The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

43: How to Love You?

Xiao had been right to worry over Venti's sudden healthy demeanor. It had been not a month since their little trip to Inazuma and things were bad again.

He should have been more anxious that morning when Venti had hurried the two of them off to their respective commissions faster than normal. He hadn't even complained that they couldn't lounge in bed for longer, simply nodded from his place curled up in the blankets and told them to not make too much noise. By the time Kazuha had made a meal for the morning, he was curled up on the couch, looking a little disheveled. It hadn't seemed all too worrisome, after all, the man had been out late with Aether the other night and had returned so very intoxicated that even Xiao had a hard time getting him to lay down.

But now, coming home to a torn apart living room, and Kazuha looking (likely rightfully) frazzled, there had clearly been something wrong. Aether looked only a little shocked and it made Xiao wonder how many horrors he'd seen in the worlds he'd traveled. Likely far too many. But now, right now?

There was only one thought in the both of their heads. Something was wrong. Paimon floated beside Aether, tittering nervously, bringing up increasingly worse things that could have caused the mess that was currently their living room. Aether shot her a harsh look, and she basically withered under his gaze.

Since they'd come back from Sumeru, the pixie had barely left Aether's side, panicking if he so much as mentioned going off by himself. He felt sort of bad for her, as something they hadn't told him had clearly scared her to the point of this. So he tapped Aether's shoulder, motioning towards Kazuha as if to distract him.

The blonde nodded tiredly, exhaustion reflecting back at Xiao from his golden eyes, and once more, Xiao felt bad. His commissions had been especially difficult recently, and he would end up fighting multiple camps of Fatui in a day before collapsing into Venti's embrace and falling (usually immediately) asleep. But now Venti was nowhere to be found and their home was an absolute wreck.

Xiao tried his best to not listen as Kazuha and Aether conversed, but his thoughts kept wandering to where exactly he could even look to find the ex-Archon. Obviously as an anemo vision holder, he had a stronger connection with Venti than many others, but besides that, he knew the man's mind.

Venti was fond of wine, apples, wide open fields and that tree in the middle of Windrise. Those were all things Xiao knew for sure. Sureties. Things he could focus on to avoid the inevitable spiraling that was already beginning in his head. Aether turned from where he was still getting the full story from the samurai, signing quickly with a strained smile crossing his lips.

"Why don't you go ahead and start the search, we'll join you in a bit." Xiao nodded swiftly, already gone in the next second, shaking off the weird jitters he was starting to get after moving like that.

Aether and Venti were both good at that. Telling when he was starting to get too in his head, giving him something else to think about, something else to do. It's what he's good at after all, following orders, obeying others and not thinking too hard on anything else.

As he searched Mondstat City, he almost laughed. Though his duty hardly required it, Xiao was all too good at thinking too hard of everything. Especially as of late.

He made his way up on top of the Cathedral, letting himself relax for only a short second before bracing himself once more. Wherever their boyfriend was, he was no doubt afraid and confused, and that combo with Venti's powers was not a thing Xiao could afford to walk into unprepared. No matter their mutual feelings, a dying god was a thing Xiao had experience with.

He was highly experienced in dealing with things like this, and even through all of that knowledge, uncertainty crept into his mind. He wasn't sure if it came down to it, if he would be able to do what had been his duty for so long. What continued to still sort of be his duty on the days someone called for his help. Be it his choice to stay with Aether and Venti for most of the time, his loyalties strongly with them, it had become a sort of stress relief.