disclaimer: all the characters and most other things belong to Mihoyo

Xiao wakes up the next morning to a pair of green eyes. He blinks. A figure shifts into focus. The sun is rising behind him, framing his silhouette in a blinding ring of gold, like the aura of an angel. His breath catches in his throat.

Venti.

He sits up abruptly, "What are you doing here?" His voice is harsh, harsher than it has ever been. Never has he spoken to Venti like this, not even when he single-handedly ended their relationship. He nearly winces, but stops himself, rearranging his features to form a faceless mask. It is for the best.

Venti straightens, placing his arms on his hips, the way he always does when he wants to express his dissatisfaction at a particular thing, or person. "Why am I here? You haven't come home for the past three days, why do you think I'm here? Did you think you could hide forever? Hm?"

Xiao says hesitantly, shifting uneasily on the grass, "H...Home?"

"Yes, home. Did you think you could end our relationship just like that?" He prodded Xiao on the shoulder, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I..."

"Now tell me, what exactly is it about me you are so unhappy with that you decided to end our relationship?" Venti demands as he sits down on the grass beside Xiao, tucking his cape beneath him, the way he always does when he sits.

Xiao blinks again. Just why would Venti think the problem was about him? How could the problem ever be about him? Venti is, in Xiao's opinion, undoubtedly the best partner anyone could ever ask for!

"I...nothing?"

For a moment, Venti tilts his head in confusion, then he turns to Xiao and gives him another jab in the shoulder, his eyes alight with exasperation, "Is it the dumb thing about my freedom again?"

Xiao makes no reply, only staring soundlessly at him. Seeming to realise he has guessed correctly, Venti huffs, folding his arms, the way he does whenever he teaches, or rather, attempts to teach Klee how to control herself and refrain from destroying Mondstadt with her bombs.

"Just how many times do I have you, I chose to stay with you, it is my own decision and you are not restricting my freedom in any way?" He jumps to his feet, as if his ire is bubbling so violently he cannot keep still. "Do I not have the freedom to choose who I want to be with, where I want to stay, and what I want to do with my life?"

"I..." Xiao finds himself at a loss for words. He struggles to formulate a reply, to defend his course of action, but the words do not come, melting on the tip of his tongue like a well-cooked bowl of almond tofu, leaving nothing but a rich aftertaste. A tint of red creeps up his ears and cheeks as he turns to stare at the ground, trying to ignore the burning in his ears. "You do..." he mumbles in reply.

Venti gives him another punch on the shoulder, and briefly, he wonders whether this arm would be fine after today. He says, his tone filled with frustration and affection of equal parts,

"Dumbass."

If anyone else had said that, they would have been greeted with a glare and the words "You have no respect for the ways of the adepti." Now, however, Xiao simply looks away again as his ears turn an even darker shade of red.

"Anyway," Venti says, plopping himself back on the grass, finally seeming to be in a good mood, "I found a solution to this problem." He holds out his hand, and sitting on his palm is a teapot. A small, bronze one, decorated with intricate gold patterns. An unusually familiar teapot. Upon inspection, Xiao realises that this teapot is not so different from the one Madame Ping owns. He looks at Venti in confusion.

"I went to visit Madame Ping," Venti says, unnecessarily, "and she gave me this. This one is yours." He passes the teapot to Xiao, who holds it close to himself. "And this," Venti pulls an identical one out, shaking it before Xiao, "Is mine. They lead to the same realm, so even if I travel around Teyvat, we can still live together."

"That's...that's great, it's wonderful!" Xiao says. He is one who hardly ever smiles, yet he can hardly suppress the genuine grin spreading across his face at this moment, only for it to fade as he remembers something, "But, will you not miss living in Mondstadt?"

He receives another prod, this time on the forehead.

"It's a Mondstadtian estate!"