Xiaother

A Crush?

Aether POV:

I left the classroom and ran to Venti
"Venti!! I need help"
"What's wrong?"
"Well um-"
The bell rang for second period to start
"Eheh sorry.. tell me at lunch though!"
Venti ran off and so did I, then continued with my long suffering through classes.

-at lunch-
(Skipping to the good part 😍)

"Kay so what was it you needed help with?"
"Okay I want your opinion on the situation.. so last night I dreamt this person came up to me and kissed me on the head, and then in class I couldn't help but stare at them..."
"You definitely have a crush on them that's for sure, also maybe leave out the class part next time if you don't want me to know the person's identity"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Xiao, am I right?"
What!? How!? Did he see me looking at Xiao? I can trust him right? He won't tell.. wait but this means i... have a crush on.. Xiao?
"Aether what's wrong? You're red"
"Oh hey Lumine!"
Venti waved to someone next to me and I turned around to see Lumine
"Uhh it's nothing, just a little cold"
"Oh, Kay where's Chongyun and Xingqiu?"
I had completely forgotten they weren't here, I was too focused on my feelings on you know who.. and Xiangling too, where's she?
"They wanted to sit by themselves today"
"And where's Xiangling?"
"Absent"
Lumine sat down with us and the three of us complained to each other about our day.
"Oh hey Xiao"
Venti was looking behind me and it took me a moment to process the words he just said.. 'oh hey Xiao'... XIAO!?
I turned around and saw Xiao standing there looking at me.
"My numbers on this paper, text me after school so we can find a way to work on the project"
"Oh.. uh alright thanks"
Xiao walked away and I held onto the paper tight.. he gave me his number!!
Venti smirked then whispered in my ear
"congrats"
"Oh you guys are partners for a project?"
"Yeah the one for history"
"That's cool.. you seemed weird around him though, do ya like him?"
Yup nothing gets passed Lumine.
I sighed and looked down at the floor
"yeah I think so.."
"Ooohh"
"Shut up!"
Venti and Lumine laughed then we grabbed our bags and headed to our next few classes
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Xiao POV:
"did you do it!?"
"Yeah"
"Yes!! So now you'll become best friends, then boyfriends.. and then-"
"Let's stick with just friends"
"Fine, just for now.."
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Aether POV:

"Finally school's out"
"Yeah let's head home"
I nodded and we walked to our house, and I went straight to my room, shut my door, and pulled out the paper Xiao gave me.. I couldn't help but think about it since he gave it to me
Well here goes nothing..

Me: Hi this is Aether

Xiao: hey, so how are we meeting up?

Me: uhh we could meet at my place but it's a little small if you're okay with that

Xiao: just come to my house, is tomorrow alright?

Me: yeah

Xiao: here's my address ************

Omg omg omg omg!!! I'm going to Xiao's house tomorrow.. this is so insane!! Ughh but I have to survive the school day first..
I changed my clothes and laid down on my bed until I eventually fell asleep.

-the next morning (Wednesday)-

My alarm went off and I groaned
Morning already? At least I'll get to see Xiao after school.
I got dressed, did my hair, and ate a small snack before leaving to school with Lumine.
"Oh by the way I'm going to Xiao's house after school to work on the project"
"try to stay focused on your work"
She elbowed me in the side and laughed then we walked into school and went out separate ways.

School went by as usual, except it seemed so much slower. All I could think about was going to Xiao's house, I kept trying to focus on my work but it was no use. Finally the dismissal bell rang, I grabbed my bag and met Lumine in the hallway to make sure she'd be okay walking home alone.
"Are you sure Lu?"
"Yeah, now get going, you don't want to keep Xiao waiting do you?"
"Right- bye Lumine!"
"Bye!"
I checked my phone and applied the address to my gps then started walking to Xiao's house.

Once I got to the destination I stared in awe at the huge house in front of me.. I must have the wrong address, he doesn't give off rich kid vibes at all, but I guess if the rumours were true about his parents then maybe.. I should check just in case.
I took a picture of the house and sent it to Xiao

Me: is this ur house? -image attached-

I kept checking my phone but got no response from him.

Xiao: behind you

I looked up from my phone and turned to look at the house again but this time Xiao was standing right behind me.
I jumped slightly but quickly calmed myself down
"Oh hi"
"Follow me"
I nodded and he led me into his house and upstairs to a room that appeared to be his bedroom. It was so big, I'd probably get lost in this place if I weren't following him.
"Let's get started"
"Kay"
"I'm guessing you didn't pay attention during any of the lessons"
"No..? How'd you know"
"you were staring at me the whole time the teacher was explaining.."
SHITTT HE REMEMBERS THAT
"Oh uh- I guess I zoned out sorry"
"I didn't really pay attention either, my dad can help us though, he's good with Liyue history"
"Phew"
I'm glad I wasn't the only person who didn't pay attention to the lesson.. but I really hope his dad is incredible at this because two people who know nothing about it can't get any better than a D+ on this assignment..
"I'll be back"
He closed the door and I heard him walk down the hallway.
His room has a certain smell, maybe it's his scent.. THATS SO WEIRD WHAT AM I THINKING!!
it's not really a bad smell though.. STILL
"I'm back, this is my dad"
"Nice to meet you, you can call me Zhongli"
"I'm Aether, it's nice to meet you too"
"Let's see what we have here.. oh this is simple, everyone knows that Rex Lapis founded Liyue after the fall of the Guili assembly and the death of Guizhong during the Archon War."
(Ty Google 🥰🥰)
"Is that really it Dad?"
"Yes, its a very simple tale, however it holds so much information, try to be very descriptive in your assignment and you're sure to get a good grade"
"Thanks"
"Thank you Mr. Zhongli!"
"Of course, you know where to find me if you need me"
Xiao's dad left the room and Xiao began to write down what he said.
"There's the summary, now we need to find a way to make it into an essay"
"Well we could add in more information on the Guili assembly, like how it was ruled by the god of dust, Guizhong and it fell along with her death.. I may not have paid attention to the lesson but I know a few things about Teyvats gods."
"Alright, I think that'll be enough, I'll add in the extra details to make it longer and we should be just about finished"
"Already!?"
"Yeah, but we can rehearse it afterwards if you want the extra points for giving a good presentation."
"Okay"
Xiao began writing and then paused to face me
"Could you check for errors as I write?"
"Sure"
I scooted closer so I could see what he was writing, we were so close our elbows were touching. For some odd reason being this close to him made me feel relaxed, but I still carefully observed the paper as he wrote.

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Xiao POV:

As I was writing I felt a weight suddenly land on my shoulder. When I looked to my right I saw Aether's head resting on me and his blonde hair covering his face
"A-aether?"
My face began to heat up and I felt myself start to blush, I gently pushed the hair away from his eyes to see that they were shut tight.
He fell asleep

(IM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, TO MAKE UP FOR IT I TRIED TO MAKE THIS CHAPTER A LITTLE LONGER AND MORE EXCITING 😭😭😭 I HAD A RLLY BAD WRITING BLOCK)