𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙵𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚝 | ✦ Hu Tao x Male!Reader

21. 𝙵𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕.

- Why does... it bother me in such a way...? -

Y/N woke up to the sounds of sleeping, opening his eyes, he was met by an unfamiliar ceiling. Waking up, he looks around, being able to see Hu Tao sleeping on a chair next to the bed where he had been laying on.

The place reminded him of Bubu Pharmacy, as such he assumed they had been treating his injuries.

"..."

His expression was filled with pain as a terrible headache began to bother him.

- ... It's not like we were the closest. Or that we knew each other for that long. -

He looked down at his hands, a few scratches were now scars as he looked out the window, the bright sunlight entering the room from it.

- So why was it hurting so much? -

"...Ghh... Hmm...? Y/N...?" Hu Tao grumbled as she was waking up, opening her eyes as she had been sleeping while sitting down in an unconfortable manner.

"... Where is Jinhua?"

He asked. He knew the answer, of course. Yet he couldn't help but want to have hope that his beliefs were mistaken.

- Was it because we were the same? -

The feeling of dread stuck to his mind. He felt like he could vomit at any second.

"... She passed away." Hu Tao stood in silence for a moment, right before speaking the events of the aftermath of the battle against Diamond.

It was the truth, yet it hurt so much.

- Or was it because I could've saved her? -

"...Liyue has overcome the attack from the Fatui. The Adepti and the Qixing have made peace." She continued, as Y/N had a dark stare while looking down.

"...No one else died...?" He asked, while averting her gaze, small tears forming on the corner of his eyes, yet he couldn't let them fall. He had to be strong, as he had more things to do. Just like she said.

"...No one else died, everyone's lives were protected." She said, as Y/N was still laying in his bed, now further hiding behind his blankets as he only kept his head outside, and now hiding his expressions as he faced the wall.

- It's... It's not fair... -

"I've prepared... her funeral, Y/N." She said, as Y/N had been hiding the tears which fell from his eyes, facing away from Hu Tao, who wasn't able to see his expressions or his face, yet she knew what he was going through.

- It's not fair! -

She placed a hand on his head, carressing his hair, however he pushed her away, right before he realizes what he did. "I-I'm sorry...I... I can't do this...! I...!" He began sobbing as his tears ran through his face, eventually falling and drenching the blanket he was using.

"It's okay, here." Hu Tao said calmly as she pulled him in for a hug, patting his back, allowing him to cry on her shoulder, which he did for a silent and long moment.

"I-I-It's not fair! She...! She was the one who deserved to live the most out of everyone there! Why?! Why was she the one who died!? I-I...! I wasn't able to... I wasn't able to do anything!" He yelled, as tears fell from his face, the sinking feeling of guilt and dread stuck in his stomach.

"I...! I should've...! I should've protected her... I...!" He said, however he couldn't lie to himself. He was barely able to keep himself alive, hence it's simply a lie to say he could've done more than that.

"If I... If I had pulled her away from him... If I was the one who held him in place...!" He said, as he hid his face with his hands.

Hu Tao simply let him yell out as he cried away, carressing his head.