"murder", he says | xiaoven x reader

chapter eight

you let out a shaky breath as you lay awake in bed, xiao curled next to you, breathing slow and form tense. even his sleep seemed trained. rubbing your tired face, you sit up and slip on some clothes and shoes, slinging a sword over your shoulder for any mishaps you may come across on your late night walk.

it's dark, to say the least. if not for the few lamps that had not blown out in the wind, you'd have thought you were in limbo. you light a small lamp, hanging it tightly on your hip. let's just hope you aren't flammable.

you walk in a inconsidered direction, happy to see where it takes you. anything is better than feeling bad lying in a bed that seems to get more uncomfortable the longer you lay there, restless. It made sense, but it didn't make the ache in your bones or the itch of your headache any less unbearably frustrating to the point you're at the brink of tears. at least xiao seemed peaceful asleep, albeit tense. he had been sleepless for a few odd days because of nightmares. you supposed "inconvenient nightmares that only affect mortals" was his equivalent to "traumatic life events that haunt me". not much you could do other than be there for him, you suppose.

you sit yourself against a tree- the flickering lights of wangshu inn still visible in the distance. you pull a flute from the bag that had your sword strapped to it, angling your lamp to see the instrument properly. you play softly, practicing the melody of notes venti taught you. you practice till you notice your lamp dimming. as you pull the flute from your lips, your head snaps to a noise and your draw your sword, slashing it towards the sound.

you slow your swing as you start to recognise the person. xiao stops your blade between his fingers and lowers it.

"I didn't know you played..." he says.

"I didn't know you came out at night to spy on people..." you sigh, putting your sword back. "is everything okay? you were asleep before"

he looks at the flute on the floor. "...can you play... closer to home?" he mutters, almost shy.

you blink, looking at his face that was lit only by the dying light behind you and the white light of the moon weaving through the trees. God, he looked beautiful. you step closer to him.

"it worked, then? it made you feel better?" your voice is hushed- it didn't need to be. you were in an open space with no danger. it was night- you suppose it just felt polite to.

xiao nods, almost awkwardly.

"im glad... I've been trying to figure out how to make you feel better for so long..."

"why would you waste your time on such things?"

"because you're in pain, I can see it so often."

xiao doesn't reply this time, so you carry on.

"you just... deserved to feel better."

"then come back now... its late." he grumbles out. "that'll make me feel better."

a smile pulls at your lips. "are you saying that I make you feel better?" your face dips towards his. your lamp starting to flicker more.

"I... is that wrong to say?"

"not at all... I think its sweet of you to say...

xiao, what do you think of me...?"

"I think... I think that..."

your lamp fades fully, dropping xiao and yourself in complete darkness. you could only make out breif outlines of his face, the moon now hidden behind clouds. you can feel his breath on your face and you're sure he's conscious of the same.

xiao reaches out and clumsily takes your wrist into his hand. you slowly start lifting your hand to his face. you're not sure he can see, but-

"I think we should get back. I'll teleport us." he says.

you quickly drop your hand, grabbing your belongings. "okay, im ready" you say. you're back in no time and you immediately slip back into bed, kicking your shoes off and leaving things to the bedside table. xiao also gets back under the covers. you turn to face him.

"xiao, will you kiss me?"

xiao freezes. he's paused- for a long time before he shifts. he's sitting up, leaning over and you can hear your heart in your head. he glances quickly at your lips then places a prolonged peck on your cheek, pulling away and laying down, back to you.

"now go to bed." he says, pulling sheets to his face.

you hold your cheek, smiling. heart pounding. you turn onto your side and start to doze off. you feel a lot better.

the next morning, you get up early and slip into the warm water of a herbal bath, sighing and sinking to your collarbone.

you left the door open slightly so xiao could follow his morning routine if he wakes up soon.

you look through the gap and see xiao shift, patting behind him in the bed, soon after quickly turning to find you. he relaxes back down when he sees you relaxed in the bathtub and sighs, sleepily staring. you smile.

"care for a bath?" you cross one leg over the other slowly, tilting your head.

he silently debates for a moment before sliding out of bed, plodding to the bathroom, stripping off his night clothes as he walks and slips into the water. you'd expect xiao to be more shy about his butt nakedness, but you think he leans towards the "doesn't care" category.

"did you sleep well?" you ask- he nods, yawning.

"what do you have to do today...?" he mutters out, stretching his neck.

"im free today, I finished chores for this week and I completed a few contracts from the locals."

"...then we should do something today"

your mouth it slightly open, shocked. It curls into a grin. "are you asking me on a date?"

"hmph."

"you are! well, id love to go on a date with you. what do you want to do?"

xiao didn't think this far. uh oh. quick, something nice- something special- something personal-

"would you... teach me how to dance?"

is that your heart in your throat that makes you feel like you're going to vomit? whatever it is, it's making your face red and your lungs breathless. perhaps you shouldn't have left so many cliché romance books laying around- or whatever helped him learn this behaviour.

"yeah- i'll teach you how to dance. I'd love to... dance with you..."

"you neednt worry, I dont plan to dance with anyone but you"

does he realise what he's saying? does he know how sickeningly sweet he's being or does it come naturally? whatever it is- it's pulling you over further than your head over your heels. at this point, your head is completely detached from your body. all intellectual thoughts out the window and only your heart left to decide how you feel.

all you guys adding this to your silly little reading lists you're so cute I have no interest in this becoming popular but I find it nice you guys like it, hope you guys throw up from overwhelming feelings of euphoria have a lovely week and Ramadan those who celebrate