Windwheel

Ch3: Sprout

Xiao turns the doorknob and pushes open the door of his house. A sudden gust of wind rushes in, causing the curtains to sway and sending a cold shiver down his spine. Quickly, he shuts the door behind him to keep the wind out. Looking up at the sky through the small window by his door, he remembers it's going to rain tonight. It sure as hell feels like it.

As he walks through the hallway, he can see the light spilling out from the living room. He follows the light and finds Zhongli sitting on the sofa, engrossed in a book. A mug of steaming tea rests on the coffee table in front of him. The aroma of the tea fills the room, making it feel even more inviting and comfortable.

"Hi, dad. Could I ask for some advice?"

"Sure, Xiao. What's troubling you?"

Xiao sits down on the sofa next to Zhongli. "You said you knew a bit about botany, right? Do you know about windwheel asters?"

"Yes, I know about them. They're quite difficult to grow."

"Yeah no kidding," Xiao says, laughing a little. "I'm trying to grow one, but it won't even sprout. I've had it for a whole week."

"Have you tried taking it outside?"

"No, why?"

"Windwheels like to be where the wind is. Maybe if you take it outside, it'll sprout," Zhongli says, taking a sip of his tea.

"Isn't my room fine?" There's an awkward silence. "Okay, I can try taking it outside. But won't the rain tonight drown it?"

"It'll only be a light sprinkle. It'll be fine."

"Alright, I'll try taking it outside tonight."

As the sun gradually sets below the mountains, Xiao carefully picks up the pot that contains the windwheel aster seeds. He puts on a light jacket to protect himself from the sprinkle of rain that has started falling outside. The overcast has turned into a sprinkle. Light rain falls onto Xiao as he places the pot in a strategic spot to ensure the seeds receive just the right amount of sunlight.

Xiao wakes up extra early the next morning. He has a test today, so he stayed up extra late the night before to study. He figured that he'd grab a cup of coffee on the way to school.

He heads to a local coffee shop to grab a cup. The smell of coffee is one he'll never get sick of. He sees a familiar face: Aether. Aether sits near a window, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Aether!" Xiao says (a little louder than he had intended).

"Oh hey! I was just grabbing some coffee before school. I have classes today. What are you doing here?"

"Same deal. I had a test and stayed up, so I figured I'd reward myself with some coffee."

"That's nice. Hey, how are the plants?"

"Good! My windwheel hasn't grown yet though."

"Don't take it personally; windwheels are extremely difficult to grow."

"Maybe if you're not busy later, you could come over to my house? I just want to ensure I'm taking care of everything properly," Xiao says quietly.

"Sure, I'd love to come over. I mean, I consider us good friends since you come into the shop like... every day," Aether says, laughing, "But before I go, I should ask, is your dad okay with me coming over? I wouldn't want to just show up out of nowhere."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's always reading, so I doubt he'll notice anyway."

After school, Xiao and Aether met up at the flower shop like usual, but this time, Aether decided to take a day off. A different florist tends to the counter as Aether and Xiao leave, heading towards the latter's house.

Aether tells Xiao a little about himself outside of being a florist. Meanwhile, Xiao listens, unable to focus on anything but him. He couldn't help but notice how perfect Aether was in every way, from the way he talked about his interests with a glimmer in his eyes to the way he smiled and laughed occasionally between his sentences.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blows Aether's long hair into his face. He brushes it out of his face, but now it's a mess. "Sometimes having long hair is the worst. You're lucky your hair is short," Aether says, trying to fix his hair.

Xiao reaches over, helping Aether fix his hair. Once he's done, Xiao's hand gently cups Aether's cheek. They stare at each other for a moment, letting a heavy stillness sink in. Aether clears his throat. Xiao pulls his hand away quickly, feeling his face flush.

The reason that Xiao is so fixed on Aether wouldn't be revealed to either of them until later.

"I think your hair is quite pretty though," Xiao says, breaking the silence.

"Thank you. Yours is pretty too. I might have to cut mine. You know what? I'm gonna buzz it," Aether says, laughing.

"Please don't."

"Xiao, you're my friend, tell me, should I buzz it?"

"No."

"You're no fun."

Aether and Xiao arrive at Xiao's house, both laughing. Xiao's face hurts from smiling so much. It's not often that he smiles this much, so this is new. It's a good feeling: one he could get used to. He opens the door for Aether as they head into the house.

"Wow, your house is nice!" Aether says, looking around.

Zhongli walks into the room, alerted by the sound of an unfamiliar voice. He raises his eyebrows, not expecting a stranger in his house with Xiao. After his initial reaction, he smiles.

"Hi, Dad. I brought my friend over to take a look at the plants I have. He's a florist. His name is Aether," Xiao says, holding onto Aether's shoulders as he presents him to Zhongli.

"Nice to meet you, Aether. I'm glad you found some nice friends, Xiao," Zhongli says.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Aether says, trying to give Zhongli a good first impression. He shakes his hand firmly.

"Sorry about not asking before bringing him, Dad," Xiao says.

"It's quite alright. I'm just glad that you have such a nice friend. Aether, make yourself at home."

"Thank you," Aether says, smiling.

After the brief conversation, Xiao and Aether head to the backyard to find the pot where the windwheel aster should be growing. Wind chimes ring from the neighbor's house and Aether's hair is once again tousled by the slight breeze. The backyard was fairly large, with a lot of unused space.

"The pot with the windwheel in it should be over there," Xiao says, pointing over at a pot on a patio table. He sighs and crosses his arms. "I don't know if I haven't been watering it enough or giving it enough sunlight or something, but it won't grow."

"It won't grow? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Why?"

Aether holds out the pot for Xiao to see. Inside of the pot is a small spout. He stares at it, speechless.

"It's growing. It's actually growing."

"Xiao, you gotta tell me your secret! What did you do differently? All of the windwheels I've tried to grow haven't even sprouted!" Aether smiles happily.

"I don't know what was different this time, but maybe we could find out together?"

"Together?"

"Well, if you'd be willing to come over tomorrow, I think we could try growing another one together. Just bring the seeds, okay?"

"Yeah, okay!"

Aether heads home after a while out in the backyard. Their hangout together was not long, but tomorrow, Aether would come back with more gardening supplies. After parting ways with Aether, Xiao smiles a little, feeling content. Zhongli pats Xiao on the back.

"It's nice to see you happy, Xiao. Aether seems like a very nice kid."

"Yeah, he's great."

That night, Xiao couldn't sleep. Laying in bed, looking up at the dark ceiling, he had so many thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't seem to get that blond florist out of his head.