Chapter Text
The moonlight shone across the balcony you stood at, a soft breeze brushing through your dress as your hair fluttered lightly in the wind. It was a warm night, beautiful and effortlessly brightened in shining stars. Silence rang all around you, except for the inaudible chattering of the citizens below.
You had stood at this same balcony for the past 3 days upon Verr Goldet’s information that you would be able to find the great Guardian Yaksha if you stayed here. The only time you had left your post was if the rumbling in your stomach required you to quench its hunger after spending a considerable amount of Mora, which you earned after laborious and tedious work.
With a sigh, you turned away from the balcony, deciding to return to the room you had rented out at Wangshu Inn. After taking a few steps towards the warm confines of the Inn, a whirlwind of air appeared before you, causing you to be knocked back onto the floor. Materialised into the air was a handsome young man who held a jade spear to your throat, clearly not content with your presence.
He donned a piercing gaze as his amber eyes scanned your body, which had fallen to the ground in shock, after having let out a shrill scream of surprise. A look of irritation passed his face as he returned his polearm back to its place, noting you down as an inconvenience he didn’t want to associate himself with.
His swift movements were enrapturing. You found yourself watching the small bounce in his soft highlighted hair. You clearly didn’t bother hiding your enticement as you watched a small flex of his muscles before his spear disappeared, waiting for its owner to once again call for it.
He was here. The last known Yaksha was here.
The words left your mouth in a quiet utterance, “X-Xiao...?”
He only glanced at you to give acknowledgement that he heard, “It isn’t safe for humans to stay in my presence. I believe you should leave.”
You swiftly stood up, bowing your head in respect to the greater being as you dusted your clothes, you gave a small introduction before smiling brightly, “My ancestors are part of those who worked in hand with one of the other yaksha. Our family was blessed with the ability to remain in the presence of those like you...”
“I believe that is an ineffectual skill to have. There are no more ‘like me’. I am the last one.” Xiao replied nonchalantly as he made his way passed you to the place you had once stood.
You smiled softly in return to his sardonic reply, “Maybe... but I don’t think it is. I’d say it’s quite useful, after all, I doubt you even remember the last time you ever interacted with someone.”
Xiao turned his head to face you, intrigued by the suggestive tone in your voice. His eyes roamed over the smile you wore. It was obvious you were charmed by his paying attention to what you were saying. If he were being honest, you were beautiful. He rarely met someone who can stay within his presence as well as hold his piercing gaze, let alone be excited by the fact that they could spend time with him without being affected.
He turned away, deciding not to delve in your beauty, "You're insane."
The words were muffled as he mumbled them, wishing silently you didn't take them to heart. He enjoyed your presence, despite wanting to think otherwise. Oddly enough, he felt comfortable around you, your presence calmed the demons inside him. He could let his guard down, even if it was only a bit.
"What brought you to seek my attention?" Xiao asked hesitantly, unsettled by your silence to his previous comment.
You had heard of the many battles Xiao fights, knowing quite well about the many wounds he carries. You certainly didn't want to come across as a burden to him, not when he already had so many. Your intentions were o help him, not cause more problems. Being a healer, you wanted nothing more than to tend to his wounds.
"I wanted to give an offering." You replied quietly, not wanting to irritate him further.
Xiao was once again intrigued. He turned to you with wide eyes, shocked by the words that fell from your mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he got an offering. No one paid attention to the adepti anymore.
"An... offering...?" He asked, taken aback by the gleam in your eyes. You were clearly happy by his immediate reaction.
You nodded with a soft hum, taking a few steps closer to him before smiling, "The Traveller, Aether, told me you liked Almond Tofu... so I decided to give it a try, and made a batch for you."
There was a sheepish look on your face as you bashfully rubbed the back of your neck, "But..."
Xiao raised a brow, finding himself enticed by the suspense you were causing. He never really felt the need to express human emotions, but here he was, trying to understand the emotions leaking from your actions.
"But...?" He repeated in question, proving his interest in what you had to say.
You hung your head low as you sighed, regretful, "but... I ate them."
Xiao raised an eyebrow, amused as well as befuddled by your act of stupidity, "You... ate them?"
His tone drowned in the knowledge that he was undoubtedly unimpressed.
You nodded quickly, panicking as you tried to explain, "It's not like I wanted to! You were just taking so long! I didn't want them to go bad... and I-I was hungry. So, I ate them... I could make you another batch, if you want."
A chuckle escaped his lips as his hand reached up to pat your head. Just as suddenly as he had acted, he pulled away, chuckle cutting short as he realised what he was doing. He turned his head away, a blush creeping up his ears. He was just as shocked as you were that he had involuntarily patted your head in affection, despite pushing you away coldly moments before.
As the shock cleared, you laughed softly at his reaction to not being able to control his impulses. Not only was his appearance adorable, but so were his actions.
You leaned against the balcony, looking out to the sky which was glittered in beautiful stars, "So... Xiao, will you grant me a wish if I give you an offering of Almond Tofu...?"
You could sense the anger in him as he hesitated from your question. He wasn't nervous, he was disappointed. Although you weren't affected by the evil beings he had consumed, you could still feel them. You felt them crawling against your skin, threatening to break into you and force you to give your body up. Right now, you knew Xiao was battling them whilst struggling to tame and keep them under control.
"You don't need to give an offering, if that's your only reason." Xiao seethe in a quiet whisper.
He was foolish to think a human had any desires to befriend him other than the reason to quench their greed.
You knew how hard he was struggling to keep the demons away. Reaching out you gently held his arm, smiling encouragingly as you willed yourself to pray to him. You closed your eyes, silently praying to him as his head whipped to face you, not appreciating your touch.
Then he heard a familiar voice ringing in his head, soft and gentle as it eased his war against the clawing demons. His eyes widened as he focused on you, realising it was you who had prayed to him all these years. He had never answered, not caring much about the selfish lives of humans.
"It's not my only reason... My family have always prayed to the adepti, however our faith is running thin. I decided to search for you the only remaining Yaksha. I wanted to give you an offering to present my gratitude to you. You save Liyue and don't ask for anything in return! Not to mention, no one seems to know about you!"
Xiao watched you, lips smirking up as he felt the passion pouring out your words as you talked about him. You clearly didn't entertain the fact that he was irrelevant to everyone's lives even after he did so much to keep them from danger.
You let out a sigh to calm yourself, earning a smile from him, "I've heard your prayers before... They're the only things that keep me sane..."
The shock that passed you lasted only momentarily before your lips transformed into a grin, "It was my pleasure!"
A soft sigh escaped him as he traced your gaze back to the glittering night sky, "What's tour wish?"
You shrugged, deciding not to tell him. You were certain he thought of you as a burden, "I don't have one. Besides, I didn't give the offering yet!"
You smiled brightly, discarding Xiao's shocked expression as you took his hand before leading him down the stairs of Wangshuu Inn. The kitchen was freshly stocked which allowed you to use it however you wished. Luckily, the hired chef, Smiley Yanxiao, wasn't there either, so no time would be wasted on trying to persuade him to let you use the kitchen.
Pulling out one of the wooden stools, you pulled Xiao onto it before patting his head, unaware of the blush dusting his cheeks from your use of physical contact, "Wait here."
He watched in awe as you picked out a number of ingredients with wondrous agility.
The smile that brightened your face didn't go unnoticed as you got to work on his favourite food.
Without much of a second thought you smile, "You're cute. I was expecting someone a lot scarier and... more authoritative."
You lit the stove with your pyro vision, paying no attention to Xiao who was currently attempting to hide his fluster despite you having your back to him.
As you glanced over your shoulder, your eyes met his, a chuckle escaping your lips as you teased, "See what I mean! You can't even take a compliment!"
He grumbled out a reply, not enjoying your current choice of tone when talking to him, "You're rather bold for someone as fragile as a human."
You shrugged, not caring for the threat that was laced with his words.
"What would your wish be?" You asked as you handed him a plate of Almond Tofu.
He cocked his head to the side, not giving his answer a second thought as he said, "Nothing. I don't see a reason to waste time thinking of something so mundane. It's not possible, so it's useless to think of it as I don't gain anything."
You snorted, "That's not a proper answer. I'm not leaving until you tell me."
"What makes you think I want you to leave?" He asked abruptly.
A look of shock passed your face before melting into a smile, "Isn't spending time with me a waste? You don't gain anything..."
He shrugged, finding it hard to agree. If he were honest, you weren't a waste. He gained peace and calmness when spending time with you.
You sat back down, finding his straightforward nature a blessing, "Okay... Then I'll leave unless you tell me."
He smirked softly, not enough for you to catch on to what he was thinking, "What makes you think I want you to stay?"
You blinked before letting out a soft laugh which caused a smile from him. You shook your head as you stated, "Fine... don't answer."
He smiled in approvement, "Sure."
You sat in silence watching him devour the Almond Tofu with light enthusiasm. You could see the ravenous glint in his eyes as he ate it spoon by spoon, enjoying it more than you could ever hope to. He was a celestial being, and it showed.
His beauty was otherworldly, and you found it hard to look away now that you noticed. Not to mention, you felt a sense of comfort as you looked into his eyes, as though you could trust him more than yourself.
You hoped it wasn't the case but you felt a special connection to this adeptus. One that was forbidden considering your different status.
"What would your wish be?" He asked, realising he enjoyed the relaxing sound of your voice.
You sighed in thought, " It would be... to spend the rest of eternity with you."
Xiao paused in every sense of the word. He held his breath and managed to keep himself from blinking. His usually stray tufts of hair stilled along with his body. Tense, rigid and shocked, he stared at you, unable to contain the heat creeping up his neck.
Did you mean it like that? Were you acting off of simple infatuation? Or were you hoping your words came off in a friendly manor, like him?
"Oh wait! No... I didn't mean it in that way! I just meant... my wish would be to be the person you confide to. The person you call home. " You immediately added on, aware of his current fluster and the double meaning behind your previous uttered wish.
You weren't like the other people he had come across. You didn't base everything off selfish emotion. You didn't feel the need to help him due to the absurdly simple emotion which humans find complexity in when they call 'love'.
You wanted to stay with him, because you held ownership of a good heart. You wanted to stay with him for an eternity so He wouldn't have to suffer with your loss. You wanted to stay with him with the desire to calm the evil spirits that resided within him. You wanted to stay with him so he had somewhere to return to. You wanted to stay with him to be the place he called home.
"Home...?" He whispered as though it was a foreign complexity. You could hear the hesitation in his voice as he asked.
"Yes, but... I'm not saying you have to grant my wish, or anything! Like I said before, I don't have a wish! This is more of a desire anyways... Plus, it's just a wish I have if I did have a chance to get my wish granted!" You stated in panic, hands fluttering as you tried not to say something that would offend him.
He already thought of you as a burden and you wanted nothing more than to not add on anymore negativity to that thought. You didn’t want to cause him any more trouble than you already have. He deserved to have some piece of relaxation after all the work he did.
“Well, I’ll be going then... It was great getting to meet you! Farewell Guardian Yaksha!” You smiled as you slowly got up, hoping Xiao wouldn’t leave his state of immobility until you were out the door.
You definitely angered him this time. You pushed your human desire into his life without even giving it a second thought. He must think you’re just as useless and selfish as the other ones
Before you could step away from the table, soft yet calloused skin could be felt around your wrist, tugging it and indicating for you to stay. His cold fingers could be felt on your pulse, which had shot up due to his sudden physical interaction. You glanced over to him, finding his head lowered, eyes purposefully not meeting yours as he mumbled inaudibly, “I can grant your wish...”
“Huh?” You weren’t sure if you had heard him correctly, leaning closer as you expressed your confusion.
He turned his head towards you, his eyes meeting yours as he faced you. An evident blush could be seen gracing his cheeks as he stated clearly, “I can grant you your wish! So... will you be the person I call home?”
A smile graced your lips as you answered, “Well... that was my wish, wasn’t it?”
For the first time after centuries, Xiao felt warmth heat within him. You caused a genuine smile from him. You made him feel wanted.
You were his home.