𝕴𝖓 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕯𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒𝖘 | Xiao x Reader

10

A/n: Thats right; the visual representations are back! Did you miss them? Because I did.

Also thank you so much for 500 reads! I really appreciate all of you for taking the time to read my book <3

..........

Xiao's eyes shot open, and he sat up so quickly that he nearly hit the person that had been standing over him. Panting, he glanced over at Zhongli, who had just barely moved his head out of the way in time.

"I see you're awake," he smiled gently, "I was beginning to get worried." He and Xiao were still on the floating abode, and he had placed the Yaksha on a soft blanket with a fluffy pillow while he slept. The former Archon looked at him expectantly, and when Xiao didn't say anything, he spoke up instead.

"So, did it work?" he asked carefully, scanning the Adeptus' face, "Did you manage to save them?" Xiao looked down at his hands, his fists clenching tightly. He could feel himself tearing up but refused to falter in front of the god of geo. Finally, he shook his head.

"I don't think so." At this, Zhongli frowned. He had been worried this might happen, and knowing how much Xiao cared about you, he knew the Yaksha wouldn't take his failure lightly.

He glanced across the abode at your form, noticing that you had shown no changes. Or at least, no positive ones. You looked even more sickly than you had two days prior, almost like corpse, despite still drawing very shallow breaths. It seemed entering your dreams really hadn't worked.

Xiao stood up slowly, hands shakily pushing himself off the ground. Zhongli offered his arm to help him stay balanced, but he pushed it away.

"C-can I see them?" He whispered; gaze cast down so his hair blocked his face. He didn't want his Archon to see him like this. Zhongli nodded, his heart breaking for the Adeptus. Xiao had done so much for Liyue over the years, suffering almost to no end. He wished for him to be able to have this one thing, this one person he loved return to his life, but it turned out that even that may not be possible.

He led Xiao over to you, who still rested on the small bed the exact way he had left you. The Yaksha fell to his knees, startling the former Archon, who put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

Xiao ignored Zhongli's words of concern, taking your hand in his and intertwining your fingers. He brought your hand to his lips, gently kissing the cold skin as tears trickled down his face. Closing his eyes, he squeezed your hand, wishing he could have done more to save you.

"Xiao?" A soothing voice ripped him from his thoughts, and his amber eyes flew open to meet your e/c ones. Your brows were arched, as if studying him as you tried to figure out what had happened. His breath hitched as you suddenly smiled. "Hey."

Another tear rolled down his cheek as he pulled you into a tight hug, his face in your shoulder. You returned the embrace, stroking his hair and sending Zhongli a thumbs up. Although he was pretty sure you had no idea who he was and didn't recognize him as a mortal, he nodded, heading towards the floating platforms that led down to the mountain.

With you back awake, he wanted to provide both you and Xiao with the privacy you deserved. After all, he was sure there were many unspoken things between you two that needed to be discussed.

Xiao finally pulled away from the embrace, his hands on your arms.

"I...I thought you were never going to wake up..." He whispered, looking into your eyes. You softened at his words.

"I did, thanks to you." You looked at the ground, tears in your own eyes now. "Xiao...Did you really come into my dreams just to wake me?" He nodded, a hand reaching up to stroke your hair.

"Of course." Your frown only deepened.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that," a single tear escaped your watery eyes, "I never meant to worry anyone and-"

"Nonsense." Xiao scoffed, "I would go through it all again in a heartbeat if it meant saving you." he grabbed both your hands, pressing his forehead to yours. "But Y/n, there's something I need to tell you."

You met his eyes, a curious look on your face urging him to continue. He took a deep breath before doing so.

"Remember that night we were up here on the floating abode...And you asked what we would do after the Archon War?" You nodded, cheeks turning ever so slightly pink.

"Yeah, and I said I wanted to stick with you." You chuckled, "Which hasn't changed, by the way." He gave a small smile.

"What I didn't tell you was that I want to stay with you too..." He finally admitted, eyes looking everywhere except at yours, "I...Love you, Y/n." You froze for a moment and he anxiously waited for your answer. Finally, you grinned.

"That's a relief," his gaze returned to your eyes, "because I love you too."

For a moment, he wondered whether he was back in the dream. Surely, this couldn't be reality. You couldn't actually feel the same way about him, could you? But the look in your eyes told him otherwise.

When he didn't say anything, you pulled him into another hug. He returned it almost immediately, wrapping his arms around your waist and just taking in the fact that you were back.

Finally, you pulled away slightly, and he couldn't help looking at your lips. The color had mostly returned, and he didn't think as he spoke up.

"C-can I...?" He asked, looking back at your eyes. You smiled.

"Of course." A few seconds later, he leaned in and closed the gap between you, your lips meeting. Finally, he felt at peace, truly at peace, for the first time in hundreds of years. As long as he had you, he was happy.

..........

Meanwhile, Zhongli smiled up at the floating abode from where he stood on the mountain. With you having finally woken up, he hoped Xiao could find the happiness he deserved. As long and stressful as the process of him entering your dreams had been for everyone, it was finally over now.

And thank goodness for that, too. He swore he was growing grey hairs the last few days just from being involved in everything. He couldn't imagine how much pressure Xiao had felt while journeying through your dream to bring you back. Even so, he was glad it had worked out for you.

"Welcome back, Mist Flower..." He whispered to the wind, walking down the steps carefully.

Aphra was long gone now, having disappeared just the night before without a trace. he had been worried whether Xiao would be able to leave your dreams with her gone, but it seemed there had been no need for him to be concerned.

He recalled the Glaze Lily that had appeared in your hair just after her departure, crystalized as a way of preservation and placed right next to the Mist Flower you always wore. It hadn't been there before.

Smiling bitterly up at the moon, he shook his head slightly. "Healing through dreams..." He repeated to himself. It was the phrase she had told him when they first met in Liyue Harbor, what she had claimed to be studying. Even then, he had known something was off about her. He just hadn't expected it to be this.

"You never were a very good actor, were you, Guizhong?"