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The entire expanse of Liyue stretches out beneath your feet, the ponds resembling puddles and the trees little more than dark dots in the night. The marsh stretched for what seemed like forever before it melted away into towering stone peaks and cliffs leading toward the neighbouring region of Mondstadt.
“Don’t fall.”
You tilt your head back in greeting to the voice behind you. Xiao, appearing out of thin air like he normally does, approaches the railing on the balcony of Wangshu Inn and leans his back against it. The two of you sit in comfortable silence for a few moments. You look up at the stars twinkling above your head, forming so many constellations that you couldn’t dream of memorizing them all. A small flock of birds fly beneath your feet to remind you just how high up you really are. You finally break the quiet, letting out a sign that causes Xiao to dip his head towards you slightly.
“Do you ever wish you could fly, Xiao?”
He’s quiet for a moment, subtly adjusting his posture. He wondered if he should lie to you. This wasn’t the first time he had found you on the railing of the Inn, your legs over the edge and your head tipped up towards the sky. It wouldn’t hurt to indulge you in your interests and feign interest towards something you’re passionate about. You, however, would see right through him. He had tried before to alter his words to suit what you wanted to hear and each time you told him not to restrain himself.
“If I ask you something I want to know what you honestly think, not what you think will make me happy!” You had told him one night after insisting to make him dinner. He knew you had spent all day gathering ingredients and studying the recipe only for it to end up burning on the stove. Xiao had insisted on eating it anyway, claiming that quality was not a concern for an Adeptus. He was right, there were very few foods he enjoyed and none of them were necessary for his survival. Regardless, he had accepted your offer simply to make you happy. You lingered behind him as he began to eat, checking for any change in his facial expression.
“How is it?”
“It’s… good.” Xiao answered, not wanting to hurt your feelings. In reality, the dish was quite hard to chew and had a strong, bitter taste to it. He grit his teeth and tried to bear it, however, not one to cause a fuss. That was until he heard you stifling a laugh and turned to face you, your hand covering your mouth.
“If it's really that bad you don’t have to eat it!” You exclaim, picking the plate up off the table and preparing to discard it.
“No!” Xiao stood up before he even realized what he was doing, reaching one arm out towards you. “I’ll finish it.”
“Xiao, there’s no need to lie to me. If you don’t like something you should tell me, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings. I want your honest thoughts, please don’t tell me what you think I want to hear.”
He was stumped at this, from all of his time living amongst humans he had assumed he was doing the right thing. There were countless times he had seen mortals bite down their own feelings in order to compromise for their partners, something he tried to replicate when spending time with you. This outlook seemed much more reasonable, however, and he nodded his head.
Snapping back to the present, Xiao realized that you were now leaning back far enough to look at his face. He quickly turned away, feeling somewhat embarrassed that he had begun to reminisce about something so mundane. Very unfitting for an Adeptus, he thought.
“No. I’ve never considered it.” He answered honestly.
“I have. Isn’t it beautiful up here? Sometimes I wish I could stand on the highest peaks in Liyue and look down.” You sigh, shutting your eyes to daydream about the possibilities.
“I have an idea,” Xiao says after thinking for a second, a small smile on his face. “But you need to trust me.”
“Always.” You reach out to grab his hand and he helps you climb back over the railing. He leads you to the middle of the balcony, one arm wrapping around your waist while also never loosening his grip on your hand.
“Ready?” He asks and you nod. Your eyes flutter shut you feel the wind begin to pick up around you, blowing through your hair. It almost felt like you could be blown over at any time if it wasn’t for Xiao holding onto you. Your head began to pound, your ears were ringing, and you squeezed your eyes harder to try and stop them from watering. Just as your knees were about to buckle, all of your sensations disappeared as if they hadn’t been there at all.
You timidly open your eyes, revealing the thick clouds above the rocks at your feet. You let out a gasp and nearly stumble backwards, thankful again for Xiao holding onto you.
“Where are we?” You ask, your mouth falling open as you take in the sights. The world below you was so far away that you had to squint in order to make anything out. Birds flew below, their wings resembling shadows instead of feathers. You could almost make out rivers flowing into waterfalls, collecting into one large pond between the mountaintops.
“Qingyun Peak.” Xiao answers, “Is this high enough?”
“Xiao, this is incredible! You’re incredible!” You exclaim, throwing your arms around him as a thank you. Being so far from civilization made him comfortable enough to return the gesture, a small smile never leaving his lips. He watched as you spun around to take everything in. Your eyes were sparkling like the stars and your quiet murmurings filled the air.
“Don’t get too close to the edge.” He said, stretching out his arm to continue holding your hand.
“I just want to look, don’t worry.”
“I always will.” Xiao nearly whispered, not wanting to interrupt your joy. While he sometimes struggled with adapting to human customs, one thing he wholeheartedly understood was the desire to make you happy. You could ask anything of him and he would do it. And now, watching you giddy with delight over the view from the mountain, he felt his heart beat faster than it had in his entire lifetime.
Maybe this was okay. He always tried to distance himself from people, promising to keep them safe from his karma. You were different, however. You never hesitated to be around him even when he acted cold. You never stopped inviting him places even when he brushed you off. You never stopped caring even when he tried to convince you it wasn’t worth it. Looking at you now, Xiao couldn’t be happier that someone was willing to do so much when he never originally reciprocated. He wanted to do everything he could to make it up for you. Even though it went against everything in his being he strived to be vulnerable with you. He wanted you to trust him - both with your protection and with your feelings.
He could see the tiredness in your eyes by the time you approached him again. It was well after midnight when he had found you at the Inn, no doubt waiting up for him as you normally did. Xiao would always tell you to go to sleep without him, he still had a job to do and hated making you wait. You would shake your head and smile at him, making up some excuse about how you couldn’t sleep until he was safe. He almost had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes the first time you said it. He thought you were just being cheesy, something he saw so many other mortal couples doing to try and express their feelings. It wasn’t until recently that he began to understand your words. When Xiao found himself acting recklessly, your voice would flash in his mind. He would put more care into his actions, never wanting to see the look on your face if he came back wounded. While mortals viewed death vastly differently than Adepti, Xiao now had a reason to fear it.
“Thank you so much, Xiao.” You wrapped your arms around him, burying your face into his shoulder and sighing. “I really appreciate everything you do for me.”
“Anytime.”
Anyone else hearing this response would assume that he was being cold, however you knew him better than that. You knew that he would truly do anything he could for you. You knew that he would protect you no matter the circumstances.
You knew he would always be there for you.