Xiao X Reader [A Fragment of My Memories]

[26] Longing For Your Embrace

The next day came around, and the first thing you did was visit the rooftop. 

Peeking your head through the small entrance, you spot Xiao facing the scenery ahead. Your face lit up as you hurried to the balcony. "Xiao! How are your–"

But to your shock and slight horror, you caught Xiao swiftly unwrapping the bandages around his forearm. The long strips of cloth slowly fell to the ground. 

"Wait! What are you doing?!" You rushed over to him. "Your injuries aren't healed yet! You can't just–"

But when you spared one glance at Xiao's arm, the huge gash from yesterday was gone. All you could see was his clear skin as if he never had it in the first place. 

Your eyes widened to the size of saucers as you gaped at Xiao. He only raised a brow in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"...Where did it go?" You looked at his arm, then back at Xiao's confused expression. "There's no way a wound that big can heal that fast!"

Xiao sighs. "I told you my injuries heal quickly," he says. "They healed even faster thanks to your medicine."

"Ah..." you relaxed a little, before looking at the rest of Xiao's body. "Even all the cuts you had from the other night are pretty much gone now..." you mumbled, almost in disbelief. 

Xiao raises a brow. "Did you not believe a word I said last time?" he turns to you with narrowed eyes. 

But to his surprise, your eyes sparkled in awe. "You..." you gasped. It's as if you were a child watching a magic trick for the first time. "You heal so quickly!"

"That–" Xiao's eyes widened. "That's exactly what I said, (Y/N). Were you genuinely not listening?" 

"No, I was! But–" your lips curled into a smile. "It's different actually experiencing it myself..." you looked into his eyes. "You're amazing, Xiao!" 

Xiao's breath hitched upon seeing your radiant smile. He quickly averts his eyes. "...Amazing?" he mumbles. "You're impressed by something as trivial as that?" 

"It's not trivial, and you know it!" you pouted, putting your hands on your hips. "Just accept my compliment for once, geez!" 

Xiao took a quick glance at you. It seemed like you saw right through him this time. He sighs in defeat. "Alright, I won't say anything more," he says. 

The pout on your face quickly turned into one of surprise. "Really?" 

"But you're rather bold, ordering an Adeptus around like that," he adds, narrowing his amber eyes at you. 

Heat rushed to your cheeks as you felt his piercing gaze. "Hey, don't say it like that!" You attempted to glare back. 

Then, you hear the softest chuckle from Xiao. "I know. I was just joking," he says, before giving you a gentle smile. 

'...Huh?' You suddenly felt your heart beat faster as you looked at him with widened eyes. 'Did he just... laugh?'  

But before you could point that out to him, he continued. "But you should know that your medicine helped me heal even faster." He was looking out into the scenery ahead. "The speed of my recovery wasn't just me."  

You smiled, watching the way sunlight reflected off his amber eyes. "Then... I'll make sure to work even harder to make better medicine!" 

Xiao turns to you. "Do you... really plan on learning medicine for the Adepti?" 

"Of course I do!" you exclaim. "So that when you get injured, it won't be as painful for you."

His eyes widened, feeling another wave of déjà vu upon hearing those words. "I see," he mumbles, dropping his gaze to the ground for a bit. 

'At the very least, she won't be planning to pick up a sword anymore, right?'  

"(Y/N)," he gently called out your name all of a sudden. 

"Hm?" 

"Come here."

He grabs your arm without stopping to think, lightly pulling you towards him. Your eyes widened at his sudden touch, but you welcomed it nonetheless. As you drew closer, his hands gradually found their way around your waist, locking you into his embrace. All tension left his body upon having you so close to him.

Though confused, you found yourself leaning into his warm touch, close enough to feel his heartbeat. As his familiar scent filled your nose, you wrapped your arms around his neck, allowing his chin to rest on your shoulder. 

"What's wrong?" you lowered your voice so that only he could hear. 

He shook his head. "It's nothing..." he said, holding you tighter. "Just... stay safe."

You blinked in confusion. 'Why's he saying this all of a sudden...?' you wondered, tilting your head back to look at him. However, he had his face buried in your shoulder. 

A smile slowly made its way to your lips as you watched him. "I will. I have you to protect me after all!" you reassured him. "In fact, I should be saying that to you with all the injuries you've been getting lately..."

You felt him tense up a bit. "...If that's the case, then I have you to help me heal," he mumbles. 

Your eyes widened at his words. 'He's awfully honest today!' you thought, a warm feeling bursting from your chest as you smiled. 'It's cute...' 

A part of you wanted to say it out loud, but you feared Xiao would immediately pull away in denial once you did. So instead, you stood in silence, enjoying his company and the warmth of his arms. 

'Who knew being hugged like this could feel so pleasant?' 

After a while, Xiao reluctantly pulls away. "I must go." His gaze was as cold and piercing as ever, ready to kill off any demons lurking around. Yet, you saw the slightest hint of gentleness in his eyes as he looked at you.

You immediately missed his embrace the moment he stepped away. "Oh, okay..." you mumbled in reply, looking down at your feet.

He felt the slightest tinge of regret when he saw the way you dropped your gaze. "Don't worry." With a small smile, he lifted your chin with his hand, forcing you to look him in the eyes. "I've rested thanks to you. I won't be getting any careless injuries anymore."

You smiled back. "You better make sure of that." 

'But, I want to stay with you for a little longer...'

He nods before letting go and turning his back to you. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call my name." He cranes his neck to glance at you one last time, before disappearing in a gust of wind.  

With that, you were alone on the rooftop once again. You took a deep breath. "I should go meet up with Dr. Baizhu and Qiqi then," you said to yourself. "Once I learn more about medicine, I'll make everything less painful for him!"

Filled with determination, you hurried over to Liyue Harbor.