fought the suffering overtaking his thoughts. His bloodied palms brought up to his face, as if he could almost see the seeping red. Xiao's eyes, now wide open, stared down at his hands, stained with red, beads of cold sweat dripped down his forehead, his breathing unsteady and shallow, as he shivered in terror, terror of reliving it, watching his falling comrades fight, suffer, all as he was helpless, unable to help them once again--

"Xiao?"

Xiao hastily turned around. His desperate, tear stained eyes softened at the sight of a young male with long, blonde hair, tied back into a braid, wearing outlandish clothes and carrying a dish of what seemed to be Almond Tofu.

'My favourite.'  Xiao thought, a tint of pink lining his cheeks.

Xiao turned back around, boring holes into the ground. He refused to let Aether see him in his current state. He wiped his tears and swallowed his remaining anguish, feeling as it simply dissipated.

"Aether. Why are you here? A mere human mustn't communicate with adepti. Must you always return, no matter how many times I reprimand you?"

Aether tilted his head, placing the plate of sweet tofu onto a table, as he joined Xiao at the railing of the balcony.

"Xiao, I can't abandon my friends, you know."

...

Friends.

Xiao sighed. 
"All mortals are the same. Stubborn, narrow-minded pests."

..

"Aren't you going to eat the almond tofu? If you won't, I will."

Xiao suddenly became alert, he shook his head and took a seat at the table, eating the tofu in an extremely fast, yet surprisingly neat, manner. By the time he had reached the last piece of tofu, his plate was almost as if it had just been cleaned. He blissfully opened his mouth, ready to eat the last piece...

Nom-

"Mmm! That was really good, I see why you love this dish so much." Aether grinned, eating Xiao's final piece of tofu right off his fork. Xiao glared at him.

"You insolent mortal.."

Aether pouted.

"C'mon, it's only fair that I get to taste my own cooking, y'know!"

His own cooking? Xiao hadn't considered the fact that Aether might've cooked it himself.. He felt his cheeks grow hotter, immediately covering his face by swatting his hands over his face.

"It's fine, forget it." He mumbled. A sliver of blood trickled down from his hand, onto the table, earning a soft gasp from Aether. 

"Xiao, you're hurt.." Aether squatted down, reaching for the latter's hands, "Come here, let me see."

Xiao slapped Aether's hand away on instinct, instantly realising what he had done when he looked up to see Aether's shocked face. 

"I-" 

Before he could finish, Aether quickly descended the stairs of the inn, past rooms 12 and 13.

Xiao began to chase after Aether, worried that he had hurt his feelings.

Before Xiao could even get up, the blonde male returned with a bottle of water. He forcefully grabbed Xiao's wrist, pulling him over to the edge of the balcony, ripping off his gloves to reveal his bloodied, gashed palms. 

"You should've told me you were hurt," Aether began, pouring water on Xiao's palms to wash away the blood, "It isn't fair."

"I... just didn't think.. that you'd care very much." Xiao whispered, attempting to sound distant as he avoided eye contact. 

"Xiao, I really care about you and I know that it hurts. You aren't alone, and you won't be, as long as I'm around, I'll always be willing to help you." 

Aether pulled his scarf off, wrapping it around Xiao's palm. 

..


Silence. 

Neither of them spoke, instead, choosing to simply stare up at the full moon in the clear Autumn sky. 

Aether found beauty and virtue in it, whereas Xiao thought of it with resentment and repulse.

however, it wasn't the same resentment as before. 

Xiao no longer felt as if his karma was eating him alive, he no longer felt the same essence of being chained down.

Instead, he felt free. He felt relieved. 

Xiao turned to the blonde male next to him, admiring his features. His long eyelashes covering his blazing amber pupils, reflecting the soft wave of moonlight, his radiating skin glowing under the stars. Aether felt Xiao's stare. He turned around, staring back into Xiao's eyes as they leaned against the railing. 

Xiao felt himself descending into the gaze of the other's illuminated eyes, a sight he could stare at for all of eternity.

Aether stepped closer to the male, brushing his hand against Xiao's forearm, leaning closer to him. 

Aether could feel Xiao's warm breath on his lips, as he looked back at him.

He gazed into Xiao's melancholic golden eyes one last time, before closing the gap between them..

An emotion he hadn't felt for over a millenia consumed Xiao. 

He felt as if a thousand butterflies were churning in his stomach.

This feeling, the feeling of belonging.

It was something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

The area them had become silent again. 

But this time, Xiao wasn't alone.

There was more than just one heartbeat.

---



a/n

hiiii, tysm everyone for 100 views! I really appreciate your support and hope we can keep it going!
I know I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so i hope you all enjoyed it too! I think I'll write another one of these when we get to... 300 views! That's our goal now, so let's make it possible :)