"why are you here?"
you've always been best friends with xiao, ever since elementary. although, he oddly became popular in high school even though he rarely speaks. you couldn't deny he was fairly attractive, and all the girls fell for him.
though...
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"xiao! wanna go to the school festival together?"
"school....festival?" xiao looked at you with confusion in his eyes.
"yeah, school festival, dummy! everybody's been talking about it recently, and it's tomorrow! so, wanna go with me?" you ask once again, hoping deep down he'd say yes.
well, i guess you must've been dreaming a bit too hard.
"....i do not wish to participate in such foolish activities." xiao retorted in disappointment.
"argh, xiao..! c'mon! it only happens once a year! and the festivities aren't 'foolish'! go with me, please!" you insist once again, practically begging him at this point.
however, he wasn't unsure because of the activities. he was just unsure if he should even be going with you or not. surely, you had other people to ask if he turned you down, right? there's no way you'd want to go with someone specific like him, right?
"...do..don't you have other people? just go with your friends instead." xiao replied, looking for excuses. he was also worried you spending time with him the entire day might awaken something in him.
"no! i mean—i do, but..! i want to go with you, xiao. let's spend some time together, please? it wouldn't hurt, right?" you question for the last time. finally, you made his heart skip a beat, and he ended up giving in.
"o-okay. then i'll see you tomorrow." he immediately blurted out, rushing out of the classroom and heading home. you look back at him once more before smiling with a slight blush on your face. you grab your bag and leave the room shortly after.
"it's festival day!! woaaaah, look how many stands there are, xiao! oh, there's even a crepe stand—!" you exclaim in shock, clinging tightly onto xiao's arm.
"stop clinging onto me so tightly.." xiao sighed, blushing as he felt you brush slightly onto his side.
you were wearing a fluffy blue sweater on top of a white skirt, while he was wearing a light teal undershirt with a white unbuttoned polo on top, along with jeans.
"hey, let's go check out hu tao and ganyu's stand, if that's okay with you?" you glance back at him for confirmation, letting go of his arm.
"alright, i'll lead you. don't get lost, there's lots of people here today." he replied, quickly grabbing your arm and leading you towards the specified stand.
however, as soon as you entered the crowd, you felt multiple people surrounding you as you pushed through the mob. you felt hot and squished, which was certainly not a pleasant feeling. worst of all, you were starting to lose grip of xiao's hand.
"a-ack, excuse me, sorry—xiao! wait, there's too many people..!" you panicked, attempting to push through the crowd but resulting in failure. you could feel your one source of guidance quickly slipping from your fingertips. you were so anxious you thought your heart was going to explode, but then—-
you feel someone's hand instantly grab yours and yank you out of the crowd.
"wha—gaah!"
you open your eyes after you had fallen down on someone from all the might they had used to pull you. looking down, you see xiao's face; shocked, stressed, and a bit sweaty from all of the above.
"xi-xiao! oh gosh, i'm so sorry..."
the people around you started to disperse. embarrassed, you quickly climb off of xiao, and help him up with a hand.
afterwards, you both backed into a corner of one of the stands nearby as you immediately started apologizing nonstop to him.
"i'msorryi'msorryi'msorryi'msorryi'msorryi'm—"
"y/n.."
"i'm really sorry, okay?! i seriously didn't mean to get lost in the crowd, but there were so many people i just—"
"y/n!"
...
you pause for a moment as xiao grabs your shoulders, forcing you to make direct eye contact with him.
"...don't be so hard on yourself. it isn't your fault." xiao softly says, making your eyes go wide. he then slowly grabs your hand as he walks in front of you.
"stay by my side. this time, i won't let you leave no matter what."
you walk to his side as you look at him, a bit embarrassed.
"um...xiao...what did you just say?" you ask, as he looks at you a bit surprised at what he had just said.
"ah—i—um, i worded that...strange. just...here, let's go."
clutching your hand a bit tighter, you both walk hand in hand to the stand hu tao and ganyu were running.
you looked like a couple since you were holding hands, well, the way couples do. and let's just say it was a bit embarrassing for the both of you.
however, would it be even more embarrassing to say that you liked holding hands with him?
———————————————————————————
after what felt like forever, you finally made it to the takoyaki stand you had been wanting to go to. once you saw hu tao, both you and xiao instantly let go of each other, the blush still remaining on your faces.
"aah, y/n! and...xiao? wow, you actually convinced him to come?" hu tao asked, as you smile at her.
"hehe, yeah. i convinced him to come check out the stands with me."
"awesome! hey, ganyu and i made an extra batch of takoyaki on accident since a couple had changed their mind. i'll give it to you guys for free, only if you share, mkay~?" hu tao smirked, giving you the small plate of takoyaki to share with xiao.
you look back at her awkwardly before taking it, thanking her, and heading over to a nearby empty table to eat the food.
"ooh, wow, these look delicious! and each takoyaki ball is on its own stick!" you admire the treats in awe, before taking one for your own and eating it.
"ah, tastes great! you try, xiao!" you grin while still chewing.
"...i'm only fond of almond tofu. i don't—"
"here, say aaah~."
you look at him excitedly holding the stick while he looks at you unamused.
"...please?" you gently ask, as he ends up giving in...again.
"...a...aaah..." he opens his mouth a bit reluctantly, as you lightly place the stick in his mouth for him to bite the takoyaki off. he does so as you smile at him happily. he couldn't say no to your face, after all.
"so? delicious?" you question him, as you swear you could see his eyes glimmer a little bit before returning to their amber hue.
"...not bad." he replies, as he ends up grabbing another stick. you laugh, seeing that he ended up enjoying the treats your friends had made you.
little moments like these made you realize that you really enjoy all the times you spend with xiao.
BACK FROM HIATUS AND WRITERS BLOCK. LMFAO. sorry if it's poorly written, I just finished this tonight and I'm braindead and haven't proofread to see if it's cringe or not but whatever looollll
thank you all for your patience 😭😭 just had three tests today so gotta love that for me
anyways, hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for more :))
