𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝟏𝟎𝟏: 𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐎

01. encounter

Tonight is quiet and serene. Not a noise is heard; no music plays, no cars pass by, and no words are spoken.

Liyue has gone to sleep. Xiao hasn't.

Atop the white bedsheets is where he rests as he slips from reverie to reverie, cotton against his skin.

Xiao's eyes flutter open. He cannot rest, even if he tries. Wearily, his gaze lands on the clock sitting on his nightstand. 1:34AM. Despite the tranquility of the night, Xiao remains uneasy.

He sits up. The room is too warm, the thoughts won't cease, and the air is too still. Xiao needs to leave; to escape, and to do it immediately.

Hastily, the boy gets up. He throws on a jacket and changes his pants, slipping into his boots and helmet.

Xiao walks to his window and quietly lifts the pane up before climbing out and going down the conveniently-placed tree nearby. Once his feet land on the grass, he goes to retrieve his motorcycle.

Xiao walks with his motorbike down the road, getting on it once he decided it was far enough from his house. Before he starts it up, Xiao glances back- just to be safe. The lack of suspicious movement reassured him as he took off.

This was the routine that Xiao had followed nearly every dreadful night since he received his driver's license- he wasn't planning to change it any time soon.

The cold wind blowing against his skin and adrenaline that pumped through his veins provided a sense of control and relief for him, shutting the seemingly endless thoughts up. The feeling of anonymity gave Xiao comfort, knowing his identity was obscured past the full-face helmet he wore.

Biking put him to peace, even if the motorcycle was loud and the night skies were murky. It was the perfect way to disconnect from the sleepless days.

Like always, Xiao rode wherever the wind told him to go. Unlike always, he had ended up roughly 30 minutes away from his city.

Shit.

Perhaps going on a joyride at 1am (and on a school night at that) wasn't the greatest idea. If Xiao wasn't so immersed in the music playing in his left Airpod, then maybe he would've noticed when all the houses and scenery started to look less and less familiar.

Curse his clouded mind.

The boy's motorbike slows down as a convenience store comes into view. The glowing sign bounces off its store's walls and illuminates the surrounding ground.

Like a moth, Xiao is attracted to the light. He parks his bike and checks his pockets. The feeling of leather reaches his fingertips; Jackpot! Xiao felt unbelievably warm seeing the crisp five dollars in his hand. He gets off the vehicle and walks into the store.

--

You flinch at the sound of a customer walking in. Though you've been working at the same place for a year or maybe two, you think you'll never grow accustomed to the bell ringing as the door opened.