𝙰 𝚆𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙻𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚄𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 - 𝚇𝚒𝚊𝚘 𝚡 𝙵𝚎𝚖!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙰𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚘𝚏𝚞 ~ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟻

Your POV

I feel his chest rise and fall before answering. "I just needed a break." He doesn't bother to elaborate on his very vague answer but I don't press him to.

"I understand I guess. If this makes you feel more at peace, then feel free to come and talk to me whenever you like!" Despite not being able to see Xiao, I can tell he now has a small grin as he chuckles softly. "Thank you Y/n... thank you so much."

A comfortable silence falls upon us but I soon break it as I come up with an idea.

"Hey, Xiao?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have a favorite food?" I wait for him to be a bit of a jerk and give me a hard time with answering the question. To my surprise, he doesn't.

"I really like almond tofu," he says with a bit of shyness.

"Ok then! Almond tofu it is!" I gently untangle myself from Xiao's arms, which ends up being more awkward than I thought and run to Yanxiao's kitchen. I peek through the door notice he isn't there and I feel reassured. Running to the small and quaint container, I pull out a plate of warm almond tofu.

Grinning happily, I run back up the stairs. When I look up, I see Ms. Goldet standing in front of me. She looks at me, questioningly. "Y/n? What are you doing with almond tofu around 6:30 am?"

"It's not for me Ms. Goldet," I say sheepishly and try to maintain the same smile I had a few seconds ago. Clearly, she knows who the tofu is for because she nods at me and... I think she smiles back?

"I won't keep you here any longer, the tofu will get cold." She then gestures to the side with her head. "And he'll be a baby about it."

I've never heard her joke about something and honestly, it's nice to hear it for a change. "Thank you Ms. Goldet!" I jog to the second staircase that leads to my room when she stops me again. "Y/n?"

"Yes, Ms. Goldet?"

"You can take the day off if you'd like. I don't know exactly what your situation is but, I won't be angry with you if you do not come to work on time. Yanxiao will not be either."

"Thank you Ms. Goldet," I say with a closed-eye smile. She just nods and walks away.

Once I reach my room, I see Xiao sitting at the foot of my bed. I stroll up to him quietly and take a seat next to him, leaving a comfortable amount of space between us. Only then, does he notice me with a plate of tofu.

"Y/n? When did you come in?" He asks groggily.

"Only a few seconds ago. This is for you." Then I pass the dish to him. He mumbles a thank you and begins to eat. Not to be stalky or anything, but I notice how exhausted he looks; almost drained. I think something is bothering him but talking about it might make him angrier or more sorrowful. Instead, I try to lighten the mood. 

"Hey, Xiao?"

"Mhm?"

"Cats or dogs?" I smile giddily and wait for his answer. The rest of the morning sort of goes like this. I ask him small and odd questions, sometimes he does the same to me. There will be a rare moment where I laugh till I can't breathe or he smiles so widely, he attempts to hide it. 

"Y/n, what has happened to you here in Teyvat, that you least expected?"

I have to think quite hard about this one so I pause before answering. "I didn't expect a lot of things to happen while I was here but probably the one that shocked me most just happened a few days ago. I was in the Kitchen with Yanxiao when Childe showed up." I see Xiao's body stiffen slightly but he tries to compose himself. "Go on," he mumbles. 

"Well, at first I told him to stay away from me and we were causing a bit of a scene so he took me to a more secluded area in the balcony by the elevator. He explained that he was sorry for everything he did. He looked genuine and sincere which surprised me more than his apology. Childe asked if we could be friends and I said I'll give him a chance. Who knew, right?" I laugh lightly but Xiao is completely silent. 

"You shouldn't be anywhere near the Fatui boy. He's dangerous and will harm you sooner or later." His voice is so curt and he has turned his face away from mine. 

"Xiao, he seems fine. Just because the Fatui are evil people, doesn't mean he necessarily is."

"You don't know the Fatui. You're naive to their vulgarity and the truth."

"Excuse me?" I suck in a breath and try not to sound as wounded as I feel. "I am not naive! I know plenty about them and you're the one who wouldn't tell me the truth. The truth to why you showed up in my room. Saying 'I needed a break' is so vague! You're clearly trying to hide something from me, Xiao." My voice fluctuates from anger to pure hurt and he notices both.

Xiao doesn't say anything and neither do I. The comfort and lighthearted atmosphere have been completely altered to one of tension.

"I'll see you tonight Y/n. Do not be late to our lesson and thank you for your hospitality." He gets up and walks from me. "Goodbye, Y/n," he adds coolly.

I don't respond but when he teleports and is no longer in my sight, the tears, hot and fresh, stream down my cheeks. I let them fall as I sit on my bed, unsure of what to do. 

Ms. Goldet told me I could take the day off so I might as well. Just like Xiao, I think I need a break just this once. 

A/N: Going on a short hiatus. I won't be inactive for too long though (A week at most ^^)