"murder", he says | xiaoven x reader

chapter twenty eight

a few weeks had passed since then. venti returned to mondstadt not long after, saying that next time they meet, you should visit them. you're still yet to do so- but you will probably bring it up to xiao soon.

he was out, back to work as of now, and he seemed less worn down about the fact after his period of rest. his performance seems better, even- you've had to bring the medical kit much less upon his returns.

speaking of, he trudges through the door to your room quite late into the evening, drenched from the nave to the chops in blood. not his, of course- he reeked of monster blood. you look up at him from the window where you tend to flowers as he walks towards the bed. you jump up.

"no way! nu uh! I am not buying a new mattress. bathroom, shoo shoo" you wave him away from the bed and he groans, stepping into the bathroom and kicking off his boots. you shake your head and help the tired adeptus undress as the bath runs behind you. you pick up his stained clothes and sigh.

"I don't know how you think I get bloodstains out of clothes, it's not with magic Ill tell you that." you look up at him as you put his dirtied clothes in the sink to wash later. "oh, gosh your hair, look at you- ah-..." you pull a small piece of... something out of his hair- hilichurl? maybe? not sure. you flick it out the window. "yuk..."

xiao looks at you, face still smeared with blood, lips slightly pursed in a pout... of sorts. you think he was trying to pout, but he just looked quite mad.

"a kiss? now?" you ask, he nods.

sighing, you bend down and peck his lips, grabbing a wash cloth and starting to gently wipe his face. he scrunches his face up. Once the bath is ready, he sinks into the hot water slowly, sighing at the heat on his worn joints. you leave him be to go wash his clothes before they dry too much.

After treating the clothes, you let them soak in a basin of warm water, scrubbing up the stains from the floor. lately, youve been debating asking venti for... work of sorts? as much as you love being a stay at home partner for a functioning alcoholic and a somewhat suicidal pair of ethereal beings, it gets repetitive.

plus, after your performance in the chasm, you arent feeling too stable in your abilities. I mean, your body was not made to teleport- you learnt the act from xiao, so it doesn't come natural to you. it causes you a great deal of pain and disorientation to even skip a few steps on the stairs, if that excuses your borderline uselessness in the recent escapade.

you haven't really had a battle in a while, but you're sure you'd be able to hold your own at least. definitely not as you did in the archon war- xiao has surely passed your abilities now (haven being weaker than you centuries ago) so perhaps sparring him wouldn't start you off so well. plus! there's no way in hell I'm figuring out how to write action scenes that don't sound repetitive! that's your problem
you raise from your knees, clothes further bloodied.

xiao comes out from the bathroom, slipping quickly behind the screen to change. you decide to keep your thoughts to yourself, watering the plants on your windowsill, attempting to not scare the birds feeding from the seed you lay out. it was funny- you were once forced into battle from taking care of your children- now you have a choice and you choose the one that pained you.

as nice as it would be to tend to your silly plants all day and treat them as a replacement for your massacred village- living your failed life as a protector vicariously through fushias and heather- it builds up a lot of frustration. one that can't be worked out between the sheets with xiao.

you gasp suddenly and xiao quickly pokes his head out, looking for your problem. he looks at the wilting flower you're knelt by.

"oh, no! don't die! please!" you panic, gently holding the head of the flower between your fingertips, picking up the pot and placing it on the side. xiao walks to your side.