The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

Xiao was sure the other shoe was going to drop soon. That was the expression, wasn't it? He'd heard it said in desperate wishes from worried wives, concerned children. Oh well.

There was just no way all this happiness could last. Even now, laying in the tall Sumeru grasses with his back to Venti's chest and his hands playing with strands of golden hair, he felt that this wasn't going to last. Though he'd promised to get out of his own way a long time ago, that didn't stop the doubt from creeping in in the silences.

Venti smacked him gently on the forehead.

"You're getting all faraway again." If nothing else, he had gotten very good at telling when Xiao was getting lost in his head. Though it exasperated him, it was also definitely nice in a way. It was never good when he fell like that, when he let the worries drag him farther into his head than he had ever even wanted to venture. So he pressed a tiny kiss to the fingers that had stayed over his face, thanking him if only in a little way.

A different cloud floated overhead, and Aether tensed a bit, pointing at it before laughing. They had been trying to help him in his learning of the language of Teyvet, and it was proved in the way his pronunciation sounded better as he spoke.

"It looks like a Dodoco." And whilst Xiao wasn't entirely sure what a dodoco even was, Venti's immediate agreement confirmed that the oval shaped cloud probably did look like a dodoco. Whatever. This mortal pastime bored him more than anything else, but the warmth of Venti's hand in his hair and Aether laying across his legs was enough to make him never want to leave the moment.

His mind drifted thoughtlessly, free of all that burdened him on the daily. There was something so calming about the two of them, and his debt's effect on him had been lessening ever since Aether returned from Sumeru.

A shot of sudden guilt hit him, placing all of his happiness in just two people seemed unfair, a mortal and an ex-god at that. It wasn't fair of him at all, to put such responsibility onto them, but he didn't know what else he could do. As of late, he had gotten better at pulling himself from responsibilities when he felt them pulling him down too heavily, but he was still prone to overworking himself when especially stressed.

Now, however, those worries and guilts felt like they were being blown away as soon as they could surface. It was a bit disconcerting at the least, but as soon as Venti brushed a hand through his hair once more, the fears vanished.

Aether hummed, as he had been doing when he wanted their attention when they couldn't see him, and Venti sat up a little so he could see what Aether was signing.

"Do you remember anything about Lumine?"

He felt Venti stiffen under him, hand stopping in the middle of his bangs and found himself holding his breath. If Venti knew anything about the blonde's lost sister, he wasn't sure what he would do. He hadn't been helping with the writing of Venti's book that might have concerned her, and knew from his boyfriend's reaction that something was there.

His hand began rubbing over Xiao's head again, slower this time as he mused.

"If I had known her, I no longer do." Venti sounded upset, as if admitting this was taking every ounce of control he had.

"Whilst I recognize the woman in the pictures you showed me, I feel that that is a memory I won't recover." He raised the flask of wine Aether had brought, tipping it back and drinking deeply. Aether picked himself up from Xiao's lap, turning with a worried look on his face. His fingers were fairly slow as he signed another question.

"Did you remember her before?" He looked so afraid of what the answer might be that the conversation even managed to make Xiao anxious. Venti smiled grimly, and Xiao felt the attempt at a joke rising even before the words left his lips. How incredibly unlike him.

"If she was as pretty as you, I wish I did." When Aether leveled a deadpan gaze in his direction, Venti nearly withered.

"I have no memory of your sister, I promise." Aether's shoulders dropped, partly in relief, partly in disappointment before he slid back onto his back. He was good at that, hiding his own feelings to appease the people of a world that wasn't even his own.

Venti offered him the wine, smiling when the blonde eyed the hand and flask.

"Just because Master Diluc doesn't believe you should have alcohol doesn't mean I have the same reservations." Xiao raised a slow eyebrow at Venti, making the other man twist his hands in the way he did when he had a lot to share and wasn't sure where to start.

"Master Diluc believes that Aether is a child, and refuses to serve him anything but juice. Obviously he is not, as I would never be such a monster as to bed a child." At Aether's amused laughter, Xiao turned. Venti continued his spiel, ending on that Aether was probably older even than the Goddess of Wisdom or Raiden Ei. Xiao froze.

What?

The look on his face had clearly been noticed as Venti furrowed his brow in confusion at Xiao.

"You did know that right?" Xiao shook his head. This day seemed to just be bomb after bomb dropped on his little peaceful moment. Aether sat straight up, turning till he was not even a foot from Xiao, his face full of surprise.

Venti was giggling, face as close to him as Aether was, and Xiao scooted back a bit. Though he was getting much better with being close to people, this was a little too close, even for a relationship.

He supposed it made perfect sense. Aether had managed to take on Osial for Morax' sake, he'd fought off Dvalin, and even fought the Shogun. He'd emerged from all of those fights victorious, there was clearly something unusual about him.

Xiao blamed his oversight on not having spent much time around mortals in his past. After all, how was he supposed to know that not all mortals could do the things Aether did. But of course this was a useless excuse, and one that didn't hold up in the face of his job protecting the mortals. So he simply shrugged, speaking slowly as to placate Venti's obviously more energetic mood.

"I never thought that hard on it."

That was at least the truth, be it a vast understatement. He had simply assumed that these sort of things came along with being the sort of hero others would write about, failing to take into account the things he'd survived that basically proved him to be no mortal. Xiao, extraordinary at some things as he may be, had never claimed to be overly observant, though he tried.

The other two were still leaning towards him, faces full of mirth that felt almost predatory in their excitement as he remembered why it was that he'd stopped talking in the first place.

"You're how old?" His tone came out flatter than he'd meant for it to, remnants of his old life seeping into the new. Aether grinned widely, making a show of shrugging as if he wasn't really all that sure. The amusement on their faces only grew as he realized how this relationship was gonna end up going.

Xiao let his head drop into his hands.