Xiao hunts Childe for sport

3

Xiao hates all of this. Well, besides the almond tofu anyway.

Childe is digging into his food like a starving wolf. It looks disgusting but at least he seems to know how to use chopsticks in some capacity. Zhongli has an awful taste and should get better friends. Immediately.

But Xiao holds his tongue. This is Rex Lapis' first selfish wish. He can't just ruin it. His friend might deserve better, but he wants this.

So Xiao holds back, finishes his almond tofu, and leaves the kitchen. He'll keep an eye on Childe since Zhongli can't be trusted to do it himself - he'll actually get himself killed this time.

He won't trust a Fatui slave. Former or not.

"You okay?" Aether followed him outside. Stupid human, it's already dark outside - not to mention they're in the mountains. It's cold. They shouldn't have followed him.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Xiao hisses, crossing his arms and looking away. He doesn't understand the point of the question. He's perfectly fine.

Aether frowns but lets it be. "You really don't like Childe, don't you?"

"He's Fatui." Xiao huffs, disgust clear in his voice. "He didn't quit the Fatui out of his own volition. Rex Lapis severed the contract for him. I won't trust him."

"I guess that's fair." Aether replies with a shrug. "You don't know him. You have no reason to believe he's being honest."

Xiao didn't expect Aether to give in so easily. He raises his brow. "Not gonna lecture me about how wonderful and innocent Childe is or some garbage like that?"

Aether has the guts to snort at him. "What? You want me to lie? Childe basically introduced himself to me as 'kind of a bad guy'. I totally get why you distrust him so much. I do too."

"Wait, you do?" Xiao fully expected them to come to Childe's defense or something like that. To find mutual distrust is something he didn't expect at all.

"I mean he is a Fatui agent - well, was now." Aether says with a shrug. "Hard to trust him after all that. We do weekly fights too after all that happened but I could just never bring myself to fully trust him."

Huh. Xiao is pleasantly surprised. There may be some humans with brains left in them after all. "That's common sense." He says, nodding. "You'll keep an eye on him as well, I trust?"

Aether nods at him. "Yup, will do. Now we'll have to stay low since the Fatui are probably searching for the guy Zhongli turned into. And. Well. Childe's corpse." He finishes his sentence with a grimace.

"I'm not convinced they don't know it was Zhongli." Xiao decides to voice his doubts out loud. It will only benefit them in the long run. "He was never a good actor. His disguises are always easy to see through as well."

"Well yeah, if you spend time with the guy you'll know it pretty quickly." Aether agrees, "but I think he did a better job this time. He yelled something about wanting revenge against Tartaglia, stabbed him, and ran away with the 'corpse'. Didn't look like him at all either."

Xiao goes still at that, the wheels in his mind turning. "...That sounds well thought out." What if Zhongli actually planed this for a while, only to disguise it as an impulse decision? Or maybe he planed it and never intended to go through with it?

That sounds much more likely, now that Xiao thinks about it. Especially if Zhongli is interested in Childe in a romantic way. Zhongli would hesitate if it was an act with romantic intentions - especially if he's unsure if the object of his affection returns his feelings.

"Say, Aether." Golden eyes focus on him. "What do you think Zhongli intended to do with this?"

Aether's eyes already tell Xiao more than he needs to know. "I can't say I completely understand the guy, but this time it's obvious to me." He pauses, sighs and blushes slightly. "He's trying to woo Childe, isn't he?"

Xiao groans and hides his face with his hand. He hates being right. "He absolutely is, that bastard." Zhongli, your taste is so bad. "Why did he have to find a potential partner in a Fatui slave?"

Aether shakes their head. "I guess Childe's cute." Xiao frowns. "Objectively speaking I mean! I wouldn't wanna kiss the guy, his head is full of fighting. There is no space for romance in it."

Xiao relaxes at that, unsure just why he was so displeased with Aether saying that. "Ugh, I hate this. This is awful. A mistake." Especially since that damn mutt gets on his nerves already. "Traveler, would you help me throw him off a mountain?"

Aether laughs and shakes their head. "No way, Zhongli would stab me." No surprise there. "However... if you really dislike him that much already, you could fight him."

Xiao raises his brow. "Oh?"

"Yeah, Childe wants nothing more than to fight strong people. He wouldn't say no - heck, I bet he would even ask you for one." That does sound tempting, being able to brutalize Childe a bit. "But probably not while he's still injured."

"Tch, unfortunate." Xiao turns away from Aether to look up at the sky instead. The night sky is beautiful so far out - the stars twinkling in the sky like shining beacons. "Traveler, will you take them with you?"

"Zhongli and Childe?" Aether clarifies. "Yeah, someone has to look out for them. I don't think Zhongli set foot outside of Liyue for a long time either, so I figured it would be good for him too."

When was the last time that Xiao left Liyue? He can't remember. "...Would you mind if I joined you?" The humans no longer need him, but he still has to protect them.

Without his role, Xiao is nothing.

"To keep an eye on them?" Aether asks with a mischievous twinkle in their eye. "Sure! The more the merrier. It can't hurt and I bet it will be fun for you too."

"Fun..." Xiao trails off, uncertain. "Very well, from now on I will be joining you. If you cannot bring yourself to kill, speak my name and I shall appear."

"...Thank you, Xiao. I'm glad to have you with us." Aether holds out his hand for a handshake, which Xiao accepts reluctantly.

Is this really the right choice?

Xiao doesn't know, but his heart is set.