Archive of Our Own

They're sitting across from each other at Wangshu Inn, pink hues from the recent sunrise illuminating the room slightly, tiny rays of light streaming in from upstairs. The only sounds are that of the birds chirping, the clatter from the kitchen behind a thin paper divider, and Itto's surprisingly lucid chatter.

The two of them are mostly the only ones awake, though Yanxiao has already been up preparing breakfast for the inn's guests, and made Itto some sort of experimental Inazuman dish that served as his breakfast. Itto and Yanxiao have a deal in place where Itto gets free food in return for constructive criticism; Itto isn't very good at it and almost always only has positive things to say, but Itto is a familiar enough face that Yanxiao keeps going with it. Xiao supposes that Yanxiao is always feeding strays anyways: cats, Jiangxue, and now Itto.

Xiao himself picks slightly at his Almond Tofu, also free from Yanxiao, and listens to Itto talk. Such has become their routine as of late, though not always quite so early. Itto is not a morning person, and Xiao has only seen him happy to be awake this early on the few occasions they have breakfast together. Normally, they talk over lunch or dinner.

The breakfast mornings are always filled with anticipation on Itto's part, and therefore a willingness to actually be awake, Xiao has concluded. That is because Itto has some place to be in Liyue Harbor on these days. They usually come a few times during Itto's weekly stays; they are the reason for his whole trip to Liyue, Itto has explained.

Itto is talking about it now, about some sort of "TCG" tournament. Even though Itto's talked about this gathering before, Xiao still isn't really sure what it's about. He rambles on about some of the alleged "pros" that will be there, talking through his food and nearly choking a couple times. Each time it happens Xiao stares at him pointedly while he recovers, and Itto at least has the self awareness to be a bit sheepish. However, the food in his mouth is almost immediately forgotten about anyways, and the cycle repeats.

But now Itto has run out of food to choke on, and everything about this "TCG" has gone over Xiao's head-- he doesn't even know what a "TCG" is. So, Xiao starts to zone out. Itto's talking is welcoming, even if Xiao doesn't understand any of it, and he starts to focus on the way Itto's lips are moving, forming syllables, crumbs from his finished breakfast still stuck on his lip that Xiao wants to wipe away for him.

Itto licks his lips, and it breaks Xiao out of his daze, only to find Itto staring at him expectantly.

Xiao blurts out the first thing he thinks of, saying: "What is TGC."

"...TCG?"

"Yes. You have explained that there is a gathering of… TCG… 'pros', but not what TCG actually is."

"Dude, you've really never heard of Genius Invokation TCG before?"

"...No." Should he have? It's not like he makes a habit of participating in or learning about human activities.

"Well," Itto smiles wholeheartedly, "it's never too late to learn. You could come with me to the harbor, and we could play there! It's so awesome, you get to watch the TCG gods battle each other, and there's always other people just hanging around to fight."

Gods? Battle? Fighting? In Liyue Harbor? "That sounds very dangerous." Xiao frowns. Really, how has he not heard about this before?

"Huh? What? It's not--" Itto's expression goes from confused to understanding. "Oh sorry! Didn't really explain it, huh? It's a card game. TCG stands for Trading Card Game."

"I see." Xiao doesn't really see, but apparently that was supposed to clear things up. He knows of card games, but he doesn't know how they can be genius invocations.

"I've gotta get going now," Itto says, standing up. "Are you gonna come with?"

Xiao has not been to Liyue Harbor in a long time. Even during the Osial incident, he hadn't lingered for long. He knows his karmic debt isn't good to be around; he will only cause harm to the people there.

He also knows that despite his thoughts, he might be welcome there. The Traveler and Paimon told him that he would be. Ushi's message from after they escaped from that perilous trail urged him to start living as he wanted. Rex Lapis… Zhongli might also be there.

He pictures himself walking down the streets of Liyue Harbor, an out of place Adepti among humans and an oni. He will try and avoid normal humans, and stick with Itto or other Vision bearers in order to keep his plight far away from those weakest to it. Itto will pull him along and show him his card games, teach him about his TGC, about how they can be smart invocations. He will walk with Itto by his side and--

"No," Xiao replies to Itto's question, not moving from his seat, still poking at his Almond Tofu with his chopsticks.

And his karmic debt will contaminate the ground he walks on, soaking into the stone of Liyue Harbor, every step polluted and dark. The people will sense there is something wrong with him, that he is different, and will look at Itto worse for it. He will only be unwelcome and unpleasant.

"I'll see you later then, dude." Itto smiles, waves, and leaves Xiao behind so easily.

Xiao ends up being mildly concerned over the part of TGC that Itto had never quite clarified: TGC gods.

If there are any gods roaming Liyue, he should probably know about them and make sure they are not a threat to Liyue. Long ago, it was his job to help kill gods. Now, he might have to start up again. His karmic debt tightens around him, weight bearing down upon his shoulders, a constant, furious reminder.

Conveniently, he feels a pull to the harbor. He hears his name being called on the wind, but it isn't an urgent summoning. Its feeling is somewhat familiar, he wonders if it's the Traveler beckoning. He takes the opportunity for what it is.

He heads to Liyue Harbor a bit later, but only sticks to the outskirts. He surveys the harbor from high points, like a bird perched on an out of reach branch. He stands on a hill overlooking the entrance to the harbor, the highest rooftop, the tallest wooden beam at the shipyard, the top of the Golden House.

Whoever was calling on him earlier has since stopped, and Xiao spots no gods, no Traveler, and no invocations-- whatever form they may be in. He doesn't understand.

He does see Itto though, smiling wide and laughing with a stranger so loudly they turn heads. They're sitting on the ground and holding cards in their hands, like many others in the area. He sees no god and no genius invocation near them either.

Itto laughs again with the stranger.

Xiao decides he does not like TGC.

"If you always have to leave for Liyue Harbor, why do you continue to stay at this inn?" Xiao questions.

It's day two of Itto's TGC event at the harbor. They're at the bottommost floor of Wangshu Inn once more; Itto has another Inazuman dish, hot and steaming, and Xiao finds himself picking at his cold Almond Tofu again.

"Obviously I'm here because you're here," Itto says with a grin, but completely seriously.

Xiao is soaring. He is above it all. His soul has left his body and has flown up through the roof of Wangshu Inn, up to Celestia. He is lighter, he feels he could fly right now, despite not being in his bird form.

He keeps picking at his Almond Tofu, this time with a bit more vigor.

Blustering, Itto tacks on hastily: "Aaaaand… And… And because it's cheaper here! Gotta save money!"

Oh. Well. That's entirely practical. Xiao still feels like he's floating, though.

"Anyways! I gotta head out now." Itto shovels the last of his food into his mouth. It burns his tongue, and he quickly makes a grab for his water. Once he's finally recovered, he asks hesitantly, "Do you wanna… tag along to the TCG tournament today?"

Oh. It's not TGC.

Equally as hesitantly, Xiao takes a moment to reply, but still settles on his usual, "No."

Itto waves, and leaves as usual, footsteps getting farther and farther away and taking Xiao's flying feeling with him.

Since they'd met on that perilous trail, Itto has started staying at Wangshu Inn for his TCG events. A while back, he mentioned something about TCG exploding in popularity recently, leading to huge gatherings dedicated to the card game at Liyue Harbor.

But that was a while ago. Itto has since visited for a week at a time once a month, every so often. Always for TCG, and always he has asked if Xiao wants to join him. He has never stopped asking.

Xiao has never allowed himself to say yes.

Driven by that flying feeling, Xiao winds up back at the rooftop in Liyue Harbor later that day. He watches the people play, drawing cards and rolling dice. He tells himself he is scouting for danger, he'd heard his name being called again-- the same familiar, unurgent pull as yesterday, as he looks at the images moving on the cards. He even sees some recognizable pictures on them: a Pyro Fatui Agent and, for some reason, that blue haired exorcist with overflowing Yang energy-- the one with a Cryo Vision.

He finally spots Itto again, but he's with the same stranger as last time. Xiao's soul is dragged back forcefully into his body and even lower still, plunging into his gut and then taking his heart out with it. It feels… he feels as though he's been stolen from, robbed , but no one has taken anything from him, have they? Absurd.

Xiao categorizes the stranger, in case he ends up being a threat. He has a Hydro Vision and dark blue hair, cut in a strangely choppy style. He has Amber eyes, and a singular tassel earring in his right ear. He wears ornate clothing, and looks on the younger side. Definitely younger than Itto, perhaps just a teenager.

Still though, Itto is definitely losing. They're both playing cards together again, which makes Xiao's chest lurch even more--he starts feeling less like a bird soaring freely in the sky and more like he's forgotten how to fly, plummeting down with wings flapping desperately. The blue haired boy looks… Xiao thinks… He looks proud. Of himself. But there's another layer to it that makes the boy's lips turn up haughtily. Like Itto when he talks about his Vision, or about winning something like that ramen-eating contest he keeps bringing up.

Xiao is too far away to make out their words, but sees them start to reshuffle and reset the board. He frowns.

He continues to watch for a bit, looking at the concentration in Itto's eyes, the determination and panic. So much of his time is spent surveying potential threats, enemies, watching for danger, but he never quite notices their emotions like he does Itto's.

At some point, Itto looks up. Right at the rooftop. Right at Xiao.

Itto's eyes widen in recognition, and a grin replaces the oni's previous pout from losing. The smile resurrects Xiao's soul, repairs his heart, pulling it back from where it was scraping at the bottom of his gut, and he is flying again. Itto waves, shaking the stranger he's with and pointing.

Feeling caught, Xiao vanishes.

Later that day, after Itto's TCG event has wrapped up, Itto finds him, carrying a small rectangular box. Xiao is at his usual spot on the roof of Wangshu Inn, the cool night breeze carrying the scent of Yanxiao's cooking.

Itto holds the box up and waves it around a bit, asking, "Wanna learn how to play TCG?"

Xiao's gut reaction is to say no. For some reason, there's a bit of resistance in him to learning the game. But. Learning the game can't hurt. It really can't, he tries to convince himself. There is no reason not to want to learn it. No reason to resent it.

He thinks of Itto earlier, and the day before, playing with that blue haired stranger, and does not care. He does not care at all.

He's been pondering his answer for a while, he realizes, and so he tells Itto, "Yes."

He hops off the roof and moves to sit on the ground, like he'd seen everyone else at Liyue Harbor doing. Itto opens the box and unfolds it, and suddenly it's a game board. Set on top of it are those multicolored die he'd seen before, some tokens, and several cards. Itto pulls out a stack and hands it to Xiao.

Then, Itto sits down right next to him on the floor. They're so close, their knees are brushing. Xiao has to push back two waves of panic: one from his usual worry over his karmic debt, and the other because Itto. Xiao doesn't know why he's panicking. Itto cannot harm him. What reason is there to panic other than mortal danger? But he is not scared of Itto. He doesn't understand.

He's snapped out of his thoughts, though his heart is still racing, soul is still flying, by Itto leaning in closer and laying out some cards in front of him.

"Here, I found this Liyue starter pack. Every deck has thirty cards," Itto points to the thick stack, and spreads some of them out to display their images, "and three Character Cards." Itto points to the cards that are focused on a singular person. Xiao actually recognizes them. There's the firm purple haired lady from the Liyue Qixing, the chef girl he sometimes sees at a restaurant in Liyue Harbor, and…

"Look, it's the little dude I was playing with today!"

Little dude? Xiao scoffs. Itto had called him that before. He is nothing like that stranger. There is no likeness. Xiao is staring at a card of the same boy with amber eyes and choppy hair he'd seen today and yesterday.

"Are there other character cards?" He asks with lips pressed thinly into a line. It's a question, but his tone is flat.

"Oh, yeah. Here, these are mine. This one's an Inazuman starter character-- and I know her! This one I collected from that crazy looking merchant who was selling a heck ton of Miss Hina merch-- he got the card from Sumeru. And this one I went to Mondstadt to get." Itto holds each of them up in succession. "Together they form my ultimate, undefeated team that I call… ABC!!! Ayaka, Bennett, Cyno!"

Xiao nods, taking in Itto's enthusiasm, thinking of the card he'd seen of the exorcist boy too. "If these character cards are based on real people, then do you have your own card?"

Itto looks peeved. "As a long time fan of TCG, I thought I'd have my own too! But no!" Itto grumbles a bit. "Although I do have an Event Card." He searches around in his own deck of thirty, and pulls out a card with himself on it, looking very angry, titled: "I Haven't Lost Yet!" It stands out from the rest of the cards in the deck, being noticeably shiny.

Xiao thinks it's very fitting. He rifles around in his own starter set to see if he has it, but is met with disappointment. Instead, he finds one with his own figure on it, fighting back enemies from the Abyss Order. He flips it over, reading its title and ability: "Guardian's Oath"; "Destory all Summons. (Affects both you and your opponent.)"

"It's your Event Card!" Itto says.

Xiao wonders how it even got in there in the first place. Not many people get to look at him long enough to record even the largest details of his appearance and clothing. "Who made this game?" He asks.

"Some scholar from Sumeru," Itto shrugs, "No one really knows."

That's slightly concerning.

Itto continues on directing Xiao about how to play the game, undisturbed by the fact that no one knows how this game is made.

From Itto's explanations, it seems like… "Is this not just a card game based exactly on reality?"

"Yeah, yeah! You got it. It's exactly like real life."

Xiao doesn't understand. If he wanted to fight other people or hilichurls, he'd do so in the real world. Some of his disparagement towards the game must show on his face, because Itto tuts.

"C'mon man! Don't dock it till ya try it."

Xiao concedes. Itto moves to the other side of the board, which Xiao understands needs to happen for the game to start, but… well… Soon enough, they're playing their first match.

Xiao mostly plays passively, observing Itto and not investing too much effort into winning his first game. He reluctantly uses the choppy hair character, which he's learned is named… Xingqiu…

Despite his lack of effort, he soon finds himself staring down at the board, all of Itto's team wiped out.

Itto looks uncomprehending. "Hold on hold on hold on. What?" With desperation in his eyes, he asks, "Are you sure you haven't played before?"

"I haven't even heard about TG-- TCG until now."

Itto looks pained, but shakes it off enough to congratulate him genuinely, happy for Xiao's win. "It's totally awesome that you won your first ever match!"

Xiao hesitates, but asks, "Would you… like to play again?"

Itto grins. "Hell yeah I would!"

They reshuffle their cards, sweep the tokens and die back into their corners, and get ready to play again. Itto changes his deck, boasting, "If you become a pro like me, you'll have your own cards to pick from too! Watch out, because your beginner's luck is about to wear off, and Itto's gonna regain his rightful place as numero uno. That's right!"

They play until Itto is yawning uncontrollably. Xiao wins every time.

Perhaps TCG isn't so bad when he's the one playing it with Itto, Xiao thinks.

The next day is Itto's last TCG dedicated day. Itto is talking about how he's honed his skills and tactics with his ABC Team, and Xiao actually understands what Itto means when he says he's going to, "use Fantastic Voyage first, then let him have it by unleashing Kamisato Art: Hyouka and Sacred Rite: Wolf's Swiftness."

When they played last night, Itto would dramatically yell out the name of the moves he was using every single time without fail. Even when he was getting tired and it was more of a yawn riddled murmur.

"Will you be able to roll enough of the right elemental die to use those skills?" Xiao asks skeptically. He'd seen Itto's ABC Team strategies last night. None of them seemed to be working well.

Itto looks at Xiao, eyes so proud.

"As long as I'm lucky, things will be okay! Plus, I can always use the Paimon card to help me out."

Despite knowing about the game now, Xiao continues to mostly listen to Itto's talking, up until Itto announces he has to leave.

With renewed hope in his eyes, Itto asks, "Wanna come?"

Even more hesitant than last time, Xiao replies, "I… Cannot."

"Sure you can," Itto counters, shifting from foot to foot, stalling. "It's just TCG! We can avoid other people and… and… There are other Vision bearers. We could play against them. Like Xingqiu. He has other friends with Visions too. Even uh… Yanfei! Yanfei would probably love this game. We could rope her in."

Xiao turns it over in his mind, reconsidering. All he's been doing is considering, these past days.

"C'mon," Itto implores. "The Traveler and Paimon might even be hanging around, you know how the two of them always show up whenever something major's going on. I haven't seen them yet. So there's a chance they'll show up today!"

But he's been thinking on it for so long, so much, and his resolve hasn't changed all this time. Even during the past months where Itto persistently asked the same question. Xiao is wavering, his foundation has been shaking so badly for so long now, but he doesn't know how to say yes to this.

Xiao's contemplative silence must serve as an answer for Itto, because the oni smiles helplessly and gathers his things, backing down from his last-ditch push. "It's cool, it's cool. You know where I'll be if you change your mind! Haha."

What is left keeping him from going? What is left holding him back? There is nothing, is there? But it is hard, change. Xiao throws himself into the unknown every day, he grapples with danger as duty. But the danger and the unknown have become the familiar, and they have been for the last hundreds of years.

The simple act of stepping foot into Liyue Harbor is unfamiliar. It's even more of an uncertainty and even more dangerous than what he experiences every day. Changing, challenging routine, is difficult. Even for an Adeptus. Especially for an Adeptus.

Xiao tries hard to pretend that he doesn't see the disappointment break through Itto's smile as he waves goodbye almost as energetically as usual.

Yet again, he winds up at Liyue Harbor, perched on top of the same rooftop. This time, he is here for no other reason than his own selfishness; he will not try to convince himself that there is any other reason.

He finds himself watching Itto.

Xiao cannot understand why someone would dedicate their lives to this game. It is so similar to real life that it's laughable. Pointless. But seeing the look on Itto's face as he battles other people in TCG, the happiness, the crushing defeat… Xiao thinks he might understand it a little; Itto is clearly enjoying himself.

There is nothing that he enjoys as much as Itto enjoys TCG. Maybe that is what's truly laughable.

Xiao finds that he wants to step into the streets of Liyue Harbor. He wants to because Itto is at the other end. It's been decades since he's done so simply because of his own want, something that goes against his very nature. Still, something holds him back. He cannot bring himself to move as he compares every consequence of standing side by side with Itto, good and bad.

He wishes he could take a leap of faith. But his faith is in Rex Lapis, and Rex Lapis gave him the job of protecting Liyue and its people. Even though his Archon is dead to Liyue now, he still has his duty, and his karmic debt is not safe for anyone to be around.

But. If he stays with Itto. Then perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps it would be--

"Xingqiu!" Itto yells. Xiao can hear it, everyone can hear it. "I challenge you!!"

Xingqiu is cringing, and Xiao feels second hand embarrassment for him. Itto is herded off to the side by Xingqiu, where they sit down and get ready to play.

He can't hear them, but Xiao has always been able to hear his own name on the wind. He can't pick out anything except for the two of them saying his name in those same calls he heard yesterday and the day before.

The two have been talking about him since they met two days ago. The calls of his name had been from them. What they are saying, Xiao does not know, and he is possessed by the sudden need to hear what they are talking about. What is Itto saying about him? Good things? …Bad?

Xiao does not think. He just does. He vanishes off of the roof and reappears below, walking towards Itto and Xingqiu with a single mindedness, light on his feet.

They do not notice him until he is right by them and speaks. "You called?" He asks, heart thrumming.

The two of them startle. Itto drops his die everywhere, and Xingqiu nearly loses his grip on his cards, but manages to stay more composed than Itto.

Itto exhales. "Dude. DUDE. Don't just sneak up on me like that. Warn a guy."

Xiao does feel a bit sorry for having scared Itto, but wishes Xingqiu had been more affected. "You called?" Xiao repeats.

"Uh… Adeptus Xiao! We were just, um…" Xingqiu shoots a confused look at Itto, who is making exaggerated motions to stop, with his hand swiping at his neck left to right in the air. "We were just discussing your TCG Event Card…?"

Itto makes an aggrieved face.

When Xiao turns his body to Itto, the oni smiles fakely. "Yup. Yup. Yeah. Talking about… TCG. Your TCG card! Just talking about it."

Xiao nods along, and turns back to Xingqiu. When Itto thinks he's not looking, the oni glares harshly at the boy.
Then, since he's here, Xiao takes a deep breath in and asks, "May I watch your match?"

"What?" Xingqiu draws out the word, holding it in shock. "Adeptus Xiao, watching us play TCG?"

And at the same time Itto says, with the brightest smile, "Of course, dude!"

Xingqiu looks at Itto with confusion and horror, and Itto has to amend, "Oh yeah, Xiao's my bud!"

Xiao nods his assent. Xingqiu's mouth falls open, but he snaps it shut a millisecond later and coughs, regaining his composure. Xiao feels vaguely… proud. Of himself.

He thinks he feels the same way Itto felt when he was bragging about his undefeated ABC Team and being a player of TCG since it first came out; he thinks he feels like how Xingqiu did when he beat Itto yesterday.

Xiao settles down by Itto's side, and watches.

Itto's plays are familiar, and they are no match for Xingqiu's carefully thought out moves, his clearly rehearsed plan. At the very least, the dark blue haired boy doesn't seem to be underestimating Itto, and takes their match seriously.

Itto loses. He is decimated.

"WHY ABC PEOPLE, WHHHYYY?"

Itto looks crushed. Genuinely crushed. Normally, Itto bounces back from his defeats, from everything, but something is different this time.

Xingqiu looks proud of his victory, but consoles Itto. "You fought well, my liege. I know the TCG event is ending, but you can come challenge me again later!" Just come find me at the Feiyun Commerce Guild anytime."

Xiao frowns.

"I have to go back to Inazuma." Itto says, still a bit despondent.

"Oh." Xingqiu's smile dampens. "Well. I'll still be here at the next Liyue TCG Meet."

Xiao frowns.

"Itto. You…" Xiao trails off. "...What's wrong with you?" He finishes without the inflection of a question.

Xingqiu shoots Xiao a briefly scandalized look.

What?

Itto livens up a bit. "I'm good, I'm good! I just made a bet with Xingqiu that I was hoping to win. But. Too bad, I guess."

It's still not good enough. Itto's still down. How does Xiao make it better? All he knows how to do is hurt and tear apart, how to carry out his duty in the most efficient way possible.

Itto wanted to win this… bet. How can he help Itto win his bet? He turns to Xingqiu and stares. It's something like, but not quite close to, desperation.

"Well. What about this?" Xingqiu starts. "Since you fought so valiantly, why don't we have one final rematch, but both you and Adeptus Xiao can play together?"

Itto looks more alive. "Really?"

"Of course! It's only natural, given that you've battled so well thus far. Victory could be just around the corner. What do you say my liege, Adeptus Xiao, do you accept?"

Itto turns to Xiao. Hesitantly asking, "Do you want to play TCG with me?" It's resonant of all the questions before, of all the want-to-join-me's and you-can-tag-along-if-you-want's.

Xiao finally gives in to change, letting himself say, "Yes."

Together, they beat Xingqiu. After all of Itto's losses over these last three days, he finally triumphs, with the help of Xiao.

Well, it is less Itto and more Xiao, who had observed Xingqiu's playstyle from their previous match. Even using the interestingly put together ABC Team, Xiao was able to knock out Xingqiu's last character with only Ayaka left alive on his and Itto's own team. As much as Xingqiu has his well planned tactics, Xiao has the ability to adapt.

Xingqiu isn't a sore loser, he's nothing but smiles when he says, "That was truly an amazing final match! Congratulations!"

Perhaps Xingqiu isn't so bad… Xiao thinks.

Itto starts whooping and cheering, and this time Xiao doesn't feel embarrassed about it. Then, Itto tackles Xiao into a hug, and he's suddenly warm all over. Itto doesn't let go, too caught up in the excitement of winning.

"Your prize, my liege," Xingqiu says dramatically, and pulls a card out of his deck. "I'm impressed you won with such a… challenged team composition."

"Hey, what're you saying about my ABC Team?! It's perfect just the way it is!" Itto exclaims, talking right by Xiao's ear

Xingqiu just laughs, and holds out the card to them.

It's a Guardian's Oath card, shiny, glinting in the fading sunlight.

They're walking back to Wangshu Inn, close together because Itto said he was cold, and the TCG box Itto is carrying shifts and makes noise with every step. Xiao's own newly obtained, portable TCG box makes noise too, cards shuffling and die clacking inside of it.

Wangshu Inn is in sight when Itto's excitement over winning finally wears off, and the oni finally explains.

"I… kind of made a bet with Xingqiu that if I won against him, I could have his shiny Guardian's Oath card."

"Is it rare…?"

"Weeeeellllll… Not really. I just wanted it badly. Because you know. It's got you on it." Itto says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Oh. So the only reason he was playing against Xingqiu so much was because of a transaction. Xiao gets that proud feeling again, which he vaguely thinks is something like smugness.

"Is it common, to exchange cards in decks?"

"Sometimes. It just varies from person to person."

"...Can we," Xiao begins, stilted but with spirit, "exchange cards?" He's not in the habit of asking for things.

"Duh, of course, dude! I was gonna give you all my dupes later anyways. Here," Itto grabs Xiao by the hand and he lets himself be dragged over to the nearest street lamp, "c'mon."

Itto sits down right there in the dirt, and opens up his TCG box. Xiao sits too, following suit.

Night has fallen. Their surroundings are dark, the only thing visible being Itto and the dirt path a little further down, lit up by a street lamp too.

"What'd you want to trade for?" Itto asks, spreading out his cards in front of him.

Itto is illuminated by the soft light from above, every feature being highlighted. His fluffy, soft-looking head of hair fading from white to red. His toothy, easy grin, and the temporary smile lines imprinted on his cheeks from laughing so much tonight. The red markings that can be traced from his crinkled eyes, and the happiness behind those deep, crimson irises.

It feels like they're the only ones in the world tonight.

Xiao forces himself to tear his eyes away from Itto, looking down at the cards between them. He picks out the card he was interested in: the one with Itto on it.

"Take my Xingqiu card for it." Xiao says. Out of all his cards, he values that one the least, but it would probably be useful to Itto.

"Oh! It's my Event Card." Itto looks undeniably pleased, and then chuckles a bit with amusement. "But dude, you need three Character Cards to play, you know. Here, I have an extra of my Event Card anyways. Keep your Xingqiu."

Xiao frowns. "That's not fair."

"It's fine, it's fine," Itto replies, now sorting through all of his cards for duplicates, and handing them over. "Here, customize your deck, and let's battle again. Right here, right now!"

Itto pulls out the shiny Guardian's Oath card, and says, "And for this one… What about… joint custody? That's the term right? Shinobu says it all the time!"

"...We share it?"

"Exactamundo."

Exactly? "Keep it. You already gave me your other cards," Xiao says firmly.

"Fine! It's mine now, and I say joint custody," Itto insists.

"That's not how that works." Xiao's brow furrows.

"Yuh-huh. Yeah it is. Joint. Custody. We both won it together."

Xiao relents by turning to look through his new cards, and Itto knows he's won.

Itto grins, victorious, and adds, "I get to use it first, though."

Going along with it, Xiao nods. He feels warm, like flying.

Itto's boat leaves early this morning, so he's up again. This time though, there's no TCG meet up, so he's not very alert. His hair is still sticking up in strange angles, and there's some marks on his face from his sleep. Perhaps his pillow and sheets, or maybe from his hair.

Xiao wants to know. How does Itto sleep at night? How does he wake up? What is he like when he's by himself, doing nothing important? What does he do day to day back in Inazuma? These are questions he's never wondered about anyone else-- a desire to know, that of which he's never felt before.

Right now, Itto is zoning out, slowly eating his breakfast, quieter than usual. It's a sleepy, peaceful sort of silence that Xiao doesn't move to break. He picks up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks and moves to chew it, feeling its texture on his tongue.

The sun rises higher in the sky, and Itto wakes more and more with it. Eventually he's talking rapid fire again, and Xiao nods along, listening. He enjoys this too.

"So. Are you going to come see me off?" Itto asks, standing up and grabbing hold of his luggage.

Xiao remembers yesterday. He remembers leaping off of that rooftop with ease. He remembers just doing.

So he does.

He stands up, pushing his chair in, and moves to Itto's side.

Itto's responding smile is so much happier than Xiao has seen before.

And so Xiao finds himself doing the things he imagined. He walks along the road with Itto, like they are normal and not an Adeptus and an oni. They do not stop in places for long, because they are, in fact, an Adeptus and an oni, but that's okay. Xiao tells Itto about the paths they walk on, how the last time he'd seen them they'd been far less weathered.

When they're at Liyue Harbor, they take the back routes. And still, they do get strange looks, fearful looks. But Itto is forever unconcerned by it all, focusing on only Xiao. Xiao finds himself slowly doing the same, paying attention to nothing but their little bubble of feeling, closed off from the rest of the world. They look on at the shops from a distance as they make their way down to the docks; Xiao is somewhat surprised at how much has changed, now that he's taking the time to properly observe.

They have to wait for Itto's boat for a bit, so Itto pulls out his TCG board and asks, this time with no hesitation, "Wanna play? Let's have one last epic showdown before I have to go!"

Xiao plays with him, of course. He couldn't possibly refuse now. This time he gets to use the shiny Guardian's Oath card.

They don't quite finish their match, but Xiao spots Itto's boat approaching, so they start wrapping things up. Xiao was well on his way to winning, though as they're packing up, Itto insists he could've "made a comeback." By the time Itto is ready to head out, the boat has already docked.

"Give the shiny card back to me next time," Itto instructs him.

Xiao had forgotten. He's about to protest and pull out the card to give to Itto, but the oni says, "Now you have to play TCG with me again, since we're sharing the card and all that."

Oh. Xiao supposes so.

"Still. You should--"

"Keep it!" Itto cuts him off. And then the oni is snatching up his bags and leaving, and Xiao no longer has any choice at all in giving him his TCG card back.

Xiao lingers, unsure of why.

His heart did not feel this heavy each time Itto left before, here one day and gone the next, because he has never been here at the harbor to see him go. It was easier then, to forget and return to a routine without Itto derailing it. If he avoided Yanxiao's kitchen for a while, he would not be able to foolishly miss the absence of laughter and loudness.

Some time later, someone comes to unanchor the ship, and the crew starts preparing to leave for Inazuma. With them, Itto appears back on the deck, spotting Xiao and lighting up in the same way he did a couple days ago.

The boat starts drifting away, sail catching the wind. Itto smiles that same, sunshine smile and waves that same, willful wave.

Xiao's soul cannot settle on feeling like flying or feeling like falling. Perhaps he's somewhere in the middle, a muddled mix between the two-- like the ending of a year leading into the coming of a new one. But at least… he is undeniably warm.

"Bye Xiao!!!" Itto calls.

Xiao waves back, and he can hear Itto long after he cannot see him, his name being carried from Itto's lips on the wind.