𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 [Xiao x Aether]

[7] "We make a good team."

Everything was not fine.

Only a day before, Aether had successfully introduced Xiao to his teammates. Although they were a bit hesitant to welcome another member to the team, they seemed to be a lot more open to the idea than he had thought. Everything was sailing smoothly!

This morning was another story.

When the sun arose, the time came for the team to receive their daily commissions. All of them were relatively simple. A few treasure hoarder camps here, a payload to deliver there. No problem, right? Wrong.

Although everyone was familiar with each other, having a new member to the team completely threw off the coordination everyone had during battle. Usually, Beidou would rush in and knock all the opponents down, making way for Bennett and Xingqiu to go in and use their abilities to further damage the enemies. Afterward, Aether would step in and finish everyone off with a burst of wind. The system was absolutely flawless.

That is, it's flawless until someone with absolutely no sense of teamwork rushes in before anyone else can even get a chance.

When the five heroes approached the treasure hoarder camp, the team had stopped to prepare for battle. Xiao, however, seemed to have other plans. The adeptus had gone ahead of everyone, taking out the enemies one by one. Bennett and Xingqiu tried to enter the fight, but were pinned to the ground by falling treasure hoarders. Shards of wood from shattered fences flew through the air, becoming a hazard to anyone who dared to enter the camp. The slices of wind that swept across the camp had struck Beidou in her side, and by the time Aether got to the scene, every single enemy had been decimated.

Afterward, the team had to stop by Bubu Pharmacy to get everyone bandaged up properly. Everyone had settled in the back room, each member sitting in their own corner.

The silence was suffocating.

With a huff, Beidou stood from the silk-lined couch. She made her way across the room, pushing through the thick clouds of incense smoke. Each step she took boomed louder than the last.

Everyone looked up at her, eyes wide. She stopped, only a foot or so before the adeptus sitting on the wooden floor. Looking down with a glare, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Aether winced at the thought of what she might do next.

"What in Teyvat were you doing out there?" Beidou sneered.

Aether sighed. "Beidou, please-"

The woman forced out a laugh that was anything but cheerful. "Oh, no no. I want to hear what this idiot has to say for himself."

Xiao stared down at the floor. What could he say?

Before he got the chance to so much as mutter a word, Aether stood and set a pleading hand on Beidou's shoulder.

"Beidou, he isn't as used to working in teams as we are, can you cut him some slack?" He begged, looking up towards the woman.

"If he isn't used to being in teams," Xingqiu suddenly spoke,  "then why, pray tell, is he on ours?" 

Beidou nodded and looked towards the blonde with a raised brow.

"He just needs time to adjust guys!" Aether pleaded.

Xiao just stood, surrounded by the rest of the team. He could see that they were shouting, but their words were like a foggy blur in his head. Things had been going great, and of course, he had to be the one to ruin that.

As much as he'd hate to admit it, part of him was looking forward to working in a team again. The feeling of purpose that having people by your side gave was something that had grown foreign to him. The night before, he was given a taste of that feeling again. It had been so many years since he lost that feeling, and Aether's team reminded him of how much he missed it.