Basically: my take on how Xiao x Aether would still happen if Aether was the missing twin
Lumine stared longingly at the missing poster.
"Home is whenever the two of us are together..." she muttered sadly, still in shock over the massive reveal about her brother. He was alive but was now the abyss prince. Something changed in his eyes, something that made him lose the kindness he once possessed. He was now driven towards some sort of goal, one that he didn't inform Lumine about unfortunately.
On top of Wangshuu Inn she stared out, observing the beautiful city of Liyue. She would have loved to travel here with Aether and try all the food, look at all the sights and have fun negotiating on who was going to buy supplies. A single tear dropped from her eye at the thought of her brother who left her in the cold domain with no answers; only more questions.
Her soft sobs were not lost on the adepti who guarded Liyue and he stood before her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright Xiao. Wow, for once you actually came when I didn't call for you."
"Enough with the sarcasm, tell me what has brought your tears?"
Lumine looked thoughtfully. "My twin... Aether... I saw him..."
"You met your twin? Then why is he not here?"
"He wasn't himself. He looked so sad and cold, I was honestly scared of him, I had never seen him like that before."
Xiao frowned. "Do you wish to cease searching?"
"No!" Lumine shouted. "I will keep looking. But... When he went through that portal and left me behind I... Wasn't home wherever the two of us were together?"
Xiao couldn't say anything after that and Lumine stayed quiet after. She retired a short while later eventually crying herself to sleep. Xiao later visited her room while she slept and stared. He did not like to see his 'friend' cry herself to sleep so he decided to do her a favour and 'eat' her dreams which is something he had refrained from doing for a long time. In the past he ate dreams to inflict pain but now he hoped he could erase it in this way - normally he would enter the dream and absorb it that way so he sat in the chair nearest Lumine's bed and carefully shut his eyes.
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In the dream
A beautiful forest with birds chirping and the sun shining filled Xiao's eyes and he noticed Lumine staring at her reflection through a lake. As he walked closer he noticed that it wasn't Lumine - though they had similarly coloured hair, this person has longer hair and was clearly male.
He assumed this was Aether.
Dream Aether turned to look at Xiao. His eyes displayed curiousity and maturity. "Hello."
Xiao stood there like a fool gaping because he felt his face flush and his palms sweaty for no good reason. Lumine said that Aether looked like her and while that was sort of true, there was a clear difference. Lumine was pretty but Aether... to Xiao he looked like an angel.
Aether looked at him curiously before blushing a little. "Um... is there... something on my face?" he asked meekly and Xiao's head bombarded with the word 'cute'. How was Aether related to Lumine? He remembered how when he stared at Lumine after getting food on her face.
"Lumine. You have-"
"What are you staring at?"
...
He decided to keep quiet and let her embarass herself. After all, that's what real friends do.
There was nothing cute about her reaction at all but the way Aether blushed and shyly looked away was something Xiao never saw before. Lumine knew Aether best so this was a good representation of who he was.
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Fanfiction"When the lantern rite comes around... Will you come with me?" Xiao felt his tongue turn to rubber and he felt like his heart was being crushed by the giant pillars Morax would erect. A story of the daily lives of Xiao and Aether, along with other...
