Shall I Ask? (zhongchixiao)

Chapter One

I have no idea what I'm doing with this story so just bear with me on this, ok? ;-;

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Xiao didn't know what to do. That is the easiest way to put it. After the uprise caused by Osial had settled and liyue was now under the rule of mortals, Xiao continued to slay demons. This was, and always will stay the same, yet some thing changed. Xiao had noticed that his heart would beat faster, his face start to flush and heat would flood his body. All of this happened when a certain consultant and  fatui harbinger came across his path. He didn't understand these feelings he was experiencing, so he did what he always did; bottle them away and pretending they weren't there. Which led him to his current situation, he was tired and tense, he couldn't focus, and made Xiao more prone to getting injuries, though small, and messing up on tasks he used to view as simple and easy.

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Standing atop a branch, eyes scanning the field before him, making sure he had cleared all of the current hilichurl camps in the area. Sighing he turned his attention to the small cut on his shoulder, 'why is it that i am suffering from so many small injuries so suddenly'. Xiao was messing up in battles, A-lot. Whether it's just bruises or small cuts in his knuckles and knees, he is sure to leave to battlefield with a mark. Xiao would heal fast so he didn't really mind, but this was starting to play with his brain. These were small tasks that he was messing up after all. Snapping out of his thoughts, Xiao scans the field once more.
"Xiao!"

'Aether?'
Quickly appearing before the blonde, he is met with a smile. "You called?" He asked the blonde. Xiao was now in the harbor, the smell of sea air filled his senses. Glancing around him, he notices the source of his unexplained feelings. Two tall men who couldn't act more differently than each other, both only a few feet away from him. Taking in both of their features, Xiao feels the feelings he had suppressed stir inside him. Both well built, one wearing a dark suit that matched the colors in his dark brown hair that faded into a more golden brown, the other wore his light grayish outfit in a more relaxed manner with a tummy window that showed a bit of his muscled stomach. The sight of them sent a pleasant shiver down Xiao's spine, before he redirected his gaze back to the traveler. "Yea, Could we ask you about something?" The blonde asked. Causing the other male to sigh,
"yeah what is it?"

"Ummmm.. well-"

"We would like for you to join us for dinner." A familiar voice cut in. "Huh?"
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Sitting at the table with the three others didn't help the feelings that Xiao had been experiencing, in fact being so close to the source of his inner confusion made him feel even more unusual. The heat that was settled in his core caused the yaksha to fidget, slightly rubbing his thighs together every now and then, the warmth almost begging to be touched. They were away from any prying eyes, enjoying the food and listening to Zhongli go on about some random historical fact or event. When the others seemed to quiet Xiao couldn't hold his question anymore. "May i ask, why you found the need to bring me to dinner?" Hearing a chuckle from the harbinger he rushed out the next words. "Not that— its not that i mind or anything. I just was wondering."

"You've been acting out of character lately.... so we thought it would be a good idea to help you relax over a bit of dinner and get your mind off of work for a bit." He hears the blonde admit. Looking at Zhongli, than Childe, than back to Aether. "I- um," adverting his gaze to the plate of almond tofu in front of him," Thank you for your concern, but there is no reason you should worry about me." He mumbles unsure of how to respond. A chuckle came from Zhongli, causing more heat to pool in Xiao. "We are glad that it seems to have calmed you, even if just a bit."