wings (490 words)

"You had wings once," Venti marvels, staring at the scars on Xiao's back. He almost reaches out to delicately trace the patterns they've left on the yaksha's skin, but he holds himself back. Would Xiao appreciate such an intimate touch? He sincerely doubts it.

"Once," Xiao confirms, but says nothing more.

Venti leans over to get a better look at Xiao's face and finds the yaksha staring off into the night. Tracing Xiao's line of sight into the sky, he finds the constellation of a bird, wings sweeping towards the heavens, amidst the stars.

"Oh," he breathes, a sudden realization.

He crawls to sit next to Xiao, their legs dangling off the edge of the roof together— Xiao's still and heavy, Venti's light and swinging— almost near enough to touch.

(Almost.)

"…Can you shift back?"

Xiao shakes his head.

Venti's chest aches, and the winds pick up around them, ruffling their hair on the breeze. He purses his lips, trying to choose the right words to say.

"Neither can I," he admits, tearing his gaze away from Xiao. "But…" (And here he shifts again, reaching over to pick up Xiao's gloved hand and tap at his Vision, taking great care all the while not to brush their bare arms together.) "I hope that this has allowed you to take flight at least once more."

He feels the muscles in Xiao's arm tense for a few seconds, as if the latter considers pulling away. (Venti hopes he hasn't crossed a line.) But then, Xiao relaxes. He allows their legs o touch as he shifts in his seat.

"I am not like Barbatos," he says. "I am not gentle enough."

(Oh, but you are, Venti hopelessly thinks.)

"My winds are too strong; all I know to use it for is to fight," Xiao continues. His Vision glows, and suddenly, Venti must brace himself to keep from blowing off the root, only for the wind to stop as suddenly as it came. "Any bird would be frightened to fly on it."

Venti can't quite help it: he pouts. "You know, there's an old folk tale from Mondstadt that talks about this exact thing," he says.

"I wouldn't know it."

Venti summons a massive gust of wind to sweep them both off the roof.

Xiao's eyes briefly flash with surprise, but he has not survived as long as he has for nothing. As Venti settles the wind to something that won't whip his braids into his face, Xiao teleports himself back to solid ground with a hmph.

"Aww, c'mon!" Venti calls. ("You only lack the courage to try," he does not add.) He dangles his legs on the wind, tries to coax Xiao into the air, but the yaksha does not budge.

"I have duties to attend to," he stiffly says, his voice given a harsh edge by what Venti suspects is embarrassment. "Goodbye."

Xiao teleports away. Venti sighs.

Can't say he didn't try.