𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 | Xiao x Reader

12

You didn't know how much time had passed as Xiao held you, letting you cry into him without so much as a complaint. It felt like hours, but realistically, it was probably only about fifteen minutes. Either way, it didn't seem to matter to him.

Eventually though, you decided you needed to pull yourself together. You didn't have forever, and you still wanted to visit your home village while you had the chance. So, you forced yourself to take some deep breathes.

Xiao must have noticed, because he matched his breathing with yours, inhaling deeply and exhaling. Somehow, it calmed you down enough to finally stop crying, and you pulled away from him, ignoring the obvious loss of his warmth as you did so. You wiped your eyes, finally drying the last of your tears and returning to normal- or as normal as you could be at this point.

"Thanks." You whispered to the Adeptus, so quiet that you wondered if he even heard it. He nodded, confirming that he had as he glanced away, eyes landing on the nearby river in an effort not to look at you. He didn't want to admit it, but his cheeks were feeling abnormally warm since he'd held you, and he was glad it wasn't light out enough for you to notice, because they were probably pink.

It was just because he wasn't used to human affection, he insisted to himself. That's why it had affected him so much. He spoke up in an effort to distract you both from the awkward situation.

"Are you ready to return to the inn now?" He asked softly, already knowing what your answer would be. As expected, you shook your head.

"No," you whispered, "I was actually hoping to visit somewhere, while I am in Liyue." You didn't meet his eyes, afraid he might make some remark about you actually wanting to see somewhere in his home nation, but luckily, he didn't. Instead, he just nodded in understanding.

"Alright," he replied, "Then I will accompany you." Truth be told, he was very curious about the place you wanted to visit. Where could be so important that it brought you out here in the middle of the night, tear stricken and everything, and yet you still wanted to see it?

He had his guesses, but didn't dare say them outload, afraid it might be cruel to press you for details at this point. You began walking again, and as always, he followed close behind.

Though, this time, you found yourself not minding so much. Xiao's presence wasn't bothering you, so you didn't comment. In fact, it was even a little....Comforting? How about that?

You'd never expected to feel comfort while around Xiao, and yet here you were. Still, you weren't about to take it for granted, either. It was a nice feeling. It was probably just because it was late at night, and you were tired, but even so, you let it happen.

Even if it meant he would continue to get on your nerves come morning.

"I could just teleport us there," He suggested, pulling you from your thoughts.

"You can do that?" You responded. You'd seen him teleport himself plenty of times before, but had never considered that he might have the ability to bring others along for the ride.

"Of course," he replied, "You just need to hold onto me and tell me where you want to go, and I'll take us there instantly." He stopped, putting a hand out for you to take as a way of providing physical contact for the teleportation. You paused and considered the offer for a moment.

It would be more convenient, you had to admit. But as you looked at the path ahead, you knew you couldn't go home any other way. There were too many memories here, and it would feel wrong, especially since this was really your only way of honoring your past life, back before the fatui.

Finally, you shook your head.

"No, thanks." You sighed, turning back to the road. "I think I'd rather walk this path home, just one more time." You kept moving, and he followed, not pushing you any further, even if it would have cut your travel time down to none.