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There were numerous human customs laying outside of his understanding. Sometimes grasping those fleeting sentiments behind some of their habits was the hardest thing to comprehend – not the habit itself.
There was a day once a year in every human life that called for a thorough celebration or at least a notable mention. The idea of joyously relishing the day of one’s birth was foreign to Xiao as he would never see his coming onto this world as a reason for any festivity. No. To him it marked the day of the beginning of visions in red and shadows creeping around every corner.
And yet something had changed. Was it because he really strived to wrap his head around those odd customs creating the human realm? Or was it because of her?
It started during one of their conversations. She casually asked about the date of his birth. As innocent and casual as it sounded, it caught Xiao off guard, his thoughts trailing off to wonder why in Rex Lapis’ name she would want to know something so trivial and unimportant. As that pensive silence stretched into long breaths of waiting she appeared disappointed he wouldn’t tell her right away. He did eventually, albeit reluctantly. Then it seemed only fair to ask the same thing in return.
He kept that date locked away safely in the back of his head until it resurfaced a few days prior to her birthday. She never mentioned the upcoming day even once and so he began to wonder whether she really celebrated the anniversary of birth in the same manner as people in Teyvat did. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to let it slide, that strange anticipation budding inside his heart overgrowing his sound common sense.
They parted the night before. She’d said she had some business to take care of in Mondstadt and that it would take her a day or two to get back to Wangshu Inn. He acknowledged it making no inquiries as to why she had to leave then of all times.
In the morning Xiao was restless. In an unfamiliar way, no less. It wasn’t his karmic debt scratching away at his peace of mind. It was the most peculiar of sentiments, so human-like down in its nature that he pondered whether he had become one himself overnight. How to make her feel special on this very day?
He mulled over that thought, his fingers fiddling with a pale blue hairpin. He’d spoken with Ganyu about using crystalflies and she gave him the idea of creating a hair-accessory. Was that enough though? A gift so simple and not too lavish?
It was nearly the time. Lumine had taken him to Mondstadt a few times already, so he had no doubt that he would be able to find himself within the confinement of the stone walls of the city. And finding her shouldn’t pose a problem.
Just as he was about to head out something tinged at the very brim of his consciousness. A whisper so low that a human ear would most certainly ignore it. One word so filled with heart-wrenching sadness, shimmering with a vision of diamond tears glistening in the sunlight.
The whisper – his name.
Xiao.
The voice – one he would let slide. One he would always arrive for.
He clenched his fist around the crystalfly hairpin and in the next moment he was standing within a vast landscape brimming with greenery, right on the edge of a cliff so tall that it gave an illusion of a nearly bird’s eye view of the city below.
She sat on the cliff, her legs dangling from that dangerous height as her golden eyes filled with tears gazed ahead to something she was only privy to, far beyond the boundaries of this very world. Bathed in noon’s rays of sun, hair dancing with the light wind, she looked so ethereal that Xiao was convinced she would disappear should he only blink. And that he would never be able to see her again.
Driven by that ridiculous thought he collapsed to his knees right next to her, one hand reaching to catch a hold of her chin. The haze of faraway longing dissipated from her eyes as she focused on him, a glint of surprise lighting her face.
“Wh… why are you here?”
“You called,” he explained simply, his thumb trailing the path of the last teardrop from where it had dried, all the way up to its source and it stopped short in the corner of her eye.
“I did? Oh—”
Was she not even aware? How long had she sat there, locked away in the domain beyond his reach?
He minded not the human tears and their sadness for he did not understand it. And yet somehow when it came to her he couldn’t shake off that painful feeling around his heart. It pressed down on his stomach, clenching his throat and fiddled with his mind. He wished for nothing else to chase away her shadows to make room for the daylight for she belonged to the realm of light.
Having no better ideas Xiao leaned back on his legs until he was sitting comfortably right next to her. Then he wasted no time pulling her closer to the point where their bodies were only a shy away from touching.
Lumine looked up at him with big reddened eyes before wiping them with the back of her hand. “I think your name just slipped from my lips… but I’m happy you came,” she admitted somewhat shyly, the tears refusing to stop even after she had dealt away with some of them.
“Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing—”
“That’s a lie. Don’t lie to me. Please,” the softness of his tone surprised even him.
“It’s… it’s my birthday today. And year after year it makes me think about my brother. We would always celebrate together and now all I can do is wonder. What is he doing? Is he safe? Is he thinking about me, too? Will I ever see him again—”
Lumine’s voice faltered and faded away as she trailed off. He couldn’t give her the one thing she desired the most – he couldn’t bring her to see her brother again. And so the shadow would remain for as long as they would be apart. In the end he could only try his very best to chase away that darkness even for brief moments of time.
“I wish I could give you what you desire. The guarantee that you will be reunited. All I can do is to help you reach him again. I think…” How could he put it to words? What he wanted to say held a very human intent behind it but dressing it in an appropriate manner seemed beyond his abilities. “Your brother wouldn’t be very thrilled to find you agonizing on the very day that used to be special to the both of you.”
Lumine seemed to stop breathing for a second, her eyes going wide and mouth hanging open before the sweetest of sound reached Xiao’s ears – her laughter.
Why are you laughing while the tears keep streaming down your face? Why is it that you humans can jump between such radical emotions so effortlessly?
“You’re right. Absolutely right. I can’t make this sadness go away completely, but… I should be happy, shouldn’t I? In some manner I’m another day, another year closer to being reunited with him.”
The radiance of her being shining beyond those tears and that smile captivated him with something otherworldly. No, she shouldn’t strive for the sun if she was brighter than it. And yet he wouldn’t dare to ever look away from her as one looks away from the actual sun.
“Thank you, Xiao. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“I—”
Ah, no, how was he going to go about it now? He’d never cherished someone for their birthday before, and just the knowledge alone that this very day held even more importance to her than for any other human on their day of birth…
Xiao looked away toward Mondstadt, treacherous warmth creeping across his face. He scratched his cheek with one finger, no thought peeking beyond that outrageous shyness that overwhelmed him.
“Xiao?”
“Ha… Happy birthday, Lumine,” his voice was quiet enough for the words to be blown away by the wind, yet sitting so close she couldn’t have missed them. He produced the hairpin and held it up for her to see while his eyes searched for hers again. “I hope it’s to your li…”
The rest of the words were swallowed by a familiar sweet taste spilling all over his lips. The landscape, the greenery, the city – all of it gone in favour of his vision being filled by her only. A kiss took Xiao by surprise, however it wasn’t an unwelcomed one. Soon enough he found himself relaxing, his palm travelling up to rest on her cheek.
“I love it,” there was an edge of huskiness to her words as they pulled away after what seemed like a sweet eternity. “I’ll treasure it. Thank you. Can you pin it in my hair for me?”
Xiao’s fingers were trembling just slightly as he tucked away a loose strand of blonde hair before adorning it with the handmade pin. The smile that she wore then matched perfectly with the crystalfly in her hair – ethereal, delicate, magical…
“How do I look?”
“Beautiful,” he admitted with no hesitation whatsoever, to which she blushed adorably. It appeared as though the tears had finally let up.
Xiao sighed quietly to himself, his whole body inclining closer until he was yet again enveloped in her scent. He took her face in his hands and pressed a single kiss to each of her eyes’ corners, the touch as fleeting and delicate as crystalfy’s wings. Then he lingered a bit longer after placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Xiao,” his name on her lips was half-word half-sigh. He felt her slim arms wrapping around his waist. “Will you be here with me a year from now? And then another?”
“And then another,” Xiao replied, pressing their foreheads together. “I have no intention of leaving your side. And if we happen to be apart while you need assistance in… while you need me, simply call. I will always come.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Her embrace tightened around Xiao’s body. He wasn’t sure anymore where he ended she began, the both of them almost melting into one on that sun-bathed cliff looming above the city of freedom. His hands travelled up and down her back, reassuring her that he wasn’t going anywhere. And reassuring himself that she wouldn’t disappear.
“Lumine?”
“Mm?”
“Happy birthday.”
In the end
It seems that there’s some strange magic to this day
As long as it's for you
And as long as I’m here with you