The Winds Bring with them Change (Volume 1)

44: The Dreams of One Cursed

The drinking had been a bad idea, as Xiao himself seemed to be the only one who held his alcohol well. It was clear to him now why both Kazuha and Aether were banned from any sort of alcoholic drinks whilst in Mondstadt, as they swayed into each other, the samurai looking like he was gonna pass out at any moment as Aether giggled into his ear.

Xiao was more than used to the way Venti handled inebriation, and he allowed it as the blue haired man got more and more clingy as the night went on. He'd had a couple drinks himself, but his tolerance seemed much much stronger than the other's, and he sighed when Kazuha started mumbling under his breath.

Venti cuddled further into him, resting his chin carefully on his shoulder. With a quick glance over at the others, Xiao nudged Venti gently, motioning at them as they dozed off. Aether looked exhausted, bags under his eyes prominent even in the gentle lighting, jaw slack from where he now lay on Kazuha's lap. Xiao found that much like how he didn't mind how touchy-feely Venti could be with others, he didn't mind seeing Aether like this.

Perhaps it came from his years of solitude, but the jealousy he'd heard mortals go to war over seemed to find no home in his heart. As Venti shifted closer, twining his arms around his back and smushing his face a bit more forcefully into his chest Xiao thought that this was likely a good thing. After all, even if this wasn't the peace he'd thought he'd find, it was a peace, a sort of certainty that had only grown stronger in his chest the longer he'd been living with them.

As the other two were already fast asleep, Xiao tapped on his boyfriend's shoulder, whispering as softly as he thought he could manage in his ear.

"You sober enough to help me get them to their rooms?" As his response was just mumbled under his breath aside a sleepy kiss, he just took it as a no. Venti only complained a little when he was picked up, and Xiao had never been so thankful that despite his sturdy-enough frame his boyfriend was seemingly as light as the wind itself.

He was easy to get up the stairs and onto the bed, the only problem arising when Xiao actually tried removing his clothes.

He shifted, blue hair splayed behind his head in such a way that created a sort of halo behind his head. He was gorgeous. He blinked sleepily when Xiao pulled the laces of his corset loose, groaning when his fingers brushed against his bare skin lightly. The Yaksha tutted, pulling his shoes from his feet and giving him a soft pat on his stomach before pulling away to retrieve the others.

"Xiao'er?" He turned around in the doorway, feeling so incredibly overwhelmed at the sight before him that he felt a smile form on his lips involuntarily. The ex-Archon rubbed his eyes as he sat up, shirt pooling around his waist and reaching the edge of his shorts.

"I'll be right back." He was quick to move Kazuha to his room, thinking for but a moment before removing his armor sleeve quickly and opening the window. He'd mentioned multiple times in their ventures that he slept the best in the 'embrace of the wind,' whatever that meant.

When Xiao finally returned to the living area, it was to a now barely awake Aether, who blinked owlishly at him before taking his hand to be lifted up off the ground. Xiao himself was getting tired now, the little bit's of he'd drank at Venti's request earlier finally beginning to get to him.

Aether was a solid weight against his back as they trekked up the stairs, and when he dropped his knees to the bed, the man shifted with a sleepy groan. He was tempted to simply drop him on top of Venti and call it that, but decided against it with a quick thought into how exactly they might get him back for such a thing. So he was sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing at his eyes while Xiao took his scarf and belts to lay to the side. When he'd turned to face the bed once more, Aether was pulling his gloves off and grabbing Xiao by the waist.

It seemed the little alcohol had dulled his senses a bit, as he barely resisted the tug into Aether's arms, falling onto the mattress hard. The blonde curled into his side, attempting to fall asleep already, at the foot of the bed and over the blankets. Xiao flung an arm over his face, resisting the sleep pulling at his bones in favor of pulling the both of them up to where Venti was curled around a pillow.

Aether smacked his arm gently as he settled the pillows behind him at the edge of the bed, and Xiao suppressed a grin. The traveler had a tendency to flail when he dreamed, which was often, and more times than not they awoke to him lying on the floor. When the others were settled, Xiao let himself fall back onto the plush mattress, Aether quickly tucking himself into his side, blonde hair splayed out around them.

There was no escaping this now. Venti was still curled away from them, probably half of the blankets caught in his tight grip, and Xiao had the urge to pull him over to join in the near pile they had found themselves in. Aether's leg was thrown over Xiao's hips, anchoring him firmly in place, and his arm held his chest down.

It should have been horrible, suffocating even, a sort of hell he'd only seen in his nightmares. In his youth, being held down like this would have been enough of a reason for him to mutilate whatever was constricting him so. But he didn't even feel the fear rising as it would have, instead a sort of floating feeling overcame him as he dozed off in the safety of his boyfriend's arms.

That night he dreamt. But these weren't the same dreams he had grown used to in his solitude, with the figures he'd once cared for hunting him down, taunting him all the while before ripping his heart from his chest.

This dream was a thing he hadn't even dared to think of yet, for the fear that even thinking of such a thing might cause his happiness in the now to wane. Venti was sitting in the tavern, looking older, lines forming around his eyes as he smiled when Xiao entered. Aether was lounging against the bartop conversing with Kaeya, but he pulled away from the conversation to press a quick kiss to Xiao's cheek when he settled behind him.

They listened as Venti finished up his last song of the day, Aether recounting his commissions for the day, explaining that Paimon, the irritating little thing was in Sumeru visiting Tighnari. Xiao's heart felt like it was actually squeezing when Venti swung around the stool to wrap his arms around Aether's waist and pull him into his body.

As he watched his partners laugh at each other, his chest squeezed uncomfortably once more. This was what he wanted more than anything, this happiness, this surety.

The night was calm even as their fate shifted.