𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨 ―𝐠. 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

8 || Xiao's Feelings

By the time Xiao awoke from the sunlight shining on his face, you were gone. Groaning, he rose from the flower bed and looked around, vaguely recalling the journey with you to the hidden place. He didn't, however, remember laying in the field. He was sure he refused your offer to lay with you, but here he was, surrounded by Glaze Lillies in the caved meadow.

It took a few minutes for Xiao to fully rouse, serenity clouding his usually alert senses. There was an unregistered desire to stay where he was, and he yawned while taking a big stretch. As he rubbed away the last of his drowsiness from his eyes, flashes of last night surged through his mind: the moonlight, the talking, the kiss.

Yes, that was right. Xiao bared his soul to you, and you listened to it all without finding faults. You had held his face with your surprisingly slender hands, whispering sweet affirmations that the young Adeptus' concealed heart longed to hear. Then, you kissed him on the corner of his eye so gently he wasn't sure if it had even happened.

No, it did happen. He remembered so vividly the smell of flowers coming from you, the closeness of your tender expression as you leaned in...

Xiao slowly lifted his fingers and brushed where your soft lips had pressed, an unfamiliar flutter rising in his chest. Although his expression remained indifferent, a faint blush glowed on his ears, his eyes half-lidded.

He had never been kissed before. But he didn't hate it.

There was no sense of lust in your action, only comfort--reassurance that put his heart at a peace he had never felt before. That was obvious, noting his long slumber. The last he ever felt safe enough to sleep for that long was when the other Yakshas were around, and that was a millennia ago.

When the Adeptus dropped his hand from his face and to the ground, he felt a cold, small vial. His gaze fell to his side where he saw his daily medicine and a lone, beautiful feather. A sense of rationality flowed into his mind; this was no time to be sitting idly and thinking about you in ways he couldn't understand--he should be out protecting Liyue. He rose from his seat after drinking the elixir and put the feather away in a pocket, making his way out of the cave. He looked back for a second.

Then he left.

⊱ ────── {⋆❀⋆} ────── ⊰

"Oh, Adeptus Xiao!"

Hearing his name, the Yaksha crossed his arms and turned around, facing the boss of Wangshu Inn. Why he came to the Inn first, he didn't know, but there was a tug in his heart that told him to go. Perhaps it was because of his new routine to see you on the highest deck every morning, to see your usual smile when you tossed him his personalized medicine, calling him "Little Xiao" as if he were a dear friend.

Xiao frowned and discarded those thoughts. He couldn't understand why he was thinking of you in such ways, but it was distracting him from his duty.

Verr Goldett had a particularly large smile on her face while she stood behind the counter and watched the small scene, her chin resting lazily on her hand. Despite calling out the Adeptus' name, he seemed to be in some kind of daze. She, being the romantic she is, could only hope spring had come when you did; Xiao seemed to be doing much better and was also slightly kinder to the staff of the Inn after your arrival. Did you ease his heart? She thanked you mentally.

When she noticed that the Adeptus was listening, she coughed embarrassingly and nodded her head toward the stairs leading to the kitchen.

"There's something waiting for you there. Please have a look before going to rest!"

Slightly raising his eyebrow, Xiao made his way down, smelling a familiar scent of Almond Tofu. The Chef, Smiley Yanxiao, had his back turned towards the stairs as he whisked away in the kitchen, but he talked over his shoulder upon hearing the clops of footsteps.

"Is that you, Adeptus Xiao?" he shouted over the loud sizzling of the stoves. "Doctor (y/n) came earlier and made modified Almond Tofu! It's on the table. Please enjoy."

Xiao thanked the Chef and glanced at the table which had a plate of shimmering tofu. He admittedly grew fond of the dish, even while knowing that it contained herbs of all different kinds in your attempt to treat him. As his thoughts lingered on your hands--the hands that worked hard to procure those herbs, the same hands that gently held his face--Smiley Yanxiao finished his cooking and walked over to the table to greet the respectable Adeptus.

"Adeptus Xiao, how do you like the dish?" he asked, a rare, prideful grin adorning his lips.

"I can stomach it," replied the Yaksha as he took another spoonful of food. Smiley Yanxiao nodded his head, happy that he was able to collaborate with you to make a dish Xiao approved of. He was about to walk away when he heard the spoon's 'clink' as it was placed on the table.

"Do you know where Dr. (y/n) is?" Xiao asked while patting his lips with a napkin, his usual, expressionless face giving no way for the Chef to determine his intentions. It was odd enough that the reserved Adeptus was starting a conversation, more so that he trying to find someone on his own accord, but Yanxiao knew better than to ask why.

He put his hand on his chin, saying, "The doctor mentioned something about collecting some Jueyun Chili for me on their way to Mt. Aocang. Even if the travel is far, they said they'd be back before night comes."

Xiao nodded his head and stood from the table, mumbling a small "Thank you" before vanishing within his smoke. Humans rarely went through Jueyun Karst because of its unreachable mountain terrains and its importance as the Adepti dwelling, but he found you to be an exception. He did, from time to time, find some daring mortals trekking the lands to collect herbs, and he assumed you were going for the same reason. It also crossed his mind that it was almost impossible for a human to walk to Mt. Aocang and back in one day, but the thought was fleeting; after all, he understood now that you weren't a normal person.

Silently, the Adeptus stood on top of one of the mountain peaks, watching below for any signs of movement. His gaze softened at the thought of seeing you. Would you be gathering herbs with that fond smile of yours? He noticed yesterday that you murmured words of gratitude to every plant you took from the fertile land--would you be whispering to the flowers with your soothing voice right now?

Xiao closed his eyes and tried listening to the sighs of the wind. Something swelled in his chest, and he covered his face with his hand, not knowing what to make of the unfamiliar but not unpleasant feeling. Unbeknownst to him, his lips parted, a few words slipping out into the breeze.

"I wish to see you."

⊱ ────── {⋆❀⋆} ────── ⊰

a/n: a whole chapter of Xiao starting to catch feelings. Can u tell this is a self-indulgent fanfic?