The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

I know I usually update this every week, but this update is double the size, being 2350 words or so, so this one is for both this week and next, as school has been a bit difficult. Have a great day/week.

Xiao felt as if he was going to explode. Venti had moved during the night, and was now draped over him like a blanket. His shoulder ached a bit, but much less than it had the other day, as he had spent the entire night focusing on healing himself. His neck did hurt, but that was probably simply because he'd had an entire man laying on him all night on a couch. Before he could even go to speak to Venti, the ex-Archon's eyes were fluttering open and a wide smile formed on his lips.

"Alatus, you look tired." Xiao tch-ed, turning his head away to pull himself out from under Venti.

"No, no, no, I mean it's kinda cute!" Venti managed to get more words out between his pouting and pulling at Xiao's ear affectionately. Xiao managed to look what he hoped was appropriately irked, hiding the tips of his blushing ears with his hair. Venti smiled a bit, not his usual crowd pleaser wide smile, just a small pleased one. Xiao looked nice like that, flustered.

At that point Xiao noticed a certain missing person in their secluded bliss. Aether hadn't yet come down from his room apparently, and they hadn't even heard him moving around up there yet. Xiao made his way up to his room, knocking twice before opening the door to see in. The futon on the floor was unkempt, and there were little mementos on shelves and in cases all over, but no Aether. He jumped from the balcony and made his way to where Venti was looking in the kitchen for their friend. He shook his head, knowing now that he had likely left the teapot to meet with another of his friends for commissions.

They left the mansion together, Venti clearly more used to being in the teapot as he immediately knew where the spirit was. He asked where Aether had gone, getting by way of answer some wordsy thing that the bard interpreted as Inazuma.

Venti informed the spirit that they were leaving as well, but to Mondstadt, and grabbed Xiao's arm to pull him into a wind current. He stumbled hard, bumping into the Anemo Archon's back and nearly falling with the momentum. But Venti's grip on his arm was tight, and no matter how his feet stumbled or the winds tore at his clothing, he did not yield. Xiao could have swore he heard different screaming in the wind, similar to the screaming he was plagued with almost daily, but he'd never heard those voices before. Before he could really listen to what they were saying, they were whisked from the wind, and stood in Mondstadt.

Venti dropped his arm, and he looked a bit dazed, as if he hadn't enough power to even do that much. Which considering that he no longer had his gnosis, was probably the cause. Xiao was at his side in a moment, hands hovering so as to help if it was necessary, but if it wasn't then he wouldn't be overstepping. Thankfully Venti straightened up after but a moment, flashing a quick grin towards Xiao as if to assure him that the ex-Archon was alright.

Xiao felt bad, he wished that the man before him, the God of Freedom could feel the freedom that he had given to Xiao in the past, even before he was truly free. Only while Xiao had been literally indebted, his freedom far out of reach; Venti was only holding himself back, holding his own freedom too far away for him to touch. But Xiao did not know how to go about doing that besides simply being with him. His limited social lessons were causing him more problems than he had thought they would in the past, and he only laid a tentative hand on Venti's shoulder before thinking better of it and drawing it away.

Venti meandered through the hills of Mondstadt, leading Xiao towards the city itself whilst pointing out landmarks he might need to know if he ever planned on showing up there of his own accord. He probably wouldn't come back all alone anyway, so the lesson was unnecessary, but Venti sounded happy to be telling him all this. It was better than how quiet he had been the night before, and how he had brushed off his concerns earlier. His grin came easier when Xiao asked him why the dandelions only grew in the windy areas, though he knew the answer anyways.