Erison

Life

A/N - Oh my god I am so sorry for this being so late. A lot of things happened. Like. A lot. But I'm here now, let's go. You may notice I updated this to be *13* chapters. Don't get too exited, Erosion is still only 12. The 13th is just going to be the first chapter of my next series in this universe. Anyways, I think next chapter might be late too, at the very least I remembered lol.

Also, please, please, please check out Parako on YouTube and Instagram, they're so cool. I talk with them a lot and they're just so funny and talented and please check them out PLEASE.

Chapter rushed, lots of mistakes, sorry! -

Xiao was bored. He had been ever since Lyney left... a day ago. He was cleaning the stones, soils and flowers he puked on a few days ago with his bare hands alone, fingers numb and bruised and bleeding as his nails crunched through the stones just to click out crumbs of dried vomit.

He felt nauseous cleaning it, but if he were to vomit he'd just have to clean that with his hands. Wet.

Snow covered the tall glass roof in a cold blanket of white. It was cold in the garden too, any water Xiao had in attempts to destain everything froze eventually, Childe got so annoyed with it to the point he simply banned Xiao from using it. His robes were thin, disturbingly so. They provided no warmth, or safety, nor did they have any ability to keep warm.

It reminded Xiao of the day a hand pulled him out of the snow and gave him warmth and protection and an ability to stay warm. But he wasn't here anymore.

Who was?
They all left Xiao. Literally. Lyney left like he was desperate to do so, not asking to write, or signs he would visit again. Morax died. The yaksha died. The other adepti died.
All he had was Childe, and he'd leave by some point; he was mortal, it was fate.

Xiao sucked his tongue like he was trying to suck back his thoughts, but they always spilled back by some point. His nails grazed through the cracks of the stones he was kneeling against until he felt a hand against his shoulder. He flinched sharply, but didn't even try to fight back. What happened to him? When did he grow so... pathetic?

He nervously looked up to the owner of the harsh hand, eyes meeting deep blue oceans of an eye. Childe smiled happily. "Looks better, Xiao," He commented, he was excited, overly so - Xiao felt the hair on his neck stand up like a birds feathers trying to puff up and make themselves look larger. Only, Xiao did the opposite. He shrunk his body lower to the ground and scrunched his shoulders so they nearly touched at his back, making himself smaller. Childe's smile only widened after he did so. "Hey, I was thinking, since you've been doing such an incredible job lately - not running away, not whining about me buying you anything, not even complaining - I would take you out, just you and me."

What ?

Seriously ?

Xiao shivered at the thought and quickly nodded. "Yes, please," he replied without hesitation, faster than the winds of Barbatos' arrows.

"Please, what ?"

"Yes, please, sir ," Xiao corrected hastily, almost begging at the idea of going out even though he did so only a day ago. This was different. Very different. Childe wanted to go out with him !

Well, technically, it was a reward; but that was practically the same thing.

Childe moved his hand so it brushed through Xiao's hair, his smile softened to something more genuine. "Good," he purred. "Get changed, it's cold."

Childe cared ! This had to be a blessing from the Archons, maybe Morax reawakened and blessed him.

Xiao raced inside - if you could call speed walking racing since he wasn't allowed to run in the palace - and grabbed one of his thicker robes. It was almost spiky texture-wise, but at least it would keep him warm.