Order of Unity (A Xiaother Story)

Chapter Three: Westward Gale

Sunday, September 12
Xiao's POV

I laid in bed, unable to fall asleep as the next day continues on. Time isn't stopping, because it never does. But I'm forced to lay here, just with my thoughts.

Popularity. What a sentimental thing we held in High School. College is different though. People aren't "Popular" or "Unpopular", there isn't a social hierarchy. There isn't a public opinion that determines how you compare or how you will be in life. In college, it's a matter of who cares. Oh and the drugs and alcohol too, they're rampant. I tried weed once, I hated it, and Aether does too.

But something has been tugging at my heart recently. I cant be in control all the time, the way Aether looks at the other boys in college... it gets me angry. I want him, all of him, just to myself. I want everything he has, all of his love, all of his emotion, just to myself. I cant settle for half, or a quarter, or an eighth. I cant just settle, I cant just wait, and I most certainly cant sit and watch as he looks at other men the way he does. It makes me jealous. Flustered. Upset. RED.

People look at me, and some of the girls wont leave me alone. Aether looks at me, knowing that I'm indeed attractive, but knows that I wouldn't think of leaving him for someone else, not here. But a fear that lays in my head is that he doesn't hold the same emotional attachment towards me.

I quietly whisper "I don't want you to leave me" into the fresh air of our curtains. The breeze carries the somewhat stagnant air out, then moves the curtains as Aether suddenly turns around and looks at me, his face a little more defined since i first met him. His golden eyes open, and he says "Xiao...I would never. Can't sleep?"

"Y- Yeah. I've been laying with my thoughts."

"I can't sleep either. My friends are saying the same thing too."

"It's the shift in the winds, i heard someone say it earlier. It's a wind unique to West Liyue Harbor, they call it the Westward Gale, it only happens in Mid-September."

"But it's just a wind, what can a wind do?"

"Bad luck, restlessness, insomnia, a rise in crime, people losing it, this wind has spirits attached to it."

Even though Aether was fully engaged in the conversation, he couldnt get a specific moment out of his head from the other day in his Defenses class.

Friday, September 9
Third Person POV

It was the last two minutes of the class, and someone suddenly took his hand and pulled him to the side. Aether gets a glimpse of this mystery person as he suddenly gets pulled in for a kiss. Albedo. God, why did he have to go here.

Albedo was head over heels for Aether when he was in Mondstadt, but Aether clearly didn't like him back. Aether suddenly pushed the alchemist off of him and said "What the fuck Albedo! I have a boyfriend you know! Shouldn't you be in Chemistry Honors or something?"

"Oh-ho, is it serious?"

"Oh my god, YES! I told you I wasn't interested then, and I'm not interested now!"

"But is that really true...?"

"Albedo quit gaslighting me. I made my choice. I cant do this, It's the end of the day, I have to go back to my house. Go mix chemicals or something!"

Aether walked off and took several turns in the halls that he usually didn't take in order to lose albedo, just in case he was following. Geez, he was annoying. And that kiss, it wasn't as bad as he thought...but still unwarranted!!

Aether met with Xiao, noticeably flustered from earlier, and tried to act normal. He didn't want to say anything to Xiao just in case Xiao began to have intrusive thoughts about our relationship. He didn't want him overthinking.

Monday, September 13
Aether's POV

A sudden and strong gust of wind went through our room and then slammed the door shut. The clock just went past midnight, i cant sleep, and neither can Xiao, so I suggest a movie. Maybe something like that to calm things down, just because i cant seem to find slumber. I suddenly get up, and put my head on Xiao's chest, listening to him breathe. I take my hand up and play with his hair, and he looks down at me with adoration in his eyes. We look into each others eyes and don't break contact. He suddenly grabs my head and takes me in for a kiss. We sit there and kiss, as we can hear the gusts of wind outside grow in strength.

Xiao has no idea what happened on Thursday, and I want to keep it that way. This is where i belong, this is where i want to stay. Xiao is adorable and i love him and everything about his clingy attitude and cute face and hair, i don't want anyone else but him. He was the only one I cared about in the school, nobody else, so screw anyone that even tries anything.

I laid on his chest once more as we broke the kiss and just adore everything about him. His soft, gentle voice speaking to me about his adventures as i laid and heard his heart beating. I suddenly fell asleep and he stayed awake the rest of the night. We decided to sleep in the next day as we didn't want to go to school that day anyway. We were ahead in our classes anyway, as our boredom led us to look at our textbooks and practice what we were being taught.

We awoke late in the morning ad decided that we would go for a walk. We got our things and headed out to the trail behind our house. "Might as well attend afternoon classes then" I said.

We began the hike up the mountain to get to the campus. Arriving at the campus we passed the Chemistry and Alchemaeic Sciences building, and out walks the person I least desired around me and my boyfriend. Yep. Albedo. He looked at me, looked at Xiao, saw we were holding hands, and did something i never would've expected. He got extremely flustered, stared for three seconds longer, then walked off. I thought he was going to say  something for sure, but i guess not. We waited in the courtyard for afternoon lectures to begin and then left for our last periods.

[PS: Their Wedding is set for December 27 :)]