" the past, and the past only. "
27
- ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ -
[ third person ! ]
Birds chirped, and trees rustled in the wind. Currently, you were heading back to Liyue from Fontaine.. a few weeks ago, you decided to go to Fontaine, just for a change. Sure, you might've ran out of mora for a little while, and had to work for a bit at a workshop.. but it was still worth it.
The waterfall there was gorgeous.. you were even able to dive underwater. Somehow, you didn't drown.. somehow. Everything was so.. different there, compared to Liyue. The city of Fontaine was.. more advanced.
The huge waterfall there went on for miles.. it seemed like it never ran out of water. You even took a few photos of it.. you wanted to show Xiao all of them, maybe even give him some.
Still.. you didn't know if he would even care one bit. Normally, all he would care about was Almond tofu, and stuff... Why would he even care for a few pieces of paper anyways?
You were still going to try.. oh, the only reason why you decided to come back to Liyue a little earlier then you had planned, was because Lantern Rite was coming. It was always your favorite.. you enjoyed it.
Lanterns, booths, food, games, fireworks.. and romance. You were always such a fan of romance. Whenever you would adventure in Liyue, you always brought a few romance novels.. even if it weighed your backpack.
You even developed feelings for Xiao.. but why would he even like you at all? He probably liked that Lumine.. or whatever her name was called. You were jealous, but they both of them deserved it.
Why were you even thinking about this right now? You always have to stay on alert.. just in case a few monsters decided to randomly try and kill you. You weren't exactly that good with your vision yet.. let alone a weapon.
You were a sword user.. basic, but fitting. You weren't that great at wielding a sword either, though.. yes, you were a adventurer, but you were never quite fond in combat.
As you continued to walk, you suddenly heard.. robotic sounds coming from behind you. You were hesitant to look for a minute.. but curiosity got the best of you. You slowly took out your sword, as you looked behind you.
You were face to face with a ruin guard. You stared at it for a few seconds, before it hit you.. right in the face too. You immediately got up right after, and tried to slash it.. big fail.
You were only hit again, as you quickly landed on your feet. You immediately sent some.. blades, which were made out of anemo. Still.. it barley made a dent on the thing. You were screwed. Mega screwed.
Still, you didn't want to give up just yet. You continued to slash it, nonstop. At one point, you even tried to run away.. but the Ruin Guard only shot you with a few bullets.
You kept trying, over, and over, until you were severely injured. You couldn't do anything at that point.. you were weak. With tears running down your cheeks, you managed to quietly mumble something out.
"X-Xiao.."
Immediately, teal particles appeared in front of you, before a figure formed. It was Xiao. "You called?" He crossed his arms, before he quickly realized the situation you were in. You were injured.
Xiao quickly glanced at you, before he took his polearm out. He immediately began to quickly defeat the Ruin Guard. After a few seconds.. the Ruin Guard came falling to the ground, before it faded away. All there was left were pure red particles, before it completely disappeared.
"Hmph. Weak." He muttered, before turning to you. His eyes scanned your body, as he put his polearm away.
"Why didn't you call out my name sooner?" He bluntly asked. His eyes remained cold.. but you could notice a bit more warmth, and worry in his voice. He crossed his arms, per usual, as you quickly put your sword away.
"I.. thought I could handle it on my own.. guess I couldn't.." You awkwardly chuckled, scratching your head. Xiao stayed silent for a few seconds, before he came closer to you.
"How bad are your wounds?" He asked. You thought for a few seconds, not until Xiao's finger slightly brushed over a wound on your arm. You let out a quiet, painful groan. After, though, you tried to calm down, and pretend.. or something.
Your.. very convincing silent act made Xiao glare at you.
"It's obvious your badly injured. I'm going to take care of your wounds." Xiao took out my medkit from your bag, before he looked at all of your wounds. "Uhm.. t-thanks, Xiao.." You nervously mumbled.
He was close to you.. almost to close. You could even feel his hot breath on your body. Still, you tried to calm yourself down, as Xiao began to clean up your wound. He tried his best not to apply to much pressure, to make you feel even more pain.
You stayed silent, as Xiao finished cleaning your wound. He began to bandage it all up. Who knew Xiao was good at.. tending to a person's wound? Especially yours..
He also stayed silent, as he continued to bandage up your wound. Surprizing that a cold, and distant Adeptus could be so.. caring, or.. something. You could even feel your heart race, it was strange.. but not.
Once he finished, he stepped back a bit, as he looked back up at you. "Any other wounds?" He asked, bluntly. You shaked your head, as he gave you your medkit back. As you put it back in my bag, Xiao just.. continued to stay by your side. He wasn't leaving immediately.. which was unusual.
"... I'm going to accompany you. Where are you heading to?" He asked. "I'm just heading back to Liyue from Fontaine.." You replied. Xiao nodded, as he began to walk ahead.. he didn't even wait for you.
You followed, as you pulled out a few photos of the waterfall you took while you were in Fontaine. "Hey, Xiao.. you seen the huge waterfall in Fontaine, right?" You asked. He turned around, shaking his head.
You smiled, before you ran beside him. You showed him the photos you took of the waterfall.. the sun was perfectly reflected on the waterfall.. it was a sight to see.
"Well.. what do you think?" You smiled. Xiao looked at the photos only briefly, before looking away. You had expected this.. but still, it sort of hurt. "... I have already seen the waterfall of Fontaine." He crossed his arms, as his pace slightly slowed.
"Really?" You look up at him. He simple nodded, as it was completely quiet again. The two of you continued back to Liyue, as you could only hear birds chirping, and the distant cheering, and laughing.
You noticed lanterns already flying in the air.. it was like a sea of lanterns high, high above. Xiao simply brushed it off, as the two of you only continued to walk back. The cheers, and talking of people only got louder, and louder, as you, and Xiao coming closer to your destination.
You found yourself a bit more excited.. like you had mentioned before, Lantern Rite was always your favorite holiday to celebrate, with all the lanterns.. and stuff. Still.. Xiao never really participated.
"Hey, Xiao.. I was wondering.." you paused, while Xiao turned to face you. His expression was still distant, and cold, but it seemed as if he was curious on what you were going to ask him. "What?" He crossed his arms.
"Are you.. able to accompany me to.. Lantern Rite.. this year..?" You asked. Again, he stayed silent for a moment. It was like he was judging you.. "No." He said, bluntly. Right.. of course he can't go.. it's the holiday, and he's going to be busy fighting.
"Oh.. alright.. see you, then." You had managed a small smile, as you walked off. You also put the photos you had taken of the huge waterfall in Fontaine back in your backpack, as you made your way into the city.
Why were you so sad over this? Was it really because you fell for him? Either way.. you should just expect things not to go your way. It's not like you're in some kind of romantic fanfiction.. right..?
Nonetheless, you didn't want that to weigh on you. While you walked away, you swear you could feel Xiao's piercing gaze linger on you.. you turned back to face him, only for a second.
His eyes softened a little, as he looked to the ground. He was silent, as he seemed a little uncomfortable. He suddenly dissapeared, while only teal particles lingered on where he was a second ago. Those particles soon also faded, before you continued on my way to the festival.
There, you could see many people.. both normal, and vision bearers. You could even notice Lumine.. with Venti? Oh, right.. there were some rumors on where Lumine and Venti were in love.. but was that really true?
You could also notice many powerful people from many different nations around the world.. it seemed like Lantern Rite was gonna be crowded this year. On your left, you could see Ayato, and Ayaka. On your right, you could see Tighnari, and Cyno.
You could also notice many couples holding hands.. and smiling. You wanted that. You were jealous.. you were envious. However, that was just how life worked, you suppose.
To get rid of your obvious loneliness, you held the both of your hands together, while you began to walk around. From afar.. you could see.. some kind of performance happening?
You quickly ran over, and tried to listen in. On the stage, were.. Xinyan? And.. who was that other girl? She had brown hair.. in pigtails. She was also.. flat. You tilted your head in confusion, before you began to watch their performance.
Xinyan walked to the front, grinning. "I'm honored to be here on the Iridescence Tour stage!" She continued, while she brought a hand hovering over her chest. "Alright.. without further ado, i'm Xinyan, this is Hu Tao... and this is a li'l something called.."
She trailed off, playing her guitar. "The Blaze Lillies!" Both Xinyan, and Hu Tao said in sync. You couldn't help, but become a little excited. The crowds began to gather closer to the stage. To your side, you could even notice a.. tall blonde male.. who had sapphire - like colored eyes, who had a little blonde haired girl, who had her hair in pigtails holding his hand.
Beside the two, I could even see.. another person beside them? That person was also holding the males hand. Oh enough.. why were you even thinking about this, anyways? You don't even know any of them..
Xinyan starts, as she jumps in front. "I'm up here blazin' trail in the midnight sky, lightin' up the world below~" She continued. "And when the crowds all hear my voice, they'll meet the spirit of rock n' roll!"
Xinyan stopped, before stepped back a little. Hu Tao smiled, as she began. "Let's go! Hey you, butterfly, you too, buzzin' by. Guidin' your way to the afterlife. Openin' a path without a fright; oh!"
"I'll light the fire, watch it blaze, cross the universe. I'll split my rhymes, watch your step, Or you'll get burned!" Hu Tao giggled, while Xinyan played her guitar to end the song. Once they stopped, everyone cheered.
You also clapped. "That was the best!" The little blonde girl smiled, while both the blonde haired male, and the person beside them smiled. You, on the other hand, you just continued to walk around.
You still felt lonely.. you.. you just wanted to call Xiao, but he would be mad. You simply just.. continued to walk around. Suddenly, you took out the butterfly made out of leaves, which was given by Xiao.
He was so shy about it.. he even claimed it was suppose to be some sort of amulet to keep the evil away, or something.. but you knew better. He was a shy individual when it came to things such as that, really.
You saw people releasing lanterns.. while they floated in the sea of lanterns up above. It was always a beautiful sight to see, like you had mentioned one too many times already.
While you were walking around, you suddenly heard a.. loud explosion. You were quick to arrive to the scene, and saw.. that blonde haired little girl again.. along with another little purple haired girl. Was that.. Qiqi?
As you stood there dumbfounded, both the blonde haired male, and the other person ran to the scene, letting out a sigh. You didn't really want to stick around.. plus.. that little blonde haired girl had a bomb..
You began to walk away, continuing to think to yourself. Would you really want to look for Xiao? What if he was busy? What if he was mad for you interrupting? Thoughts such as those clouded your mind.
Still, you were one who was.. quite stubborn. You just.. began to run out the city, and to look for Xiao. After minutes, and minutes of running.. you heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Evil conqueroring!"
"Hmph!"
"Weak.."
It was Xiao.. it seemed like he just finished defeating a few other.. Hilichurls? Mitachurls? You weren't exactly so sure yourself..
As you slowly approached, Xiao looked toward you, as his mask dissapeared. He still had his polearm in his hand, before he made it dissapear. You looked at him, and for a moment., you felt your heart pound. Was it because you ran so much? Again, you weren't exactly sure..
"What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be celebrating Lantern Rite in the city?" He asked bluntly. You thought for a moment, before answering. "Well.. uhm.. I wanted to look for you."
"Why would you want to look for me?" He again asked.
"I.. sort of wanted to spend this year's Lantern Rite with you." You replied in a shy tone of voice. He sighed, before walking away. You just began to follow beside him, trying to read his expression.
Suddenly, the both of you two arrived at a cliff. It was quite high. Xiao just sat down on a rock, while you sat beside him. "Hey.. Xiao?" You asked. He replied with a "hm," turning to you.
"So.. am I allowed to.. spend this Lantern Rite.. with you..?"
He was silent for a few seconds, before he looked down at the ground. He simply nodded, while that just made your heart practically stop. He was always so adorable, you swear..
The both of you watched the lanterns in silent, before Xiao broke the silence. "... Y/N." He continued, while he finally looked up at you. "I have a question.." You slightly tilted your head to the side, curious.
"... It's.. weird. I don't know what I'm feeling right now.. I've.. never felt it." He mumbled. Again, you were still curious. "Well.. what're you feeling?" You asked. Xiao took in a long, deep breath, before turning away.
"When I'm with you.. I can feel my cheeks get hot. My heart beats quicker.. even if I haven't engaged in combat at all. I have this.. desire to stay by your side. Do.. you know what that is?"
You thought for a moment, before it all came together. He.. loved you? "Xiao.. I believe you're feeling.. love." Your voice trailed off. You could even your own cheeks heat up, as you blocked your face using your hand from his. It was too embarrassing.
"... Love?" He asked. He probably never felt that kind of love.. especially to a human like you. "Explain." He said, bluntly.. per usual.
"Love is.. a sometimes gentle, or sometimes intense human emotion, I guess.. you have this.. desire to feel affection, or tenderness from the person you love. You care about them quite a lot.. love can even make you can even sacrifice just around anything, only for that person. What.. I'm saying is..."
"... You put trust, and your love into the person, more then a normal person. You can truly care about them.. and make them feel happy. You.. love me."
Xiao stayed silent, as he tried to process all of that information. After a few moments, however.. you swear, you could see his cheeks blush intensely. "Xiao.. you.. do you really love me? Like.. actually?" You asked.
He stayed silent for a few more seconds, before looking up at you. His once cold, and distant expression turned.. shy, and embarrassed. "... Yes. Do.. you..?" His voice was now more softer. His voice even cracked; just a little.
"Xiao.. I.. love you too, you know?" I looked toward him, with a warm, and sincere smile on my face. Suddenly, Xiao softly placed a hand on your cheek, caressing it lightly. "You're special.. very... precious to me."
You took a moment to process it all. Xiao actually liked you.. loved you.. cared for you. Who knew such a.. cold, and distant adeptus could fall in love with a mere human such as you.
His amber eyes mixed in with the night sky, illuminated with lanterns. It casted a soft, orange glow onto the both of you two. The both of you stood in silent, while the only things you could hear were birds chirping, and the cheering closeby.
Suddenly, the sky was filled with explosions of colors. Xiao turned to look, while you did after. It was gorgeous.. truly, a sight to see. Couples in the city held eachothers hands, while you couldn't help, but do the same.
Your hand was carefully placed onto Xiao's, while he looked up at you with surprize. "W-what are you.. don't.. get so.. c-comfortable with the.. adepti.." He stuttered. Still, you continued to caress his palm with your thumb.
Xiao turned his hand around, locking it with yours. He was still silent, but deep inside, you knew he wanted to say so, so much to you. The fireworks continued, while both you, and Xiao held eachothers hands.
You looked at Xiao, while he looked up at you. His expression was now more.. softer, and warmer.
"Y/N?" Xiao asked. You slightly tilted your head in curiosity. "Can I.. what's that word.. when.. two people.. touch lips..?" He tried his hardest to explain, while your eyes lit up with excitement.
"That's called a kiss, silly."
"Then.. can I kiss you?"
In response, you softly drew him closer to you, pressing your lips against his. He definitely never experienced a kiss before, and honestly, you haven't either at all. Xiao was completely caught of guard, but he soon figured out what to do.
He kissed you back, softly. It was like.. only you, and Xiao were the only ones in the whole world. You could feel his hands shift to your waist, while yours shifted to the sides of his head, behind his ears.
After a few seconds, he pulled away. You could notice his face completely red.. it was quite new.
Xiao looked up at you, his eyes trailed all over you. He was breathing heavily. "Y/N.. I love you.. can you wake up?" Xiao said. You were.. extremely confused. Were you simply just dreaming again?
"Wake up..."
"Y/N?"
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
[ ur pov ! ]
"Y/N.. it's seven.. wake up." Slowly. I opened my eyes, only to meet Xiao. I was confused.. very, very confused..
"Y/N.. you fell asleep on my lap when you finished painting your tree prop.." Xiao let out a sigh, while my face suddenly turned beet red. I slept on.. Xiao's lap!? How did I even forget?!
"Huh?! S-since.. when.. did I fall asleep..?" My voice was more quiet, as you were extremely embarrassed. "A hour ago. You kept talking in your sleep." He said bluntly.
"Did.. did Ganyu see me.. sleeping on your lap..?" I again asked. Xiao thought for a moment, before shaking his head. I let out a sigh of relief, sitting up. "I.. can't believe I fell asleep on you again.. I just did that the other day.." I grumbled.
Xiao had a small smile appear on his face, while he put his work in progress costume for me to the side. "Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked. I thought for a moment, before looking outside.
It was dark.. very, very dark. Without the streetlights on.. it would be impossible to return home alone. "Yeah.. thanks." Xiao took my hand in his, before getting off his bed, and putting on his slippers. He lead me outside, and to the front door of his house.
Finally, the two of us began to walk back to my house. Honestly, I just found it adorable how Xiao always liked protecting me.. but.. what was that dream all about? It was nothing like my last dream.. but the atmosphere was simular to the one back in my.. past life..?
"Hey.. Xiao?" I asked. He turned to me, slightly tilting his head to the side in curiosity. "Can.. I tell you about the dream I had? It's.. something to talk about while you walk me home." Xiao simply nodded, letting me continue.
"So.. from what I remember.. I was returning from.. Fontaine, the city of Justice. And.. Liyue was having.. Lantern Rite. Then.. I suddenly got attacked by.. a ruin guard? Then.. you.. well.. Adeptus Xiao came to my rescue."
"After.. you bandaged me up.. and walked me back to Liyue Harbor."
"When we arrived.. you left, so I went around the festival for a little. But.. then I.. went looking for you. I thin, it took me awhile.. but once I found you, I asked you if.. you wanted to accompany me for Lantern Rite."
"Then.. you brought me to a cliff, to watch the lanterns. Then.. you.. confessed.. and.. we.. k-kissed." I said that last part much more quiet, more hushed.. it was quite.. embarrassing.
Suddenly, with no warning, Xiao looked over at me, before planting a gentle kiss on my cheek. I was surprized, as I stood still. "I.. couldn't help it." Xiao replied, crossing his arms. Apparently, he knew what I was going to say.. I suppose that's sort of normal for a couple, right?
"I-I.. see.." I stuttered, before quickly calming myself down. "Xiao.. I-I.. love you!"
"..."
"I.. love you too, Y/N."
— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —
A/N
HELP ME I ACCIDENTALLY PUBLISHED THIS CHAPTER WHEN I WAS STILL WRITING IT
anyways I'm legit so sorry for being gone for so long (atleast to me, it felt like forever)
I still don't have enough motivation, so expect slow updates for awhile
Have a good day, or night my little angels ! <3 ( or devils )
word count - 3830 words !