❝ Wait! I, um... these are for you. ❞
━ SETTINGS. gender neutral reader. fluff.
━ SYNOPSIS. in which xiao wants to give you a gift!
━ NOW PLAYING. ily (i love you baby) ; surf mesa
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AUTHOR'S NOTE. okay so y'all know on xiao's birthday (april 17th) you got a letter or something from him? where you get a bunch of crystalflies and xiao is like "I do not care for celebrations, and i do not wish to be around large groups of people. to be able to spend some time with you is enough" or something? well this is kinda based off that.
PETALS FLOATED ALONG ON A GUST OF WIND, the light breeze winding through your hair, You sighed, looking out at the sky above. You were sitting on the edge of Qingyun Peak's floating platform, near the statue of the Lord of Geo.
Swinging your legs over the edge of the platform, you stared up at the sky, thinking. Of one particular teal-haired Guardian Yaksha.
His topaz eyes, his serious but gentle stare, the way he always said he did not care a bit for you, but you knew he harbored his feelings for you.
"Xiao..."
There was a slight gust of wind, and suddenly the adeptus appeared before you, a slight look of concern in his eyes. "You summoned me, Y/N?"
You jumped up, blushing, hands waving in front of your face. "Xiao! Oh, sorry... I was thinking about you and I guess I must have said your name out loud.... you can go do your 'conqueror of demons' stuff or whatever... I won't bother you! I'm sorry!" You turned away, starting to head back toward Liyue.
❝ Wait! I, um... these are for you ❞
You looked up to find Xiao standing over you, hand outstretched. In his palm was a small handful of beautiful glowing crystalflies.
"There was nothing for me to do today," he started quietly. "So I decided to find a crystalfly for you- to put in your hair. I thought that... it would look nice."
You blushed, taking the crystalflies from his hands as he continued, "Soon I had caught more than I had expected. So I gift these to you. I hope you like them, Y/N."
"I... these are beautiful! Thank you, Xiao."
"No, I should be thanking you." Your heart ka-thumped as you looked up into the male's golden eyes. "I do not care for birthdays and celebrations, and I do not wish to be around large groups of people. But... to be able to spend time with you is enough."
You stared at him, mystified, before throwing your arms around his neck. "Aw, I love you too, Xiao!"
He backed away, face flushed as he said, "W-what are you saying?! I do not care for you one bit! Do not say such nonsense!" And yet, you knew he was lying. Xiao did care for you, at least to some extent. Though cold to others, he was always gentle toward you, concerned for your safety and well-being. You were the first mortal that he truly had feelings for.
"Oh! I know!" Holding the crystalflies in your hands, you turned around and gestured to your hair. "Um... would you mind...?"
Xiao looked like he did in fact mind, but didn't say anything as he nodded, his face bright red. He sat down on the grass next to you and gently began weaving the crystalflies into your hair. Your face flushed as his fingers brushed your cheek, but stayed silent as you pulled your knees to your chest.
Several minutes later Xiao leaned back. "There, it's finished." he said quietly. "I don't have a mirror but-"
"Oh that's not a problem!" You quickly summoned a small puddle of water with your catalyst to peer into.
A/N: For this Y/N is a Hydro Catalyst user
"Ohhhh," you breathed, seeing your reflection in the mirror. Xiao had done your hair so the crystalflies formed a sort of crown on the top of your head, framing your face. "Xiao.... this is beautiful. Thank you."
Xiao blushed. "It's nothing, really. Just repaying the kindness that you showed for me."
You frowned. "...what do you mean?"
He sighed and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Look, Y/N. In the thousands of years that I've been in this world, you're the only person who has actually cared about me. Helped me, protected me, look after me. And I'm truly grateful for that, Y/N. You... you remind of someone from my past."
You sucked in a breath. Ganyu had told you that Xiao used to have an old beloved, but you'd never heard him mention it until now. "Xiao..."
"I... I can't believe I'm saying this but..." he looked up at you, his golden eyes filled with pain and a gleam of hope. "I- I love you, Y/N. You're the only person I actually feel safe with. The only person I would do anything to protect.
"I love your smile, your kindness. I love everything about you, Y/N. So please, will you stay with me for just a little longer?" Tears filled his eyes as he reached out a hand to cup your cheek.
You didn't answer him. Instead, you leaned forward and pressed your lips against his. He stiffened, then melted into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you leaned in close, running your fingers through his soft green hair.
After what seemed like forever you finally pulled away, gasping for air. You smiled as he pulled you toward him and held you close, stroking his fingers through your hair. "Of course I'll stay with you, Xiao. I love you too."
AUTHOR'S NOTE. hi! so uh sorry this took a REALLY REALLY long time to write, but it's finally done! I really hope y'all enjoyed it <3
sorry if it seems a little bit rushed, i wanted to get this done ASAP so it might not be that good, but feel free to give me your feedback! did you like it? what would you want me to change in a future one-shot? on a scale of 1-10 how would you rate this?
i may rewrite this, as it was a bit rushed and i didn't think i got the wording right...?
anyways, hope you guys liked it, see you in the next one! love y'all.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING STARS OF TEYVAT !