Work Text:
The memory of flowers was all that had left.
A faint, sickly sweet aroma, delicate brush of leafs and buds, bitter taste of petals on his tongue. Flowers were everywhere, even if invisible for his eyes. He could not escape from them, as they enveloped him tightly, numbing his mind and suffocating his lungs. Their presence was unbearable.
But it was all that had left.
His surroundings were meaningless. Day and nigh cycle meant nothing to him, as he did not participate in a masquerade called life. Here, in this old house, were only flowers, him, and‒
‒sound of multiple pairs of feet, stepping down the hallway.
He broke away from this too comfortable flowery embrace with his senses suddenly sharp and vigilant. Someone was coming, no, multiple people, and the only thing he knew was that nobody should visit this place.
"I swear, I heard stories that this place is haunted, that's why it's abandoned. At least you believe in ghost, right, Hu Tao?"
He stopped at the top of the stairs and stared at the bunch of teenagers, maybe young adults, in the hallway. Some of them looked unsure, one person was excited, and another was looking around with noticeable interest.
"Rumours may be, you know, just rumours," spoke that person. "I don't feel any kind of presence here."
He stopped in the middle of the stairs. He knew that kind of intruders. They pretended to knew something about ghosts and were the most difficult to scare away. Luckily this time, that person seemed to losing interest very quickly. She lazily looked around and shrugged her arms nonchalantly.
"Are you sure? Stories were phenomenal, how could you not sense anything?"
Maybe it was his fault? Maybe his previous actions encouraged the curious ones? And yet, he had had to react, he couldn't allow anybody to traverse this place.
"Are you doubting my skills?" pouted that person. "If you really wanna have fun tonight, I have heard about the better spot. Let's gooooo, we're wasting time here!"
She was loud, she was expressive, but her actions worked better, than he could even wish for. The entire group, though some of them complained aloud, headed for the exit. If he could, he would exhale with a relief. He might not get rid of so many people in time. Now he could only pry no one would decide to come back.
When noises became only a faint memory, he came back to his room, ready to fall info sweet nothingness.
✿
He was lying in his flowery bed, embraced by petals, steams and roots again. His peace was always a little disturbed after a visit of the living. Bitter, bitter taste, regret and loneliness. Flowers seemed to hug him tighter, like they tried to promise they would never leave him.
Steps. Again.
He materialized, unsettled and worried. One more time he wandered away from his room, searching for the cause of the noise.
There she was. Same face, same hair, different clothes. She was walking warily through the hallway, looking at every little thing. He could feel a slight sting of irritation. He needed to get rid of her as soon as possible.
He started as usual. He slipped silently past her and knocked down the vase. The girl jumped and looked behind her, peeking at the fallen object. After a seconds of silence, she giggled.
He wasn't surprised by her action. Many people reacted this way, blaming the wind or small animals. He wasn't discouraged, on the contrary, he felt even more motivated to scare the girl away. He followed her to the kitchen.
She was insufferable. She was touching everything, peeking everywhere, almost as if this home was her property. He puffed breathlessly and walk past her. The kitchen door closed behind him according to his will.
The girl didn't even flinch. Her gaze shifted lazily, her lips bent in a smile and she herself shrugged her arms, coming back to examining the nearest cabinets.
Infuriating.
He could no longer possess a living breath, but he still knew how to imitate one. He stood behind her, giving her a sensation of a cold air on the back of her neck. This was usually enough for the living to freak out, enough to make them flee.
But she only shivered, then giggled and rubbed the spot. He got taken aback quite abruptly. What was wrong with her? He gritted his teeth. Let it be. No longer hiding, then.
Temperature dropped significantly at first, then rose back up higher than it should. The girl tilted her head and inspected the broken long ago thermostat. She was where he wanted her to be.
The nearby window became steamy. He needed only a fee seconds to create a lopsided inscription:
Leave
She must go now. There's no logical explanation for this event. He overstepped quite a bit, but if it would make her gone before‒
The girl noticed the word. He froze, waiting for reaction. She stared at it with a blank face and‒
‒she wiped the fog from the window using her sleeve, only to make an expression of pure disgust at the amount of dust she collected.
Something broke.
Maybe it was his patience.
Maybe not his.
On impulse, he reached for all the energy he had left for now. In one quick thought he burst all things into air, made them fly from one end of the room to the other. Cabinets doors rattled furiously, adding accompany to this sudden chaos. It was exhausting, but should be sufficient to scare the girl away.
The girl.
She froze for a moment, then made a move in the direction of the table. With a focus flashing through her face, she climbed the furniture and started to hum, swinging her legs.
She was‒
‒crazy. Not other than that.
This small performance costed him enough energy to be forced to halt. He fell on his knees, staying in condensed form thanks to pure willpower alone.
"Oh, so that's all?"
If his blood wasn't cold for a long time already, he would felt an ice in his veins. When he jerked his head up, he met curious yet slightly worried eyes of the girl.
Hu Tao was her name, he remembered now.
"What," he spat, not sure if he was really referring to him. She giggled and smiled teasingly with her head resting on her palm. "Do you... do you see me?"
"Ah, of course, silly" she mused, legs swinging again. "From the very beginning, but I was nice enough to let have your fun. Did you enjoy haunting me?"
She sounded honest, but her smile was telling a different story. After all, she even didn't try to act frightened. He gulped, unconsciously following an old mortal habit, and tried to collect his thoughts.
He would never have guessed that somebody could see him. This stirred something in him. Yet he did not know what to do.
No, no, wait, he knew. He always knew.
"Leave this place, living being," he said gravely, yet his pathetic position on the floor, still being depleted of all strength, wasn't helping him to sound intimidating. Hu Tao must have thought the same, as she jumped off the table and wandered to him.
"But what if I stay?" she asked, crouching to be on his eye level. "I came here for you, you know? Why should I leave, when we can finally talk?"
There was a reason. It got stuck in his throat the very moment she put her hand on his head.
She touched him.
Everything he knew about his lamentable existence got threw out the window.
"So tell me, little ghost, why are you here?" Her voice got suddenly so soft, so... caring. "I can help you cross if you let me."
Why was he here...
Sharp pain seized his chest. He was here to keep humans away from this place. He couldn't leave.
"Go away." A growl left his lips this time. Hu Tao only smile wider, the same silliness back in her gaze.
"So scary!" she exclaimed. "Too bad you already showed me you're a nice, lonely ghostling," stated Hu Tao and continued when she caught an offended stare from the ghost. "You could easily hurt me by now, yet you didn't even touch the knives from the drawer."
He didn't, yes. He did not plan to hurt her, not any other human that visited this house. He just wanted them to leave.
For their own sake.
Hu Tao's hand once more patted his hair. His cold chest seemed to warming up.
Or was it a flowery aroma, that filled his lungs?
"Leave." This time only a whisper left his lips. This time Hu Tao got serious and looked around. With a hum on her lips, she swiftly stepped back and smiled once more.
"I see. I must have overstayed my visit. Ten minutes, was it? Very well, I will be prepared better next time."
What? Next time? What was too difficult to understand in his words? Before he could ask, Hu Tao turned around, leaving him with way too cheerful words of farewell.
He sneered. Insufferable. Was the livings always like that? Devoid of a voice of reason? He wanted to get up, check, if she really left, but with danger away he no longer could enforce his form to stay condensed. With a tiny pulse of energy, he let go, falling into light slumber.
When he woke up again, his flowery bed was around him, sweeter and softer than ever.
✿
She truly came back. Another week later, she burst through the front door, calling him from the entrance.
He growled, awakened from his slumber.
"Mister Ghost! Come out! I have soooo, so many questions and a very little time!"
He materialized in front of her with a deadpanned look on his face and crossed arms. Truthfully, he hoped she no longer could see him. Secretly, he was intrigued by her ability and motives.
"Go away, living, there's nothing good for you," he warned once again. He felt much more confident, being now full of energy. "No amusement awaits you here, only regret."
She stuck out her tongue on him. This alone was enough for him to lose his words.
"Disrespectful," he only muttered incredulously, turning his back to her.
"I'm glad to see you too!" she mused and jumped in front of him. "Now, don't run. I have maaany questions. First! Does this handsome ghost have a name?"
He flinched. Her words grabbed something in his chest and squeezed, yet he wasn't sure what was that. It must be some new kind of annoyance. He was long time dead, there was no place for‒
"I don't remember my name" he answered quietly, concentrating on her question. There was no point in taking her words to the heart.
"Shoot," cursed Hu Tao. "This may be difficult then. Do you remember how you died? Anything from your life? Did you live here?"
Question after question, he could only shake his head or shrug.
"Do you remember anything at all?"
Faint aroma of sweet flowers. But he kept silent.
"Do you know why are you still here?"
Of course. He needed to protect this place. From this place.
"Go away," he said suddenly, fighting a sudden spasm in his chest. She only smiled in the response.
"Yes, that I know," she giggled out, but then she got more serious. "Actually, you being a ghost doesn't mean you understand your situation, do you? I thought I'll tell you a little about me and my work, maybe this help you clear your head, okay?"
He shook his head furiously, but she pretended she didn't notice.
"You, ghosts, shouldn't be here, in a living realm. When you stay, it's usually because of regrets or some kind of very strong emotions, which ties you to physical realm. You are usually chained to places or people. I suspect this place may keep you here, but I need more information to help you."
She was observing him almost without blinking. He somehow felt like she wasn't right about something, but didn't know how to voice his concern.
"Can we wander around the house?"
He froze at this sudden request, his mouth tightly pursed and eyes slightly narrowed. It's not like she would listen if he would refuse.
"I do not wish your presence at the first floor," he drawled, looking away. "Apart from that, you already visited all of the ground floor, didn't you?"
She smiled diabolically. He shivered, full of bad feelings.
"Almost. I didn't visit this room."
She headed straight to the living room. He felt a punch aimed straight into his gut. He hated the living room. He never visited it alone, never at all, but right now he followed, determined to stop her before she cross the threshold.
He blocked her way and she bumped into him. This didn't make emotions swarm in him, not at all.
"You won't go there," he said firmly, voice lower than ever before. She looked at him with a gentle curiosity. "This room is off limit."
"Why is this room off limit?" she asked with a smile. He shivered and looked away. "Can't I go there with you?"
He was silent. He couldn't find an answer.
"Just don't," he pleaded with the same low voice. "Please."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Just.. It's a bad room."
She looked at him for a very long moment. He couldn't bare this gaze so he averted his eyes, shifting between the dusty pictures and the carpet. He couldn't help but to feel like a trapped animal, even though he knew he was right.
"Alright," said suddenly Hu Tao. "I decided to believe you, for now. But one day you have to tell me what's about the living room."
He sighed with relief. The future was mysterious, so he could agree to her proposition. As long as she avoided the living room for now, he could agree to anything.
✿
"You shouldn't be coming back here," he told her once again, when she came one week later. She smiled as always. He couldn't be mad. Somehow her presence started to bring him calmness. Different kind of calmness. He should be mad. Her presence worried him.
"I told my professor about you," she announced and waved her hand at his unimpressed expression. "He may be teaching history, but deep down he's into folklore and that stuff. Once I'll finish my degree and open my business, he will be working for me, I tell you. Anyway! He thought the name Xiao would suit you. What do you think? It's weird to not have a way to refer to you. Do you like it?"
He should be indifferent. It wasn't his name, he did not know that man, he didn't care, if Hu Tao would have a way to call him. But he wasn't. Something pleasant bloomed in his heart.
"You can call me that," he replied quietly and turned around to hide from her scrutinizing gaze. "It's better than being called a little ghost."
"But you are little," she argued. "I bet you were younger than me when you died!"
"I'm short, not little," he snarled. "And I were older than you for sure."
"You can't prove it without memories!" she appeared in front of him almost as she was a ghost herself. "And because of that, you are my little, short, cute ghost Xiao" she reached out to him, only to grab and pinch his cheek. "Too cute!"
Some kind of devil got into her today. With a growl, Xiao grabbed her wrist and he pushed her hand away from him. The flowery scent almost made his head spin.
"Interesting," said Hu Tao, no longer petty and childish. "I think I understand you more and more, Xiao."
"You should leave," she whispered breathlessly, fighting the sudden weight on his body. Hu Tao smiled and stepped away.
He wished he could concentrate more, understand why she smiled like this. Like she achieved some kind of goal. Sleepiness numbed him before he asked.
"This early today?" He heard her voice, before she spun to leave him alone. "Don't worry, Xiao, I'm going to find out how you died. I promise."
✿
She was still coming back. Once a week, for a not longer than fifteen minutes. Sometimes she was serious. She asked questions and was telling him about other ghosts she had encountered. Sometimes she was a tease, touching him, joking with him, treating him like any other living being. She became a constant point in his pitiful, empty existence. He still chased her away, but always hoped for her return. She was like a fire, at one point seemingly timid and warm like a fireplace, and another time as wild as a conflagration. So, so alive.
Alive.
Maybe it was her liveness that attracted him to her. Maybe he felt alive himself near her. It was warm and nice.
Maybe he was jealous.
With each visit, something else started to show itself. Manifested in air around him. Bitter and angry. He didn't understand that. But he started to believe it was him.
He believed he was jealous.
He was scared what could come next.
✿
She was late. Xiao already waited in the hall, bitter and heavy request on his tongue.
Leave and never come back. I don't want your help.
Even thought alone hurt him. But that was not important. He could be hurt. He wasn't alive. His heart wasn't beating. He was no longer important on this world. She, on the other hand... Family, friends, future. She couldn't take the risk, shouldn't visit this house. Who knows what this place may do to her‒
‒what he may do to her.
Shiver. He almost fell apart, but it was okay. He was going to fix his own mistakes.
He had expected her to burst in as always, but this time she was as quiet as never. Before he could say those words, she spoke first.
"I know how you died."
✿
He wondered how he managed to remember anything that came after this words. His own resolve melted so quick, it was almost shameful. Hu Tao was stronger. She did not spill a word. She was adamant against his pleas, his threats, his silence. She said it's not a right moment. And maybe she was right. He couldn't believe now why he was so desperate. Would the truth change anything?
Hu Tao must believe it would. She left quickly, on her own accord. She left him alone among flowers, but this time he couldn't fall asleep.
✿
She didn't come back a week later.
✿
She was still gone two weeks later.
✿
Maybe it was for the better? Everything were as it should be. He alone, enveloped by a faint aroma of flower. He and the flowers and his mission. Not a single living soul to be in a grave danger.
But what about him?
Something told him to forgot about Hu Tao. She was alive. She had her mortal life and theirs fates were never supposed to intertwine. He should never meet her. She should never see him.
H e s h o u l d n' t. . .
thinkabouthercareabouthermissherwanthersmileforher
He should concentrate only on his peace, here, in his own room.
✿
Flowers got sweeter day by day. He finally could fall asleep.
✿
He could slumber longer, nothing distracting him from his flowery dreams.
✿
She
Came
Back
✿
"I'm coming in!"
He jerked up, suddenly awaken from his deep slumber. Quicker than a gust of wind, he was already downstairs, was already looking at her with a mix of so contradicting emotions: relief, anger, longing, fear, pain. She didn't notice him yet, but he opened his mouth to speak.
"I'm inside, Chongyun," announced Hu Tao and Xiao was taken aback. "In a minute I'll start preparing, but first I need to find Xiao"
She wasn't alone?
Wait, it's not right. She was clearly looking and talking to the small object in her hand. Xiao squint his eyes, trying to observe the thing more. Then she noticed him.
"Xia‒o!" she called and he almost grimaced. "Say hello to Chongyun and Xingqiu!"
She jumped to him gracefully, shoving the thing under his nose. Xiao curled up like a startled animal, noticing two moving heads on this thing. Had Hu Tao been a witch all of this time?
"Hello?" the thing spoke. "I don't think your phone is able to record paranormal activities, Hu Tao."
"Oooh, what a shame," whined the girl, directing the thing straight to her face. "Anyway, I'm going to get ready, stay on the call, alright?"
Xiao watched in silence how she walked past him. Pain seized his chest and he turned around to follow her. She wasn't looking at him. If not for this weird greeting, he could assume she didn't see him.
"Hu Tao," mumbled Xiao, stretching his hand to her. "I thought you wouldn't come back."
She still didn't look at him. She glanced around, deep in her thoughts, her gaze sliding above him, like he didn't exist. It pained him, again. At the same moment his lungs squeezed in hot sensation. He ignored it. Not now, not when she was finally here.
"Don't ignore me," he protested, getting closer. "Please."
He could suffocate, but he didn't care.
She finally looked at him. And smiled.
One, short second. She threw something to him and he stretched both of his hands to grab it out of instinct. Instantly she jumped, almost kicking a nearby door open. She crossed the threshold the same moment he shouted "wait!".
The living room.
Xiao stopped at the entrance, watching with terror how Hu Tao wander around the room, peeking at every corner. If he was alive, he would most definitely hear his own heartbeat in his ears. His throat felt dry, even though it shouldn't. His hand trembled, even though it wasn't an old habit. He wanted to follow her, but he couldn't force himself.
"Don't worry, Xiao." She finally looked at him. "Just stay there until all is done."
Done? What done? Now not only his hands trembled, his entire body was shaking violently. He didn't even notice when he fell on his knees.
"Everything alright? We don't have to call the cops?" A concerned voice sounded from the device.
"I'm good, I'm good," mused Hu Tao, placing the thing on top of the table. "Do you see everything well? Fantastic. Just one moment."
He watched her while she danced around the room, setting candles in seemingly random places. She hummed a silly melody. In the past he would scoff her and smiled secretly, but right now he could only watch, trembling in fear. The flowers at the periphery of his vision trembled too. When Hu Tao finally stopped and sat in the middle of the room, she gave him an empathetic smile. No more than that.
"Ready? Repeat after me‒"
The thing spoke. Hu Tao repeated. Xiao coughed. His vision got darker somehow. He didn't even know he could experience something like this as a ghost. It was like he was dying once more, his consciousness slipping away with every second, every word. Only fear. Anger. Betrayal. Simple emotions tugged at his insides, but he couldn't even flinch, pinned to the floor where he fell.
Move, said the voice inside his head. She's going to part us... kill me... us.
The meaning of the words was slipping from his head, but he had a hunch that something bad was about to happen. Incredible force was trying to push him inside the living room, but he resisted with the last of his strength.
Hu Tao was silent, he realised.
"Just a moment longer, okay, Xiao? You're doing well, I'm proud of you and maybe I'll stop calling you little!"
Part of him wanted to laugh. The other groaned in pain. His lungs and stomach were on fire. Hu Tao recited something again, the weird thing was making noises again, and he‒
Stop her right now. Nobody can disturb our home.
He moved an inch forward. His fingertips brushed the threshold. He pleaded in his head.
"Do you know Xiao," Hu Tao's voice sounded a lot closer than before. "That some ghost can't visit the place of their death? Just hold on a little longer. Just a little."
Her words didn't make sense to him. Nothing made sense for him. Only this bitter fire in his viscera, only rumbling in his head, they were his entire world right now.
No.
There was something more. Violent feeling, like something was torn raw from his body.
Did he scream? Did his mind scream?
He couldn't resist the pressure on his back anymore. He fell forward, at the last moment resting the weight of his body on his hands. Both of them touched the living room's floor.
"Fuck," whispered Hu Tao. "Not now."
All hell broke loose in less than a second. But he only heard, his eyes shut tightly. Screeching metal, creaking wood, angry wailing, clatter and whistling wind. And scream. Distorted male scream. Female scream.
Hu Tao's scream.
His heart tugged painfully at his chest. Somehow, it was his fault.
"Page four, Hu Tao, page four!" screamed a distorted male voice, instantly followed by another. "Damn, I'm calling your auntie, Yun‒"
He didn't hear the rest, Hu Tao's scream drowned out everything.
That was a scream of pain.
She was in pain.
Because of him.
That scream ceased. He jerked up his head, mind swirling with fear.
The room was in chaos. Every one, last thing was lifted in the air, messily dancing around, before it was launched straight into the small and helpless body in the middle of the room. Hu Tao twitched after the shelf hit the floor an inch away from her and then started to crawl in direction of the coffee table. It got lifted the same second.
She leveraged her head up and their eyes met. Her were wide and wet, but she smiled nonetheless.
"Sorry, I must have let you down." He thought he heard.
Hu Tao. That annoying living being. So warm, so cheerful, so alive.
Even if her actions would kill him, he wasn't alive. But she was. So, so precious.
He launched forward. His mind protested, but at this moment only she mattered. His body shielded her, his willpower battled the surrounding chaos. She sighed. She was still breathing.
"Xiao." Words were leaving her lips with noticeable difficulty, but she still forced them out. "I need my notes."
Xiao nodded. He yanked out the notebook from the chaos, but when it landed in Hu Tao's hands, all what left were pitiful shreds.
"No," whined the girl, trying to make sense out of a piece of paper.
"Hu Tao?" the weird device spoke, even though it was flying around the room. "Do you hear me? Are you alright? Auntie Shenhe is on her way!"
"I'm okay! Xiao is here!" responded Hu Tao, grabbing Xiao's bicep. "Chongyun, remind me what was on the four page, please, quick!"
There was a distorted shuffle. Xiao shielded Hu Tao from the coffee table and almost caressed her cheek when she flinched.
"Okay! To banish an enraged fallen spirit you need a help of the victim and‒"
Smack! Hu Tao's phone hit the ground near her head. The girl cursed, and Xiao suddenly felt like all hope was lost.
"Fuck!" she swore, reaching to the pieces of device.
"Hu Tao'" spoke Xiao, his voice worn out like he was the one screaming. "Run away. I'll protect you. It must be this way. Forget about me."
He groaned when she shook her head. It couldn't be easy, could be?
"I'll remember," she hissed through her teeth. "I'll remember. I need a help of the victim and..."
She squeezed her eyes shut. Her cheeks were red and wet from tears. He couldn't stop himself from touching them.
"It's alright," he hummed. "You don't have to help me. I couldn't bear it if you die because of me."
She looked at him, her eyes round and soft, displaying for him all of her vulnerabilities. At this moment he felt like sacrificing everything for her was an only reasonable decision.
"We will wait," she whispered. "Until miss Shenhe got here. She will help us both." She stopped and laughed. "I shouldn't try to steal a job from exorcists."
He frowned and brushed the hair out of her face. A nearby window cracked warningly.
"Yeah." Her smile was sad and he hated it. "Remember when I told you about ghosts chained to this world? Some of them are not a nice ghost like you. The more malicious the spirit, the harder the job. My friend and his aunt are specialists, but I haven't encounter so many evil ghosts as them." She lifted her hand to his cheek, oblivious for an anger around her. "There is a very vicious spirit that is chained to you and this place. That's why you can't go further. You're trapped by it, but I underestimated it power."
He shook his head. He guessed this much so far.
"It's not your fault," he let out like in one breath. "As long as you are safe, I may rot here for eternity."
She laughed. But he was serious. And something that clung to his chest knew that as well. The swirling object in the air stopped in an instant and Hu Tao let out a surprised breath.
"What?‒"
"Go." Xiao lifted himself to his knees and stretched his hand to help Hu Tao stand. "It must be this way."
"No way!" she shook her head and crossed her arms despite laying on the floor. "We will wait for Shenhe, I'm not going anywhere."
The levitating objects rumbled. Xiao winced and frowned his brows.
"Don't be stupid," he snarled. "I would sacrifice even memories for your safety. I am not alive, not concern yourself with me."
Memories.
He tilted his head when she beamed like a sun.
"Xiao," she said. "Alatus."
A burning feeling in his chest arose in strength. He wanted to breathe, but his throat clenched.
"I understand your decision. I was expecting it, to be honest," the shadowy figure spat out, pouring a steaming tea to the cups. "Though I still believe we are fated to each other.
He reluctantly took his drink. Every subsequent moment with his significant‒ no, ex significant one, made him feel sick. He tried to fool himself for long enough, manipulated by a sweet words and gentle gestures.
"There's no such thing as fate," he whispered. "We will never meet again. You destroyed me and I can't forgive this. Not anymore."
The shadowy figure smile sadly and sipped their tea. He mimicked this action, looking anywhere but not at the figure.
"Alatus," they spoke softly. "You may not understand this now, but we are meant to be forever."
He wanted to deny it, to emphasize his opinion on their definitive end, but he couldn't. He pushed the cup away from his lips and squeezed his neck in panicked reaction.
"Forever together," wheezed the shadowy figure, their breathing hard and ragged.
His stomach burned. His lungs burned. He couldn't even say a word, grasping for air panicky. The shadowy figure smiled once more, before they lay down on the couch.
"Forever together... Alone."
He wheezed, even though no air filled his lung. Hu Tao caressed his cheeks and the only thing he could is to lean to this touch.
"Look at me, Xiao, look at me," she gasped, his gaze finally concentrating on her. "Throw them out. Throw them out for me."
He nodded, instinctively, dull pain still present in his chest. His mouth moved without a conscious thought, all of his feeling spilling out into words, forming a short, powerful sentence.
"Get the fuck out of my life‒"
The name of his former significant other rolled out his tongue and Hu Tao followed, reciting word in foreign language, what he was able to notice now. It sounded like Latin, and he was about to question it, until he felt the same tearing out sensation. He gasped. Hu Tao winced, but didn't stop her recitation.
It pained him. He curled up, shoving his face into Hu Tao's neck. The faint sensation of the touch tried to calm him, caressing through his hair. Yet he still screamed. He screamed like his own soul was ripped apart.
Bitter flowers. Steams. One by one, wrapped around his body, were lifted and torn away. He sobbed. Something curled around his body. He shivered and trashed, he screamed and petals swirl around him, danced around him and he choked. He sobbed and choked, scratching his own body to get rid of the intruder faster. Faster, faster, faster. Something around his body got tighter. He scratched deeper. He screamed lower. There was no air, but he was no longer alive. He sobbed. Petals faded. Something around his body stayed. It was warm and soft and smelled like fireplace. Cosy, cosy, familiar and safe. He breathed, even though he couldn't.
He fell, weak, yet light as a feather.
Hu Tao smiled weakly, pressing him to her body.
"You did so good," she cooed faintly. "The most cool ghost I ever encountered."
"Hu Tao," he breathed. 'What... I..."
"You remember most by now, don't you?" A giggle escaped her lips. "I deduced that you were trapped here by your murderer, who committed suicide after they killed you. I don't know all details, even police had trouble to uncover the truth, but I guess I was right?" She snuggled against his form. "I'm glad, so, so glad you are finally free, Xiao, Alatus..."
He whined. His all body felt so exhausted, he barely held a condensed form. Her warm scent worked as the best lullaby he could ever imagine.
"What now?" he mumbled, slowly closing his eyes.
"You will cross, Alatus," she said and Xiao was sure she was smiling. "Don't worry, I'll stay with you until the very end. You don't have to be afraid. Nothing will hurt you there and nothing will hurt you here while I'm nearby."
He nodded. Something inside was ready to argue, but he nodded nonetheless. He tried to look at her one more time, but his eyelids were too heavy to lift.
"Good night, Xiao. We will met again at the other side."
✿
Warmth. Softness. Different from familiar flowers and steams, that used to envelop him every day. He shuffled around, finding a more comfortable position and getting ready for continuing his sleep.
"Xiao? Why are you still here?"
He flinched. He knew this nonchalant voice.
His eyes shot open, finding a worried, reddish pair above him. He gulped, realization striking him.
"You are not tied anymore, do you?" spoke Hu Tao, her lips trembling.
He gulped. His sin hit him with a full force, yet he couldn't regret his feelings.
"Could I..." he started with a rasp voice. "Could I stay a little longer?"
She smiled. Sadly. Defeatedly. Yet she still caressed his cheek.
"Only for a while, okay?"