Chapter Text
“Xiao!” Lumine hurriedly dashed up the stairs of Wangshu Inn.
“Xiao!!” She calls out his name, half expecting him to suddenly appear and half expecting him to ghost her after the amount of times she’d accidentally called him.
“You seem desperate, what is it?” A sudden plume of darkish matter wafts into the air as the figure of the Yaksha slowly became visible.
“Xiao! Thank the Archons that you’re here!!” Lumine grasped Xiao’s hands, unaware for one moment that he despised physical contact, and gripped onto them.
“Lu-…mine..?” Xiao tripped on his words, surprised by the sudden gesture.
“Xiao, listen to me very carefully, ok?” Lumine still refused to let go of his hand, only clutching onto it tighter with each light tug he gave, as if it were a lifeline.
“The Lantern Rite festival is in a few days, and from what I’ve heard - you need a partner to be able to attend it.” Lumine spoke in a rushed tone, anxious to ask the question she had made her top priority.
“…So you’re sayi-”
“And I really, really, really, want to attend it.” Lumine finished, a pleading expression - subtly reminding Xiao of a child who wouldn’t have no for an answer - plastered across her face as she stared into Xiao’s confused eyes intensely. Hence, making him turn away to hide the deep shade of red crawling up his neck at how close she was.
“…So you want me to-?”
“No! Let me ask you the formal way!” Lumine interrupted him before he could say anything else.
All Xiao could register whilst Lumine rummaged around for something inside her pocket was how giddy he felt.
My god, what are you doing to me?
He mentally smacked himself for letting his guard down so easily, once again reminding himself for possibly the 7th time today that he was here to help her. He wasn’t helping her at all by being this way.
But it felt so good to know that Lumine - easygoing and popular due to her social skills - was asking him, someone who was seen as quite the opposite.
Still, Xiao thought it best to just relish Lumine’s kind gesture. For this rarely ever happens to him. Come to think of it, has it ever happened to him before?
“I swear I put it in here! Maybe it’s in here..umm…” Lumine murmured as she dug her hand deep into the pocket of her white dress furiously. Her fingers fumbling around for the supposed ‘missing item’
“There we go! Found it!” She sighed with relief, holding up her prize item, glowing with pride.
“Here!! Xiao, will you, please, accept my invitation to being my partner for the Lantern Rite?” Lumine thrust her hand out, holding a clump of qingxins grouped tightly together, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a sweet, pink bow near the end.
This can only happen in his delusions, so of course Xiao’s face turned a heavy shade of pink. And as he rushed to cover it up with his hand, he couldn’t help but smile, his heart pounding erratically behind his chest.
“You…uhh.. cough cough, umm…” Xiao physically smacked himself this time, ashamed with his lack of communication. He’s a Yaksha for the seven’s sake, there are much more worrying things than being asked out to a festival.
Yet, here he stands, a hand raked through his hair, struggling to get his words out just because of a golden eyed beauty- girl.
Lumine noticed how flustered the Yaksha appeared to be, and lowered her bouquet of flowers.
”Hey, take your time! I don’t expect you to answer right away, you know. I’m not that impatient. Although If you say no, I’ll beg you until you say yes.” She nudged him gently, smiling cheekily.
Xiao sheepishly removed his hand from his very crimson face.
All he could hear at the moment were voices. Voices from miniature versions of lumine prancing around in his head, chanting sweet nothings to him : say yes, say yes! Just go with her! Its just one day!! Man up!! Say yes, say yes, say ye-e-esss say yeeesss!! Is he going crazy? Why are they singing?
It took him a while to muster up an answer. “Y…yes. I’ll go with you to the Lantern Rite festival.”
Immediately, arms wrapped around him, embracing him in a tight hug.
”Yes!! Yay!! Im so glad, this is my first time going too!! I’ve always heard so much about it and always wanted to go, I’ve waited so so so long for this! Thank you Xiao!! You’re amazing!! You’re so swag!!!” And as Lumine continued to squeal like an excited, boisterous child, Xiao just gazed into the distance beside her.
What does swag mean..??