Abyss Aether × Xiao || You can try to escape ||

Lantern Rite

(Aethers POV)

I'm laying in Xiaos bed right now. I woke up again not too long ago, but this time Xiao wasn't here when I opened my eyes. I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed that he left while I was asleep, but it was also expected. I slowly sit up, feeling bored and impatient. When I try to sit up though, I feel a pain shoot up through my whole body. Causing me to wince and fall back down.

I look outside and see that it's dark out. I must have been out for at least 8 hours.

"XIAO~" I whine. Where did he go. How could he leave his injured patient behind. The second his name leaves my mouth, he appears in front of me.

"Aether! Why are you up again?" He interrogates. I tilt my head at him.

"Because I woke up?" I mock. He glared at me like he's ready to punch me and throw me off the balcony any second. I laugh awkwardly.

"Go back to bed" he orders. I pout at him.

"Awwwww, come on Xiao! Just let me get up, I've rested plenty" I refuse. He gets closer to me and pushes me back down, me not standing a chance against his adeptal strength in my current state.

"Sleep. Now. Aether." he demands. Xiao really is persistent. Is he really taking this whole nurse thing seriously. Xiao seems to pause for a moment before speaking to me again.

"Aether, the faster you go back to sleep, the faster you'll get better" he states, "and when you get better I was planning on asking you out to Lantern Rite". When he finishes his sentence, he looks away from me, his cheeks a tint of pink.

My heart begins to beat faster. Xiao planned to ask me out! I immediately reposition myself in the bed comfortably. Xiao seems pretty shocked by it.

"SAY LESS XIAO!" I cheer. His cheeks flush even more and he tries to teleport away, but lucky for me, I'm quicker~. I grab his hand pull him into the bed. He shrieks quietly. I cuddle him closer to me.

"AETHER. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he screams. I chuckle.

"Xiao you already planned to ask me out~. What's wrong with doing this. We are gonna be doing it in the future" I snicker. His whole face turns red and he hides his face. I pull his head to my chest. After a while, Xiao seems to calm down and untense. He cuddles closer to me and I gladly accept it.

"I don't understand. I'm not supposed to be able to get near mortals, but with you Aether......" he pauses. I smile and run my hand through his hair.

"I'll always be with you Xiao, even if you don't want me to. I'll gladly stay here in Liyue, as long as I'm with you" I whisper. I feel him shift slightly in my arms.

"Thank you...." he mumbles. He closes his eyes shortly after. I heard that adepti rarely sleep, but this is the second time Xiao has slept when around me. It makes me happy that he can become so defenseless around me. I fall asleep shortly after him, wanting to get better soon so that I can go out to that 'Lantern Rite?' thing.

~ 1 Day Later~

"SEE IM FINE NOW SO STOP FORCING ME TO GO TO SLEEP. YOU'VE DONE IT 7 TIMES NOW!" I cheer. Xiao still looks unsure about it. Every time I've woken up he's just told me to go back to bed, but I won't let him this time.

"Aether....but you still-"

"Nooooooope. Stop it" I pout. He glared at me before giving up.

"Alright, fine. If you say your okay, then I'll let you out of bed for now" he sighs. I jump off the bed and run towards the door, Xiao following behind me.

"Now Xiao, let's go out!" I smile. He blushes slightly before nodding. We head off together towards Liyue Harbor. I can't wait to see what this Lantern Rite thing is.

I skip around happily, Xiao just watching me. I notice that he seems on edge and walk back over to him.

"Xiao I'm fine, seriously" I assure. I can feel him relax slightly. He looks up at me.

"I apologize for worrying so much Aether. I must admit that it's strange for me to worry this much...but for some reason I just can't stop worrying over you" he mutters. I feel my heart beat faster and I smile at him.

"You're all fine Xiao. It makes me glad that you're worrying about me. Now let's keep going to that Lantern Rite thing" I laugh. He nods and we continue on our way.

I must admit the walk to the Harbor took longer than expect but once we made it, I must admit I was amazed by the sight. It was very beautiful with all the lights and people around. However, when I went to look for Xiao, I see that he has disappeared. I call out to him but he doesn't respond. I feel a gust of wind come from above me and I look up. I see Xiao up on the roof of one of the buildings. I quickly run to find my way up there.

"Finally...." I sigh, completely out of breath. I go over and sit next to Xiao, watching the night sky.

"So why did you come up here Xiao?" I question. He looks at me with his normal unfazed face.

"I don't go to places crowded with mortals" he answers. I guess I understand him. To be truthful I don't exactly like being around many people either. I've spent most of my time in the Abyss. Actually, thinking about the Abyss, I haven't been there for a while. I should head back soon. I see Xiaos hand relaxing next to me. I smirk and grab hold of it. Xiao tenses up a bit and looks down at our hands. After a while he seems to relax, and surprising doesn't tell me to let go of his hand. I smile. I guess Xiao is getting more used to my habit.

I smile as I watch the sky. I'm happy to be here with Xiao. I hope I can come to this festival again with him. Hopefully by then he'll be a little more willing to go into the actually festival so that I can explore, but I guess I don't mind it as long as I'm with him.

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I'm sorry if this feels rushed. I've been really busy recently and I wanted to get this out for you guys. I still hope you enjoyed it.