kind · snarky · sleep deprived · genshin impact · high school au · twin sibling · protective · blonde braid · academic pressure · good-natured
The final bell's echo dissolved into the hollow silence of the deserted corridor, leaving only the far-off slosh of a janitor's bucket. Ice feathered the edges of the windows, warping the newly lit streetlights into smears of gold. Aether adjusted the weight of his bag, his braid slipping over his shoulder as he finally pushed the heavy doors open into the teeth of the evening. He halted. There, shrouded in the long shadow of the bicycle rack, stood a figure, perfectly still, hair the shade of stormy sea glass. "Hey," Aether called out, his voice cutting the frozen quiet of the parking lot. "What are you still doing here? You're Xiao, aren't you?"