Before I Go ~ A XiaoLumi Story

Name in the Stars ~ 5k Reads Oneshot

hi everyone! thank you so much for five thousand reads?!?!?!? what the fuck?!?!? that's insane! i'm so glad this story is reaching so many people like i never thought when i posted this that people would like it this much. to commemorate, i wanted to make this little oneshot thing as a special treat. this doesn't take place in the same reality as the main story does. i might make more of these depending on how i'm feeling, but i'm currently working on a new alberose story bc i was bored

ok have fun and enjoy this oneshot!

He remembered her laughter at him mispronouncing its name. Leo Minor. The Smaller Lion.

He remembered her smile, her hair, her fingertips brushing softly against his -- Archons, he remembered everything.

She was so enticing to him, so much like a fisherman reeling in the biggest catch of the day. She never for a moment wanted to be apart from him, and he didn't want to go a single second without seeing her face.

It was this thought that kept Xiao sprinting to find her in the crowds. It felt like the sky was closing in over his head, that the world was slowly collapsing around him. Nothing was going to be okay, not like this, not without her.

And then all of a sudden, there she was, waving good-bye to Keqing and Ningguang of the Liyue Qixing.

Lumine.

Her name was on the tip of his tongue. He let it slip out of his mouth quietly as though he were praying and ran forward, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her into a hug. Xiao spun her around and she laughed.

"Hey, Vigilant Yaksha," Lumine murmured when Xiao finally set her down, keeping an arm around her waist.

He grinned for the first time in months and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm so glad to see you home," he told her.

"Well, I'm glad to be back," she replied, drawing away and locking eyes with him. "I missed you so much."

Xiao placed a kiss on her forehead. "I missed you, too."

Lumine gave him a quick kiss that turned to more quick kisses that turned to one big kiss. The two were molded together, Xiao's hands on her waist and her fingers in his hair, down his back, tracing his body, becoming familiar with each other again after months apart.

When the two broke apart, blushing furiously and smiling, they gazed into each other's eyes. Words couldn't describe how much they'd missed this.

Lumine looked behind Xiao and her face fell instantly. To Xiao's shock, Lumine anxiously said, "Come on, we need to go. Can we go back to the inn?"

"Uh," Xiao began, starting to turn his head. To his surprise, Lumine grabbed his chin and kept his eyes on hers.

"Don't look," she said lowly, her expression unreadable. "I'm sorry, but . . . something happened in Natlan with . . . never mind. I'll tell you later."

"Wait, Lumi," Xiao protested, grabbing her wrist as she turned to leave. "Are you . . . is everything okay? You can . . . talk to me, you know that."

Lumine nodded slowly. "I'm just . . . Archons, Xiao I'm so sorry, I can't-"

Seeing how distressed she was, Xiao wrapped her up in a hug. "It's alright, Lumi, don't be sorry. You don't need to tell me anything."

Lumine wiped a tear off her cheek. "Alright," she replied. "Can you get us to the inn?"

Xiao's eyes lit up. "Yeah," he said. "But there's somewhere else I want to go first." Before Lumine could protest, he looped an arm around her waist and teleported away.