Work Text:
“Mm…”
Sunlight filtered in through the window from a crack in the mostly closed curtains, shining into the room and rousing Xiao from his somewhat restless slumber, his eyes fluttering open as his consciousness returned to him. As he woke up, he heard the slightly disgruntled sound of Yelan stirring beside him, and he turned his head in time to watch her bury her face back in the pillow, trying to block out that stubborn sunlight, clearly not quite ready to face the day yet… and if he was being honest, neither was he.
He laid in bed for a few more minutes, just… looking at her. Looking at the way her hair was messed up and tangled, strands of blue and black sticking up all over the place; looking at how she was face down, head buried in the pillow, one hand gripping the edge, the other shoved beneath, as if securing the pillow against her face, and it made his lips curl up in a small, soft smile. She’d always been quite the strange sleeper, but he supposed that was just another one of her several interesting quirks.
Once his brain finally came to, he glanced toward the window, at the sliver of sunlight, which reminded him of his duties and loyalty to the world outside of his room, and the woman by his side. It was early in the morning, the sun had only just risen, and he’d already stalled long enough– he needed to get out there and perform, he told himself. He had a duty to fulfill, a promise… and it was something that he must do.
So, slowly, but surely, he began to move into a sitting position, taking extra care to be quiet and stealthy so as to not wake Yelan, his eyes drifting towards her every now and then. His mind was filled with thoughts of the upcoming day, of where to start his duties, the various spots that likely needed cleaning and cleansing, his mind drifting off toward his worldly duties, and as he finally stood up on his feet, distracted, a hand reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him back onto the bed, catching him completely off-guard.
“Stay.”
One word, and yet it held all the conviction in the world to almost completely shatter his willpower to fight back against her sleepy mumbles and her tired, somewhat needy requests. He was now laying horizontally across the bed, his head propped up against her stomach, and he could still feel her hand on his arm. He swallowed.
“Yelan, I have a job to do.” Xiao responded, his voice just a bit more gentle than it usually was. He really did have a job to do, he couldn’t afford to skip out on protecting his homeland and the people of Liyue… it was just not feasible. To even think about skipping out on it, even for a couple of hours, it brought him a great deal of anxiety, just thinking about all the things that could happen if he didn’t get out there immediately.
When she didn’t respond, he spoke gently again, trying to urge her to give in and let him fulfill his duties. “It’s… very important. I don’t think it would be good for Liyue if I didn’t do it. It’s my duty to protect this land.”
“Liyue won’t engulf in flames if you postpone your duties a little while longer,” She said back, her tone a bit snarky, but it lacked any real heat. She just sounded… tired, her voice groggy and slightly hoarse, trying to convince him to stay home a while longer. “Come on… just a little longer…”
Xiao swallowed yet again and then let out a sigh, turning his head to glance at her. She was half-asleep, but trying to convince him to stay and sleep in a little longer, and while he was very, very tempted, it felt… wrong. On certain occasions, he would sleep in with her a little longer, albeit begrudgingly, like a birthday or a holiday– though, the world does not stop for a holiday, or a birthday, is what he’d tell her every time– but now, it is just a regular day. It’s not like there's anything special about today, and it makes him nervous to even think about staying a little longer in bed, wrapped up in her warmth and security, as tempting as it sounded.
“I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” He tried to refuse, though his words were weak, and he was beginning to lack the willpower to even extricate himself from the cozy warmth of his bed, their bed, and the warm, soft body beside him. He spoke again, the words being pulled from his mouth like stubborn weeds– they didn’t want to come out, but he forced them out anyway. “I should go.”
“... Stay home. With me,” She asked— though, it was more of a demand— again, her fingers lazily tracing up his arm, still lying flat on her stomach, head turned slightly to look at him, teal eyes peeking through the mess of her bangs. “Just for a little longer. I don’t ask much more, Xiao.”
The almost pleading tone of her voice was wearing him down little by little, and yet, he hesitated again. He hesitated, because that nagging voice in the back of his head was telling him that something horrible would happen to Liyue if he happened to stay in bed for just a few more hours, that the whole entire world would… blow up, or engulf in flames, or get ruthlessly ravaged by a swarm of various monsters and otherworldly beings. It was the same thoughts he had every time that she managed to convince him into sleeping in, and every other time, nothing bad happened, like she’d say. And yet, even though that fact was at the forefront of his mind, it felt impossible to shake the thoughts out of his head.
His hesitation leaked into his normally stoic facial expression, his eyebrows furrowed and lips downturned in a slight frown, busy overthinking himself into a deep hole, ready to refuse her offer and go out despite her protests and requests. Not often did he skip out on his loyalty to the land and people of Liyue, and it was not a habit that he was about to regularly indulge in.
However, clearly, she was conjuring up ways to soothe and convince him, as when she spoke again, she laid out an offer on the table, trying to negotiate with him. “If you stay home a little longer with me, you can stay out later tonight. And, you can go out earlier tomorrow, if it makes you feel better, I guess. Just… stay home a little longer. Nothing bad will happen to Liyue if you stay home for an extra hour or two.”
The offer piqued his interest, pulling him out from the hole, and he hummed in thought, seemingly weighing the pros and cons of her request and offer. Staying out later, and going out earlier tomorrow… The offer sounded nice. And it did soothe his worries, because in staying out later, and going out earlier, he would be sure to eradicate anything that he may have missed during his extra time in bed.
After a few minutes of contemplation, he sighed in defeat, and gave her the answer she’d been seeking, albeit begrudgingly. “...Fine.”
Yelan grinned in satisfaction, shifting her body on the bed, flipping onto her back and opening her arms in invitation, silently beckoning him to come and lay down with her yet again. The offer was too good to refuse, and he immediately accepted, moving from his horizontal position on the bed to lay in her arms, allowing the comfort of her long arms and warm body to surround him once again, nestling his head in the crook of her neck, legs tangled securely with hers as comfort washed over him.
And while the world outside would slowly begin to wake up, animals to come out of their hiding spots, the birds chirping to signify a beginning in the new day, the sun to rise further and further in the sky, the two of them planned entirely to stay wrapped up in each other for the many more hours to come, to ignore the signs of life around them, to focus entirely on the unconscious world, the dreams that flooded their minds, and the peace and tranquility of the moment they shared.
”Why don’t you stay the whole day, hm?”
A quiet murmur from beside him, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, the words muffled into his hair, and he let out a little sigh, responding back to her in a little bit of a warning tone, his voice tinged with slight defeat. He certainly wouldn’t allow himself to let her push him even more, right?
“Yelan…”
“Alright, alright… haha.”
He refused her offer, trying to stay strong, but as the silence stretched on, and the more he thought about it, the more tempted he became. Staying home for just one day, wrapped up in her warmth, in her security… can’t be all that bad. It’s not like anything bad will happen, he told himself. She’s right, and besides, it doesn’t hurt to take a day off every once in a while, even for the strongest heroes of Liyue, right?
He still hesitated.
Several minutes of silence passed while he contemplated her words, trying to weigh the potential consequences and outcomes of staying home for the day. Was she right? Would nothing truly happen? He didn’t have a reason to not trust her, but the loyalty in his mind was difficult to push back. And yet… feeling her arms around him, her soft, hot breaths on his skin, her body pressed close against him, the warmth and security that surrounded him… it was hard to resist.
“… Hmph. Fine. I’ll stay home.”
”Oh?” Her voice was groggy, like she had been on the verge of falling asleep, and she squeezed him a little tighter, cheek pressed against the side of his head, “I feel special… the mighty Conqueror of Demons has agreed to stay home with his girlfriend…”
“S-shush, just go back to sleep… and don’t call me that.”
He heard a little, soft laugh escape Yelan as he stammered, and he let out a disgruntled sigh. Yet, despite his annoyance at her tease, he couldn’t stop the soft, warm smile from rising to his face, holding her a little tighter in return.
Maybe staying home every once in a while really isn’t all that bad.