Windwheel

Ch4: Seeds

Xiao takes Aether to his backyard once more. They both sit out on the patio furniture with a pot and some windwheel aster seeds. The light pattern of raindrops on the overhang creates a soothing ambiance. Xiao fills the pot with soil, taking care not to spill any.

"Alright, done with this. You can put the seeds in if you want."

Aether nods and puts some windwheel seeds in the pot, covering them with only a bit of dirt and holding the finished product up for Xiao to see. He sets the pot down and smiles at Xiao, leaning in a little. "I'm telling you, you're a naturally good florist, Xiao. I bet we can make this grow."

"I hope so."

"What's got you so... I don't know, worried? You seem worried."

"I'm not super worried. It's just that I have no idea why it decided to sprout. What if I can't replicate that? I don't want to let you down."

"You wouldn't be letting me down," Aether says, holding Xiao's hand reassuringly, "Whether it grows or not, I enjoy our time together. I like hanging out with you."

Xiao nods, looking down at their hands. Aether gently pulls away after a while.

"Now, come on. Let's do something fun."

Aether pulls Xiao out to the backyard. The light sprinkle from the other day had now become heavier rain. The ground had become slippery as the rain made the dirt into mud. They stand in the rain, the cool drops of water giving them a sense of serenity.

"Isn't the rain lovely?" Aether says, closing his eyes and letting the rain fall onto him.

"I don't know. I neither like nor dislike it."

"Hm, really? Well, that's okay." Aether looks around the backyard. "Your backyard is really nice, by the way."

"Thank you. My dad takes good care of it."

Aether starts wandering around, looking at things. He pulls Xiao with him by the hand. The mud, however, causes him to stumble, dropping the bag of seeds. Luckily, he's pulled upright by Xiao.

"Oh, that was close!" Aether says, smiling, "Thank you for catching me."

"It was no problem."

Aether picks up the bag of seeds that he dropped when he fell, but then he pauses.

"Hey, the bag is empty. I think I dropped the seeds."

"What? Oh. It's okay, they're just seeds. I'll buy you more if you want."

"No, it's not an issue. I just hope a bunch of windwheels don't randomly sprout up in your backyard," Aether says, looking around for the seeds.

Xiao shakes his head and pats Aether on the back. "I doubt it'll happen. The rain will drown them."

"Who knows? Maybe a miracle could happen."

Xiao is lying in bed. Aether has left, but right now, the two are texting each other.

A: Ty for having me over I had a lot of fun 😊

X: I enjoyed it too, thank you for coming. :)

A: Tmr do u wanna hang out at the mall?? We could see a movie! 😄

X: Yeah, I'd love to go with you. I'll tell my dad.

The smell of popcorn wafts through the lobby of the mall's theater. Xiao and Aether walk together to the counter to buy snacks. The number of people in the theater is a little overwhelming, so Xiao walks closer to Aether, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. They buy their tickets for the movie along with popcorn and a drink.

Taking their seats to wait for the movie, Aether leans over to steal some of Xiao's popcorn.

"Why? You have your own," Xiao says, stealing some of Aether's.

"Yeah, but it tastes better when it's yours."

"Well, fine. But don't steal my drink, okay?" Xiao sips the drink in the cupholder between him and Aether.

"How come I can't steal yours, but you can steal mine?"

Xiao stops drinking, looking at the drink in his hands. "No, this is mine?"

Aether points to Xiao's other cupholder. There's a cup in it. He accidentally drank from Aether's cup. His face flushes red in embarrassment as he quickly returns the cup to the cupholder.

"I- oh, sorry, that was my bad. Do you wanna switch cups...?"

"No, it's okay, I already drank out of mine. I don't mind anyway."

Xiao nods and adverts his gaze. He eats his popcorn quietly, watching Aether drink from the cup. Would that count as an indirect kiss? Not that Xiao cared or anything, but... no... did he care? He shakes his head slightly, brushing off the thought. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

They sit next to each other for the duration of the movie, leaving the awkward feeling to dissipate. At one point, a kissing scene comes on, making Xiao embarrassed. He turns to face the florist to make a face, but to his surprise, Aether rests his head on his shoulder. He is either closing his eyes or asleep. Xiao's face flushes, but he doesn't move.

Once the movie finishes, Xiao gently runs his fingers through Aether's hair. "Aether..." Xiao whispers. Aether's eyes open immediately, catching Xiao a little off guard.

"You fell asleep," Xiao says.

"No, I didn't. I just closed my eyes."

"What? Then why was your head on my shoulder?"

"Because I put it there. Your shoulder is comfortable."

Xiao blushes and nods. "I suppose it is. Now, come on, let's get you home."

Once Xiao gets home, he throws himself onto his bed. He sighs and smiles. Recently, he's been smiling so much. It's starting to feel less unnatural when he does it for longer periods. He pulls out his phone and immediately texts Aether.

X: Thank you for hanging out with me, I had a lot of fun :)

A: TY TOO!! I'd love to do it again soon

X: I'm glad to hear that. I enjoy being in your company. Would you like to come over to my house again tomorrow? We can try our hand at baking.

A: Sure! Do u know how to bake??

X: There's a first time for everything. I'm sure my dad could help.

A: lol alright see u tmr <3

Xiao's face goes red at the heart. He struggles to find a response, leaving him typing, deleting, and retyping his message.

"What is '<3' supposed to mean? Why did he add that?" Xiao mutters to himself. "Surely he's just kidding around."

But if he's only kidding, then why does Xiao care so much? Frustrated, he begins to pace, stopping in front of his collection of plants. He gently touches the petal of the rainbow rose, feeling the soft pink petal under his fingers.

His mind starts to wander back to the feeling of Aether next to him with his head resting on his shoulder during the movie. The memory makes his heart ache. Xiao's hand moves up to touch the shoulder where the florist had rested his head. He misses that feeling of closeness, but it's not like he could just ask Aether to lay with him again. It'd be weird, and he didn't want to risk losing their friendship.

So, for now, Xiao lays alone in his bed. He holds a spare pillow tightly against his chest and hugs it, burying his head into it to push away his thoughts. Eventually, exhaustion takes over, and he falls asleep with the pillow still clutched to his chest, just as he has been doing for the past few nights.