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though your ears may not have been as finely tuned as your sight, you caught a catch in the wind's whisper. you continue polishing your utensils by the basin as the yaksha's presence manifested behind you.
"it's still early, did you encounter anything peculiar on your patrol?" a smile fitted on your lips, keeping your focus on the task at hand. the chore was quickly interrupted when arms circled behind you and around your waist, tight yet considering.
you squeezed xiao's forearm in response, and hesitation dissipated, replaced by clutching desperation. you pushed against him to allow your body to face his, catching the pieces as they fall.
he was a storm, raging through different states of stability. his brows were furrowed, lips pulled into a straight line, and his golden eyes. your treasure.
your treasure was being plagued with ominous clouds. xiao had always carried a great battle within him, but it had never surfaced in this manner before. where even he couldn't bear to lock it within.
chastising him for that habit, you intended your words to be taken as lightly as a feather. for you understood that xiao never acted on anything without a firm stance.
he only hid his turmoil from you to shade you from the worst of it, as he said. and you insisted that you were prepared to face it. he persevered.
yet to see him cracking on the surface, to see his unshakable willpower falter, you know. you know it was something devastating.
so you held your tongue and clasped the frame of his face, thumbs caressing the sharp edges of cheekbones. his eyelids fluttered, cherishing your skin against his. xiao bowed his head down, hiding any more vulnerability from your sharp eyes.
one hand slid against the skin on his neck, and you drew figure-eights on his nape. you hear the sharp inhale, followed by a stuttering sigh. you ushered him closer to your frame until his head was resting on your body.
another hand found its way to the intricate markings on his upper arm, tracing the glowing tattoos. you felt his breath rapidly increasing its pace, and you settled on placing your fingertips near his gloved ones. you felt xiao rotate his hand and you met him halfway by linking your fingers in between his.
the world grew silent as you decided that xiao was the only one that you needed to sense. you soothed his unraveling, but rigid frame until you were certain you had your beloved returned to a collected state. as collected as he can be at the moment.
you felt vibrations reverberate on your torso, only to realize that xiao had muttered something. you pressed his nape lightly to indicate that you haven't heard, and he reluctantly released his face from the safe confines of your chest.
you were almost happy to see a lingering pout trailing on his lips.
"can you do that on my back?"
you let the question hang in the air, and the growing annoyance with a mix of embarrassment became more prominent in xiao's eyes. you quickly found his meaning, and lightly chuckled.
"sit on the couch with me, then?"
both of your footsteps trudged to the small living area, and xiao maintained his ramrod posture as he sat down. you prodded his side with a finger, swearing you heard a small grunt, and he moved to face the side, back towards you.
unmarked like the finest silk, you observed how the muscles underneath the skin contorted and responded to any slight movement of his. you didn't know the details, but the yakshas seemingly do not scar as how mortals usually would. and yet, you felt and perceived the countless scars that decorated his body, invisible to those unknowing of his burdens.
your palm was placed first, and relief washed over you as you felt his heartbeat slow to a steady rhythm. xiao did not move from the contact, and you let his reactions dictate your next move.
you placed your face near the exposed window of his top, and you wonder if you were imagining the sudden heat radiating off him. your breath bounced off his back and you were certain the sight of him shivering was not created by your mind.
it was like electricity rippled in his nerves, as you placed a tentative peck on the middle of his back. you waited for any sign of protest, receiving only a disgruntled and strangled noise from xiao.
"please."
you grew confident from the pleading laced in his words, placing butterfly kisses along the skin. a shaky sigh aired out from his mouth, only to be replaced by a hiss as you slightly sucked on one of your kisses.
xiao felt like he was melting, held together only by your hands placed around his waist. a tremble rippled through his body as your fingers squeezed on flesh that met the top of his hips.
he couldn't stop the mewl that left him as your tongue slid against his exposed skin. goosebumps forming along his back and neck, he held your hands tight and kept them firmly in place.
your teeth grazed one of his shoulder blades and he bit his lip in fear of indulging you with more of his obscene squeaks and whimpers. you knew, however, exactly how to have him sing your favorite melody.
in the light of the moon's glow, xiao forgets all that plagues him, even for a sliver of a second in his seemingly eternal existence. instead, he remembers every ministration of your lips against his own, and along with the sweetest spots on his body.
the sole yaksha had endured many a sin of his own, yet every day he learns that it is not there to damn him to suffering. he learns that he can indulge in whatever beauty a person's love can grant you.