star's sky - xiao x reader

- act 2 °

you had stayed at the inn for a week now.

time is transient, and that was made sharply clear to xiao as the two of you spent time together. you had spoken to him about your experiences as well. when you received your vision, what your childhood was like.

'i stayed in liyue harbor. my weapon was a gift from a teacher of mine, who taught me what i wanted to know - like art. she was the only one close to me. then she left.'

the feeling of losing someone like that was fresh in xiao's memory. when he closed his eyes, he remembered the yakshas. how they had blazed up in power before being extinguished equally as quickly.

to him, you were like that as well. burning brightly through time, through your life, then leaving as vibrantly as you came. he wanted to protect you, to keep you by his side forever as his immortal partner.

he's never met someone who was so happy to learn about him, someone who he had connected with this quickly.

stay with me.

'xiao, are you okay? you've been staring off into the distance for a while. i've been calling you for the last minute. a mora for your thoughts?' you walked over to stand beside him.

'nothing of your concern,' he scoffed. xiao realised he had come off as a bit too harsh, then turned to you. 'sorry.'

'it's fine. were you thinking about the archon war and the aftermath? that must have been hard to go through.' you said softly.

your voice made his heart warm and he nodded. 'yes. the yakshas - maybe it's karmic debt reminding me.'

'you've had to suffer with this for a long while now, haven't you?'

he looked at you. xiao was yet again reminded of how sweet, fragile, good you are. how unworthy he was to have you come here every day and keep him company. but maybe he could allow himself this.

'rest, xiao. you deserve it.' you reached out to him.

xiao took your hand. he gripped it tightly, and your cheeks turned red. 'xiao?'

'come with me.' xiao picked you up princess-style, placing a hand on your back and his other arm under your knees. 'store your weapon, it could fall.'

you nodded, eyes widened. your eyes were warm and sparkling. 'where are we going?'

'let me show you what i do during my duty. maybe that will give you an insight you're looking for. i also look forward to witnessing how skilled you are with that weapon.'

xiao donned his mask and leapt into the air, a yaksha and his liege adventuring at night.

'the sky is beautiful.' you whispered in his ear.

the stars were whirling blurs as he almost glided about, the air seeming to part just for him. you were clinging on tightly to him, having kept your weapon in a subspace. your arms were looped around his neck, fingers intertwined for extra security.

your hair was ruffled by the wind, the cool air kissing xiao's and your skin.

he finally landed on a stone platform, by a hilichurl camp. the hilichurls hadn't noticed you yet. they were coated by some dense black mist with turquoise shards.

'those are the effects of my karmic debt,' xiao whispered, setting you down. 'the enemies are stronger. would you let me see how you hold your own?'

you nodded, deploying your weapon and plunging down in the midst of the camp. your weapon and body slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave through the camp. you wielded the weapon effortlessly and gracefully - a few strikes of elemental power from the weapon defeating the hilichurls. they returned to dust, red-speckled dust.

'you have an interesting way of using that weapon. your teacher, if you had one, must have been quite a unique person, to teach such a weapon style.' xiao plunged down, landing by you. he had removed his mask now, and was now holding it in his gloved hand.

'i never got to know that much about her.'

you sounded sad. xiao wanted to do something about it, but he didn't know what he should say or do. so he said what he thought. 'she sounds quite...amazing.'

you smiled at him, throwing your weapon up and storing it. 'thank you, xiao.'

he wanted to have been with you at every stage of your life. xiao wanted to have known you forever, because he felt like he had, he felt like his soul and yours had connected deeply long ago. xiao wanted to know exactly what to say to make you feel better, to make you feel comforted. he wanted to be your home, your refuge, because you were his.

'are we going anywhere else before returning to the inn?' you asked, adjusting your clothes.

xiao remembered a place then. 'yes, we are.' he lifted you up with ease and wore his mask again before taking off.

it wasn't much trouble, really, to get to the top of qingyun peak, at least for xiao.

the sky was still a deep royal blue, discoloured in parts because of wispy clouds. the stars painted elaborate pictures and made games of connect the dots. the night wind was strong here. xiao removed his mask, setting you down on a chair.

'i hadn't realised how long it was since i was here,' xiao murmured. jueyun karst was never really his place. he preferred the balcony of the inn.

'it's beautiful, xiao.' you gazed up at the stars, your eyes reflecting numerous constellations. he wondered which of them told your story.

it was then that a shooting star crossed the sky, a defiant, bold bolt of light. it was large and golden, a warm colour.

it reminded him of you. a fleeting moment in his immortal life. he looked towards you. you had stood up, and were now standing beside him, face filled with wonder and eyes shining brightly, following the shooting star as it moved behind xiao. you looked at him.

xiao moved towards you, like you were magnetic. he wanted to hold you, to be with you wholeheartedly because he knew he would never regret it.

is this what love feels like? he thought, as your lips met in a gentle kiss under the starry liyue sky.