Xiao x Aether One Shots

Bad weather (part2)

TW: cursing and suicide mentions.

~Wangshu Inn~

Aether Pov:

I woke up only to find myself hugging Xiao, It took me a while to realise that Xiao was actually asleep for once, That's something new i thought to myself. I tried to get up but a pair of strong hands unallowed me to do so, causing me to fall back onto the bed, So he isn't asleep...? I had a lot of questions yet no answers to them as always to be honest. i gave up on trying to get and decided to just rest in his arms, not like I had another choice either way. As i started to get lost in thought I felt Xiao move so I looked over only to find me clinging onto me as if his life depended on it. That's odd, Xiao, an adeptus that never sleeps, is infact sleeping, and is also hugging me free willingly. Yeah no something is definitely off about him today. 

I started to think about all the things that had happened the day/night before, i can't believe that he actually had to see me in that state, that is just so embarrassing. In that very moment I wished that I could've just disappeared, sadly i couldn't do so. I felt Xiao move around into a position where he was no longer hugging me, making me able to go and do my commissions for the day since the weather had gotten better. I got up and left the inn and went to go get paimon since she was probably worried sick about me like she always is in these situations for some reason. As I got to where paimon and Xiangling where I heard paimon  scream my name while crying. She started to tell me how much she missed me over the time that I wasn't there, she also started to tell me all about what she and Xiangling had done over those few days. We said goodbye to Xiangling and left to do commissions, yea... commissions...

Xiao pov:

I woke up to Aether not being in my arms anymore, actually in matter of fact he wasn't in the inn, which led me to think that he was off doing commissions already, this boy really is something else. The worst part is that I didn't even get to question him on his strange behavior, I sighed in realisation as to what I would have to do today, I'm gonna have to try and find him and try and get him to talk about it, the first part shouldn't be that difficult, but the second part was gonna be hell. I got up and brought the blankets back to Verr which I thanked again for them. I changed back into my normal clothes and went out to find Aether.

As I was searching for Aether someone called out my name, but it wasn't Aether, instead it was.. Paimon..? What the actual hell is going on over there. I teleported over to where my name was called out from only to find the horrifying scene of Aethers body hanging from a tree. What.The.Fuck. I knew he hated his life and all but i never thought he would actually try to end it, sure he was always careless while fighting, but I never thought it would as far as to suicide. I teleported to the inn and laid him down onto my bed whilst thinking of what to do. I tod Paimon to stay here and call my name if he wakes up or shows any signs of life while I went to Mr. Zhongli to see if he has anything that could help Aether breathe again and gain consciousness. As much as I hated to go into cities due to them being so overcrowded and loud I knew that if I wanted to save Aether I'd have to go there to find Mr. Zhongli to get information, that is if he has any, surely he does right..? I mean he has lived for thousands of years, he has to know something that can help Aether.

I ended up finding him at Liyue Harbour with Childe, of course, what else did I except from that fatui scum. As much as I didn't want to have to deal with him right now I knew I had to, I just had to speak to Mr. Zhongli no matter what or else Aether will die, to himself, one of the strongest people I know, I can't let him die in such a pointless and meaningless death. He has to live.

I ran over to Zhongli as soon as I spotted him, by the time I got there I was out of breathe but I couldn't careless, even when Childe and Zhongli gave me concerned and confused stares. I told Zhongli and sadly Childe about what happened and they said they had something that could help him but only if he was awake, which he wasn't. I took it and started to run off while thanking Mr. Zhongli. When I was far away enough for no one to see me I teleported back to wangshu inn where i started to realise that if I didn't wake him up somehow he would end up dying since he wouldn't be able to take the stuff that Zhongli gave me for him. My thoughts started to become so loud that I had to sit down for a good minute before dashing forward to the traveler. 

It's been a week now paimon and I haven't left Aethers side ever since, I ended up ignoring what Zhongli and gave Aether the medicine that Zhongli had for him regardless of Aether still not being awake. I was starting to slowly give up, so was Paimon, none of us wanted to witness the death of Aether but we knew that someday, in some world, eventually, like all of us, he would die. I haven't told anyone other then Zhongli about what happened and the only other people that know about Aethers state are Childe and Paimon, yet somehow Verr knows partly what's going on, which would be the travelers current state, though not all hope is lost since his chest does rise and lower. Then it hit me. I remembered a time where I overheard the Aether talking to himself, not that I was spying, I just ended up coming across him and decided to eavesdrop for a bit, what i heard did shock me, but not in a bad way though. What I heard him say was that he hated being alive for 2000+ years, he also said that he hated how his wings had been taken away along with his power an Lumine, I'm guessing that's his twin sister? This gave me a bit more fate in him ever waking up.

I was sitting next to where Aether was laying, while letting Paimon sleep on me since she was exhausted from crying and worrying about the traveler which I can't necessarily blame her for since she is close to the traveler considering she was the first one that he met when he fell to Teyvat, I was suddenly awakened from my thoughts as I saw Zhongli burst into the room with Childe following him, both of them were out of breath. I covered Paimons ears so that she wouldn't wake up and asked them what the hell had happened for them to cause such a scene out of nowhere, Zhongli took out a small flask with some kind of liquid, he told me that what he gave me before wasn't going to help traveler because he had mixed up the flasks, he wasn't sure what he gave Aether, but that didn't matter anymore, what shocked me was how Aether was still holding on without any help, regardless I asked Childe to take Paimon to Verr while we would give Aether the correct medicine this time. I think Zhongli could see how much this whole situation had affected me since even though I despise physical contact most of the time he still hugged me tight, even when I tried to get away he wouldn't let me so I just accepted it in the end (in a comfort way, I see them as a father and son relationship more than anything). 

It's been two days since that incident, I thanked both Zhongli and Childe, it was nice too see Childe actually be serious and care for traveler (not a ship), maybe he's not so bad after all, hmm I suppose I could try to be nicer to him, but regardless, even if not as bad as the rest of the fatui, he still is and will be a fatui scum. Once again Paimon was resting on me, its weird to think about but honestly she isn't bad at all when she isn't screaming, one thing about her that confuses me is how does a child need so much food, it's not like she can get tired from walking since she just floats around instead. I was taken out of my thoughts when Paimon started to tug at my arm to get my attention.

Aether pov:
I woke up to hear Paimon scream Xiao's name as if someone had just died, ' what the hell' I thought to myself. I looked around only to realize that I'm in Xiao's abode for some reason. Then it hit me, I tried to kill myself a few days ago? Yesterday? I don't know how long it's been but I could feel Xiao staring at me with tears in his eyes, he looked as if he just saw a ghost, though I knew he didn't It still startled me a bit, I mean, to see an adepti that always has the same cold expressionless face to others suddenly show such a emotional and vulnerable side of himself, it was definitely something that I wasn't used to. As I tried to speak up, I realized that I couldn't do so due to Xiao hugging me as if he had almost lost me, wait. He did almost loose me didn't he, I nearly succeeded with the attempt because it all adds up now. I hug him back as we lay there in silence in each other's arms.

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Part two is a bit shorter, next chapter will be some fan art since it got requested on one of the previous chapters (idea credit will be given in next chapter). I hope you all are having a good day and tell me if I should maybe further on continue this one shot :).

All ideas will be accepted if anyone has any!

Words:1773

Update: grammar mistakes fixed