The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

It had been a week since Kazuha began staying with them, and it was nice having a mortal around who knew of mortal things, no matter how jealous it tended to make Xiao.

Aether was sore all of the time lately and he could barely handle noises. The hot spring on the south peak was his favorite place, and Venti and Xiao often had to leave for long hours until he felt better. Neither had had to deal with anything like this before, and it was definitely better that they were distracting themselves with other things.

Xiao had been on a couple impromptu 'dates,' which mostly consisted of him making sure that Venti was safe and moderate in his drinking. He'd gotten to know the winery owner fairly well in these outings, especially alongside Venti's in-depth storytelling. So now he and the red head spoke amicably whilst Venti swung from one table to the next, telling jokes and singing old tales of Mondstadt no one but him believed.

It helped a lot that Diluc knew of Venti's predicament, his Godhood and how it was stripped from him so violently. Add to that the fact that he'd agreed to tell him of their worries regarding erosion, and him and Xiao had become a semblance of what could be called friends. Neither of them were particularly chatty, and mostly sat about watching Venti laugh and sing. It made for good company.

Except for when Kaeya showed up. Venti hadn't wanted to share any stories regarding how exactly they fell out, but from the way Diluc blatantly ignored the blue haired man, an easy scoff on his lips the whole time, they clearly had troublesome history. Xiao could figure a bit of it out on his own based off things he heard, and their body language when they did interact. Plus Kaeya looked so very like them, the people of Khaenri'ah, that there was no way it had nothing to so with that.

He watched them now, from a corner of the bar, non-alcoholic drink perched at his lips, and thought. They acted like they both wanted to talk very badly, but neither seemed to want to initiate and Xiao wasn't going to get involved. His boyfriend however? He definitely was.

Venti snuck up on him, pressing a kiss to his neck in a way that felt almost too normal under the circumstances. He was moving past him then, slinging an arm around the showy captain's neck. Xiao had a feeling he should feel jealous, but truth be told, he didn't. Venti acted that way with nearly everyone, but Xiao was the only one who he fell asleep with at night, and that was enough. So his smile didn't waver when Venti pulled Kaeya closer to him, a large smile on his face.

"Little Captain, drinking so early can't be good for you." He teased, poking Kaeya in the side.

"You're younger than me bard." Kaeya sounded as if he was in a bad mood, which he usually was when Diluc bartended.

That was another thing about Venti and him working to write Mondstadt's and his history down, he was being less cautious about mortal's discovering him. Whether it be summoning a bit more power than a mortal of his age should have been able to, or simply saying weirdly cryptic things to ones who weren't aware of his identity as Archon. Whether he was genuinely forgetting so many a thing this early on, or simply cared less in the face of his fate, it scared Xiao a bit.

Venti, even now teased Kaeya relentlessly, getting close and whispering in his ear then laughing as he sputtered. Diluc was making his way over to Xiao now, a slightly concerned look on his face.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" He sounded sure, like no matter how Xiao answered, he wouldn't be content with anything besides agreement. And he was correct. When Xiao nodded, he managed somehow to look more grim. He had been introduced to Xiao as the cold and stoic Dawn Winery owner, but Xiao hardly believed that was true. He seemed more worried outwardly than Xiao felt somedays. Then Kaeya called out for a drink and the worry was gone entirely.

Mortals were funny like that. They held on to resentment even after they clearly didn't feel as resentful anymore. They didn't realize how small their lives really were. How easily they could be ended. How quickly the ones they cared for could be taken from them.

Venti was beside him then, swaying a bit, but definitely less than usual.

"I wanna leave now." His words weren't slurred in the slightest as Xiao expected them to be, and he barely looked buzzed, so maybe he was only swaying for show.

That was proved true when they stepped outside and he immediately stopped, basically throwing himself into Xiao's arms with a very Venti sigh. He simply stood there, holding him loosely, a bit confused. The Archon in his arms wasn't shaking or anything, simply staying there, comfortable. When he finally let go, he began talking instantly.

"We need to start writing soon." Oh. Though Xiao had suggested the writing in the first place, the mention of it again felt like a death sentence in and of itself. Like actually sitting down to write was killing his partner, not the thing eating away at him. His thoughts clearly showed in his expression, as Venti was quick to reassure him in a way that didn't do much of anything.

"It'll be best if we start before I start losing more important things than street names and landmarks." Though he had a point and Xiao completely understood, he still couldn't help but to feel apprehensive.

"I promise it's not getting much worse Xiao. You don't need to worry." He sounded exasperated, beginning to lead the way through the city as Xiao followed slowly. They stopped by the little florist's shop, admiring her flowers and listening to her explanation on how the traveler helped her keep them fresh on the mountain. It was sweet how often Aether helped out the citizens of the cities, even whilst running himself into the ground.

They made their way past Good Hunter as he'd learned it was called, stopping to consider food, but deciding that whatever Kazuha had inevitably made for the afternoon would be sufficient. Xiao thought that they were going to stop once they were in the Cathedral's courtyard, but he kept going, leading the way up the steps and past the ever-present sisters around the edge of the building.

Xiao was about to question where exactly they were headed when Venti turned, near Archon levels of power beginning to build in his hands. His eyes glowed with mirth and literally teal as he spoke mischievously.

"Let's watch the sky for a bit." He outstretched his hand, slender fingers quickly intertwined with Xiao's, pulling them upwards and into the sky. Xiao was reminded of the first time he'd ever seen his now best friend. Though he'd met him before, he was aware of that, he was likely too young then to remember their meeting.

His hair had been loose then, shorter and darker and flowing in the wind that swirled around him as he sang. He hadn't noticed Xiao's afflicted form and continued his mournful playing. Though Venti was in pain himself, his music helped to ease Xiao's karmic debt for a bit. The wind had swirled harder when the Archon cried and Xiao had a panging thought. He was beautiful.

He had the same thought now, standing on the roof of the church, the wind beginning to die down around them. With his eyes glowing and the remnants of his power leaving the area, his smile wide, he looked gorgeous. He might have thought his heart stopped had he been one of the protagonists in Aether's books, but it just beat harder, making his face burn just slightly.

"Come on Xiao, Mondstadt sunsets are the most beautiful." Venti didn't even have to take his hand this time, he had a feeling he'd follow him anywhere.