(A/N: It's a lil half-assed, I wrote it at 2. It might have a part two though to make up for it <3 Stay hydrated and eat properly guysssss <333)
It was peaceful. The light humming of the wind, the soft grass beneath them and the clear azure sky above. Not a single monster in sight, having been cleared out by her beloved adeptus long ago.
She laid her head on his lap, her hair strewn across his thigh. And, archons, she's never laid on something more comfortable. It took a bit for the adeptus to be okay with this type of affection. He was willing to explore the sweetness of intimacy with her, softly confessing once that he liked being close to her to reassure her concerns. She thought that she was somehow making him feel forced to be affectionate. But no, he was simply a soft soul hidden behind a cold exterior.
He was pretty from every angle, she realised. Even with his chin tipped upwards, serenely drinking in the view of the sky. The breeze was soft as it embraced them, but she swore his featherlight caress was lighter. His gloved hand tenderly held the side of her face, his touch so gentle it was as if he were handling glasswork.
She smiled at the warm sight; his body relaxed in her presence.
"Xiao?" She gently calls and his chin tips downwards, honeyed eyes flickering to hers.
He was quiet, waiting for her to continue patiently.
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
He blinks at her question, seemingly caught off guard. After a long pause, he speaks with his voice low.
"...Yes?" He answers as if it were obvious. "You always ask the most absurd questions."
It was adorable. His straight face just barely tilted.
"I think it was a pretty important question, thank you very much." She chuckles, her tone playful.
He gives her the tiniest of smiles in return, the corners of his mouth curving just a little. But she caught it anyway.
It was endearing. Everything about this moment was so endearing. The pleasant sight of his rare smile, the sweet affections and the calmness.
"If the answer is important to you..." He begins, the words that he was trying to conjure felt foreign on his tongue yet so right to say. A whole new language that he wanted to learn. He glanced down at her.
How bewitching.
Of course, he'd learn it to make her smile, to make her happy. Even so, he wanted to say it to her. It just felt right to praise her, to admire her. Even if he was a little nervous inside.
"I have lived a very...long life. Yet, I have never encountered a blossoming beauty greater than yours."
His tone was sincere, his voice delicate like a daisy. His gaze was fulsome with raw adoration as he lightly threaded his gloved fingers through her hair. Knowing that she enjoyed the feeling.
"It astonishes me how a tainted being like I was capable of becoming the subject of your affection."