Chapter Text
The night in Mondstadt was quiet, everyone was completely asleep, and even the knights were out of their spots because their shifts had ended.
Everything was fine…. Or so the people thought. A rumbling noise from the closer distance announced a stormy night ahead, and it wouldn’t have been really a problem, it shouldn’t have been, but this world had only caused problems to the blond traveler.
Aether found himself sheltered in one of the knights' quarters in the city, trying a little too hard to fall asleep, after the incident in Inazuma he tried to go back to a place that would feel safe, and it had worked so far, Spending his days with close friends like Amber, or helping Albedo take care of Klee when the other was too busy with experiments.
Or simply losing time with one of his partners, Venti, under the tree in windrise, listening to him play the lyre, and hum quiet melodies with them helped the blonde forget, forget of all the hardships he had gone through.
Mondstadt was safe, the storms and other problems weren’t common…. But that was the problem. He didn’t have a warning of what was coming, he couldn’t prepare for the storm, not only the physical one but the one that was harassing his mind.
The first droplets of water were the only thing that warned him, but what could one do in a matter of seconds before the storm let it’s rage go wild?
Thunder struck, and the boy screamed in fear, only being able to hug himself against the bed header, knees against his chest and burying his head between his legs and trying to cover his ears.
Ragged breaths became sobs in a matter of seconds, the pain in his back emanating from the scars almost as strong as the day it formed, the blond could feel the prickling sensation of the electro energy still infused in the scars.
Barely half an hour in there was a window in the storm, Aether could only think of escaping, and without a second thought he ran through the headquarters covering his ears and fighting the cold night in an everything-but-ideal outfit.
Instead of his normal attire, the blonde was wearing a thin shirt and some sleeping pants, barefoot, his hair was out of the usual braid being held in a loose bow at the base of his neck.
It didn’t take too much for the blonde to get out of the city, all soaked with the rain, but he couldn’t stop, the pain and sorrow clawed at his back, and he had to go even further out of the reach of the Storm.
The run felt unending, stumbling with hilichulrs and slimes on the road, things that he wasn’t in condition to face, so he just kept running, but it was inevitable to have some cuts and bruises from arrows or stones that were thrown in his direction, one of them especially painful made him want to return for a second, starting to feel how blood ran down his right arm. Until he got to the end of the Starsnatch cliff collapsing to his knees and folding into a ball hugging himself….
If just there were…. Someone….
All of this, it would be easier with someone, not that Paimon didn’t count, but there were some things the pixie wasn’t really good at, all of the things he had to go through, to find his sister….
His sister…. Lumine, why did she left?
Because she left, Aether had thought she was abducted by the unknown god, that she was in trouble, but she…. wasn’t…. She’s doing fine, and she left him.
Why didn’t she want to take him?
That encounter in the upside-down statue was anything but what he had thought. His sister was fine, and was with the abyss order, no, she was commanding the abyss order, Lumine was doing it willingly….
She. By her own hand. Abandoned him in a more than messed-up world.
Why?
They used to be inseparable.
Why would she?
Was she tired of him?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
That is not the reason.
What did she say?
Find…. Something….
What was it?
Find the truth….
The truth, of what?
And after many tries at remembering his sister's words, it finally clicked:
Find the truth of this world, she said.
But what truth?
Was there even a “truth”?
Too many thoughts, too many questions, too many fillings. Tears were running, blurring his vision, and his own sobs and whines blocked his ears.
What was that noise?
….
Rumbling whispers in the wind announced a terrifying truth, the storm was catching him.
Aether could just turn his head and watch as the clouds covered the night sky, water spilling without rest, drenching him even more than he already was, and if it was bad, the thunders and lightning were even Stronger in the open field.
Every time thunder struck, Aether could only scream and flinch, he couldn’t run, he didn’t have the strength, and heavy breathing only made it harder to get a grasp on anything.
Curled up in a ball, scratching his own skin in a desperate try of regaining some sense of reality, that and futile attempts of covering his ears that only resulted in pulling at his hair.
“Help me…. Anyone…. Please” silent cries for help made their way through everything else.
Another thunder, and the flashing light of the lightning, and for a second, something clicked in his mind.
In the next thunder, he managed to find his voice.
“Xiao! Please!” He screamed before everything became a blur again, mumbling little please’s every second it passed.
=====•••=====
It was a relatively calm day at the Wangshu Inn lands, only a group of corrupted hilichurls here and there, apart from that and his usual patrol, the yaksha diced to try and rest.
Neither of his partners was coming, not they called him, so he supposed he could at least try and rest a bit, maybe not sleep, but have a portion of almond tofu and wait for the night and his next patrol.
That was a good plan, if not for the few things Ver asked him to do, like help with a supplies cargo, or repairing some of the paths on the tree.
When he finished with those things he finally got to eat his plate, and then go to his patrol.
Everything was going smoothly, until, a screen of his name reached his ears shaking him to his core.
Aether was in trouble, it took him a second to localize where he was, and a few more seconds till there was an opening in Venti’s domain, the second it appeared the second he teleported.
Once he got to the cliff the first things he noticed were the storm and the smell of blood, Aether's blood, it was faint, but it was there.
Looking around in search of the blonde, what he saw was definitely not what he had in mind, the boy curled into himself, various injuries in the visible bits of his skin and hair almost completely undone.
“Aether..!” Was everything Xiao could muster before the blonde out of nowhere knocked him to the ground, frantically hugging him and soaking both of them even more. The rain was no giving signs of stopping, but the thunders were finally getting to an end, sadly, that wasn’t enough.
“Aether what… what are you doing?” The confusion was clear as day in the Yaksha’s voice, maybe also a bit of anger because the moment he ended the question Aether rapidly took a step back.
=====•••=====
Everything was too much, nothing was clear, nothing made sense, it was a disaster, him and his mind, scrambled and blurred thoughts everywhere and anywhere at the same time.
And then a voice, a voice that he recognized the second the sound reached his ears, it made him feel safe, and he needed to be safe.
and that was the only thing on his mind when he tackled the other to the ground.
But then, that voice again…. laced with concern and…. Oh no….
No no no no he fucked up again, Xiao was mad, mad mad MAD, why? What did he do?
He took a step back, sitting on his knees and clutching his hands in fists on his knees, looking to the ground, little sobs and sniffles being heard while he suppressed the urge to hug the other again.
“Sorry…. I-I’m sorry….” The boy whispered, not knowing what else to do, barely being able to breathe or think, all of him made him think he fucked up really bad, Xiao was angry, but why?…. It was because of the hug? He should have asked, Xiao doesn’t like when people touch him without asking, but he wasn’t the last time Venti did, why was it different?
A few seconds after and he started to cry again, taking Xiao off guard again, he cleared his throat before speaking.
“What happened to you?” He asked trying to make his voice softer while approaching carefully trying to assess the blonde’s injuries, he had barely touched the other before he flinched to the side “Aether, you’re bleeding, it’s the middle of the night and it’s raining, what happened?” He tried again, voice a little bit more severe, out of pure concern.
But Aether couldn’t make out what was he saying, nor make out any sort of answer, scared of the thought that he made his boyfriend mad and that he was going to get in trouble for it. Silent cries and mumbled apologies were all he could muster.
Xiao tried once again to get close and touch the other, but this time he got zapped, groaning in response, making Arther more afraid.
First, he interrupted whatever Xiao was doing, then he made him mad, and now he was hurting him, he was a horrible boyfriend.
And his worst fear became a reality when he felt the gust of wind indicating Xiao teleported himself somewhere else.
For his luck or disgrace, he was alone again, even the rain was stopping, he tried to stand up, but scratched knees were too sore to even try, making him fall again, useless…. Everything was useless.
The blonde simply laid down on the grass under the night sky for Only-archons-know -how-long letting silent tears fall no more strength to retain them.
And what felt like an eternity later, maybe it was just a few minutes, Aether couldn't say, a soft breeze caressed his form, a deep breath, and a soft cry followed it.
“What happened to you?” another voice, concern was painted all over it, who was it?
“He called me” Xiao's voice again, this time filled with the same concern “when I arrived he was already like this... I didn't know what to do”
“It's fine, he’ll need us both, so don’t get so down” and the new voice finally clicks, it’s venti…. Ever so caring of their tone in this kind of situation, but normally it would be Xiao who was in the blonde’s position….
So embarrassing…. They weren’t supposed to see him like this, so worn out that he couldn’t even stop the tears, nor move to look at his partners.
His silent cries became soft sobs, catching the attention of the others again, Venti came closer to his face, sitting on the ground next to him.
“Oh, darling….” Voice all too soft, Aether felt like he didn’t deserve it “hey, hey, there’s no reason to cry…. Come here” the bard took his face with the utmost care, encouraging him to move a few inches closer letting his head rest on his partner’s lap closing his eyes
A soft huff was heard, it was Xiao, Aether couldn’t see him, too concentrated on the soothing scent of Venti and the soft caresses in his hair
“Something is bothering you” Venti noted, he was talking to Xiao, “What is it?” they asked, a few seconds passed without an answer
“He was... So defensive a few minutes ago...” In any other circumstances, Aether would be mad that his partners are talking about him as if he wasn't there, but being completely honest, he wasn't exactly There.
“Xiao, Aether was probably in the middle of a troubling mind space, he still is, you can't expect him to process things normally”
“Human emotions are too complex!” Aether flinched at the rise of Xiao's voice, a little gasp, and curled himself on Venti's lap
Becoming more aware of his surroundings and himself, covering his ears, at the subtle sounds of the wildlife at these unholy hours, and finally feeling the pain from his wounds
“Hey, hey, Aerher, it's fine, it's completely fine, listen to me, yeah?” Aether shook his head
“It hurts” an almost impossible to hear murmur, voice hoarse and shaky
“Where?” This time Xiao came closer, carefully taking the blonde in his arms, this time he held on tight instead of trying to escape
Aether couldn't manage any other explanation, verbal answers to much for him, noticing this, both his partners diced to take him back to Mondstadt city, for more efficiency Venti teleported all of them to the tiny apartment they had close to the side gate