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Chapter Text

April 6, first day of school at Teyvat Academy. Venti’s phone alarm rang as a painful reminder to him that spring break was over, and he was now in his second year of high school.

He rolled over and grabbed his phone.

7:15, it showed.

He gave out a long groan and got himself out of bed. He didn’t have any parents around to yell at him to wake him up, but he promised to walk to school with Kazuha. This year they weren’t in the same class, so walks to and from home and lunch periods were the only times they were going to spend time together on campus.

So, he forced himself to rush through the school morning routine: get up, take a shower, dress in his winter uniform, and have a quick sandwich for breakfast. While he ate the sandwich, he fixed up a quick lunch for himself: egg rolls, rice, and some apple slices in a plastic baggie.

Forcing down the last bite of the sandwich, he ran to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, not even bothering to look at the mirror. Once he did, he ran out of his door with his school bag and saw Kazuha standing by the nearby electric pole.

“Kazuha!” Venti greeted with a big smile and a wave. “How’s everything going?”

“You have some toothpaste on your blazer.”

Kazuha put his hand on his chest and tried to wipe it off, but this ended up flustering Venti. “Hey! I am an adult, thank you very much.”

“An adult who doesn’t bother to check himself in the mirror for a few seconds, got it.”

Venti attempted to change the subject. “How long have you been staying here anyway?”

Kazuha closed his eyes and put his hand on his chin for a few seconds. “Around thirty minutes or so.”

“Thirty?!” Venti fake pouted. “You didn’t even bother checking in on me?!”

“I figured you were sleeping in for a bit.” Kazuha shrugged. “Speaking of which, we better head to school now, shall we?”

Venti agreed. Kazuha’s always been this bold with him: touching his hair whenever a leaf falls on his head the second it lands and wiping off any chalk dust that ends up in Venti’s clothes whenever he cleans up the chalkboard.

He knew he had a slight crush on him. But if Kazuha noticed all these things ending up on Venti but didn’t ask about some sort of increased rate in heartbeat, he figured he knew but didn’t want to say anything in case it ruined their friendship forever.

So, the rational solution was to keep these feelings, never act on them or talk about it and die like a normal person.

They finally reached school and parted ways. It sucked that Kazuha was in a different class but hey, new class means new victims, wait no, friends to make.

He was friends with one person in the class based on what he could remember from the class list: Lumine. Other than Kazuha, she and her twin brother Aether were the two people he was the closest to.

However, as per usual, she was occupied at the moment with a bunch of other students asking for favors or returning things they borrowed from her. He didn’t really know how she does it, but it’s almost like she and her brother befriended the entire school.

Since he didn’t want to bother her, he just retired in his assigned seat for the year. His seatmate was already right next to him: a boy with medium length hair with teal tips, piercing yellow eyes and a purple diamond marking on his forehead.

While he looked intimidating, he knew he was going to spend the rest of his school year next to the guy. So, might as well introduce himself. It’s not like he was occupied.

“Hello there!”

The boy jumped at the sudden greeting, giving away to Venti that he wasn’t used to people talking to him. Nevertheless, he continued.

“The name’s Venti! It seems like we’ll be with each other for a while, so might I thought I might as well introduce myself!”

He looked away for a bit, his elbow on the table with his hand carrying his chin.

Not the talkative type, I see…

“Xiao.”

“What?”

“You told me your name; it’s only right I told you mine.”

Venti, not really knowing what to say since he didn’t have a plan, simply smiled and said “Alright, Xiao, I hope we can get along this year!”

~                      ~                      ~

Kazuha was waiting in his seat listening to an ambience playlist of rustling leaves and wind, trying his best to ignore the chatter of the classroom. His heightened sense of hearing and smell compared to others was a double-edged sword. While he appreciated listening to the sounds nature gift, he loathed having to hear the clamoring of his classmates every single day.

From a first scan, the only people in the class he recognized were Aether, Gorou and Kokomi. He also couldn’t help but notice that his seatmate was still missing despite class starting in a few minutes. He did overhear rumors of a new student who was a last-minute transfer, so it was most likely them.

Not long after, their homeroom teacher arrived. They did the usual: congratulating them for making it to second year, wishing for the best, all of that.

“Before your own introductions however, I’d like to introduce our new student: Shikanoin Heizou.”

Wait… there’s no chance…

The transfer student walked into the classroom and Kazuha immediately recognized him: the messy burgundy hair with a black streak, green eyes, and a mole under each.

“Hello everyone, my name is Shikanoin Heizou. I was in the top of my class in Narukami Academy however I had to transfer as I had to move back here. I hope we can get along.”

The not-so-subtle bragging, he really hasn’t changed at all, has he?

“Thank you, Heizou. Your seat is right there, next to Kaedehara Kazuha.”

While it was easy to miss, Heizou was a bit surprised to hear that name. He didn’t blame him, the two of them haven’t talked in years since Heizou moved away, and they meet again by pure happenstance.

While Heizou sat next to Kazuha, they didn’t talk to each other for the entire morning. He really didn’t enjoy silence, so this was especially hard on Kazuha.

It wasn’t until lunch when Kazuha got up to go to Venti’s classroom did Heizou say anything to him.

“Did you not miss me?” He asked with that usual grin he’d plaster on.

Kazuha rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but smile. “Someone hasn’t changed at all, has he?”

“I could say the same here.” He retorted. “Tell me, how’s everything going these days? Are you taking care of yourself? Do you need anything?”

Kazuha’s breath hitched. He must’ve heard about what happened to Tomoharu; it was on national news after all…

“Let’s not dwell on the past. I’m fine now with the support of my moms, please don’t ruin the mood.”

“Of course, of course.” Heizou nodded apologetically. “In any case, are you going somewhere?”

“2-3 classroom. I have a friend there.”

“May I join you?”

~                      ~                      ~

Venti was scrolling through his phone, waiting for Kazuha to show up. Xiao was still next to him, eating grilled tiger fish on a stick.

He did eventually show up but with a new face that Venti didn’t recognize. Who was this guy?

“Venti, this is Shikanoin Heizou, one of my childhood friends who recently transferred.” Kazuha then turned to Heizou. “Heizou, this is Venti, my friend who I sat next to last year.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Heizou!” Venti said in his usual cheery tone.

“Likewise.” Heizou nodded.

“Wonderful.” Kazuha commented. “Will your seatmate be alright if we join?”

Xiao spoke up. “Just don’t make too much noise.”

“You heard him.” Kazuha crossed his arms and glanced at Heizou.

“I’m not even going to argue with you, it isn’t worth it.” Heizou muttered.

The four of them, including Xiao who was already three-quarters into his meal, shared their lunch time together. They didn’t exactly have much to say to each other: Venti and Heizou had just met, and Xiao was definitely not going to even acknowledge them, so Kazuha of all people had to break the ever-growing silence.

“You have work later, yes?” Kazuha asked.

“Sigh, sadly yes.” Venti groaned. “Looks like we won’t walk home together.”

“Of course, of course. I suppose that means I should help with kendo recruitment then. Heizou, would you be interested?”

“Absolutely not.”

“It was worth a try.”

While their conversations were sparse, it wasn’t completely awkward which was a win in their books. Eventually, Kazuha and Heizou had to leave to return to their classroom, leaving Venti and Xiao.

“They seem nice.” Xiao commented. “That red haired fellow seemed a bit irritating however.”

A bit was an understatement, Venti thought.

~                      ~                      ~

After the day ended, Venti left the campus to go to his job at McDonald’s after saying his byes to Kazuha. Kazuha on the other hand was helping the Kamisato siblings with any paperwork they needed to get done on top of recruitment help. While he just wanted to help, the Kamisato siblings insisted on owing him a favor for all the help he’s done now and last year.

And while he does enjoy helping, he couldn’t help but notice how tired he’s gotten, so he figured he should call it a day and go home to play video games.

That was until Heizou caught up to him.

“Kazuha! I was wondering if we can walk home, stop by a convenience store?”

His logical side was telling him that he can’t since a good amount of his energy was spent. On the other hand, his irrational side is telling him to accept his offer.

“Come now, Kazuha, I want to make up our lost time together!”

That smile.

The irrational side won but he also felt some energy return just from that smile.

“Okay, but it’s your treat.”

“You’re no fun.” Heizou commented. “But fine.”

Chapter Text

Six days had passed, and Xiao still couldn’t believe it. He was sitting next to Venti.

Xiao wasn’t a particularly emotional person, in fact quite the opposite. Because of this, he couldn’t describe what particular emotion he felt when he first saw him at first.

He could remember it as clear as day, however.

It was his first culture festival in high school, and he was wading through the crowds with his sisters Ganyu and Hu Tao (the latter of which joined because she wanted to know what her high school was going to be like). He wanted to skip the culture festival entirely, but his father insisted on him going.

“You’re only young once, Xiao. It’s best you cherish it.” Father said.

While back then he still felt like the culture festival was a waste of his precious time, it all changed when they went and saw the light music club’s first performance on the second day.

The place was crowded, as you’d expect it to be, and he felt suffocated. This performance better end as soon as possible or else, he thought.

“Sorry for the wait everyone!” the announcer said. “We had some issues with the speakers but now here we are!”

The crowd, including his sisters, cheered. Xiao simply crossed his arms.

“Today’s opening performance is led by an up-and-coming freshman, as per tradition! After that we have our seniors doing their last performance!”

“Alright, enough talk, let’s give it up for Venti!”

On the stage appeared a boy, not much taller than Xiao. His black hair was tied in twin braids with the ends fading into a vibrant aqua, wearing the school’s beret. And even in the crowd, he couldn’t help but notice his soft green eyes.

The performer took a deep breath, placing himself before a keyboard and sitting and played the instrument whilst singing in a calm manner.

Wind arises with the morning light

The journey's first steps will soon depart

Go see sights, go explore, go seek and discover

The voice you long for will reach your ears

Xiao couldn’t help but be enamored by his singing. He wouldn’t say he disliked music, but he wasn’t exactly the type to seek it out either. But right now, it felt like his world dissipated and all that was left was him and this performer.

And he wished it lasted forever.

But as any performance goes, it had to stop at some point. He was upset when the man on stage eventually stopped and took his bow, with the crowd erupting into a loud round of applause.

The rest of the time at the auditorium was a blur. He couldn’t stop thinking about that performer. Venti, was it? he thought. A nice name…

A few hours before the day’s festival celebration ended, he, Ganyu and Hu Tao were eating some snacks they bought at the food stalls. Maybe it was because Xiao was still deep in thought about Venti, but Hu Tao eventually had to shake him.

“Hey, earth to Xiao?” Hu Tao asked. “I’ve been asking if I could have any of that tofu?”

“No.” He replied quickly. Was he so distracted that he didn’t even notice her?

“Is everything alright?” Ganyu asked, concern in her eyes. “I know Father said you should enjoy your time here but if you really do feel overwhelmed…”

“I’m fine.” Xiao indented. “The festival’s almost over, might as well push through.”

“Whatever you say…”

While Ganyu decided to drop the topic and continue eating her sweet potatoes. Hu Tao, being a bother, decided to push the topic a bit more.

“You know, Xiao,” Hu Tao said in a condescending tone. “It’s very unlike you to space out. Aren’t you like, super vigilant all the time?”

“So I’m not allowed to be in a daze every once in a while?”

“The other day you looked like you were about to fall asleep, so I tried to scare you with the new mask I bought. But you just stood there without even flinching! As if you were already expecting me!”

“You’re quite obvious.”

“How is that obvious?!” Hu Tao shook him by his left shoulder. “And also, you seemed to be in that weird daze since the light music club performance.”

Hu Tao gasped. “Don’t tell me: do you have a crush on one of the performers?!”

“Hu Tao.” Xiao was annoyed, both at Hu Tao’s persistence and a truth he didn’t want to face.

“Alright, alright I’ll keep your dirty little secret!” She gave him a wink.

Xiao let out a heavy sigh. It’s fine, he thought. It’s just fleeting, he told himself.

~                      ~                      ~

And now here he was on his bed, staring at the ceiling and contemplating every decision that brought him to this point.

Archons, what was wrong with him?

On one hand he didn’t want to act on these feelings. After all, they’re only a hindrance, a distraction even. He couldn’t focus on his studies or even focus in general because of them.

On the other hand, he wanted to spend more time with him to figure out what he’s really like. Hey, maybe if he’s actually a terrible person he can get over these irrational feelings quicker.

So, at breakfast the next day, he had to ask his father for something.

“You want to celebrate your birthday on the 18th instead of the 17th?” His father asked.

“Yes, Father.” Xiao answered. “I’d… like to spend time with friends that Friday.”

“I see,” His father put his hand on his chin, acting as though he was deep in thought. “While I can’t say it doesn’t hurt, I also can’t remember the last time you asked me for something. Very well, it’s not like I made any reservations.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Father.”

After eating breakfast, he and his sisters brushed their teeth while their father finished preparing their lunches. After they picked up their school bags and lunch, he, Ganyu and Hu Tao walked Qiqi to her school before heading off on their own.

The three parted ways to go to their classes, and there he saw what he believed was going to be the death of him if Xiao didn’t try and ruin his own mental image of the musician as soon as he could.

“Hello, Venti.” He said, setting his bag next to his table.

“Hi Xiao!” He greeted with the same joyful tone he’d always have.

He thought this over carefully. He wasn’t going to ask him right now since he didn’t even have a proper venue for his birthday. So now he has to ask someone else for a favor.

“Oh, hello Xiao!” Lumine greeted. "Need anything?"

“If it’s alright, may I take your time?” Xiao asked. “I’d like to talk somewhere in private.”

Lumine sighed. “Did Hu Tao do something?”

“No, don’t worry.”

As the two of them walked outside the classroom, he felt a sense of regret wash over him. But he needed to do what had to be done, so he explained his story to Lumine.

“Just to be clear, you want to me to help you ruin Venti’s time there, painting you as a bad guy.” Lumine said. “So, he stops trying to get close to you?”

Xiao nodded. “That is the plan, yes.”

“Xiao, you found someone whose company you enjoy, isn’t it a little odd you’re trying to sabotage yourself and prevent your own happiness.”

“I’m not sabotaging myself.” Xiao stated. “I just want to get rid of these unnecessary feelings.”

Lumine shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat, Xiao. Though I must warn you, Venti’s a pretty nice person. So I don’t think this plan of yours is gonna work.”

“It will.” Xiao insisted. “You don’t exactly know a person just from spending only a bit of time with them.”

“Well, I feel like the better solution is to simply stop spending time with them and let nature take its course.”

“No!”

Xiao raised his voice. This surprised the two, considering that while he did intimidate others, he wasn’t the type to raise his voice.

“Look just… help me, alright?” Xiao asked. It wasn’t a request anymore, it sounded more like a plea.

Lumine put her hand to her chin. “Sorry, Xiao. How about this, I know a freshman whose family runs a place called the Wanmin Restaurant that lets you have whatever add-ons you’d like. I know Venti’s tastes pretty well, so I’ll just put some add-ons he hates and say it was your request.

“That’s the first part, but I should be able to think of some other things before Friday comes.”

Xiao sighs of relief. “Thank you Lumine. It’s best we go back to the classroom?” Xiao asked.

“Oh, I uh, need to go to the bathroom first.”

Xiao nodded, seeing nothing suspicious about it. When he does go back inside with Lumine being a good distance away, she spoke up.

“Oh, I am so getting those two together.”

~                      ~                      ~

“I’ll make this quick. Father allowed me to celebrate my birthday with a few friends of mine.” Not technically a lie, he thought to himself. “So, I was wondering if you would like to join me?”

Venti was a little taken aback by this. “You consider me as a friend?”

“Why, do you not see me as a friend?”

“No, no, I do!” He waved his hands in front of him in defense. “It’s just that, I can’t exactly tell whether you see me as one considering you don’t exactly initiate conversations with me all that much.”

“Well, I do. So, are you going with me or not?”

“Sure!” Venti smiled. “Anything for you!”

Xiao took a deep breath in and out.

If only that were really true.

Chapter Text

Heizou wasn’t stupid.

He considered himself the polar opposite, in fact.

So, it only took a few lunch meetings with his friends, or what he considered to be his friends: Kazuha, Venti, and Xiao, for his intuition to come to a certain conclusion.

Xiao likes Venti, Venti likes Kazuha, and (if his intuition was right, which it usually is) Kazuha has developing feelings towards him.

This matter doesn’t really concern him, however. He figured the three would be able to handle this whole problem on their own without any help from him. Once things do get a bit messy, say everyone finds out about their feelings and now don’t want to talk to each other, he’d have to step in. But he doubts something like that would happen soon.

Before he went to his usual routine of going to lunch with the three, he was stopped by Aether. He had been quite sociable towards the transfer, with Heizou even lending his help in his student council work.

“Heizou, hey, can I ask you for something?” He clapped his hands, keeping them together. “No big deal it’s just one small favor.”

He turned to his direction “Of course, what is it?”

“Would you like to join the Disciplinary Committee?”

“…why?”

Aether sighed. “Long story short, apparently one of the second-year members, well, a former second-year member, was caught with some prohibited substance a few days ago and got themselves expelled. So, a slot is open, and one of the heads of the disciplinary committee asked if I could help find someone.”

Expulsion already on the first week? Wow. “Well, I know I’m perfectly competent for the job. But what made you think so?”

“Confident as ever, it seems!” Aether placed his hand on his chin, pretending to be in deep thought. “I guess it’s just my,” he snapped his fingers “Intuition?”

“…” Heizou looked at him in disdain. “You’re doing a bad job at selling me this position.”

“Heizou please, I’m begging you here, maaaan!” Aether grabbed and shook his shoulders. “I promised Sara-senpai to find someone suitable for the joooob!”

The transfer gave a long sigh. “Alright, but you owe me.”

Aether’s eyes lit up. “Thanks a ton! I’ll take care of all the paperwork; I’ll just ask you for the signatures after school and you can start tomorrow.”

He needed to join a student organization anyway, so in reality Aether was doing him a favor. But he didn’t have to know that now, did he?

He caught up with Kazuha and discussed joining the Disciplinary Committee with the rest of his lunch buddies. It didn’t really bother him; this was actually good since that means he doesn’t have to wait for Kazuha and sometimes Venti when leaving the campus.

~                      ~                      ~

Why the fuck was Xiao in the Disciplinary Committee?

The first thing he noticed when he entered the committee room was Xiao and what he assumed was one of the committee heads.

He didn’t want to cause a scene on his first day as a committee member, so he just pretended not to know him, introduced himself to the committee, and listened in on their meeting regarding any new appeals on the standing rules.

Wow, this was… not fun. He hated to admit it, but he’d rather wait an hour for his friends to finish up their classes. He couldn’t complain too much, being in the committee would have benefits of being extremely nosy under grounds of ‘investigation’.

He knew not to use that too much lest he gets the same treatment the last member had, but it was a thought that helped him survive this first meeting.

When it finally did end, he approached Xiao once the two of them were out of the room.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in the committee?!” Heizou grabbed his shoulder, with Xiao moving his hand away almost immediately.

“You never asked.”

“You could have mentioned it at lunch.” Heizou pointed out.

“You didn’t ask.” Xiao repeated.

There was no getting through to this guy, huh? Well, he might as well have a little fun.

“So… are you walking home with anyone?” He asked innocently. “If your house is near, you could walk home with me.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Xiao said bluntly. “My sisters and I are going to be walking home together as usual.”

As if on cue, Xiao got a phone call. While Heizou couldn’t hear much he could just barely hear the words ‘without me’, ‘council’ and ‘late’. So, his sister’s a student council member?

He groaned in disbelief.

“That must’ve been one of your sisters?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean-”

As if the universe was spitting on his face, a brunette with twin tails ran up to them yelling.

“Xiao! Hey, sorry, but Xingqiu’s making me stay late!” she put her hands in a praying position. “Can you pick up Qiqi on your own?”

Heizou looked at him with a smug face that Xiao wanted to punch. Nonetheless, he accepted his fate, with Hu Tao none the wiser, happily skipping away.

“The offer’s still up, you know. But you better hurry up, I really don’t want Kazuha and Venti to wait.”

The mention of Venti definitely grabbed his attention, but he did his best to mask his excitement. Couldn’t fool him though.

“Alright, but only if you’re okay with stopping by Bubu Middle School. Like Hu Tao mentioned, I need to pick up my sister.”

How many sisters does he have?

“That’s quite close actually, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

The two walked downstairs, not really saying anything to each other. He figured it was okay for Xiao, but this was far too deafening of a silence for him. So, he reluctantly started small talk.

“So, how old is your youngest?”

“She’s twelve, only started middle school this year.” Xiao answered briefly.

He needed him to talk more. “I see, so other than your three sisters do you have any other siblings?”

Xiao looked away from him slightly. Oh no, he might’ve hit a topic that the other person didn’t want to be brought up. What’s that, two in one month already?

“Sort of. Me and my sisters were actually adopted.” Xiao said in his usual slightly annoyed tone, but Heizou could feel a hint of sadness. “I have some biological siblings, but I don’t really know what happened to them.”

His intuition told him that was a lie, but he wasn’t about to bring his curiosity into this and ask further. He liked reading people, but he knew his limits. If Xiao didn’t want to bring it up, it doesn’t need to be brought up.

Finally, Kazuha and Venti were in line of view.

“About time.” Kazuha crossed his arms. “We were a few minutes away from just leaving you.”

“Hey, the meeting lasted longer than we thought!” Heizou tried to excuse himself. “Plus, I’ve had to wait for you last week!”

He felt a gaze pierce at him, so he tried to push the attention onto Xiao. “By the way, Xiao’s joining us! Is it alright with you two if we stop by Bubu Middle School? It’s for his sister.”

“Wait, how did you get Xiao to join you?” Venti asked.

He explained the situation to them briefly. While Kazuha was on his side saying that he should’ve mentioned that he was part of the committee, Venti got a good laugh out of it.

Their usual walk home was very similar, since Xiao was doing his best to stay invisible to them. Heizou wasn’t having any of that, so every now and then he’d repeat whatever question or topic they’d bring up to him, so he’d actually talk.

“Actually, did Xiao ever mention his birthday to you two?” Venti asked.

Kazuha and Heizou both turned towards Xiao, imitating a look of betrayal.

“How could you?” Heizou asked in an overdramatic tone.

Xiao shrugged. “I forgot to ask. Forgive me. If you’re interested, it’s on Friday at eleven at the Wanmin Restaurant.”

Kazuha gasped at the mention. “I don’t think I’ve been there since middle school. Thank you for this invite, Xiao.”

“That reminds me!” Venti snapped his fingers. “Xiao, do you want anything in particular for your birthday?”

“Umm…” Xiao took a moment to actually comprehend what was being asked of him. “Perhaps some new pens? A bookbinder?”

Heizou sighed. “You must live a sad, sad life, don’t you?”

“That is far from true.”

“Alright, that’s enough out of you two.” Kazuha interrupted them. “However, I may have to partially side with Heizou on this. I don’t think school supplies are a very great birthday gift.”

Their conversations continued, or rather Venti kept bringing up random topics that came into his head.

Once they reached Bubu Middle School, they waited by the gate since only Xiao was allowed entry inside.

It only took a few minutes before Xiao came back with his little sister. She seemed normal height for her age, with her light purple hair tied in a very long braid and a little beret covering it.

“Xiao… hello… Where’s Ganyu and Hu Tao?”

“They’re staying late today, I’m afraid.” Xiao explained “How was school, Qiqi?”

“It was alright… I made two new friends today…” Qiqi turned her head towards the other three’s direction. “Are these your friends?”

Xiao turned to them surprised, as if he completely forgot they were there and reluctantly answered. “You can say that.”

“How rude.” Venti pouted.

“My apologies.” He said immediately. “Well in any case, I think I can part with you three now. My house is only a few minutes away and I don’t wish to take any more of your time.”

“You know you don’t have to worry about something as trivial as that.” Heizou reassured. “You can go if you’d like but we were planning on going to the convenience store before we actually went home.”

Qiqi pulled Xiao’s arm. “Xiao, can we go with them? I want a souffle pancake.”

Xiao let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, but don’t tell Father.”

Heizou smiled. Their relationship reminded him of his relationship with his cousin Nana when he was younger. But only slightly; he was definitely a much more troublesome child than Qiqi was or ever will be.

All in all, he was a nice person who just needs some warming up to. Sure, he knew he was going to be annoying as hell when they were doing committee duties, but once those duties were relieved for the day, he was just a normal kid just like the rest of them were.

Let’s just hope nothing else happens.

Chapter Text

It was finally time for Xiao’s birthday. And he was very stressed.

While he knew he owed Lumine a huge favor by tripling the demand due to Kazuha and Heizou joining, she agreed, but told him she needed to look into the new transfer more.

The plan he told them was to go to Wanmin for an evening meal and a movie later. Lumine reassured him that she picked the worst dishes and modifications based on their tastes and to pick one of the worst movies that were on. He trusted her on this when she gave him the notes so he could reserve a place at Wanmin.

Or rather he’d ask his sister to reserve a place since he didn’t want to talk to anyone over the phone.

If push comes to shove, he just has to keep doing little things like this at school until they finally decide to stop talking to him.

A part of him knew this was wrong but he needed to rid any and all thoughts of Venti. Even if he has to rid himself of those new friends he made since they’re closer to Venti than they are to him.

It was for the best, he kept telling himself.

After school ended, he collected the three along with Lumine. Since the restaurant was a little farther than he would’ve liked, they opted to go to the train station.

They managed to arrive at the restaurant without any trouble. The restaurant wasn’t anything fancy; it looked like any old diner you’d pass by. The concrete walls were white and were supported by sandbearer wood, with a teal xieshan roof and a sign on the front with the word ‘Wanmin’.

They were greeted by a kind looking middle-aged man behind the kitchen, say late 40’s to early 50’s, who they presumed to be the chef.

“We have a reservation under the name Morax Ganyu.” Xiao stated.

“Ah, yes of course.” He nodded. “You’re actually quite earlier than expected! Sit down while we finish preparing your meals.”

Kazuha turned to Xiao with a confused look. “Preparing our meals?”

“It’s a hassle to wait an hour or so.” Xiao explained. “I trust you’re okay with whatever I ordered.”

The three didn’t want to sound rude so they just accepted it and moved on.

It only took five minutes of wait time before their order was done. But their reactions weren’t exactly what he was expecting.

“I didn’t know they served toffee apples here!” Venti exclaimed. “And I didn’t know you knew my favorite food was apples!”

Definitely not what he was expecting.

“He didn’t.” Lumine answered. “He had to come and ask me what kinds of foods you guys liked so he could make a good impression on you all.”

That was most certainly the opposite of what he wanted, Lumine. Why was she doing this? They had a deal. Why-

“Oh, how nice of you, Xiao.” Kazuha nodded. “This might have been a coincidence on your part Lumine, but black perch stew was actually my usual order when I was in middle school.”

He then turned to Heizou. “No touching your food yet, we’ve yet to give our presents.”

“Darn.”

Venti’s present was white and cubical with a teal ribbon but the wrapping looked untidy, Kazuha’s present was a small but thick and rectangular with very neat red wrapping, and Heizou just used a standard aqua green gift bag.

Lumine unfortunately didn’t have time to wrap hers so they could see in full view a small notebook with a mascot character Xiao didn’t recognize.

While Xiao was ready to just move on and put them in his school bag, Venti asked “Aren’t you going to open them?”

He wasn’t really sure. All the other presents he got in his lifetime were from his family who never bothered with gift wrapping.

“Don’t you want to eat?” Xiao tried to change the subject. “Your food’s going to get cold.”

“It’s only a takes a minute or so.” Kazuha pointed out. “However, it’s your decision.”

He internally sighed. The day was already going to the wastebin and now there was the chance of him becoming more attached to these new people. He was just going to give them to his siblings or something.

He reluctantly agreed, thinking that it was odd if he insisted on avoiding opening presents.

Heizou’s gift was standard: a black wallet from a normal brand.

Kazuha’s was something he didn’t expect: a first edition book for a novel series called Legend of the Shattered Halberd that Xiao offhandedly mentioned.

“Where did you-”

“Antique shop.” Kazuha answered, rather quickly he noticed.

Lastly was Venti’s. His was a plushie of a small fat teal bird with a mark on its forehead similar to his with two purple circle under its eyes signifying a blush.

Venti giggled when he saw his present “I saw that in the mall the other day and thought to myself: ‘Woah, that looks a lot like Xiao!’”

“How does it look like him in the slightest?!” Lumine asked.

“The little thing on the forehead!”

Xiao almost didn’t hear what they were saying since he was too transfixed on Venti saying something reminded him of Xiao. He did manage to free himself from the brief daze by pinching himself.

“Alright, are we done now?” Heizou asked.

Xiao nodded, signaling them that it was finally time to eat.

~                      ~                      ~

The day was going far too well and Xiao almost felt like he was actually having fun. The thought disgusted him.

He was supposed to purge this day so he could go focus on his school and extracurricular duties and do his family proud but no, Lumine decided that the day should be amazing.

The movie they picked out was also decent, supposedly a live-action adaptation of the first book of a series called The Miraculous Adventures of the Traveler.

“That was so cool!” Lumine yelled while stretching her arms after sitting still for two hours.

“Well, while some story beats were predictable, the experience was overall satisfying.” Heizou shrugged.

“Yes, but you think everything is predictable.” Kazuha argued.

“Just because something is predictable doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable.” Heizou pointed out. “I’d much rather have a predictable ending than a shock-factor ending.”

Xiao needed to go to the bathroom to think all of this over. He was not about to find comfort in these people that he just met. Why did he even invite them all in the first place? What was wrong with him.

He excused himself to go to the men’s restroom. It was somehow empty despite the large audience which was to his benefit.

Xiao took deep breaths and washed his face with tap water that ran through the faucet. Now he just needed to direct his focus on other things.

Looking around, he saw the ceiling, the water running from the sink, his reflection, the toilet stalls, and his hands.

He wiped the excess water on his pants, making sure to really feel the linen fabric. Not knowing what exactly he could do next, he rubbed his cheeks and hair and rubbed his hands together.

He then focused on the sound of the LED lights buzzing, the faint noises coming from the outside and the sound of his own breathing.

Knowing he was almost done he took in a deep breath. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s really been here; it smelled of the usual lemon air freshener you’d smell anywhere else. Then he washed his hands, taking in the smell of the lavender soap.

He then reached into his pocket to grab a stick of mint gum. At this point he managed to fully calm himself down.

Just when he was about to go out of the restroom, it opened from the other side.

“Is everything alright?” a stern voice asked.

It was Heizou.

Xiao didn’t want to show that he was in a vulnerable state, so he lied using his best apathetic voice. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed confused and worried the entire time we were celebrating.”

Wait what, there was no way he knew, he was masking his emotions the entire evening. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He let out a sigh. “You don’t have to talk about it if you really don’t want to, but I just want you to know everyone’s worried.

“They didn’t say it of course since no one wants to be a downer, but I could tell from their body language.”

Xiao was starting to get really pissed off at this guy. “Why do you care?”

“Because we’re friends?”

Friends…

“I don’t know much about Lumine, but she seems like a good person to talk to. If they’re not around, you could always talk to Venti, Kazuha and me.”

“What would I have to talk about with you?” He asked in a condescending tone.

The transfer simply shrugged. “I don’t know: your hobbies, your interests, whatever’s on your mind, whatever’s troubling you.”

“You don’t understand…” Xiao stated. “It’s too complicated.”

Heizou laughed briefly at that statement. “You expect me to believe that? Man alive, we’re highschoolers; there’s nothing complicated about our lives. At least nothing’s supposed to be.

“If you want, I can leave. But I just want you to keep what I said in mind.”

The two stood there in silence. Was Xiao really blowing this out of proportion?

He took a deep sigh. “You go ahead, I…”

Xiao looked back at the mirror and saw himself.

“I’ll catch up.”

~                      ~                      ~

After all of that a familiar black car with tinted windows showed up in front of cinema. From the driver’s seat emerged a tall man with sharp amber eyes, his windswept black hair fading into an amber brown tied into a very thing ponytail.

Venti then yelled. “Mr. Morax?!”

Xiao turned to his classmate. “You know my father?”

Venti was even more taken aback by the revelation. “Father?!”

“Yes, I am Morax Zhongli, Xiao’s father.” He repeated. “I am also one of Venti’s managers.”

Mr. Morax continued to talk. “I recognize Lumine through Hu Tao and Venti through work, but not these two.”

“Well, my name is Shikanoin Heizou.” Heizou decided to start introductions. “And this is Kaedehara Kazuha. We’re not in the same class, but we share lunch together due to a mutual connection to Venti.”

“I see.” Mr. Morax took note. “In any case, I’d like to thank all of you for being friends with my son. Now, I believe it’s best we get going, Xiao?”

Xiao nodded, saying goodbye to his friends (if they truly consider him that term). He hopped on the front passenger seat, closing the door behind and waiting for his father to start the car and drive.

Once they were on the road, his father asked him something.

“Did you have fun today?”

Xiao paused at that question. Today has gone in the worst direction possible for his plan to sever his connection with the three of them. Lumine decided to give them dishes based on what their favorites were, and they went to a movie that everyone enjoyed. By all accounts this was the worst possible outcome of the plan.

“Yes.” Xiao muttered. “I think had fun.”

Chapter Text

Kazuha woke up earlier than his alarm clock with the sun yet to be seen again. He got up from his futon, did his morning stretches, took a shower, dressed in his uniform, and got out of his bedroom. A quick time check from his phone showed that it was only six in the morning.

Once he got out of his room, he navigated through the maze of a mansion that he lived in. Around five minutes of walking later he reached the kitchen where the house chef was already preparing the meals for the day, his mother was on her tablet (no doubt looking at the news), and his cat Tama on the floor playing with a ball of yarn.

“Good morning Tama.” He knelt down, rubbing Tama’s stomach causing her to purr. “Good morning, mother.”

His mother’s eyes left the tablet and focused onto her son. “Good morning, Kazuha. Please, sit down. We’re having pancakes for breakfast. I believe it’s your school’s physical examination today?”

He nodded, sitting down next to her at the table. Knowing her, she was to leave in ten minutes to get to her office extra early to eavesdrop on any conversations happening within company grounds.

His mom on the other hand was most probably still asleep as her job starts at nine. But he knew she would wake up at around 8:50.

Kazuha finished his pancakes, gave Tama a quick headpat, went to one of the downstairs bathrooms to brush his teeth, knowing that it would take much longer if went back to his room to do it.

He then checked himself in the mirror: his hair was tidy and tied in a tight side ponytail, his face and clothes were clean, and it doesn’t seem like anything was missing on his person.

He said his goodbyes to his mother and some of the servants he passed by and went out through a back exit away from the front gate.

He never disclosed to anyone in his high school that he was actually a rich kid, not even Venti.

The reason was that based on some of the treatment he got in grade school; people treated you differently if they found out you were well-off. Indeed, many of his classmates only tried to befriend them because they wanted expensive gifts or bragging rights.

The only people who ever managed to be true friends with him without any ulterior motives were Heizou and his other childhood friend Tomoharu.

There was another reason why he didn’t want to mention that he was rich, but he doesn’t want to think about it for too long.

So, when his mother asked if he wanted to conceal this part of him, he pounced on the offer. It was easy enough; even though his mother was a famous businesswoman and politician, and his mom was an Olympic swimmer, they never disclosed Kazuha’s identity to the public since they believed children shouldn’t be put in the spotlight.

Adding to the fact that Kazuha still used his birth surname, no one suspected the quiet kid who kept to himself to be the son of two widely famous figures.

It was much better that way; he made more friends naturally in high school and no one was crowding him around the table asking for favors.

After a good twenty minutes of walking, constantly looking behind him, he reached Venti’s apartment. Expecting to wait a while longer, he stood with his back pressed behind the nearby utility pole as he usually would.

He fished out his phone from his pocket, took out a Bluetooth earphone putting it in his left ear, and played another ambience playlist. Not really knowing what else to do, he checked his gallery.

Venti made a group chat with the four of them on Line and posted a few pictures he took during Xiao’s birthday yesterday.

One picture Kazuha took his sweet time staring at was a picture that Venti took of himself and Heizou at the Wanmin restaurant. He didn’t remember what they were doing but Venti took a good shot of the two of them mid-laugh.

In the photo Kazuha’s hand was slightly covering his mouth with his eyes closed and a small open smile on his face. Heizou also had his eyes closed with his head tilted down, big grin on plastered on his face and the back of his hand carried his chin with his elbow on the table.

He sighed to himself. Sure, Heizou might have been Kazuha’s first love but there was no way those feelings were resurfacing now of all times. It’s been four years since he last saw him, surely there were no residual feelings left, right?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Venti’s door slowly opening and closing, light footsteps following it. He figured Venti was going to try and scare him, as he did countless times before, but it’s not like he got the jump on him at any given point in time.

“I know you’re there, Venti.” He said “You should really stop doing that, you’re never going to win.”

“I can and will, one day!” Venti yelled in response. “I swear, how do you do it?”

“I’m just a bit more perceptive than normal.” Kazuha shrugged. “There’s nothing more to it.”

Venti let out a huge groan. “I think a bit is an understatement but whatever you say…

“In any case, do you want to be partners in the fitness exam?”

He didn’t see any reason why not, so he agreed.

As Venti went on to talk about what he thought about a new episode of a show they both watched, he realized that he should’ve said no so he could ask Heizou but it was too late to back out now, so he just accepted it and moved on.

“Are you also free, later? It’s a half-day so I have some time before I go to work.” Venti gasped. “Let’s go to that one ramen place Aether posted about on Insta the other day!”

“Venti, you know I don’t like using social media.” He side-eyed him “The most I use it for is finding codes for Misty Dungeon, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh poor, poor Kazuha.” Venti made a ‘tsk tsk tsk’ sound while shaking his head. “If only you knew what you were missing out on.”

“I don’t know what I’m missing out on, and I prefer to keep it that way.”

“Look, are we going to the ramen restaurant or not?”

“Okay, I’ll go ask Heizou and you can go ask Xiao to see if they’d like to come.”

~                      ~                      ~

“Sorry, can’t.”

The two of them were on their way to the nurse’s office for the physical exam with the rest of their class when Kazuha brought the topic up.

“How come?”

Heizou groaned. “Disciplinary Committee meeting. I’d skip but Xiao warned me that Committee Leaders Kujou-senpai and Mahamatra-senpai are ruthless.”

Kazuha put his hand under his chin. “I see… so I assume that means Xiao isn’t coming as well?”

“Yup.” He said with a pop at the end. “If I’d even suggest we’d play hooky he’d probably report me.”

Looks like it’s just him and Venti now. It wasn’t that different from his first year, but he wished Heizou would’ve come along with.

The physical examination was very uneventful as you’d expect: first they check your eyesight, then they make you stand on a height measuring device, then on a weighing scale and lastly they sit you down to measure sitting height.

After being handed back his measurements he took a look at the results.

==========

Year 2 Class 2            Name: Kaedehara Kazuha

Body Height: 164

Weight: 58

Sitting Height: 70

Eyesight: R 1.5 L 1.3

==========

The results were nothing he didn’t expect given his routine. He then went to the locker room to dress in his PE uniform, the clipboard still on his person. By the time he got out, Heizou had just finished his examination and was about to change.

“Hey, Kazuha!” Heizou waved. “Can I see your results? I’m curious.”

Exchanging clipboards, Kazuha took a brief glance at his friend’s measurements

==========

Year 2 Class 2            Name: Shikanoin Heizou

Body Height: 162

Weight: 54

Sitting Height: 68

Eyesight: R 0.8 L 0.7

==========

“It seems I’m winning.” Kazuha offhandedly mentioned, giving back the clipboard.

Heizou raised his eyebrow at that statement “Um, since when was this a competition?”

“Don’t lie. If you had gotten better measures, you would’ve been bragging about it to my face.”

He raised a finger at that, about to say something to refute it. But nothing came out.

“Ugh, you got me there.” Heizou sighed in his usual overdramatic fashion, getting over it almost immediately. “But anyhow, would you like to partner with me on the fitness exam later?”

Kazuha held his breath. He wanted to say yes but he already said yes to Venti.

Hesitating, he told him. “Sorry, Venti asked me on the way here.”

Heizou snapped his fingers. “Darn! I guess I’m going to ask Xiao or Aether then, but I think Xiao’s the better bet. In any case, we’re going to have to be partners next year.”

Partners. He knew what he meant but Kazuha’s mind drifted for a moment and thought of the other meaning of that word. He snapped himself out of it, but immediately became transfixed when Heizou took off his shirt to change.

This wasn’t the first time they’ve changed together but this was definitely the first time Kazuha was staring at something like this. His frame was very small, but he wasn’t malnourished by any means. If anything, he was on the leaner side of the spectrum.

Subconsciously using his right hand, he pinched his other hand to wake himself up from…whatever this was and excused himself. He couldn’t see it, but he felt his face turn a slight tint of pink, his heart felt louder than usual, and a hefty dose of shame washed over him.

It’s fine, it’s probably just hormones. He thought to himself. Yes, definitely hormones.

Before going to the gymnasium, he went back to the restroom to wash his face and cool himself off. There was still some shame in him after he did that, after all he was just staring at his childhood best friend while he was changing, but other than that it seemed his body has calmed down.

He did manage to drag himself towards the gymnasium, with Venti sitting by the bleachers presumably waiting for him.

“Kazuha, about time!” He yelled, rushing towards him. “You know, it’s very unlike you to make me wait. Buuuut, I’ll allow it!”

They then did the usual fitness tests indoors: grip strength using a dynamometer three times and getting the average, sit-and-reach for body flexibility, side steps, and sit-ups.

==========

Year 2 Class 2            Name: Kaedehara Kazuha

Grip Strength: 25 kg

Body Flexibility: 50 cm

Side stepping: 50x

Sit-ups: 40x

==========

Year 2 Class 3            Name: Barbatos Venti

Grip Strength: 19 kg

Body Flexibility: 53 cm

Side stepping: 42x

Sit-ups: 30x

==========

“How are you so good at this?!” Venti groaned, signing Kazuha’s clipboard so the examiners can know who recorded who’s scores.

One answer could be the fact that his personal trainer, who was also an Olympic gold medalist, who was also his mom, likes to push him to his very limits every weekend. But he answered the way he usually does.

Simply shrug and say it must’ve been from all the kendo club practice.

The last part of the physical exam was almost over, taking place outside. Summer wasn’t until next month so despite the fact it was nearing noon, it wasn’t very hot.

“Last three exercises!” Venti yelled, stretching his arms up into the air and yawning. “What do we do first?”

“I’d prefer 50-meter sprint to be last, if that’s alright with you?”

“Alright then, long jump it is!”

The area was a usual rectangular area of sand, with their partner measuring how far they could jump based on the mark they’d leave on the sand after said jump.

While Kazuha’s turn went off without any incident, Venti wasn’t so lucky. When he jumped, he fell, with Kazuha noticing that he landed on his left foot on a weird angle.

“Is everything alright?” Kazuha ran towards the fallen man. “Do I need to get you to the nurse?”

Venti put his hands in front of himself and waved it off. “No, it’s fine, I can just walk it off…”

“Absolutely not.” he crossed his arms before lending his hand to help him up “At the very least, let me check.”

Venti hesitantly took his hand to help him up, wincing a little when he tries to stand. Kazuha then slung Venti’s arm around his shoulders to support them. This caused Venti to have an increased heart rate, which Kazuha figured was because he was shy when it came to any close physical touch.

“You know what, maybe I should go to the nurse’s office.” Venti tried to laugh off the situation. “I mean, if it was a strain, I have an excuse not to go to work.”

“I’m glad you’re putting a positive interpretation to this.” Kazuha nodded “I’ll help you walk, just rest your weight onto me for now.”

“Y-yeah, yeah, sure.”

One of the nurse’s assistants was actually nearby in case anything like this happened. After a bit of checking, they concluded that there was indeed a sprain, and that Venti should be given proper treatment while Kazuha needed to find someone else to oversee and sign his clipboard.

Venti sighed. “For shame, I was looking forward to going to that ramen restaurant and spending some time with you.”

“Well, I don’t have anything to do after school so why don’t I stay with you for a while?”

Venti’s eyes widened slightly but they closed and he shook his head. “No, I don’t want to take any more of your time, you can just go home early.”

“It's okay, I’ll just finish up my tests and we can walk to the nurse’s office together.” Kazuha stated. “If you’d like, I can carry you there.”

Venti took in a deep breath and smiled. “Yeah, sure, thanks.”

Chapter Text

Thanks to the sprain, Venti was allowed some paid workdays and schooldays off for four days, then he’d have to go to school and work in a splint and/or crutch for another week or two. While that was nice, that also meant missing on homework that he’d have to catch up for once he gets back.

He groaned after thinking about it for too long. He should probably ask Aether to send him the homework for the day. If he was lucky, he could also get some answers.

Living alone definitely didn’t help him since while the nurse told him to rest the injured foot and keep it as elevated as much as possible, he still needed to get up and make meals for himself.

So, he resorted on using a crutch that the nurse lent him to move around the house, trying his best to avoid putting pressure on his injured foot.

It had already been two days since he started this routine, so it was now a Monday. Usually, he’d be slogging himself out of bed and barely get by his morning routine before channeling whatever morning energy he had into putting on his ‘high energy’ mask in front of Kazuha.

Then as the day goes on, he gets some more energy for him to stop acting and actually enjoy his day. By the time he and his friends have to separate, he’s in anguish that they can’t spend any more time together.

Now here he was, in pain, and alone. Not in an edgy way but he was still sad about it.

Noon flew by quickly and he was still in bed, staring at the ceiling. He definitely overslept with only hunger waking him up. Begrudgingly, he got up and limped towards the kitchen to make something.

He got leftover rice from yesterday, so he decided to cook himself some omurice. Checking his fridge, he mentally noted to himself that he should buy groceries soon, and got three eggs, chicken breast, the last of his milk, and two containers with diced green onion and diced onion respectively.

Before he continued, he got a chair from the dining room so he could sit while he continued the recipe, thanking his kitchen counter that it wasn’t tall.

He sauteed the diced green onions and onions, quickly dicing the chicken breast before it burned, adding it once he smelled the mixture becoming fragrant. After a few minutes of cooking and mixing and constantly checking if it would burn, he turned off the heat and added yesterday’s rice, a few milliliters of ketchup and soy sauce.

Once he made sure no grain wasn’t untouched, he slowly added the mixture to a small bowl to shape it then placed it on a plate.

Venti then cracked three eggs to another bowl, adding milk and a pinch of salt, and used the same pan as before to cook it because he didn’t want to use and wash another pan just for one dish.

Once it was around eighty percent cooked through, he turned off the heat and slowly flipped the egg onto the rice. Thanking himself considering it didn’t fall onto the counter which would lead him to try and resurrect the meal, he then added a ketchup smile onto the omurice.

Finally done with creating his meal, he moved his chair back to the dining room and enjoyed it. While he was doing that, he was thinking about what his friends were up to.

He didn’t know if his main group of friends were having lunch together since right now, he was the glue keeping them together. Aether and Lumine were most probably being bombarded right now with a bunch of people asking them for favors as per usual. The same could be said about Amber, but to a much lesser extent.

He wasn’t too sure about his club members since he didn’t talk to them outside of club hours. All he knew was that their up-and-coming member for this year was definitely this freshman named Barbara.

Diluc must be at class with a shift later, about to find out what happened and be annoyed that his café buddy was going to be absent.

Venti didn’t really know what else he could do today, so he got his laptop and watched The Wanderer’s Troupe. The show so far was very episodic, but around the second season the plot started to pick up when one of the main characters was revealed to be one of the recurring antagonists’ relative.

The fourth season was supposed to release in a few months so Venti figured he should rewatch from the beginning to refresh his memory of the show, only pausing it to put his dirty dishes in the sink.

He didn’t even notice how much time had passed until he heard a knock at the door. Checking the time, it was apparently already 15:30.

He got up to answer the door. He didn’t know anyone who would visit him at the time, so he just figured it was a door-to-door salesman or maybe it was a package he’d forgot he ordered.

He certainly wasn’t expecting Xiao at his door.

“Hello.” Xiao greeted.

Venti stood there, trying to make himself say something. For context, he was wearing a large plain light aqua shirt, shorts that you can just barely see, his hair was down, and he hasn’t showered for the day.

“Kazuha gave me your address. I’m just here to check on you and give the homework for today.” Xiao explained, voice only a slight bit shaky. “I can leave if you’d like.”

“No, no! It’s alright, come in!”

He didn’t know why he said that, considering that while the apartment was mostly clean, there were dirty dishes in the sink and his room was a mess. Maybe it was a hospitality reflex.

Xiao accepted this offer, leaving his shoes by the door and being led to the living room by Venti.

“I’ll get some juice from the fridge; you just sit at the couch.”

He shook his head. “I was sent here because I wanted to check on you and from the looks of it, you’re limping badly. If you need help on anything, you can just tell me.”

“No, you’re my guest, I’m the host.”

“And you’re injured.” Xiao sighed, walking towards the direction of the kitchen. “I saw a pile of dirty dishes on the way here, I’ll handle it.”

Before Venti could argue, he stated something. “Just let me do this, think of this as a thank-you.”

“Thank you? For what?”

Xiao hesitated, turning his back before saying his answer. “Being a good friend.”

He disappeared to the kitchen, leaving Venti in the living room. He didn’t want to call Xiao weird, however he gave a lot of mixed signals in their first meetings.

Sure, he was one of his lunch buddies but most of the time he felt more like he was just in the same room as them rather than eating with them. Furthermore, when they did spend any amount of time together, Xiao had an annoyed look on his face all the time.

But now here he was, coming into his home without any warning, insisting on helping him around and letting him rest, all while he was in the worst state.

Venti did end up sitting down and letting his friend do the work, not because he wanted to, but because Xiao insisted.

It only took five minutes before Xiao finished up and came back with two glasses of apple juice.

“I’m really sorry for making you do this.” He sighed, taking a sip of apple juice.

“You didn’t make me do this, I wanted to.” Xiao reiterated. “In any case, do you need anything else? I can stay here for two more hours.”

Venti thought about it. “I don’t think I need anything else.”

He then asked. “Why did you come here? We’ve only known each other for a month, but you invited me to your birthday and now you’re going out of your way to see me. At the very least you could’ve called me first so I could prepare!”

Xiao looked away from him, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t have that much experience with having friends. But whenever I forge some sort of bond, no matter what I do I just have this urge to do whatever I can to keep that bond. Does that make sense to you?”

Venti knew that feeling all too well. He didn’t want to think about it too much since he’s been trying to look more into the present than the past, but he has lost someone close to him before.

Ever since then, he’s been trying to go out of his way to spend time with his friends as much as he can, because he knew all too well that the time they spent together could be gone in a flash.

“Yeah, I hear you there.” Venti sounded solemn, until he immediately changed back to a lighter tone. “But the point still stands, you should’ve called me before you got here.”

“My phone runs on prepaid and it ran out a few days ago.” Xiao explained. “I couldn’t call you even if I wanted to.”

“Alrighty… Well, if you want, I’ll go take a bath first and we can do today’s homework together.” Venti suggested. “I can go there just fine, but if I fall or something, I’ll yell out.”

Xiao’s face flushed when he mentioned that. “O-okay, sure.”

Venti then realized the implication in his suggestion and avoided any further conversation in that topic. He too felt his face flush thinking about having another person see him naked and vulnerable.

After picking out some fresh and somewhat presentable clothes, he drew a quick bath and washed his hair and body. The water wasn’t as hot as he’d like it, but he didn’t want to keep Xiao waiting after he came all the way there.

Once he felt like he was washed enough, he dried himself and put on the clothes he picked out: a white T-shirt with a single green stripe and a pair of baggy pants.

He got out of the bathroom and sat next to Xiao, his hair still a bit wet from the bath.

“So, what horrors await us, dear friend?” He said in a joking tone.

“Do you like trigonometry?”

“I despise it.”

“Well, I have bad news.”

While you’d think that two people would be faster at solving, you also have to consider that the two are not that smart. Thus, it took them more than an hour to actually complete half of the assignment. When that time arrived, Xiao had to go home.

“Ahhhh, I’m really sorry for not being hospitable!” Venti bowed.

“It’s alright, really.” Xiao reassured, getting his things, and heading towards the door.

“I’ll make it up to you!” Venti stated. “We can use my place to study for exam season! I’ll go tell Kazuha and Heizou about it too!”

Xiao nodded, smiling back towards him. Venti didn’t want to say it out loud, but this was definitely the first time he’s seen him smile.

“I’d like that a lot, thank you.” Xiao was already outside. “I’ll go now, take care.”

Venti waved his hand. “Bye, I’ll see you Wednesday!”

Xiao closed the door behind him, hoping Venti didn’t notice anything odd the entire visit.

He felt he was going to die; not only did he have indecent thoughts when Venti asked him to help if he fell down in the bathroom, but he also was right next to him without anyone else there.

Xiao didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he liked the way his hair smelled fresh out of the bath.

Chapter Text

Heizou was having a headache.

Xiao just out of the blue said that he was going to be skipping the day’s meeting, and he asked Heizou to cover for him since it’s a family emergency. This was immediately disproven due to the fact that Ganyu was still at school.

“Family emergency?” Ganyu asked, very confused. “I don’t remember Father mentioning anything of the sort.”

“Of course.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Thank you for the info, I’ll still cover for him and say he wasn’t feeling well, but I need you to talk to him about this.”

“This is very unlike him though,” she put her hand under her chin. “What do you think caused this?”

Probably because he’s trying to get into a cute boy’s pants. “No idea.”

“Well, whatever the case, I’ll be sure to give him a good talking to.” She nodded. “I should get going now, and you should too.”

And just like that, she ran away to the student council room. Heizou was perfectly fine with Xiao visiting Venti (Xiao never said anything about visiting him but he did overhear him asking Kazuha for his address) but involving him was crossing the line.

Nonetheless, he went into the committee room. Kujou-senpai and Mahamatra-senpai were already there, as per usual.

“Shikanoin, good afternoon.” Kujou-senpai greeted. “Where’s Morax?”

“Xiao wasn’t feeling well.” Heizou came up with an excuse on the fly. “He threw up earlier so it might have been some food poisoning.”

“Well, I hope he gets better.” Mahamatra-senpai stated.

The meeting started as per usual looking at all the complaints sent in by the student body, with many more members coming in late, with the two committee leaders scolding them as they walked in.

The complaints themselves were very petty: uniforms, school’s start time, homework, just what you’d expect from the student body.

“How despicable…” Kujou-senpai commented. “Using the committee’s precious time to look over trivial matters.”

“You can say that again, Sara.” Mahamatra-senpai sighed. “We’ll end this early.”

And just when he was going to be free, he was stopped by Mahamatra-senpai. “Heizou, please don’t leave yet. I’d like to talk to you about something.”

He had a bad feeling about this.

Once everyone left, it was just him and Mahamatra-senpai.

“I know you lied about Xiao.”

Shit.

“I consider him a protégé of mine, and I know that if he were to skip a meeting, he would’ve gone to me directly.” He stated. “Not to mention it’s very easy for me to tell when someone is lying, so it’s best to tell the truth.”

While it seemed like the jig was up, Heizou wasn’t going down without a fight.

“A mutual friend of ours was recently injured and couldn’t go to school, so Xiao went to his house to check on him.”

Not technically a lie, he just didn’t tell the whole truth.

“Good answer.” He crossed his arms. “While it’s odd that he didn’t come to me first, I can excuse being concerned for a friend.”

He managed to avoid death.

“You’re free to leave now, I’ll just leave Xiao with a warning.”

The best possible outcome.

He left the room, taking in the fresh air after being in a suffocating atmosphere. He knew Mahamatra-senpai was intimidating, but he surpassed any initial expectations Heizou had of him.

Downstairs, he finds Kazuha returning his indoor shoes. He knew better than to sneak up on him, so he just announced his presence.

“Kazuhaaaaaa!” He yelled.

“Ah, Heizou.” Kazuha greeted. “Are you going home? I was just about to leave.”

“Without me?” He jokingly pinches the bridge of his nose. “How despicable, Kazuha, I thought we were friends.”

“Stop being so dramatic.” He rolled his eyes. “Are we walking home together or not? I have some time before I have to go straight home, we can stop by Ryouko’s if you’d like.”

“Eh, they’re still open?!” his eyes lit up at the mention. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

The two would go there all the time back when they were in grade school, with Heizou ordering the katsudon, Kazuha ordering the salt-grilled sanma, and Tomoharu ordering the egg rolls. Then after they ate, they’d visit one of their houses and play until their parents had to bring them home.

The place was conveniently only a twenty-minute walk away, with the two walking and talking, talking about what they’ve been doing the past four years. While the two did exchange some stories about that, they never did it in front of Venti or Xiao since they didn’t want them to feel left out in the conversation.

“I had no idea Narukami Academy was so strict.” Kazuha commented. “And they’d really send assignments on a Sunday night and expect you to complete it by Monday?”

“I survived but just barely.”

“Well, it must have been amazing news for you that your family’s moving back here.”

Oh wait, he didn’t tell him. “Actually, only I moved back here. I’m living with Nana.”

“I see… The academy must’ve really hurt you if you were willing to move back just to escape.”

That wasn’t the reason why he moved back to live with his cousin, but he didn’t want to go through that conversation and ruin the mood.

“Well enough about me, what about you?” Heizou changed the subject. “I never knew how you and Venti met.”

“We were seatmates.” Kazuha explained. “We just kept seeing each other each day and before you knew it, we became close.”

“Wow, just like that? I remember, you were a much harder nut to crack; you wouldn’t even let me look at you in the eye in the first year I knew you!”

He covered his mouth with his hand slightly trying to suppress a giggle “In all honesty, I’m glad I let you into my life. You were like a splash of color in my blank canvas of a world.”

“Oh wow, poetic as always.” He sighed. “Kazuha, you are so dreamy.”

That definitely caught Kazuha off guard, but he tried his best to keep his composure, masking it with an annoyed response. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Whatever you want it to mean.”

He loved to tease Kazuha then and he loved to tease him now. There was just something about seeing Kazuha, his friend who would keep his calm at all times, be caught off guard by suggestive comments that made him happy. Sure, he knew when to stop, but now was not the time.

They did eventually reach Ryouko’s: a small family diner that started off as a street food stall. It was run by a kind woman of the same name, who Heizou thinks should be around her late-20’s to early-30’s by now.

For old times’ sake, they got their exact orders from when they were little and did their homework there.

“I really don’t understand any of this.” Kazuha groaned at the math homework.

“What’s there not to understand?” Heizou asked. “You don’t have to remember much; you just need to memorize the equations and it should be fine.”

“But there are so many of them…” His eyes then lit up. “How about you just send me the answers later through text and I’ll do your English homework.”

“Deal.” While he was the smarter of the two, nothing could compare to Kazuha’s sense of art and writing.

The food there tasted just the same as he remembered: hot rice, fluffy eggs, and crunchy katsu.

Overall, this entire trip felt really nostalgic and fun.

Eventually however they had to come to terms with the present and knew that they needed to head home. For some reason, the two stayed silent the entire time they walked to the intersection where they’d part ways.

Only when they reached the intersection did someone speak up.

“I’m really sorry about this but…” Heizou muttered. “I… really did miss you.”

“Where’s this coming from all of the sudden?” Kazuha asked, almost amused.

“I’m being serious. I really wished we kept in touch all these years.” He sighed. “Maybe it was the food we just had but a wave of nostalgia hit me, and it made me realize how much this place truly meant to me.”

“I don’t know where this sentimentality came from, but it’s alright.” He reassured. “But we should probably stop looking into the past and do what we can in the present. You’re here, and I’m here, and that should be the only thing that matters.”

A way with words as per usual.

“Got it.” He yawned. “Well, enough sappiness, it’s best we head off now, your moms might get worried.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“As always.”

Chapter Text

“Why did you go to my sister and Mahamatra-senpai?!” Xiao yelled inside an empty classroom.

“Oh wow, this is rich coming from you!” Heizou shouted back. “If I even joke about skipping a meeting, you’d be going for my throat!”

Xiao groaned. “That isn’t the point, you didn’t have to tell her!”

“Oh, so what, I was going to leave you there without an alibi?” Heizou asked. “Mahamatra-senpai was very displeased about your behavior, you know.

“If I didn’t go to Ganyu and gone with your original plan, they would’ve checked on her since you said it was a ‘family emergency’,” he said with air quotes. “And she would’ve been confused, which could’ve landed you in much deeper trouble.”

He did have a point, but Xiao didn’t like it.

“Ugh, whatever, at least warn me next time.” Xiao ended the conversation there, leaving the classroom.

“Hey, you still owe me!”

He rolled his eyes at that last statement. It was very compulsive of him to go to Venti’s on a whim, he admitted that much to himself. But when he thinks back to that day, seeing Venti with no filter on, trying his best to be hospitable despite his condition, he wouldn’t trade that for anything else in the world.

And here he was, back at school, sitting next to his seat with crutches next to him.

“Hi Xiao!” He waved.

“Hello, Venti.” He greeted back. “How’s your injury?”

“Still hurts, but I can manage.” Venti gave him that usual smile he’d plaster on. “I hope you weren’t too lonely without me here!”

Xiao was very much lonely, but he didn’t want to say that out loud. He just sat next to him, answering whatever Venti asks about until class started as per usual. Xiao didn’t know why but he liked hearing his thoughts about anything and everything.

“In any case, me and Kazuha were actually supposed to go to a ramen restaurant Aether posted about on Insta. I think I asked you to join us, yeah?”

How could he forget? Xiao hated having to decline Venti’s offer then, but he had a meeting to attend and nothing serious happened yet.

“Well in any case if you don’t have a meeting later you could join us? My treat!”

Xiao thanked the entire student body for being on their best behavior since they weren’t called in for anything today. “We don’t have one, so I believe I’ll be joining you.”

“Great! Can’t wait!”

That smile. That genuine smile he has made Xiao feel something he’s never felt before.

The day was particularly slow, maybe because it was all lectures or maybe because Xiao was eagerly waiting for the school day to end. He felt pathetic and like he didn’t deserve any of this, but then he remembered what Heizou told him.

“You could always talk to Venti, Kazuha and me.”

It was foolish of him to trust these people so easily, but based on his experiences so far, maybe it is alright for him to let go a little and be happy for once.

The day ended with everyone mentally exhausted, with things only getting worse when Xiao went to Ganyu telling her he’ll be walking with his friends.

“Xiao, you still didn’t give me an explanation about why you skipped that meeting.” Ganyu crossed her arms. “You could at the very least tell me why you’d do that, it isn’t like you at all.”

So how was he going to explain that he fell in love with a guy he saw perform once and was doing everything he could to spend time with said guy.

“I just wanted to check on this… friend of mine.” He looked away when he said the word ‘friend’.

Her eyes widened at that. “Well Xiao, I’m happy you’re making friends but at the very least tell Mahamatra-senpai when you’re going to skip a meeting. I was genuinely worried for you; you never skip disciplinary meetings!”

“You’re overreacting, Ganyu.” He defended. “I just wanted to check on my friend, that’s all there is to this.”

“Of course, Xiao.” She nodded. “In any case, I have a few papers I need to sort through, so Qiqi might need to be picked up by just Hu Tao.”

He let out a sigh once she was away, and as if the universe wanted to torment him, he heard someone behind him going ‘tsk, tsk, tsk’. “You’re really that into him, are you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hu Tao.”

She blew out a raspberry. “Don’t even try to deny it! I know for a fact you skipped that meeting to meet up with that cute band boy you sit next to in class!”

He had no idea how Hu Tao knew about that considering she never stops by but tried to deflect nonetheless. “You have no proof of that.” Xiao crossed his arms. “And this ‘band boy’ has a name, you know. It’s Venti.”

“See, the fact that you care about me knowing his name says a lot more about you than it does about me.”

Xiao rolled his eyes. “Look, fine, I did skip it for him. But I only did it because he got hurt and I wanted to see if he was doing okay.”

She raised an eyebrow at his response. “With no one else? My, my, Xiao, how naughty~!”

He didn’t want to stoop this low, but he wanted Hu Tao off his case. “Oh, is that so? Well, if you’re so fond of talking about this, I think it’s alright to start talking about things with Yanfei?”

Her face turned red at the mention of that name, “I- well- I-”

“Are we dropping this now?”

She let out a groan. “Fine…”

The two parted once that conversation was over. He knew Hu Tao was just teasing as she normally does but this particular bout of teasing really struck him. Sure, he may have some admiration for Venti but it’s not like he’ll actually act on these feelings.

The visit didn’t count, he convinced himself. It’s normal for friends to be worried for each other.

It wasn’t long since he finally reached Venti and Heizou downstairs. Apparently, Kazuha was staying because of kendo practice, so it was just them for now.

“Is everything alright, Xiao?” Heizou asked with genuine concern.

“I’m fine, let’s just go already.”

The walk was nothing out of the ordinary: Venti was constantly keeping the conversation going while the two would chime in every so often to respond.

“The shop should be around the corner…” Venti peeked at the intersection to see if he went the right way. “Ah! There it is!”

The other two followed suit, revealing a rather typical establishment of this type: clear wall windows, limited seating, a bar and some stools and a ticket machine on the front, a sign on the front labeled ‘Yoichi’s’ to separate their establishment from everything else.

“I recognize this place…” Xiao commented. “Hu Tao made me go with her friends the last time I was here.”

“Yes, but is it any good?” Heizou asked.

“My experience was good, but one of her friends looked like he was going to faint from the ramen’s spiciness.” Xiao put his hand on his chin. “Although that may be due to her interference.”

“Well, we won’t really know until we see, now won’t we?” Venti put his hands on his hips. “Come along now, gentlemen!”

Entering the shop, they went to the ticket machine to place their orders.

The girl behind the counter looked to be around the same age as them, with light green hair tied in a messy ponytail under a hairnet and terrifying reddish-purple eyes and a dark gray mask covering half her face. Xiao recognized her as Kuki Shinobu, one of his only schoolmates that he recognizes as being the top student in his year.

“Wait…” Heizou’s eyes widened. “Shinobu?”

Her attention was placed towards the three, her expression softening when she recognized him. “Heizou?”

His smile grew when his intuition was correct. “Hey! Fancy seeing you here!”

“Can’t say the same…” She sarcastically commented. “What brings you here? And you’re with…Venti and Xiao, your names were?”

“Yes, but hang on, hang on!” Venti looked at them back and forth. “You know Kuki?”

Kuki rolled her eyes with a dragged-out sigh. “You remember how I got second place for that nationwide academic decathlon?”

“Hey, come now, Shinobu, second place is still good!” Heizou smirked.

Venti and Xiao then stared at Heizou, as he was implying that he beat the top student in their year in an academic contest.

“In any case, you haven’t answered my question.” Kuki crossed her arms.

“Well, remember when you visited Narukami last spring and I said I’d be moving to Teyvat City?”

“…You didn’t.”

“Oh, I did.”

She sighed heavily. “You’re lucky I’m actually alright with your company.”

Kuki then asked for their ramen tickets so she could actually start on their orders. None of them really talked before or during getting their orders and eating.

After they finished, Heizou spoke up. “Do you still use your old Line ID? Just before I forget.”

“No, it changed recently, give me your phone.” She swiftly entered the information onto his phone and returned it to him. “Stay safe, you three.”

As the three left, Venti finally spoke up.

“Well, that was smooth of you.”

Heizou turned to him with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

Xiao finally spoke up to answer. “He’s talking about you asking for her ID so casually.”

He laughed as a response “Yeah, no, she’s a great girl but uh… It’s a long story. I just wanted her ID so I could actually branch out."

Heizou turned to Venti, asking “And while we’re on this topic, I heard Xiao visited you recently? By himself?”

Xiao was going to kill him.

“Oh! Uh…” Venti’s face reddened. “The visit was… sudden, but nothing happened! He just came by to check on me and drop off the day’s homework”

Heizou then gave Xiao an amused look. “Is that so?”

“Yes, it was just a simple visit.” Xiao stated.

“Uh-huh.” Heizou nodded. “Well, in any case, I’m a bit tired so it’s best we go home as soon as possible, no?”

Yes, by all means, he didn’t want to think about that any longer.

Chapter Text

Kazuha couldn’t sleep.

He was going through his memories of the past month while staring at the ceiling. He figured it was a little before midnight and while he didn’t have any school tomorrow, he really wanted to sleep.

Unfortunately, his brain decided to replay a few recent memories.

~                      ~                      ~

“Kazuhaaa!”

He was on his way to school, during which Venti was still recovering, so he was alone when he heard a someone yell his name from afar. He was still quick to his feet as per usual and turned quickly, only for the person who yelled out his name to land on his chest. And unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it), that person was Heizou.

“Oh, sorry!”

Right now, his heart was pounding at this sudden contact and the fact that he was inches away from his face, but Kazuha didn’t want to just shove him away.

“…Were you just going to pounce on me?”

“Yes, but it looks like your reflexes are amazing as ever!” He commented, still not pulling away.

“Thank you,” he said as calm as he could come across, pushing him away gently. “But you shouldn’t sneak up behind me, however. Venti tried and failed countless times.”

“And who said I wanted to sneak up on you?” Heizou argued. “If I wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have yelled your name out, now would I?”

“Fair argument.” Kazuha shrugged. “But the point still stands, please refrain from doing that in the future.”

“Always so formal.” He commented.

~                      ~                      ~

There was no way he didn’t feel his heartbeat ten times faster than usual. Why did he have to do that? Why must he be so unpredictable?

Maybe this could’ve been avoided if he stepped to the side rather than turn around, but then that could’ve ended with Heizou tripping and falling on his face. So maybe the situation that happened was still one of the better ones.

Kazuha didn’t want to admit to himself, but he enjoyed that brief moment.

As he tried to continue to close his eyes in hopes of getting rest, his mind flashed to a different memory of something that happened two weeks ago.

~                      ~                      ~

Kazuha was just on his way back from the bathroom when he ran into Heizou talking to someone in the hall. At first, he thought it was someone from the Disciplinary Committee, but one good look revealed it was their year’s top student Kuki Shinobu.

He wanted to greet the two, but something stopped him and made him listen in instead.

“So, Saturday this week after school, yes?” Heizou asked with crossed arms and an amused look on his face.

“Yes.” Shinobu’s expression was covered by the mask she’d always wear, but it looked like one of relief. “Thanks again for doing this.”

“No problem!” He stated, waving at Shinobu as she walked away.

He had no idea the two were acquainted, but he didn’t see any trouble with him making new friends.

So why did he feel so odd?

“You know you can get out now.” Heizou leaned against the wall.

Revealing himself, he stood beside him. “How did you know I was there?”

“Well, it wasn’t you specifically. I just felt someone watching me and Shinobu.”

So, they were on first name basis too. “Are you two close?”

He shrugged. “Not exactly, but we’re getting there. If you’re curious, she wanted me to help tutor her friends for a remedial test.”

Kazuha felt like he was prying but kept asking questions. “How did you two meet?”

“Met her a year ago in the Hoyo Academic National Contest, which I won.” He answered with a smug look. “We actually hung out the week after since she still had sightseeing time.”

“I see…” He felt a knot form in his stomach. “Well, it’s best we head to class now, shall we?”

~                      ~                      ~

That was when he started to think that maybe, just maybe, his repressed childhood feelings were indeed coming back because he was definitely feeling jealousy towards Kuki.

Sure, he and Heizou were always together in class and constantly with each other, but irrationality overtook him when seeing him enjoy his time with someone else alone.

His subconscious felt his distress thankfully, because then his mind played a much more pleasant memory that happened last week.

~                      ~                      ~

“You want to visit my home? Tomorrow?”

The two were waiting for class to start as their teacher was late when Heizou decided to bring this topic.

“Well, it has been quite a while since I did and I wanted to say hello to Mrs. Nanshizi and Mrs. Tianquan.” He pointed out. “Unless I have to schedule five to seven business days in advance?”

He answered quickly but kept his calm demeanor. “No, you can visit today, I can just tell my mom in advance. Is nine in the morning alright?”

Kazuha knew his mother wouldn’t allow him to invite a friend over without telling her a week in advance, but he knew his mom would be absolutely delighted to have him bring a friend over.

Most probably because he hasn’t invited anyone over to his house in the past few years except for…

He pushed the thought out of his head. Now was not the time to mull over the past.

Once he did come home, it took some convincing from both him and his mom to let him invite Heizou over, but she finally relented when his mom threatened to sleep on the couch that night.

“Come on, Ningguang, it’ll be great!” his mom cheered. “When was the last time he brought someone over?”

“That’s fair, however Kazuha only ever invites people over when he’s interested in them, no?” his mother pointed out.

That was true but he didn’t want it to be said out loud.

“Heizou’s a good kid! I’m sure he’ll treat our boy right!”

His mom wasn’t helping. “Just to be clear, we aren’t dating, and I have no intentions of asking him to be my boyfriend for the time being.”

“Sure...” His mom winked.

“Beidou, it’s best we don’t pry into this.” She then turned to her son with a serious look. “But if he does hurt you in the future, I’ll see to it he pays.”

He felt really embarrassed from this whole conversation, already knowing how red his ears and cheeks were. “Mother, please that won’t be necessary.”

“I’m serious, Kazuha.”

“Mother.”

The conversation ended shortly after, with the next day being a Sunday so the two of them could spend the entire day together. And even if that meant he had to endure his moms being embarrassing, then so be it.

Clearly Heizou visiting something he wants, but he does feel slightly guilty keeping him all to himself and not inviting any of his other friends.

He didn’t even know how he managed to fall asleep but the next thing he knew he woke up, worked out, showered, and got dressed in a red shirt with a white bottom accent, a pair of black linen pants and white sneakers.

It was a little too late when he realized it was only seven in the morning when he finished dressing.

Curse his internal alarm clock and his love for this man.

Thus, he waited in his room for another hour to make it seem like he wasn’t too excited for his crush visiting him, passing the time with writing something in his poetry book. While he loves all forms of prose and poetry, he always found himself falling back to writing haikus.

Right now, he had this written down:

life’s biggest hurdles

shall not foil my path forward

He always had trouble thinking of the last line of all of his haikus, with all of them coming up naturally. And from the looks of it, it looks like this one’s no exception.

Before he knew it, an hour already passed, and he went downstairs to go eat breakfast. His mother only agreed to Heizou visiting with the terms being that one of her chauffeurs pick him up with Kazuha wearing a face mask to conceal his identity.

They picked him up at the nearby McDonald’s, with Heizou being inside near the exit with some fast food for breakfast holding a basket of fruits, presumably as a gift. Kazuha wasn’t allowed to go outside, so Heizou had to greet him inside the car.

His outfit consisted of a cream jacket, a pair of loose pastel brown pants and white sneakers. He also noted that he had his hair down with a headband keeping any loose hairs from falling on his face.

“You look nice.” Kazuha commented absentmindedly.

“Not too bad yourself.” He complimented back, stepping into the car.

The trip back was silent, with Heizou on his phone the entire ride there. Kazuha let his curiosity get the better of him and peeked, seeing him texting someone labeled ‘Cookie 🍪 ’.

Must be Shinobu… he thought; that familiar knot tying itself yet again in his stomach.

Once they arrived, the two were escorted in by two guards inside and were greeted by his parents.

“Heizou!” his mom went straight in for the hug. “Glad ‘ta see ya again!”

“You’ve grown quite a bit since we last saw you.” His mother added. “As to be expected.”

“Thank you, Miss Nanshizi and Miss Tianquan for the accommodations.” Heizou managed to say while still being squeezed by Kazuha’s mom.

“Ah, don’t mention it!” his mom eventually let him go “You’re lucky we both got the day off, so we’ll be seeing each other at lunch. Now, you two go have fun!”

“Oh, but before that.” Heizou handed her the basket of fruit he brought. “I brought you two this.”

His mother took the basket from him, inspecting it carefully. “These sunsettias look quite fresh. Did you go to the market early this morning to buy these?”

Heizou widened his eyes, causing Ningguang to say. “Thank you, then. Now you two kids have fun.”

As soon as she said that his mom gave Kazuha a look and a wink, retreating elsewhere with his mother. Once they were out of earshot, he spoke up.

“I apologize on their behalf.” He sighed. “Shall we go to my room?”

Heizou nodded, following him, and keeping close so they don’t get lost in his labyrinth of a home. A few turns and flights of stairs later, they finally reached his room.

When you looked in the inside, it didn’t scream ‘rich kid’. The room was no bigger than 10x10, with painted cream walls and a window at the back, red curtains drawn to shed some light into the room. Right next to the door was the foot of his twin-sized bed, with a bedside drawer right next to it with two picture frames. On the far-right corner of his room was his oak closet where he kept all the clothing he owned while on the far left was his desk and laptop.

“Is your room always this clean?” he asked, reaching towards his drawer to feel the nonexistent dust.

“Yes, mother would always remind me to clean my room at least once a week.” Kazuha answered. “It’s quite therapeutic, actually.”

The topic was quickly changed once Heizou saw the framed pictures on his drawer. One was a recent picture of Kazuha posing with his parents (one of the only pictures they have together that are printed) and an old picture of him, Heizou and Tomoharu when they were little kids.

Heizou picked up the older picture to take a closer look. All three of them had shorter hair since their grade school didn’t allow their hair to be shoulder-length, all lined up with a goofy look on their faces smiling at the camera.

“This was taken the week before I moved, yes?”

Kazuha leaned over to see, as if he doesn’t look at that photo every day he wakes up. “I believe so.”

Heizou set the photo frame down before he sat on Kazuha’s bed, changing the topic yet again. “Before we do anything, can I look over your room?”

“Why?”

“I wanna try and find something embarrassing.”

Well, that was forward.

“Sure, but I doubt you’d find anything.”

That was his first mistake.

As soon as he said that Heizou opened one of the compartments in his bedside drawer and found a pack of condoms.

Kazuha’s face reddened when he held them up, as he had forgotten he had those from last year. In his embarrassment, he reached out and grabbed them from Heizou’s hand without a word. In response, he laughed.

“First of all, rude.” Heizou said in between giggles. “Second of all, why do you even have those?!”

He stuttered through his explanation, very flustered. “Ah, well, you see, I, um, uh..”

Kazuha took a deep breath in and out, putting the pack inside his pocket. “Well, when two people like each other very much…”

Heizou covered his ears and screamed. “Nevermind! Don’t wanna hear about your lucrative sex life.”

“Wha- uh- lucrative?!” He yelled, blushing furiously. “It was just with one person. We broke up last winter, I just forgot to take those out.”

“I see,” Heizou attempted to laugh this off. “Well, I won’t pry, but I also can’t pretend this didn’t happen.”

Kazuha can still feel the warmth in his face. Here he is inviting a guy he likes and now he learns about a past relationship. He hasn’t even asked him out yet and he was already doing a bad job.

“Well, moving swiftly on, wanna watch that new movie ‘Irminsul’? I heard a lot of people cried at the end.”

Kazuha took his laptop, trying his best to move on, so they could watch the movie while on his bed. “How bad could it possibly be?”

Once they watched the movie, they immediately understood why. They weren’t bawling by any means, but some tears did break through when the main character erased any memory their mentor figure from the world for the greater good.

“I’m forever changed.”

“You could say that again.”

Before they knew it, the movie ended and it was time for lunch, and knowing his parents they probably did something very extra. Indeed, they were served Tianshu Meat and crispy potato shrimp platters.

Before they sat down to eat however, Heizou noticed Tama in his pet bed.

“Tama!” he yelled, walking towards the cat. “He lives with you now?”

Kazuha nodded. “Yes, but he’s not very socia-”

He cut himself off once he saw Heizou pick up Tama with ease, with the cat purring with delight and rubbing his head on Heizou’s cheek. Before he set him down, Kazuha stared at him with a look of betrayal, thinking to all the times he was scratched before the cat finally opened up to him.

After that, the two washed their hands and sat down with Kazuha’s parents. They badgered Heizou with the usual questions: what life was like before he moved back, how their studies were doing, why he moved back, et cetera, et cetera; nothing Kazuha didn’t know from all their talks together.

He answered the questions with dolphin’s grace and before long the two went back upstairs to watch another movie.

“If it’s alright, can we watch horror?” Kazuha suggested.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “It better have actual suspense rather than cheap jumpscares. Like the Kabukimono of Tatarasuna.”

He gave a weak laugh at the mention of that movie, suggesting they watch ‘The Boatman’ instead. Unfortunately for them the ‘horror’ genre labeled on the movie by the streaming service was misleading, as while it had ghosts and a few scares, it was still a tearjearking movie.

The long and short of the story was that it was about a researcher who went into the foggy island of Tsurumi who meets the souls trapped there, all the while being followed by one special spirit called Boatman.

It then later turns out that the Boatman was basically the Grim Reaper and was following the protagonist to push them into helping the spirits move on.

“Kazuha, I was here to have a good time, not a bad time.”

“I’m truly sorry.”

The two agreed to move to the house’s family room to play on Kazuha’s console to play Misty Dungeon. When Heizou mentioned casually playing the game in his free time, Kazuha was excited since he had a bit of a hyperfixation on the game.

And by a bit of a hyperfixation, that meant he would play it for at least one or two hours a day and would be constantly experimenting on as many team comps and individual character builds, from serious builds to builds that look terrible but somehow still work.

“Sheesh.” Heizou commented, looking at his full roster of characters. “How much money have you sunk into this game?”

“No money.” Kazuha answered with an annoyed look. “I’m not spending any on this archon-forsaken game.”

He laughed at that statement. “You have every character, though. Lucky much? In any case, if it’s alright I’d like to try your characters.”

While he agreed because he wanted to let him have a good experience, he had to watch in horror as he made a team with only support characters, none of which had any DPS

capabilities, and challenged the highest difficulty stage. All the while, Heizou was laughing from the numerous times he died.

“I suck at this game.” He giggled, while Kazuha had a fake look of amusement, telling himself that people should play the game how they want to play, even if he saw something very wrong in their playstyle.

To his pleasure, Heizou gave him the controller back so he could see his usual playstyle. For the short side of it, he found that he didn’t enjoy the kinds of characters that did one big damage number per hit, but rather the kind of characters that did continuous small numbers of damage.

Mostly because he found it amusing to see a barrage of numbers fill the screen to the point where you could barely see what was happening.

After clearing the stage with ease, he gave Heizou a neutral look to meet his surprised one.

“Well, I don’t want to know how many hours you’ve spent on this game.” Heizou managed to say in his state of shock. “Maybe I should ask you for help on my account.”

“I would, but it really does depend on how much time you invest in this game, though.” Kazuha stated. “I assume you only play this game for an hour or even less?”

“Yup.” Heizou answered with a pop at the end. “The rest of my gaming time is dedicated to Chess.com, Solitaire and a bit of Genius Invokation to keep my mind sharp. Misty Dungeon’s great, but there’s too many RNG factors that it overtakes the strategy part of the game.”

He nodded at that criticism “Fair, fair.”

They played for a few more hours on Kazuha’s account before Heizou decided it was time for him to leave. Kazuha joined him on his ride back, both of them tired but happy from the time they spent together.

Once they reached his house, Heizou opened the car door, but not before he left Kazuha with parting words. “I had fun. We should do this again sometime. I’ll be the host next time.”

Kazuha’s heart fluttered when he mentioned that, but simply smiled and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Yeah, yeah, just so you know, it won’t be as grandiose as the time we had yesterday.” He finally stepped out of the car. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Of course.”

Heizou closed the door and walked back to his cousin’s apartment. As the car drove off, Kazuha’s mind was filled with many emotions.

~                      ~                      ~

He sighed at himself, knowing how red his face was and how pathetic he looked and felt.

He wanted Heizou to be his boyfriend, yes, but he didn’t want his relationship with him to change, at least not yet. He still wasn’t sure if he was fully ready to jump back into romance especially after his last breakup.

So, for now at least, he was just going to love him from afar. This was definitely something he wasn’t exactly used to since in the history of his love life, both his past relationships started immediately after he realized he was in love with the person.

Maybe he was also extra careful this time since both those relationships ended in flames.

He didn’t know when he got up, but he realized he did once he saw that he was at his desk again, pulling out his book of poetry.

Kazuha opened his book to one unfinished haiku.

life’s biggest hurdles

shall not foil my path forward

He took out his pen, now knowing what that last line should be.

for my heart is yours

“…”

Once he returned to bed, he managed to fall asleep at long last.

Chapter Text

It was one of those times of the year again: exam season. More specifically, finals exam season. The time of the year where libraries start to fill up once again with students cramming to pass their classes and where certain teachers were ready to fill their water bottles with student tears.

It was a few days before exams and Kazuha and Venti were one of those students in the library after school.

“I want death.” Venti groaned quietly, trying to absorb as much knowledge as he could from the science book he was reading.

Kazuha looked up from his copy of the same book Venti was reading. “Please don’t die on me, I still need a history tutor.”

They had four written exams to pass: Math, Science, English, History Originally, the plan was for Heizou to teach Math, Xiao taught Science, Kazuha taught English, and Venti taught History, as those were their best subjects.

Then Kujou-senpai had to go to them at lunch period a week ago to remind Xiao and tell Heizou about how second and third year Disciplinary Committee members were required to do tutoring services for school funds and all their plans went to hell.

“Kazuha, I’m bored, let’s do something else.” Venti complained.

“Look, I want to leave too, but we need to study.” Kazuha argued. “How about we take turns asking questions and if we could both answer ten questions correctly, we leave?”

Venti pouted but agreed, as he was that desperate to get out.

“Let’s try something simple,” He got his book to ask questions. “What structures in the lungs does the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide take place?”

“Uhhhhhh…it’s bronchi, right?”

“Alveoli.”

“I already hate this.” He sighed, picking up his book to ask Kazuha a question. “A chronic respiratory condition that causes difficulty breathing due to inflammation of the airways?”

“Asthma?”

“Yup.”

This went on for a bit, the two of them struggling to answer all these questions as their brain space was already full. By the time both of them got ten questions right, the school was about to close, and Kazuha had to text Heizou and Xiao to leave without them.

“It’s quite late now, isn’t it?” Venti commented, looking at how the sun was going to set coloring the sky in a bright red.

“Yes, time to go.” Kazuha stood up quickly, grabbing his bag and exiting just as fast. “Please hurry.”

Venti always knew how antsy Kazuha gets when it’s about to go dark, considering... He shuddered thinking about it. So, he quietly followed Kazuha throughout the quiet school. Now that he thought about it, going through the place reminded him of all those eerie liminal spaces.

Looking at the time it was 17:45. The problem was he knew that the sun would set by 18:00, and while he and Kazuha always walked together, Venti knew Kazuha would most probably reach dark before he reached home.

“Kazuha, it’s getting quite dark, are you sure you can handle going home by yourself?”

“Of course.” He says that, but Venti felt an air of unsureness and fear in his voice.

So, Venti blurted out something without thinking.

“I’ll walk you home.” Venti offered.

Kazuha looked at him with surprise. “No, no, no, it’s fine, I can walk home by myself.”

Venti’s usual carefree demeanor was replaced with a much more serious air, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows.

“I’ll be fine walking home on my own, but you’re clearly scared.” He stated. “Please let me walk you home.”

Venti then lent his hand. “If you’d like, I can hold your hand on the way there.”

The other boy’s eyes widened at his offer that he accepted it in shock, taking his hand. “Okay, but…when we get there, please don’t get mad at me.”

Venti had no idea what that meant, but that didn’t matter to him that much because he acted so out of character that he was in the middle of a silent breakdown.

If you’d like, I can hold your hand on the way there???? Venti, what was wrong with you?! He cursed mentally.

Regardless it was too late to back out now, as Venti now had to memorize all these routes and landmarks so he could actually know how to get home himself, all while looking cool in front of his crush.

It was right of Venti to stay and walk him home, as it did reach dark, and they haven’t reached Kazuha’s house. He felt his friend’s breath hitch and he could feel his pulse shoot up just from holding his hand.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes, sorry for making you do this.” Kazuha answered far too fast. “I really do apologize.”

“Hey, don’t apologize, I wanted to do this.”

Smooth, Venti, stealing Xiao’s line from when he visited, smooth.

Thankfully that managed to make Kazuha laugh, lightening his mood. He was making this up as he went, bs-ing his way through this entire evening and he was somehow still looking good.

Eventually they reached his house and…

“I can explain.” Kazuha blurted, as the two of them were standing in front of a gate leading to a mansion.

Before they could, they heard a few guards yelling and lights flashed towards their general direction. From the light, Venti saw two people holding the flashlights and a tall lady rushing towards them at top speed.

“Kazuha!” the tall lady yelled out, kneeling in front of Kazuha and cupping his face. “It was already dark out and you weren’t answering any of our phone calls! We were so worried!”

After a closer look, Venti realized she’s seen her before in the news. Nanshizi Beidou, a famous Olympic athlete that married Senator Tianquan Ningguang.

“I apologize, mom. My phone must’ve been turned off.”

Wait, mom?

Mrs. Nanshizi turned to Venti and saw that the two were holding hands, sighing with a smile on her face. “Honestly Kazuha, you could’ve just told me you were with someone!”

The two realized they were, indeed, still holding hands, and promptly let go of each other.

“Uhh, please don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just Kazuha’s friend, Venti.” He raised his hands in front of his chest. “I just wanted to walk him home.”

Mrs. Nanshizi whistled and crossed her arms. “Oh yeah, Kazuha’s mentioned you. We’ll arrange one of our butlers to drive you back, but you should join us for dinner first.”

Venti turned to Kazuha, who mouthed ‘sorry’ and gestured to follow him. Once Beidou left and the two were left alone, Kazuha sighed and faced his friend.

“I understand you have a few questions.” Kazuha stated. “Before you ask, yes, Nanshizi Beidou and Tianquan Ningguang are my parents.”

Venti wanted to say something, but his brain stopped working for a bit trying to process what Kazuha just said so his jaw was agape for a few moments. Eventually he asked, “Then who are Mrs. Yinxing and Mrs. Furong?!”

“Those are my mom’s – sorry, Beidou’s – friends.”

He didn’t know how to process all this information. Just how much of what Kazuha’s been telling him been true and how much of it was false? Why did he have to lie to basically everyone in the school except the faculty? How much of the faculty know about this whole conspiracy?

His thoughts were cut short by Kazuha lightly shaking him to see if he was okay.

Venti forced a giggle and rubbed the back of his head. “Ehe, sorry, this is a lot to take in.”

“I don’t blame you, and I apologize sincerely.” Kazuha looked to the side, away from him, the entire time he was talking to Venti. “Oh, and please don’t go into the main dining room to eat, my cat Tama’s there.”

He nodded, looking behind him to see what looks to be Mrs. Nanshizi and Mrs. Tianquan approaching them.

“Kaedehara Kazuha!” Mrs. Tianquan yelled with crossed arms. “Have you realized how worried we were when it was nighttime?! Why didn’t you call one of our chauffeurs to pick you up?!”

He tried to laugh it off, hands in front of his torso. “Mother, I appreciate the scolding, but must you really do it in front of a guest?”

All the attention was drawn to Venti, and while he did like attention this was not the type he preferred. All he could do was an awkward ‘ehe’ and a wave when Mrs. Tianquan sighed, closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I’ll deal with you later.” Mrs. Tianquan warned her son, before her tone immediately shifted to a much homelier one with a smile to complete it. “Welcome, you must be Venti? Kazuha’s told us all about you.

“If I remember correctly, you have a cat allergy? In that case, we can have dinner at the guest dining room.”

The boy piped up, bowing his head. “Please, I don’t want to take up any more of your time, I’ll gladly accept just the ride home.”

Mrs. Nanshizi spoke up with vigor. “Nonsense! Take it as our apology for walking Kazuha this late.”

Well, he wasn’t about to argue with a politician and an athlete, so he hesitantly accepted their invitation. The two boys were then escorted to this ‘guest dining room’ which was a typical long table with a giant head chair front and center.

The pair sat next to each other to the right of the head chair, not saying anything to each other for a few moments, with the tension thickening to the point where you could slice it.

“I’m sorry.” Kazuha muttered. “I should’ve told you months ago.”

“Sorry for what?” Venti raised his eyebrow. “For being loaded?”

Kazuha rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “I just thought you’d trust me less considering I haven’t told you about...” He spun his hand around pointing at the room. “This.”

Venti held his hand subconsciously and gave him a warm smile. “Look, I’m not hurt, just confused. But you must have a reason. Right? That’s a thing in movies that rich people do?”

The other boy laughed at that that added comment. “I suppose, but the reason isn’t something grandiose.”

He didn’t know what possessed him to do this, but Venti grabbed both of Kazuha’s hands and held them tight with a sincere expression.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” He comforted, squeezing his hands tighter. “But at the same time, I want you to know that you can trust me.”

Kazuha kept smiling, happy from all the reassuring, while Venti slowly but surely realized what he was doing and subtly let go of his hands, silently freaking out about how bold he got.

It wasn’t long after a servant came and placed food on the table, with Kazuha’s parents following them surely thereafter.

The conversation he had with his parents was actually quite pleasant. Sure, their presence alone was intimidating at first (as you’d expect) but Venti managed to warm up to both of them after he remembered they were people too.

“Thank you again for taking care of Kazuha.” Mrs. Tianquan said with a polite smile. “He’s spoke very fondly of you.”

That warmed his heart, knowing Kazuha really did enjoy his company.

Once dinner was over, he was escorted by Mrs. Nanshizi and another servant outside, with Kazuha being told to stay, change into home clothes, and presumably prepare for the scolding of a lifetime from Mrs. Tianquan.

“You know, kid? You’re alright.” Mrs. Nanshizi lightly punched him on the shoulder. “Hope you can visit again sometime.”

This was probably overstepping some boundary, but Venti asked. “Why? Doesn’t he invite anyone else?”

“Well, other than Heizou last week, he hasn’t really invited anyone since uh…” Mrs. Nanshizi leaned in and whispered. “You-know-who.”

And now the warmth in his chest was partially replaced by a poison known as jealousy. Only partially, but it was still there. Yes, he and Heizou go way back and he wasn’t scared of being replaced, but he knew that if those two ever get together he’d feel dead.

He wasn’t going to pine after a taken man again, much less the same man.

Venti was then driven back to his home, but not before he got a text on his phone.

KAZ <3

I hope you didn’t have too much trouble on your way back

Please text me when you get home

He smiled at the text, taking a mental note to do so.

Chapter Text

Exam season came and went at snail’s pace as the majority of the student body was slugging through the week. After that, it was just one more day of class before people figured out if their summer was going to be ruined by summer classes.

The list of top-notchers was posted on Saturday, with all the students gathering around it to see who did well.

==========

YEAR 2

1          Kuki Shinobu                                       500

1          Shikanoin Heizou                                500

3          Ampulla Sucrose                                 497

4          Luscinia Layla                                     492

5          Yuheng Keqing                                   487

6          Sangonomiya Kokomi                         485

7          Morax Ganyu                                      479

8          Hina Gorou                                          474

9          Megistus Mona                                   469

==========

“Well, well, well.” Heizou crossed his arms with closed eyes. “Good job to the both of us, I suppose.”

Shinobu only rolled her eyes, staring back at the list. “You do realize this means you gotta keep this momentum going, right?”

“Heh, I think I can handle it.”

He, in fact, could not handle it. While he looked calm, cool, and collected, he was actually on the verge of collapsing with the only thing keeping him up being two cups of coffee as he only had one power nap each night during exam week.

But it was necessary if he was going to stay there.

“Heizou!” he must’ve been half-asleep because he felt like that woke him up.

He turned around to see Kazuha, Xiao, and Venti behind him.

“Congratulations!” Kazuha clapped.

Venti lightly punched him with a smile. “Does this mean you’re gonna treat us?”

Heizou rolled his eyes, feigning an exasperated sigh. “Sure.” He answered, knowing he would’ve done it without anyone asking since his birthday was coming up anyway.

“Hey, if you’re treating, I’m joining.” Shinobu chimed in. “I mean, if that’s alright?”

“The more the merrier, as they always say.” A yawn managed to escape him. “Well, me and Xiao still have to meet Mahamatra-senpai later. So, is the 24th alright for all of you?”

After the exchange of nods and ‘yes’s’, Xiao and Heizou left to go to the committee room.

Once they were a good distance away from them or a crowd, Xiao went closer to Heizou and muttered. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” He answered that a little bit too fast to his liking.

Xiao pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Heizou, this hypocritical of you.”

“What, uh, hypocritical?!”

He let go of the bridge of his nose to cross his arms. “You were the one who told me to open up and talk to you all, but when I see there’s something clearly wrong with you, you brush me off.”

While it was nice of him to look out for him, he wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. “I don’t want to bore you with the details, it’s just the usual ‘parents who expect a lot’ sob story.”

“Well, whatever this ‘sob story’ is,” Xiao said with air quotes. “It’s clearly affecting you, so at the very least you better get some sleep once you get home.”

Heizou only rolled his eyes at this lecturing. “Okay, mom.”

“Look, just don’t pass out in class if this keeps up.”

It wasn’t long before they reached the committee room, seeing a fox hybrid around their height with shoulder-length black hair with green highlights exit the room and pass by them.

For some reason, Heizou couldn’t help but notice that this fox hybrid was fixing their hair and straightening their collar as he left.

Inside they saw Mahamatra-senpai, who too was straightening his collar.

Oh, I see how this is. Heizou mused to himself. “Mahamatra-senpai, who was that just now, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The upperclassman remained unperturbed, keeping his cool expression. “That was the president of the gardening club, Buer Tighnari, but that’s none of your concern.”

Mahamatra-senpai reached into his school bag, taking out two envelopes and gave one to each of them. “This is your compensation for the tutoring sessions.”

The two looked back at their upperclassman in confusion and shock. They just thought all the money was going to go directly back to the school, but it looks like they actually appreciate their model students.

“Why so surprised? Did you seriously expect us to let you tutor other students without any form of compensation?”

Well, yes, but they didn’t want to say anything out loud. Instead, they just thanked their upperclassman and excused themselves to go home,

“Oh, before you leave,” Mahamatra-senpai stopped them in their tracks. “Congratulations on the perfect score, Heizou. I know you did well too, Xiao.”

The two nodded and said their thanks before leaving the room. As they were walking, Heizou wanted to make conversation. “Do you know Buer-senpai?”

As if Heizou flicked a switch in his brain, Xiao started to rant. “Ugh, of course, he’s Mahamatra-senpai’s boyfriend. It shouldn’t affect me, but I swear whenever I’m working with Mahamatra-senpai, he’s always talking about him any chance he gets.

“Just a month ago when I was helping him encode the monthly attendance records, he told me one of his jokes. I thought nothing of it and said it was alright, and then he went on a huge rant about how Buer-senpai said how terrible his jokes were.

“And you’d think it wouldn’t take so long but when I checked the clock, almost an hour passed!”

Heizou giggled at his rantings since he never really saw this side of Xiao before. “Sounds tiring. I never knew he was like that.”

“Oh, don’t even get me started about the times any one of us mentions their dying house plants.”

“Alright, I won’t get you started then.” He said, patting him on the back. “I will say, in his defense, people just really love talking about the one they love.”

Xiao rolled his eyes at the argument. “Please, even if I was lovestruck, I don’t think I’d be at his level.”

“Whatever you say, Xiao.”

~                      ~                      ~

After school, Heizou said he was going ahead because his cousin called him for something. In reality, he wanted to go home earlier because he was stressed, depressed, and tired.

Before he fell face first into his bed, he sent photos of his test scores to his parents and gave the papers to his cousin Nana.

His bedroom was very messy: the sheets weren’t fixed since he got out of bed, there were still some unwashed coffee mugs and wrappers on his desk, and he was pretty sure the laundry in his bathroom was overflowing.

Nevertheless, he shed his school clothes, changed into something more comfortable and passed out on his bed with the darkness taking him almost immediately.

He knew he had a few anxiety nightmares every now and then, usually before or immediately after an extremely important test or contest, so he thought he was prepared.

He very much was not.

Heizou was at Narukami Academy waiting for their teacher to arrive, with all of his classmates having black scribbles covering their faces. While he was waiting, his seatmate was talking to him about…something, but all he could hear was gibberish.

While staring at the chalkboard, he focused on a single thing written on it:

Fault

He couldn’t tell when the dream shifted, but now he was at the front of the gates changing his shoes. Right next to him was his seatmate waiting for him, still with that blacked out face.

“Heizou, hurry up! We’re gonna miss the station!”

As if he was talking on his own with no input from his brain, he answered. “Of course, Tsumi.”

The two walked outside together, being greeted by the cool spring breeze and the bright sun. The grounds were crowded, as you’d expect it to be when school ends.

“Hey, sorry, but can you send me notes for history again?” Tsumi plead with a praying position.

“Of course.”

His tone was monotonous and without any feeling. Sure, Tsumi was the only person who he actually liked in this school, but that didn’t take away the overall terrible experience from the academy. Add the fact that his parents were the usual ‘high expectations on child, expecting nothing but the very best’ type, his cheerful personality was almost entirely stripped away.

“Oh, and tomorrow’s Friday! My parents are throwing a house party and they asked if any of my friends wanted to join!”

Friday, was it? “I have martial arts club meeting.”

Tsumi groaned at his answer. “Come on, you’re always doing some duty! Live a little!”

Maybe it was a product of the accumulated stress he’s experienced for the past six months, but Heizou raised his voice, but not to the point of drawing attention, with his head lowered.

“I can’t, alright? If I don’t attend the meeting, it might turn into a habit, and it’s going to leak into all my other ambitions, and then life turns to shit.”

Tsumi never heard Heizou raise his voice, but all the same he wrapped his arm around his shoulder with a sigh. “Family problems?”

“…Yes.”

“Talk to me.”

Before Heizou could say anything, the scenery changed yet again. Now he was at an empty classroom with Tsumi, with an air that could only be described as confrontational.

“Honestly, Tsumi, stealing from other students?” Heizou rolled his eyes.

“Heizou, you I don’t think you understand, I’m expelled starting tomorrow.” Tsumi reminded, his voice shaky and in between tears. “Is that really all you’re gonna tell me?”

Say you’re sorry.

“Yes.”

Apologize.

“I thought you’d be better.”

Why are you saying this?

His face was still blacked out, but Heizou could somehow tell Tsumi looked at him with a mix of disgust, rage but more importantly, betrayal.

“I see.” He could only muster up and say, “Well then, this is the last time you’re seeing me.”

Heizou wanted to reach out, to apologize and give him a hug but his body doesn’t move. Instead, all he could do was stand there as darkness was starting to fill up the room.

“What’s wrong, Shikanoin?” ‘Tsumi’ said in a sadistic tone, his voice distorting into something sinister.

All of the sudden, Heizou could finally move but only the upper parts of his body, as the darkness was slowly taking his legs.

“I’m just showing you what happened.”

His voice came back too, but all that could come out were screams.

“After all…”

The darkness was overtaking him, he once again lost all feeling and his vision was starting to darken and blur, with all the focus being on his friend who was the only thing the darkness wasn’t taking.

“It’s your fault I’m dead, isn’t it?”

Heizou woke up with a scream, hyperventilating with a stream of tears coming from his eyes. He clutched his chest, trying to calm himself and breathe normally.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, at the very least distract yourself.

Looking across the room he tried to hyperfocus on his senses, but not before he heard knocking on his bedroom door.

“Heizou!” his cousin Nana yelled from the other side. “I heard you scream; did you have one of those panic nightmares again?!”

Even though his breathing was still irregular, he muttered an ‘mmm’ to communicate to her that he did, indeed, have one of those night terrors.

“I’m coming in!” She announced before opening the door and going to his side, putting on a hushed voice. “Deep breaths, okay? Remember what I taught you?”

He nodded, trying to lift his hand, and slowly counting from one to five with his fingers, trying to sync his breathing his fingers and remembering to breathe through his nose. Nana synced his breathing with hers, so he could make sure he was actually doing this right.

“Is it the same nightmare?”

Heizou hesitated, but knew she was going to have to know in any case, so he shook his head.

“I see…” she sighed, wrapping an arm around him. “Good thing I don’t have a class tonight.”

After a good minute of more breathing, Nana spoke up. “If you can walk, we can move over to the kitchen, and I can make you some croquettes. Does that sound good?”

Instead of a yes or a no, what came out of his mouth was ‘sorry’.

“Hey, I’m just looking out for ya, cuz.” She smiled, pulling him into an embrace.

Heizou squeezed her back tighter and cried a little. “I am… so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry for anything.” Nana constantly patted him on the back.

That was a lie, but he knew Nana didn’t know that. Eventually they did let go and Heizou asked to be alone for a few more minutes, which Nana allowed but told him she was going to stick close to the door just in case.

When she left, his body was back lying on bed, staring at the ceiling. He’s always had anxiety nightmares after exam result posting, but it always involved his parents. But now it was linked to…

He shook his head, trying not to think about it anymore.

Chapter Text

It was finally summer break, where most people would usually go out, maybe to the beach or some sort of water park.

However, currently the four boys were still at school, as Kazuha had to keep going to campus because he was chosen as the second-year male representative for the regional kendo competition. This meant he had to go to school every day for a week to practice.

The other boys were there for two reasons: one, it was the 24th (which was Heizou’s birthday) and they were waiting for Kazuha to finish up, and two, they genuinely wanted to see him fight.

To put it simply, his movements were swift and precise, only missing points when he’d forget to shout ‘Ki!’ when attacking.

An hour of just that passed by, with Kazuha removing the protective headgear he had on and going to his friends and reaching for a water bottle Venti offered.

“Thank you.” He said before chugging the entire bottle in seconds as the others look in concern.

“Great work!” Venti clapped, ignoring what he just did. “I had no idea what was happening half the time, hehe… But you probably did a good job!”

Kazuha smiled, loving that his friends were there to support him. “Your praise is much appreciated. Well, I’m going to go change. After that, we go wherever Heizou’s taking us.”

After he left, Xiao side glanced at Heizou. “Did you even think about where we’re going to go?”

“Umm, of course? What do you take me for?” He laughed him off, before immediately switching to a serious tone and spoke in a hushed voice. “You guys know how to work a fire extinguisher right?”

“Heizou, what’s that supposed to mean?”

He only smiled in response, which caused Xiao to repeat the question in a frantic manner “Heizou, what is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

That definitely made the two worry.

Whatever he had planned, it was going to start soon since Kazuha came back after twelve minutes of being gone, wearing a white polo shirt and jeans. “Forgive me for the delay, I was approached by someone on the way there.”

He then proceeded to reach into his pocket and fish out an envelope with a heart seal.

“Oh archons.” Xiao added disgust in his voice when he saw that.

“Yes…” Kazuha looked away, embarrassed. “Unfortunately, I had to turn her down. I’m not exactly interested in getting into another relationship. And even if I was, I didn’t even know her that much.”

“Wait, don’t tell me!” Venti interrupted him. “Bob cut, blue eyes, probably has red eyeshadow and lipstick?”

Kazuha looked at him, astonishment in his eyes. “How did you…”

Venti only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “That’s Maki. She’s nice but she’s chatty, I don’t think she’s your type.”

“Well, good to know.” Heizou butted into the conversation. “But if it’s alright, can we go now? Sorry, Shinobu’s texted me already and she said she’s already at the front of the school.”

The three agreed, going outside and seeing Shinobu in a cap, a black midriff croptop under an unzipped purple hoodie and black shorts, a pair of tights, and sandals.

Next to her was a tall man with messy white hair that almost reached his hips with the bright red horns on his head contrasting it. His attire consisted of a black leather jacket and a white t-shirt, similar to that of a stereotypical delinquent.

Shinobu was the first one to speak, asking. “Alright, they’re here, now can you go home already?”

“Ohohoho, nice try Shinobu!” The tall man bellowed. “But I don’t think I’ve seen these guys ‘round. How do I know I can trust ‘em?”

“Wait, aren’t you Arataki-senpai?” Xiao raised his hand to get some attention.

Heizou looked at him in confusion. “Wait, the ‘bane of Kujou-senpai’s existence’ Arataki-senpai?”

The mention of that name seemed to trigger something in him. “Oh, so they’re with the tengu!” As if he flipped a switch, his mood comically switched to a pleading one, grabbing Shinobu and shaking her. “Shinobu, please don’t tell me you’re leaving the gang and taking the tengu’s offer!”

“Relax, senpai, I’m just here since it’s Heizou’s birthday and he’s supposed to take us somewhere.”

His eyes widened at her response. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hang on, give me a moment.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Shikanoin Heizou?”

Heizou raised his hand awkwardly. “Hehe, that’s me.”

Arataki-senpai lit up and wrapped his arm around Heizou’s shoulder. “Ey, Shinobu’s told me all about ya!” He ruffled his hair a little before letting go and turning back to Shinobu. “Well, if he’s here, fine, as long as you’re not leaving the gang.”

After she reassured him, he left the grounds. Once he was far enough where Shinobu was confident he couldn’t hear them, she let out a huge sigh.

“Sorry about him.” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “He wanted to hang today but when I told him I had plans with you guys, he insisted on joining me to meet you all.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s cool and all.” Venti piped up entering the conversation. “But what is it with you and Heizou?!”

She merely shrugged. “Nothing really, other than that time we dated for like a week.”

As Xiao, Kazuha and Venti looked at her and back at Heizou after this revelation, narrowed eyes and an embarrassed look formed in his face.

Realizing what she said, she turned to Heizou with squinted eyes “Wait did you not tell them?”

He coughed awkwardly, looking down at her feet. “That kind of information is irrelevant.”

“You just didn’t want to tell them I turned you down before we made things official.”

“Irrelevant.”

She laughed at his embarrassment. “In any case, I didn’t turn him down because I hated him. If anything, I should be thanking him. He was the one who helped me realize I might not really be into guys? Or, well, anyone at that matter.”

He rolled his eyes, his usual smirk back on his face. “Honestly, I still can’t tell whether that’s genuine or if it’s a backhanded compliment.”

While Xiao and Venti were just glad for understanding why they were so close, Kazuha was especially grateful since that meant he didn’t need to be jealous of Shinobu anymore.

After that brief detour, the five of them went on their way to wherever Heizou was taking them. It wasn’t long before Xiao, Venti and Kazuha realized that they were on their usual route going home together, which implied to them that Heizou was bringing them to where he lived.

Indeed, their destination was a simple apartment complex. Heizou led them to the third floor of the complex, reaching in for his key and opening door 37.

It was a 2LDK apartment, but they didn’t have time to explore as they were led to the kitchen.

“So, you guys can all cook, right?”

Venti’s eyes lit up like a child when he asked that. “Why didn’t you say anything?! I love cooking!”

“Good to know.” He turned to the other three to ask if they were alright with the activity.

“While I don’t cook much, my mother would teach me how to cook basic foods whenever she had the time.” Kazuha answered. “But this may still be a little new to me.”

Shinobu just shrugged. “I don’t mind, got nothing else to do.”

“What exactly are we even cooking?” Xiao asked.

“Well, I figured we’d do something simple, so I decided stir fried udon and fried chicken would suffice.”

He then gathered ingredients from the fridge and kitchen cabinets. Putting them all together they a large pack of udon noodles, oil, mushrooms, bok choy, onions, a few scallion stalks, ground meat, avocado oil, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, vinegar, chicken breasts, eggs and breading mix.

“Alright, I got the recipes here,” he waved up a three folded up pieces of paper in the air. “I’ll just have you guys pick which one you want to work on.”

The five of them looked over what they could potentially do, deciding that Venti and Heizou can work on the udon, Kazuha and Xiao can work on the chicken, while Shinobu could just work on the udon sauce and vegetable chopping.

Once everyone washed their hands, Heizou grabbed a large pot from one of the lower kitchen cabinets and washed it before filling it with water, allowing it to boil before Venti took out the noodles from their packaging and placed it in the pot.

While they were doing this, Kazuha and Xiao were cracking a few eggs and placing the mixture into a bowl before stirring them all together to coat the chicken in.

It didn’t take long for the noodles to cook, so Heizou and Venti did their best to drain the noodles as the water in the pot made it very heavy and the heat was managing to get past the insulation of the kitchen gloves. Thankfully, it went smoothly.

By that time, Shinobu was done chopping all the vegetables and prepping the sauce, so she continued helping by preheating and oiling the pan to fry the noodles.

She added the ground meat and stirred it until it was close to cooked, then Venti added the vegetables she chopped earlier into the mix. Once they were confident the meat was cooked and the vegetables were soft enough, they added the noodles, sauce and scallions, letting Heizou stir until it was combined enough since Shinobu’s hand was tired.

Meanwhile, Xiao too was preparing a pot filled with oil while Kazuha was coating the chicken breast in the egg mixture before coating it in breading mix. The oil was hot enough to fry once Kazuha was finished coating all the pieces, so they put them all in at the same time being careful none went into their eyes or skin.

Both dishes were finished at around the same time and the five managed to finish cooking without burning anything.

Truly an accomplishment.

Once the five finished cooking, they moved everything, five plates and pairs of chopsticks to the living room so they could eat while watching something on whatever subscription service Heizou’s cousin had.

Before that however, they gave Heizou their presents: Kazuha’s was a medium sized cat-shaped LED lamp, Venti’s was a deer plushie, Xiao’s was a batch of almond tofu in some tupperware he needed back once he was done with the dish, and Shinobu’s was an adult coloring book.

After the usual song and dance of trying to find a movie, making sure they find one no one’s watched yet, making sure everyone was alright with watching it, et cetera, et cetera.

They ended up picking an animated romance movie about a girl who could control the weather who almost sacrifices herself to stop raining, ultimately getting saved by the main character.

“Sure, she got saved,” Xiao commented. “But then the entire country flooded.”

“No, I think the message is that people shouldn’t sacrifice girls just to keep the rain from coming.” Heizou argued.

“But is it really that much of an issue in the grand scheme of things?”

“Xiao, we are not bringing up the trolley problem on my birthday.”

“All I’m saying-”

Shinobu cut them off before they could say anything. “Okay, well, how about we go to that next movie, huh? Heard some good things about that stop-motion Pinocchio movie!”

~                      ~                      ~

“Will you guys be safe on your way home?” Heizou asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Venti waved him off. “I’m not going straight home though; got a shift to get to.”

“It’s still quite bright, so I should be fine walking on my own.” Kazuha stated before stepping outside, turning back to say something. “Thank you again for the get-together.”

“Thanks again, man!” Shinobu playfully punched him on the shoulder. “I’ll see ya around!”

As the three went outside and left, Xiao came out of the bathroom as he excused himself earlier.

“Oh, you just missed them!” Heizou yelled. “Thanks for showing up.”

Xiao nodded, shaking his hands to get the water off “Thank you for the party. If it’s alright, I’d like to stay to help you clean up.”

Heizou’s eyes widened, and his ears got a slight shade of red. “Oh, no, it’s alright, you’re my guest, you should go home.”

Xiao rolled his eyes at that response. “What’s with you all and refusing free help? Besides, Hu Tao’s friends are over, and I want to spend as little time with them as possible.”

Heizou tilted his head in curiosity. “Why?”

Xiao looked away, from what Heizou could tell was from shyness. “I don’t want to bore you over it.”

“No really, I’d like to hear.”

He agreed on the condition that they do it as they were cleaning up. Heizou knew he was always curious about people he comes across, but he didn’t know why he really wanted to listen to Xiao talk about himself.

Maybe it was because he was always hiding stuff from him, maybe because he was a little annoyed by him and wanted as much information on him so he could tease him relentlessly about it. Whatever the reason was, he would always listen with intrigue even if it was in the most mundane topics.

“Your siblings sound wonderful, honestly.” Heizou commented as they washed the dishes. “I think I’d get along with your sister Hu Tao.”

Xiao puffed amusedly. “Yeah, I figured you’d say that. But enough about me, how have you been doing all this time?”

He was very much not doing well, but Xiao didn’t need to know that so he lied. “Oh, nothing much.”

“You’re lying.”

Surprised he saw through it but was willing to keep lying for both of their sakes, so he played dumb “No idea what you’re talking about.”

Xiao, grumbling a sigh pushed on with the topic. “I may not have that many friends, but I can tell when people are trying to lie. It’s something I got from my sisters.”

“Nothing you should be concerned about.” Heizou handwaved it away as he placed some of the washed dishes back into the cabinet.

“Heizou, I think I have a right to be concerned if something’s bothering you.”

He sighed, feeling like he just offended him. “Sorry, really, it’s just, can we drop this? Just forget I said anything?”

Xiao sighed, taking of his left washing glove, and placing it on Heizou’s shoulder. “Listen, I’ve been learning about the whole ‘friend thing’ from my sisters.” He did air quotes with his free hand. “And I want to be a good one to you and to everyone in the group, so can you please tell me what’s wrong?”

Heizou averted his gaze. “I don’t want to burden you.”

“Please, I’d like to hear.”

The burgundy haired boy felt his heart skip a few beats when he said that, finally looking him in the eye. “…Look, all I can tell you is that it’s kinda just a thing I got used to.”

He removed Xiao’s hand from his shoulder and hugged himself, looking down at the floor. “Sorry, I’m not really comfortable talking about it.”

“Oh, well.” Xiao rubbed the back of his head, also looking away to the side. “Sorry, did I go too far?”

Heizou put his hands in front of him, waving a ‘no’ signal. “No, it’s okay! You said you’re still new to this whole ‘friend thing’.” He air-quoted the last word. “It’s understandable, but I’m not really in the right headspace to talk about it.”

“I see, well I guess I just have to keep learning then?” Xiao smiled awkwardly at him.

This was the first time Heizou ever saw Xiao smile in the few months he’s known him. Something about him smiling felt so calming to Heizou, the way he looked slightly embarrassed, the way his eyes close ever so slightly, the way his lips curled ever so slightly.

Wait, why am I paying so much attention to this? Heizou asked himself

He snapped out of the momentary trance, pretending he didn’t notice the smile and switching back to his carefree attitude. “Yup! But honestly, you’re doing better than Kazuha when we first met!”

“Is that so?” Xiao asked, almost amused. “Well, I think I’ll hear more about this some other time. If I stay any later, Father might come home and start calling me.”

“Got it! Don’t forget your things and stay safe!”

He nodded, taking the bag he brought and exiting the door. As soon as he left, Heizou waited until he was confident that Xiao was at the very least a few steps away from the apartment building.

Once he felt he was confident enough that he was away, he walked to his couch with a thousand-yard stare before he plopped himself down face first and squealed in embarrassment.

He may have started developing feelings for Xiao, cursing himself that he fell for a man who was obviously (at least to him) in love with someone else.

Chapter Text

Kazuha was bored.

It was already three weeks into their summer vacation, and no one called him to do anything with them. He himself was busy training for kendo, but now that his competition was over and dealt with, giving the school a few more gold trophies in their name, he had nothing to do.

Apparently, Venti was taking as many hours as possible in his job this summer for some extra spending money, Heizou was out of town with his cousin to visit his parents, and Xiao wasn’t the type of person to invite people on a whim.

So, he was just spending his time playing games and working out in his home gym. It was good for getting his serotonin levels up, but he wanted to feel stimulated too.

“I’m going out tomorrow.” He announced at the dinner table to his parents.

“Oh, any of your friends invited you?” his mom asked.

“No, I’m just going out on my own.” Kazuha stated, making sure to swallow his food before speaking. “I’m feeling a bit cramped in this house, and I’d like to get some fresh air.”

“Well, as long as you follow the ‘get home before dark’ rule, I don’t see why not.” His mother answered. “Sure, you’re excused in my book. Beidou?”

She shrugged “Honestly, I’m glad Kazuha wants to go out. I think it’s good for him.”

He thanked his moms for their permission and continued with his meal. Once he was finished, he went upstairs and watched a lengthy video essay on a show he’s never heard of and had no interest in watching after the video and went to sleep.

Kazuha usually woke up early no matter how late he’d stay up and this day was no different. He figured the park would be a good destination for some sunlight and a walk, so after he took a bath, he picked out a red shirt with a pair of comfortable dark sweatpants and white sneakers.

He had his breakfast, brushed his teeth, announced to one of the servants that he was heading out, and headed out of his house.

The park was a short train ride away from his house and was glad there weren’t that many people there. He took in a deep breath to soak in the fresh air, thankful that the sounds of children playing were at a minimum and the sounds of the wind and trees were at a maximum.

Being guided by the rock path, he wandered around taking in the sun and the sights until he saw something that caught his attention.

“Xiao?”

There he was wearing a white T-shirt and purple shorts, with a few kids not older than twelve from what he could tell, playing volleyball with them.

It didn’t look like Xiao heard him, perhaps because he was too focused on the game to pay attention. One could say it was a bit unfair that this high schooler was playing against some kids who haven’t even hit puberty yet.

It was, he was demolishing them.

“Sorry everyone, I’ll sit out.” Xiao called out. “This first round is just a warm-up.”

“How about I sit this one out too?” One of the kids who wore a racoon hoodie suggested.

Another kid who was on Xiao’s team who looked to be a cat hybrid crossed her arms. “You just want to sit this out so you could go sleep!”

“Okay? And?”

“If that’s what you want, Sayu, you can stop playing.” Xiao announced, much to Sayu’s delight.

Yet another kid who was on Xiao’s team who had blonde pigtails and pointed ears grabbed onto his leg. “Noooooo, I still want to play with Xiao!”

He sighed, wanting not to upset a child. “Sorry, but if we want the teams to be even, I have to sit out now.”

Kazuha, for whatever reason, decides to make his presence known by sneaking behind Xiao and tapping him on the shoulder behind his back, startling the shorter boy.

“Hello Xiao, I couldn’t help but notice you.” He announced his presence with a simple smile.

Xiao rubbed the back of his head in surprise. “Kazuha? What brings you here?”

“Just wanted to walk around but it seems I stumbled onto something interesting.”

He pointed towards the seven little girls with him, causing Xiao to get flustered.

“Okay, I know this looks bad.” Xiao stated with a slightly pink face. “Just a high schooler hanging out with a bunch of little girls.”

Kazuha laughed at that statement. “I didn’t think it was weird, but now that you mention it…”

“In any case,” He awkwardly coughed “I’m here accompanying Qiqi’s friends since they wanted to go to the park and Father wasn’t going to let them go anywhere without a chauffeur.” Xiao looked at the ground. “And… I didn’t really have any plans...”

“Hello mister!” their attention was transferred to the blonde pigtailed girl waving fast at him. “My name’s Klee!”

The cat hybrid sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Guess we’re doing introductions.” She crossed her arms. “Name’s Diona.”

A messy pink-haired girl put her hands on her hips and smiled “The name’s Dori!”

A white-haired girl with green tips styled in a ponytail waved at him. “My name’s Nahida.”

“Hello! I’m Yaoyao!” yelled a girl with twin buns and a braid shaped like a bow in the middle. “I’m guessing Sayu’s already asleep, but she’s over there!”

She pointed at one of the benches where, indeed, the little girl in a racoon hoodie was sound asleep.

Qiqi simply looked up and down at Kazuha and nodded. “I think I remember you… what’s your name again?”

Kazuha takes a mental note to remember all their names. “Well, I’m Kazuha, and it’s nice to meet all of you.” He turns to Xiao to ask. “If I may, is it alright to join? Just as an attempt to even the playing field”

“I wouldn’t want to take any more of your time.” Xiao replied.

Kazuha only chuckled. “Please, I’m free for the most part. Besides, this is probably better for me than just wandering around aimlessly.”

“Well, if you insist…” He pointed to the other side of the court. “You’re in a team with Dori, Nahida and Yaoyao then.”

He nodded, going to the other side, and was placed at the back since the other three wanted him to serve.

Xiao had the ball in his hands, positioning himself in what appears to be an overhead serve. That was until he moved behind the service line, indicating a jump serve.

He then tossed the ball up, stepped forward and jumped at quite the impressive height. Before Kazuha could react, Nahida yelled “I got it!”, volleying the ball back to the other side of the court.

Once she did that, Qiqi passed the ball to Klee who then set the ball so Diona could hit it over the net, giving little time for the other team to react.

As the ball was passed back to Xiao, he commented. “This is going to be best two of three rounds, you sure you still want to play?”

Kazuha knew this was more of Xiao checking to see if he was okay, but his mind translated that as Xiao challenging him. “It’s fine, keep going.”

Xiao shrugged, doing a similar jump serve. Before he could announce he was going to hit the ball Yaoyao jumped above the net height, blocking the ball and scored them a point.

Never in his life would Kazuha think he’d have to keep up with actual children but here we were. Thankfully he was quick on his feet and got into the rhythm of the game, but it was still painfully obvious that he doesn’t play that much volleyball.

Eventually the round ended with Xiao’s team scoring the win, but Kazuha would say he put up a decent fight.

As they took a break to drink some water, Kazuha sat next to Xiao away from the kids and asked something. “You know, your form was quite admirable. Why haven’t you applied in any varsity game?”

Xiao rolled his eyes and groaned. “And be around sweaty tryhards for the season? Pass.” He took a big gulp from his water bottle before continuing. “Ah, and even if I wanted to join, I already have committee, meals to prepare and a house to clean.”

As if he remembered something, Xiao’s eyes widened, and he cursed under his breath. “Shit, wait, I didn’t buy groceries for the week. Looks like I’ll have to go out again today after I drop everyone off.”

Kazuha’s eyebrow raised. “Doesn’t your dad do some of this work? And can’t you ask your siblings to help?”

He let out a deep sigh. “Well for starters, Father always works late hours and has a bunch of side gigs so obviously he can’t help. And I don’t want to ask Ganyu for help since she’s always swamped with student council work.”

“What about your other siblings?”

Xiao made a sound that almost sounded like a chuckle, but he didn’t smile. “Whenever Hu Tao helps out, she somehow makes the situation worse. And I don’t want Qiqi to help since I want her to enjoy herself as much as she can before she grows up.”

He nodded, not realizing how much Xiao does for his family. Growing up, he’s never actually worked for anything to let him live since he was quite well off, but he’s heard stories from his mother about her experiences working odd jobs to support her family.

If I didn’t fish, I wouldn’t have anything on the table. She would always say.

“Must be quite difficult for you.” Was the only thing Kazuha could comment.

He simply shrugged and said: “I manage.”

“Hey!” Dori yelled, drawing the pair’s attention. “You two done yet?!”

“Of course, just give us a minute!” Xiao yelled back, recapping the water bottle he had, and turned to Kazuha. “Ready for another round?”

Kazuha only smirked at the suggestion. “Only if you’re ready to lose.”

Xiao did not, in fact, lose.

~                      ~                      ~

“You want to do my groceries instead?” Xiao asked with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

He nodded. “I’d like to help you. Just so you don’t do two trips.”

He put his fingers under his chin in a thinking pose “Dunno, market’s usually pretty crowded, and I heard from Venti you’re not the biggest fan of those.”

“Please, just think of it as my punishment for losing to you.”

“But I never challenged you?”

“Xiao, please just do this so I can keep my pride intact.”

He sighed, conceding. “Alright, here.”

Xiao asked for his phone, typing down his grocery list and his house address while giving him specific instructions. “Keep contact with me and send pictures so I know you’re actually doing this right. Make sure you get vegetables and fruits last, so they don’t spoil. And keep the laundry supplies and soaps and things in separate bags from the food.”

Kazuha, thinking he might be a bit over his head, just tells him that he has this and take the kids to whatever fast-food chain they decided on.

“Sorry, I don’t really have much money on me.” Xiao apologized. “Do you think you have enough to afford everything?”

Kazuha, who always has a wallet filled with cash for emergencies with no credit cards to prevent any tracing back to either of his moms, simply said: “Yes, just pay me back once I reach your house.”

After they parted ways, Kazuha took a train to the grocery store and was immediately overwhelmed by all the noise and the bright LED lights.

Yup, way in over my head. He thought.

It was too late to back out now, so he pushed through it and tried his best to get everything from Xiao’s list as fast as he could. He wasn’t exactly a stranger to this kind of place (only because he saw this kind of thing on shows he watched) so at the very least he knew the procedure.

His confidence broke however once he had trouble getting a shopping cart.

Once he got it, the rest of the grocery trip was over and done in an hour and, by a miracle, he didn’t have to wait that long in the line.

Checking his Maps app, he got to Xiao’s home with another train ride and a walk. He lived in a modest looking two-story house, completely ordinary in every way. He rang the doorbell, producing an electronic ‘ding’ sound.

After a moment, he heard the door unlock and was greeted by a short girl with long hair tied into a ponytail wearing a loose black shirt and brown shorts.

“…” She looked at him up and down. “Who are you?”

“Oh!” Kazuha cleared his throat. “I’m Kaedehara Kazuha. I’m friends with your older brother?”

“My brother has friends?”

Well, that was uncalled for.

“Uh, I met up with him earlier.” He explained his situation. “I suggested buying his groceries so he could take Qiqi and her friends for food.”

Her eyes narrowed at him with suspicion. “Can you be here for just a moment?”

Without waiting for an answer, she slammed the door in his face. Having faith in her, he stood there patiently as his arms were giving out due to the heavy bags he was carrying.

She came back not long after with a smile on her face, doing a complete 180 with her mood. “Well, come on in then! I’ll take those from you.” She grabbed the groceries from his arms and led him in. “Make yourself at home! I’ll brew up some tea for you!”

Stepping in he took a good look at his surroundings. The only way Kazuha could describe the room was ‘vintage’. Everything looked very old, and a majority of the furniture could very well pass off as antiques.

“I’m Hu Tao, by the way!” the girl yelled, before realizing something and shushing her voice. “Oops, sorry, Ganyu’s taking a nap and she already sounded a biiiiit grumpy when I woke her to ask if Xiao really knew you. So… best to keep your voice down.”

He nodded, setting himself down in the couch and made himself comfortable as Hu Tao prepared him tea. As he waited, he checked his phone and sent a picture of himself at his house with attached text saying: ‘Hu Tao invited me in.’

“All done!” she sang in a hushed tone, bringing in a tray with two cups of tea and sat across him on the floor.

She then leaned in, putting her elbows on the coffee table in front of them, putting the backs of her hands under her chin and put on a mischievous look. “So…you’re Xiao’s friend, yes? Just making sure?”

When he nodded, not seeing any red flags to this conversation, she asked. “Who else does he hang out with?”

“I don’t think you know them, but their names are Venti and Heizou.”

“Well, don’t know who this Heizou fella is but I do know Venti.” She took a long sip of tea and finished with an ‘ahh’ before continuing. “I actually saw one of his performances when I visited the school last year. He’s preeeetty good.”

Seeing mischief in her eyes, Kazuha misread the situation. “Just so you know, I don’t think Venti would be interested in dating a girl.”

She almost spat out her tea at that comment. “Okay first of all, I’m a lesbian. Second of all, bit rude to assume I’m interested, no?”

Kazuha felt bad so he opened his mouth to apologize, until Hu Tao added something. “Buut I do have this guy friend who thinks he’s kinda cute. So, say, he wants to impress this Venti, what would you recommend? It’s nothing weird, just like, do you have any gift suggestions like food and stuff to leave in his locker?”

Seeing nothing wrong with some innocent crush, he answered. “Well he loves apples and anything sweet and juicy, so you could probably derive something from that. But he hates sticky foods since it gets all over his hands.”

Deeper into the conversation he realized he didn’t even touch his tea. It was still hot, so he took a sip and was immediately hit by a wave of bitterness. It seemed like there was no sugar or any additives for that matter.

While the flavor was nostalgic, it also reminded him of the times he would visit his ex’s house and he’d brew a tea that tasted very similar to the one he was consuming right now every time. So not really the best time for Kazuha right now.

But he was a guest so he had to suck up and be polite, so he drank the rest of it as fast as he could without it looking suspicious.

Before Hu Tao could ask any more questions, there was a knock on the door before it opened, revealing Xiao and Qiqi.

“Hey big bro!” She smiled innocently. “We were just having a lovely chat!”

“You didn’t say anything embarrassing, right?”

She simply smirked and stood up. “Welp, I’m going to my room!”

Xiao looked really mad but was trying his best not to blow up in front of Qiqi. Instead, he went up to Kazuha and whispered. “Did…did she say anything private?”

When he said no, Xiao gave a sigh of relief. “Thank archons.”

He then left the living room, telling Kazuha he’ll get his wallet to pay him back for the groceries.

Once he came back, he handed him the money and saw him out the door.

“Thank you again for doing this.” Xiao bowed. “I’d prepare you a meal, but I think I’m a bit tired.”

Kazuha understood, nodding back. “Please, it’s nothing.” He said, knowing it took a good amount of mental willpower going through that store.

“Well, I appreciate it. But I better go, I need to scold Hu Tao.”

Kazuha giggled, before Xiao closed the door. Checking the time, it looked like he should stop by a convenience store or something for his lunch.

The experience was fun, and he felt he and Xiao got closer today, something he wasn’t really expecting when he just wanted to go on a walk.

Chapter Text

Venti was suffering at a McDonald’s.

It was just him and his coworker and upperclassman Diluc on register, resulting in long lines of customers to form until their other manager Mrs. Raiden stepped in as the third person on register.

For whatever reason they were just constantly understaffed causing Venti to have to exert twice as much effort than usual. Sure, there was a slight increase in his pay, which was only added after receiving mercy from Mr. Morax, but it wasn’t enough to justify.

“Ahhhhhhh.” Venti groaned as he got out of the bathroom to change from his uniform to casual outing clothes. “I think I’m gonna take a day-off or two next week. Surely Mrs. Raiden would understand, right?”

“I think she would. It’s just been you and me showing up all summer for the most part after all.” Diluc answered, not even looking at him. “Can we go now?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, I’m coming.”  Venti rolled his eyes.

Every now and then after shifts, he and Diluc would go out and talk and rant about their lives at some nearby café. It was nice talking to a friend who wasn’t attached to any friend group because there was a lot more freedom in the way you talk.

Like right now, Diluc was talking about his brother Kaeya’s new boytoy. “This is the fourth person he brought home this week.”

“But it’s a Tuesday?”

“Exactly.”

Venti chuckled at this information. “So, I’m assuming you’re having trouble sleeping then?”

“Haha, very funny.” He said sarcastically before taking a sip of his black coffee. “But yes, somehow he has this ability to pick partners that are way too fucking loud.”

Before Venti could add more to the conversation, his phone started buzzing. “Sorry, can I…?”

Once Diluc nodded, Venti checked his phone to see some texts from Lumine.

LUMINE

hi venti! :D

me and Aether were thinking of going to a water park with some people from our classes next week

we were wondering if you’d be interested

He smiled, causing Diluc to ask. “Is that the Kazuha guy you keep talking about?”

Venti simply glared at him and said, “Shut up, it’s not.” before going back to his phone.

LUMINE

hi venti! :D

me and aether were thinking of going to a water park with some people from our classes next week

we were wondering if you’d be interested

yeah, i’m free!

thanks for the invite lumine! :D

He turned off his phone and went back to his conversation with Diluc, excited that he’d finally have an excuse to go out.

~                      ~                      ~

The day after he said yes to the offer, he was added to a group chat for the people who too said yes. Sure enough, he saw Kazuha, Xiao and Heizou in the chat members list which made him happier.

After a shower, he changed into a loose t-shirt that covered his entire torso and half his thighs and shorts that you couldn’t see since they were under the t-shirt.

He double-checked his bag to see if he had everything he needed: phone, wallet, sunscreen, snacks, water, towels, soap, shampoo, swimsuit, and a change of clothes. Sure enough, everything was there.

He left his apartment an hour before their train was going to leave, making sure his door was locked, walking away, and then going back to double check if he actually locked his door, and was off.

Once he reached, Venti saw that Kazuha and Xiao were already there, along with a few other people whom he recognized as Amber, Ganyu, Gorou, Ayaka, Keqing, Kokomi and Yoimiya.

“Oh, you’re here already.” Kazuha commented. “But it seems the planners and Heizou aren’t.”

Venti looked around once more, confirming that. “Let’s just hope we don’t miss the train because of them.”

Just as if on cue, Heizou was running towards them at top speed, stopping to catch his breath once he reached the destination.

“Sorry, I just got back from Narukami yesterday.” Heizou exhaled hard through his mouth. “I almost overslept but Nana woke me up.”

Xiao narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “Did you really just think it was a good idea to go out after a long trip?”

Heizou gave him a glare. “Oh, well I’m sorry about wanting to see my friends.”

Kazuha brought his hands together. “Alright, so now that that’s over with.” He checked the other people with them. “I believe all we’re missing now are the twins themselves.

So, the entire group waited as five minutes of waiting eventually turned into fifteen when the twins arrived.

“Hey guys!” Aether yelled and waved to get their attention. “I’m assuming everyone’s here now?”

“So, you were really just going to keep all of us waiting?” Keqing let out a ‘hmph’ before she continued talking. “This is a first for you two.”

Lumine put her hands in a praying position and bowed. “Sorry! Some urgent stuff came up from our upperclassmen yesterday and they needed our help!”

“So we maayyyyy have overslept just a teeny bit.” Aether added. “But anyways! A quick scan tells me you’re all here!”

Their plan was to go to the water park really early so not a lot of people would be there, then once noon hits and the park is at relatively peak capacity, they leave and go eat at some restaurant for lunch.

The train ride was smooth, surprisingly not a lot of people. Maybe it was because they were early?

In any case, the group arrived after a ride and a walk in the span of half an hour, leading to a huge water park known as Serai Water Park. It wasn’t ginormous by any means, but it felt just right for the highschoolers. And by a miracle, the park wasn’t filled with people who had the same idea of going early like they did.

They all split to change and made sure everyone knew to meet back up by the changing rooms around noon, with Venti emerging from the changing rooms to meet Xiao wearing a dark purple full body swimsuit.

His own outfit was just a simple sleeveless light-yellow shirt under an aqua green-and-white striped jacket with the shorts he wore from earlier.

“Hey Xiao!” Venti waved to get his friend’s attention.

Xiao turned and stared him down, commenting. “Oh, hello.”

He looked down at his outfit, awkwardly laughing and rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. “Ehe, I don’t really have the luxury to buy cute swimsuits so…”

Xiao shook his head quickly, still staring. “No, no, you look…nice.”

“Awww, really?” He asked, putting on a wide and genuine smile. “Thanks Xiao! You look pretty nice too!”

It looked like Xiao wasn’t used to getting compliments, so he simply turned and looked away, mumbling something that sounded like ‘thanks’ but he wasn’t too sure.

“Oi, you two!” a voice yelled behind them.

The two looked to see Heizou and Kazuha who also changed. Heizou wore a white loose sleeveless top and mustard-yellow knee shorts.

While Kazuha wore nothing but red swim trunks with white lining.

“Ah, it seems I’m a bit underdressed compared to you three.” Kazuha commented once the four were together in speaking distance.

Whatever archons are looking down on me, thank you for having Lumine and Aether arrange this. “Oh, come on, Kazuha! You look good!”

“See, Kazuha?” Heizou playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Venti agrees with me!”

Kazuha’s face reddens slightly and coughs, trying to change the subject. “So! Uh, where do you all want to go to first?”

“Slides!” Venti answered immediately. “I wanna do those two-person ones!”

They, alongside Kokomi and Gorou, went over to a rather high looking slide where you had to ride on a floaty with someone else. Kazuha and Venti ended up together, with Kazuha taking the front while Venti took the back.

Venti, being respectful, held onto the sides of the floaty as they descended rapidly, the both of them screaming at the fast pace and turns before they eventually reached the bottom with a splash.

“Woo!” Venti breathed heavily, adrenaline rushing through him. “That was fun!”

Kazuha looked around confused, as if he was looking for someone. “Agree but… I thought Heizou and Xiao went before us.”

That was true, though a quick scan told them that they weren’t anywhere in or near the pool. Slightly worrying, considering none of them have their phones. “Do we go looking for them?”

“I think so...” Kazuha nodded. “You stay by the pool in case they come back; I’ll go looking around the nearby areas.”

Kazuha quickly pulled himself out of the pool, leaving Venti to sit by the sides with his feet in the water.

Around twenty minutes had passed when Kazuha came back but there was still no sign of them, causing even more worry to grow.

That was until the two of them came out of the slide.

“Dude!” Venti yelled out to the two. “I thought you went before us! We were worried sick thinking you got lost!”

Xiao opened his mouth to say something, but Heizou interrupted him quickly saying “Xiao wanted to go again.”

The shorter boy gave him a look of betrayal. “Heizou.”

“Yes?”

His face turned to a pout and looked away in shame. “…Forget it.”

Kazuha breathed a sigh of relief. “In any case, I think it’s best for all our hearts that we don’t run off without the others knowing.”

All agreeing, they walked their way towards this slide with a trapdoor, where people would stand over it with their arms crossed and the trapdoor would drop them who for knows how many meters.

One by one they boys went through it, with all of them reaching the bottom with varying reactions.

“We aren’t going again.” Heizou said with deep pants. “What the fuck was that.”

Kazuha, who went before him, was still taking one breath at a time. “I don’t know, the adrenaline rush was actually quite nice.”

“Kazuha, please, I felt like I was dying.” Venti indented, clutching onto his chest.

Xiao came down the slide not long after and it sounded like he was laughing with his eyes closed. He realized a little too late what he was doing, as once he opened them he was met with a few stares from his friends.

“Oh, uh.” Xiao coughed, trying to find his composure. “Hello.”

Heizou may have stared a tad bit longer than the other two and tried to save face. “Oh, sorry, it’s just, I believe that’s the first time we ever heard you laugh, right?”

Venti nodded. “Yeah!” He turned back to Xiao, in an attempt to also save face. “Sorry if this sounds a bit rude, but you should laugh more! You sound really cute!”

Xiao coughed once more; his eyes unable to look at them. “…I’ll think about it.”

“Well, now that that’s out of the way.” Venti said before he made a big splash at Kazuha. “I was starting to get a little bored.”

Kazuha sighed, trying to open his eyes after that surprise attack. “As much as I like to think I’m a pacifist…” He made a big splash back at Venti, who managed to dodge it.

“Ha! Good luck trying to-” He was cut off from a splash coming from his side, which originated from Xiao.

“Nice one, Xiao!” Kazuha remarked, laughing as he tried to splash back at Venti.

Heizou jumped in, trying to join this playfight they decided to start. “Okay, this 2v1 is a little unfair, I’m helping him out.” He then splashed water back at Xiao.

“…Oh, you are dead.” Was what he managed to say.

~                      ~                      ~

They didn’t know how long they fought like children, but by the time they were done they were a bit tired of staying in the pool for so long, so they decided to get out of the pool and stay under some umbrellas, sipping some drinks they bought from the vending machine.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Venti asked as he sipped on his apple juice.

“Well, other than that one part where Heizou and Xiao went missing, yes.” Kazuha said, earning a laugh from Heizou.

“Look, we’re sorry!” Heizou playfully punched him in the shoulder and turned his head to Xiao. “He asked to, and I wasn’t just going to leave him alone!”

Xiao’s eyes narrowed back at him in what appeared to be anger. “Heizou, could you just stop talking for…ever?”

In response, Heizou narrowed his eyes back with mischief in them. “Make me.”

“Okay!” Kazuha clapped his hands once to get their attention to remove himself from this tension. “So, we have an hour left until we need to go, but do you guys want to change already?”

“Yeah, I’m not waiting in any more lines.” Venti sighed.

The other two simply nodded, leading them to go to the bathroom and change.

It was supposed to be uneventful, but while Venti was lining up to go inside, he spotted someone familiar in the changing room.

This someone familiar was a boy who had a short and slender build, with pale skin and dark indigo hair styled into a bowl cut partially covered by his black cap. He seemed to just be there to dressing into his bathing suit which looked to be a loose black shirt and gray shorts, with a black face mask to cover his appearance more.

What the fuck were the chances that you of all people would show up here?! He panicked, thinking to himself. Don’t you need to hide from the cameras or something?

Kazuha by some miracle actually opted to go to the bathroom for a change so he wouldn’t see him here, but he still needed to be careful so he wouldn’t be seen by him.

As he was trying to rub his two brain cells together, the boy turned and noticed him. Venti, trying not to be obvious, pretended not to notice him and looked to his phone.

And now he was approaching him.

“Venti?”

He mentally sucked a deep breath in to try and keep himself composed, all while he kept looking at his phone to show that he wasn’t interested.

But he knew that he had to say something.

So, he looked up from his phone with a disinterested look. “…Scaramouche? I thought you weren’t allowed in public places.”

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly “Mona forced me to come, so I’m just gonna walk around with the mask.” His tone quickly changed to a cheerful one. “But enough about me! Amy and Mona haven’t called me yet, so wanna catch up?”

Venti mentally rolled his eyes but kept his initial look. “I need to change my clothes.”

Scaramouche looked down at his arms, seeing a plastic bag with a fresh shirt, pants, and underwear. “I see. I can wait outside if you want.”

There was no way he was actually. Nonetheless, Venti nodded, and Scaramouche left his side.

Sadly for him, Scaramouche actually kept his word and waited outside the changing room.

He wasn’t just about to leave him without reason (he did have a reason in his head but he doubted Scaramouche would see that) so he went up to him with crossed arms.

“Even though we’re in the same class, it’s been a while since we last talked, hasn’t it?” Scaramouche awkwardly laughed to himself.

Growing impatient, Venti said to him in a very stern manner: “Just tell me what you want, you don’t have to dance around it.”

Surprised at this tone, he fumbled through his words until a sentence formed, sighing in defeat. “You got me. I just have a favor to ask.”

“And that is?”

“Please let me talk to Kazuha. Alone.”

Venti pinched his arm to control himself, but his blood really was starting to boil. “Now why in archons’ name would I be stupid enough to let you do that?”

Scaramouche sighed dejectedly. “I…know it looks bad…”

“Oh, you don’t say?” he mentioned sarcastically. “Just in case you can’t tell, I’m not letting you. Not after what you did.”

Before Scaramouche could say anything to defend himself, Venti cut him off. “You have no idea how much Kazuha cried over you. You scarred him, and, what? Now you think you’re just going to walk straight back into his life like nothing happened?”

Losing his patience, he angrily muttered. “Well, if you could just listen-”

Venti coughed out a dry laugh. “I’m not listening to you, okay? This conversation is over.”

As he turned away to go back to the entrance where they said they would meet, he said one last thing. “Don’t follow me. And don’t you even think about talking to Kazuha. Ever.”

He did go back to the group, putting on his usual cheery demeanor as if he didn’t just almost cry and/or lash out from the last confrontation.

The day was going so well until it immediately went downhill once Venti saw him.

Chapter Text

Xiao was anxiously waiting at a sidewalk across a lively festival for his friends.

Hu Tao mentioned a festival happening nearby to the family, asking his siblings to come with. Qiqi wasn’t a big fan of crowds and noise so she didn’t want to go, but before he and Ganyu could say no she somehow convinced them.

“Come on, you two! They have good food, awesome games, oh! And did I mention some beautiful fireworks?” She listed things that you would normally expect from festivals. “Sounds like a pretty nice place for a date, no?”

The two blushed a deep shade of red. Hu Tao knew their crushes and takes every opportunity to try and suggest date ideas or places to go.

“I’ll…think about it.” Ganyu muttered.

Xiao simply sighed and played it cool. “I was thinking of inviting my friends out somewhere anyway. Thanks for the suggestion.”

So now here he was. What he said was true, he wanted to invite his friends after coming to terms with the fact that maybe he should be allowed some happiness in his life and let people in.

Initially he came with Hu Tao, but she left once she saw all her friends in the crowd. A few more minutes of waiting stirred up some emotions of panic in Xiao, wondering if they were going to show or not.

Thankfully, at least one of them did.

“Hey, Xiao!” Heizou yelled from across the sidewalk.

Xiao knew people would sometimes wear yukatas to these summer festivals, but he didn’t own one, so he had a simple loose white t-shirt and a pair of teal shorts. Heizou however had a plain dirty orange yukata with a tie that matched his hair.

“Heizou.” Xiao greeted back, inspecting him briefly.

“It seems I’m the first to show up.” Heizou stated once he reached Xiao’s side, looking at the direction of the festival. “Unless the other two are out ordering yakisoba or something?”

“No, no, you are.” Xiao answered. “But I’m a little worried that we might not have enough time for some festivities if they’re any later.”

As if it was magic, the other two showed up also wearing yukatas. Kazuha’s yukata was light green with white wave-like lines and white maple leaves scattered throughout the fabric, while Venti’s was black with a lot of floral patterns.

“Sorry, everyone.” Kazuha apologized. “Venti wanted to go in a yukata, so he went over and tried on a few of my old ones.”

Venti giggled. “Honestly Kazuha, try donating to the poor and let me keep some of them.”

Something unpleasant washed over Xiao and he didn’t know what it was. All he knew was that he felt like glaring Kazuha down with disdain. He didn’t know why since he considered Kazuha a good friend of his but right now, he felt nothing but negativity towards him.

Luckily it seemed like he didn’t notice as Heizou spoke over them. “So, I think we should all go in now? I forgot to eat dinner, so...”

After Kazuha quickly scolded him for doing that, they all agreed, going towards the mirage of stands set up in the area. As Heizou was waiting in line at the takoyaki stand to order for him and his friends, the others tried the shooting gallery stall.

Kazuha tried his hand at it first, aiming for a can that corresponded to points that you could exchange to get plushies, but missed it by a few centimeters.

Xiao then had a turn, aiming at a can of chips to at least get something, but the container barely moved when he hit it.

“Let me have a go.” Venti said, taking the gun from Xiao’s hand.

Paying even more money at this scam of a game, his facial expression shifted from carefree to focused at the drop of a hat, shooting down the can in the middle that was worth fifty points.

One by one, Venti knocked down a few more cans until he was out of bullets, shocking both the stall owner and his friends. Once he was done, he returned the gun to the stall owner, picked up four plushies of different colored teddy bears (red, orange, green and purple), and turned to his friends with an unassuming smile.

Xiao opened his mouth to ask a lot of questions but all that came out was “…How?”

“Hehe, yeah…” Venti rubbed the back of his head. “I did archery in middle school and, not to brag or anything, I was the one with best aim. And it looks like I still got it!”

He then passed the red teddy bear to Kazuha and the purple one to Xiao. “I got a lot of plushies, so I might as well give these to you.”

Xiao absentmindedly mentioned. “Is that so? I don’t think I saw any.”

“Oh yeah, I keep them all in my bed.” Venti explained. “It’s like having a bunch of tiny hugs while you sleep!”

Kazuha raised his eyebrow. “Wait, I’m confused, Xiao what do you mean you don’t think you saw any?”

“Oh! Well remember that time I got injured and had to stay home?” Venti asked. “Well someone decided it would be a good idea to visit me without texting first!”

Xiao rolled his eyes and sighed with an annoyed tone. “You check on your friend once and all they think about is me going their unannounced. Well, I’m sorry for having concern then.”

Venti giggled at that remark, causing Xiao’s heart to stop for a good second. Kazuha then commented. “Oh, so that was why he asked for your address…”

The three decided to stay together and chat for a while next to the shooting gallery stand since they didn’t want to leave Heizou confused and lost. Sure enough, after a good ten to fifteen minutes, Heizou texted the group chat saying he saved them a table with vague directions. Luckily, they managed to find him sitting with Mahamatra-senpai and Buer-senpai of all people.

Neither of the pair wore a yukata, with Mahamatra-senpai wearing a black hoodie with purple accents and gray sweatpants with his hair down rather than his usual ponytail while Buer-senpai wore a green patterned sweater with white diamond shapes, a cream cardigan, and a pair of gray jeans.

“Oh, there they are.” Heizou commented, waving at the group approaching.

Kazuha’s expression barely changed when seeing the pair of upperclassmen but Venti immediately had a look of fear when he saw Mahamatra-senpai.

“Good evening to you all.” Mahamatra-senpai nodded to them. “I hope this festival has been enjoyable?”

Venti awkwardly laughed, trying to mask his fear. “Y-yeah! We uh, did a shooting gallery thing.” He then handed the orange teddy bear he had to Heizou, who accepted it. “I, uh, won some plushies for us all.”

“Shooting gallery, you say?” he repeated, turning to his partner. “Nari, you wanna try?”

“Sounds fun, I suppose.” Buer-senpai shrugged, almost annoyed. “As long as we don’t run into your friends again.”

Xiao, slightly surprised at his demeanor, decided to ask. “Is everything alright?”

Mahamatra-senpai simply shrugged it off saying “It’s nothing really. Long story short, we ran into Sara who then ran into Itto and his posse, so we had to play mediator for a while when the two started fighting over some prize at the ball toss stall.”

Heizou sighed dramatically, commenting “Honestly from all the stories you and Xiao talk about those two, they should honestly just bang it out.”

“Heizou!” Xiao yelled.

“What, am I wrong?”

Xiao, almost at a loss of words, retorting through gritted teeth “You can’t just say things like that about our upperclassmen!”

“No, he has a point.” Mahamatra-senpai muttered. “I swear, they both keep talking about each other whenever they have a chance, it’s honestly getting so annoying that I just want to say that to them directly so they could stop.”

Buer-senpai sighed, patting him on the back. “Poor Cyno had to endure being one of their middlemen for three years.”

“Don’t forget being Alhaitham and Kaveh’s middleman.”

“Okay, that’s not fair, you and I both know we share that role with Dehya, Candace and Nilou as well.” The fox-hybrid then stood up, signaling to his boyfriend that they should go. “But anyways, it was nice meeting you all, but we should get going. Please, don’t hesitate to approach me if you need any schoolwork help.”

Mahamatra-senpai then slinged his arm around Buer-senpai’s neck. “My Nari right here, excellent tutor; so kind, so understanding-“

“Cyno, stop.”

“No.”

Buer-senpai started giggling a little trying to retort as Cyno started to kiss his neck. “Cyno, no, please, archons!”

“Not until you admit you’re the most amazing person ever!”

That went on for about half a minute as the four younger boys stared, feeling jealousy seeing these two have a wonderful relationship that they wished they had with someone within their general vicinity.

Once the couple departed, Kazuha, Venti and Xiao sat at the table Heizou reserved for them, who then passed their orders of takoyaki to the other three.

“Those two are disgusting.” Venti commented the moment he sat down.

“You think that’s bad?” Xiao asked with a sarcastic tone. “Try working with Mahamatra-senpai regularly.”

Kazuha shrugged, stabbing a takoyaki ball with a toothpick while mumbling. “At least they’re happy.”

Venti groaned at that comment, “I guess, but do they really have to flex?”

“Good point.”

As they all ate, Kazuha left saying that he needed to go to the restroom, asking if anyone needed to go as well. Xiao stood up saying he did, and the two separated from Venti and Heizou.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Xiao started a conversation as they walked. “It’s quite dark and Venti mentioned that you might not be interested in going because of that.”

Kazuha laughed weakly, looking away for a bit. “It’s still a bit hard for me, but the festival lights are bright enough, and I made sure I could be picked up once the fireworks ended.”

“Why don’t you like the dark?”

Kazuha’s breath hitched slightly “Well, uh, how do I say this…”

After a deafening pause, Kazuha spoke once more. “Well, there’s no reason to hide it from you, and Venti and Heizou already know so I might as well tell you.”

“If it’s too personal-“

He shook his head quickly. “No, no, it’s fine, really! It’s just…”

Kazuha hugged himself, taking in a few breaths before he finally spoke, “My…first boyfriend died while we were walking home late.”

Xiao’s eyes widened at this sudden drop of information. “What?!”

“Really, I’m alright now, I just try not to think about it too much.” Kazuha tried to handwave the situation he created. “But whenever it gets too dark, I just get…”

He didn’t realize they stopped in their tracks when he stopped talking, and he also didn’t realize Xiao hugging him until he let go. Kazuha didn’t feel any tears streaming down his face which was good, but it felt really close.

“I’m really sorry for your loss.”

Kazuha once again tried to handwave the situation. “Really, I’m alright for the most part.”

Xiao sighed, patting him in the back as they started to walk again. “Well, next time try not to force yourself to go. I think I’d understand.”

“I’m not forcing myself, I genuinely wanted to go.”

“…If you say so.”

~                      ~                      ~

Meanwhile, Heizou and Venti were left at the table, with Heizou watching the two leave while Venti was waiting for him to say something. “Everything alright?”

Heizou sighed deeply with worry in his eyes, which was a sign that everything might not be alright. “Listen, Mahamatra-senpai told me not to say anything so you guys wouldn’t get worried, but my intuition tells me I should tell you about what happened while I was gone.”

Everything wasn’t alright.

“I was going to just go up to you guys with your orders, but I saw some people watching you guys from the corner of my eye so I had to keep watch in case they did something. Eventually though they just sort of…went away.”

Venti’s eyes filled with fear and worry, then with annoyance. “What did they look like?”

“Well this guy was a little short-“

“Fair skin? Bowl cut? Cap? Black face mask? Probably wore black?” Venti bombarded him with questions. “And don’t tell me, the other two were a blonde goth with pigtails and the other had black hair in pigtails, maybe she had a weird hat?”

Heizou’s eyes widened at his questions “How did you-”

“You ever watched the Kabukimono of Tatarasuna?”

“…How is this relevant?”

“The guy who played Kabukimono was the guy who was stalking us.”

“What?”

Venti sighed, realizing that he had to explain everything to Heizou since he just joined this year. “He’s in our grade and he’s in my class, but he’s barely in class nowadays because of his shooting schedules. Whenever he is in class, he leaves for lunch to eat at the drama club.”

Heizou put his hands in front of him, shaking them as he tried to take in all this information “Wait, I’m so confused, why would Raiden Scaramouche stalk you guys?”

“He and Kazuha used to date.”

“WHAT?!”

“Wait, Kazuha never told you?” Venti simply shrugged and continued explaining. “Whatever, they dated since…middle of third year middle school? Let’s say around that time.

“Me and Kazuha weren’t friends at that time since we met in high school, but yeah, they were still together when high school started and I basically had to third wheel them every other day”

Heizou gathered his thoughts, nodding and then asking “So…sorry if this seems rude, and I’m not saying Kazuha did something, but did Kazuha do anything? “

“That’s just it! Kazuha didn’t do anything wrong; Scaramouche was the one that broke up with Kazuha months ago! Over text!”

Heizou gasped and repeated him, making sure he was getting this information right “Over text?!”

“OVER TEXT!”

Heizou slumped down, trying to piece together something from everything he’s gathered “Well, why would he be stalking him?”

“That’s what’s stumping me too!” Venti then leaned closer with a hushed voice. “Between you and me, remember when we went to the water park? I somehow ran into him, and he asked me if he could talk to Kazuha.”

Heizou leaned in a little closer, not matching his hushed voice “What did you say?”

“Obviously no!” He yelled out causing Heizou to jump back from the sudden noise. “Heizou, I absolutely hated seeing Kazuha cry over this guy who didn’t deserve him!”

Heizou sucked in a breath, looking down awkwardly. “I suddenly feel bad about making a joke about his sex life.”

“What?”

“Long story short, I found a pack of condoms in his bedroom that he forgot to take out and made a joke about it.”

A bit of jealousy briefly blinded Venti when he mentioned being allowed inside Kazuha’s bedroom, but he stopped himself from saying anything in case he said something he’d regret.

Heizou simply continued talking. “But moving on, I informed Mahamatra-senpai earlier about this before you all arrived so he could help me keep an eye on them. With the information that the stalkers were students here, I think this would warrant a visit from him.

“While they aren’t showing any signs of ill intent, I think an investigation from him should be enough to spook them into stopping before it escalates.”

Venti breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks for telling me this, Heizou.”

He smiled back, as he leaned in and patted his shoulder. “No problem, Venti.”

~                      ~                      ~

Once the four regrouped they walked around the festival aimlessly: playing candy cutting, trying out some drink called dango milk, and trying a rope game where you pick a certain rope from a pile of them and get whatever was attached to it.

Somehow Xiao won a new laptop with that game.

Eventually they went to a nearby hill and laid down a blanket on the cool grass as they waited for the fireworks to start.

“We have two weeks of summer left right?” Venti made sure.

“You waited to do your homework until the last minute, didn’t you?” Kazuha asked back.

“Shut up.” Venti pouted as he crossed his arms. “But yes, that’s true. But hey! We have an excuse for us to go on a sleepover!”

“Are you just going to copy off of us?” Heizou asked with an amused tone.

Venti turned to him with an offended look. “Hey! I may be a bit of a leech but I’m not just going to copy it word per word!”

“Because it could count as plagiarism?”

Venti simply pouted some more, dramatically reaching for Xiao and wrapping his arms around him. “Xiaoooo! They’re bullying meeeeee!”

Xiao, surprised by this move, simply looked up to the two and mouthed ‘What do I do?’ in a frantic manner. The other two laughed at the display, before they heard an announcement from the festival organizers using the speaker system.

“Visitors, please be informed that the fireworks display will start in ten minutes. I repeat, visitors, please be informed that the fireworks display will start in ten minutes.” The speaker system sounded.

“Oh! Before it does start!” Venti took his phone from his kimono’s pocket, placing the camera to the front so he could take a selfie of them.

The three resigned to their fate, posing for his picture, all of them with peace signs because they couldn’t think of anything else.

Once they stopped and were all comfortable, the four simply waited for the display to start. And once it did, it felt as if the world stopped as a mirage of multicolored sparks filled the dark sky.

The simple blast of light followed by their embers spreading until they faded were mixed with the various shapes of flowers and animals, mesmerizing the audience.

And other than the occasional yells from children pointing out the colors of the fireworks, the crowd was still as time felt to everyone.

The display only lasted for ten minutes, but it was a great end to a (mostly) amazing night.

The four of them all walked together to take Kazuha to their car, said their goodbyes to him, and the other three separated to walk home.

Xiao then waited for his sister, who herself was joined by her six friends Xingqiu, Chongyun, Xinyan, Yunjin and Xiangling.

“Xiao-senpai?” Xingqiu asked with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing all alone?”

“Oh, he wasn’t alone.” Hu Tao answered for him. “He was with his friends and the guy he likes!”

Xinqiu was intrigued by what Hu Tao had asked “Xiao-senpai has friends?”

“Xiao-senpai has a crush?!” Xiangling added, her expression turning excited.

“Why do you have a new laptop?” Chongyun added, pointing at the box he was carrying.

He simply rolled his eyes at all these questions “Can you all stop talking about me like I’m not here?”

“I just wanted to-”

Hu Tao cut off Chongyun and continued to ignore her brother’s existence by answering their questions. “You know that one guy with the braids and the hat? Green eyes? Blue hair tips? Looks a little fruity?”

“Venti-senpai?!” Xinyan’s eyes widened with an impressed look. “Dang, Xiao-senpai, didn’t think he was your type!”

“Oh haha, very funny.” Xiao commented in a monotone and sarcastic voice trying to mask his embarrassment, turning his attention to his sister. “In any case, it’s getting late, Hu Tao.” Xiao pointed out. “Wouldn’t want Father to start calling now, would you?”

She groaned but relented to go with Xiao. After she said her goodbyes and received hugs from her friends, the siblings walked their way back home with only the streetlights and the moon giving light.

“See, now wasn’t that fun?” She asked playfully.

“I’ll admit, it was quite nice.” He shrugged. “But I did run into Mahamatra and Buer-senpai.”

Her eyes widened with intrigue. “Ooooh, did you feel jealous about their relationship?”

“…Slightly.”

She laughed and let out a hard sigh. “Ah, young love!”

“Hu Tao, I am a year older than you.”

Her face softened to a more serious and happier one, with her tone matching. “In all seriousness, I’m happy for you. You seem a lot happier these days. Hell, I think I almost saw you smile once last week!”

“I guess…” Xiao looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed. “I think I should thank you for telling me this festival was happening.

“No problem, bro.” Hu Tao patted him on the back and then leaned into him with a hushed voice. “So does that mean I can have that laptop; I assume you won it in a game.”

“No.”

“Worth a shot.”

Chapter Text

Venti was serious about the whole sleepover idea, texting to the group chat to see if they were all available on the next Wednesday, and it looked like everyone was. However, while he was excited about his friends coming over so they could do homework (which was really just an excuse to hang out) something he wasn’t excited about was the prospect of cleaning his apartment.

He would try and remind himself to at the very least sweep once a week, but he would usually forget since it was easier to simply not do that. However, he wanted to reassure his friends that he is a stable individual who has no trouble living at home. He wasn’t, but they didn’t need to know that.

His apartment wasn’t that big since his mom didn’t want to spend a lot of money on housing, but Venti quite liked the space he had. Sure, while he had a trouble adjusting to living alone the first few months, he eventually adjusted enough that he was sure he could survive.

He took the entire day before the sleepover to fully cleanse his apartment: cleaning his bedroom, moving all the dishes and glasses he left around the house to the sink, vacuuming the floor, doing all the laundry and hanging it to dry so he would save money on the bill, dusting the shelves and windows, and finally actually doing the dishes he left in the sink.

By the time he was done, he realized that it was already thirty minutes before his shift at McDonald’s. It wasn’t that far, but he realized he hadn’t taken a shower today because of his apartment deep-cleaning.

Groaning, he had a quick shower and dried his hair as fast as he could, slipping into an outdoor outfit consisting of a white blouse and aquamarine overalls. He’d put a little more effort into the outfit, but he was already running late and he was going to change into his work uniform anyways so why bother.

A quick run to his job was about ten minutes, to which he managed to show up on time. He was on register with Diluc as usual, so he mustered up as much energy as he could to get through as many entitled customers who never worked a minimum wage job in their life.

The day was actually going much better than he anticipated, which was to say that everyone was polite and understanding of the wait time considering they were borderline understaffed. By the time it was all over, the day just felt like a blur and he still felt some energy in him.

As they went to their usual café spot, ordered their drinks and sat down, Diluc started the conversation. “So, how’s everything going with Kazuha?”

Venti raised his eyebrow, confused but curious. “Why are you asking me about this now?”

Shrugging, he replied: “You seemed much happier than usual today.”

Rolling his eyes sarcastically, he smirked. “Wow, look at you, assuming things.”

“It’s still related to him, isn’t it?”

“Dear archons yes.”

Venti then proceeded to talk about this sleepover he was preparing for tomorrow, how he’s cleaning up the place and wondering what they could order for food later.

With an amused look that had a sarcastic energy to it Diluc commented. “How surprising, you’re being actually responsible.”

“This is why Thoma broke up with you.”

~                      ~                      ~

Heizou, Kazuha and Xiao all arrived at Venti’s at ten in the morning. Entering the house, it looked like any typical student apartment: living room, bathroom, and a bedroom.

Venti was there to greet them as they all moved to his room and sat down on the floor all surrounding a floor table. Taking out all their notebooks, pencils, and extra paper, they gathered around comparing answers.

“How much of your homework did you all already do?” Heizou asked. “I had to finish all of mine before I had to go to Narukami so I’m just here to help.”

“None, why did you think I invited you guys?”

The other three looked at Venti, disappointed but they swiftly moved on as Heizou asked. “So we’re just going to rip the band-aid off and start with math, right? Agreed?”

“Agreed.” The other three said unanimously.

As time passed by it felt like ten percent of their time there was spent actually doing their homework and the rest of their time just talking about their lives.

“So, how’s the last few days of summer treating you guys?” Venti asked, partially to see how his friends were doing and partially to get a break from science homework.

“Been doing fine, had my first therapy session in a while a few days ago.” Kazuha replied. “Had to take a break since my parents had to find me a new one.”

Heizou let out a small chuckle and muttered. “Lucky you have therapy.”

Kazuha, keeping his stern expression, stated. “If you need to find one, I can ask my mother for the list of available therapists she combed over. Although I will warn you, the list is going to be long.”

“No, it’s fine.” He answered, a little too fast, and asked to change the subject. “Anyways about life: other than the Narukami visit, nothing much’s happening. Honestly glad you invited us, Venti, so I could get out of the house.”

“As do I.” Xiao added. “It’s nice of you to open your home.”

Venti, having gained a sufficient ego boost, smiled, and continued his homework. With their combined efforts, they finished their homework and decided to spend some more time at Venti’s playing a video game while they order something on some delivery app.

Venti had a console he bought (saved a few months-worth of paychecks for that thing) with a few party games. One particular party game was a fighting game where they had to push each other off a platform using characters of a specific archetype.

None of them really knew what they were doing so a good chunk of it was just them figuring out how the game worked. Eventually however there was the usual video game banter as everyone was trying to chuck the others off the platform.

Oddly enough, while Venti definitely played more than they did, Kazuha was the one who kept scoring the most wins.

In the middle of the fifth round, they had to pause as their food arrived by the sound of the bell ringing. Venti went up to go and answer the door and to his relief, it was the delivery guy.

Once the food (pizza and carbonara) arrived, they decided to turn of the console and watch a movie. None of them protested to watching a classic horror movie called “The Gleaming”.

The movie itself was pretty great (left some of them with a few jumps). Afterwards, they moved over to Venti’s room with whatever food they had left and decided to eat it there while playing some sleepover game.

“You guys ever played Never Have I Ever?” Venti asked, further explaining once all of them shook their head. “Basically, you raise your hand up like this” he raised his hand like he was about to take a pledge, “and then we take turns saying something we’ve never done. If you’ve done it, you put a finger down. And whoever has any fingers up by the end wins!

“I’ll go first!” He announced, causing the other three to reluctantly raise their hands. “Never have I ever…gotten lost in a mall.”

“…” Kazuha put a finger down in defeat. “It was when I was eleven, alright?”

“Oh, I remember that!” Heizou exclaimed, giggling. “Yeah, he had to go to the bathroom, but he forgot the way.”

Kazuha’s ears reddened as he recalled the memory but was thankful that Heizou didn’t say anything further. Otherwise, they would’ve known he was crying and ran up to hug Tomoharu and Heizou.

“Alright then, let’s do this clockwise!” Venti pointed at Xiao to continue the chain.

“…Never have I ever…skipped class?”

Not so surprisingly, Venti lowered his thumb but surprisingly, Heizou did the same.

Kazuha’s eyes widened with a hint of surprise. “Was this after you moved to Narukami?”

“Ugh, yeah, some shit happened the day before and I needed to skip to cool my head.” Heizou handwaved it away.

Venti just shrugged and said, “Class is boring sometimes.”

It was now Heizou’s turn. “Alright, never have I ever kissed someone.”

“Wow, just going in for the throat, huh?” Venti lowered his finger, as did Kazuha. “It was for a dare at an upperclassman party I was invited to.”

“Who did you kiss?” Xiao asked, masking his surprise.

“Student Council President.”, but I won’t consider it my first kiss.” He shrugged and sighed. “Both of us hated it. Especially since I’m as straight as a circle” Venti explained then looked at Kazuha. “Anyways, I think we all know about Kazuha’s so…”

Kazuha nodded vigorously, saying his statement a little faster than expected of him. “Never have I ever shoplifted.”

Surprisingly, Xiao was the only one who put a finger down. “It was just something that happened when I was little, wasn’t exactly too proud of that…”

Not wanting to pry any further, Venti changed the subject. “Alright! So it’s back to me! Hmmm… never have I ever made an excuse to my parents to go hang out with people.”

Everyone except Venti begrudgingly lowered a finger. After Venti let out an amused laugh, Kazuha started to explain his story. “It was… in my last relationship.”

Venti and Heizou sat around, looking at each other awkwardly. Kazuha spoke up, trying to explain. “Ah, Xiao, Heizou, I don’t think I’ve told you about them, right?”

Heizou knew about this thanks to Venti but didn’t say anything and let Kazuha continue. “We dated from middle school up until first year high school. Honestly, I thought we were doing great until…”

“You don’t have to keep talking.” Xiao muttered. “Uh, if you’re uncomfortable that is…”

Kazuha cleared his throat, letting out an awkward laugh and checking his phone. “I see. But I’m going to keep doing that. To finish my sentence before I was rudely interrupted.”

“Hey!”

“They broke up with me over text and blocked me on everything.” Kazuha then showed them his phone, revealing an old text message chain from December of last year.

SCARA

Kazuha I’m gonna keep this as brief as possible

Stay the fuck away from me

I don’t want anything to do with you anymore

Xiao and Heizou stared at the text in disbelief while Venti just sighed and tried to cheer them up. “Hey, like I said, he doesn’t deserve you anyway!”

Heizou, a little infected by Venti’s positivity, cheered him on. “Honestly, I have no idea what he sees to dump you like this.”

Xiao nodded, adding. “You and everyone else were actually the reason I had to make an excuse to my dad to hang out in my birthday, so fuck them for saying that; you’re a good person.”

Kazuha smiled, having a few tears fall out of his eyes and grabbed them all for an unexpected hug. Venti was all for it, while the other two would normally flinch and push him away but right now it felt…right, in some sense.

“Thanks guys.”

~                      ~                      ~

They finished their game early and went to bed, throwing out all their paper plates and plastic utensils because Venti didn’t bother with washing.

Kazuha and Heizou left first thing in the morning after breakfast, but Xiao stayed behind to ‘check if anything was missing’.

When the pair left, Xiao came out of the room with his bag and just stood in front of the door awkwardly. Venti, being confused but also amused asked if everything was okay.

“Of course, it’s just…” He shook his head. “Nevermind, forget it.”

A little worried he asked again. “Xiao, is everything alright?”

“It is it’s just…”

He breathed in and out and awkwardly looked away. “Can I stay here for a little longer? Hu Tao texted me saying that my dad’s girlfriend, well, fiancé now, moved in with us today as a surprise and I really don’t want to be there.”

“Mr. Morax has a fiancé?” He shook his head, cursing himself for saying that out of instinct. “Sorry but, why don’t you wanna be with your dad’s fiancé?”

Xiao crossed his arms. “It’s not that she’s bad, far from it.” He exhaled a little harder than normal and continued. “It’s just that she’s a bit too…much. There’s another reason but…”

“And that is?” Venti tilted his head towards him, questioningly.

“I just…wanted to spend time with you a little more.” Xiao blushed a little, but not enough for Venti to notice. “I know Kazuha and Heizou are my friends too, but I spend the most time with you, but I don’t think I even know you quite well.”

This comment caught Venti off guard. He’ll admit that whole exchange made his heart skip a beat or two since no one really said he wanted to know more about him to his face.

To mask this newfound feeling, he smiled widely and went in for a hug. “Awww, come here!”

Xiao looked bewildered at what was happening but simply copied what he was doing and the two embraced for a brief moment. Looking a bit stunned, as if this was the first time he’s been hugged, he clumsily muttered “S-so, can I?”

“Of course!” Venti exclaimed. “We can watch some more movies together! I didn’t really get to play my favorite ones but-”

The pair chatted about their lives over a second breakfast that Venti decided to prep up. Venti told him about his old life in Old Mondstadt, his old school, the whole moving process when he decided to study in Teyvat City. All the while he was purposefully avoiding the topic of his family, being the reason why he moved in the first place.

When Xiao eventually had to leave around after lunch (which Venti also cooked), Venti couldn’t help but feel a little weird about the whole situation.

Here he was, being all domestic with someone: cooking for him, sharing each other’s thoughts, stories and memories. And sure, maybe he felt a little tingle whenever there was an instance of Xiao complimenting him, being nice to him, hearing him out about his thoughts and stories…

He shrugged it off. It probably didn’t mean anything.

Right?

Chapter Text

Summer vacation was over, and with that more pressure to make sure he was the model student his parents wished for.

Heizou absolutely hated the Narukami trip since it meant meeting his parents again but knew it was necessary to keep up the façade that he was doing perfectly well physically, mentally and in school. Sure, only one or two of those were true but they didn’t need to know that.

Thankfully he didn’t need to stress as much since much of the school time would be focused on the sports and culture festivals. Nevertheless, he still had to be on top when it came to studies.

When he woke up, he found a note by Nana near his breakfast and packed lunch asking him to walk his younger cousin Sayu to and from school since she confined herself in her room trying to recover from a fever. Easy enough, that just meant he had to go ahead of his usual walk with his friends.

Sayu lived in the same apartment complex as them but was living with her dad, so he just went up a floor, told the situation to his uncle, and there he was walking with Sayu who was extremely tired.

She suffered from some sort of hypersomnia, something that concerned the family since she’s just eleven years old. While she’s been taking the right medication, she still has some days filled with fatigue and this happened to be one of them. This was basically the reason why she needed to be walked everywhere lest she passes out in the middle of the street.

Now, despite the fact that they lived in the same building, he wasn’t too close with Sayu. Sure, he has some memories of her as a baby, but he highly doubts she remembers much of him. So, the entire walk was pretty awkward since no one said anything.

Then an external factor broke this tension between the two. And a somewhat unwelcome one at that.

“Heizou?” a voice called behind them.

The two turned and Heizou’s eyes widened. “Xiao?”

Sayu chimed in, seeing the girl who was holding Xiao’s hand “Qiqi?”

“Sayu?” Qiqi asked.

“Hu Tao!” Hu Tao yelled, trying to chime in with the name-calling.

Said name-calling would be stopped by Ganyu, commenting. “Coincidence to see you here Heizou, why’s that?”

Heizou explained the whole ordeal with his Nana being sick and the duty of Sayu being dropped off and picked up was left to him.

“Right, right, because of her hypersomnia.” Xiao nodded and leveled with Sayu by kneeling a little and asked her things like a concerned older brother. “How’s your health been going? Anything new with your meds?”

She yawned, answering with some vestiges of sleepiness “No, everything’s just normal so far. Today’s just an off-day, I guess.”

Xiao straightened up, thoroughly satisfied with the answer. “Just making sure.”

The six decided to walk the way together since they were all going to the same destination anyways, thankfully having the silence gone with Hu Tao trying to make conversation.

“So, Heizou yeah?” Hu Tao asked. “Kazuha mentioned you being one of my brother’s friends when he visited!”

Before Heizou could ask, Xiao explained. “We ran into each other in the park, and he offered to do my groceries.”

“Whatever the reason,” Hu Tao cleared her voice. “I think I’ve heard of you? You’re the nosy one in the disciplinary committee, right? Yanfei mentioned you in passing.”

Heizou thought that was interesting, considering he worked with Yanfei before, and Hu Tao didn’t seem like someone she would spend time with. From his limited perspective she was a hardworking student who was at the top of her class, and Hu Tao was a mischievous little gremlin of a person. But then again, despite how annoying Hu Tao can seem she’s definitely not boring.

“Now why would I be considered nosy?” He innocently asked, knowing exactly why he would be considered nosy.

“You forced yourself into that case of mishandled funds a few months ago.” Xiao reminded him.

“But we got to the bottom of it, didn’t we?”

He simply rolled his eyes in a sarcastic manner, with not much time left until they reached the middle school. Once they were there, Heizou simply said a ‘bye’ to his cousin while Qiqi was being held up by her siblings.

“Don’t forget to take notes in class, okay?” Xiao reminded.

Ganyu chimed in “And remember to eat and drink water, Qiqi!”

“And if anyone messes with ya, you beat ‘em up!” Hu Tao cheered enthusiastically.

Xiao sighed, exasperated and a bit tired despite the fact the day just started “We are not doing that.” He turned back to his sister and reassured. “But if anyone does do that come to us.”

“So WE can beat them up!”

“Hu Tao!” Ganyu and Xiao yelled at her at the same time, leading to her suppressing a giggle.

Qiqi could only respond with “Okay, Xiao. Okay, Ganyu. Okay, Hu Tao.”

The little girls then left together to the entrance of their school, leaving the high schoolers to go on the walk to their own school. Hu Tao was still leading with conversations but was interrupted by seeing her friends: a young boy with feminine features with short dark blue hair and another young boy with light blue hair and a popsicle. She in turn ran up to them from behind and surprised the pair. Ganyu too followed suit with seeing someone Heizou recognized as Keqing, the current student body vice president.

This just left him with Xiao, a situation he didn’t want to be in.

“So, uh, you know my cousin, huh?” He managed to ask just for conversation filler.

He nodded and replied: “She’s one of Qiqi’s friends, but I didn’t know you two were cousins.”

“Yeah, she’s my mom’s sister’s daughter. She passed, so now Sayu’s living with her stepfather.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Heizou asked something else. “Sorry if I’m prying, but why do you three walk Qiqi to school?”

Xiao turned away a little and sighed with a hint of sadness. This caused Heizou to reiterate: “Sorry, that was a bit too much to ask.”

“It’s alright.” Xiao calmed him down. “She just has some sort of developmental amnesia.

“She remembers us just fine, thankfully, it’s just she forgets things like specific events. So, we walk her to and from school since she’d forget the way.”

He makes it seem like a non-issue, but Heizou could sense a hint of worry in his voice. Understandable, he’s most likely worried for his sister’s future if her condition worsens.

Thus, Heizou found himself speaking before he could think. “Qiqi’s lucky to have someone like you as an older brother.”

“…Thank you?” He looked confused but just went along with it, adding “I’m just doing what I can for her.”

“Which is more than what a lot of people would do.”

He didn’t respond, just politely nodding and walking to their lockers to change into their indoor shoes and were then jumped by Venti, sneaking up behind them and shook them.

Thank archons that happened since Heizou was starting to feel his heart beat a little faster than normal when he was alone with Xiao. They also wouldn’t have to be alone together since the pair could be joined by their two other friends with a detour to the middle school.

~                      ~                      ~

Heizou stared at his phone for a few seconds with furrowed brows to truly ingrain the message into his brain.

The Boys^TM

VENTI

HEYYYY

sorry but I can’t go with you guys today o(TヘTo)

they’re making me stay til 7 for club practice

What’s more, for some reason Kazuha didn’t go to school today. He’d visit him later but he still has to pick up Sayu after school. Now, he can just skip his meeting at the disciplinary committee and leave early to pick up Sayu so he could avoid Xiao.

The problem was, he’s already in good favor with many of his upperclassmen in the committee and his parents also expected him to become one of the heads next year since Nana offhandedly mentioned it. His only ‘competition’ was Xiao since they always picked one boy and one girl as heads, and considering Xiao’s been there longer he had to exert double effort to make himself a good candidate.

So, he had to suck it up and attend. He decided to just go straight there after class instead of just going to Xiao so they could walk together. Unfortunately for him, as he opened the door Xiao was right in front of him, waiting outside. If his reflexes weren’t fast enough, he would’ve bumped into him.

“Ah!” Heizou waved, moving back to greet him. “Hey! You surprised me!”

Xiao bowed a little, greeting back. “Sorry. I was going to get you.” He looked as though he was hiding something embarrassing. “Can I ask you for something? Before we go to our meeting?”

Wanting to say no, he nodded instead. Didn’t seem like anything suspicious was going on so they went to an empty classroom in the same floor to talk. Heizou got comfy (or tried to get comfy considering he was sitting on a dust filled table) waiting for Xiao to speak.

“So…” Xiao breathed in and out. “You said I could come to you if I had a problem or if I needed anything right?”

Heizou put on his carefree and teasing demeanor, smirking and poking his shoulder. “Ooooh, what baggage does the great Xiao have in store for us today, I wonder?”

“You know sometimes maybe you should just stop talking.” He blurted out, immediately regretting it. “Shit, sorry, that was too far.”

He giggled at how cute he was and playfully punched his shoulder. “No, no it’s just some normal friend banter, you’re good.”

Seemingly flinching at the punch (Note to self, do not do that again, Heizou thought) he tried to relax. “Whatever, listen, all I want to know is, can you keep a secret?”

“Lips are sealed!”

He hugged himself, trying to hype himself up by breathing in and out. Eventually, he muttered something a little over a whisper and as swift as a plane. “I like Venti.”

I already knew that. “Is that sooooo?” His eyes widened with intrigue. “If I may, why are you telling me this?”

Xiao looked away, flustered by what he revealed, but kept going. “I…just needed someone to talk to about it and…you’re the first person I thought of.”

He could feel his heart beat a little faster and his face go a little redder by that admission but continued with the playfulness. “Awww, how sweet of you to think of me like that! And here I thought you just tolerated me.”

Seeing Xiao all flustered made him smile, but he continued. “In all seriousness though, me? Kazuha has had more experience in the dating world and you have two sisters in high school you could talk to about this.”

Xiao groaned and rolled his eyes, “Hu Tao knows but Ganyu doesn’t. And Hu Tao does this thing where she wants to meddle in my business as much as possible. And I don’t really know if talking to Kazuha about romance is…ideal.”

Okay, that was a fair point. “So just process of elimination then?”

“Well…no.” Xiao answered while looking down. “What you said to me in the bathroom at my birthday helped me… be a little bit happier and made me reflect on some old thought patterns. And so, I just thought if anyone could help me with these feelings in the least complicated way possible…it would be you.”

Heizou could definitely feel himself going red, so he changed the subject. “Right, got it.” He moved his face closer to his, their faces an inch or two away from each other.

“How about this? Our meeting is in a few minutes, if we leave now, we can make it without running. We can talk about this somewhere else later.”

Xiao’s eyes widened and checked his watch. “Ah, you’re right!”

So the two booked it out of the room and walked as quickly as they could to the meeting room.

Heizou will admit, it did hurt him a little that he was basically being friendzoned by the guy he likes right now.

(Okay, maybe not a little)

But whatever, Heizou did want to get over this dumb crush, and maybe having Xiao start dating someone would help him get over it. And even if he doesn’t, he’d much rather have Xiao date someone who he enjoys being around rather than date him.

Honestly, he’d feel sorry if anyone tries to date him if anything.

Chapter Text

Kazuha was bedridden. He wasn’t sick or anything (even though that was the excuse he gave to his parents) but he just didn’t want to go to school.

Mostly because his ex-boyfriend texted him on another number asking if they could talk.

Actually no, that was the reason.

He texted Kazuha yesterday, asking to meet with him behind the school later saying he just wanted to talk about something. Kazuha, acting like how you should when your ex who broke up with you out of nowhere texts you something vague, blocked the number and didn’t go to school on the first day back.

And now here he was, lying in bed and staring at his phone scrolling through ambience videos in an attempt to calm himself down.

That was until he immediately got a call from Heizou, causing him to yelp, almost drop the phone, and pick up the call quickly and way too eagerly. “Hello?”

“Hey Kazuha! You didn’t go to school today, everything alright?” he heard his voice through the speaker. “Are you sick? Do you need anything?”

Gathering his thoughts, he tried to reassure his friend: “Um, no, no, it’s fine, I just, it’s nothing.”

He heard a groan on the other line, and he could almost see Heizou massaging his temples. “Kaz, if something’s wrong, just tell me! Should I drop by and-”

He was immediately cut off by Kazuha, not wanting Heizou to see him in gray-on-gray clothes, unkempt hair, and a messy room. “No! Uh, sorry, that won’t be necessary. I’m just staying home since my ex texted me and-”

“HE WHAT?!” Kazuha had to plug an earhole at how loud he was on the speaker. “Oh my archons, did you block them?! Why didn’t you tell us?!”

He paused for a while before he could answer, only for Heizou to say. “Was I too loud? Sorry, I- I’m just, I’m just really worried is all. Like what if he did something and I couldn’t protect you?”

Kazuha could feel himself start to cry, but he was trying not to make it obvious over the phone. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner…”

“No, I’m sorry for pushing you. You’re probably going through a lot right now, so if you need some space-”

“No!” He raised his voice, before going back to his usual soft and mild-mannered tone. “No, please, just stay with me for now. I really need a friend.”

He heard a faint ‘hmm’ in the call, silence, then Heizou spoke. “Alright, how about this? I’ll end call for the sake of my phone bill.” That managed to earn a laugh from Kazuha. “And we can voice chat on Discord or something. Sound nice?”

Kazuha agreed, hanging up before asking Heizou for his ID since they hadn’t added and going to his computer so they could continue talking.

Once they added each other, they went into a call and resumed chatting. The first thing Kazuha heard was: “You ever played chess?”

“What?”

“Chess.” Heizou reiterated, as if it wasn’t weird he asked in the first place. “I wanna play chess.”

“…Why?”

“Why not?”

Since he can’t exactly argue with that logic, he just went along with it and went to Chess.com so the two could play despite the fact that Kazuha only knew the basics. Heizou was kind enough to let him play white, so without knowing what he was doing he moved the second to the rightmost pawn two spaces in front.

“So, any chance you wanna talk about it?” Heizou asked as he moved one of the middle pawns by one space.

“…Alright.” He took a deep breath in and out to hype himself up. “My ex was Raiden Scaramouche, that guy from those horror movies? You probably saw them.”

“Mm, yes, yeah.”

“He actually goes to our school; in Venti and Xiao’s class I believe. Unfortunately, he doesn’t appear often on account of his schedule.

“I don’t wanna say too much since it’s not my place to say, but he was going through a lot of change around the time we broke up.” Kazuha stated as he moved the pawn right to the one he just moved by two spaces. “For starters, his acting career took off a few months before that breakup text as well as something else, but I was only made aware of it after the fact.”

“I swear to archons if he cheated on you, I’m killing him.”

“There’s no need for that, he didn’t. Either way, he just broke up with me without telling me what was wrong even though I did everything right. I tried to talk to him, but he just kept pretending I wasn’t there.” He kept on talking, his words going faster than his thoughts like word vomit. “Eventually he noticed and just told me to go away and… and…”

“That’s enough.” Heizou stopped him before he could continue. “You know if I could, I’d give you a hug because by the sounds of it, he sucked.”

Regaining his composure, he felt the sting of tears forming. “I’m sorry, I thought I got over it with Venti’s and my therapist’s help but…”

“Moving on takes time and strength, man. And sometimes when you think you’re over it, it bites back at the worst time.” Heizou gave his two cents, trying to comfort him. “So, it’s understandable, especially with your circumstances.”

“…Thanks, Heizou.”

“No problem.” He muttered in a soothing tone, then immediately saying. “Anyways, checkmate.”

Before he could process what he said, the game over screen popped up on his screen, signifying Heizou won this game. He could hear his hysterical laugh from the other side, but Kazuha couldn’t help but laugh back at how silly the situation was. “Whu, uh, how?!”

“Fool’s mate.”

This was exactly why Kazuha loved this man. With him, things were fun and easy and wonderful. These were the feelings he had when they were little and only came back once he did. So without thinking he said. “Thanks for moving back, Hei.”

“No prob, Kaz. But anyways, you’re going to school tomorrow, right?”

He gave him a yes, feeling a little better about everything, and they continued playing chess for a few more rounds before they had to eat dinner.

The whole meeting made him happy beyond belief, but he still didn’t want to pursue anything with Heizou considering he proved to himself he hasn’t completely moved on. But he was willing to do whatever it took.

~                      ~                      ~

Kazuha managed to get himself off his bed and actually get ready for school like how it would usually be. After he got ready, he had his breakfast and checked his phone with a notification from Heizou. Immediately opening it, he saw the message.

HEIZOU

Are you ready yet?

I’m outside

Sent an image

The image was Heizou taking a selfie of him in front of his house. Immediately Kazuha texted him back.

HEIZOU

Are you ready yet? .-.

I’m outside

Sent an image

How long have you been outside?

just a few mins dw

I’m having breakfast right now

Give me five

Also why are you outside my house?

picking you up

I’m a little worried so I’m walking with you

---

 

He’s going to be the death of me. Kazuha thought. He texted him back to tell him to wait up, rushing as fast as he could to brush his teeth and go back downstairs. On the way however, Kazuha ran into his mom. “Woah! What’s the rush, Kazuha?”

“My apologies mom, Heizou’s waiting for me downstairs and I don’t want him to wait for long.” Before she could ask any more questions, he ran to the bathroom and brushed his teeth quickly.

Managing to not run into anyone this time, he went through the other exit to meet with Heizou who was presumably reading something on his phone. “Morning, Heizou!”

“Oh, morning Kazuha!” He looked up and put his phone back into his pocket. “We need to go to Venti’s, yeah?”

Kazuha nodded, and then questioned. “Can I ask why you’re coming to pick me up?”

He put his hand on his shoulder and put on his serious look. “I already told you, I’m worried. If something happened to you, I don’t think I could forgive myself.”

Slowly putting the hand away, he tried to calm him down. “We don’t know if his intentions are that terrible. He probably just wants to ask if we could get back together.”

Heizou let out a ‘hmph’ and put his hands on his hips. “Better safe than sorry. And don’t worry, I’ll walk you to and from school as long as possible.”

Kazuha couldn’t help but notice how close they were and how comforting his presence was. Unfortunately, he snapped himself back into reality and moved away. “So, we better go now! We can walk and talk slowly though; Venti takes a while to wake up.”

Heizou laughed that laugh that Kazuha loved so much, indirectly causing him to smile. It’s a bit painful since he told himself not to do anything, but he still enjoyed having him by his side.

He honestly wished they could be like that forever.

Chapter Text

“WHAT?!” Venti yelled attracting the attention of multiple people in the restaurant. “Oh, I am SO gonna kill him once I see him again!”

Kazuha ended up spilling the beans about the text he received and the other two were definitely…reacting. “I know how to make it look like an accident and where to hide the body.” Xiao added, very nonchalantly as if he wasn’t planning murder.

“See, Xiao gets it!”

“Okay, first of all, stop it you two.” Heizou tried to calm them down and quell any murderous intent. “Second of all, Kazuha doesn’t want us to kill him. Trust me, I’ve asked. Also, third of all, Xiao why would you ever need to know that?”

“Hu Tao was searching about it.”

The other three stared at him dumbfounded, with Xiao just shrugging as if that was a normal response.

“In any case, I just wanted you all to know.” Kazuha said, slightly regretting telling what happened but it’s already been done so might as well take it and stride. “If you’re concerned about my safety, Heizou’s already walking me to and from home.”

The rest of their little get together was alright; they decided to do just that since Mr. Morax’s family was coming over to celebrate his engagement, so Xiao wasn’t going to be walking with them on account of entertaining his relatives.

Xiao managed to get home in one piece, just wanting to lie on his bed and watch some documentary. Instead, he was greeted by multiple relatives looking over him, going up and going towards him to pinch his cheeks.

“Oh Xiao, you’ve grown so much!” “How’s everything going at school today?” “Why were you out so late, did you get a girlfriend?” “Or boyfriend!”

He tried to answer as many questions as he could, but he felt the tug of his shirt.

“Xiao, can you help me with some homework?” Qiqi asked. “I’m having trouble with English.”

He obliged, excusing himself to go to the bathroom to change, telling Qiqi to just wait in his room.

Trying to recall the last few minutes, he could tell Granny Liuyun was there, along with his dad’s siblings Auntie Shenhe and Uncle Baizhu. Presumably this means Chongyun was also here. Right now, however, he was just concerned with Qiqi.

Once he changed into more comfortable clothes, he found Qiqi with her book bag, some notebooks, books, and her pencil case on his desk with Qiqi sitting in front.

“So, what’s the English topic?”

“Oh, there’s no English topic.” Qiqi answered. “It’s just math and science homework.”

Xiao nodded, sitting next to her and opened one of her notebooks. “Okay, so what do you need help with?”

“Oh, no help. I just wanted you to stay in the room.” She said, nonchalantly.

He was rightfully confused, so he asked again. “Why?”

Qiqi pouted, pulling out the journal he remembered Hu Tao gifting her over the summer. She flipped to one of the first few pages and read the passages out loud. “June 23, 2020, I woke up a little earlier today. I sneaked out of my room, but I went back when I saw Xiao cooking breakfast. When I looked closer, I saw dark circles under his eyes and looked like he was going to pass out any minute.”

Flipping to another random page. “August 5, 2020, I couldn’t sleep last night so I tried to get myself a glass of water. When I did, I saw a light on Xiao’s room. I tried to go in to see if he forgot to turn the lights on. When I checked, he was still awake writing something. He tried to push me out of the room and make me go to bed, but I saw my science book was there. He must be doing notes?”

Another page. “September 1, 2020, I’m starting to get worried. I talked to my friends about Xiao and Nahida told me I needed to confront him. She told me if he keeps up, he might pass out from exhaustion at some point…”

The two just stared at each other, no one saying anything until Qiqi spoke again. “Xiao, do you need rest?” Qiqi uttered with her usual apathetic-sounding voice with an unmoving face.

Not wanting to be vulnerable in front of her, he lied “Qiqi, I’m fine I-”

“No, you weren’t.” she continued to speak as she usually did, but tears were starting to form in her eyes. “Why? Why are you always pushing yourself?”

“…”

“If it’s because of me, I’ll…I’ll try and remember better. Please, just stop pushing yourself.” Now she was crying in front of him, trying to wipe her tears away. “I’ll remember better, Xiao, please, I promise!”

Qiqi then went up to hug Xiao. He wasn’t particularly a very emotional person similar to the rest of his family, but he found himself hugging her back tightly scared as if she’d be gone if he let go. “You don’t need to do that, Qiqi. I’ll be okay.”

“You can’t keep saying that!” Qiqi yelled back at him. “How long has this been going on?! I only started writing everything down a few months ago, so how long?! Months?! Years?! Since papa took me in?!”

Feeling her tears stain his shirt, he sighed solemnly, trying to compromise. “Okay then, Qiqi, how about this? After our guests leave, we have a family meeting about this. Does that sound alright with you?”

She nodded, wiping her remaining tears away. “You promise Xiao?” She held up her pinky.

“Promise.” He reached her pinky with his, putting their thumbs together at the end.

Xiao promised her he’d go and take a nap in his room, seeing Qiqi continue to stay while doing her homework and continued to stay until he fell asleep. In his dreams, an early memory of his played.

~                      ~                      ~

It was the memory of when he was adopted by Zhongli.

He was a little boy again, no older than seven. Xiao and his siblings were sent to an orphanage after his older brother Bosacius called child protective services on their dad. Thankfully they were all sent to the same place after the initial call, at least until they found out Xiao was going to get adopted by someone.

In total, he had four siblings: his eldest brother Bosacius, his older twin siblings Menogias and Bonanus, and his other older sister Indarias. All of them were of the ages sixteen, fourteen, and eleven respectively. Considering he was the youngest, naturally people would want younger kids to adopt.

“This is stupid!” Bosacius yelled out when Xiao told them the news. “I’d rather die than let anyone take you away from us!”

“Oh, what are we gonna do?” Indarias fretted. “What happens when we all get separated?”

“Well, what were they supposed to do? It’s not like anyone would want to adopt five kids at once!” Bonanus argued, sighed, then kneeled down to talk to Xiao. “Just…promise us you’ll be a good kid. Alright?”

Xiao, not knowing what to say in this situation, just nodded. Because, really, what else were you going to say?

They all tried their best to cheer him up, but nothing was working. To ease their worry, he did try to act happy when they were trying but the feeling of uncertainty on whether or not he’d see his siblings again was eating him up.

Eventually the day came and Xiao met with his new father: Morax Zhongli. He wore a brown suit, beige dress shirt and amber tie. From the front his brown hair looked short but when he looked closer Xiao found his hair was actually tied in a ponytail. But the most standout thing Xiao noticed, and the thing he remembered from his interview with him, were his eyes: they were a shade of amber similar to his own.

“Hello, Xiao. I believe you remember me from our interview?” His voice was deep and soothing, but Xiao still kept his guard up and hid behind one of the orphanage workers.

“Sorry about this! He gets really shy.” The worker tried to explain while trying to lead Xiao out. “Come on, Xiao! Time to be with your new dad!”

Dad. The word itself made him want to hide behind the caregiver even more. Before they could say anything however, Zhongli suggested. “I don’t know if he’s that comfortable yet. If I may, can I take him out for a walk around the premises?”

The caregiver turned to Xiao who nodded, albeit hesitantly. Despite being young, he was smart enough to know that even if he was dangerous, he wouldn’t do anything in public. Zhongli tried to reach for his hand to hold as they walked but after half a minute, he decided against it.

“You can hold onto my tailcoat, so you don’t get lost.” he tried to reassure, but obviously Xiao was still scared.

As they walked across the premises, Zhongli would occasionally stop and look at a rock, take out some ancient looking smartphone, and take a picture of it. He didn’t even say anything until more than halfway in when he asked. “So, Xiao, is there anyone in particular you want to see before you leave?”

Xiao, a little excited, tugged on his tailcoat to follow him. As you would expect, he led him towards his siblings’ room, all surprised to see him.

“Xiao, I thought-” Menogias was about to finish his sentence before he looked behind him. “Oh, he’s here?”

The little boy didn’t answer the question, only going together and hugging Menogias, letting his tears fall out.

“Awwww, Xiao!” Indarias hugged back, piling up.

“Xiao, don’t make this harder than it has to be!” Bosacius cried too, squeezing the three of them.

“Alright then, bring it in!” The last to join, Bonanus, joined into the pile too.

It was a somber moment for all of them, until Bosacius wiped his tears out and kneeled in front of him. “Hey, don’t be sad, okay Xiao? In a few years, I’ll be old enough to get out of here and get a job and you can visit every day! And everyone else will be there with me, got it?”

Xiao smiled, holding a pinky out asking. “Promise?”

Bosacius joined his pinky with his, joining their thumbs together. “Promise.”

Unfortunately, that promise would not be kept.

Xiao eventually went with Zhongli to his house and got accustomed as a new Morax. Zhongli would even drive him over to visit his siblings once a week to update them on their life.

That was until the explosion and subsequent fire.

A gas leak was discovered in the burnt remains of the orphanage. The building was quite old and maintenance on the building was rarely done, barely passing city standards, so it was almost inevitable.

Many of the kids were only injured, thank archons, but those who were so far into the building (like his siblings) weren’t so lucky.

Xiao was five when he escaped his biological father, seven when he left his first family to join another, and eight when he had to see that family buried.

You’d think that this would cause a child to be absolutely miserable but for some reason Xiao couldn’t muster up any feeling. He felt numb to all the pain he’s endured this early on in his life, hell he found it hard to accept comfort at first from his adoptive father because that feeling of comfort just felt so alien.

Then Ganyu, Qiqi and Hu Tao came.

Ganyu was one of Zhongli’s godchildren, and she was a few months younger than Xiao. When they first met, they kept to themselves for the most part but over time Xiao started to get more comfortable living with her.

Qiqi was originally a distant niece of Zhongli’s whose father became too ill to take care of her. He remembered being told of her memory condition and immediately felt the need to protect her. It’s funny really, it reminded him of how his brother Bosacius would always feel the need to protect him of all people.

Lastly was Hu Tao, who was the only one who requested to keep her last name and to always be referred to with her last name. Apparently, she was due to inherit a funeral parlor that his father was managing at the moment, and she wanted to wear her last name with pride. While he thought she was annoying, he couldn’t help but feel proud of her conviction and had faith she’d never grow into a boring person.

All of them gave him a reason to feel needed by the world; if he could help them the same way his siblings could’ve if they were still here was filling enough on its own. As long as they were happy, he himself didn’t really matter.

But now…now he was questioning that mentality.

~                      ~                      ~

He woke up. Looking out his window he guessed it was dark, so he tried to move a little more so he could go back to sleep on his side. That was when he felt some weight over his blanket. Looking over his torso, he saw Qiqi’s head lying down under her arms on his bed.

Must’ve dozed off watching me. He thought to himself.

Despite the fact that he’s accepting that he’s allowed to be his own human being, he wasn’t just going to let Qiqi sleep like that. So, he got out of the bed, lifted her up and carried her to her room.

The day after that happened, he decided to leave the house to visit somewhere after breakfast. It was a weekend after all. He didn’t take much on him, just some clothes he threw on and some money for the train. On his way to the place, he bought four glaze lilies to offer.

His destination: the cemetery where his siblings were. He figured he’d just offer the flowers, say a few prayers of thankfulness, and hopefully gain some peace and mind. However, once he was there, he noticed a familiar face once he stepped in.

“Xiao?”

“Kazuha?”

There he was: dressed in some plain white shirt and jeans with some wrinkles, his hands resting in his pockets.

“Are you visiting anyone in particular?” Kazuha asked. “I’m, uh, visiting my first boyfriend.”

“Just grandparents.” He lied.

“I see… I won’t be disturbing you any longer then. I just finished my prayer, so I’ll see you at school?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you.”

After that awkward exchange, Kazuha left, leaving Xiao in the cemetery. He managed to reach his siblings’ tombstones: Bosacius, Menogias, Bonanus and Indarias. Xiao placed one glaze lily over each tomb and prayed. Partially for guidance, partially for updates on his life, but all were done because he missed them.

One day he’ll join them, but for now he wants to keep living the life he was gifted.

Chapter Text

It was now the annual sports festival at Teyvat Academy; every class in every year represented a team that would participate in the event that would last from morning until the afternoon. This was great for everyone with the fact that there would be no school that day.

There was a total of eighteen teams (six from each year) and since the event hadn’t really started yet, everyone was getting their colored headband to represent what class and section they were in.

Kazuha and Heizou got their headbands and huddled in with the rest of their class. Aether was doing the usual speech of doing their best and winning the competition, but they really couldn’t care less. Eventually the outdoor school speaker system blared to life with a high pitch hum sound, causing Kazuha to cover his ears to lessen the noise.

“Everything alright?”

He didn’t realize he forced his eyes closed until he opened them, only to turn his head and see Heizou with his arms crossed with a concerned look. “I’m fine, I have earplugs in case it gets bad, but I might miss something in the announcements.”

“Just put them on, I’ll be your ears today.”

Kazuha trusted him, maybe a little more than he’d like to admit, and got the earplug case from his pocket and covered his ears up. The sound was definitely muffled, but he knew that if the source of the sound was right in front of him. A quick ‘can you hear me?’ test proved that it worked as intended, leading to Heizou to parrot everything announced back to him.

The event finally started with its first contest: tug of war. And what do you know, their first competition is coincidentally against Venti and Xiao’s class.

And by proxy, Scaramouche’s class.

“Shit, he’s here.”

Heizou looked at the direction Kazuha was looking at and breathed a heavy sigh. “Can’t really hide now or you’d get yelled at, huh?”

Unfortunately, he had to suck it up and try his best not to be perceived. Thankfully each group stayed at their side of the rope to tug so that didn’t give them any time to talk to each other as Kazuha and Heizou’s class won.

They were given resting time before their next match, where Venti and Xiao went up to them to congratulate.

“I guess all that gym stuff actually paid off!” Venti teased and nudged his shoulder.

“He does gym?” Xiao asked, intrigued by that prospect.

“I only work out from home, but if you’re interested you can come and visit me.” Kazuha offered, to which Xiao responded: “I’ll see. I’ve been given much more freedom for this school year.”

Heizou, concerned, asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Qiqi’s started to walk to school with her friends instead of me, Ganyu and Hu Tao doing that. And we finally split chores properly, so I don’t have to always go home early to do them.”

Venti gasped excitedly, covering his mouth. “That’s awesome, Xiao! Soooo, does that mean you’re taking us up on our offer of walking to school with us in the mornings too?”

“…I don’t see a reason why not.”

Elated by the news, they all had to go back to their class to go against more sections in tug of war. The contest was single round-robin and both classes ended up doing somewhat well, Venti and Xiao’s section got to fifth while Kazuha and Heizou’s section got to third. The winning class for this particular game was the class that a few of their well-known upperclassmen were in, but the most notable upperclassman was probably Arataki-senpai.

“Woo! Oh yeah, in your faces! The one and oni’s here for one thing and he’s here to win this baby! Class 3-4!” Half of his class joined in with the cheer (some more enthusiastic than others) while the other half just stayed silent, maybe rolled their eyes or crossed their arms or both.

It didn’t take long for them to move on to the next game: big jump-rope. The game was relatively simple: it was just jump-rope but instead of one person it’s the entire class. This would turn out to be probably the least favorite game for everyone since many kept on tripping over each other once their leg got caught on the rope, causing many people to fall as well.

The break was a little extra long this time since people were trying to recover, but the wait time wasn’t allowed to be that long since they had a schedule to stick with.

Next was the three-legged race which only needed eight participants from each class. While Kazuha and Heizou didn’t need to do that, Venti and Xiao had to.

“Let’s do our best, Xiao!” Venti said in his usual peppy voice. “Let’s just take our time so we don’t trip and fall, yeah?”

Xiao gave a simple thumbs up and now they had to tie their legs together. Xiao then grabbed Venti by the waist, which surprised him. “We need to do this so we can be more secure.”

Awkwardly laughing, Venti did the same. Unbeknownst to each other, this was causing them to freak out internally. They were the first in their section (they had to pass a baton up until the fourth pair to finish the race), and they actually managed to finish second in their turn and fourth overall.

Once they finished the race, they both heard a familiar voice behind them saying “Good work, you two.” Revealed to be from Mahamatra-senpai, still having his leg tied with Buer-senpai’s.

“Well, props to your class for winning again!” Venti complimented, still a little spooked by his presence. “What’s your secret?”

Mahamatra-senpai, still holding his unwavering cold expression, answered. “It’s not exactly a secret, but let’s just say me and Tighnari aren’t strangers to being tied.”

Buer-senpai simply gave him a side eye and a groan. “We’ve never even- Please don’t mind him, he’s always like this.”

“Did you get the joke? It’s because-”

“We get the joke, senpai.” Xiao replied a little too quickly, almost like he’s been in this situation countless times before. “We should probably go free our legs, so we’ll be off.”

Scurrying off, they untied the knot binding their legs together and both rubbed their affected part to soothe it. The next competition was just a scavenger race where the teachers would just yell random objects and it was a race to see who could give the item the fastest. Despite being relatively easy, the many sections failed to get points because of Lumine, Yoimiya, Aether and Arataki-senpai constantly trying to get the item faster than anyone else (though in the twin’s case it was less of a class pride thing but rather another contest to try and one-up the other).

After that, it was time for a lunch break. Kazuha was invited by Kokomi and Gorou to eat lunch with them so he and Heizou ate with them instead of their usual friend group.

“Been a while since we last talked, yeah?” Gorou commented while they were all getting their lunch boxes out. “How’s everything been going?”

“Alright, I suppose.” Before Kazuha put some rice and meat in his mouth he asked. “So, you and Kokomi, how’s everything?”

Grinning widely, they held hands and exchanged a warm smile to the other before looking back. “They have been going extremely well, thanks for asking!”

This was partially why Kazuha hadn’t been talking to Gorou and Kokomi that much. Despite the fact he’s known them since middle school, he hasn’t been talking with them since they got together. This was because it was a little after he got dumped and he didn’t want to be reminded of how the world moves on and how happy people are with their love lives.

Now however, it was nice to see the two people he liked get together after a while. Gorou told him about his little crush on her around first year middle school and he remembered Kokomi having clear signs that she had mutual feelings, and he had to admit they looked cute together.

Kokomi then continued talking “So, how have you and Mr. Shikanoin been?”

Kazuha choked a little on his rice, praying that it wasn’t what he thought he meant. “I’m sorry?”

“Your relationship.” She reiterated. “Unless you two aren’t together?”

Heizou had to butt in and respond, a little too quickly. “Oh, no, we’re not together.”

Kokomi then playfully jabbed Gorou’s shoulder who was crossing his arms now “See, told you!”

Rightfully confused, Kazuha asked for clarification on why he’d think that, to which Gorou responds “Ah, well, your mannerisms around Shikanoin are similar to when you dated, uh, you know. So I just assumed that you got yourself a new boyfriend.”

“Well, no, we aren’t dating,” But I wish we were. “I’m taking a break on relationships for myself.”

Before the conversation could continue further, they were approached by their class representative Aether. “Hey guys! So, just so you know, the class is having a little get-together at Wanmin after the festival. My treat!”

“Order the most expensive things on the menu, got it.” Heizou joked, bringing out a laugh out of the other three and annoyance to Aether. After a side eye and a ‘hmp’ from him, he ran off to inform that to the other people.

Lunch soon ended as they started their next competition: schoolwide musical chairs where ten chairs would be removed every round, up until the last ten where each round would be one chair removed, with each person from the class who managed to get a seat being equal to one point.

Thankfully there was not pushing people over, but the competition ended with both of their sections gaining high places, although as per usual the leading class was Class 3-4.

“Honestly at this point, just crown them.” Heizou commented as he was one of the first to get kicked. “They’re graduating soon too, they deserve it.”

“Well yes but we’re doing quite well too, I believe.” Kazuha retorted, sitting next to him and leaning against him a little with the excuse that he was a little dizzy (not really a lie due to still hearing a little bit of the outside, but really using it to his advantage).

It was true, Aether had managed to motivate everyone in the class with that speech earlier, causing them to constantly place in the top three. He figured he might as well put in a little more effort if they were this far.

The rest of the contests were ball toss, samurai pole toppling and headband grabbing. A little more strenuous but not enough to make them want to throw up their lunch. Eventually the scores were being tallied up and, apparently, Class 2-2’s constant placement in the top three as well as their amazing performance in the last three got them enough points to tie with Class 3-4.

“Woo!” Aether yelled, gathering his class for one another speech for their day. “Alright, so our fight isn’t over, because now we have to do a tiebreaker! Got told by the faculty that this particular tiebreaker is relay race!”

Everyone was a little excited, but also barely anyone wanted to actually run. There would be three volunteers, the fastest runners in their class, and they had to run the entire oval. And many of them could barely run half an oval, let alone the entire one.

Eventually they picked out Keqing, Gorou and Kazuha as their representatives in Class 2-2 and their upperclassmen from Class 3-4 picked Spinea Rosaria, Mantichora Dehya and Arataki Itto.

They all got to their positions: Spinea-senpai and Keqing on first, Mantichora-senpai and Gorou on second, and Arataki-senpai and Kazuha on last.

“Hey!” Arataki-senpai yelled right next to Kazuha as he was doing some dynamic stretches. “You may be my opponent, but don’t ya go holdin’ back on me, lil’ guy!”

Kazuha just nodded awkwardly and took a deep breath in and out to calm his nerves. Somehow the crowd felt even louder than usual, so he closed his eyes and focused his senses. Eventually the signal went off and the race was on.

Spinea-senpai definitely had long strides, but Keqing effortlessly overtook her place and passed the baton to Gorou. Unfortunately for them, Mantichora-senpai zoomed past him as soon as it was her turn to run, passing it onto Arataki-senpai in almost record time.

“Kazuha!” He heard Gorou behind him, signaling it was his turn to run. He was practically out of breath when he passed the baton onto him, trying his best to keep his balance.

Once he grabbed it, Kazuha sprinted as much as he could but Arataki-senpai was already a good distance away from him. What’s more, his earplugs were barely doing their job as he could practically hear all the screaming.

Basically he was having a bit of a bit of a mini sensory overload; it wasn’t as intense as it should be but it was enough to affect him.

He was on the verge of just slowing down and giving up any hope of winning this, he ran past his class cheering him on. He did look at them for a split-second, and, as if in slow-motion, saw Heizou in the front cheering him on.

And, as cliché as it sounded, seeing Heizou cheering him on gave him a power-boost to suck it up and keep going.

Kazuha managed to push himself to the point where he was basically neck-in-neck with Arataki-senpai, to the surprise of everyone watching and to the runners.

Unfortunately, Arataki-senpai made it to the finish line due to the massive head start Mantichora-senpai gave them, but Kazuha only finished a few seconds after him. Once he reached that line he closed his eyes, went on his knees and put his hands on the floor to catch his breath, feeling a scrape on his left knee.

While he was catching his breath, he felt a cold chill on his cheek similar to that of a water bottle fresh out of the cooler. He yelped at the sensation, opening his eyes and going to a sitting position.

“Good work out there, you should drink up.”

Still a little hazy from the running, he grabbed the bottle and drank the entire thing in one gulp. Regular water. He thanked the person and opened his eyes when…

Why are you here?

“Is everything alright?” Scaramouche asked.

Why are you here?

“Ku- ah, Scaramouche!” Kazuha yelled out. “What are you-”

He simply let out a small laugh and answered. “Just here to give you some water. You look like you need it.”

Kazuha stayed silent to both catch his breath and process his situation. He didn’t want to run, he’d probably grab him to stay. And even if he wanted too, he couldn’t after the race. But he couldn’t just stay there because he was already recovering from that recent overload.

Thus, Scaramouche continued. “Actually, I was meaning to ask y-”

“Kaz!”

The two turned to see Heizou with a towel and a water bottle. “Man alive, I got so worried, I thought you passed out or something!”

Heizou helped him stand up and wiped his forehead with the towel he had. “Everything alright? Don’t stand too fast, you could get dizzy again!”

Scaramouche, dumbfounded by what was happening, managed to speak up. “Sorry, who are you?”

He just rolled his eyes as he put Kazuha’s arm over his shoulder and held his free hand, answering with sting in his voice. “What do you think, genius?”

He really is going to be the death of me. Kazuha mentally sighed. He’ll admit, this situation was a little hot. On the other hand, he felt like he was really taking advantage of Heizou right now.

Before Scaramouche could speak, Heizou turned to Kazuha and told him they should go to their class. Once they thought he was far enough, Kazuha finally spoke “You know you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, I know. But I kinda panicked when your ex showed up.” Heizou explained. “Plus I just needed him off your back so I could sleep in a little more.”

“Oh my archons.” He giggled.

“I’m serious, Kazuha, how do you wake up so early?!”

“Maybe don’t stay up late?”

“EY!”

Before their conversation could continue, they were stopped by a powerful voice stopping them. “Oi! Kaedehara!”

The voice was very clearly Arataki-senpai, who ran in front of them and stopped them by their tracks. “Gotta say dude, you almost got me there! But obviously you’re not as great as the one and oni!”

He then reached his hand out, holding out for a handshake. The pair then realized that they were still holding hands and quickly let go, making the two blush.

“Oh wait, I didn’t know you two were together!” He laughed, grabbing Kazuha’s hand and shook it almost cartoonishly. “Congrats, Shikanoin, you got yourself someone almost as good as me!”

He continued laughing as he walked away, leaving the two a little silent on the way back. The rest of the class congratulated them for their efforts and Aether wanted them to celebrate with barbeque, something everyone was excited about.

But now Kazuha had to deal with that issue. He really didn’t want to take advantage of the situation, but he still didn’t know how to deal with the situation. However if he was going to deal with it, he figured that it was a future Kazuha problem since right now he was exhausted both mentally and physically.

Chapter Text

“Heizou what the shit?!” Shinobu yelled at him from his phone.

Shinobu called him about what Arataki-senpai said about him and Kazuha being a thing, then Heizou explained what actually happened with him and seeing Scaramouche. “Don’t you like that emo looking dude? What was his name again?”

“Xiao.”

“Yeah, so why in the fuck are you being Kazuha’s fake boyfriend?!” She sighed and continued nagging him. “What’s your deal with him anyway?!”

He groaned and slammed his back to his bed. “He’s my best friend, okay! Next to you, but I’ve known him longer! And, ugh, okay maybe I did like him a little bit when we were kids, but I like Xiao now!”

“Bitch, you’re not answering the question.”

“Holy shit, you’re so annoying. In a nice way.”

“Answer the question, asshole!”

He put a pillow over his face and let it stay there for a bit, then answered “I’m just a bit protective over him, okay?! Look, just, can you tell Arataki-senpai not to spread the word? Just say that we want to keep it in the down low for a bit.”

“Ugh, fine. But only because you’re my best friend.” Shinobu stated. “Anyways, gotta go, don’t want to make you late for your date with Xiao.”

“Shinobu!”

“I’m just teasing. Oh, and just so you know, I know there’s something you’re not telling me with Kazuha, but I’m gonna drop it for now since we’re friends.”

And just like that, she hung up. Good thing he didn’t tell her about the fact this meet up was to help Xiao get with Venti or else she would’ve berated him even more.

He excused himself out of the house, locking up because Nana was at some event for Bubu Middle School. They agreed on the location of their meeting at some family restaurant the recently opened at a nearby mall, so he got on a train and reached the place a few minutes before the meeting time. Inside the restaurant, he saw Xiao in one of those corner tables and sat in front of him.

“You’re early.” Heizou greeted as he got straight to the menu. “Am I going to pay for my own meal or…”

“Go order whatever, just make sure it’s within the budget.”

Nice. Once they figured out what they wanted to eat, they called in the waiter and put their order in. Thus, they started talking to pass the time in waiting for their meal. Or rather, Heizou started talking so they wouldn’t just sit in silence “So… just curious, how did you start liking Venti?”

Xiao looked down and flecks of red brushed his cheeks. “It’s a little embarrassing.”

“Xiao, I’m not gonna understand where you’re coming from unless I know.” Partially true but he had that ulterior motive of wondering what was so special about Venti.

He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand, still not making eye contact. “Well…I saw him sing.

“I know it’s a bit stupid but in the culture festival last year I saw him sing on stage and… I just sort of fell in love then and there.” He hid his face behind a hand and muttered. “Sorry, I know it’s dumb.”

Man alive, he’s adorable. “I wouldn’t say that. People fall in love for sillier reasons.” I literally fell in love with you when I saw you smile and comfort me. “But he must’ve be pretty stunning then.”

“He was. And then I found out he became my seatmate and everything just snowballed from there.”

“I see…” He didn’t want to tell that little detail that Venti sort of has a thing for Kazuha at the moment, but he was still trying to imply something. “I don’t really think you should confess right away. No offense, but I think where you’re standing right now, he probably just sees you as a good friend.”

“It’s not like I want to do anything with these feelings right now!”

“Then why am I even here?”

“I thought I already explained myself: I wanted to talk about this and you’re the person I trusted the most about this.”

Huh, it kinda hurts the second time hearing that. “Alright, but, if you want my advice, try and talk to him a little more. You’re seatmates after all, it shouldn’t be that hard.”

“I’ve already been doing that, believe it or not.”

Heizou leaned back, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face “Hey, look at you being all sociable.”

Giving him a death stare, Xiao then closed his eyes and continued. “I’ve also been giving him some sweets before class every now and then. Apparently, Hu Tao asked Kazuha about what Venti likes and-”

He was cut off by a giggle that came out of Heizou’s mouth, who then cleared his throat. “Sorry, it’s just, you’re really cute, you know?”

Pink filled his flustered cheeks, before Xiao retorted in an almost annoyed tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It’s just… sorry, it’s just, first time I saw you I didn’t think you’d be so soft inside.” Heizou smiled and continued explaining. “When we first met you, you barely talked to us. And now here you are with gushing about your crush.”

“…I guess when you put it that way, you’re right.” Xiao admitted, then straightening his posture and asking. “But, enough about me, how have you been? Other than that time I told you about…” he gestured in front of himself and did a circular motion with his hand. “This…I believe the last time we were alone together was on your birthday?”

Yeah, the time I fell hard. “Yeah, what about it?”

“…If you’re still not comfortable with talking about it, I understand.”

“Ah, that, no, it’s alright, I’m ready to talk to you about it, I just…” Heizou looked down, still with that smile stuck on his face but much more somber. “I’ve just been having some panic nightmares for a while.”

Xiao listened closely, letting him continue, “It’s nothing new really, I have some strict parents who want me to be the very best, and they’re constantly pushing me to be perfect: perfect grades, perfect extracurriculars, perfect me. They also want me to go to an Akademiya branch, get a good job, and start a family with a nice girl, kinda like my brother.”

“You never told me you had a brother.”

Heizou let out a huge groan. “Yeah, because my head hurts whenever I think about that asshole. He knew about everything going on with me and did nothing, just told me to get over it and grow up.”

Xiao’s stomach fell once he heard that. His older siblings may be gone, but at least he still had fond memories of them when they were alive. Heizou meanwhile seemed to actively hate his family; understandable given this information but he paused until it felt like it was a good time to talk, then asked. “And is that what you want?”

“No, obviously not. For starters, I don’t want to go to some elite school and study medicine or engineering or some shit, and I don’t even know if I’m going to end up with a girl since I’m bi.” He slumped back down, the smile back on, although its stay was inappropriate at a time like this. “I’m planning on just cutting all contact with them once I graduate high school and get a criminal justice degree.

“But back to the nightmares. They started a little after I moved to Narukami. It was just the usual verbal abuse that I’d get from them but it would also be said by my classmates. And, because my family’s the worst, they just turned the other way. And those nightmares, oh, they’d always happen after an exam once I’m just extremely exhausted.”

Heizou felt a hand touch his shoulder as he was rambling, looked up and saw Xiao with a firm look on his face hinted with concern. “…And you’re still having them?”

“Yeah, it happened a little before my birthday. You know, after the exam results.”

Xiao sat back down, retracting his hand from Heizou’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re going through that.”

“I’ll admit though, I’m a little better now. A change of scenery, meeting an old friend, getting some new ones, it’s nice.”

Xiao nodded, then excused himself to go to the bathroom. Heizou figured he might’ve made him feel uncomfortable, something that he’s prone to do but he figured he wasn’t going to just ghost him since he left his bag on their table. Once he did come back, Heizou let him continue to ramble on and on about Venti. And to think he said he wouldn’t be like this if he was in love.

Their food arrived shortly after: salmon for Xiao and tempura for Heizou.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot!” Heizou exclaimed before he dug into his food. “The next cultural festival is in a month, right?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Nothing, it’s just that you might be able to see him sing again!”

Xiao’s eyes widened at the mention of that. He cleared his throat, took a bite from his salmon, and continued to look down red in the face. “I suppose. He’s not going to be in the opening act like last time but he should be there at the very least.”

They finished up their food and Heizou was ready to part ways when another waiter went to their table to serve one serving of vanilla ice cream. Before Heizou could correct them, Xiao stopped him saying “Oh, no, I ordered that while I was away.”

After the waiter left, Xiao pushed the serving to Heizou’s side of the table. “It’s for you.”

He felt his cheeks color themselves pink. “What, why?”

“I feel like you just need it after what you told me.”

And now he felt like he was going to cry, but instead he giggled. “Aww, you shouldn’t have! But thanks, Xiao!”

The ice cream tasted like it was made out of natural vanilla rather than artificial, so it must’ve been a little more expensive than usual. Once he was done, they walked out of the mall and into the train station, stopping in front of the trains to face each other to say their goodbyes.

“Thanks for listening to me, Heizou.” Xiao bowed his head slightly. “It feels nice talking about all of this to a friend.”

Right, friend. “Thanks for listening to me too! I had fun today!”

So, they waved goodbye and went into their homes. Heizou was a little tired, despite the fact that they didn’t do anything strenuous. On the way there, he thought about how this whole meeting went, particularly focusing on how much he felt sad the entire time.

Sure, maybe listening to the guy he likes ramble on about the guy he likes while you’re just suppressing your feelings because of your immense self-loathing wasn’t ideal. Add onto the fact that this guy was just an amazing human being and was still showing how much he cared about you and now Heizou felt his cheeks get a little wet.

But hey, if Xiao was going to be happy, he would be too.

Chapter Text

The school didn’t take long to get into another event, as each class was now trying to decide what they wanted to do for their festival activity. Right now, in 2-3, they were currently debating on whether or not to do a crossdress maid/butler café or short film showing.

However, when Scaramouche was asked on what he wanted (the short film), many started to gravitate to that choice. “I can request some equipment and help from my agency, so costs shouldn’t be too much of a worry.”

Despite the fact that he was already an accomplished actor, he took the role of co-director and scriptwriter along with Lumine. “We’ll work on the first draft today and send it later, so you can use this free time for whatever and then leave.”

This led to Xiao and Venti leaving the classroom and doing their homework that was given that day at the rooftop. They didn’t really say much outside of asking each other what they answered for every other question until Xiao asked. “Do you want to go to this cat café that just opened?”

Venti winced at just the mention of that. “Oooh, yeah, sorry Xiao, can’t. Allergies.”

“I see.” He sighed, sounding dejected. “Do you at least want to go somewhere after school? Maybe the mall?”

“Sure, sounds fun!” He smiled, getting his phone out to text their group chat.

THE BOYS^TM

VENTI

hellooo

@kazuha @heizou we’re going to the mall! You guys free?

 

KAZUHA

Can’t

 

HEIZOU

we have auditions

we’re doing a play for our class

 

KAZUHA

Aether’s making us read lines for each character that’s the same gender as us

 

XIAO

wtf

 

VENTI

awwwwww

what’s the play called?

 

KAZUHA

“The Decree”

 

HEIZOU

it’s about people who have their ambitions stripped away or smth idk

 

XIAO

Ah I know that

My dad sometimes brings me and my sisters to old plays

It’s alright

 

VENTI

alright! guess it’s just me and Xiao then

good luck you guys!

The two finished up their homework, picked up their book bags from class, then got out of their school. The mall was actually in a walking distance this time, so that was nice.

On their way there they had to cross the road and Venti, like the reckless person he was, tried to cross before he looked left and right.

“Venti!” Xiao managed to grab Venti’s hand and pull him back, the force strong enough to make him almost fall back. Apparently, there was a car speeding up to the point where if he continued, he probably would’ve gotten hit.

Xiao had managed to stop him but they ended up in a position that was similar to those cliché poses where the guy was over their partner, with the partner leaning back with their back supported by the guy’s hand.

This startled Venti a little, who picked himself up and awkwardly giggled to fill the silence. “Ha, sorry!”

Xiao let out an exasperated sigh and they continued walking. This time however, they were still holding hands from that slight altercation and Venti was the only one who noticed.

Venti didn’t say anything, however. He couldn’t explain why but he liked staying like this. While he was holding it he could feel how rough Xiao’s hands were from work and chores, a far cry from his soft and dainty his were.

Eventually Xiao did catch on once they were at the mall, only clearing his throat and giving a quick sorry. Once they were there, Venti immediately suggested the arcade. “I always wanted to go but Kazuha never lets us!”

“Ah, it’s because of his hearing?”

“Yeah, he keeps telling me I have to tell him in advance so he’d remember to bring his ear plugs. Obviously, I understand, but that doesn’t mean I want to stay away from the arcade!”

Xiao agreed, walking them both there and exchanging some money for tokens. Immediately after they got them, Venti dragged them both to the shooting gallery that was there.

“Venti, I don’t think we should be here.”

He scoffed “I feel like we both know I’m amazing at this, am I wrong?”

“I know, so try not to stay there too long, they’ll kick you out because you’ll take all their tickets.”

He caught him off-guard for the second time today. It wasn’t even that smart of a compliment, why was he feeling like this?

Nonetheless, he tried to keep his mind off what he said by shooting some targets that would show up in randomly generated places, trying to shoot them down as soon as they show up. Xiao was content on watching him shoot the targets with his arms crossed, leading to Venti getting a little shaky with his shots since he felt odd being watched. He knows Xiao isn’t exactly a judgmental type, but he just had that little voice in his head saying that he was.

Eventually he stopped after he thought he drained the game of enough tickets, and the pair moved onto another game. On the way there, Xiao was pressing some buttons of machines they passed by absentmindedly when a sound came out of one of them, shooting a good number of tickets out, startling both of them.

“…I wasn’t expecting that,” was all Xiao said as he collected what came out as Venti couldn’t help but giggle at the situation.

The rest of the visit was uneventful, they decided to spend the rest of the tokens on games that didn’t give tickets like DDR (both had to do easy songs since none of them had played it up to that point) and typical 8-bit games you’d expect from arcades.

Eventually they went to the cashier to exchange their tickets. From what was available, nothing really caught their eyes until Xiao raised his hand to ask for a pair of keychains that was displayed.

He was handed the pair along with some snacks just so they could spend all the tickets they collected, and Xiao gave one of them to Venti.

“Oh, uh, thanks!” Venti accepted it gracefully, wanting to leave it at that.

Then Xiao just had to say: “Mm, now we have matching keychains.”

And now that was the third time he was caught off guard. The keychain pair was cute: two broken hearts that could be put together to form the whole heart. It wasn’t supposed to be a lot to think about since he knew he’s seen his underclassmen Xinyan and Jin with a similar keychain pair, but now he was thinking about it a lot.

They went to a fast-food place to eat after going there when they ran into…

“Venti-senpai!” Xinyan called out at their table. “Oh, and Xiao-senpai?”

His eyes widened with delight as Venti waved and shook her hand. “Ah, Xinyan! I didn’t know you and Xiao were on a first-name basis!”

“Ha, Xiao-senpai’s sister is a close friend ‘o mine, so I see him quite a bit!” She laughed. “But what I want to know is what you two are doin’ by yourselves.”

“It was supposed to be with the rest of our friends, but they had to stay in school for a while longer.” Xiao explained.

Xinyan muttered something Venti couldn’t hear before she asked. “So, you got your song ready for the upcoming culture festival, senpai?”

He nodded, lying as naturally as he could. That was enough for Xinyan to nod and say her goodbye, causing Venti to groan loudly once she was far enough so she couldn’t hear.

“Is everything alright?”

Venti rested his chin on his arm. “No, I gotta come up with a new song within the next few weeks. I’m trying to get out a little more for inspiration but…”

Xiao reached his hand that was resting on the table and smiled. “I hope you can get your song ready in time. I’d like to see you perform again.”

“Wait, again?”

Xiao proceeded to explain that he saw Venti on his opening act, sending shivers down his spine as that song was a little personal. The feeling dissipated however when he talked about how good he was on stage.

Venti didn’t talk much for the rest of their time together, thanking him and saying goodbye and running as fast as he could since he had an evening shift the same day. He was glad he was out of there as soon as he could, not because he didn’t like Xiao, but because he could feel his face getting redder with each passing moment.

~                      ~                      ~

“So…let me get this straight.” Diluc put his drink down after Venti told him everything after work. “You had a nice and wonderful date with this guy-”

“It wasn’t a date!”

“Shut up, let me finish.” He took another sip from his coffee and continued. “And now you’re starting to feel all odd around him? I think you just like him, plain and simple.”

Venti sighed and rolled his eyes so hard that he thought they’d pop out. “He’s just, I don’t know, I don’t even know why I’m talking about this!”

“Do you have a picture of him?”

Squinting his eyes with suspicion, he handed him a photo of him and his friend group together during that festival they visited and pointed at Xiao.

“Hm, he’s nice to look at, I can definitely see him being your type.” Diluc commented as he was shown the photo, causing Venti to retract it and pout.

“Listen, I don’t even think I like him! I still want to date you-know-who; it’s probably just because I got surprised by how nice he was being.”

After pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out the deepest sigh, he stared back at him with a tired look “Venti, I think you’re old enough to know that you can have a crush on two different people at the same time. Besides, you’re acting like you could score both of them.”

“I hate you. You know that?”

“Likewise.”

Chapter Text

The results for Class 2-2’s play readings were announced in the class group chat, and Kazuha and Heizou were cast as a samurai and a doushin respectively. From the script they were given, ‘The Decree’ was a play that had stories go out of chronological order and were disconnected, but all were the effect of the ‘Decree’ that’s the main plot point.

Said ‘Decree’ took these magical stones that were born from the passion and hardships of the owner causing them to lose that. So, this story follows people who lost this passion, those who rejected the ‘Decree’, and those who fled.

Kazuha and Heizou shared a story of a samurai and doushin who both have those stones, and the eventual farewell and escape of the samurai from the country. Something they both noticed immediately was that their characters were gay lovers, which they had complicated feelings about. Or rather, the feelings were simple and that they just didn’t want to be in that situation.

“Do you two have an issue? Or…” Aether asked when Kazuha and Heizou brought up changing their roles.

“We don’t, it’s just-”

Aether cut Heizou off as soon as he said there was no issue “Oh, well sorry guys, can’t. Rearranging the cast might cause more trouble than it’s worth. But I’ll entertain both of you, what’s the reason why you two don’t want to be in the role together?”

The two stayed silent, looking away from one another until Kazuha spoke up. “It’s just… a little embarrassing saying all these lines …”

Aether sighed and rolled his eyes. “If that’s all there is to it, I’m sorry, but that’s not reason enough for me. Besides, you two are best friends, if anything it’s probably the most comfortable arrangement for you two.”

Begrudgingly, they concluded negotiations and returned to their seat. Kazuha said something to break the silence. “If you ever get uncomfortable, just tell me.”

“I probably won’t be.” Heizou wore his familiar smirk to reassure him. “Aether has a point: if I had to say any of that to anyone else I’d probably die.”

Kazuha weakly smiled at his response, but really he was dying inside. Here he was trying to be respectful and trying to grow as a person but now here he is being thrust into a situation that his mind tells him is not good, but his heart is telling him is very good: being with his best friend.

But nonetheless, they had to suck it up and memorize their lines for the play.

Meanwhile in the other class, Venti and Xiao are confused as to why they were chosen as the main characters for Lumine and Scaramouche’s short film, while also aggressively asking them to reconsider their decision.

“Listen, like it or not, you two are hot in the market.” Lumine explained away with her usual mischievous smirk. “Add the fact that this guy’s directing the film,” She shoved Scaramouche a little when she said that “And we’re sure to get a bunch of guys coming to our booth!”

Xiao raised his voice to ask “Okay, I can understand Venti, but why me?”

Scaramouche rolled his eyes and answered before Lumine could quip. “My friend from Class 1-2 said lots of first-year girls actually think you’re cute. Something about a ‘mysterious aura’ or some shit.”

Venti narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms at the two co-directors. “So… I’m assuming there’s no getting out of this for us?”

“Nope.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Unless you two have an issue with each other?”

The two looked at each other and sighed in unison, with Venti answering. “We don’t.”

Lumine smiled and gave a thumbs up “Good, then it’s settled then!”

After assuring that they wouldn’t have to do anything odd, the pair returned to their seats feeling slightly defeated. Xiao just wanted to settle his feelings slowly while Venti was trying to sort out his feelings, but now here they were with the possibility of confronting them with no preparation.

“So…you nervous?” Venti asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Xiao’s cheeks were pink and muttered with an embarrassed tone. “I’m…not really that good in front of a camera. I’m sure you’ll do just fine, I’m just worried about bringing you down.”

Shit, he’s cute. “Aw, come on, Xiao! I’m sure you’ll be amazing!” He giggled in an attempt to hide his surprise at the compliment. “I’m more worried about actually acting good since I also still gotta practice my song.”

“Oh, are you already done with it? I thought you were having trouble?”

Venti giggled and lifted his head up high in a proud pose. “My dear Xiao, no mental block is going to stop me from coming up with something as simple as that!” In reality, he realized that while the song submissions were still a week away, he still needs to actually memorize it, practice it, and get his performance peer reviewed.

Thus, he had to ask someone to take his shifts as stayed up for a few nights making something. It’s not his best work, but he was confident that what he wrote was still amazing considering it was still coming from the heart.

“Well, then, if it’s anything like last year’s, it’ll be incredible.” Xiao gave him a warm smile that warmed Venti’s face before he changed the subject entirely.

~                      ~                      ~

Venti ran ahead of his friends since he had to make up for the days he needed to have his shift covered by someone else. This meant that he didn’t have any time for his usual talks with Diluc but it also meant that he was in the same shift as…

“Oh, Barbatos!” Mona waved a friendly hello to her coworker.

It’s not like Venti didn’t like Mona, he thought she was a very sweet person. The problem came with the fact that she was Scaramouche’s best friend.

“Mona.” He made a polite wave to her back, moving to the changing room to get into his work clothes.

Once he came out the workday was just the normal busy day with a middle-aged person or two yelling at them because they left tomatoes in a burger right despite the fact that they didn’t specify anything about tomatoes. So basically a normal day in McDonald’s.

“So… how has your day been going?” She asked once both their shifts were over.

“Alright.” Venti said quickly, grabbing his book bag and discretely hurrying to the exit. “Sorry, I need to go, I have practice in a bit-”

Mona however stopped him on the way out. “Listen, I know you feel awkward about me considering what Scaramouche did to Kazuha.” He flinched once he heard his name. “But he told me to tell you something to say to him.”

He let out a hefty sigh but decided to entertain her. “Make it quick.”

“He wanted to tell Kazuha that he’s happy he found someone.”

Venti’s heart dropped once he heard that but kept on playing it cool. “Sure, I’ll be sure to tell him.”

He had a feeling that Mona had suspicions about his real reaction considering how quick the response was, but he hurried out of the restaurant and called Kazuha as he was walking.

“Venti?” He heard his voice through the speaker, the background sound telling him that he was still outside. “Hey, we’re still at the convenience store. Xiao and Heizou are here too.”

He overheard him say ‘say hi guys’ to the other two as he heard a quick ‘Hello, Venti’ and ‘Hey, Venti! Did you forget something?’ before the phone was passed back to Kazuha. “So…did you forget something at school? Oh, uh, and you’re on speaker so the other two can hear you.”

He took a deep breath in and out, hoping there was some sort of misunderstanding. “Hey so…I was in a shift with Mona and…she told me something interesting.”

“Wait, who’s Mona?” He heard Heizou ask.

“Scaramouche’s bestie.” Venti explained haphazardly. “Anyways, uh, she told me that he wanted to tell you that he’s happy for you for finding someone?”

“What?!” that startled Venti, considering that Kazuha never raises his voice. “This is…not ideal…”

He heard a grumble as Kazuha continued. “Long story short, when the race in the sports festival happened, Scaramouche went up to me to give me water. And Heizou ran up to him and intimidated him by pretending to be my new boyfriend.”

“I take all responsibility for what happens, I am very sorry.” Heizou said quickly. “But I will say, our play roles are not helping us. Or they are, depending on how you look at it.”

After a quick exchange of their roles and Venti attempting to sound amused by saying that he and Xiao were in a similar position, Venti spoke up. “Well, I’m assuming you don’t want rumors to spread, so I’ll tell Mona to tell him that next time I see her. But if you want me to play along, I will. Anyways, I gotta go, I gotta practice guitar since I am rusty.”

Once everyone said their goodbyes, Venti stopped walking once the call ended. He thought his worst fear was realized when he heard that but fortunately it was a misunderstanding.

But if he was honest, he wasn’t sure if this was worse.

He figured there was no point worrying about all these things when he had both a performance and a short film to practice for, so he ran home.

~                      ~                      ~

“We’re home!” Aether yelled once they went inside. “Can we order from Good Hunter?”

Dain answered back at them from the kitchen “I already cooked dinner for us.”

“Boo!” Lumine jeered at him. “You never let us do anything!”

After that quick banter, the twins changed into home clothes and went to the dinner table with their older brother Dain and youngest sister Paimon with their laptops.

Once everyone was seated, Paimon asked in a questioning tone. “What are you two planning this time?”

Aether dramatically gasped at what she asked. “Now why would we be suspect of anything?”

Dain came in to defend their youngest by pointing out. “You two seem more motivated than usual, and the culture festival’s coming soon. And with that your usual matchmaking schemes heighten.”

“Hey, if we didn’t do anything, you wouldn’t be with Halfdan, now would you?” Lumine tried to weasel her way out of explaining.

Dain sighed and looked at his siblings with disappointed eyes “Why are you two like this?”

“WE NEED TO DO IT FOR THEM!” Lumine jumped out of her seat and slammed her hands on the table, making a pouty expression.

Aether nodded, adding “Look, sometimes you see people dancing around their feelings going nowhere so you need to give them a little push so they can finally date.”

“Because I swear to archons if I see those two still being idiots-”

“Oh, don’t even get me started on my class-”

Dain just stared at them as they rambled, then looked at their youngest sibling with plea. “Paimon, promise me you won’t end up like them when you grow up.”

Chapter Text

“So…you and Kazuha, huh?” Xiao asked as he and Heizou sat at a bench at the park feeding birds lettuce.

He laughed in an attempt to mask his embarrassment “Yeah…in hindsight it was a bit stupid of me to do that.” he admitted as he threw another piece of lettuce the ducks’ way. “I just…I’m a bit overprotective of him.”

They’ve decided to meet up every other Sunday to talk about anything in their minds. It was nice since they both had a reason to go outside for fresh air and they were starting to feel closer as a result.

“Do you like him?”

When he asked that question, Heizou recounted his hazy memories of Teyvat City.

~                      ~                      ~

“Hello, my name is Shikanoin Heizou! I’m eight years old, I like puzzles, and I hope we can all get along!”

He introduced himself to his third grade class in a proud voice. He wanted to make a good first impression and make himself seem presentable and reliable, like his parents told him to. Once he was done with his self-introduction, he sat down next to his seatmate who was just looking down the entire time.

Once the teacher allowed them to talk to each other he immediately tried to make conversation with him. “Hey! You’re Kaedehara, right?”

No response.

“…Hello?”

Normally when someone wasn’t responding to you, you’d move on and talk to someone else. But Heizou’s intuition told him that something was bothering him, and that he should help.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk right now, okay? You remember my name, right?” He took out his notebook and ripped out a page to write down his name and placed it on his table so he can read it. “Hope we can be good friends!”

Kaedehara picked it up, nodded without holding his gaze, and just folded the paper to stuff it in his pocket. While the white-haired individual thought that would be the end of it, he was gravely mistaken.

Months passed and Heizou was still talking with what was essentially a brick wall, passing him notes and sharing some food with him. Thus, one day after two months of annoying him, he sat next to him in the swings while everyone was playing and finally spoke.

“Why do you keep trying to be friends with me?”

Initially surprised by the fact that he spoke, Heizou calmed himself and really thought about that, comically putting his fingers in a thinking position and went hmmm before responding. “Well, you looked sad and lonely.”

“Is that it?”

“Yeah.” Heizou shrugged, picking up some momentum on his swing. “Is that wrong?”

“…Is that really it?”

Something was definitely bothering Kaedehara and Heizou stopped his swing and tried to answer again. “Yeah! Pinky promise!” He put his pinky out, waiting for Kaedehara to reach out with his.

Instead, he was met with him forming tears in his eyes, getting off the swing and running away. All Heizou could think of doing was running after him, thinking to himself ‘This wasn’t in the script’ over and over again. Heizou managed to catch up to see him sitting at the outside of school building’s walls sitting down hugging his knees with his head down with faint sounds of crying.

He didn’t want to say anything, so he just sat next to him patting him on the back and just letting him cry it out. Eventually he stopped and raised his head a little bit and asked “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do?” Heizou asked while genuinely confused. “Is something wrong?”

“…Before, people just liked me because my parents were rich and famous…” Kaedehara started to vent. “When I didn’t give them nice things or let them meet them, they wouldn’t like me anymore and-”

He was cut off by Heizou giving him a tight hug that Kaedehara melted into. The pair stayed that way for a little while longer before Kaedehara let go.

This time it was him offering his pinky “You promise you won’t stop being my friend?”

Heizou gave a goofy smile and interlocked his pinky with Kaedehara’s. “Promise!”

And thus, they started their friendship and went to first name basis. The two would eventually bring in a new student Tomoharu into their friend circle.

The longer he spent with Kazuha however made him feel… off. It’s not like he didn’t like him, in fact it was the opposite. After a year or so of their friendship, Heizou would feel his heart pound a little faster every time they were close, feel some sort of pit in his stomach, and would always notice the little things about Kazuha like how he’d quietly whistle when waiting or when he’d perk up when it was a particularly windy day.

Eventually, he asked his parents what those kinds of feelings meant, when his mother perked up and shouted. “Oh, Heizou has a crush, dear!”

His father was amused and told him. “That I can tell. So, who’s the lucky lady?”

Heizou panicked and just said a random girl from his class that he thought was somewhat cute and they both were ecstatic. Once they were done with their teasing however, Heizou went into his room, lied down, and screamed into a pillow.

There’s no way I like boys, right? He thought to himself. He knew girls were attractive and he’s seen some girls he likes but boys? And with his best friend, no less?

So, not knowing what to do, he went on the family tablet when no one was looking and searched for a few ‘Am I Gay?’ quizzes on incognito. Eventually he found out about the term ‘bi’ which he figured he was. Didn’t make it that much better though since he still couldn’t accept it himself.

A little over half a year or so after he had that revelation and made sure he was actually bi, he built up the courage to tell Kazuha and Tomoharu about this and they were actually very supportive. Understandable, Kazuha has two moms and Tomoharu doesn’t mind them.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find out?”  Kazuha asked.

You. “King Deshret from King of Invokations.”

“Oh, yeah, no, understandable.” Tomoharu commented. “But thanks for telling us!”

“I agree with that.” Kazuha smiled and nodded. “I’m glad you could be honest with us, Heizou.”

He plastered a smile on, thankful he got that out of his chest, but still knew he wasn’t completely honest.

~                      ~                      ~

Heizou let out a huge sigh “Used to.” He leaned back into the bench and looked up at the sky. “When we were little, he never talked to anyone and I didn’t want him to be alone. After I did become his friend, he became the reason I found out I like boys.”

Xiao nodded in understanding and continued to ask. “If I can ask, why are you protective of him?”

Heizou’s eyes dimmed as he remembered something unpleasant: the festival, the people piling up in front of a bathroom, the caution tape, the questioning. The memory was too much that it made him jump up and gasp, startling Xiao.

He just stilled for a while, worrying Xiao. He tried to tap Heizou to see if he was alright, but once he did he jumped and yelped.

“I am so sorry, did I say something? Make you remember something bad? Do you need water?” He ran through all these questions lightning fast as he held his hand. Once Heizou came to and realized what happened, tried to squirm his hand out as discretely as possible.

“Sorry, I’m fine now, I just…sorry.”

“Why are you the one who’s sorry?”

Heizou looked down in shame. “Sorry, can we skip this topic?”

“If you stop saying sorry.”

“…”

“You want to say it, don’t you?”

“Very much, yes.”

He sighed as expected, but this time he was more amused than worried. Once they slowly got over that, they continued to talk about mundane topics like family, their festival booths, something they saw online, really anything under the sun.

“That reminds me, before I forget.” Xiao said. “How are you and Kazuha going to go about that?”

“We talked about it, we’ll just stay silent and have Venti tell Mona that we want to ‘keep our relationship down’ or something. But the play might uh… start some rumors.”

“Right. Just try not to think too much about it.”

“I should be telling you that since you’re playing Venti’s love interest, right?”

“Shut up.”

Chapter Text

Shooting for the short film started the coming weekend, with Lumine handling their excuse letters and Scaramouche funding a three-day, two-night overnight stay at his house. It was definitely more than enough for a student short film, but Scaramouche openly told them that he wanted this film to be as eye-catching as possible due to the fact that he wants to do more behind-the-scenes jobs in his future career and that the short film could be ‘good practice’.

Apparently, his stepmom Miko was on a press tour and his mom joined her so that they could have a vacation date without Scaramouche (“I don’t mind at all, they can do whatever they want.” he said in a tone so unconvincing it was laughable) so that was the reason why he had the house all to himself. They weren’t fully alone however, since his little sister Mikoto stayed and their household has a housekeeper he knew as Niwa.

Now while Venti hated his guts, he didn’t want to throw a fit at this arrangement in front of Lumine lest you get her on her bad side. He did visit their house before for a work get-together hosted by one of his managers aka Raiden Ei aka Scaramouche’s mom.

As to why she works at a McDonald’s despite having a famous writer as a wife and a famous actor as a son, she explained that all the money Scaramouche was making in acting was going into a bank account in his name, so it’s not like he was the breadwinner by any means.

Also, her wife told her that if she didn’t leave the house and get a job after a few years of being a NEET, she would leave her. Crazy story, but he didn’t want to look into it.

They arrived at the household with sleeping bags and two changes of clothes for each person. Obviously not everyone in the class was there, only the directors and actors were going to be there while everyone else was just in charge of advertising.

“Welcome to the Raiden household!” Niwa greeted as they were let in.

Venti remembered him as someone who was a tad bit underqualified for a house their size but was extremely welcoming and sweet. It’s odd really, for some reason he reminded him of Kazuha.

“Alright, first thing’s first, everyone memorized their scripts, right?” Lumine asked, with everyone looking at each other and meekly nodding. “Wonderful.” Her tone changed to a sarcastic one and groaned. “We have two days, and we just need twenty minutes of stuff to film.”

The plot that they chose was about a carefree god whose name just so happened to be his last name and a demon slayer on the verge of corruption, the latter almost losing themselves until they heard the music of the god’s flute.

Sounded super stupid to him honestly, like who would even fall for that kind of love story?

Nonetheless most of their scenes happened at night so they just decided to get all the morning scenes over with. But first they needed to have their clothes and makeup dealt with.

He will say though, the choice of outfits that he was given was nice at least. It was a pretty simple outfit you’d expect from a medieval bard.

“There we go!” Niwa exclaimed as he was finished helping Venti out in his costume and applying makeup on him, giving him a mirror so he could see the results. “What do you think?”

Genuinely surprised by how good he looked now, he said. “You know, I’d ask what you gave me but it’s probably super expensive.”

“Oh no, it’s perfectly affordable.” He reassured, picking out a pen and sticky note from his pocket as if he was waiting for this moment. “They’re not from any luxury brands; Scaramouche hates them. Just make sure you always throw them out when they expire and don’t put them in the bathroom. It will mess up your skin.”

Nodding, he got the note from Niwa with the products and how to apply. He had to admit, he still hates his friend’s ex but his butler was super cool.

He got out of the spare room and stayed in the living room to check his phone. He wasn’t given any orders so he just made sure he didn’t touch his face or wrinkle his clothes as he was humming the tune of his song so he wouldn’t feel as unproductive as he already was.

A few minutes passed by before he was disturbed by a tap on his shoulder, causing him to jump, but the voice reassured him. “Hey, it’s just me.”

Oh, it’s Xiao. Niwa was really fast, huh? He turned to greet him with a smile and some banter but immediately felt like blacking out when he saw how he looked like.

They didn’t cover up his forehead mark but Niwa gave him some really pretty red eyeshadow that really highlighted his yellow eyes.

“…Venti?” was what managed to snap him back to reality.

He was immediately overcome with embarrassment once he came to “Ah! Sorry, it’s just-”

“I look terrible, don’t I?”

“No, no, opposite, you look very pretty!”

Both were surprised by what came out of Venti’s mouth. Play it cool, play it cool, play it cool, play it cool- “Well, thank you. I think you’re the first person to ever call me that.”

He can’t play it cool. He yearned for death.

Seriously if I can’t handle this then how the hell am I going to have to act as his lover?! He thought to himself.

Before they knew it, the three days passed, and all of the scenes were done. Crazy how time passes, really. They were still excused technically, but they all figured that they needed a rest and were allowed to go straight home.

“Do you want to walk home together?” Xiao asked after he got dressed back into his casual wear.

It would’ve been rude to say no, but he knew if he spent any more time near Xiao he’d combust. “Sure!”

What was he doing?

Venti continued to keep up the whole carefree attitude the entire time but the more time he spent with him the more time he was seriously considering that maybe he did want to date him.

But then he remembers Kazuha and how charming he was, and everything becomes more and more confusing than it already is.

He needed to talk to someone about this but he didn’t know who. He could talk to Diluc but he already knows and is probably gonna keep teasing him about it. He could talk to Lumine, but he didn’t even know if he could trust her enough to let her in on that…

Then it hit him.

~                      ~                      ~

“I like Kazuha.” Venti admitted.

“I know.” Heizou said in an uninterested tone as he was swirling his fry in ketchup.

“…And I think I also like Xiao.”

Shrugging, he put the fry in his mouth and muttered. “Eh, had a hunch…”

“Can you at least try to sound surprised?!”

“No.”

Venti texted Heizou earlier to meet him after his shift because he figured he was the best person to talk to about this considering they were in the same friend group. This was also a good excuse to get a read on him considering that they barely hung out outside of the group.

Now acting as if he cares, Heizou put his elbow on the table and rested his face on the hand “So, am I allowed to ask why you want to be sandwiched in between them?”

Before Venti could retort saying how crass that was, Heizou kept going. ‘I mean, really, it’s always the quiet ones so I totally get it. Like imagine Kazuha whispering sweet nothings in your ear and Xiao absolutely-”

“OKAY I GET IT!” Venti yelled out not wanting to hear the rest, realizing he screamed, felt multiple eyes behind him, and calmed himself trying to get that mental image out of his head and failing at it. “Look, first of all, why would you ever think of that?”

“Don’t know.”

“You’re fucking weird, Heizou.” Venti continued. “Second of all, I called you here since I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with these feelings.”

“Easy: bottle them up and die like a normal person.”

“…Maybe I should’ve gone to the girls in light music…”

Heizou sighed and leaned back a little and crossed his arms. “Alright, I’m sorry, I’m just a little pissed that this is what you called me here for. But we’re friends, so I’ll listen. First, I gotta ask, why do you like them both?”

Venti looked down at his drink and answered. “Well…I only started to like Xiao recently. I think I started to like him during the sleepover at my house. He stayed a little to help me out and uh…before I knew it, we acted all domestic.”

“Huh, cute.”

“Then he just started being so sweet all of the sudden and, ah, it’s probably just infatuation or something.”

Heizou nodded, then asked. “If you’re so confident this is infatuation, then why do you think you love Kazuha?”

He figured it would get to this question. Only Kazuha really knew about the full story (and his parents but they were there when it happened), and it was a subject that he didn’t want to revisit since it made him extremely depressed. “I moved here almost two years ago because of some family issues. I don’t want to get too into it, but it was just… rough.”

Chapter Text

“After my parents divorced, my mom didn’t even think she was stable enough to take care of me after what we both went through, so she sent me to Teyvat City to live on my own for high school while she sorted herself out. I understand better now but… back then it just made me feel like I wasn’t wanted anymore. I know she loves me, and this arrangement was probably for the better but… you know…”

~                      ~                      ~

Don’t make a scene and don’t stand out.

That was what Venti kept on telling himself as he was getting ready for high school. His plan was just to get through his three years, maybe get into college, and possibly get an office job. He was also thinking of getting a part-time job at retail or fast food for extra money.

As he stepped into Teyvat Academy for the first time, he just kept his head down, changed his shoes, then went to his classroom.

His seatmate was an attractive white-haired individual with a red streak on his right bang, who immediately greeted him. “Hello, I’m Kaedehara Kazuha, pleased to meet you.”

“…Barbatos Venti.” He politely greeted back.

“Ah, well then Barbatos, I hope we can get along this year.”

He nodded before going back to his phone. The usual first day activities happen: the class advisor just made them introduce themselves and let them be as long as they just stayed in the classroom.

As Venti just scrolling through his phone, Kaedehara once again tried to talk to him. “Barbatos, you said in your introduction that you’re from Old Mondstadt? What’s it like there?”

Well, since he was persisting in talking with him, he figured he should let him into his space. “I don’t really know how to describe it. But I can say that Teyvat City is quite big compared to Old Mondstadt.”

“If you’re still not too familiar with the place, I can show you around the general area later.”

Amused, he decided to joke “What, are you asking me out?”

His eyes widened in surprise but laughed it off. “Ah, no, I have a girlfriend…”

Huh, so he’s straight, darn. Venti thought to himself. Shame, he’s cute.

Venti continued to tell a few stories in his time in Old Mondstadt while Kaedehara eagerly continued to listen. He told him he was always interested in travel, saying it was a fantasy of his to backpack around the world.

“It’s too expensive though, realistically I don’t know if I can do that when I graduate.”

He rested his head on his hand agreeing with that sentiment. “Yeah, I don’t even know what I want to do for college.”

“Oh, well I’m not going to college.” Kaedehara added. “Too suffocating for me. I might do trade school but even that’s still shaky for me.”

“You don’t want to go to college?”

“No. I talked to my parents about it and they were quite supportive of me.”

Imagine having supporting parents.

They continued to talk about whatever until lunch. He felt comfortable enough to ask him if he wanted to eat lunch with him but Kaedehara was approached by one of the girls in the classroom.

He remembered she introduced herself as Raiden Mei but preferred to be called Kuni for whatever reason. She had indigo eyes, matching silky long hair with a hime cut tied into a high ponytail, a slender figure and was quite beautiful. “Kazuha! Let’s have lunch together!”

Kaedehara turned to her with a warm smile, stood up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Okay, love. But before that.” He turned to Venti to introduce her. “Barbatos, this is my girlfriend I mentioned earlier, Kuni. Kuni, this is my seatmate, Barbatos.”

“Hello, Venti. Make sure you’re nice to my Kazuha.” She said in a slightly condescending tone that Venti was annoyed by, but it wasn’t enough to fully hate her. She turned to Kaedehara and grabbed his arm, the two walking out of the classroom, presumably to the cafeteria.

He wasn’t too fond of her but maybe that was just her personality.

Eventually school ended and he was about to leave on his own before he felt a hand on his shoulder behind him, startling him. Fortunately, once he turned around, it was just Kazuha.

“Are you going straight home? I promised you that I’d show you around the general area.”

Venti, confused, asked. “Aren’t you gonna walk home with your girlfriend or something?”

Kaedehara sighed and shook his head, responding. “No, she always picks up her sister after school and she doesn’t really like me. And my old middle school friends already left.” His mood lit up like it was nothing a moment later. “But that means I have time to bring you to my favorite restaurant!”

The two walked together, with silence creeping in every now and then as Kaedehara only went to talk about some landmarks as they passed by them. Eventually they ended up at what he assumed was a small family diner.

Once they went inside, one of the servers greeted them and showed them to a spot. Venti didn’t know what to order so he went with what looked safe to him which was the katsudon. He did notice however that when he ordered the katsudon, Kaedehara had a somber aura around him.

“You, uh, you okay?”

Kazuha awkwardly waved it off and laughed “Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just…” His face wore a sad smile for a moment. “That’s just the usual order of an old friend of mine. He moved away a few years ago…”

Venti, curious about it, continued to ask. “Really? Were they special or something?”

Kazuha blushed a light shade of pink and smirked a little when he was asked. “In a way, he saved me. Before I met him, I barely let anyone in because…reasons.” He let out a weak laugh “But he kept annoying me to be his friend. So, he became the first person I let in and the first person I liked, I suppose.”

“Oh, alright.” Venti was about to brush it off when he realized “Wait, he?”

His eyes narrowed when he was asked that. “Is there a problem with that?”

Raising up his hands and shaking them in defense, he answered. “No, no problem. I’m gay, so…”

Relieved by this revelation, he breathed a sigh of relief. “I see. So are my moms. Oh, and I’m pan if you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t.”

He seemed amused enough by his presence, so Kazuha decided to change the topic. “So, moving on from that, what club are you planning on joining? I’m thinking of doing kendo.”

“…” He didn’t know why he was going to tell this to a complete stranger, but he did. “I want to try light music but…”

“But?”

“I don’t want to stand out.” Venti admitted in front of him, looking down and clutching his thighs. “Because what would they think of me? What if my singing isn’t good enough? What if-”

He felt a hand touch his shoulder before he could continue. Looking back up he was greeted by a warm smile. Once the two thought it was an appropriate time to speak, Kazuha said. “I don’t know if you’re going through something but… for what it’s worth I think you’d look amazing on stage.”

…Maybe light music club wouldn’t be so bad…

~                      ~                      ~

“Kazuhaa!” Venti shook his friend over and over again. It had been months since they became friends and Venti’s old personality started to form back thanks to his help. So now instead of a meek quiet kid, he was back to being a bubbly and cheerful gremlin.

“I got picked for the freshman performance in the culture festival!” He cried out, continuing to shake him. “What do I dooooooo?”

Kazuha forced himself to stop being shook. “I personally think this is a good opportunity. This could definitely be a good confidence booster for you.”

“Yeah, but I have to make and memorize a song in like three weeks!” He sighed heavily and put his face on the desk. “And I haven’t really made a song since…”

The last memory of the hospital stay flashed in his mind, shaking his head to try and forget. “Nevermind. I just don’t know where to start so I’m a little overwhelmed.”

Kazuha nodded, before handing him a notebook that he got from his bag. “If you need any help, you can always ask me.”

Venti thanked him but wanted to figure it out on his own. So, once they walked home together (a routine that started to stick with the pair), he went back to his apartment and lied down face-first on his bed.

Despite the fact that he’s been living in that apartment for a more than a few months, there were still a few boxes that were lying around in his bedroom. So, in an attempt to distract himself, he unpacked what remained.

The boxes were nothing special, just old clothes, letters from people from his middle school, some old textbooks, and notebooks, as well as some other memorabilia from his hometown.

That was when he found it.

An old picture of him and…

Once he saw that picture, something clicked in him to go to his desk and start writing. He didn’t have school the next day so he knew he could continue to work on this song uninterrupted. The writing was frantic, with his hands running faster than his thoughts. He barely ate anything during this entire process, only taking breaks for water and a small sandwich.

So, once he was done, all the fatigue rushed over him.

He was too tired to cook his own food, so he ordered fast food on the delivery app he recently got.

~                      ~                      ~

“Venti…” Kazuha just heard him sing what he wrote over the weekend and was ecstatic. “That sounded wonderful! You managed to make that in a day?”

He felt embarrassed the entire time he was doing a private performance for Kazuha in the empty light music club. “Was it really good?”

Kazuha composed himself, clearing his throat. “It was. Although…”

“Although?”

“I felt…sadness emanating from the song.” Kazuha’s face relaxed, lowering his voice and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

And thus, it all crumbled down before him. “You know what, you’re right, the song’s stupid, I’ll make another one from scratch-”

He was unplugging the keyboard with the world seemingly deafening around him. Why was he making a song from his trauma? Why was he opening up about something like this in music?

“Venti, please, if something’s wrong, if I said something-”

Venti was already on his way to the door without looking back when he heard him say something. “Venti, please, talk to me!”

Please talk to me…

Please…

Before he knew it, he was running back to Kazuha with tears streaming down his face and grabbing him for a hug. He knew he was being extremely vulnerable and was causing some sort of scene, but nothing really mattered to him right now.

Kazuha just allowed him to cry for a few more minutes, Venti started to calm down a little and was wiping his tears away with a piece of tissue Kazuha gave him.

“Do you want to talk?” was the only thing Kazuha could say in this awkward situation.

“Sorry it’s just…” Venti wiped his tears away a little more and blew his nose on the tissue. “That song was just a bit too personal.”

“If you’re comfortable with telling me, may I ask why?”

“…It’s a song for my brother.” Venti admitted solemnly.

“Your brother?”

Venti nodded looking back down and remembering. “He… he’s…”

Arms wrapped around him before he could finish. He felt a small drip on his back, implying that Kazuha was starting to cry a little too.

“You don’t have to say more.” Kazuha squeezed him tighter. “I’m sorry for your loss…”

Not knowing what he should do next, he just patted Kazuha on the back before they moved back to their original position.

“I’d understand if you don’t want to use this song in particular for the festival. My offer still stands on helping you if you’d like.”

Venti smiled a little at his offer. “I don’t deserve you as a friend.”

Kazuha, not changing his sad smile, continued. “Really, I’m just doing this because of some personal reasons. In a way, I believe we’re alike.”

It took a few moments to register what he meant by that, after which Venti’s eyes widened. “Oh my archons.”

“It wasn’t a brother, but it was still someone who meant a lot to me.” Kazuha chuckled weakly. “But enough about me. Back to the matter at hand, I perfectly understand why you don’t want to use this song. But whether or not you want to perform it, I think your brother would’ve been ecstatic that you wrote a song in his honor.”

“…Do you really think so?”

“I’d say I know so, but who could say?” Kazuha stared off into space, looking like he was going into his own world. “We can only speculate about the people watching over us, but I am sure that they’d love to see us continue thrive and develop into better people.” He turned back to Venti with a warm smile. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

That smile…those words…the comfort he felt…

That was what made Venti knew he fell.

Before the moment could last, someone knocked on the door to the light music club and opened it, revealing themselves to be Raiden. “Hey! Lunch is going to end soon! You two done?”

“Ah, coming love!” Kazuha answered her, then turning to Venti and asking. “Are you joining me?”

“…Sure.”

~                      ~                      ~

“…I think I’m starting to understand why you’re so conflicted.” Heizou admitted.

“Right?!” Venti groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Ugh what do I do…”

“You can just not do anything first.” Heizou sipped the last of his drink before he continued. “Try not to overcomplicate things, okay? Love is weird, so try and take things one step at a time. And remember, I’m here for you if you want to talk.”

He paused for a moment as he thought of his answer “Fine, I’ll try. Thanks, Heizou.”

Chapter Text

A week before the culture festival was to start, a typhoon ravaged the city, causing all classes to be cancelled for two days and the power to cut off from a good portion of the city.

Now, nothing of interest happened during that time considering they were all isolated from the world, stuck with whoever was with them at the time.

The problem came after the typhoon when Xiao turned up sick, barely able to move without feeling extremely fatigued.

They were unfortunate enough to have a good amount of clothes, bedsheets and blankets still hanging outside to dry, so everyone had to help with bringing everything back inside. The storm managed to reach them, but Ganyu, Xiao, his dad and Guizhong all had to keep trekking on to get the last articles back while Hu Tao brought Qiqi back inside to dry her off.

Somehow, the other three weren’t affected other than a few sniffles. It’s a shame, they were planning a Sunday mall trip as a new family together. Xiao told them it was alright if he didn’t go but Guizhong was adamant.

“Xiao, I already discussed this: if we have a family gathering, we all go together.” She crossed her arms in a fit of stubbornness. “Besides, no one else’s going to take care of you when you’re sick.”

“Guizhong, it really is alright.” Xiao coughed hard before he continued. “You all have fun without me, I’d feel guilty being the reason you all couldn’t go.”

Before Guizhong could protest once more, his father said. “You can stay. But promise us you won’t stress yourself while we’re out. Ah, and we’re going to an Iron Tongue Tian show after you get better.”

I’m going to lose it, why? We’ve probably heard every single story from him.  “Okay, father.”

“I’ll go prepare the medicine and snacks.” Ganyu offered, leaving the room with her parents. Hu Tao and Qiqi however stayed, looking rather disappointed at Xiao.

“Seriously? You’re just gonna let us have fun without you?” Hu Tao crossed her arms and heaved a heavy sigh, sitting down next to where his feet should be.

“You all having fun is okay enough for me.” He tried to reason with them, but they all still looked at him with skepticism.

“Xiao, you’re not pretending to be strong again, are you?” Qiqi pouted and made her cute ‘I want something’ face. “You promised me you’d stop!”

He rolled his head over to the side and coughed harshly before answering “Qiqi, I’m not pretending to be strong, I think I’m being the exact opposite due to being sick.”

Hu Tao yawned and stretched her arms, seemingly bored. “Well, it won’t be as fun without you, you know.” She got off the bed and shrugged “But what can you do?” Her head turned just as she was about to head off. “Don’t die on me yet Xiao, I’m not a funeral director yet. Come on, Qiqi!”

Qiqi turned back at Xiao, said her goodbye, and left with her sister. Not long after, Xiao was given a tray that had water, cold medicine and an apple by Ganyu. He thought that was it, but Guizhong stopped by and put a plate of wrapped sandwiches.

Xiao hated sandwiches.

He couldn’t really fault her, after all she hasn’t really spent enough time with him to know those details. Nonetheless, he heard everyone leave the house and get in the car, leaving him all alone.

Normally when you’re sick and can’t really do much, you’d sleep, but Xiao felt restless. And because of that, he felt his headache grow worse and his body get hotter.

He figured if he couldn’t sleep, he might as well drink tea to do just that, but as he got up to reach the tray, a massive spike of pain hit his head, causing him to fall on the ground. He groaned, thankful that no one was here to see him in this state.

That was when he heard his phone’s ringtone next to the tray. Thinking it was his father or any of his family, he grabbed it and answered without checking who it was.

“Hey, Xiao!”

It was Heizou.

“You doin’ okay? Sorry, I couldn’t call everyone since cell service got cut where I’m from, but how are you?”

Xiao, wanting to avoid any worry, lied. “Yeah, I’m-” His throat started to get irritated as his body betrayed him by making him hack out a cough. “I’m alright.”

“…Are you sick?”

Shit. “A little, but it’s nothing bad.”

“Ah, alright. Just get some rest then! Who’s there with you?”

He hesitated, a little embarrassed over his decision, until the silence was too much when Heizou asked again. “Xiao, do not tell me you’re home alone.”

“…Uh…”

“WHERE ARE YOUR-” Heizou didn’t wait for an answer as Xiao heard shuffling in the background. “You know what, don’t tell me, I’m coming over. Be there in fifteen and unlock the door before I get there.”

Before Xiao could protest, Heizou hung up on him. Cursing himself for making him worry, he figured he might as well try to unlock the door before he came to his house. Thus, he dragged his weak body over to the front door, making sure he didn’t trip on the stairs and grabbing onto the walls for support.

Once he got to where he needed to be, he unlocked the front and dragged himself over to the nearby couch and texted him that the door was unlocked. Now all he had to do was wait as he closed his eyes to get some amount of rest.

Eventually he heard the door open, close, and lock behind him. Xiao didn’t do anything at first, figuring it was Heizou, but then he felt a slight pressure on his neck and cheek. He opened his eyes to see Heizou above him, his face upside down from his perspective. He had a face was unusually close, and he had a serious expression on his face, contrasting his usual carefree one.

“H-hey!” Xiao pushed his face a little farther since he felt odd when he did that.

“Sorry.” Heizou moved away, setting something down on their kitchen counter. Once he did that, he went towards the couch he was on and asked “Were you sleeping here the entire time? Where’s your room?”

“No, my room’s upstairs, first room to your left.”

He was about to get up when he felt hands go under his knees and back and suspended him above the ground.

“Wha- What are you-”

“Save it.” Heizou sighed as he carried Xiao back to his room. “I feel a little bad coming into your house out of the blue, but I got worried.”

He felt his face turn red, but he convinced himself it was just his fever “Aren’t I heavy?”

“No, not really.” He felt him shrug as he carried him upstairs now. “In fact, I’m a little worried you haven’t been eating that much since you’re actually really light.”

Okay, that was true, but he didn’t need to say it like that.

Heizou managed to set him down on his bed with no incident, leaving the room while telling him. “I’m gonna borrow your kitchen. Try not to die on me, okay?”

Thus, he was off. Xiao felt a weird feeling in his lower abdomen when he was being carried, but it was probably also because he was extremely sick.

Xiao’s headache began to wane off a little now that he’s rested his head on his pillow when Heizou came back with a bowl.

“Hot, hot, hot!” He quickly set the bowl down on the tray, got a spoon, took some soup out of it, and tried to feed some of it to Xiao. “Alright, sit up and eat.”

He was still trying to recover from the surprise but did it anyways with his eyes closed. The soup tasted like a typical chicken noodle soup, maybe with a bit more flavor than usual. And yet…why did he love it so?

“There we go.” Heizou commented as Xiao finished up the soup. “Listen, I don’t know who decided an apple and some sandwiches would help you, but you need something warm to increase your mucous flow.”

He set the spoon into the bowl and just sat next to him. “Feeling any better yet?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. I actually once looked into the whole idea of soup when you’re sick when Kazuha was, apparently the cysteine in the chicken actually help in the process.” He smiled, almost off into his own world, when he snapped back. “Ah! Sorry, rambling. You should probably rest, I’ll go change your towel.”

Out of nowhere, Xiao used some of his strength to grab Heizou’s hand and muttered. “Can’t sleep.”

Heizou’s eyes widened and cleared his throat, but ultimately composed himself. “Alright then… we can talk after I get cold water for your head thing, I suppose.”

He was gone again, coming back a minute later yelping “Cold, cold, cold!”, setting the bowl of cold water in his hands. He shook his hands a little bit like he was drying them off, then whispered “’Scuse me.” as he took Xiao’s damp head towel and reapplied cold water, squeezing out any excess, and placed it back on his forehead. And for whatever reason, Xiao felt a tingle when Heizou’s hand brushed his face slightly.

Then Heizou took his desk chair and moved it closer to his bed “Anyways, first off, why were you on your own?”

When Xiao explained the situation hazily, his friend rolled his eyes and groaned. “Xiao, I feel like you should let your pride aside and, I don’t know, get help?”

“But they-”

“Up, up, up, no buts!” Heizou crossed his arms and pouted. “You’re not being selfish or a burden when you’re sick, Xiao! Asking for help isn’t the same as being a freeloader.”

Heizou proceeded to tuck his blanket a little closer to his neck and muttered. “But…it’s nice to see this side of you. So, in a way, I guess I should thank your family. But try not to pull a stunt like this again.”

Xiao’s hand gripped Heizou’s even tighter, and he felt tears starting to form. Archons, he must look so uncool. Even worse for him, he thought, he asked with no hesitation “Then, can I be a little selfish then?”

“Okay?” Heizou laughed a little when he was asked.

“Can you stay with me until they come back?”

“…Alright.”

Heizou’s hand found its way to Xiao’s cheek and rubbed it, feeling some of his tears on his palm. “You don’t have to cry Xiao, I’ll stay.”

Despite that, he felt his eyes sting and he sat up to hug him. He still felt guilty as he knew his tears would stain a bit of his shirt, but all he could focus on was how Heizou returned his hug by giving him an embrace and patting his back, saying “Just let it all out now, it’s okay, you’re okay.”

Eventually, they stopped hugging and Xiao was put back in a more comfortable position. And, for whatever reason, maybe it was because he was too tired after crying, or maybe because he felt relaxed by his presence, Xiao managed to fall asleep.

He didn’t know what time it was when he woke up, but he felt a lot better afterwards. And when he looked, Heizou was still there reading something. When he moved to sit up, Heizou noticed and greeted him.

“Evening! You hungry?” Heizou closed his book with a thumb on the page he was on. “I can whip you up some more soup if you’d like!”

Xiao coughed before answering. “I…guess I’m a little hungry. Sorry.”

“Got it.” Heizou stood up and stretched a little bit. “Sorry, haven’t moved from this spot in like, hours.”

Xiao nodded, his brain lagging on what he meant before that imaginary light bulb lit in his head “Wait, did you actually-”

“Stay with you?” Heizou finished his sentence. “Of course! You asked me to do that, right?”

Despite the guilt he felt after making him do something that he just said on a whim, he felt…happy?

Once he left to go cook him soup, Xiao could still feel that odd sensation in his abdomen. His heart was also beating erratically, and his face felt extremely warm. He wanted to tell Heizou if that meant something, but some deep part of him told him that would be a terrible idea.

Heizou managed to come back with some more soup, this time with a little extra spice which Xiao actually liked.

Once he was done eating, Heizou put the two bowls together with the attempt to wash them downstairs, but Xiao pulled on his shirt before he could do that.

“Is something wrong, Xiao?”

Nothing, nothing was wrong. Xiao thought. But why do I still want you here?

It was then he realized how close their faces were again. There they were, staring into each other’s faces; specifically, their eyes. Thus, something overtook Xiao, making him close his eyes lean a little closer, with something telling him Heizou was doing something similar, before…

“XIAO, WE’RE HOME!”

The two turned to see Hu Tao with her eyes closed and waving her hand, carrying a bag on the other. Once she opened them, she immediately realized her mistake.

“Oh, hi, Heizou!” She smiled politely. “Xiao didn’t give you much trouble, right?”

“No, he was asleep for the most part.” He stood up, before looking back at Xiao. “Oh, did you want to tell me something before I leave?”

“…No.”

Heizou nodded and said his goodbye to Xiao, leaving with the bowls. He knew he was going to stay a while longer though since there was no shot his father was going to let him leave without dinner and a ride home.

Hu Tao went up to him, kneeled down next to the bed, and asked. “So…what did I walk into exactly?”

Xiao blushed and mumbled something.

“What?”

He waited a bit, hoping Heizou was far enough so he wouldn’t hear before he begrudgingly confessed in a hushed voice. “…I think I just tried to kiss Heizou.”

Hu Tao’s normal mischievous look was replaced by a worried one, and instead of making fun of him, she put a hand on his shoulder and asked. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head, making her nod and stand up. “Take it easy, okay?”

~                      ~                      ~

“HE WHAT?!” Shinobu yelled at him over the phone. “Oh my god, Heizou, I need details!”

Heizou clutched his knees closer to his chest. Once he got back after a dinner and a ride courtesy of Mr. Morax and his fiancé Guizhong, the first thing he did after changing shoes and going inside was go into his room and squeal into his pillow.

“Xiao just tried to kiss me.” He muttered, still in disbelief, and repeated. “Xiao just tried to kiss me.”

The next thing he did was call up Shinobu and tell her what happened. Once he recounted all the details to her, she asked. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I’m not bringing it up.” Heizou sighed. “He was probably too sick to think straight.”

“Well, I don’t fully agree with you, but he definitely wasn’t thinking straight, you know.”

“Oh my archons, shut up!” That managed to elicit a laugh out of him. “Anyways, that’s the story. Honestly, kinda glad Hu Tao walked in since I would’ve caught something.”

“Glad something good happened to you, Heizou.” Shinobu said, before quickly saying “Anyways, gotta go, I’m going to bed.”

He heard her hung up, and by that time the initial high was long gone.

Despite how happy he was, he still didn’t want Xiao to fall in love with him. So, he just hoped that it was just something that happened because he was sick.

Chapter Text

Xiao managed to recover thanks to Heizou’s help and an ample amount of rest. He still remembered everything that happened that day, much to his embarrassment. He didn’t know why he tried to do that, because it wasn’t like he was starting to like him, right?

He still had to face him the next day, but he didn’t want to mention it. Because how were you going to go about that? ‘Hey, thanks for the soup, sorry for kissing you’? He figured he can just pretend that nothing happened because he wasn’t even sure if Heizou caught on.

After he bathed and dressed into his uniform, he put a medical mask on since in case some remnants of his cold were still there. Heizou, Kazuha and Venti were waiting by his door to come walk with him, greeting him as he got out.

“What’s with the mask?” Venti asked, tilting his head.

“He got sick.” Heizou answered for him, crossing his arms, and looking at Xiao with an amused face. “I had to come over since his family was out because someone thought it was a good idea to be alone while his immune system was on the fritz.”

Xiao simply rolled his eyes, but he knew he was red under the mask. “Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it.” Heizou grinned, making his heart stop for a brief moment. “Just looking out for a friend.”

Right, right, friend. Because that’s all he was.

They walked to school, chatting about whatever, before they soon had to part ways to get to their classes. On their way, Venti scolded him about his sickness.

“Why didn’t you tell us?!” he yelled, shaking Xiao a little. “Were you seriously thinking you could wait it out?!”

“…Maybe.”

Venti groaned, slapping himself on the head in disbelief. “Whatever, just, next time make sure Mr. Morax or anyone in your family stayed, promise?”

He held his pinky finger indicating he wanted to do a pinky promise. Xiao played along and locked his pinky on his before Venti connected their thumbs together and grinned at him. “You better keep your promise then!”

Out of nowhere, Venti removed his pinky and grabbed Xiao’s hand. “Anyways, we gotta go to class and help with cleaning!” He reminded, now dragging him to the second floor.

Okay, his feelings for Venti definitely haven’t faded, in fact he felt like the world paused for a brief moment when he did that. He just has to deal with the fact that he likes two of his friends, no big deal. He wasn’t worrying about how this could potentially affect his current friendship with them, nope.

The day went by in a blur until lunch when Xiao got a call from his dad at lunch. He excused himself from the table and went to the restroom to take the call in private.

“Xiao? How has your cold been?” He heard his father through the other end of the line.

“Father? Is something wrong? Is there an emergency?”

His father’s hearty laugh was heard in the other end. “No, not at all. I was just wondering if we could spend some time together after school. I asked Raiden to cover for my later shift to free up my schedule.”

“Well, since you went through all that trouble, I’ll go. Should I tell the others?”

“No need, this is just for us two; like the old days.”

Father must be really worried if he’s using that excuse. “If that’s what you say.”

~                      ~                      ~

Xiao was picked up by his father near the entrance after saying his byes to his friends. Like he promised, it was just them. Makes him feel bad since that meant his sisters has to walk home while he had the luxury of being driven.

“I can feel your worry from here, Xiao-Xiao.”

It must be really serious if he’s referring to me like that. “Was it obvious?”

“If you’re worried about bad news, don’t be. I simply wanted to take my sick son somewhere to help him feel better.” Xiao’s father continued. “Now, is there any restaurant you’d like to go?”

“Any where’s fine, really.”

“…”

“Okay fine, I want to go to Wangshu.”

Zhongli smiled at his honesty but answered. “Xiao-Xiao, if we’re going to Wangshu, we can’t order Almond Tofu.”

“But-!”

“You just came back from a cold, absolutely no sweets for you.” Zhongli answered firmly, his route changing to that of their way to Wangshu. “You can order something else in the meantime.”

“Hm, does that mean I can order Golden Crab then?”

“Why not?”

Xiao side-eyed his father with a look of disbelief “…On second thought, Mountain Delicacy Noodles are fine for me.”

It took a while, but they finally stopped at Wangshu. It was a very expensive restaurant owned by a hotel, but Xiao remembers it as one of the first places his father brought him during his first year of being adopted. It was clear back then that his father wasn’t exactly the most financially well off, but he still made an effort to help Xiao be comfortable.

He also remembered it as the place that made him love almond tofu when he had it as a dessert.

Before they could walk inside however, they were stopped by a voice behind them, belonging to an elegant sounding lady. “Zhongli?”

His father turned around, greeting the woman with a smile. “Ningguang. It’s been too long, hasn’t it?”

Xiao turned to the direction his father was looking at. There, he saw Senator Tianquan Ningguang and her wife Nanshizi Beidou, along with people he assumed were guards. Normally, people would be honored to meet them, shake their hand, but Xiao had already met them years ago, considering them family friends. As the story goes, the reason she and his father knew each other was because his father acted as the senator’s cover boy in high school.

“Five years, or so?” Senator Ningguang finished. “We should catch up inside, shall we? Food’s on me, as per usual.”

They were seated inside and ordered their food, chatting as they waited.

“Such a shame that we waited so long to reunite.” the senator said. “But, what can you do?”

“I’d actually like to ask, why are you here?” his father asked. “Despite your wealth, I know you like simpler tastes.”

“It’s at my request.” Miss Beidou answered. “Felt like getting some Wangshu, so we got some Wangshu.”

Ningguang cleared her throat and side eyed her wife. “Well enough about that, it seems we reunited at a rather unfortunate time since it looks like we disturbed your father-son day.”

“I don’t mind.” Xiao answered quickly.

Ningguang nodded but seemed dissatisfied with his response. “Whatever you say Xiao. And that reminds me, you’re a high schooler now, yes?”

He nodded. “Second year.”

Beidou chimed in with a laugh. “Ha! What a coincidence, so’s our son. We should let them meet some time.”

Ningguang sighed and told her wife “I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Beidou.”

“Ah, come on! We can set up a blind date, and we trust Mr. Zhongli, yeah?”

“I don’t think our son needs that right now, considering he’s still grieving from you-know-who.”

The eye-patched woman rolled her eye and scoffed. “It’s not that kind of blind date Ning, just a friend date! Besides, he wouldn’t be that interested in that considering he’s already lookin’ at someone else.”

Beidou then looked at Xiao straight in the eye and asked. “In any case, how’s your high school life been, boy?”

Xiao cleared his throat and tried not to make himself too obvious. “It’s been well, definitely better than first year.”

He could feel a stare at him, but he didn’t know where it was coming from. Eventually their food came and they ate, not really saying much considering how rude it was to talk while eating. Finally, after half an hour, they were done, and the father-son duo left after Ningguang paid the bill.

Before they left however, Ningguang had a proposition. “You know, this Christmas, do you have any plans?”

“Me and my fiancée were thinking of going somewhere.”

“Ah, engaged now are we?” Ningguang looked rather amused when he said that. “Well, if that’s the case, are you going to Liyue Harbor? Yuan’s hosting a week-long high school reunion.”

“Ah, that. Apologies, but I have to check in on my family for that matter.” his father answered firmly “I don’t want to leave my kids alone for a week, and while he said bringing family is fine, I don’t want to ruin any of their Christmas plans.”

“Understandable. We’re actually still debating whether or not we bring our kid.”

They said their goodbyes and Xiao and his father went to their car. But his father didn’t start the car. Instead, he sighed and turned to his son. “I’m sorry for how today turned out.”

Genuinely confused, Xiao asked “Why?”

“Today was supposed to be about us, but then Ningguang joined and I didn’t want to be impolite.”

“Father, I understand, really.”

“You keep saying that, but I keep doubting you the more times you say it.” he sighed, putting his head in his hands and rubbing his temples.

Xiao looked at him, a bit of guilt stewing within him. “I’m sorry, Ba.”

“Why should you be? I’m the one who never has time for you nowadays, after all.” his father sat up straight and faced his son. “If anything, I’m the one who’s supposed to be sorry. After all, you’re growing up, getting new friends, getting crushes-”

“Wait, how did you know about that?!”

“…Ah, my mouth slipped.”

Xiao blushed furiously and tried to keep his emotions in check by covering his cheeks. “…How long have you known?”

“Well, considering you blushed when I mentioned Heizou to you this morning, I just assumed.”

“…Right, I, uh, well, I like him, but…I have another person I like, but, well…”

“If you want to come clean, now’s a better time than any.”

“I don’t think you’ll accept it.”

“Oh, nonsense, Xiao-Xiao, why wouldn’t I accept it?”

“…It’s Venti.”

“…You know, you were almost right.” Zhongli sighed. “But, you like him, and Venti’s a nice person, I have no right to interfere, it’s just…”

Xiao pressed him to continue “Just?”

“Did it have to be him?”

“BA!”

His father laughed heartily once more. “I’m joking, Xiao. It really is bittersweet seeing you grow up, but I’m glad I’m seeing you grow happy and independent.”

Xiao couldn’t help but give a fraction of a smile, happy that his father was proud.

It was then he requested. “If we can, can we go to the park together before it gets dark? Just so we can spend a little more time together.”

His father looked at him with a content smile and nodded.

~                      ~                      ~

Xiao was silent on his way back from the funeral. Everything felt numb and he wanted to scream out to the world that hurt him, but for some reason, he couldn’t. It was like there was a low ringing sound in his ears, his mind going into a state of disassociation.

“Xiao-Xiao, is everything alright?”

The ringing in his ears stopped when his adopted father asked him that question. Of course, nothing was alright, but he responded with a positive enough sounding “Mm.”

His father, doubting him, took a different route home and stopped by somewhere. Xiao saw it was the park entrance and saw the car door next to him open with his adopted father’s hand reaching out.

“Come on, it’s safe.”

Hesitantly, he grabbed his hand and let him take him wherever. His mind was still in a fuzz so he didn’t see anything wrong with the fact that he was taking him to a more remote part of the park.

When his mind came back however, it was because his adopted father woke him up from the self-induced trance. Once he came to, he saw it.

They were near a fenced cliff showing the most beautiful forest of trees below, complete with a bright orange sunset to go along with it. He didn’t know why at the time, but he liked the brightness. It hurt, but he didn’t care as the warmth spread through his being.

“I thought you might like it here.” Xiao felt a hand ruffle his hair. “You don’t have to say anything; I’m aware you still need time to heal after what happened. I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you, and I’ll always be here for you.”

Strange, despite the blinding sun and not a cloud in sight, there was rain.

Chapter Text

It was the day before the culture festival was to start, and Aether’s class was doing dressed rehearsals. They decided that instead of doing the whole play all at once, they would use different segments of the play as their own parts, separating them and incentivizing going at different times to get different stories.

They had gotten most of their lines down, many of them just needed to pin down the harder ones and they should be set. The props and settings were done by a group effort of all of the entire class while the costumes were bought and modified by Gorou.

Kazuha felt his costume was a little heavy and even hot, but it was more a minor inconvenience to him. While he played a samurai, he was barely covered in armor as only metal-like prop was plating on his shoulder. Instead, he looked to be a regular citizen wearing autumn wear that would’ve probably been the norm at the time.

After he looked at himself in the mirror to make sure nothing was damaged, he stepped onto the stage and saw Heizou on the stage, still holding onto his script despite the fact they were supposed to perform tomorrow.

Kazuha felt his heart stop when he saw him; nothing new considering how he felt about him. But seeing him in his costume: a slightly revealing top, shorts and a kimono tied around his waist, something about it clicked with Kazuha.

He stopped staring once Heizou noticed him, the latter greeting the former happily.

“Hey, Kaz!” He greeted with an outstretched hand. “Nice costume! Gorou really outdid himself, huh?”

Kazuha gulped and tried to keep his cool. “I suppose. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Ah, right, this.” He crossed his arms to try and hide his exposed sides in an attempt to be modest, but there was really nothing he could do about that. “Yeah, bit breezy, honestly. Gorou told me he could modify it if I wanted, but I didn’t want to give him any more trouble.”

Thank archons you didn’t. “I see. Well, we’re supposed to rehearse now, yeah?”

The rehearsals themselves went of without a hitch as everyone finally managed to get their lines down to Aether’s delight. Finally, after the third run of no mistakes that Aether insisted on having because of polishing, they were allowed to leave

After their rehearsals, it was getting quite late, making Kazuha need to call in his driver. Out of the blue, he asked Heizou. “It’s getting late, do you want to stay over at my place?”

“Eh, sure, why not, it’s dark as fuck out and I don’t want anything bad to happen, so I’ll tag along.” Heizou answered. “I’ll text Nana while we wait.”

Their ride arrived not long after and they were driven to Kazuha’s mansion, the two not really talking much on their way there as they were on their phones.

Cookie 🍪

GIRL

HELP

Heizou it’s 6 what the fuck do you want

I’M STAYING OVER AT KAZUHA’S

WHAT DO I DOOOO

Uh

Not think about it too much?

Kazuha’s a nice guy, he won’t do anything weird

you’re right

BUT STILL

AHHHHHH

Drama queen

Hey, at least if he does ask you out right here right now, you have the
opportunity to turn him down and end this shit

but-

Oh for fuck’s sake, why are you so hesitant?

I know he’s your friend but archons

If you don’t like him like that, you’re not obligated to reciprocate

Unless

unless?

nvm

Can I go now? I got dinner

yeah, sure

ttyl cookie <3 <3<3<3

XOXOXO

Fuck you

ttyl

 

They arrived and were greeted by staff as Kazuha’s parents were out. They had a private chef cook them some comfort food for dinner: yakisoba. Just like when they were little.

~                      ~                      ~

“Zuzu!” Heizou yelled. “You haven’t eaten that much, are you okay?”

“Mm, I’m just not that hungry.” Kazuha picked at his share of yakisoba.

“Can I have it then?” Tomoharu asked.

Kazuha let him have half, saying he might get a little peckish. This had been the first time he invited his real friends over for a sleepover, so he was naturally very nervous. As expected, they were in awe of his house, as were many of the other people who visited him.

But instead of saying how rich they are and if they could live there, Tomoharu yelled “We can have so many games of hide and seek here!”

They ultimately didn’t do that since Heizou complained about being tired, so instead they decided to do a horror movie marathon. And since his parents were out on a trip, Kazuha got some of the R-rated movies that would definitely scar them for life.

But it was fun. Weirdly enough, he liked being scared.

He couldn’t help but notice though that when there were scares, Heizou would go and grab Kazuha’s arm and hide his face in his shoulder.

Cute. Kazuha thought to himself.

Once they were thoroughly spooked they finished up their food and prepared themselves to go to bed. When it was Tomoharu’s turn to take his bath, Heizou and Kazuha sat near the stairs and talked.

“Thanks for inviting us, Kazuha.”

When he said that, he took Kazuha’s hand, making Kazuha’s heartbeat faster than usual. “A-anytime, Hei. I’m just glad I finally have friends because of you.”

Heizou giggled, and jokingly punched his shoulder. “Ah, come on, you’re giving me too much credit.”

“Really, Hei! If it wasn’t for you constantly pestering me, I’d probably be sitting alone at lunch everyday.”

He turned to him with closed eyes and a big smile “Yeah, I guess so.”

Kazuha was happy that he was happy, but then he noticed something peculiar. Heizou had tilted his head slightly, revealing something. Because of Heizou’s angle Kazuha could see a little bit of his nape and there he found a dark purple mark near his back, almost like a bruise.

He had never mentioned getting a bruise that big, and he never had some sort of accident that would’ve led to that.

“Hey, Heizou, w-”

“Watcha’ two doin’?” Tomoharu appeared behind them with now warning, making the two startled and removing their hands from each other.

“Ah, nothing.” Kazuha answered calmly. “I was just trying to do this palm reading trick Mom told me about.”

“Ah, alright! Can you do me next?”

He agreed, since his mom actually did teach him this trick and to draw suspicion away, but Kazuha never had the chance to ask Heizou about that mark, and eventually Heizou and Tomoharu left the next morning.

But looking back, Kazuha should’ve asked.

~                      ~                      ~

“You can stay in the spare room. We have the same size, so you can borrow my clothes for tomorrow.” Kazuha said.

“Ah, alright. Thanks, Kaz!”

They tried to go to their bedrooms, but Kazuha was having a hard time falling asleep. His mind was a mess and all he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat and the sound of the wind. It should be calming enough for him, but maybe the presence of a guy he desperately wants but thinks he can’t have right now is interfering.

He didn’t know what time it was when it started, but he heard crying in the next room. The walls weren’t exactly that thick, so he went up, stumbling along the way due to how tired he was, and knocked on the wall.

“Zou, you okay?” He talked loud enough to let him hear but not so loud to alert anyone.

It took a few moments for someone to respond to the other side “…Kazuha?”

“It’s me.”

“It’s alright, I’m fine.”

Kazuha rolled his eyes and leaned his back on the wall connecting to his friend’s room “Heizou, I heard you cry just now.”

“Oh, that, that’s normal.”

“That’s not a good thing.”

Heizou groaned, and Kazuha heard a faint thump on the wall, the light-haired boy assuming that Heizou’s back was also against the wall. “Do you really want me to tell the truth?”

“You don’t have to; I’m just scared something happened.”

Heizou scoffed. “You’re a bad liar, Kazuha.”

Kazuha’s eyes widened and he raised his voiced by a bit. “How did you know I was lying?”

“Intuition.” Heizou answered firmly, and Kazuha could almost feel a smirk.

“Oh, my archons.” Kazuha couldn’t help but laugh at his response. “Alright, you got me. It’s just…”

“Mm?”

Is it really alright to ask him about what happened? “Nothing.”

“You’re lying again.”

Kazuha groaned and hit the back of his head. “Nothing gets past you, huh?”

“Yeah.” Heizou’s voice was quieter than Kazuha expected when he said that, adding. “Alright tell me the real reason you want me to tell the truth and I’ll tell you the truth about why I cried, deal?”

“…When we were little, I saw a bruise on your back I didn’t remember you getting.” Kazuha blurted out all at once. “I thought that since you talked a lot, you would’ve mentioned it, but…”

Silence filled their rooms once more, until Kazuha heard a knock at his door. He stood up and approached, opening it to see Heizou, his eyes glassy with a solemn smile.

“Guess it’s about time I tell you.”

Chapter Text

The school festival was finally here after weeks of preparation and advertising.

As they went on their usual route, Venti noticed something when he met up with the three of them. “Say, Kazuha, isn’t that your jacket?”

It was a very noticeable one: red hoodie with a white slash with red maple leaves spilling into the white part.

“Ah, yeah, stayed over at Kazuha’s.” He pinched a part of his hoodie to look down at it. “It was getting dark, and this gentleman,” Heizou nudged Kazuha with his elbow “over here didn’t want me to go home all alone.”

“Well, seems like you’re finally over last night.” Kazuha nudged back.

“Aw, all thanks to you, Zuzu!”

For whatever reason, both Venti and Xiao felt a weird negative emotion at their banter.

Despite all of…that, they walked to the campus without any incident and Venti separated with the group to do some last-minute practice.

“Are you two nervous for later?” Xiao asked Kazuha and Heizou, who were to perform a few shows later that day.

“Obviously!” Heizou groaned. “Thinking about doing all those things in front of a hundred people is terrifying!”

Kazuha nudged Heizou’s elbow with his “Don’t fret. At the very least, you’re better at memorizing your lines than me.”

“Well, you have more emotion in your delivery!” He argued before Heizou felt a buzz in his phone, checking it with worry. “Shit, sorry Xiao, we need to go! Aether’s calling us in!”

Before Xiao could say goodbye, Heizou grabbed Kazuha by the arm and ran towards the gymnasium, leaving him all alone. He then realized that he has no idea where to go without people dragging him anywhere.

By divine luck, he heard someone familiar behind him. “Yo, Xiao! You busy?”

Turning around, he confirmed it was Shinobu, along with Arataki-senpai and one of the people from his club, Yanfei. Odd group.

“Ey! Xiao, right?” Arataki-senpai asked. “Nice to see ya, man! If you’re free, you wanna join us?”

Oh, thank archons, they’re watching over him. “Of course. My friends are busy with their booths so…”

“You have friends?” Yanfei raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

“Why are people always so surprised when I say that?”

“You two know each other?” Shinobu asked.

Xiao just breathed out slightly and said “We’re both in the disciplinary committee and my sister and her are seatmates. Yanfei’s usually the one who makes Hu Tao do some punishment after school if she disturbed class.”

Her eyes widened a little. “Really? Well, me and Yanfei went to the same elementary school. It was a surprise when she randomly went up to me.”

Thus after that brief interaction, Xiao joined the three in walking around the campus, seeing everyone set up their booths and doing some last-minute adjustments in décor.

Shinobu was the first one to talk asking “So, you’re featuring in that short film that Raiden made, right? For what it’s worth, I thought you pretty looked cool in the poster.”

He subconsciously smirked a little when she said that “Mm, Venti said I looked nice with the eyeliner.”

Shinobu eyed him for a bit before moving swiftly on. “Anyways, if you’re wondering my booth’s just doing a maid and butler café. Unfortunately for some people, I’m not going to be dressing up since I’m just gonna be stuck cooking.”

“My class’s booth’s a TCG tournament with one of the best players, aka yours truly!” Arataki-senpai posed proudly as he said that. “Oh, and some others like Cyno are there too, I guess.”

Yanfei added to the conversation “Mine’s a haunted house, but Hu already told you as much, right?”

The four walked around the school campus as the festival started and people from all over town started to pour into the school. Thus, Shinobu and Arataki-senpai separated from them leaving Xiao alone with Yanfei.

“So…how’s Hu been doing at home?” Yanfei awkwardly asked in an attempt to break the silence.

“She’s been doing more chores and hasn’t destroyed the house yet, is that what you want to hear?”

She giggled at his response. “I see. She’s also told me you’ve been going outside of the house more and more, but I thought it was because you had a part-time job or something.” Yanfei paused talking for a bit and continued. “She also told me you’ve been trying to impress Venti-senpai?”

“…She told you that?”

“Yes.”

“Please don’t laugh.”

“I’m not.”

The two just sat around talking awkwardly trying to break the silence every few minutes. However, once the time came, Xiao raced to the gymnasium with Yanfei behind, holding her food she got outside. After all, Venti was going to be performing. Yanfei, making fun, said. “You’re whipped, you know that?”

“I have no idea what that means, but I’m not sure if I want to.”

Eventually the two did reach the gymnasium. It was a little crowded but that’s what you come to expect. The opening freshman number was performed by a girl named Barbara Pegg with a solo idol performance. Not really his cup of tea, but it seemed most of the crowd was there for her since they had blue glowsticks prepared waving them at her.

More performances came and went, still with an enthusiastic crowd but definitely not as fired up as Barbara’s performance. One thing’s for sure, he was definitely going to ask his sister or Lumine about her since and if she was okay since he could definitely see some people who must’ve graduated high school for at least a decade cheering for her and his instincts were on the fritz.

Finally, his patience was rewarded when Venti came on the stage with an electric guitar. He was wearing something completely different from this morning: a black one-piece short-and-sleeveless jumpsuit under an oversized aqua and white long-sleeved crop top, with accessories such as a loose bowtie on his neck and a beret that matched his crop top. Xiao made sure to get his phone out and record the entire performance.

“And here we have our closing number, Barbatos Venti! Give it up for him, everyone, ‘cause he’s gonna be our club president next year!”

He should be surprised by this news, but really, he wasn’t. It’s odd, because right before he was going to perform, it was almost like Venti saw him amongst the sea of onlookers and gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

After what was a small breath, Venti started to strum. It was a few seconds of just that when he started to sing.

Affection

Nothing I foresaw

But then you came into my world

Oh, emotions had to claw

The drummer started to do their job once that first part was done, strengthening the buildup of the song.

And thus began my fall

Wasn’t sure of the path ahead

But dear, I know you’d guide me

Now I can’t get you outta my head!

Now, Venti was fully in the rhythm, smiling in front of the crowd without a care in the world with passion in his eyes.

Let the winds carry my notes to your heart

I yearn for the day you grab my hand

And set me apart!

I know I’m not the guy you deserve

But I’ll be the best I can be

And I hope you know how much you mean

Because love, you set me free!

The music calmed its intensity, reverting back to the rhythm at the beginning.

Stagnation

Was what filled my walls

The days, they’d pass me by like leaves in the fall

The beat was starting to pick up again, with rising force as he reached the next verse.

Until you jumped at the chance

The times you and I were alone

Your smile became my desire

‘Cause you made us feel like home!

He once again returned to the chorus this time basically screaming out the lyrics in the heat of the moment, however still keeping the lyrics and music cohesive.

Let the winds carry my notes to your heart

I yearn for the day you grab my hand

And set me apart!

I know I’m not the guy you deserve

But I’ll be the best I can be

And I hope you know how much you mean

Because love, you set me free!

He held that last line to an absurd length, before taking in a breath and a moment, repeating the line with solemn delivery.

Because love, you set me free…

His music was definitely different than the music from a year ago, but Xiao couldn’t help but cheer over the crowd with a grin right after he finished.

Once the crowd dispersed a bit and Xiao said his goodbye to Yanfei, he ran to the spot next to the stage where Venti was talking to some people he assumed were in the club. Venti managed to spot him and waved at him.

“Hey, Xiao!” Venti giggled, putting his hand behind his nape. “Hope I wasn’t too bad onstage, ehe…”

“You were wonderful.” He said firmly.

That earned a few ‘oohs’ from the other club members. Venti looked down a little embarrassed, then looked back up at him. “Xiao, I was gonna ask-”

“Venti!” he was cut off by a familiar voice: Heizou, who was running alongside Kazuha. “Dude, your song was great!”

Kazuha nodded in agreement and placed a hand on Venti’s exposed shoulder. “Your sound was very different from last year, but I can tell you put as much heart into it as before.”

“A-ah, thanks, guys.” Venti laughed before clearing his throat. “Anyways, I am starving. Let me go change and then we can grab lunch.”

“And we’re going to see that short film of yours after we eat, right?” Heizou teased.

“As long as we can see the afternoon showing of your play.”

~                      ~                      ~

The two were outside eating their lunch outside, hearing the rooftop confessions that were happening not too far from them. In fact, they could hear some people confessing to them. Which while it was a little uncomfortable, they would just try and laugh it off as some people around them would ‘ooh’ in their general direction once one of them.

Except for that one time when someone from first year yelled: “VENTI-SENPAI, LET ME BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!” in which he responded by yelling back: “GIRL, DON’T EVEN BOTHER, I’M GAY!” which got a laugh from the other three.

That definitely discouraged any more girls from attempting the same thing.

“Oh, Heizou, that reminds me.” Kazuha took out his phone to search for something. “Have you seen the poster for their short film?”

When he told him he hasn’t, Kazuha showed him the poster. If you were to ask him how he’d describe it, imagine that one Miku and Luka pose that many fandoms love to redraw with their own pairing. Now imagine that but instead of a drawing, it’s with real people, in this case Venti and Xiao in their costumes.

“Oh, wow!” He took a second to breath in the sight and cleared his throat. “You, you guys look pretty good here!”

“Yeah, I guess.” Venti simply shrugged. “Anyways, I need to go use the bathroom. Anyone coming with?”

Heizou stood up and said he needed to go as well, leaving Xiao and Kazuha alone together. Before any silence could form between them, Kazuha smirked and asked. “So, how has everything been?”

“Alright, I suppose. I’ve been getting more sleep so that’s nice.” Xiao shrugged. “Better yet, how has everything been on your part? Don’t you feel a little weird me and Venti are in a short film directed by your ex?”

“No, not exactly.” Kazuha admitted trying to finish the last of his noodles. “To be quite honest, I’ve been feeling more relieved about it since Heizou took that boyfriend burden.”

Xiao, knowing full well how much that burden is probably hurting Heizou, and remembering their weird behavior this morning, asked. “Do you think he’s okay with that?”

Kazuha looked down at his almost empty tray and sighed. “Can I be perfectly honest? No. I can tell he’s not okay with it and don’t want him to go through any of this for my sake since it’s my problem.”

“He really means that much to you?”

He smiled, thoughtful and happy “You can say that.”

“Do you like him?”

Kazuha was taken aback by Xiao’s question, blushing and looking down to avoid embarrassment. Xiao sighed and pursed his lips “I think that answers my question.”

“…Okay, I do like him, but what does it mean to you?” Kazuha uncharacteristically became all defensive. “Why, it’s not like you like him.”

Xiao’s eyes became half-lidded, looking down in shame. “And what if I did?”

“Wait, what?”

“I think, I don’t know, he’s just-” Xiao growled in frustration. “Ever since he visited my house when I was sick, I’ve been feeling all weird around him.”

“Yeah, I can understand.” Kazuha commented with a forced laugh. “He’s always worried about others.”

“And not worrying about himself enough.” Xiao added.

“And he always has that stupid smug smile.”

“When in reality he’s probably going through a lot, so people don’t worry about him.”

Kazuha and Xiao looked at each other, and just started giggling about their grievances with their mutual love. That was until Kazuha abruptly stopped and mentioned. “Just so you know, I’m not giving up on him.”

“You know if I ever do sort out these feelings and I realize I do actually like Heizou, I just want you to know I’m not going to give up either.”

“Rivals?”

“Rivals, I think, I don’t know, it’s still complicated on my part.”

“Rivals.”

“Okay, this isn’t fair, though, you have a head start.” Xiao crossed his arms and leaned back. “Seriously, what was with you two this morning?”

Kazuha’s eyes looked away and pursed his lips. “It’s private.”

Xiao’s eyes widened, immediately assuming the worst “Did you two just-”

“NO!”

~                      ~                      ~

Meanwhile on Venti and Heizou’s part, after they were done doing their business, Venti dragged Heizou into one of the janitor’s closets to talk.

Heizou deciding to be a wise guy about this commented. “Man alive, Venti, first it’s Xiao and Kazuha, now you’re dragging me into this? My, this is quite the twist in the tale.”

Venti just rolled his eyes and huffed. as he locked the janitor’s closet “Please, like I’d ever fall for you.” Venti looked away and crossed his arms, pouting. “I just wanted to ask if my song was any good. And be honest.”

“Wait is that seriously it?” Heizou narrowed his eyes. “You know you could’ve just asked us this at the table.”

“But that song was for them!” Venti covered his face in his hands and squealed. “If I asked them what they thought about it, then they’re gonna ask my inspiration, then they’re gonna ask if it’s for anyone in particular! It’s basically a confession!

“And also, I poured so much emotion into it that thing that I didn’t even bother to get enough outside feedback before doing it onstage…”

Rolling his eyes with a smirk, he answered with a shrug “Well, the song wasn’t that bad, okay? A little cheesy but at least it doesn’t sound like…” Heizou paused for a bit to think of something insulting. “Favonian rock.”

That managed to get a giggle out of Venti. “Favonian rock? Seriously? That’s the worst you can think of?”

“Venti, what do you want me to say?” Was what he relayed while trying to suppress his giggles. “I’m sorry I don’t music, okay?!”

The two just ended up laughing at each other with how stupid the whole situation is, before Heizou calmed down and answered. “Really, even if it wasn’t all that, if someone wrote me a song and was proud enough to perform it onstage, I think that’s romantic enough, no?”

“Well, yeah, but I want the best for them!”

“…You’re a hopeless romantic, you know that?” Heizou rolled his eyes before he remembered something. “Oh yeah, almost forgot, me and Kazuha didn’t fuck last night, just so you know.”

Venti blushed furiously when he said that, crossing his arms pretending that it didn’t affect him when it most certainly did. “Well, no idea why you had to mention that.”

“You gave me the stink eye when you noticed I was wearing his hoodie this morning.”

“No. Idea.” he tried to reiterate.

~                      ~                      ~

They ran to the 2-3 classroom just in time for the noon showing, skipping the line since Lumine put up a rule that actors can not only skip but also bring in a plus one when they’re coming in to watch.

Scaramouche was at the front sitting in front of the ticket table signing multiple people’s notebooks and other keepsakes. While Scaramouche waved a friendly hello to the four, they simply either ignored him or gave him a death stare.

The classroom was dark and cold as you’d expect and they were seated at the second row, not too close but close enough to get a good view.

Once the room reached capacity, they were reminded to turn off any phones and to keep quiet before it started.

=                      =                      =

The film started with an opening narration by Lumine, followed by animations resembling that of storybook illustrations by one of their classmates Sucrose: “In ancient times, Liyue was a land of misery, where the shadow of evil loomed large. As slain gods festered, their vengeful wrath cursed the world, manifesting in infernal forms.

“When demons stirred, miasmas, monsters and mutations infested the land. Then, Rex Lapis summoned the Yakshas to vanquish the demons. They swore an oath: ‘Restore order through slaughter. Purge evil through battle, to this we dedicate our lives.’

“Eons of bloodshed later, karmic debt weighed upon them, phantom wrath seeping into their broken souls. They went mad with fear, turned on each other, or succumbed to the darkness.

“Of the five foremost Yakshas, death came to three while the fourth vanished without a trace. In the millennia since, one Conqueror of Demons remains the sole surviving Yaksha in the mortal realm.”

The illustrations slowly fade to a scene of Xiao’s, or rather his character’s hand grasping onto a rock for support as he struggles to even stand. His attire consisted of a white sleeveless shirt with a black collar and baggy dark purple pants with matching boots. His arms were covered with black gloves with his left arm having a white sleeve that fades into turquoise. But most importantly, he wore a black Nuo mask that his free hand was holding onto.

A black smoke-like gas was surrounding him, slowly but surely enveloping his already injured body. The sounds of struggle that escaped him turned into cries.

‘So this…’ his internal monologue played. ‘This is how I meet my end…’

As the darkness was going to take him, the soothing melody of a flute starts to play. A close side shot of his teary eyes open as the smoke clears. He laid there still as the music wafted through the area until he got the strength to limp towards the sound of the music.

The camera then cuts to a close up shot of Venti, or his character, playing the flute in the moon’s glow. His delicate fingers played the instrument so precisely, but it also felt as if it had been a long time since he last played.

Unlike his co-star, his costumes colors were bright: a white blouse with an outer leather corset and teal shorts with a matching cape held by a brown bow, his legs covered with white stockings and ending with leather shoes. However, something that stood out from his design was a teal beret with a single Cecilia that rested on his head.

The yaksha could only watch in awe as this bard played his tune until the bard eventually ended his performance and jumped off the platform he was on to scurry away.

While the yaksha was content to leave, grateful for the being’s healing, when he turned, he saw the bard behind his back, startling him.

“Hello there, good sir!” He smiled and waved his hand enthusiastically. “Couldn’t help but notice you were watching me from behind these reeds. Mind explaining?”

Alatus blushed, clearly nervous but kept a formal tone. “Excuse me, I am General Alatus. I overheard your music and I couldn’t help but watch. My apologies if I came off the wrong way.”

“General Alatus.” He closed his eyes and nodded repeatedly with his fingers in a thinking pose. “I’ll remember that.” He snapped his fingers and put his arms behind his back, walking past him.

“Well then, general, I’ll be off! But the next time you see me, try to avoid being so mesmerized by my performance that you end up stalking me. Difficult, I know, but keep that in mind.”

And just like that, the bard skipped away into the distance, with Alatus staring at him the entire way. There, he had his internal monologue: ‘Who was this being? Because no one could’ve possibly saved me unless…’

His eyes widened as he looked back at the direction as to where he went, but he was gone.

The scene faded to Alatus returning to his abode, bowing down to the only other person in there, Mona’s character, who was dress in a white sleeveless robe with gold linings and black gloves. “I have returned, Rex Lapis.”

She stood up, walked towards him and sighed, gesturing him to get up. “Welcome home, Alatus. Come, sit with me so I can heal you.”

He did as he was told and was given almond tofu to eat as he’s being patched by Rex Lapis. “How tough was the last fight, Alatus? It must’ve been rough from what I could tell.”

“The battle was fiercely fought.” Alatus breathed a deep sigh as he shoveled the last bit of tofu “In fact, I believe I almost lost myself.”

Her character’s eyes widened as she heard that. “Excuse me? I think I’m owed an explanation as to what you just said.”

As Alatus explained, Rex Lapis listened intently, and once he was done, she asked. “Does this bard by any chance have a beret with a Cecilia?”

His expression told it all and she continued to explain. “I believe that bard is a close acquaintance of mine: the god of wind Carmen. In fact, he recently passed by and had a drink with me when you were on duty.”

Alatus nodded and stood up. “I must be off then.”

“Alatus-”

Before Rex Lapis could finish, he disappeared, teleporting into mist. She couldn’t help but sigh and put her hand on her head. “That boy…”

The scene faded to him waiting by the same spot Carmen sat when he was playing the flute. While he recognizes that the dead gods’ wrath waits for no one, he hasn’t felt anything sinister in the general area. As half a minute passed, he decides to turn back, only to be greeted by Carmen behind him, causing him to become startles and fall back.

The camera switched to presumably Alatus’ point of view with Carmen looming above. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” He giggled gleefully. “I thought I told you not to stalk me?”

Alatus stood back up and dusted himself off. “My apologies. I would just like to thank you for your song the last time we met. So…you have my sincerest gratitude.”

Carmen chuckled like a child at his thanks. “You are adorable, you know that? Well, if this was all you needed me for, I suppose I should be off now. I hope the winds lead us back to each other, General Alatus.”

Before he could walk away however, Alatus grabbed his hand out of impulse. Realizing what he’s done, he pulled back and bowed. “Apologies, Lord Carmen. In truth, you saved me from my karmic debt. Had it not been for you…”

Alatus’ chin was then held by the other’s hand, pulling him close to his face and inspected him. “Ah, I had my suspicions. I presume you’re the Vigilant Yaksha that Rex Lapis had mentioned?” He let go and turned away with his arms behind his back. “I sensed that someone was in great pain, so I used my powers to alleviate it. I wasn’t expecting it to be you.”

“May haps this is fate?”

His deep sigh was plagued with sadness. “Fate, you say? Well as the saying goes, fate is a cruel mistress.” He turned back to him with a solemn smile. “I’m scheduled to go into a deep thousand-year slumber soon and I had just passed by the marsh to bid farewell to my old friend and your lord. So really, I enjoy the company, but I’m afraid it’s best we part before you get too attached.”

Carmen was about to leave when Alatus tugged at his coat. “How long do you assume you’re supposed to go into this slumber?”

The god turned to him, confused but intrigued. “…At best, a month. At worst, a week.”

“And are there any people left who you’d like to say goodbye to?”

“No.”

“How would you like to stay here before you go?” Alatus suggested. “Forgive me, but I’d like to keep thanking you for saving my life and help you get the most out of yours before you have to sleep.”

Carmen chuckled at his request. “Okay, but I’m counting on you to make this work, General! Oh! And when I do sleep, I need you to set me to rest in the Mondstadt borders. Preferably in a nice little dandelion or Cecilia field.”

Thus, it cut to them enjoying food in the place where the previous scene took place. Or rather, Carmen relishing the Liyueren cuisine while Alatus ate a plain dish of dried fish. “Thanks for treating me, General!”

“You’re just lucky my lord’s the god of mora.” Alatus picked off some bone from his meal. “And please, you can call me Alatus.”

“Hm, seems a little informal to call the demon-slaying protector of Liyue by his first name, no?”

“If that’s the case, then shall I call you Lord Carmen?”

His eyes widened and coughed. “Actually, nevermind, Alatus it is, we can just be Alatus and Carmen.”

He then gave some of his share of cured pork hotpot to Alatus in a spare bowl. “In any case, eat up. No offense, but you look like you need it.”

Alatus politely pushed back the meal. “Please, the fish was enough for me.”

Carmen sighed overdramatically. “Alatus, was it not your request that you wanted me to get the most out of my life? Well, right now I want you to eat a little more!”

He was definitely befuddled by the request but accepted a share of his meal. As he ate, the camera zoomed to Carmen’s fond expression.

The narrator spoke once again, with a montage of Alatus and Carmen fighting alongside each other, walking together, eating together, and catching a few glimpses of each other. “And so, the month had passed by before the pair knew it, with the two growing a deep fondness for one another. However, as cruel as time would be, their last night together eventually came.”

The two were back at the spot where they first met, sitting next to each other with hands about to hold.

“And you’re sure that day is today?” Alatus asked.

Carmen nodded, then grabbed Alatus’ hands and looked straight into his eyes. “Alatus, thank you so much for making my last few days wonderful. I truly wish this could last forever…” His head fell and he choked into a sob. “But…”

“I know. But in all honesty, I’m glad I didn’t listen to you when you told me to avoid getting attached.” Alatus raised their hands a little higher. “Because now I look forward for our next meeting.”

Carmen looked up in shock. “What? But that’s hundreds, if not thousands of years-”

“And I’m willing to wait.”

The two stared in silence in the moonlight before Alatus spoke once more. “I love you, Carmen. And I am willing to survive countless of hardships so I can live long enough to see you once more.”

“Alatus…” Carmen held Alatus’ face with one hand, and the camera panned behind Alatus to make it look like they kissed, causing great shock to the audience.

It went on for a while as Carmen slowly slipped out of consciousness. Once he did, he fell onto Alatus’ chest, breathing slowly.

Alatus could do nothing but stare at him for a while, then he carried him bridal style muttering to himself. “A dandelion or Cecilia field within Mondstadt borders, he said…”

And thus the short film ended with Alatus carrying Carmen in the background blurred with the fallen Cecilia from Carmen’s beret in the foreground.

=                      =                      =

The audience clapped as the exited the seats, with the four running out so people wouldn’t realize the two main characters of the film were there.

“So, wait, did you two actually-”

“No.” Venti immediately shut Heizou down. “Our faces were just really close to each other.”

Kazuha nodded then commented on the film. “It’s good, but I wished the story showed more of the couple being together. But it is a short film so what can you do?”

Venti and Xiao nodded knowing that if that went on any longer, they probably would’ve combusted. Venti immediately deflected however, saying. “Anyways, your next show’s coming up soon, right?”

Kazuha and Heizou both looked at each other then at their phones to look at the time. “Oh fu- thanks for telling us that!”

Thus they ran off to the direction of the auditorium where it was supposed to take place. The other two then looked at their phones and saw that their next show was going to be in thirty minutes.

“They must need to clean up after the guests?” Xiao suggested as an explanation. “In any case, we should probably be there early so we can have good seats, but do you want to buy a snack while we watch?”

“Do you like popcorn?”

“I hate it.”

“Sweet potatoes it is then.”

Once they got their food, they went and stayed seated at the audience section, staying at the third row since they were both extremely short but didn’t want to keep looking up the entire performance. Both weren’t excited for the play overall, rather just the performance of their friends.

=                      =                      =

The play shortly started with Aether standing on a platform with many onlookers who were just the class dressed in Inazuman clothing.

“Heed! I have come from Tenshukaku to inform everyone that the Vision Hunt Decree has been abolished! After you sign the paperwork, you are free to take your Vision Statue of the Omnipresent God!”

This made the onlookers murmur amongst themselves. This then led to the series of vignettes, where the subject of which changed from act to act. Some were about how they were finally going to get back to their normal life safely, some were about how the day their Vision was taken had changed them forever and how they couldn’t go back to their regular life even if they wanted to, and some were about how they were indirectly affected.

The crowd dispersed to show Heizou wearing a sleeveless white shirt with a sleeveless black undershirt with detached black sleeves, mustard yellow shorts and a brown haori hanging around his waist. But the most important part was an Anemo Vision prop he had on his lower back.

“The Decree is over now…I suppose that means he can come back…”

A few people wearing black came in with a desk and a chair, with his character sitting on the latter while checking papers on the former, adding a faux wall to simulate a window. He really into the rhythm of it when the tune of a flute distracted him. Then the figures brought in a big tree with Kazuha’s character sitting on its branch, playing the leaf as if it were a wind instrument.

He wore a gray short-sleeved kimono under a half-worn black long-sleeved haori with a black and red scarf, a red hakama, and black sandals with red leggings. What’s more, while you couldn’t see it in the angle he was in at the moment, he had a matching Anemo Vision on his backside.

“I was wondering when you’d show up, Momiji.” he said, not looking up from his paperwork and smirking. “How’s Tomo been doing?”

‘Momiji’ exhaled a little harder than usual. “He says hi. But more importantly, are you going to ask me to help you with another one of your cases yet agaian, Temari?” His eyes closed as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Are you even finished with your pile of reports?”

‘Temari’ rolled his eyes and groaned at the mention of reports. “You try staying cooped up in these walls trying to write down every single tiny detail down lest your supervisor scolds you for not being thorough enough.”

Momiji just giggled as Temari rambled on and on. “Seriously, who does she think she is? Last time I wrote it in the neatest handwriting I could muster, my hands were basically shaking at that point! And what does she say?” He put on a stern voice “’Your report has numerous details you’ve omitted from the various statements. Redo it.’ Well, I’m sorry for keeping it concise!”

Momiji simply laid down a little more comfortably and sighed dreamily. “I suppose I can go with you for another case. As long as it means I’m rewarded with a quick rendezvous at your house?”

Temari turned from his chair and just eyed him. “So you just want to sleep with me, got it. Well, the company’s nice and you’re good help, so sure.”

“Help in the case or…”

“Momiji!”

The samurai playfully laughed, jumped down from the tree and peeked in the faux window. “So, what exciting new case does the great Cyclone have?”

Temari rolled his eyes but took a folder from the pile and read from it on his way to show it to his partner. “This one. Inaba Shizuko is trying to find her husband Inaba Tousaburou Kyuuzou, a shogunate samurai.”

“His last whereabouts?”

“Sent on a mission to infiltrate Watatsumi Island but the ship he was in was left unaccounted for.”

Momiji nodded and took a peek at the folder “And how do we know he hasn’t died in a shipwreck?”

“Two things: one, just because a ship was left unaccounted for doesn’t mean it got into a shipwreck. Two, my intuition tells me he’s still out there.”

Momiji looked at him with a strange look on his face. “So, what you mean to tell me is, what we have here is evidence that is circumstantial at best and your gut?”

Temari looked up a little and shrugged. “Essentially, yes.”

His partner paused for a moment, before he himself shrugged and said: “Sounds like my kind of case. Do we start at Watatsumi? What is it, half a day’s worth of travel?”

Temari sighed heavily. “Alright, I’ll pay for your food and travel expenses as well.”

“I never as-”

“C’mon, Momiji! Time’s a wastin’!”

Temari then grabbed Momiji’s hand and simulated what they should do to get to Watatsumi: a walk, a ferry, and some more walking.

They ‘landed’ in one of the islands when Momiji mentioned something. “I feel as though something tragic happened here recently.”

Once they did step on ‘land’ Temari asked. “And where does the wind tell you this time?”

He paused, looking around for a while until he pointed. “There.”

They fake-walked a little more as a shipwreck set was pulling in, with three people dressed as Nobushi surrounding a shogunate samurai.

On their guard, Temari shouted. “Hello there, kind gents! Been wondering if you’ve seen a-“

He was immediately cut off by one of them swinging a sword at Temari, which he easily dodged by moving to the side as Momiji ‘stabs’ him on the leg once he’s prone on the ground.

“Guess they aren’t fans of talking?” Momiji mutters as one tries to strike him while he’s trying to get his sword out, only to easily block and overpower him.

“Guess not.” Temari once again moved to the side as the last one tries to strike him while he looked distracted, then tripped the assailant, hit him over the head to get him unconscious and pushed him to the ground and put handcuffs on him. “Momiji, that stab wound wasn’t fatal, yes?”

“Yes, and my blade was washed so don’t worry too much about infection.” He continued as he was still in the middle of a fight with the second Nobushi. In the end, he disarmed him and kicked him in the groin, before Temari knocked him out cold as well.

“Sheesh.” Temari exhaled as he tried to get them all together in one spot, then remembered someone else was there with them. “Sorry if these were your friends or something, sir! But given your state that’s highly unlikely.”

The shogunate samurai, who they can now see is played by someone they didn’t really recognize, instead of thanking them, huffed. “How humiliating…”

Temari looked at him with suspicion, then, after asking Momiji to tie them up so they can be brought in for investigation, asked. “Sir, I’d like to ask…do you know anyone by the name of Inaba Tousaburou Kyuuzou?”

His head perked in surprise. “…That’s my name…”

“Huh…” Temari was now full detective-mode, crossing his arms and eyeing him. “If I may ask, why hasn’t your ship been accounted for? And who were they?”

Inaba grunted and looked down. “Pirates. I was sent here to patrol the area and so I’ve been living in this abandoned shipwreck like a hermit.”

A lie, or at least a half-lie, the two thought. “Well, are you injured in any way? Do you need help?”

Inaba turned away before admitting “If you can, there are pirate camps around the beach that I need cleared. And I have run out of medicinal herbs…”

“Alright, I have some medicine, so I’ll stay here and help him heal.” Temari went over to Inaba then looked at Momiji “Are you okay with handling the camps on your own or are you going to stay with me first?”

“I’m more than capable, so don’t worry.”

Thus, Momiji went offstage and Inaba asked, with justified concern. “Are you really just going to let your friend die like that?”

He laughed as he dressed his wound. “First of all, he’s my partner. Second of all, I have all fate in him.”

And just like that, once Temari was done dressing his wound, Momiji came back. “Done!”

While Inaba was amazed, Temari simply smiled. “That’s my Momiji!” He turned back to Inaba with a serious expression. “Now, back to the matter at hand, your wife put in a missing person’s report on you. So, if-”

“No.”

“…I’m sorry?”

“If you’re asking me to go with you, the answer is no. The Tenryou Commission is calling for the execution of deserters, after all.” Inaba tried to shift into a more comfortable position. “Until we have peace, there's no point deceiving myself. My memories assert that I am still that same wounded, bloodstained soldier.”

The two stared at him as he continued. “I had never doubted the decisions of Her Excellency, so I think that even if I died, I would die with no regrets, right?”

They couldn’t find any words on what to say to that, until Momiji spoke up. “Is there any chance you can at least give a letter to your wife? So she can have some closure?”

Inaba looked down solemnly then nodded, using some paper and a spare brush to write something for his wife.

Unbeknownst to them, the note was meant to be his last words.

Inaba asked for them to read the letter and the two were shocked by the contents.

Once they returned and found out about this fact, they felt sick. “Why must we go through so much war?” Momiji asked as he leaned against Temari with their backs turned behind the audience as they sit in a faux bar.

“…That’s just what our Shogun-”

“Is that all there is to it? Just because some higher power wants us to fight means that we slaughter our brethren at the other side?”

“…Momiji…”

The scene ended and the curtain fell, with Temari entering a space with someone dressed in Inazuman general attire for the time this was supposed to take place sitting behind a desk sorting through paperwork.

“Ah, Madam, you called me in?” Temari called out, taking a seat in front of the desk without any warning.

“Yes, I need you to deal with this case.” The general answered, giving him a few sheets of paper.

Temari shrugged, took a look at the paper and was shocked. “Momiji Haruto.”

“Mm, he has a vision and took the vision of a dead man.” The general added.

“…Understood.”

The scene then transformed into a much more somber sight. The lighting turned dark blue, symbolizing a thunderstorm.

At the stage, Momiji was clutching something (presumably a vision) while kneeling on the ground and Temari was trying to reach out.

“Momiji, please-”

“Temari, if you step one step closer I won’t hesitate to-”

“If you want me to let you go, I’ll do it!”

Momiji stood and turned, before running up to him and putting him in an embrace as he choked out a sob. “I don’t want my Vision to be inlaid upon that cold statue…”

“It won’t, it won’t…” Temari hugged him back tighter. They stayed like that for a while when Temari pulled away. “I’m going to bandage you. And after you’ve healed enough: run. Run as far away from here as you can and don’t stop until you think you’re safe.”

“Temari…”

And scene.

=                      =                      =

After the play, everyone got to meet the cast in their costume which Venti and Xiao took advantage of to congratulate their friends.

“Cool performance, you two!” Venti hugged both of them.

“Likewise.” Xiao continued, feeling slightly jealous. He was just glad they didn’t follow the original where Momiji and Temari kiss at the end of their act.

Chapter Text

Unsurprisingly, Venti and Xiao’s class won most popular booth. Who knew having a famous celebrity back them up would help so much?

Now, while Xiao didn’t want to go to the celebration party the day after because he felt extremely tired, Venti didn’t want to go for two reasons. First: it was held by Scaramouche. Second: he already had plans to meet with Diluc and his friends that same day.

He was the odd one out since he was the only second-year while the rest of them were third years. They had that planned out since their old upperclassmen Lisa was back in town for the festival and was going to be staying for a while longer.

The place was being held at the Ragvindr mansion. He once asked Diluc why he worked part-time when he was clearly well off and he told him “My father told me that if I was going to inherit his business, I had to experience customer service firsthand. Which is fair.”

He got to the mansion a little early, being greeted by their head maid Adelinde and was showed to the room where they would be staying. There, Jean, Kaeya and Dliuc were already chatting with unknown drinks in their hand.

“Ah, Venti.” Diluc noticed him, offering him a seat and handed him a drink. “It’s grape juice, don’t get too excited.”

“Boo.” Venti took the drink from his hands and sat down next to him. “Seriously your dad owns a winery and you’re not gonna ask him for some of that?”

“See, now that’s what I’ve been saying!” Kaeya shoved Diluc a tad to prove a point.

Jean raised her hand. “Sorry, I asked Diluc not to bring any alcohol since I didn’t want everyone to stumble their way back.”

Before long, the rest of the invitees came: Albedo, the current president of the chemistry club; Eula, the tennis captain; and Lisa, an alumnus who’s currently studying chemistry in the Akademiya Main Branch.

As everyone excitedly greeted Lisa back, they all sat down and she wanted to know what everyone’s deal was. “So, Albedo, you broke things off with Cyno before the beginning of the school year, he said?”

Albedo nodded. “It was a mutual breakup. He’s seeing Tighnari now and I’m quite happy for him.”

Kaeya chimed in. “Oh yeah, Albedo’s seeing one of his juniors now. Good girl too, top two or three in your year, Venti?”

Girl… From the top of his head that meant it was either Shinobu or his classmate Ampulla Sucrose. Simple process of elimination meant that it had to be the latter since the former wasn’t interested in anyone. “You mean Ampulla?”

Albedo’s cheeks went a light shade of pink at the mention of her. “We’re not dating, I just spend time with her every now and again.” He raised his head a little and turned to Eula. “And besides even if I was, I wouldn’t be the only one seeing an underclassman.”

Eula went a deep red. “Wh-what do you mean?”

Kaeya once again stepped in. “Are you talking about that brunette with the bunny ear things?” He made a bunny ear gesture with his two pointer fingers when he asked that.

Eula realized what he meant. “Amber? N-no…”

“Oh, I remember her! She was one of the first-year class presidents!” Lisa stated. “She’s a nice girl, glad you found her, Eula.”

“Can we please take the heat off of me?” Eula looked at Diluc and crossed her arms. “How about you, Diluc? How’s your love life been?”

Diluc groaned and took a huge swig of his grape juice. “Spare me. I’m not doing relationships anymore.”

Jean giggled and raised her eyebrow. “You break up with me and Thoma and now you’re just giving up on love altogether?”

“As cheesy as it sounds, all the love I need is the love from my friends and family.” Diluc took the pitcher to pour him another one. “Besides, romance is too complicated. Seriously, you mean to tell me I have to not only care for myself but for my second half?” He put air quotations at the ‘second half’ part. “No thank you, I can barely care for myself.”

He then smirked and pointed at Venti. “But if you want relationship drama, ask this guy.”

The others turned to him with intrigue. “Pray tell, what does Diluc mean by that?”

Venti was seriously considering homicide. “Oh, nothing, it’s just…”

“Just?” Jean chimed in, really curious now.

“…There’s actually two-”

Their gathering erupted in shouts. “You’re seeing two people at the same time?” Kaeya asked. “Didn’t think you had it in you!”

Venti raised his hands and clarified. “I just like two people, nothing’s happened yet!”

“I need faces, Venti!” Lisa shook him, causing him to take his phone out and find a picture of them, opting yet again for the picture they took at that summer festival, and pointed at their faces and their names.

Albedo asked once he saw the picture “Hold on, who’s this other person, then?”

“Ah, that’s Heizou.”

His eyes widened at the mention of the name. “Shikanoin Heizou? Wasn’t he the person who got a five hundred on the last test?”

Kaeya shook him a little. “And he’s not on your radar?”

Venti rolled his eyes. “He’s a good friend but he’s a little annoying so…”

“So, what made you like these Kazuha and Xiao characters in the first place?” Lisa asked, now fully invested.

Venti paused for a bit, wanting to really try and find the words. “Well…I won’t say too much but Kazuha helped me when I was trying to get used to life in Teyvat City. He’s really sweet and he has a way with words, he even has his own poetry book! He’s also a part of the kendo club and let me tell you it shows.

“Xiao meanwhile just came into my life all of the sudden since we became seatmates and I thought he was a bit prickly when we first met. But then we became closer, and I found out so many things about him, like how he’s part of the Disciplinary Committee, he takes care of his three sisters, he said he watched my first performance and loved it. And he’s just so… I don’t know.”

The group went into silence for a bit until Kaeya spoke up. “Team Kazuven.”

“What?!” Lisa yelled. “I’m sorry, so you’re sticking with Kazuha? No, no, no, Team Xiaoven.”

“Fuck that noise, Kazuha was first!”

“But Venti could barely find the words when he talked about Xiao!”

The two of them looked over at the others to look for support, with Albedo speaking up. “I’m actually in the secret third team: Team Heiven.”

Eula was stammering on what she wanted to say, while Jean was saying. “Well, I’m personally in Team Let-Venti-Make-His-Own-Love-Life-Decisions.”

“Thank you, Jean!” Venti slumped back a little.

Their banter went on a little longer until they were told lunch was ready. And by lunch, it was actually a feast.  Diluc did tell them not to eat so much for breakfast.

After they ate, they went to the theater room to binge watch bad romantic comedy movie trilogy so they can all laugh at how stupid and terrible the characters are. Overall, fun time, he really wanted to do more of these.

Eventually however, they all had to leave. Lisa’s flight was going to be tomorrow, so she left early to get some extra rest. Jean, Albedo and Eula soon followed suit, with Venti staying behind to help at least concentrate the mess they made into one part of the room so the maids can clean up easier.

“Thanks again, for inviting me, Diluc!” He said while he was being seen off. “But uh, did you really have to put my crush life on blast like that?”

Diluc simply shrugged. “I never told you to air out your laundry. But hey, at least you have some more people to gush about it.”

Venti smirked and punched him in the shoulder playfully. “You’re the worst, you know that?”

“Same here.” Diluc smiled back and patted his back, seeing him off.

Chapter Text

Kazuha was practicing kendo after class and was currently struggling against Ayaka. He admitted, he hasn’t been practicing as much as he used to. But he was also going through some things that made his mind wander away from his current position.

Once their club practice was over, Ayaka and Kamisato-senpai approached him with a concerned look. “Is everything okay, Kaedehara?” Kamisato-senpai asked.

He cleared his throat, getting his change of clothes and avoided eye contact. “Yes, it is, now if you could please-”

Kamisato-senpai’s foot closed the door and he stood in front of it. “Honestly, if you’re going to lie, at least look at us.”

Ayaka continued. “We’re just concerned, Kazuha. I know this sounds rude, but your skill has been declining since school started after summer break.”

“We know you’re better than this, Kaedehara.” Kamisato-senpai put his hand on his shoulder and kneeled down a little. “If something’s bothering you-”

“It’s all personal.” Kazuha blurted. “Forgive me, but I’m not comfortable sharing that information at the moment. But I’ll admit that I’ve been lagging behind so if there’s any way for me to make up for this, I’m willing to listen.”

Kamisato-senpai nodded and stood up. “I’m not going to make you do anything this since this is just an after-school activity. We really are just concerned for your well-being, but we also understand if you’re not comfortable sharing why.”

Ayaka added. “If you ever do feel the need to talk, our doors are open.”

Kazuha, sighing and knowing that this was a ploy to make him feel bad so he would open up, just said he’ll keep that in mind and asked to leave.

“Alright.” Kamisato-senpai let him go. He seemed a little disappointed.

He quickly ran and changed into his school uniform. He knew the others weren’t going to be waiting for him as he had a feeling that something would happen during kendo, and he was guilty that he hadn’t helped as much as he’d like during the culture festival. Sure, they owed him a favor from earlier in the year, but it still felt wrong.

He was about to just leave on his own when on his way to change his shoes he was accosted by two people.

“Hey, Kaz!” Gorou greeted out of nowhere, startling him. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Ah, you mean-” Kazuha was still shaken by the surprise and coughed to clear his throat. “Uh, I told them to go ahead. I had a feeling I was going to stay late.”

“Mm, mm.” Kokomi then offered. “If you’re free, are you willing to go with us for a drink? We’ll be sure to finish before dark.”

Kazuha squinted at them, confused. “Won’t I be third wheeling?”

Gorou chuckled and patted him on the back. “Nah, we’ll be sure to keep the romance to a T.”

He paused for a moment to think about his answer “You know what? Sure. Just let me text my mom first to let her know.”

Kazuha quickly fished out his phone and texted a ‘will be home late, with Kokomi and Gorou’ to his mom and went with them.

On their walk to this café that Kokomi went to with Kujou-senpai, they were all talking about normal teenage things like what happened at class that day, a show that was advertised to them, some weird advertising that the algorithm showed, nothing out of the ordinary.

Once they did get there, it looked like any regular old café that looked like it was decorated with an aquatic theme. The two boys didn’t know what to order for drinks so they had to trust Kokomi with that.

“Oh, can you order me a strawberry cake?” Gorou added before Kokomi went.

“I was already going to do that, dear.” She gave him a warm smile before lining up to order.

As they sat down, Kazuha could see Gorou pink with his tail wagging and looking at Kokomi for a while. That was until he snapped out of it and apologized. “Ah, sorry, I promised I wouldn’t go all lovey-dovey for her.”

Kazuha just shrugged and told him “I don’t mind that much; she is your girlfriend after all.”

“Thanks for understanding, Kazuha. But I’ll at least try not to be a total simp.”

That managed to get a chuckle out of Kazuha. “Well, let’s change the topic. How’s your blog been doing?”

That managed to light Gorou up. “Oh my archons, I thought you’d never ask! My advice blog’s been busier than ever, I had to hire someone to sort through the messages sent to me, But rest assured, it’s all still bona fide Hina advice.”

Kazuha was proud of him. Hina was a passion project Gorou had back in second year middle school since he wanted to help people in school but there were mentions of the age range getting bigger soon. How it worked was that every Monday through Friday, Gorou would receive anonymous messages for advice, then he’d type up all the answers on Saturday, and finally he’d post the answers on his blog.

Eventually Kokomi came back with their drinks: a strawberry milkshake for her, a large iced vanilla coffee and a strawberry cake for Gorou, and a chocolate shake with maple syrup drizzled on top of cream for Kazuha.

“There’s no caffeine in yours, Kazuha, don’t worry.” Kokomi reassured then looked at Gorou “But yours does.”

“Thanks, Mimi.” He took out his straw to puncture the hole on the coffee lid and took a big sip.

“Aren’t you intolerant?” Kazuha reminded.

“I’m not giving up caffeine, Kazuha.” Gorou replied bluntly. “What happens to my guts is future Gorou’s problem.”

Kokomi took a seat and turned back to Kazuha with a serious look. “So, how are you doing?”

Kazuha had a feeling they would come to that topic considering they just went up to him out of nowhere. Unlike with the siblings however, he was much more open to being vulnerable in front of them.

“If I’m being honest, not great.” Kazuha huffed. “In fact, I’m actually scared.

“First the breakup, next my first friend and guy-crush moves back into my life, then my ex seems like he wants to get back together with me, then this friend scares him off by pretending to by my boyfriend, then another friend says he also likes the first friend, it’s a whole mess.”

Kokomi nodded thoughtfully before asking “And this ‘first friend’ I assume is Shikanoin?”

Kazuha paused, then nodded as a mind’s lightbulb lit in Gorou before speaking up. “Wait, the guy you talked about back in middle school who ‘saved’ you back in grade school was Shikanoin?”

“Yes. It’s honestly cosmic coincidence that we got reunited.”

Gorou followed up. “Kazuha, I just need to get something straight. Do you like Shikanoin? Or do you like the familiarity that comes with Shikanoin?”

That question hit Kazuha like a truck, and it was like time froze when Gorou asked him that. Looking back, when was the time he stopped loving Heizou at first? He knew he still loved him a few months after he moved, hell he was devastated when he did. But then he started to like Tomoharu and that lasted until a little after he died.

And then after that he had that relationship with Scaramouche.

He’ll admit it first, that relationship started because he was missing Tomoharu and Scaramouche just so happened to confess, but he eventually started to like him for him. But then after he got kicked to the curb, he felt hollow yet again.

So when Heizou came back, everything just felt…simpler. He felt like he was a little kid with his best friend again, free from all the trauma he has now. In a way he felt like he just fell for the fact that he was back rather than for him this time.

But before he could draw his conclusion, he thought of what made him love Heizou now.

~                      ~                      ~

“My parents used to hit me.”

Kazuha and Heizou were sitting on Kazuha’s bed, with Kazuha wrapping his hand around Heizou’s back to console him.

“They didn’t do it as much going into high school since they realized the marks would’ve tipped people off.” He explained. “They still did, since the marks would’ve mixed with the ones I got during club.”

Heizou didn’t realize what he was doing, but his head found its way on Kazuha’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for hiding it from you.”

Kazuha held him closer when he said that. “Don’t be. What happened to you was horrible, they don’t deserve you.”

“Heh, you sound like Nana before she took me in; argued with them for so long for me.” Heizou was still smiling, betraying the glassy look in his eyes. “Well, I guess I should tell you about why I cried tonight.”

“Wait, that wasn’t the reason?”

“Nope.” Heizou popped that last syllable. “I killed my friend.”

Before Kazuha could even process what he said, Heizou continued. “I had a friend back in Narukami, basically the one friend I had since he was my seatmate. By then, all that was going through my mind were school and extracurriculars. He was the guy who kept telling me to live a little.

“Then some people started to lose things like their phones and laptops and shit during the culture festival prep, so I, being the nosey bitch I am, investigated the matter. And it led me to that friend. So obviously I was pissed and I must’ve said something terrible, because next thing I remember was me reporting him.”

Kazuha, confused, turned to him with a sincere look. “I still don’t know how this equates to you killing your friend.”

“Well, he got expelled. And… on the day… on the day of… the culture festival…we f-found him…”

Kazuha immediately knew what he was talking about. “Oh my archons, Heizou, I didn’t know, I shouldn’t have asked, I-”

“I didn’t want you to know because I didn’t want anything to change between us.” Heizou cut him off, sobbing, but still smiling. “I thought when I moved back here and met you again, things could go back the way they were. But now, whenever I get stressed, I see him in my sleep, and-”

This time, Kazuha was the one who cut him off. Not with words, but with a hug.

Overwhelmed by all this emotion, Heizou broke, sobbing into Kazuha’s shoulder and hugging him back tightly.

Heizou… Kazuha thought, All this time, you were dealing with this guilt…

“I’m so sorry about this, about everything.” Heizou said in between loud sobs. “I just didn’t want to lose you if you knew.”

“You’re not going to lose me, Zou.” Kazuha reassured him, patting his back as he cried. “I…”

This would’ve been a time to confess if he didn’t know it was messed up to confess in the middle of someone’s mental breakdown.

“I’m always going to be your friend.”

“…Really?”

“Really.”

Heizou still kept on crying, and Kazuha gave him a handkerchief in his drawer to dry his eyes, leaving the room to get him some cold water, hoping to get there in a short span of time. When he went upstairs however, he saw Heizou, sleeping on his bed.

Must’ve tired himself out.

On one hand, he wanted to be respectful and not disturb him by moving him. On the other hand, he didn’t want to leave him alone in his room in case he has another bad dream.

Kazuha almost considered just sleeping on the floor, but Heizou would probably yell at him in the morning, so there was one option left in his sleep deprived brain.

He grabbed a few pillows from the guest room Heizou was in and used them as some sort of wall in between him and Heizou. Before he started however, he took a good look at Heizou’s sleeping face.

His eyebrows looked as if they were furrowed, before barely visible bags under his eyes became more prominent, and his mouth was slightly open. Even in his sleep, he looked like he was in mild distress.

He shooed bad thoughts out of his head about cuddling him, and slept on the other side of his bed, separated with that pillow wall.

Somehow, this still felt lewd to him.

~                      ~                      ~

There was the way he laughed at his jokes despite the fact he’s probably heard them before, the awe in his eyes when he sees something that interests him, the bags that would form under his eyes whenever a test was happening that day to show how hard at work he was, the serious look he’d have when debating someone or answering a difficult question, the times he goes out of his way to make sure he was okay, and the way he’d hold his hand in a firm yet soft grip whenever he needs to bring him somewhere or show him something.

But most importantly, he loved that no matter what happened to him, he was the same caring person he grew up with.

These were all details he never noticed when he was a kid but appreciated tenfold now that he was older. But then again, would he even notice these things if he didn’t fall for the familiarity first?

Kazuha had his answer “You could say both.”

Gorou sighed and took a sip of his coffee. “Whatever you say, Kazuha. I just asked that since I don’t want you or Shikanoin to get hurt. Sorry if I complicated things for you.”

“Not at all. In fact, I’m glad you brought this to my attention. In a way, I was considering that as a reason why I hadn’t pursued him as a partner without realizing it.”

“Other than the fact you don’t want to rebound?” Kokomi teased.

Kazuha rolled his eyes with an amused smile “Yes, that too, Kokomi.” He turned back to Gorou. “I thank you again for your infinite wisdom, Hina-sama.”

“Yeah, never call me that again.” Gorou threatened.

The heavy atmosphere lightened as they talked about the book series Kokomi’s reading. Well, not exactly a book series, it’s an independent manga collection adapted from a book written by a famous indie writer Zhenyu and illustrated by Calx.

Feeling like it was going to get dark in an hour or so, Kazuha texted their driver to pick him up and it came in no time. He said his goodbyes to Kokomi and Gorou and was off.

He supposed it was nice to talk to others outside of their group every now and again.

~                      ~                      ~

“You should visit his grave next time you visit Narukami.”

They were having breakfast by themselves, with Tama brushing against their feet every now and then. Kazuha continued with his suggestion after shoving and swallowing some rice. “It wasn’t your fault, but you still owe it to yourself to visit him whenever you can. It’ll make you feel better.”

“And how do you know that?”

Kazuha solemnly smiled. “Tomoharu. Reminds me, we should visit him together some time.”

Chapter Text

“Hey, Kazuha!” Aether yelled. “Can I ask you to do something?”

He looked up from his book to see him, holding out a piece of paper. “I found this myth online and I want to test it out. They say that if you write your birthday wishes two weeks before your birthday and leave it on your desk, there’s a chance you’ll get them!”

Kazuha just stared at him. “Aether, do you seriously believe that myth is true?”

“Nope! But it’s fun!” Aether shoved the piece of paper in front of him. “Now come on! Make sure you think long and hard on the wishes! Oh, and make sure they’re tangible!”

Being given no other choice, he wrote down some things he knew he wanted on the paper, folded it, then put it in the space under his desk. He promptly forgot about it by the time he had to go to kendo.

Once they were confident he was far enough, Heizou, Xiao, Venti and Aether went into the room and took the paper out of his desk to see what was in it.

“Thanks again for helping us, Aether!” Venti patted him in the back. He had told the other two that he wanted to do a surprise party for Kazuha and they knew just the birthday planner.

“No problem.” He waved it off and read the paper out loud “So let’s see, he wants: a high-quality framed photo/drawing of me and my close friends, so I assume you guys, a new book series and…” Aether squinted a little at the list. “’Chihayaburu’ by Akahito.”

How convenient, three gifts from his three friends in the group. Xiao was the first to offer to find one of the presents “I’ll go see if my father knows anything about a good book collection he doesn’t have, but I don’t even know about what books he does have.”

“Alright, then I’ll deal with the drawing.” Heizou said. “I think Mahamatra-senpai mentioned someone in his class was doing commissions, so let’s hope they’re good.”

That left Venti with finding the Chihayaburu book. He was alright with it; he figured if it was mentioned by name, it must be really important.

“I’ll just get him a new card deck.” Aether shrugged. “I’ll go invite everyone else Kazuha’s friends with so…” He paused for a bit trying to remember everyone, counting everyone on his fingers. “My sister, Gorou, Kokomi, Ayaka, Yoimiya, Ayato-senpai…I think Thoma-senpai, not too sure about him.

“Sure.” Venti was happy enough with the people he listed. “I’ll text you the location later. Thanks again!”

Thus, the three of them left the paper back where they placed it and met up with Kazuha as if nothing happened. Once they all got home (except for Venti who had work), they started to do their work into finding what he wanted.

First, Xiao wanted to wait for his father to come back home so he could ask for any recommendations and if he had any to give. He was greeted by Qiqi and Guizhong once he went in, with the latter asking how his day was, if something happened, if he needed anything, etc. When he said he did need some book series recommendations for a friend but wanted to wait for his father, Guizhong sprang up.

“Oh! If that’s the case, then I have some old collections!” Before Xiao could object, she grabbed him and pulled him to their home library. Once inside, it only took a second for Xiao to notice something off.

“When was that shelf here?” Xiao pointed at a shelf at the corner.

“Well, when I brought my things over to move in, I brought all my books here.” Guizhong explained. “Zhongli didn’t want me to throw any of them out, so he bought a new shelf.”

Yup, sounds like his father. “Guizhong, I’m glad you want to help, but-”

“Oh, right, sorry!” She bowed a little. “Zhongli told me you get overwhelmed easy with people, but I’m also still working on the whole ‘being a supportive mom’ thing, so please forgive me!”

Wanting to be polite, he just nodded and went to his room to change. He was surprised when he saw the laundry pile was gone when he could’ve sworn it was overflowing in the morning. Xiao had to keep reminding himself that since Guizhong was a freelancer, she generally had a lot more free time compared to his father and thus helped a lot around the house.

It was definitely a change Xiao wasn’t used to, coming from having to do most if not all the chores to having to split a few of them with his siblings. It was a change for the better, yes, but he still felt odd about it.

Once he was out of the room, he decided to do some work for dinner later by cooking rice. He washed his hands and took out a few cups of rice from the pantry, placed it in the inner pot, and was about to wash it when he heard someone behind him.

“Xiao, are you cooking?” Qiqi asked. “Can I help?”

Xiao turned and decided that he couldn’t say no to her face, answering. “Can you wash the rice, please? Make sure to wash it twice.”

Qiqi nodded and he continued to cook. He decided they could have fried rice with veggies and pork for sides, making sure to double the greens and remove the pork for Ganyu’s serving. The rice wasn’t going to take long to cook, but he was confident that by the time his other siblings were home, he should’ve finished.

“Ah, are you two cooking already?” Guizhong asked. “Is there any chance I can help?”

Xiao really wanted to say no since this would’ve halved the time but didn’t want to refuse her since he wanted to be nice. “Mm, can you fry the vegetables? Oh, and please use the canola oil. I heard the last time you tried to cook for us you used butter.”

“Sure, but can I ask why you have regular dairy if Ganyu’s vegan?”

“Oh, because Hu Tao and father would rather die than eat dairy and egg substitutes regularly.”

That somehow managed to get a giggle out of Guizhong. “I see, I see.”

It wasn’t long until Qiqi was done washing the rice and filling it enough water where the rice wouldn’t burn or become soggy. They didn’t want to risk her getting oil burns so they sent her off to go watch something on the television as a treat for helping them.

“I forgot to mention, what’s the name of that friend who visited you when you were sick?”

Xiao pursed his lips, desperate not to make any noticeable reaction. “Shikanoin Heizou. We’re in different classes but we’re both in the Disciplinary Committee.”

“Mm, Zhongli mentioned he was happy you started making friends this year.” She awkwardly giggled before continuing “But he was a tad bit disappointed one of those friends was one of the part-timers in work.”

He looked away slightly, hoping she didn’t notice. “Right, that’s Venti. He’s my seatmate.”

“Got it, got it.” He didn’t know why, but Xiao felt a hint of suspicion in her voice. “Well, hope you get some more friends, then! Zhongli’s never going to admit it because he’s a coward, but he’s proud.”

They were finished cooking after a bit more small talk, just in time for Hu Tao to come in. “Heyo! Is that stir fry I smell?”

“Of course!” Guizhong yelled. “Go change and wash up before you eat!”

Guizhong then disappeared into her and Zhongli’s room, excusing herself because she ‘remembered something’. Xiao didn’t mind, so he set up the table and called over his sisters so they could eat.

He was about to be seated when he heard “Xiao!” come from the master bedroom. He thought nothing of it, so he went there and found Guizhong with a smile on her face and a small pile of books in hand.

“I found a series your friend might like!” she exclaimed. “It’s about a pizzeria haunted by the ghosts of kids.”

“Ah, seems like an… interesting premise.”

“By the way, is this friend Heizou or Venti?”

Xiao could definitely tell now that Guizhong was onto him. “Neither; it’s for my friend Kazuha.”

But now that he said it out loud, have they celebrated Venti’s birthday? He shrugged it off and put a pin on that thought for now.

“Ah, alright.” Guizhong smirked and saw him out.

Chapter Text

Ampulla Sucrose was just minding her own business at lunch, rereading her textbooks for the umpteenth time. This was her normal routine, never talking to anyone unless approached and keeping the conversation brief. She liked it that way.

But she had the feeling of being watched.

Specifically, there were a few people who kept visiting her classroom to eat with their friends. She never paid it much mind, but today she could feel a glare, slowly piercing the back of her head. This would’ve made anyone uncomfortable, but it made her even more uncomfortable due to her social anxiety.

She figured she had enough and cleaned up her table and brought herself and her books to the library. She got to the library room without any incident and relaxed herself with the air conditioning and soft background music.

At least at first, but then she felt that presence again.

She turned around and found only one guy, reading a book. Was he stalking me? Sucrose thought.

Every now and again she’d sneak a glance at him: maroon hair, black streak, green eyes, and a mole under each. So, as a last-ditch effort, she went outside and tried to go to the girl’s bathroom.

At least that was the plan until she bumped into a familiar face.

“Sucrose.” Her upperclassman Albedo called.

“A-ah! Senpai!” Sucrose waved awkwardly. “What do you need?”

“I’m very sorry I’m asking, but someone in your year asked if they could commission me.” He explained, rubbing the back of his head. “I would’ve said yes, but I have study for entrance exams and finish up the drafts for the next Legend of the Shattered Halberd issue so Zhenyu can look it over before I ink it, so I am extremely busy.”

“And what does this have to do with me?”

“Well, I referred to you as someone they can approach for that request.”

Sucrose froze up. “U-um, I don’t think my art can compare to yours, sir…”

“Nonsense, your art is amazing in its own way.” her senior gave her a smile, urging her to accept. “Besides, this could be a good way to start talking to more people.”

“A-ah, r-right.” Sucrose gulped. “So, who am I supposed to, uh, y’know…”

“His name’s Shikanoin Heizou. Heard of him?”

Ah, she remembered that name. Who knew not one but two people could get those kinds of grades? He must be a very well-adjusted individual if he got the top score, right?

~                      ~                      ~

It was the person who was watching her the entire time she was at the library. Wonderful.

Albedo asked her to show up at the nearby McDonald’s to meet him, saying to look out for a guy with maroon hair and twin moles under his eyes. She was already on edge, so she asked her friend Amber to come with her to this meeting.

Once they reached the McDonald’s, Shikanoin was already seated nearby the entrance. Good for them if that meant having to make a quick exit.

When the two girls sat, the first thing Shikanoin said was: “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Ampulla, I just didn’t know how to approach you.”

“U-um, well, as long as you don’t do it a-again.” Sucrose obviously couldn’t get over his unsettling presence right away, so she tried to get straight to the point. “S-so, about your commission…”

“Ah, that!” Shikanoin clapped his hands once and rested his cheek on his hand. “Glad you asked straight away! I need a digital drawing of four people in this pose. Preferably in the art style you used in that animation for that short film?”

Sucrose was handed a crude base drawing Heizou fished out of his pocket. The pose was easy enough since it was stationary and a full body landscape but…

“Sorry, but this angle looks too bland.” Sucrose said bluntly, but quickly realized how she sounded. “I-if I may, can I suggest a few poses before I start?”

Heizou breathed out a genuine sigh of relief and held his hands together. “I’m just glad you still accepted the request since, well, you know.”

“Please just never do that again.”

“Got it.”

They exchanged contact information, and Shikanoin insisted on treating them to a quick meal. “I have a friend who works here, he can get us some free food since he owes me, just make sure it’s not too expensive.”

Sucrose and Amber were eager to get their dinner sorted out so they waited a little longer for their takeout. They were eventually approached by someone their age who Amber immediately recognized.

“Venti!” Amber greeted enthusiastically. “Didn’t know you were the friend Shikanoin was talking about!”

“Hey Amber!” He waved back, handing them their takeout. “And what exactly are you doing here?”

“Sucrose asked me to come with. Good thing I tagged along, huh?”

Venti rolled his eyes, but his smile never waived. “You guys are lucky the manager today is Miss Raiden, otherwise I’d get chewed out.”

It didn’t take long for them to leave, but Sucrose agreed with Shikanoin to meet online on Discord to discuss the subjects’ poses, appearance and pricing later tonight. Shouldn’t be too long, they didn’t have much homework today after all. Then again, she did say she wanted to clean her room, but she figured that could wait.

She got home via train before dark, and she was greeted by her mother with the same overbearing enthusiasm as the last time she comes home. It wasn’t really annoying; she just didn’t want to be bombarded by a high amount of energy right after she just came back.

She retired herself to her room to change and start her homework, which were just some worksheets for math and science, so she finished them in no time. She’d focus more on the subjects she actually needs work on, but she figured her current grades are more than enough to get into Favonius University.

Sucrose then got her tablet and opened up her drawing program. It wasn’t the most high-end equipment, but she felt like she didn’t draw enough to justify getting something like a proper drawing tablet.

There she sketched up a few rough drafts to send to Shikanoin , drawing the subjects at different angles to make it look a little less bland. She stopped when she made around five poses since she didn’t want to spend too much work only for him to request something completely different.

Taking out her phone, she texted him:

 

Shikanoin

Hello

I was wondering if you’re free to video chat?

I have the poses you can look through

 

It took a while but he finally responded with

 

Ah, sorry, was out for a run to clear my head

Sure, just hope you don’t mind me sounding like I’m out of breath

Because I am

 

She immediately got a call on her Discord profile, answering it with no camera. Her caller thankfully had the same idea.

“Hey, Ampulla.” He greeted. “You wanted to show me the sketches you came up with?”

She immediately sent him the samples, and he was impressed by what she came up with. “Wow, I don’t know what to say! Good thing Kredenprinz-senpai recommended you!”

“Shikanoin, these are just the bases, I haven’t even done the actual sketch.” She added. “That reminds me, can you send me references of who you want to be drawn?”

“Right, right, right.” Shikanoin awkwardly laughed, sending pictures of him and three other boys, two of them being her classmates Barbatos and Morax. “This is for my friend’s birthday, so two weeks should be enough, right?”

“Two weeks should be plenty of time, as long as nothing drastic happens.” Sucrose answered firmly. “Is there anything else you need to say?”

“All I have to say is thanks for letting me commission you.” Shikanoin said. “I really liked your art in the short film, it looks like it got straight from a story book!”

Sucrose couldn’t help but smile at his compliment. “T-thank you for thinking that. I’ll contact you again after I’ve done the rough sketch. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, no problem! Just don’t stress yourself out over this!”

And just like that, he said his goodbye and hung up. It was about time Sucrose logged out for a bit too since she was going to be busy. Her client seemed like a nice person; sure, that first impressions’ never going away, but maybe he was just nervous.

Still, to be safe, she’s going to have to ask Amber to take her places. You never really know these days.

Chapter Text

Now, Venti was having trouble with his gift.

The gift he picked (Chihayaburu by Akahito) is apparently an out-of-print book and there was barely anything written about it when he searched it using a browser. So, he had to contact the two people he thought would have the highest chance of finding something like that.

“You seriously interrupted my college exam study session to ask me if this extremely rare book that’s out of syndication is in my father’s massive library?” Diluc asked on the phone.

Venti shrugged, pinning his phone between his ear and his shoulder while he was braiding his hair “Yeah, pretty much, now can you check?”

Diluc groaned. “Alright, but you’re buying my next week’s coffee.”

“Only if you actually find it.” Venti said quickly. “Okay, love you, bye!”

“VENTI DON’T YOU-” he hung up as soon as Diluc started yelling and went downstairs to walk to his friends, getting ready to meet his next contact at school.

They had met in a convention in last summer, that contact being a vendor there. Venti actually almost didn’t even recognize him because he was wearing a Noh mask, but when the year started, he found that the vendor became his underclassman. After all his hair was too…unique to not recognize.

His only opening was at lunch, so he excused himself to go to the first floor where all the freshmen were staying at and he knocked at Class 1-1’s door and was met by a tan blonde boy.

“Excuse me, is Mister Feiyun here?” he asked as innocently as he could manage.

The boy nodded and looked over to the class. “Xingqiu! Someone wants to talk to you!”

A crowd of ‘ooh’s’ filled the classroom and there inside was the guy he was looking for: Feiyun Xingqiu. He was reading a book (as always) next to that boy eating a popsicle (as always).

The blue-haired boy went outside and looked at him with curiosity. “Venti-senpai? What’s going on here?”

He quickly summarized what he needed to do. “Long story short, I’m calling in that favor. I need you to see if you can find this book called Chihayaburu by Akahito. It’s…” Venti closed his eyes and breathed out a long sigh “For a guy I like, his birthday’s coming up soon, I wanted to get him something special and this book he wants is out of print, so I thought you’d know something about it.”

“Ooh, romantic.” Xingqiu’s eyebrows raised up and down suggestively, earning a shove from Venti. “Geez, no need to get aggressive! Alright, I’ll look into it.”

“Thanks, you’re the best!”

Venti turned to leave and go back to the second floor, but Xingqiu kept up that forced smile until he was confident that Venti was far enough so he couldn’t hear him. When he was, he took out his phone and called his friend group.

“Tao? Jin? Xinyan? Chongyun? Xiangling?” Xingqiu roll-called everyone on the group call. “Meet me in the storage room at the gym. You might want to hear about this, especially you, Tao.”

~                      ~                      ~

“I’m sorry, what?!” Tao yelled out. “You’re sure he said it’s for a guy he likes?”

Xingqiu reaffirmed. “Positive. Venti-senpai’s into someone that isn’t Xiao-senpai.”

Xinyan raised her hand to put her input. “Mah bet’s’n Kaedehara-senpai. We know Venti-senpai’s gay so, what, like three-fourth’s the school is gone from the runnin’? And from what I know, Venti-senpai sticks onto Kaedehara-senpai like glue when he can.”

“What about Shikanoin-senpai?” Jin asked.

“Can’t be, his birthday happened months ago.” Tao responded quickly. “And Xinyan here has a point, I overheard my brother talking about getting him a present.”

Chongyun rubbed his chin to make sense of all this. “So, Xiao-senpai likes Barbatos-senpai and Barbatos-senpai likes Kaedehara-senpai…”

Xingqiu had a funny thought cross his mind. “Wouldn’t it be funny though if he liked someone else?”

Xiangling groaned and complained. “Is this really the only reason why you called all of us in? This is boring!”

“Oh, hush, this is actually kinda interestin’!” Xinyan exclaimed.

Xingqiu shrugged. “Eh, I can see her point. I actually called you guys in here to tell you what I’m gonna have to do.”

Jin giggled and stared at him with a look of disbelief. “Oh, please. It’s not like you have a copy of that super rare book, right?”

Xingqiu simply stared at the group blankly back, his nervous look on his face saying all that needed to be said. With that, Tao yelled “HOW?!”

“They were selling five restored copies of a first edition poetry book from the Primordial period in an auction, I had to get them!”

All of the sudden, they heard the storage door slide open and Yanfei popped out of there “WHAT ARE YOU SIX DOING IN HERE?!”

After the six’s well-deserved scream, Tao explained the situation and Yanfei scoffed. “Seriously? That’s it? Do you guys not know about Kaedehara-senpai?”

Tao rolled her eyes and groaned at her stickler behavior “Well, sorry if we wanted to- wait, not know about what with Kaedehara-senpai?”

“…I’ve said too much, get out before I report you guys to Kujou-senpai for loitering here.”

“But Yaanfeeeiiii!”

The other five complied to Yanfei, with Xingqiu and Chongyun on their way back to their classroom. since their next period was starting in a few minutes. On their way there, Chongyun asked “So you’re really giving him a first edition-”

“Restored first edition copy of Chihayaburu, yes.”

“What did he do to warrant this?”

Xingqiu, looking embarrassed about his answer, whispered. “He ghostwrote a few songs in the Flowers for Feng series.”

Chongyun waited for him to respond with something more, but he didn’t “Wait, that’s it?”

“Yeah, a Guhua disciple always repays his debts after all.”

He sighed but smiled at him. “I’ll never understand you, Qiu.”

~                      ~                      ~

Venti got confirmation from Xingqiu that he got the book and was going to send it to him in the mail in an air-sealed bag so nothing bad would happen to it. Very thoughtful of that boy, Venti was glad he made friends with him.

Now that that’s settled. Venti thought to himself as he cracked his knuckles. I can work on the present I want to give him.

Chapter Text

Two long weeks of planning, preparation and organizing led to this: Kazuha’s surprise party.

Their plan: fake surprise. They knew Kazuha would expect his friends to do something for him, so for him to be actually surprised, they were going to act suspicious on purpose to let Kazuha’s guard down. Then, once he thinks the surprise is over, they go to the real venue where everyone from school who he’s close with can go. Unfortunately, Venti and Heizou knew Kazuha’s parents couldn’t come with since it was a whole secret.

The fake plan went into action as early as the day before, Xiao said he needed to take a quick trip to the classroom since he forgot something, knowing that Kazuha would take note about that since Xiao triple checks his things.

From there, Heizou was to wake up a little earlier than usual and buy a storebought cake slice in a convenience store. When Heizou went to Kazuha’s, he was to purposefully have his book bag away from Kazuha’s side and hold it a little closer than expected.

“So, any plans today?” Kazuha asked nonchalantly.

Heizou answered with a shrug “No, not really. You?”

“No. No plans.”

Both lies, just one was layers deeper than the other.

Next Xiao was to act a little nervous when picking Kazuha up. Kazuha was going to assume that since Xiao hadn’t had any friends before, Kazuha would assume that he’s never been in any surprise parties, thus, wouldn’t know how to act. In reality, he has more than enough experience about surprise parties and making a straight face in general thanks to his siblings.

When Xiao walked out, he had his head down and muttered. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Xiao.” Kazuha greeted back. “You alright?”

“I’m fine.” He answered with more force than necessary. “Why?”

Kazuha put his hands up in defense. “Ah, sorry.” He’s nervous. Kazuha thought.

With that, Venti was to act completely normal. And by normal, they meant barely making it in time for their meet up and looking a little flustered first thing in the morning.

Afterwards, they went to school and to their classrooms. Or so Venti and Xiao pretended. As when Kazuha opened his desk, he was met by an explosion of confetti.

“Happy birthday!” Heizou, Venti and Xiao yelled, the last two coming in the classroom. The rest of the class who was there, just clapped along.

Kazuha was amused enough at their surface level effort. “Thank you, everyone.”

“…You weren’t surprised.” Venti stated.

Kazuha looked around awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well…”

“It was my fault.” Xiao looked down with his head in his hands. “I’m sorry. I was nervous.”

“Hey, nothing was anyone’s fault, alright?” Heizou indented. “Anyways,” He took out the cake slice from his bag and handed it to him. “From all of us. Sorry we couldn’t do more.”

“Well, I’m just glad you all remembered.” Kazuha smiled as he took the cake and had a good look at it. “Cheesecake. You remembered my favorite.”

The day went on as normal after they cleaned up the confetti. However, right when they were about to leave, Kazuha opened his desk to find a wrapped present.

There was no card on it, no writing on it, nothing to show who it came from. It was weird.

“I’ll open it when I get home, I doubt it’s something like a bomb.” Kazuha brushed it aside and placed it in his bag, continuing on with his day.

Next phase was leading Kazuha to the actual venue. This was tricky since they couldn’t just say a place since Kazuha would be on his toes again. So instead, they did something dramatic.

On their way home, someone with a beanie and scarf bumped into Venti. Venti, slightly annoyed, then realized something missing in his pocket.

“Guys, my wallet is gone.” Venti said with burning dread.

Xiao asked, concerned “Did you forget it at school?”

“No, I didn’t, I always check if my phone, keys or wallet is with me and-”

Kazuha cut him off when he saw the guy in front of them sprinting when they noticed “The pickpocket’s running, we need to catch up.”

He was already after him, falling for the bait. The ‘thief’ was taking a long route to the venue, and Heizou yelled “Me and Xiao’ll cut them off, you and Venti give chase!”

Kazuha and Venti did just that, running as fast as they could manage. He zagged to the park, dodging some passerby along the way. Kazuha, being the athletic guy he was, was closing the gap between him and the runner efficiently. Venti meanwhile was pausing to catch breath every so often, regretting every fiber of his being about this part of the plan.

It’ll all be worth it in the end. Venti reminded himself, that phrase repeating every step of the way.

Eventually the runner went into an abandoned looking warehouse. Kazuha without thinking, ran in there with no regard for his safety.

His senses were then bombarded with a bright light in the overhead and a cheerful “Surprise!”

When Kazuha looked up, he saw many of his school friends, including “Heizou? Xiao?!”

The two looked and laughed awkwardly at each other “Yeah, we were in on this.” Heizou explained.

“Barbatos was the one that actually planned all of this!” Yoimiya added loudly.

Kazuha, utterly shocked at this surprise, turned back and saw Venti leaning his elbow at the entrance, catching his breath, only offering a weak “Surprise…”

“Yeah…” Gorou, who revealed himself as the ‘pickpocket’ due to his clothing, tried to change the subject. “So, while we wait for him to catch his breath, do you wanna open up your presents?”

Kazuha turned back to Venti, offering a thumbs up as an okay not to worry about him. He’s still very much worrying, but if Venti says he’s okay, what could he do?”

The presents were nice, as expected the Kamisatos gave him some expensive items, namely a watch, a coat jacket. Kokomi, for whatever reason, gave him two gifts: a new phone that he was actually thinking of buying and a pair of ear piercings. Gorou, Yoimiya and Thoma meanwhile went to the thoughtful route, giving a sticker set of a show Kazuha liked when he was a kid called ‘Three Ronin’, a whole set of sparklers, and a handmade omamori respectively.

Aether and Lumine meanwhile gave the blank template gifts, which were a card case and a notebook.

Kazuha was honestly glad enough to have everyone gathered, but his main friend group’s gifts were the highlight. A whole book collection, a framed drawing of everyone in a story book style, and…

“Wait, how did you get this?!” Kazuha couldn’t help but yell at Venti’s gift. “This was out of print for decades!”

Venti giggled, putting his index finger in front of his lips “That’s for me to know and for you to never find out.”

“So, now that that’s settled with.” Lumine took a party popper from her bag and popped it open. “Time for this to fucking start already!”

As courtesy of the Kamisato siblings, they arranged to get catering from Kiminami Anna’s so the food was quality but cheap enough since everyone was going to be chipping in for the costs. And while everyone was mingling and trying to get along, Kazuha excused himself to a well lit but unused corner of the warehouse.

Unfortunately for him, Venti noticed his absence and found him almost immediately. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Ah…” Kazuha cleared his throat. “Nothing, it’s just, I’m…glad you threw this.”

“Aw, don’t mention it!” Venti made himself some room and sat next to the birthday celebrant. “I just want my bestest friend to have a nice b-day after all!”

“R-right…”

Venti then grabbed his hand and asked. “Something wrong?”

Kazuha shook his head. “No, just a little taken aback is all. Didn’t really think I was worth the attention.”

Venti rolled his eyes and gave him a firm pat on the back. “Puh-lease! You’re worth it, trust me.”

Odd, Kazuha’s face was starting to feel a little warm. But he was quickly distracted when Heizou called him over to try out some sushi he found.

~                      ~                      ~

Kazuha really enjoyed his birthday, looking back at all the presents he received. As he was tidying up space for him, he saw a flash drive drop on the ground. Odd, who could that be from?

Turning the flash drive, he got his answer with a scribble saying ‘From: Venti <3’ in his handwriting. Thank archons, it’s not a virus.

Sticking the flash drive in his laptop, it showed only one video. He clicked it, wondering what on earth could Venti be planning.

There, he saw Venti, sitting in his bed with a guitar. He was taking a deep breath in and out, at some point shaking his hand before strumming the guitar. Finally, he spoke.

“Hey, Kaz.” the video greeted. “I just wanted to say ‘happy birthday’ again. I assume. I’m just assuming the party happened without a hitch.”

Kazuha couldn’t help but laugh at how awkward Venti looked, as opposed to his usual confident exterior. “I just wanted to go do something in my own terms. Uh, don’t get me wrong! I’m happy you’re happy with the book, presumably, I don’t know, it’s just…” the Venti in video breathed in again. “I wanted to do something on my own terms since I didn’t think you deserved just that.”

Venti laughed at himself, covering his face. “Hey, I know I look awkward but don’t laugh, I worked hard with what time I had! Like, I don’t even have lyrics, it’s just a melody!” He took a deep breath to adjust his nerves. “Welp, hope I sound nice.”

There, he finally started strumming. The melody was in A minor; very relaxing but the way he moved his hands mesmerized him in a way Kazuha couldn’t explain. There was something so unusual but beautiful by how a calm and focused he looked while wearing a small and humble smile. It started off pretty simple, but gradually it became more and more complicated and fast until it suddenly slowed back down.

At some point after three minutes, Venti stopped playing and gave a thumbs up. And despite how awkward everything was, despite how sudden whatever he was feeling felt, Kazuha couldn’t help but be charmed.

Because to him, he sounded real.

“Sorry it wasn’t that long, I just kinda threw this together in-between planning.” Venti giggled. “Welp, hope you like it!”

And the video ended.

Kazuha was feeling his face warm up again. But in a way he was embarrassed by.

Chapter Text

“So, what did he think of the gift?”

Scaramouche was at his home with Mona and Kokomi for the weekend after the birthday before getting ready for more projects. Thankfully the next year wouldn’t be too stressful since he didn’t have to try as hard, what with acting. Yes, he wanted to go to university but he wanted to make enough money for both college and his own place because he refused to owe anything to his mom and hated the idea of student loans.

Kokomi could only roll her eyes and sigh exasperatedly. “Well, first of all, thanks for giving me credit for getting Kazuha’s best present apart from the ones he specifically requested.”

Mona chimed in with her snide comment. “Yeah, Scara, seriously, a phone?”

Scaramouche’s ears tinted a slight blush and muttered. “He said he was thinking of getting one, but I noticed he never did.”

“Omikami, you’re hopeless.” Kokomi rolled her eyes as she chugged some sparkling water provided by the boy. “You know he has a boyfriend now, right?”

“Kokomi, you and I both know that’s bull.”

She shrugged and poured another glass of juice for herself. Kokomi had always been someone looking out for everyone ever since middle school, but when it came to this, she was always half-assing her advice. Fair enough, what Scaramouche was doing was questionable at best and she was making sure nothing too weird was happening.

“Bull or no, we’re all worried. I know you were going through a lot and you recognized what you did was wrong, but you need to move on.” She almost slipped, trying not to offend him.

“I’m trying to move on by talking to him and apologizing but I know for a fact Venti’s being all protective and shit.” Scaramouche slumped down. “Like, dude, why? Let me bury this fucking hatchet already!”

“Like I said before, he’s probably been the one to tell Heizou to keep up the boyfriend charade.” Mona suggested. “But either way, how do we know you’re not doing this because you want to get back with him?”

“Because he’s fucking traumatized from me! Okay?!” he snapped, regretting the fact he raised his voice. “Sorry, but, I know I don’t deserve him, okay? No matter how much I still like him, I can’t go back and change what I did. And I know he deserves way, and I mean way better than me, but he’s probably too scared to date because he’s afraid his heart’s gonna get broken! Like his last boyfriend dumped him with no explanation and his boyfriend before died!”

The group was silent after he spilled all his emotions in front of them, and he felt like he could cry. He didn’t, but Kokomi still gave him a hug. “Huh, this is actually the first time you actually spilled your guts.”

Mona exhaled a little harder than usual. “Yeah, usually you just say ‘just trust me, this’ll be fine’ before it all goes to shit.”

The girls laughed at Mona’s impression of Scara, and he had to admit, it was a little funny. Kokomi released him as she got a call.

“Speak of the Sustainer, guess who’s calling?” she managed to mutter out.

Scaramouche’s eyes widened in fear, knowing damn well who she’s referring to. “Use the bathroom.”

“You know I’m just gonna tell you anyways, so I might as well just have the call on speaker.”

“Yeah, but then we might make a sound and he’ll get wise.” Mona pointed out. “Just go to the bathroom.”

She nodded and ran towards the nearest one. Scaramouche sighed, getting his phone and scrolling through a social media app through a burner account. As narcissistic as it sounded, he liked looking at topics surrounding him.

“What’s up? You getting canceled or something?” Mona looked over his shoulder to see his screen. No, not really. Just a lot of fancams and the like.

It’s always surreal thinking about how so many people know him. Sure, at the beginning he kept getting called a nepo-baby since Yae Miko was his stepmom but when his first movie came out, he got a lot of traction. He gained a reputation with girls his age as a kind of bad boy from the interviews, when really it was mostly him being a bit dry.

Poor girls. They didn’t even know he was gay. Or trans.

“Anyways, I’m thinking of ordering some food, it’s almost dinner.” He announced. “I’m ordering at Good Hunter’s. Mona?”

“Oh, salad for me.”

“Burger, got it.” Scaramouche immediately shushed her as he placed the order. “Relax, it’s a veggie burger with less mayo. Also, I’m paying.”

Before he could bother to listen to Mona’s protests, he yelled out to ask for someone else’s. “Niwa! We’re getting Good Hunter’s! You want sauteed matsutake, right?!”

He heard a distant “Okay, thanks sir!” before he added that in. And he knew his sister probably wouldn’t get a full meal and would probably just end up eating instant ramen again if he didn’t do anything so he put in two chicken meals, one for him and himself.

“Scara!” He jolted at the call, looking over to see Kokomi.

“Oh, hey, you want that rice bowl with chicken and eggs, yeah?”

“If you’re ordering food yes, but sit down.”

“We’re both already sitting down though.”

Kokomi sighed, but announced to them like she were a gossip reporter (which in a way she was) “Okay, so Kazuha called me about confessing to Heizou soon and wanted advice.”

Ah right. Kazuha wasn’t exactly one for love confessions. He should know, they ended up dating after breaking some tension while he was visiting his house.

“Okay? Was that it?”

Kokomi awkwardly laughed at the question, almost like she wanted to deflect. “Well…”

“He also said he wants to see if I can get you to talk to him.”

“…” He took a huge sigh and held his hand out. “Call him back.”

“What?”

“Please, just…” He looked at her and pleaded. “Please trust me.”

She hesitated, but ultimately dialed him back. The phone only rang once, with Kokomi saying to the other line. “Hey, about that thing you were asking about? Well…”

Kokomi handed Scaramouche her phone and he greeted. “…Hi.”

Immediate hang up. Then call again which he picked up immediately. Mona and Kokomi decided to excuse themselves to another room while they talked.

“I wasn’t expecting this for my evening.” Kazuha awkwardly laughed through the phone.

Scaramouche pursed his lips. “Neither was I. Kokomi and Mona were over at mine for movies.”

He continued to talk. “It’s actually a huge coincidence since we were talking about…well…” He groaned, trying to find the words. “Listen, Kaz, I… ugh, fuck, sorry, I’m gonna sound so cringe.” He took another breath in. “I’m sorry.

“I’m sorry I hurt you the way I did and I don’t expect you to forgive me. Fuck, I don’t forgive me either. Sure, I was going through shit like my acting and my transition, but that gave me no right to treat you like dirt. You’re…you were someone who I loved and I threw you away in a fucked-up attempt to protect you from my shit.”

Silence from the other end until he finally chirped in. “It’s odd. The way you said it, the words you said, even the reason why…They’re all exactly how I wanted it to be. But…” A pause. “I don’t know if I can forgive you just yet, but I’m glad you’re remorseful. I was just going to confront you but you did all the heavy lifting for me.”

“You know don’t have to forgive me, Kazuha.”

“But I want to!”

He smirked. That was just one of the things he liked about him; always so persistent it was grating. Then Kazuha had a really strange request. “Well, if it’s okay with you, can we… meet up tomorrow?”

“…I…I need to think about it. Maybe not tomorrow, you calling just took a whole lot out of me. But, I don’t know, Sunday next week maybe? I can give you my new number.”

“Alright. I just wanted to hear it from you directly. And, well, I have some questions.”

Before asking further, Kazuha hung up on him.