𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙮 | 𝘹𝘪𝘢𝘰

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

★ 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰 ★

Sitting on the railing of the balcony at Wangshu Inn with Y/n was something I didn't think I'd enjoy experiencing. I didn't believe I'd enjoy doing any of the things I did with her, but she was... Different, in a way I couldn't quite place. She made me feel things no one else could. It was almost like I was normal. Normally, I'd never agree to doing such useless activities like playing with snow, but Y/n managed to make me give in with ease. It was baffling.

I noticed how the colors of the sunset shined in her eyes, helping me realize how beautiful her eyes really were. I looked back at the sunset. It reminded me of her, with all the warm, comforting colors painted in the sky.

"I think I can understand why you like sunsets so much now..."

Y/n looked at me, stirring up a familiar feeling in my chest, "I'm glad. It's nice... To see so many dreamlike colors come together to form such art."

I met her gaze as I thought of how strange it was that one moment, she could act so childish, yet the next moment, her words seemed like art as they left her mouth in her smooth voice. I couldn't bring myself to look away from her eyes. I could feel myself slowly getting lost in them. There was that feeling again. I wanted to be closer to her. I only realized the feeling had gotten out of hand when I noticed how close I was to her all of a sudden. Every time she exhaled, I could feel the air hit my face ever so gently. I couldn't help but look down at her lips for just a split second, a thought coming to mind that I immediately pushed away. It wasn't right, but I couldn't seem to get it out of my head.

I wonder what her lips would feel like...

"I should go. There are things I need to take care of."

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

I destroyed the hilichurl camp quickly, trying to distract myself from Y/n. I'd gotten too close to her, and I knew she'd just end up hurt if she continued being around me. I couldn't let that happen.

"I haven't felt any pain at all when around you. All you've given me is happiness so far."

She was clueless. She said that, but she had no idea what she was getting herself into. All I did was hurt people, and getting close to her would give me pain as well. I'd have to watch her die. I guess I was too caught up with the feeling I got whenever I was around her. 

I continued looking for more enemies, defeating all of them with ease. My emotions got the better of me, and they ended up taking over. Even so, I had to admit, the time I spent with Y/n gave me the best memories throughout my entire life. Her presence made the voices quieter, almost nonexistent. 

I returned to the Wangshu Inn after a few hours, once I was sure Y/n would be asleep. I carefully entered my room through the window, making sure no noise could cause her to wake up. I slowly approached the bed, where she laid on her side. She seemed troubled, even in her sleep. Leaving out of nowhere like that seemed to cause her pain. I knew she cared about me, but it would still be better if I wasn't in her life. Things would be easier for her that way. I crouched down beside the bed, looking directly at her face.

"Xiao...? Are you... Okay...?" She whispered with half lidded eyes, reaching out and poking my cheek, as if she was checking to make sure I was real. I flinched, a bit startled since I didn't expect her to be awake.

"...You shouldn't be around me anymore," I stated.

"...Xiao..." She mumbled, tears residing in her eyes. "Please stay with me... For tonight...?"

"I can't-" I began, standing up.

She grabbed my hand, holding me back, "We can talk about it in the morning... But please..."

Why was it so difficult to say no to her? Maybe it was because I wanted a reason to stay with her.

"Fine."

I sat down beside the bed, letting her hold my hand.

"Thank you..." She mumbled, her voice cracking up.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

In the morning, Y/n opened her eyes and immediately looked over to where I was, probably making sure I was still there. She let out a breath of relief at my presence and didn't even bother to hide it.

"Now can we talk?" She requested.

I glanced at the floor, not sure how to respond, "...Yes."

"Why were you saying that last night?" She asked. "Why shouldn't I be around you?"

"Because, if you keep spending your time with me," I started. "All that awaits you is regret."

"Xiao, you've said things like that before and you still agreed to be friends with me," she pointed out. "Why is this happening again?"

"We've gotten too close," I stated. "The closer we get, the more pain you'll feel."

"Xiao, I can tell you with 100% confidence that if you leave me right now, I'll feel more pain than you could ever bring me, even if we spent our entire lives together."

My eyes widened at the claim. Half of me couldn't believe it, but the other half knew she was telling the truth. Her gaze was honest and real. It was so real that I couldn't bring myself to say she was wrong.

"How can you be so sure about that?" I queried.

"You're the most important person in my life right now," she replied. "I'm aware we've only known each other for a month, but I have no one else. You mean a lot to me."

I was left speechless by that. She seemed so certain that me leaving would cause immense damage.

"My damage hasn't really been fixed yet, hah-"

"...You mean a lot to me... Too..."