Work Text:
Kinich’s Chocomission- Theme is “Cupid” - Sleepycat2984 on AO3 - @OttersMeep on discord
The wind blows steadily over the cliffside, unrelenting yet somehow gentle at the same time. Kinich stares off into the distance, before the sound of familiar footsteps greets him.
“Hello Aether,” Kinich inquires “What brings you here today?”
“Mualani said that…” Aether blushes slightly, thanking the universe Kinich’s back is to him “she said that I would find a partner here- like a romantic thing…” He trails off, realizing how this must sound.
“Are you disappointed? Most people are” Kinich throws the words out as if they mean nothing despite his internal jumble of emotions.
“No… I am.. Happy?” Aether’s words tentatively land in Kinich’s ears. Kinich turns around, his mind wondering if Aether really means it. Aether walks up to him, still unsure of what he should do, before Kinich grabs his hand and gently tugs him down to watch the sun set together.
“Does that cloud look like anything to you?” Aether attempts to start a conversation, but Kinich can’t stop thinking that the cloud looks like his father’s face before he beat him, the lines as full of drunken anger as he was every night when he came home. Kinich turns back to Aether, an obviously fake smile plastered on his face “Yeah.. It looks kind of like a duck”
Kinich knows that Aether is going to leave now- this is when everyone does. They want to do something romantic and Kinich just can’t find someone who loves him because they only love his outward appearance and not his flaws or personality b–
Aether pulls Kinich into a hug “You know you don’t have to lie to make me happy” Kinich leans into his shoulder before he can say anything else, and the crying comes silently. Kinich doesn’t know if he’s managed to cry since his childhood and it’s all coming out now, all the years of abuse he suffered, all the isolation he endured, all the pressure he felt to be better or no one would care enough, all the scars on his wrists, none of it matters with Aether. He feels him pull his head down into his lap, Aether’s blonde hair a gentle touch on the edge of his face.
Kinich and Aether sit that way for a while, their silence as full as words would have been. The world seems perfectly made for them. But an illusion is still an illusion, even if a happy one, and no amount of hope can make it real. Aether’s journey hasn’t ended yet- and Kinich doesn’t want to get his heart broken by the one person who’s truly cared for him other than the elders of the tribe.
—
Kinich wakes up, his mouth watering at the smells from the kitchen. Mora meat? Whatever it is, it’s certainly not from Natlan. His eyelids heavy, he pulls himself out of bed before noticing something peculiar. He’s not in his home.
Kinich’s mind is racing again, trying to figure out what’s going on. Is he being trafficked… No, he has no identification tags on him. He sees a flash of gold in the kitchen. The traveler’s hair maybe? Whatever it is, he should go check on it- and the smell of spiced meat.
Walking into the kitchen warily, Kinich instantly recognizes Aether behind the counter frying patties for the Liyue pastry he loves so much.
“How did you know?” Kinich questions Aether, but it comes out more like an interrogation.
“You said you had it once and loved it” Aether responds, almost oblivious to Kinich’s tone
Kinich thinks back- He can’t remember much of what he said last night, and it all seemed like idle chatter in the moment– Did Aether really remember that offhandedly?
Either way, Kinich appreciates the gesture, as he sits down in the rather spacious kitchen and reaches to grab one from the plat–
Aether gently pushes Kinich’s hand away with a spatula
“Still hot, and I haven’t yet patted the oil off”
Not knowing quite what he should say, Kinich simply resigns himself to waiting on the bench until Aether finally lets him at the food, turning around to grab a plate for Kinich and finding his fingers already on the savory pastry when he turns around.
The food is entirely different than when Kinich last had it- he supposes the merchant had added Natlan flavors to make it more popular. Aether’s version has a lot more spice and the pastry is flour based instead of grain fruit, but Kinich still wolfs down every last bite. Everything about it is new and different, but maybe that’s what Kinich needs more of.