Star-Crossed [ G. Impact ]

fifteen | XV

ミ☆

the rest of the afternoon was spent catching up on what they had missed in each other's absences.

apparently, after the adepti had met up, they ended up going their own separate ways under an unknown agreement. xiao had returned to his duties at the wangshu inn as normal, except he often found himself straying further and further from its familiar walls.

he had promised they'd see each other again, after all.

she may have been going a little crazy, or maybe it was the summer heat getting to her head, but he seemed different. the adeptus insisted on taking her hand as they returned to the wangshu inn, saying that she was "too slow" and that it would be faster if he led the way back.

it's not like she was complaining, but it was certainly weird.

another night had befallen upon them. darkness crept up from the deepest caverns of the planet and looming shadows continued to grow as the sun's light began to fade.

as he strutted before her with purpose, she couldn't help but focus on the faint glow painting his colored skin in the most wonderful ways. his teal locks bounced with every step he took, while his biceps retained their spherical shape as he grasped her hand with surprising gentleness.

she didn't realize he had turned to face her until she locked onto his golden irises.

the back of his hand brushed across his cheek insecurely. "what are you staring at?"

"hm?"

"you heard me," he said irritably.

she knocked the side of her head a few times, playing it off as if there was something in her ear. she gave him a cheeky grin. "oh, it's fixed now."

xiao chuffed shortly. she wasn't sure whether it would count as a chuckle or a sound of annoyance. "you're insufferable, you know that?"

"thank you. it's one of my best qualities, i think."

"it sure is," he mumbled his words with a quiet sigh.

how cute... (y/n) swallowed a squeal and rapidly shook her head. was it even acceptable to admire him when such dire things were currently happening? people's lives were at stake here.

that's what she told herself, at least. this crush thing was beginning to get out of hand. but it wasn't really just that, was it? do crushes usually make your heart ache with longing so strong it physically hurt?

looking at xiao now felt completely different from before. she had come to realize that there were feelings about him that had been repressed in the deepest parts of her mind, hidden away by strong binds that seemed unbreakable. a whole other part of her had been forgotten despite how important those memories were to everyone around her.

it really, really hurt. why was she the only one cursed with ignorance? why, why, why—

hot white pain flashed through her chest. her knees buckled and she collapsed in a painful heap onto the ground, hand detaching from xiao's to clutch the parts that hurt the most.

she was so distracted by the pain that she could barely hear xiao calling her name in desperation. her fingers clawed at the seams on her dress, not caring about the fact that it would expose her as long as the hurt stopped.

ice-cold fear coursed through xiao's veins as he kneeled in front of her writhing figure. the inn was still too far away to get her there quickly enough for her not to suffer. her whimpers of agony brought him back to his senses and he gently pulled her into his torso, pulling his mask over his face and making a mad dash for the nearest water reserve.