𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄 -𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬-

┊xiao 2

they had invited you in a few hours ago, the two of you now sitting at a table surrounded by loud little children, eagerly scraping their plates. you were silent most of the time, your accomplice took that same behaviour. the children were just too loud, and to be honest you didn't know what to say.

you patiently picked at the veggies placed on your plate with a fork, wondering just how long you'd have to stay here. did he feel the same? you wondered on and on. slowly you peeled your eyes from your plate, placing them on the man simply trying to read his blank expression.

you were met with bright amber eyes directly on you. the two of you had locked visions, unable to take your eyes away from him. he blushed, his little cheeks painted a soft pink colour. his eyes were the most fascinating to you though, shades of amber and auburn mixing in to create such a beautiful shade.

his hair had teal undertones lazily curling around his neck, still a little damp from the rainstorm. he smelled like honey and almond, the scent almost being washed out by the overflowing tones of rain. his lips were slightly parted, obviously in wonder of why you were looking at him.

however, you did spot his dark undereyes, his eyes looked tired in a way, hiding behind the blank expression he seemed to put on mostly. something in them told you he'd been through a lot, you could only ponder on what. his nose was a little pink now, did he have a cold? the rain might've caused it, although, you really didn't want to have to deal with this man when he's sick. god knows how much more aggressive he'd be.

suddenly, one of the rowdy children slammed their fork upright on the table, shaking you back to reality. you peeled your wondering eyes from him, only now realising how much your face had heat up.

your hands were brought to your face, slapping your cheeks lightly in hopes of recovering rapidly. it didn't work, you could feel the mans eyes still on you, intimidatingly staring you down. this was not the best time all right.

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you'd freshened up, the family offered use of their little shower near the back of the building. it definitely wasn't the most spacious but you made do with it. you were now walking back to the kitchen, fresh clothes on (provided by the generous residents yet again).

you thanked them for their generosity, the grandmother leading you to a small spare room, your accomplice already situated there. it was abundantly not the most vast room you'd been in so far, almost comparing to that of the shower room size. however, it was sweet, a little lavender candle placed upon a wooden box lit in the corner.

the ceiling was simply wood planks, it would probably fall down any minute to be honest. although, the floor was decorated with some carpet, helping to add to the calming atmosphere.

two little futons were laid out, modestly close. the man was sitting on one of them, seemingly preparing for bed. "i'm sorry it's not much! we tried making it a little more cozy" the woman smiled awkwardly at you, she was sweet you thought.

"not at all, thank you it's lovely!" you replied smiling softly, her spirits immediately lifted at your optimism. you practically pranced towards your futon, excited for a cozy nights rest.

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you and the man now had your backs faced towards each other, it was awkward, i mean he was the one that made it awkward. he didn't speak, like ever. you had to break the silence, you knew he was awake.

"so um, what's your name ?" you said idly, rapidly cutting the tension, you heard him shuffle around a little from behind you. "xiao" was all he said, his voice a little raspy. it made your cheeks warm, what's wrong with you today.

"oh, i'm y/n, sorry causing you so much trouble again" you laughed awkwardly, he said nothing. "are you from liyue? i've never seen you around before." you said, once again earning nothing but silence for a while.

"i'm from liyue yes, i just um never go out really" his voice was nice, you thought. it was raspy sometimes yet soft, calming you. "oh, well what do you work as? i'm a traveller of sorts i guess"

"uh i do private inquiry's here and there, don't really have a 'job' what do you care." something about the way he said it made you believe he was lying, you shoved it aside. "curious is all, well goodnight." you said, shifting into a more comfortable position.

you drifted off to sleep, earning no reply, or so you thought. a while after you said it you swore you heard a little "goodnight" xiao possibly thinking you couldn't hear him as you'd already entered the dreamstate.

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