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Aether heads up North to visit his friends and family in the countryside for the holidays. Enjoying a peaceful night walk in the snow, he stumbles upon a mansion down the street from his sister's house. The large abode...
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A fresh layer of snow had once again covered Aether's surroundings with a powdery white blanket. The cool wispy winter breeze tickled his nose and constricted his lungs like a cold hug. Although it was below zero, the blonde preferred to keep his jacket open to prevent over heating. Besides, he wanted to look presentable to whomever lived at the house, so he wore one of his business shirts with a casual navy tie. Cookies in one hand and two mugs of hot cocoa in his other, Aether put on quite the balancing act. Steadily walking with the confections, he made his way over to the location where Venti supposedly inhabited.
Finally, Aether might meet the owner of those mysterious amber eyes that stared him down that fateful night. Or...maybe not. Perhaps the figure was just a mere illusion to make him feel wanted in that spur of the moment loneliness. Either way, his curiosity wouldn't be quenched unless he figured out who lived there.
The streets became harder to traverse as they hadn't been cleared that far down, forcing Aether to slow his pace, trudging through the knee-deep snowdrift. After what seemed like forever, he had finally caught sight of the mansion, its worn cedar siding so familiar now. Aether made his way up the un-shovelled pathway to the door and rung the door bell. Who could it be? Venti? Mr.Zhongli and his new lover? Or...nobody? It had been 2 minutes, and it appeared that there was no sign of anyone answering the entrance that lay in front of him.
Aether rang the doorbell again.
Nothing.
Aether, disheartened, was just about ready to turn around and leave, when he suddenly heard the click of locks shifting open. The door opened slowly to reveal a seemingly short figure. The individual had the same piercing amber gaze as Mr. Zhongli, yet somehow more distant looking and tired. You could barely see their face due to the door being held only slightly open, and the dark interior of the house; casting a shadow over their identity. This was the silhouette who gazed upon him that night, no doubt.
"Can I help you?" it spoke in an irritated, sarcastic tone. "Hi there! I'm Aether, and my sister lives down the street from you. She wanted me to bring these cookies and hot cocoa over- y'know for the holiday season?" The person in the doorway's tone of voice changed, as a mention of these treats. "Oh? For me?" they responded curiously. Aether dipped his head in acknowledgment, and held the goods in front of the small gap in the doorway. "Be careful of the hot cocoa- it's well...hot." Aether chuckled. "Can you open the door a bit? It's hard to get these things through-" Aether suggested pushing the door open a little.
"N-no!" The person in the house pushed Aether back, the two mugs of hot cocoa spilling on his white dress shirt, slightly burning his skin. As for the cookies, they remained intact, if not a bit crumbled. Aether fell back a bit and slipped on ice, the newly fallen snow breaking his fall in a way. His head throbbed as the wind was knocked out of him by the sudden impact.
Aether struggled to get up, vision a tad blurry. Everything happened so fast he didn't quite realize what had happened. Getting to his feet, he saw someone in front- no two- now one again. His eyes finally adjusted, and he finally got to see the person on his mind from day one.
It was a male, around an inch or two shorter than he was, with short dark teal hair to his shoulders with a few loose strands covering his ears. A beige sweater was draped upon his thin frame, accompanied by a simple pair of black jeans. His skin's complexion was pale and smooth, appearing almost too delicate to lay a finger on. And his eyes. The most memorable feature of this gorgeous stranger. A thousand sighs seemed to be contained within them, a golden liquid yellow poured out in beautiful tragedy over the surface of still sea water.
It took Aether a few moments to realize he was staring. Yet, the male stared back, making Aether realize he wasn't the only one intrigued. Aether opened his mouth to say something, but words were unable to traverse their way out. In a sudden motion, the stranger swiped up the box of cookies and now empty mugs, and sped inside, slamming the door behind him.
Aether stood, still processing all the events that just unfolded. What did happen? Aether didn't know. All he could think about was him. Sharing prolonged eye contact with this seemingly awkward stranger. A pretty one at that, too.
Snapping out of his daze, Aether realized it was almost lunch time. He had promised to tell Lumine what happened while helping her make lunch. Standing out in the snow certainly wouldn't assist his sister in cooking.
And with that in mind, Aether started the hike home, that not-so-strange stranger, occupying his thoughts the entire time.
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Word count: 856 a/n: HOLY COW 200 READS??? Y'ALL ARE BONKERS! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE READS!!! I've been very pre occupied with Christmas stuff and grinding the dumb impact of genshin so I haven't had much time to update. Gonna grind tho fellas so stay tuned! Love you guys & stay safe! <3
