trailblazer & traveler || hsr & gi ✓

out of character | xiao x female!reader

Turning on the game, she couldn't help but to get a tiny bit excited, and it was for good reason too. Just recently, she had managed to pull xiao on rerun banner. To be completely honest, she never thought she could get him especially since she missed his first banner. (Though, she only missed it because she didn't start playing the game until a few months ago during Childe's second rerun...)

And, of course, there was the fact she was a f2p. In other words, she couldn't and probably wouldn't spend money on anything that the shop had to offer. Though, she was tempted to ask her parents every so often for playstation money .. but she would be too embarrassed to admit as to why she needed it.

"Finally," she said with a sigh in her voice. The screen finally loaded and her Xiao was standing by a Statue of The Seven. I think I'm still in Liyue....

"Well, whatever .. I may not be able to level Xiao up right now, but I did manage to get all of his ascension materials. Along with some good artifacts, but .. it's only thanks to the co-op players that joined me a few weeks ago. They are the true heroes."

She sheepishly smile at the screen as she started to move Xiao around. Jumping down a cliff face and opening the glider. She maneuvered him so he wouldn't get any fall damage.

B E E P
B E E P
B E E P

She glanced over at her phone as a frown crossed her face. Setting down her controller, she plucked up the device and opened the screen. Her mood taking a turn for the worse.

"Why does this always happen ...?"

Looking at her messages, she decided to ignore the person and turn off her phone instead.

Lately, school hasn't been the best for her. She was recently placed in a team project with two other people. And these two people were dead set on her doing all the work, and frankly ... it was tiring. They bullied her constantly, and she didn't want to tell someone of her troubles because she didn't want to seem like a burden or even a disappointment. Which was why she decided to tough it out and continue to tell them that she already did her part, but

as she said

it was tiring.

Grabbing her controller once more, she just sort of sat there for a few seconds. Blankly looking at the screen. If it wasn't for those two, then her school life would be better. It would be way better.

"I shouldn't cry about it ...or whine, or wish for something better. It'll all be over soon. I'm sure of it."

She failed to notice how her Xiao looked at her for a brief second before going to an idle animation.

She got back to playing as she was before.

.
.
.

"Ow, ow, ow," she winced as she sat down. Her game already loaded and Xiao was waiting by a statue as he was the day before.

"It hurts so much," she wheezed as she tried to take in any air available. But it was proving hard to breathe.

Lifting up her shirt, she looked at difference in pigmentation in her (color) skin. Bruises.

Her two teammates didn't like how she talked back, so of course they would resort to physical abuse in the ways of bullying.

"I just ... I just," she couldn't finish her sentence as the tears started to pool at the corners of her eyes.

"Are you alright, y/n?"

Dropping the hem of her shirt, she snapped her head to the screen.

That was .. that was Xiao's voice-

She looked at the character. When she had loaded the game, he was facing towards the statue, but now he was facing towards her. And she didn't remember touching the controller before looking at her bruises.

Y/n...

That was another thing, she didn't put her name as Y/n in the game she put it as Lumine 'cause she didn't know what name to choose when first starting the game. Of course, she could have always changed the name at any time, but nothing ever came to mind.

"Are you alright?"

He asked again.

Looking around the living room, she made sure her parents or sister weren't around. The last thing she needed was for them to see her talking to her tv screen.

Seeing no one, she looked back at Xiao. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was looking at her, seemingly waiting for a response.

"No?"

She was still trying to figure out if this was real or not.

"Those were bruises, right? Who gave them to you? Was it those so called teammates you have to work with for school?"

To say she was flabbergasted was an understatement. If this was real, then he knew more about her than she thought.

Was he always watching over her when she turned on the game?

If that was the case, it made her feel .. less tired than before.

"Well, they-," she thought for the right words, "they were the ones who did it, but how do you know about them? Or even about the project?"

"You talk more than you realize."

That's kind of embarrassing, she thought to herself.

"Oh... uhm, sorry about that."

"It's .. it's fine. Hearing you is the best part of my day."

She couldn't stop a blush forming against her (skin color) cheeks.

"I-," she collected herself so she could smile, "thanks, Xiao."

Nodding, he turned back around, but before resuming his usual state, he turned his head slightly to give her a side-eyed stare, "remember, Y/n. If you ever need me .. just call out my name. I'll be there."

She hoped he would be.