Work Text:
"Huh? What are you doing here!?"
Hu Tao turns away from the red sunset and gasps, beaming. "If it isn't the Traveler and Paimon! How considerate of you to look for me in a place like this."
Despite the genuine emotion in her voice, the Traveler chuckles dismissively. There isn't much mystique to a place like Wangshu Inn, especially when its local guardian is nowhere to be found – but leave it to her to make a spectacle out of it.
Paimon grumbles, "It's not like we were looking for you, so don't look at us like that."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Like you're about to spring some coupons on us. Or one of your business development plans!"
Hu Tao giggles. "Aiya, why assume the worst? It's not good for your health to jump to conclusions so quickly – but don't you worry, I'll save some coupons for you, just in case your little heart fails to keep up with you." Paimon squirms. The director turns to the Traveler. "Say, what brings you here?"
"We're looking for Xiao."
"Oh? Shame, you just missed him." Hu Tao turns to look across the expanse of the Dihua Marsh. The railing of the balcony creaks as she leans over it. "He was supposed to bring us food, but I bet he's off fighting who knows what! The nerve of that guy…"
The Traveler's eyes widen. Paimon turns to her with a puzzled frown. "Huh? You two were… hanging out?"
"Why the surprise? Mortals are social creatures. We were getting dinner."
"Well, you might be social, but Xiao…" Then, she turns to the small table at Hu Tao's feet. "Is that supposed to be your table?"
Smiling from ear to ear, she nods. "Yup! Verr Goldet didn't have any more tables available, so she had to make do. I hear this is how they do it in Inazuma – to be more in touch with the earth beneath us, they say."
"You just made that up, didn't you?" Hu Tao simply grins at Paimon. "And you say Xiao is going to hang out with you, of all people?"
The director quirks an eyebrow. "I'm quite the extraordinary individual, you see. I'm glad you recognize that as well, Paimon." That's clearly not what Paimon meant, but Hu Tao laughs it off. "You could say I'm here on duty. Xiao is one of our honorary clients, after all."
Paimon shrieks in horror, "Don't say stuff like that! What if he hears you?"
"Don't you worry. He already has." For a second, her smirk softens into sweet pensiveness. Her eyes twinkle fondly. "Xiao has a great sense of humor, you know. And people might say he's a grouch, but he can be pretty considerate, sometimes, and sweet, and…"
Hu Tao trails off, humming an unknown melody to herself. Paimon tilts her head, eyebrows knit in a suspecting frown.
The director asks, "Have you two ever tried henna berries?"
"Henna berries?"
"Mhm! They're a species that only grows in Sumeru's desert. They have a lot of spikes." She puts her hands on her hips. "A researcher from the Akademiya tried to grow them in Sumeru City, and guess what? They grew super big! And they didn't have any spikes!"
Paimon gasps. "Woah, really?"
"Yes, but he thought the lack of spikes was weird, so he threw the entire batch away." Given her contemplation, the Traveler knows she has something to say about this. "A fruit grows thorns in a harsh climate, but it turns tender and sweet in another… interesting, don't you think?"
Indeed, there's a point somewhere in there, but right as Hu Tao is about to elaborate, someone interrupts her.
"Hu Tao."
Paimon and the Traveler yelp as Xiao approaches them, carrying two plates of food. Hu Tao turns to the adeptus and the dishes. "Took you long enough, o mighty yaksha."
"I was preoccupied," Xiao comments. "I see you have visitors."
"We weren't here to see her…" Paimon is immediately distracted by the food. Same old, same old. "So... you two are going to have dinner together? Alone?"
Hu Tao snickers. "Duh, why else would I be here? I'm not some fan looking for a glimmer of attention from the adepti."
"You're arguably worse than that." His words make Hu Tao pout. "At least fanatics have respect for the adepti."
"How awful of you to say that. You're being quite urnfair right now, o mighty yaksha." Hu Tao turns to the Traveler and Paimon expectantly, blinking. "... No? Not even a little laugh?"
Paimon shakes her head profusely. Much to the Traveler's surprise, the only one amused by that joke is Xiao, who is visibly fighting back a laugh.
… Oh.
Oh.
They're intruding.
Paimon, however, seems none the wiser. "And you get clients with that– hey!"
The Traveler drags Paimon away by the scarf with an apologetic smile. "We're gonna get going, hope you two enjoy your dinner!"
Hu Tao waves at them, giggling into her hand, and Xiao nods as he sets the plates on the table and sits down to eat. Paimon keeps struggling, only successfully freeing herself when they cross the threshold leading into the inn.
She whines, "What was that for?"
"They were about to have dinner." That explanation doesn't seem to help Paimon understand. "They were about to have dinner alone, Paimon."
"And?"
"Weren't you paying attention?"
"To what? It is weird that he's with Hu Tao, of all people, but…" Paimon hovers behind the wall, peeping from behind. "Do you think she's selling him coupons? Why is she even here?"
The Traveler approaches Paimon, arms crossed. "We can't spy on them, they're hanging out alone for a reason!"
"We're not spying, we're just watching out in case Hu Tao pulls one of her tricks." Honestly, Paimon is just being nosy, but… "Besides, it's not like they're gonna see us right?"
The Traveler glances around them. There shouldn’t be any harm in eavesdropping for a couple of minutes, right? So long as they're not caught…
With a grumble of defeat, the Traveler joins Paimon, peeping to catch a glimpse of the two. Hu Tao talks animatedly, grinning. "... And wait for it, I even managed to grab some Glaze Lilies after the ceremony!"
Xiao props his cheek on his palm. "Glaze Lilies? I thought Silk Flowers were your favorite."
"And they still are! But Zhongli likes Glaze Lilies a lot, you see. He makes this very funny face when he sees them. I bet there's a juicy story behind that… a past lover, perhaps?" Then, Hu Tao grows quiet, glancing somewhere near Xiao. "Hey, what do you have there?"
"Where?"
"There," she points at the foot of the table, "is that Silk Flower yours?"
The Traveler slaps a hand over Paimon's mouth before she can get a single squeak out. Xiao clears his throat and slowly picks the flower up, toying with the stem. "Not quite."
"Aiya, then why–"
Xiao leans over the table, and ever so gently, he places the Silk Flower on Hu Tao's ear. His fingers linger on the shell of her ear for a moment, and when Hu Tao reaches to touch the flower, their fingertips brush.
The adeptus sits back down. The Traveler swears Xiao's cheeks are rosy. This doesn't go unnoticed by Paimon, either. "No way. I'm not seeing things, am I?"
The Traveler isn't too sure what to say. Hu Tao looks surprised too, but there's clear delight in her eyes. "My, the Vigilant Yaksha can be so sweet sometimes."
"The ones near Wangshu Inn had been plucked already. Hence my delay with dinner." Hu Tao giggles. Her cheeks catch some heat too. "I hope you weren't too hungry."
"I'd readily forsake dinner for these," she says, touching the petals. "Though shrimp dumplings are hard to say no to, just look at how they're sizzling…!"
When Hu Tao bites into one of the dumplings, she squirms with absolute delight. Xiao's lips curl softly. Nobody would imagine Xiao could make that sort of expression, yet when Hu Tao settles down, she merely reciprocates with a gaze of her own.
The yaksha plops a piece of Almond Tofu into his mouth. Hu Tao follows the motion with her eyes and toys with her chopsticks.
The intimacy of it all is too hard to handle. Traveler turns to Paimon. "We're leaving."
"Just a liiiiiittle more," Paimon pleads. "Do you think Hu Tao put a spell on him? That can't be our Xiao, right?"
The Traveler wants to say no, but… there's a chance that their Xiao isn't Hu Tao's Xiao. Given the uncanny sweetness in the silence surrounding them, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that they've done this before.
What's going on? Are they friends, are they acquaintances? Or could they be–
A chill runs down the Traveler's spine, and Paimon abruptly retreats from her spot. When they look up, they find Xiao looking at them in the eye from afar, a glower shadowing his expression.
A murmured word echoes in the Traveler's head.
Begone.
Hu Tao's eyes widen as a yell rings out from the inn. The director turns toward the sound with a giggle. "Looks like they're finally gone, hm?"
Xiao sighs. "You noticed them as well?"
"They're quite hard to ignore, aren't they? The Traveler has such a radiant aura, and Paimon… It's hard not to hear her whenever she's nearby. She's a funny creature."
She's right, but their intrusion still bothers him. Though a yaksha shouldn't have such an enthusiastic attachment to an activity as meaningless as grabbing dinner, his reason for meeting here was never the food to begin with.
Xiao looks into her eyes. It's good to know she wasn't bothered by their disturbance – though Hu Tao wouldn't be Hu Tao if she cared about things like these.
"Now," Hu Tao pats the cushion beside her, "why don't you come here? The breeze feels wonderful today, and I bet it's even better when it blows on your cheeks and not on the back of your neck."
Xiao is tempted to say that it makes no difference. He's a yaksha hardened by millennia of slaughter and bloodshed. Something as small as a breeze doesn't matter much to him.
And yet, a second later, he's sitting right beside her. She claps her hands. "Perfect, perfect! Sit back and take it all in. Weather like this is hard to come by."
Hu Tao closes her eyes. He follows her lead and his eyes flutter shut, tipping his head backward with a gentle sigh. The seaward zephyr of Liyue wafts across the balcony in a tender caress, one that feels neither aggressive or distracting, just… pleasant, in a way simpler than most pleasantries he's come across in Teyvat.
Xiao creaks one eye open to glance at his companion. A faint smile stretches her lips, one very familiar and easy to spot, yet he feels blessed to witness it all the same. Hu Tao is calm unlike the world they live in, effervescent like the fire that crackles in her Vision, beautiful like the sun sinking over the horizon past the plains below Wangshu Inn.
She looks so… content, so grateful for the smallest things this world can offer. He wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world.
Unable to help himself, he brings a hand to her face, knuckles brushing her cheek. Hu Tao leans against his touch the slightest bit. Xiao puffs out a chuckle, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You have hair on your face."
"And I have a hand on my face, too." She cradles his hand. "My debt to you grows by the day."
In truth, she owes him nothing, for these things come too easily to him lately and, if anything, he's the one that has much to repay – but he remembers he has something to ask.
"Do you… truly think of me as a henna berry without thorns?"
Her breath hitches. Her blissful expression remains unchanged, much to his relief. "You catch on quick."
"I overheard your conversation with Paimon and the Traveler. You're much too loud sometimes." And much too nice, given the praises she had sung for him – but he told himself he'd unpack all of that later. "So… a henna berry without thorns?"
"An apt comparison, don't you think?" Hu Tao poses without missing a beat. "If a beetle lives in a sandstorm, it will learn to grow an armor; if it moves to the forest, the armor will grow softer to adapt to the heat. That's how nature works."
As always, she's right. Though he'd be hard-pressed to say he was born a soft-hearted romantic, he's certain that the gentle swell in his heart at the sound of her voice is far below the dignity of a yaksha.
It's good that he's fine with stripping himself of some of his pride. "And you think that's me?"
"In a way, yeah, but you're even better than that, in my humble opinion." Hu Tao giggles. "After all, berries can't slay demons and save lives, can they?"
That one gets a loud chuckle out of him, along with a fond shake of his head. "You're insufferable."
"Not my fault you don't have a flair for poetry." She places a hand on his shoulder. "I suppose I'll have to teach you someday."
Hu Tao pulls him downward, much like she'd do during nights he'd seek repose in her arms. Xiao doesn't dare complain; the view above him is beautiful, and he wishes he could say he's focusing on the clouds above them. Staring is unbecoming for an adeptus, but surrendering comes easier than poise with her.
Her fingers card through his hair. She pouts when she finds no knots, and he wishes he had the courage to cup her cheeks and kiss her senseless.
Xiao swallows thickly. "How am I supposed to eat, lying like this?"
"Aw, that's the easiest part!" Much to his poor heart's demise, she tears one chunk of Almond Tofu and dangles it over his mouth. "Don't fret, nobody's gonna see us."
"This– you–" Mirth and humor fill her cheeks, they color her eyes. "Such absurdity…"
And yet, like the lovesick fool he is, he wishes to relinquish control. Her nails feel so nice, submerged in his hair, and he can't hear much of the chatter floors below with her legs under his head and his pulse pounding in his ears.
Xiao parts his lips, and she places the Almond Tofu on his mouth. "There, don't be shy! I'll grab another one. C'mon, say aaaaaa–"
Hu Tao's tender combing halts, and when Xiao looks up to find the culprit for that disturbance, he spots Verr Goldet half-way to their table, clutching a tray and looking equal parts knowing and absolutely delighted.
Before she can chirp out a single word of tease, Xiao speaks. "Not a word about this to anyone. Please."
Verr Goldet, in her blessed discretion, nods and briskly walks away. Hu Tao breaks into a fit of giggles. Xiao can't find it in him to laugh, because no matter how professional that woman is, mortals are still prone to gossip.
His embarrassment fades as Hu Tao offers him more Almond Tofu, biting her lip. "Shall we continue, o mighty yaksha?"
Oh, his poor heart. He might not be a henna berry without thorns, but he's certainly as soft as one.
"Yes," he whispers, closing his eyes. "Yes, we shall."