Really wrote another Xiao one, maybe it'll be Scaramouche next. A little bit of degradation sounds real great :D
Slowly getting the hang of writing again
It gets a lil spicy towards the end, but nothing extreme
(🍊 I apologise I am not delivering a full course meal-)
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You had begun to live permanently in Liyue around three months ago, and you still struggled to find consistency in any routines or structures. There didn't seem to be enough time to do everything you wanted and there were too many confounding factors that interrupted any schedules you had managed to scrape together. Unfortunately, there was a certain stigma to the blatant chaos of your life and it followed you no matter what. In a land where contracts, law and order were keys to success, your disorganised self was an anomaly. If you were simply passing through as a visitor or traveller, there would not be a single tinge of shame tailing your physical and psychological mannerisms. That was not the case though. Even if no one in a crowd knew, you still felt as if their brief glances your way were for some reason, and definitely not anything positive.
However, there was one singular thing that had integrated itself into your weeks. Many dreaded waking up to a new week, early in the morning. You had felt the same before - sleeping in was a temptation that had lingered around often, poking at your consciousness with its guilty fingers. Despite this, you started to thoroughly enjoy those days. Today was such a day.
As usual, you wandered towards stone ruins just a distance from the famed Wangshu Inn. The small area of ruins was likely a sort of watch tower, though you couldn't exactly figure it out due to how the upper half had crumbled down. What remained was buried within a vibrant green canopy, with just a hint of the giant stone bricks peeking above the curtains of leaves, barely visible from the highest point of Wangshu Inn. You only knew this information from a certain someone who often surveyed the landscape.
As you neared the ruins, and the scrunching of gravel took over the rustle of dewy grass, you spotted that certain someone, as usual. The figure leaned against one of the remaining walls, likely with his eyes shut, simply listening to his surroundings, and blocking out his thoughts. The sunlight painted him as a simple silhouette, but you could recognise him nevertheless. Xiao. You paused briefly as a mellow wind tinkled past, watching as it tousled his hair gently, slightly changing the course of the sort rays of light illuminating him. At that moment, he defined the mesmerising descriptions of adepti from old literature. He shuffled to a different foot, causing melodic jingles from his various accessories. The subtle sound was enough to bring your attention back to moving towards him.
You sped up your pace, aware that he had probably been waiting there for a while. You knew he didn't mind, as he made it quite obvious that he was more concerned than upset when you arrived even a second late. After all, he was someone who stuck to routines, and took danger as the primary reasoning for deviations. As you continued to walk at a faster pace, the ground below started to gradate into large chunks of stone, which required you to hop slightly between each one. It felt wrong to clear a path through the natural disintegration. Though, it was probably the reason for your downfall at that moment - literally.
As you hopped towards your next stone, it wobbled unusually, tipping back and forth. You cursed, arms reached out in an attempt to balance yourself. Your efforts were in vain as you felt yourself begin to lean backwards. As you watched the world fall by, almost as if it was in slow motion, you mentally prepared for a wave of pain, eyes shut tightly. Your heart was thunderous. Your breaths seemed to be denying themselves. You were falling.
The fall never came, however. Instead, you found yourself in front of the ruins, torso held by two arms. You didn't dare to look at the person behind you. You steadied your breath, listened to your heart beat return to its original state, and felt the warm aura that encased you. You could feel the figure breathing in and out, a quietness only possible by someone living in permanent risk. You were sure, you could sense the ghost movement of his heart beat against your back. Most certainly, you could feel a soft breath teasing the back of your neck.
Even more, you felt the rumbling of his chest, when he muttered quietly in your ear. "Idiot." The vibrations of his voice tickled your skin. A brief moment passed, where the two of you remained intertwined, before he cleared his throat and stepped back, stating softly, "I was worried." His head was turned away from you, and his voice felt even quieter.
"I know," you said after you had turned to face him, giving him what you hoped to be a reassuring look. "I'm sorry for making you worry - and...thanks for uh-" you trailed off, as his head snapped to look at you, locking his eyes with yours. He wore multiple expressions: confusion, concern, a frown, intrigue.
Suddenly, he shook his head, and immediately his expression returned to an impartial one. "There's no need to apologise. And I'm simply following what I exist for."
"Doesn't that ever get tiring?" you asked, leaning against the wall behind you for the sake of standing more comfortably. "I'm sure you have things you want to do, and personal needs."
He tilted his head in thought, before saying, "You're one to talk, with such a disorganised cycle of daily life."
You opened your mouth to defend yourself, but caught the slightest smirk, and the subtle glint in his rich honey eyes. He was teasing you. He, who was an adeptus, and someone whose interest was rarely, if ever, captured. He did not partake in unnecessary conversation, and definitely not any form of humour, as dry as it was. You were too flabbergasted to respond, his change of temperament was odd, to say the least. He stepped forwards, and you swallowed, a sudden bout of nerves rushing over you in waterfalls. It was as if your entire ability to function had been locked behind concrete walls in your mind, leaving you defenceless. It was unusual. You had been aware of how you perceived him, but it had never interfered with your ability to do anything.
He took another step forward, and you could not look away. It was unusual. He always kept his distance. Always. But here you were, staring right at him as he walked towards you, drawn to his eyes, a golden hue underlaid by something unfamiliar - the way it glimmered, reminded you of black opal. There was a depth there you had not seen before, and it was torching your face with cherry blossoms. Your heart flickered, and as if a switch of realisation and shyness flipped, you looked down at the ground, unable to render his presence in your consciousness. It was strange. This was not usual. Unfamiliar scenarios were the norm for you, yet you felt lost as to what to do. The unknown, felt even greater than anything you had felt before. Clouds clouded your mind infinitely, rivers of lava twisted through your stomach, and your sense of self had crumbled away, only to be swept away by pouring rain before you could pick it back up.
You avoided looking at him, even as his steps became audible to you, even as the sounds of gravel moved closer. And closer. And closer. And then stopped. You felt fingers gently caress your chin, a feeling so vivid it was as if flames were being held against your skin. You didn't resist as your head was turned, and you were met with the very eyes you had tried to evade - golden, rich, and captivating. As much as your heart seemed to want to explode, and as much as your thoughts raced with one thought - him, you felt comfort in his stare.
Even as he stepped even closer, even as you felt yourself backed even further against the wall, your self awareness was still washed over by comfort. It felt right, for him to be close, for the tickle of his breathing to stir stray hairs, for his lips to brush against your ear, and for his warmth to devour you completely.
"May I kiss you," he whispered into your ear softly, almost as if he feared you would evaporate if he spoke any louder. You feared the same, as your heart melted before you, and your headspace disintegrated to allow room for only him.
Within an instant of your nod, his lips fell onto yours. Your exclamation of surprise was muffled by his mouth, as you were pressed against the wall, and the coldness of stone slowly dissipated. All you could focus on was him. Him, him, him. Xiao - his sweet presence, his soft hair brushing against your face, his soothing scent, his hand tangled in your hair, his hand on your waist. The coldness of the morning had been reduced to nothing. The ruins were no longer there. The environment was dead silent. Your heart was racing, but it felt slower than ever. Your nervousness dissolved immediately at his touch. There was only him.
It was overly jarring when he pulled away, and everything rushed to your senses all at once. The world resumed as normal. You swore you could feel your blood move again, as if it had stilled. You were sure you would stumble to the floor if not for his grasp on your waist. He had a small smile on his face, and a look of contemplation. He did not move away. You didn't move away. You didn't dare to breathe, for fear that this was a dream and you would wake up suddenly.
"I thought I could be impulsive for once," he finally said, eyes flickering down to your lips before latching on to your gaze.
You nodded in response, words stuck in your throat. For a moment, you wondered if he just wanted to prove you wrong, if all those emotions were just a figment you had imagined, and if the world had actually felt the same for him. Perhaps it was one sided. He seemed to notice that your expression of wonder had dropped, and confusion crossed his facial features. He let out a brief sigh, and dropped his arms from your waist. A cold chill rushed over your body, and you instinctively wrapped your own arms against your torso, feeling goosebumps flow over your skin, as if taunting your sudden feeling of isolation. You looked around for an exit, suffocating in shame.
That is, until you heard Xiao's voice again, sturdy and commanding. "Look at me."
You immediately met his eyes again, noticing how they seemed to surge with elements of uncertainty and, unexpectedly, desperation. He searched your gaze, concern etched in his face. You weren't sure what you were waiting for.
Though, you were certain of four things.
For when his arm lifted to rest above your head against the wall behind, to shield you away from the world
nothing else mattered;
And when you felt his body flush against your own, starting a heat within, sealing you in his space
you were his.
And when his lips were pushed soft against your own, claiming them as his:
he was yours.
Most definitely, you weren't sure what you had doubted in the first place.
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🍊(Chefs kiss.)