𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 [Xiao x Aether]

[5] It's harder than you'd think.

"There's a fine line between selflessness and selfishness, you know." A familiar voice spoke. "That line is the one thing that keeps us from falling into darkness. Yet, we seem to always push the limits." They set down a glass. "If you are willfully ignorant of that line, you'll find yourself pushing away those you care about."

"So, how does one draw this line?"

"It's funny, really." They laughed. "Even I haven't quite figured that out."

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Xiao couldn't believe it.

Somehow, this small human had managed to drag him all the way back to the Wangshu Inn. Sure, the blonde had taken the long route in order to avoid any unnecessary conflict, but Xiao had to admit that the lengths he had taken were a bit impressive.

As they ascended the stairs of the Inn, the sun fell below the horizon, leaving the sky a black as deep as the Sea of Clouds itself. A deep sea with shining stars sparkling among the waters. The moon itself rose into it, letting its heavenly glow illuminate the lands of Liyue.

"This place really is beautiful, isn't it?"

Xiao looked over to Aether. The traveler's eyes were fixated on the horizon, and the reflection of the moonlight on his pupils couldn't help but pique the adeptus's interest.

"Why do you say that?" Xiao inquired, turning towards the sight ahead of them. Aether sighed. "You're kidding, right? Just look at all of that." He gestured towards the landscape, pointing out any little detail he could. From the glistening pools of water to the mountains that stretched into the sky. "Sure, Mondstadt will always be my home, but the terrain of Liyue must be one of the prettiest sights I've seen."

 The adeptus huffed triumphantly. He knew Liyue was beautiful. After all, it has been his home for thousands upon thousands of years. But it was nice to hear someone like the traveler say it.

"Alright, c'mon. We have to get you to Verr Goldet." Aether chuckled.

"I'd rather die."

"Okay, drama queen. Let's go."

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The two finally reached the balcony of the Inn, however reluctant one of them was. The blonde called out towards the receptionist, and Xiao finally realized that he would just have to accept his fate.

Verr was definitely going to kill him.

The woman turned towards the duo, grimacing as soon as she saw the adeptus. "Something bad must've happened for you to allow the traveler to help you." She grumbled.

"First of all, I didn't allow-"

"He burned his arm trying to kill a pyro regisvine." Aether interrupted, forcing Xiao forwards. "Can you help, please?"

Verr Goldet groaned, gestured fiercely towards the sky, then took a deep breath to compose herself. "Gods, I don't get paid enough to deal with your bullshit, Xiao." She set down a stack of papers. "I'll go get some slime condensate. Don't move."

She stormed off, leaving the two boys to wait for her return. Time seemed to move slower than ever, with each second dragging into minutes, and then into hours. The silence between them was deafening.

"I'm sorry."

The blonde looked over towards the adeptus with wide eyes. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Xiao sighed. "For dragging you into this." He muttered, "That was my fight, not yours."

"When are you going to realize that you aren't alone?" Aether huffed, "I helped you because you're my friend, Xiao."

"I'm not."

"You are, whether you accept it or not." The blonde snapped. Xiao stared back at him, his face bare of any expression.

"You know, you remind me a lot of my team members when I first met them," He sighed, looking back out towards the landscape. "Beidou especially."

The blonde laughed, and the adeptus could feel the tension loosening. "When I first met her, she was really opposed to working with some weirdo stranger. Of course, I couldn't blame her! I can be a bit of a mess at times."

The wind blew through the Inn, carrying the leaves from its giant tree off into the distance. Xiao tried not to notice how Aether's hair blew so gracefully along with the breeze. After all, what he was being told was probably at least a little important. It would be rude not to pay attention.

"But after a while, she warmed up to me." The blonde smiled, as he reached into his pockets. He pulled out a small golden trinket, with a light blue tassel attached to the end of it. "If anything, I think she sees me as a little brother of sorts." His smile faltered for a moment, then returned as he shook his head.

Returning the trinket back into its place, Aether turned back to the adeptus. "Maybe one day you'll warm up to me too."

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"Alright, I'm back." Verr monotoned.

The two boys looked over to the woman, noticing the bags under her eyes that they were both sure weren't there before.

"Uh, Verr? Are you okay?" Aether hesitated.

"Oh yeah, I'm just great!" She laughed, slamming the jar of freshly collected slime condensate on the front desk. "I love constantly having to deal with a reckless adeptus with absolutely no sense of self-preservation!"

Xiao deadpanned. She was going to kick him out, wasn't she? That was going to be inconvenient.

"Hey traveler," The woman perked up, picking up the jar and tossing it towards the poor blonde. He caught it with the grace of a dying peacock, stumbling back as the weight hit his chest. "You know what could be fun? If you invited Xiao over here out on your travels!" She forced a smile, gesturing towards the adeptus who was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"I, Uh-"

"Shhhhhhhhhh, shhhhh" Verr interrupted. "Please, gods just keep him out of trouble."

"You can't trick him into taking me along with him. He may be an absolute moron, but even he is smart enough to see through-"

"Sure!" Aether smiled.

"Are you serious?" Xiao seethed.

The woman silently cheered, thanking whatever god had blessed her with such a kind soul. The adeptus tried to regain his composure, but the blonde's stupid little smile wasn't helping.