Work Text:
“SO WHY EXACTLY AM I HERE?” Xiao trailed behind a girl as she kicked up waves and collected seashells.
“A client of mine wished to be buried with a piece of the sea!” Xiao held her shoes with her socks stuffed haphazardly inside. Her hair draping down her back and becoming saturated with seawater.
He wished the weather was not so windy on the beach otherwise he might enjoy it as much as her.
“Aish! It’s getting away Xiao!” Hu Tao bolted into the water—throwing her hat like a frisbee to Xiao who barely caught it.
Her eccentricities would never take a vacation, even on a nice place like the beach.
He just sighed as he carefully examined the sea. He was fully aware of her capabilities, she took down a whole brigade of fatui by herself one night.
But he would be there if she were to fumble. If her feet slipped or she tripped in her typical clumsy fashion.
“There you are, little straggler!” Hu Tao yelled from the knee deep water holding up a seashell. Looked quite plan compared to the starconches she had collected previously.
“That does not look like what you described to me.” Xiao stared at the shell. It was brown with swirls of yellow and quite a simple shape.
It was not like her to pick something so bland.
“Ah that's because…” She ringed water out of her hair avoiding his watchful gaze. “Mr. Zhongli wanted something to give to that Childe man.”
A lie.
But she had her reasons for being deceitful to others—never to him though.
Xiao simply raised an eyebrow and continued to follow her.
Hu Tao was singing sweet nothings to the ocean’s tide.
“You’re singing.”
“no shit shikanoin!”
“You do that when you are thinking about something.” Hu Tao stopped skipping and instead kicked the wave back at him.
“I was thinking of splashing you!”
“Foolish mortal, this is a battle you will not win.” Xiao was used to her antics at this point, everything became a competition with her and the loser always bought dinner.
Hu Tao always insists on taking the check no matter the result though.
“Try me! I’ve beat Mr. Zhongli and Mr. Childe at this!”
“Don’t get too wet because of me.”
“Wait wha-“ Her red face was the last thing to grace him as he used the forcefulness of the wind and his own strength to completely soak her face.
He wiped some saltwater off his brow—thinking she gave up already after that ruthless attack. He committed the wave’s sounds to his memory already—but hearing it in person always had a way to calm his soul.
He felt at peace now.
Which should be a stranger to him whenever he was with Hu Tao—something felt wrong.
Hu Tao?
His eyes frantically searched the sea for any sign of her.
Her deep hair, her pale skin covered in moles and blemishes, her hat floating on the surface.
“Hu Tao?”
Morax would see him dead if he did not honor his contract and a human (a precious one at that) died at his hand.
“BOO!” Hu tao jumped behind him and used her starconch full of water to douse him with water, “Super Tao surprise attack!” she winked at him and giggled as he stared at her through the droplets that ran down his hair.
“I want to go home now.” Xiao’s breath seemed to finally return as he saw her face, completely fine and not gasping for air in the ocean.
“Oya? Is the debt acting up? Come and sit!” Hu Tao led them to shore—where the waves would only caress the soles of their feet.
“I was-“
“Shush now! Tao’s got you!” She pushed his shoulders down and handed him the seashells she had collected. “Focus on each ridge and follow my breathing ok? I don’t have much of my stuff on me so this is impromptu! Only a placeholder!”
“But Hu Tao-“
“Don’t you worry! It will make you feel better.” Hu Tao sat in front of him as red glowed from her jacket. She used her vision to assist in rituals usually.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, seeming to pray. Xiao knew he probably should have closed his eyes as well—but he was too focused on the rose of her cheeks and flutter of her lashes.
“With this charm no negative beings will bother you until next sundown.” Hu Tao kissed a seashell she withheld from him and placed it inside his hands.
“Any better Xiao?”
He stared at the lip gloss stain on the shell. It was the one she chased earlier.
“Aiya I ruined it!” She looked at it in disgust—he thought it was an improvement contrary to the funeral director.
“How is it ruined?”
“Oh well, no use hiding it anymore I suppose. I lied to you.” Duh. “This shell is for you, not Mr. Zhongli.”
Xiao looked at the charm. What was so dull and bland before suddenly became a diamond in his eyes.
“It reminded me of your eyes.” Xiao looked at the color once again—he supposed there was some resemblance.
“I will accept this offering.”
“It's a gift I’m your friend not some old man from Liyue asking for a blessing!”
“I will accept this gift.” He held it close to his heart. For some reason it did feel like the voices in his head had calmed down a bit.
“Thank you!” Hu Tao sat by him and laughed as the waves attacked her once more. “You almost got me with that special move though, I still taste salt in my mouth.” Hu Tao spit out her tongue to describe the distaste of the water he flung at her.
“I thought I killed you with it.” He looked at his being with disgust—his legs, the arms that hurt her.
“Oya? You think you could kill me?”
“I could definitely kill you, that's why you need to be more careful around me.”
“I don’t think you could kill me even if you wanted to.” Hu Tao idly traced her fingernail through the wet sand. “You’re much too gentle and kind for that.”
Gentle…
Kind.
He stared at the shell again—It always seemed to find his gaze.
She always found new ways to surprise him with her wit and character—he never even knew about her fondness for the ocean.
“da da da da~” She was singing something—not a song but more of filling the silence. She seemed to be preoccupied with something as well.
“What are you drawing?
“Nothing!” Hu Tao tried to cover it to no avail.
“Is that us?”
“…Who do you think they are?” in the same position as them—the little characters had found their home engraved on the sand. “Of course it's us! Hu Tao and Xiao against the world!” She screamed into the restless golden waves slowly caressing the shore.
“If the whole world was against you, you would not likely survive.” Xiao instinctually covered his ears at her yelling, sometimes he wished his hearing could deteriorate over time just like the humans, then he would not have to hear his name so loudly when called.
“What about you? Would you survive?” Her fighting was a dance at best, her stances left her open which Xiao used to his advantage when they would spar; most would alter and take his criticism but the movements made her feel so free and happy that she could not stop.
“Yes.”
“Would you protect me if the whole world was against me?” She knew what she was doing and he did too–but he learned, learned that the best way to combat her teasing was to counter attack with something stronger.
Xiao stared at the shell in his hand. It would be quite selfish to fight the whole world if it meant one woman would be safe–but he was not a god, he was not fully good and just. For her he would bloody even a god.
“Yes.” He gave her a slight smirk as they stood side to side just listening to the waves.
“If you were to die for me I would give you the best funeral ever! No payment required!” She winked at him and let her arm linger near his; like she wanted to do something but did not have the courage to.
Funerals were Hu Tao’s love language, and Xiao seemed to always be feeling that love whenever they talked about impossible scenarios.
Her eyes wistfully stared at the ocean before them; and he looked at her with a loving gaze like she was the golden waves of the ocean.
And Xiao wished Hu Tao would look at him like she looks at the ocean.