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xiao tapped his fingers on his leg nervously. he fought to keep his face level as his eyes shifted around the room. lumine could see he was growing visibly nervous as everyone began proposing toasts.
"xiao!" lumine said, louder than she meant to.
xiao snapped his head to her, clearly startled, "what's with the urgency?"
lumine stood up, "would you like to take a walk with me? i think i've eaten too much."
xiao seemed to understand she was asking if he needed a break, "yes."
hu tao smiled knowingly, "if you two have finished eating, then i encourage you to take a walk. it helps with digestion."
paimon also stood up, "uh, uh.. paimon will come too!"
lumine shot her a look. she changed her tone, "you're still hungry, right?"
paimon seemed to understand and she sat back down, "uh, yes. just hurry back!"
lumine tried for a reassuring smile, "we'll be back soon."
lumine and xiao walked out to a back exit. it led to a quiet patio that was secluded enough for a breather. once they were outside, xiao walked to the railing and exhaled. then, he turned back to her.
"are you alright?" he asked.
"i should be asking you the same thing." lumine replied, "how are you feeling?"
xiao folded his arms and took a deep breath. lumine waited for him to reply. it was obvious that something was causing him stress, and she admired him for not dismissing himself earlier.
"it's.. hard to describe." xiao admitted.
"unfamiliar with gatherings like this?" lumine asked.
xiao shook his head, "no, it's not that."
he walked over to the railing and put his hands on them. xiao took deep breaths and tried to calm his shaking hands, "the adepti have been hosting events such as these for as long as i can remember."
"you're just uncomfortable with the amount of mortals." lumine suggested.
"that's.. not exactly it."
he took another deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, which made lumine look away. she feared if she kept staring, her face would turn red. she'd forgotten how distracting xiao could be.
"rex lapis- i mean zhongli is having a easy transition into human life." xiao sighed, "that is something i will never be able to do."
lumine understood why xiao was feeling so stressed. he already didn't do well in large gatherings, as he was afraid his karmic debt would hurt the people around him. then, he had to act clueless as two ex-archons pretended to be human, which was something that xiao couldn't do. he probably felt out of place, which was made worse by everyone referring to him as 'conqueror of demons' and treating him like a mythical creature.
"you don't have to pretend to be human, xiao." lumine said instead, "you can just be yourself."
"that sounds like something you'd say." xiao said absentmindedly. he shook his head, "no matter.. i know my circumstances."
by circumstances, he meant his karma. the only thing lumine didn't like about xiao was how little he thought of himself. he considered himself a monster and that it was a blessing for him to be able to fight. though he'd never said this exactly, xiao thought himself to be too far gone to be saved. he thought he would never be able to escape his past, no matter how hard he fought.
"regardless, i do enjoy our simple conversations." xiao admitted.
"simple conversations?" lumine questioned, faking offense.
xiao hesitated, "ah, i only meant that our conversations are typically for pleasure, not just for business."
lumine smiled at xiao's reaction to thinking he offended her.
"so.. how did hu tao manage to get you to one to a party like this?" lumine ventured.
xiao's expression faltered again. he nervously looked away and folded his arms while leaning his back against the railing, "she.. she insisted that the guests would be acquainted with elemental power. then, she told me that you would be here."
lumine fought to keep a stupid smile off her face. if she was hearing xiao correctly, she was a main reason he decided to attend hu tao's dinner party in the first place.
"i felt relieved upon seeing you." xiao said quietly.
lumine's ears felt hot.
xiao's expression was cute. his eyebrows were furrowed and he bit his lip in thought. lumine took a step closer to xiao, and he fortunately didn't protest.
"how do you feel now?" lumine asked, "you seemed.. stressed in there."
"better, thanks to you." xiao replied, though he seemed distracted.
lumine took another step forward. xiao kept his eyes on her, but he said nothing else. she was only about half a foot away from him now. she hadn't been this close to him before. the only exception being when he was saving her. she swore her heart was beating so hard that it would cause a heart attack.
"glad i could help." lumine muttered.
suddenly, she heard the door open. lumine quickly took a step back and xiao turned his head to the noise. xiangling ran towards them.
"oh, here you are!" xiangling smiled.
"xiangling!" lumine said quickly.
xiangling looked between them. she seemed to pick up on the tension from a few seconds ago, as she suddenly seemed awkward, "uhm.. i'm not intruding, right?"
"you're not. what is it?" xiao replied bluntly.
xiangling explained how hu tao had ordered dessert for the table. she also added how paimon was worried about how long they'd been gone, which amused lumine. they'd only been gone a few excruciatingly short minutes.
"if i'm being honest, i noticed you seemed.. uncomfortable." xiangling said to xiao, "i was worried you'd go back to wangshu inn for something yanxiao made."
xiao folded his arms, "you're worrying too much."
lumine recognized the veiled embarrassment on xiao's face, "xiao, don't disappear on us."
"why would i?" xiao said quickly, like the idea of leaving her was preposterous. he cleared his throat, "anyways, let's get back."
xiangling put up her hands, "please wait a second!"
xiao and lumine shared a look.
"there's another reason i wanted to find you," xiangling said. she opened the bag she was holding and pulled out a package. after she glanced over it, she offered the package to xiao, "here! i brought these for you."
xiao looked at the package, "..almond tofu?"
xiangling nodded excitedly, "yes! i prepared a few of these for you guys after hu tao showed me the guest list. i figured it's the least i could do to thank you for your service to liyue!"
xiao blinked in surprise, "thank you for the effort, but there was no need to.."
"ahem." lumine coughed to stop xiao. he was going to explain in vague terms that he wasn't worth the trouble, and she didn't really feel like hearing it.
xiao got the message and quickly yielded. "i..i'll take them, thank you. please send guoba my thanks as well."
xiangling nodded, "you're welcome!"
she turned around a waved over her shoulder, saying that she would see them in a minute. lumine sighed and xiao took a deep breath.
"let's get back." xiao decided.
"one last thing." lumine added.
she stepped forward and placed her hands on both side of his face. she put her lips on his, pulling him into a kiss. she felt him freeze under her touch, and she couldn’t help but smile. after a few seconds, she stepped back to look at his reaction.
his eyes were wide, and completely uncharacteristic. he seemed at a loss for words. xiao's face was turning red as he blinked in surprise.
“lumine..”
lumine smiled playfully, "happy lantern rite, xiao."