The Spark [Xiao x Aether]

Alone again?

Ganyu and the two boys parted ways after placing the statue in the right place again. Xiao couldn't stop wondering if he was seeing things right. If Aether was the new god of time for Teyvat then that could only mean one thing. He wasn't gone.

But what if this was another of the Yaksha's hallucinations?

During the entire walk together with this strange Genesis guy, he couldn't say a word. His mind had completely shut down. He couldn't understand whether this was a hallucination or the blonde actually came back. Surprisingly, the mysterious guy wouldn't say anything either which made this way less awkward.

At some unknown time at night, they finally reached Wangshu Inn and Gensis settled into one of the free rooms while the Adeptus went to sit on the roof and think things through for a while. He couldn't believe it.

He stared into the moon which finally became visible after the clouds went away. It was beautiful. The boy closed his eyes after a while and sighed.

"Just how difficult is it to believe you're somewhere out there..." he whispered to himself.

The statue looked pretty real even if it was dark outside. Xiao could recognize that face anywhere. He wasn't sure how to feel. His heart felt strange.

In the end, he decided to try getting some sleep and not think much about it since there was a high chance his brain was playing tricks on him. He found a tree branch comfortable and sturdy enough to hold him and after a few minutes, he fell asleep. This was the fastest he had fallen asleep in months. Maybe it was the walk that made him so tired.

Either way, he was glad to finally be able to sleep normally even if it was just for one night. He needed this rest. In the morning he planned to go check that statue out again when his head began working.

-

Hours passed. Very early in the morning, Xiao was woken up by strange footsteps approaching the Wangshu Inn balcony. He rubbed his eyes and saw a boy wearing a white hood. It was Genesis. Why hadn't he left already? That was strange.

The footsteps suddenly stopped at the edge of the balcony and the boy leaned onto the fence, admiring the sunrise. The morning wind made his cape flutter everywhere. Just what was this guy planning?

After some closer observation, the Yaksha slowly made his way towards Genesis. He walked slowly so the boy wouldn't notice him but just before he got closer a voice started speaking.

"Sunrises here in Teyvat sure are majestic aren't they?" The Mysterious guy asked, still admiring the sun.

Xiao was taken aback after he was noticed. Nobody ever noticed him walking behind them before. This was a first. He leaned onto a fence next to the boy and pretended as if he was there to admire the sunrise too.

"This type of sunrise seems special. Actually, every sunrise is special as it symbolizes a brand new beginning even if things are as same as ever."

"I guess that's how it is..." The Adeptus responded awkwardly.

"Xiao, right? Miss Ganyu told me you lost someone very dear to you recently. I can imagine what that feels like..."

No response came from the Yaksha. He continued staring into the distance as if Genesis didn't exist.

"I wonder... What would you do if your beloved came back one day? Would you want that?" The guy with the mask smiled but it wasn't too visible.

"...Excuse me?"

"Many who have lost their loved one have already moved on and don't want anything to do with them. This is just a question I like asking people in that situation. I'm sorry if it was inappropriate."

Silence filled up the balcony since Xiao wasn't sure what to say to that. Genesis was someone very strange yet interesting. People from Khaenri'ah seemed to all have similar personalities.

Both boys admired the sunrise together for some time until it finally stopped touching the mountains from afar. It wasn't often that the Adeptus did things like these.

"I do wish for him to come back, even though I know it isn't possible. I mainly want this because I do not know what to do in a life without him...He's maybe hoping for me to find a new partner in the afterlife but I know that won't ever be possible because my heart will always belong to him no matter how hard I try to convince myself I hate him. It may sound pathetic...but..." he stopped for a second.

Xiao smiled slightly in the corner of his mouth while looking down to the ground as the sunlight made it almost impossible to look forward at the beautiful view of Liyue.

"I wonder if he ever loved me in the first place. Was it all just a foolish act? Whatever his feelings towards me might have been, I know for sure that he was the only one who managed to make me so happy in my many years of living, so, even if it was all just a lie, I'm grateful for all the memories he left me with."

The mysterious boy listened carefully to each and every word. Everything seemed normal until a small tear dropped to the balcony floor.

"Despite having such strong feelings towards him, I still wonder sometimes, how can he be so stupid?" Xiao added to his rant before turning his head to look at the one next to him.

Tears rolled down the boy's face and faint sobs came out of him. "Genesis" slowly removed his hood and mask, revealing long golden hair that almost reached the floor. He threw himself onto the Yaksha and hugged him tightly as tears just kept pouring out of his eyes.

"...So you knew..." he managed while almost choking on his sobs. "...I should have expected this from you."

"Genesis" wouldn't let go and his grip around the other only became tighter.

Xiao, of course, hugged back just as tight, if not even tighter.