EDITEDDDDDD AND REWRITTEN ISH
NOTE: DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE
This one is for a mature audience, so proceed with caution.
Also watch the quality of my writing go downhill because I'm sleepy x)
Maybe I'll fix the confusing plot someday - unedited also.
she/her pronouns used
"Y/N," someone whispered beside you, stirring you from your sleep. You felt a tug at your exposed sleeve and groaned, pulling your sheets over you tighter. The voice repeated "Y/N!"
You pushed yourself up at the urgency in the voice and looked to your side, where a little girl peeped her head over the edge of the mattress. You blinked a few times, recovering from your lethargic state. The room was stained with navy blue light, moonlight gentle and temperature tepid. Your vision had cleared enough to recognise the figure standing at your side. Her innocent caramel eyes and hair looked up at you in a begging manner. She was no doubt the daughter of the inn owners.
"What's up?" you asked softly, resting a hand on her head.
She gulped and looked to the door of the room. "There was a man walking inside but he didn't check in. I haven't seen him and Wei hasn't either."
You tilted your head. "Wei?"
"My mum's cat. You call him the Boss Lady's cat," she clarified, the black and white feline popping up from her arms.
"Yes I know," you chuckled. "But you said that Wei hasn't seen him-"
"Wei is a special cat," she interrupted.
A sudden crash in the hallway made the both of you go silent and you watched her clutch Wei closer to her chest. Making up your mind, you ordered her to stay in your room while you went to see who was there. She didn't hesitate, nodding and throwing herself under the quilts in anxiety.
"Please be safe," she whispered.
You gave her a reassuring smile and left the room, closing the door behind you. It with a resonating click, that brought you into the darkness of the hallway. You let out a sigh, exhausted and feeling faint. You had planned to just leave briefly and return to let the girl know there was nothing, but something was telling you that there was something wrong.
You weren't exactly afraid of the dark, but you weren't on great terms with it. You crossed your arms in a protective manner, creeping along the hallway and down the stairs to reception. It was then you noticed that the lights were off. Wangshu Inn had always left the night lights on in the main rooms so that visitors could locate things easily when needed. It was in fact peculiar.
Your heart started to beat a little faster, as you remembered the fear on the girl's face. You started to think of the worst. Had someone been killed? Was the Wangshu Inn going to be set on fire? Stupid, stupid questions were all you had in your mind. And as you wandered down to the kitchen, you were so stuck in the made up scenarios in your head that when a hand grabbed you and pinned you on a wall, you didn't have time to react.
You winced as your back hit the wooden walls and a hand roughly covered your mouth. A man stared at you intensely, wide red eyes and mouth salivating. This was the effect of an overdose of a new drug made from frogs and cecilia powder. You could smell the foulness from his breath as he breathed heavily. You tried to move but your body wouldn't do anything. Your muscles had shut down and all you could do was stare back in shock.
He snarled. "You dare make a noise and I'll cut those pretty little fingers of yours off."
You briefly looked down, to see the glint of a knife close by his side. He wasn't bluffing and you knew that. The way his red eyes appeared crazed and the blood from his aggressive grin. He slowly removed his hand from your mouth and replaced it with the knife.
"I won't remind you again," he threatened. "Do anything and I won't hesitate."
His grip on your left arm was removed as he dropped the knife into his pocket and stepped back from you. You felt the clean air and dropped to the floor in relief, knees weak and mind foggy. Your instincts told you to run and shout and look for help but your body wouldn't follow those actions. The world seemed to go by in a delayed manner and you wondered if the drug was contagious. A sudden tug of your arm brought you up and the man traced your chin with his finger.
"Oh, so you're the girl," he suddenly said with a cackle. "Your parents miss you very much and sent me to collect you."
It was then you saw the glint of yellow in the dark. Suddenly you felt an air of clarity and your eyes focused on that spot. It was then you remembered the Adeptus you had left Qingxin flowers for everyday. The Adeptus who had told you he loved them more than almond tofu but quickly said otherwise. The Adeptus who had given you a flower crown from those flowers, frozen in time by anemo.
" Xiao," you mumbled weakly.
The man tightened his grip on your arm, pulling you forward violently. "What did you say?"
You didn't respond, causing his eyes to flare in anger. He pushed you back and reached for his knife in his pocket.
As you stumbled down, you closed your eyes and waited and waited to be met with solid ground. Only, a breeze of air filtered over your body and you landed softly into the arms of someone you knew so well. The way he held you was a stark contrast. His arms wrapped around your torso gently, embracing you in familiarity. He held you as if you would shatter in his prescene.
You looked up at him and saw the ways his eyes were slanted and his face grim. His golden eyes blazed, glowing and shining with pure hatred. You turned your body to face him, resting your face in his chest, breathing his scent in. He was fresh, like the touch of a waterfall hitting the surface of water. His arms tightened around you as your breathing relaxed. Your mind was begging for sleep and so your eyes shut.
That was one of the last memories you had. You saw the anemo from his hand spiralling out towards what you assumed was the man. You heard boxes falling as someone stumbled to run. And you heard the surprised yelp as someone fell to the floor.
"Don't touch what's mine," Xiao snarled quietly. But you were fast asleep, leaning against his tense form.
***
Humming filled the atmosphere around you, wisps of light swirling like fire. Knitting needles clacked against one another, a small shuffle from yarn blending into the sounds. Your eyes opened and your head spun from nausea. Instantly you closdd your eyes again, rolling over to your side.
"You're awake!" a young girl cried out, clear excitement laced in her voice.
You opened one eye and gave a small smile. "Hey there."
"I'm so so so sorry!" she exclaimed, looking up at you in desperation, clutching onto the hand of Verr who stood beside. "So is Wei!"
You assured her that you were fine and met the eyes of Verr. She looked at you gently as she knitted a baby blue blanket. Verr sent the girl off to somewhere, you weren't really paying much attention. When she had left, Verr filled you in on the details quickly - after asking about how you felt.
You had lied, not wanting to worry the people who had given you the generosity you needed as a young girl. You had only two things on your mind. One of which was staying in control and the other was a certain turquoise haired person.
You knew he wouldn't be stopping by for he had no reason to. Xiao enjoyed his personal distance more than his relationships to people. He had always told you that if you called his name he would come, but you hated feeling like you couldn't even rely on yourself. Plus, you didn't have any legitimate reason to see him.
The two of you were some what close, at least in terms of how antisocial he was.
You wanted his warmth, his presence and his everchanging mood. It wasn't much to ask for, was it?
***
Then it was night again. You tossed and turned in your half asleep state, freezing up at any small noise you heard. The curtains on the windows would be tussled occasionally and the clock ticked every second. It was a reminder of the lack of sleep you were getting.
Nervously, you shifted up from under the blankets, holding a hand to your forehead. The movement made you wince in pain, as you arm flared in heat. You let out a small hiss and in sync, the curtains flung foward. Your heart almost jumped out of your chest, if not for the glint of gold in the dark. Instead of feeling fear, you felt relieved.
The Adeptus appeared in front of you, looking at you with interest. You had never seen that on his face before, and made a note to keep it in mind.
"Are you-" he began.
You nodded your head to stop him. "I'm fine."
He bit his lip thoughtfully before saying, "If you were you wouldn't be struggling to sleep."
"Xiao, don't worry," you mumbled, "You don't have to check on me, you have better things to do."
Xiao didn't respond to your answer, but his eyes no longer glowed and he looked defeated. "I couldn't protect you."
Frowning, you reached to your bedside table to turn on a lamp to see better. The unexpected thud of something caused you to jump slightly and reach out to grab something else.
In shock, you pulled Xiao forward against his better judgement and he landed by your side awkwardly. He laid beside you, his arm clutched by your hands. You were barely a few inches apart. You met his eyes, cheeks furiously lit. He stared back nonchalantly, eyes fleckled with golden galaxies.
"Hey," you mumbled.
He gave you the smallest of smiles, making your heart flutter. You grabbed the blanket that had fallen off the to side and flung it over. You expected a complaint or for him to be annoyed but instead he looked at you in concern. Your hand was shaking as the paranoia returned. He sighed lifted his hand to your cheek, swiping a tear that had formed.
"You can sleep, I don't mind," he said quietly. After seeing your hesitation, he added, "I'll be here."
You didn't intend to fall asleep so quickly, but he began to hum a melody. It danced around you like velvet, luring you into otherworldly places.
When your breathing had become steady, Xiao stopped humming, studying your face. In your dream, you let out a small whimper. Xiao'd face softened and he moved a hand behind your head to press it into his chest gently.
And so you woke up in his arms, feeling as if you had slept extremely well. His arms were wrapped around you, holding you secure. He had told you that Adepti didn't really need to sleep and so seeing him now made your heart flutter. He wore a relaxed exprsssion, so different to the metaphorical mask he always had. Unintentionally, you traced his jaw with a finger, seeing him close for the first time. This movement caused him to stir.
Your hand retreated, heart louder than thunder and face more flushed than the sun. In an attempt to cover up your actions, you blurted out the first thing on your mind, gathered from the flower crown hanging on a wall.
"The qingxin flowers are in full bloom this month," you stated. "They're really beautiful. Maybe I'll get to see them again."
"Oh yea? Maybe I'll take you sometime," he said drowsily, tightening his hold around you. "No, I definitely will.