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“I’ve heard stories about these lights,” you begin. Xiao cocked his head towards you, studying your expression whilst your eyes were trained on the waters of Liyue Harbor.
“These lanterns carry the wishes of all the people in Liyue. They send them up to the skies, in hopes that Rex Lapis will see them and grant their wishes.”
He hums, propping his elbow on his knee. Xiao wasn’t one to concern himself with the traditions of the living, let alone knowing the customs of said traditions. That was Zhongli’s area of expertise. You furrow your brows at his lack of a response, but you were promptly silenced by the sound of the deer adeptus bounding through the skies. Xiao followed you coolly as you sprinted over to the cliff, falling on your knees to stop yourself from careening over the edge as the fabric of your hanfu billowed behind you.
A brilliant, magical glow began to fill the skies above Liyue Harbor as a thousand lights followed the adeptus’s awakening. Your eyes were filled with a childlike wonder, sparkling with life. Xiao found himself mesmerized by how the lanterns illuminated your features with a soft yellow glow, whilst stars and rising lights alike glittered in your irises.
You glanced towards him enthusiastically, pointing towards the distance. A lone lantern had floated away from the main group, caught by a wayward wind intent on luring it away. As it began to descend underneath the cliff, you stretched your arm out, catching the edge of the lantern and helping it up in one fluid motion. But as your body reclined over the cliff, his eyes sharpened dangerously, and Xiao instinctively clamped his fingers into your other arm.
Startled and confused, you stared up at him.
“Xiao?”
Human lives were transient, he knew that already. He’s seen cavalries of them fall in bygone wars, bodies stacked upon bodies stacked upon bodies, with no names to match their lifeless faces. Humans themselves were incomprehensible, bumbling figures with no regards to the dangers that threatened them every night and day- yet here he was, completely enamored with one. But you are different, he insists. The one thing he hates most is seeing you hurt.
Xiao pins you with an unrelenting stare, but his amber eyes eventually turn away while his grip loosens.
“Sorry.”
A warm hand caresses his cheek, and immediately, those golden orbs focus on you once more. You tilt your head affectionately, eyes crinkling as Xiao finally eases into your touch, sighing. To him, you always had this miraculous power of making him forget the turmoil of his own immortality and your lack thereof, always tethering him to the present.
Xiao’s arm curled protectively around your waist, pulling you close. He pressed a tender, feather-soft kiss onto your lips, the gentleness making you melt from the inside out. You held each other close, resting your head on his chest and feeling the tension ease in his shoulders as you traced patterns on his back.
“Do you have a wish?”
You hum a short inquisitive note, before moving to a longer, more thoughtful one. He looks at you expectantly, as any wish you could think of could probably be fulfilled under his authority. The adepti were still powerful beings, after all. Eventually, you smile to yourself, shaking your head slowly and cuddling further into his chest. The last of the lights have begun to fade away into the distance, moonlight painting the mountains a pale periwinkle.
“No,” you murmur above his beating heart. “Not at all.”