𝒜𝒻𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎 | Xiao x Reader

...𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚁𝚊𝚗 𝚃𝚘 𝙷𝚒𝚖

A/n: Some of the follow-up chapters will be kind of short since they're mostly here to move along the Xiao present-day plot, so sorry about that! Once it starts getting juicy though, they'll get longer.

Also sorry this is being posted so late today! My family and I got in a car accident (but are okay) and this was the first chance I got to upload (the chapter was pre written I just had to click publish).

..........

Xiao frowned as he closed the third book. Though he hadn't expected it to parallel your life again- given the chances of that happening three times were so low- it had ended up doing just that.

Not only had you run away from your home in Fontaine due to being accused of a crime you didn't commit, but you'd also acted and spoke the same way as the Adeptus' lover in the story, yet again. It had so many similarities to your third life that it was a little startling, and he quickly shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.

This had to be some sort of odd coincidence, right? He couldn't entertain the idea that an author was actually writing about you and him because that would have been impossible.

Before he could dwell on the matter any more though, there was a knock at his door. For a brief second, he was confused about why anyone would be knocking at this time of night. Then he noticed the feeling of warm sunlight on his back from the balcony window behind him and realized it was morning.

Not only that, but it was much later in the morning than he'd planned to read until. He'd just been so engrossed in the story once he realized it was just like yours that he hadn't even noticed how much time had passed.

"Shit." He cursed to himself, getting out of bed and heading over to the door as he clutched the book to his chest. It was most likely Verr Goldet; coming to tell him she'd noticed he stole her book. He was willing to own up to his actions, as embarrassing as it would be for an Adeptus like himself to admit that he'd stolen from a mortal.

With a sigh, Xiao opened the door carefully and was greeted with a tired-looking brunette, who had her hand up as if she had been preparing to knock again. When she saw him though, she smiled and lowered her hand as she cleared her throat.

"Good morning, Xiao!" She grinned, instantly noticing how tired he looked too. Clearly, he hadn't been getting much sleep recently. Though, she'd already suspected that was the case, considering how the light in his room seemed to stay on all night, every night these days.

Xiao rarely ever slept, but even so, he usually didn't tend to remain in his room at night either. She'd known something was up for weeks.

"Good morning." He greeted, nodding his head as he crossed his arms over the book he held in an attempt to hide it. "Do you need something?"

Her smile widened as she glanced at the object he currently held to his chest.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." She admitted carefully, "I know you took the book that was on my desk." Though her tone was calm and soft, the words made his eyes widen at the confirmation that he'd been caught. Of course she had noticed; how could she not have when he'd been so late to return it this morning?

So much for her never finding out what he'd done.

"I did." He replied, not even bothering to try and defend himself. After all, she'd definitely already seen it in his hands. "I apologize for taking what was yours, and I will not make excuses for-"

"Xiao." She interrupted, a smile still evident on her face. His muscles tensed from her stern tone, and he quickly held out the book for her, assuming she was rightfully mad at him.

"You may have it back," he continued quickly, pushing it into her arms, "I've already finished reading it. Rest assured, I will not take your property without permission again-"

"Xiao!" Verr called louder this time, making him stop mid sentence to meet her eyes with a guilty expression on his face. "It's alright."

Now that was something he hadn't expected her to say. She wasn't mad that he'd stollen from her?

"It is?" He asked, making her nod.

"Yes," she replied seriously, "I noticed you kept looking over at it during our meeting yesterday, but figured you didn't want to ask if you could read it. That's why I left it on the desk last night. I figured, if you were interested enough, you could take it yourself without needing to ask me."

Xiao paused for a moment, processing what she'd said. Was he really that obvious about his feelings?

"You left it out for me?" He repeated, earning a nod from the brown haired woman.

"Of course." She replied with a giggle, "I hadn't started reading it yet anyway, and I've heard it's a good story. I'm...Glad you found something like this that's of interest to you, Xiao."

He wasn't sure what to say. Not only had Verr Goldet read him like an open book, but she also wasn't upset that he'd taken what was hers without asking. In fact, she'd wanted him to? A part of him wondered if she had an ulterior motive here, but looking into her eyes, it didn't seem that way.

She genuinely wanted to help; he could tell.

"Thank you." He said finally, handing her the book, "But you can have it back anyway. It was wrong of me to take it, even if it was left out." She took it with a nod, tucking it into the bag that now hung from her shoulder.

Xiao was about to close the door again so he could get ready for the day ahead when she suddenly spoke up.

"Actually, there's more." Arching a brow, he opened the door again as she reached back into her bag. After rummaging around in its depths for a moment, she finally pulled out what looked like two more books tied together with a small pink string. "Here." She smiled, handing them over to the Adeptus, who awkwardly took them as he looked them over.

"If you're finished with this one already, I keep the first few of the series here at the inn for guests to read. I have the next two here, so you can read them next!" She explained proudly as his expression softened.

He hadn't expected ever find more of them, no matter how much he missed you, and yet she'd gone out of her way to make sure he could. They might not be the same, but it didn't even matter to him at this point.

"Thank you." He said softly, nodding at her again.

"Of course!" She explained with a grin, "I hope you like them, and let me know if you need anything else. You do a lot for Liyue, Xiao, so we want to help you too."

The yaksha nodded awkwardly, still unsure of how to respond to the kindness some mortals offered. Even if he'd known Verr Goldet her whole life, since her family had run the inn for several generations, he still wasn't totally sure how to properly interact with her.

"Thank you." He finally repeated, reaching out to close the door as she nodded happily. Once she was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that she hadn't been upset with him. He had thought she surely would have kicked him out of the inn for it, no matter how long he'd been living there.

Instead, the outcome had bene much more positive than he'd expected. He was thankful for her support and the books she brought, and as he went about his morning, he felt a little more positive.

Even with you gone, he was feeling more connected to you than he had in years, thanks to these stories. It meant the world to him in your absence, though he knew that was not your fault.

You likely couldn't control your own rebirth, and so he continued to wait patiently for your return.

Setting the books on the bedside table with the first two now, he put on his yaksha mask with a sigh. He would have to get to them once all his work for the day was done. As helpful as they were though, and as much peace as they made him feel, they could never match the warmth and happiness you always brought.

But until he saw you again, this series would have to do.