𝙰 𝚆𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙻𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚄𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 - 𝚇𝚒𝚊𝚘 𝚡 𝙵𝚎𝚖!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟹

Your POV

I can hardly contain the laughter shaking my whole body. Standing on a wooden, aged bridge, Xiao looks exhausted as he leans against the railing. " I swear to the Archons, Hu Tao will be the end of me." He mumbles and I continue snickering.

Zhongli had invited the Adepti and I to dinner in celebration of the Lantern Rite. It's the most stunning festival of the year according to the people of Liyue and it would be first time participating. Hu Tao claimed to have personally made Xiao a serving of Adeptus Soup and not wanting to come across as ungrateful, he accepted it. He took one spoonful and began tearing up. All three of us gave each other confused looks until he wheezed out "a little- on the- spicy side-" and the ghostly girl smiled cheekily. "Indeed. One extra large bottle of jueyun chili sauce spicy to be exact~".

The Adepti's face turned even redder than a Pyro vision as more of the heat began building up. I make a pathetic attempt to pass him a glass of water and watched Xiao chug it down before wheezing again. By then, even Zhongli was restraining chuckles. We eventually found a carton of milk but before I was able to poor a glass for him, the Adepti had hastily grabbed the container from me and did not spare even a moment to drink it all.

Poor Xiao and having to put up with the Director's shenanigans.

"At least she didn't poison you," I dart a glance his way while he raises an eyebrow at me. "Like I said, she'll be the end of me." The teal-haired male responds.

I laugh quietly one more time before joining Xiao against the railing. Tenderly dropping my head onto his shoulder, I feel him pull one of my hands into his and as he takes a glove off, begins to trace delicate and ornate designs on each finger then to knuckle.

Through the usual silence of the evening, we hear children yelling with the occasional crackle of a firework. Sleep's wings start holding around me until a glimmering bulb comes into view.

I abruptly lift my head, smiling. "Xiao! Look! The Lantern Rite, it's beginning!" I take my free hand to point at the pieces of light rising from the streets of Liyue's Harbor. I hear the Adpeti's lips part as a soft breathy gasp escapes him. We marvel at the enchanting sight, seemingly too magical to be real; nearly a fairytale ending of happily ever afters.

The lanterns float with ease farther and farther into the night sky until the landscape painted in deep cerulean blue is splattered with orbs of gold. Xiao gently places his head against mine and we lean into one another, taking in each heavenly second.

"Y/n," I turn to face him. Our heads only slightly apart now. "This was my first Lantern Rite if I'm honest. Tonight was my first time eating something-" He makes a face causing me to laugh. "So spicy. And you are the first person I've ever felt something for."

My cheeks and ears begin heating up. There were many unspoken words between us that would deliberately state our romantic feelings towards each other. We'd gone out quite a few times but the only intimacy we shared was the kiss at Starfell Lake.

He pauses to make eye contact with me. "Y/n L/n, I'm in love with you." Xiao's voice comes out shakily and is practically a mere whisper. Yet the words he vocalized seem like the most thundering sounds I've ever heard.

"I think I'm in love with you too, Xiao, the Last Yaksha." He grins the widest smile I've ever seen from him making my heart explode. I laugh again, fluttering with happiness.

Then he does something unexpected. The Adepti abruptly pulls me tightly against him and swings me around in a circle causing me to laugh even more. I can't help but think about how romantic the gesture is that I suddenly kiss Xiao.

He brings his to my cheek as the same electric currents rush through me, head to toe. When we pull away, we're both smiling and Xiao is the first one to speak. "Would you.. potentially consider being my girlfriend Y/n?"

My face brightens and my pulse quickens drastically. "Yes! Yes, yes! A million times yes!" Xiao laughs as he pulls me in for another kiss; it being gentle and sweeter this time.

"Y/n"

"Yes?" But the voice continues. "Y/n"

"Y/n!"

I wake with a startling jolt. The familiar Adepti has a hand on my shoulder. "Y/n?" The memory of that night swims through my head endlessly and apparently through my dreams as well. It may be the most bittersweet memory I am able to recall.
I run my hands through my hair before scrubbing them over my eyes. "..Hm?"

"We're going to begin our journey to the Chasm. Are you ready?"

Every bit of me is screaming no. I'm not. I want to stay here. With you. I want a future with you and nothing else.

Fearful that the wishes I yearn to vocalize will claw their way out of my heart and throat, all I manage to do is nod. I stand up, grabbing my collected belongings. Once I have the few items I want to keep with me, Xiao and I walk in a painfully awkward silence towards the nearest teleportation point. It doesn't help that we have to do everything on feet to prevent me from having some health degrading episode. The hours just seem to go by slower but eventually, we arrive at our first stop of our trip.

The device, an exact replica of the ones scattered across Teyvat, carries us to a side of this world I've never seen. The sky has fallen into an awful murky gray. Jagged formations of rocks and mountainous terrain surround us with the only source of light being a variety of glowing flowers, strung up on vines. They glow vividly in pink and magentas to periwinkle and icy blue.

Xiao and I glance at each other and I watch as his Adam's apple bobs slowly. "I'll love you always, for this eternity and how many more I will come to endure."

I have to stifle a gasp of joy when the solution I have been looking for pops into my head. Attempting to hold the same composure, I hug Xiao. He holds me closely against him and does not question my sudden actions whil I quietly rejoice at my newfound idea.

A.N. - I wrote quite a bit of this on my phone so please excuse any errors