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“Where is he?” You asked.
Verr Goldet looked off to the side, shrugging. “I’m not sure…he went off earlier, I assume to take care of some monsters, but he hasn’t returned yet.” Seeing your disappointment, she added, “He couldn’t be too far from the inn though. I'm sure you’ll find him if you go looking.”
You nodded, and ran off down the stairs, too impatient to take the elevator. Running your hand along the railing, your feet hit the worn stairs of the inn as you neared the final flight. You peeked over the railing. A familiar, dark-haired figure was walking right below you.
“Xiao!” You called out excitedly.
He glanced up at you, only given a moment to react to your presence before you hoisted your weight over the railing, falling down to him. He caught you, of course. The adeptus’s strong arms grasped your figure as he looked at you in shock.
“Why did you just jump? Do you want to die?” His stern voice was met with your carefree smile. Light laughter met his ears, and your head rested lazily on his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t have died, you caught me. I knew you would.” Your breath was close enough to tickle his skin. You didn't miss the light dusting of pink on his face, but you didn’t point it out, either. You only smiled wider and took it in.
“Still, you could have taken the stairs.” His voice lost its harshness to his flush, and he glanced away as he spoke.
“Would’ve been too slow.” You simply responded. Xiao huffed in return. He acted irritated with your antics on the surface, but he found them unbelievably cute in reality.
Rather than continuing the conversation, he simply sighed and placed you down, careful and light. He began to walk away, but you grabbed his sleeve before he could vanish.
“Wait.” You hesitated. Xiao turned, quizative. “I was wondering…”
“Speak.”
You swallowed, hesitating again. “I haven’t seen you much lately, I was wondering if you would like to take a break and spend the evening with me?” You stilled, waiting for an answer.
“You want to spend the evening with me.” He repeated. You nodded. “Fine.” You smiled, wide.
“Alright, yes! There's this spot by the harbor I’ve always wanted to have a picnic at.” You say, remembering the scenic pool marked by a tree, an area you’d come across while exploring the region. You’d thought of being there with Xiao then. “I’ll get everything ready, meet me later!”
You dashed off, leaving the yaksha where he was standing.
-
The sun sat low in the sky, and you found Xiao on the balcony on the top floor of the inn. He was staring off into the sky, but turned when you came with a basket in hand. A slight smile seemed to grace his lips.
You took his hand then, and he walked with you all the way to the spot. Your presence, the feeling of your hand against his, and the smile seemingly always on your face made the air feel like a dream to him. He only stopped paying attention to you to scan the area for monsters that could possibly threaten your safety.
When you both finally reached the spot, the sun had almost set. The area was just as gorgeous as you had left it, prettier maybe, complimented by the Vigilant Yaksha. A ring of stone held a pool of turquoise-blue water. Beside the pool, a large tree stood in the ground, orange leaves reaching across the sky. The stone was broken in places, grass grew between the cracks, but the area was still beautiful.
You turned to look back at Xiao. His face was lit in the afternoon’s gold light, and it complimented his amber eyes. He was gorgeous. Ethereal, even.
Xiao looked towards you, and you suddenly busied yourself with reaching into the basket and placing a soft cloth over the grass. You pulled out two dishes of your own cooking, plates of almond tofu. Xiao eyed them eagerly. You sat, patting the cloth next to you, and he obediently sat down.
“Isn’t this place pretty? I thought of you when I found it.” You glanced at the orange leaves against the sky, then back at Xiao’s matching eyes.
“Really…Hmph.” He glanced away, flustered. It seemed absurd that he would occupy your mind.
You reached into your basket again, coming out with a handful of fresh qingxin flowers you had picked. Xiao hadn’t sat close enough in your opinion, so you moved to tuck one behind his ear, using it as an excuse to move closer. His cheeks flushed at the closeness as his gaze snapped to your hand. You pulled away, and his hand ghosted over the flower in his hair. He looked back up at you.
You smiled, and picked up your own plate of almond tofu. Truly, your best cooking yet. It helped that you practiced this specific dish so often for Xiao. Looking back at him, his gaze was still transfixed on you. You meeting his eyes seemed to snap him from his staring.
He reached past you, grasping not for his dish but one of the flowers. You watched him as he mimicked you from before, tucking the qingxin behind your ear, albeit somewhat clumsily. Your breath hitched all the same. He stared carefully at the flower, so as to not mess anything up, and when he was done he met your gaze again. The faint smile was back on his lips.
“For you…Speak nothing of it.” His boldness seemed to disappear once he opened his mouth, and he spoke harshly in an attempt to make up for it. You met his voice with a smile.
He reached for his dish, and you both ate together as the sunlight filtered over the mountains. Your eyes drifted to his tattooed muscles, while the yaksha reveled in the sweet dish. You finished before him and placed your plate back into the basket.
After the long preparation, walk, and filling meal, you became aware of a drowsiness over you. Xiao was still engrossed in his tofu, and you smiled as you realized your chance. You leaned into Xiao, coming to a rest on his shoulder. He froze, your sudden weight and warmth against him. You laughed at the reaction, only a slight exhale of air, and closed your eyes. Just to rest them. Surely.
Xiao managed to finish his plate even while being ever conscious of your body against his. He put his plate away, careful not to disturb how you were balanced on his arm. He sat for a moment, waiting for you to laugh again, or say something.
He turned his head in impatience, looking down at you. Your eyes were closed. He scoffed. You were asleep.
“Foolish…”
Xiao packed everything up in your basket, gathered you up in his arms, and made his way swiftly and carefully to the inn.
-
You stirred awake while Xiao was placing you down onto your bed. He cursed himself for waking you. You yawned while holding onto him, so he couldn’t teleport away.
“Did I fall asleep…” You asked sleepily, mid yawn.
“Yes.” Xiao did his best to sound exasperated.
“Aw, that sucks. I wanted to spend time with you.” You kept hold on his arm. “At least stay a little longer.”
“Fine.” Xiao said, “But if you fall asleep again I’m leaving.”
“Okay, deal.” You laughed. You tugged on his sleeve, gesturing to sit next you instead of awkwardly standing.
He followed after a moment, sitting stiffly on the bed. You abandoned the grip on his arm in favor of holding his hands in yours, which he accepted. Looking at him through bleary eyes, he met your gaze. Any other human would look like a mess after just waking up and being so tired, but Xiao still felt something in his chest when he met your sleepy gaze.
“What’re you thinking about?” you asked him, after maybe forever of staring at each other.
“You’re beautiful…” he murmured.
Your eyes widened, and his widened in turn as he realized what he had said. He felt ready to vanish, but you gripped his hand and smiled sleepily at him. He met your gaze again.
“You’re beautiful too, Xiao.” You grinned, as wide as you could manage. A smile Xiao saw often, but still found refreshing each time.
Xiao’s anxiety eased, but the heat in his chest did nothing but vanish. It climbed into his cheeks and ears, pink stains on his face. You couldn’t miss it if you tried.
You leaned forward into him. Distance closed, lips touched and your eyes fluttered closed. Neither of you moved, either into each other or away. You waited for him as he stayed frozen.
Finally you began to pull away, but Xiao followed you. Your lips never separated. You smiled into the kiss, closer now you could taste the almond tofu from his lips. You squeezed his hands, confirming the reality of the situation. He responded with a thumb brushed across your skin.
When the kiss finally broke, it felt like waking up from a dream. Your eyelids drooped, and you laid your forehead lightly against his.
“I love you.” You spoke.
For a moment it felt like you’d spoken to no one, or maybe had said nothing at all. Then came the soft reply, “I love you too.”
You opened your eyes to see familiar amber ones looking into your own. Wrapping your arms around his toned shoulders, you rested your head into the crook of his neck, breathing softly into his skin. You knew you’d probably fall asleep like this, but you dared to hope that Xiao would still be there when you woke. And as a hand rested protectively across your back, you thought maybe that wasn’t too far off to hope for.