lightweight xiao (634 words)

"Well," says Venti, "Let's just say I'd rather not be sober for this one."

He tilts his head back and downs the glass in one go. Ah, sweet dandelion wine, he thinks as a smile slips onto his face. (Too bad it has no effect on him in his dreams.) He reaches for the bottle once more, then notices that Xiao is simply staring, not having any of his own.

Venti tilts the bottle towards him with his most inviting smile. "Care for a glass, my yaksha companion?"

Xiao eyes him with an emotion that appears to border between disdain and constipation. "I've never had any," he says.

Venti places a hand over his chest and gasps in exaggerated shock. "Old Morax hasn't been depriving you or anything, has he?"

Xiao's eyebrow twitches, but he sighs to calm it. "No," he says, clearly still irritated underneath. "And don't speak of my Lord Rex Lapis so insolently. I know you come from Mondstadt, but surely even you know not to be so rude as to keep his true name in your mouth. If you do it again…" He looks sharply at Venti, his eyes like a cat fixating on its prey. "I'll never forgive you."

Venti stares back at him, certain that his expression is somewhere between blank and numb. "You scare me sometimes, Xiao," he says, casually, then realizes he doesn't at all mean it. "Well, perhaps 'worry' is a better word for it," he amends, pouring himself another glass of wine. "I'm just saying that for someone so fond of osmanthus wine, the fact that he's never shared any with you is awfully inconsiderate of him."

"I have no need for consideration."

Venti hums to himself and takes another sip, shorter this time such as to savor its flavor. "Anything else?"

"No."

"You should still try some," Venti insists. He nudges the second empty glass towards Xiao. "It's no fun drinking alone."

Xiao looks like he's just about ready to bat the glass off the edge of the table, not unlike a cat. "I do not know how it will affect my duties," he says carefully. "That is why I never accepted my Lord's offers."

"Eh, it's dream stuff; it can't be that potent." If it were, Venti would be having a lot more of it much more often. Plus, Xiao's a strong, healthy guy— Venti's certain he'll be able to tank a couple glasses without a problem. "Besides, you have time before nightfall! And who knows if it'll even affect you outside of my dream anyway."

He once again nudges the glass towards Xiao, putting his own down and pillowing his head on his arm so that he can better look pleadingly up at the man. "Pleaaaaaase?"

He watches Xiao's resolve crumble by the way his shoulders lose their tension, and with a quiet sigh, Xiao takes up the glass.

Venti cheers and props his head up on his elbow as he pours one out for Xiao.

"You'll love it," he promises, because hey! It's his dream. Only the finest vintage from Dawn Winery will do! "I know I do."

He watches as Xiao takes a cautious sip, his nose wrinkling in apparent distaste. "It's musty."

"It gets better," Venti assures him, and he finishes off his own glass. He moves on to round three, then four and five and…

Venti is still pretty damn close to sober by the time Xiao finishes his first glass of wine, but already, there's been a shift in the yaksha: His cheeks have turned rosy, and his eyes have gone a little hazy and unfocused, as if he's entered a trance or a daze.

(Don't tell me he's drunk already, Venti thinks, dreadful.)

"Xiao~" he calls, waving a hand in front of his companion's eyes.