#xiao x reader hurt/comfort

[fallingdownhell]

If it's no bother the whole meeting family and sister being favoured ordeal but with Wanderer, Xiao, Childe and Tighnari please! Yummy comfort...🤤

Honestly.. I did my best with it, but I don't know if I'll do another addition to this from now on. It feels like I'm always writing the exact same thing, and I feel like it's getting boring and repetitive...

Let me know what you think about it, please, because I really don't know.

Characters Included: Wanderer; Xiao; Tighnari

Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship; reader has a sister; hurt/comfort; mention of past (child) abuse; mention of child neglect; insults; slight racism against Tighnari; not proofread yet

Word count: 3,7k words

Requested by: @ahtopoteyto

Enjoy everyone<3

Wanderer

When you suddenly hit him with the question of wether he wanted to meet your parents or not, he was confused and slightly shocked. From what he had gathered over the time you've been dating, you did not have a very good connection with your parents.

You never really talked about them or told him stories about your childhood. The first few times he asked you about them, he vividly remembers how your face became pale and you simply stating that you didn't want to talk about this. So he let it be, not bothering you with it anymore.

So for you to suddenly ask him this after months of not even mentioning anything related to this subject, he found it highly suspicious.

"Where's this coming from so suddenly?", he asks, taking your hand and sitting you down on the couch next to him. He can already tell how much it cost you to simply ask him that question.

"W-well... I just thought that maybe it's something you'd want. I mean.. normally, in relationships, you introduce your parnters to your parents. So, I thought, maybe we should do that, too..?"

You sounded so meek and unsure of yourself, he hated to see you like this. He may not know the full story about what happened between you and your parents, but if it made you that uncomfortable just talking about them, then that's all he needed to know. He would never knowingly put you through something horrible.

So, to reassure you, he circled his arms around you, pulling you against his chest while placing his chin on top of your head as he just held you like this. "Don't force yourself to do something you don't want to do. Our relationship isn't exactly normal anyways. I don't care about meeting your parents. You don't like them, that's enough for me to also dislike them."

That made you laugh a bit, and he also relaxed a bit, knowing that if that could make you laugh, you were already feeling a bit better.

"Even so.. I think you should know why I don't have contact with them anymore..", you quietly spoke after some time.

"Only if you want to tell me. You don't have to force yourself.", was his answer, but you insisted, finally wanting him to know, since you've already kept it to yourself for so long.

And so, you told him about all the things you went through when you were younger, still living with and depending on your parents. You told him how you were the oldest child of your parents, and for a while, everything was good. There were normal, loving and even spoiled you a bit as a child.

But when you were 6 years old, your parents decided to have a second child, and so, your sister was born when you were 7. And suddenly, it was like you didn't exist anymore.

Your parents focused all their love and attention towards your baby sister, leaving you to figure things out by yourself. They at least still provided food for you, but anything else you were left to your own devices.

By the time you were 12 years old, you were practically living by yourself, though you were still in your parents house. You were cooking your own meals, doing your own laundry, managing school stuff and all that your parents were supposed to do for you.

Your sister was only 5 years old, she was just a happy child and didn't know about the clear favouritism and neglect going on. She was just a sweet child that wanted to play with her sister. You couldn't hate her, since she didn't do anything wrong.

From time to time, you tried to get your parents attention, either with your grades or other achievements, but they always brushed you aside to focus on your sister, since they claimed she needed their attention more than you did.

It hurt, and you kept on trying and trying, until eventually, you realised that it had no sense and you just stopped. You knew that they would never love you like they did with your sister. So, as soon as you could, you started a part time job to save up some money, so you could leave when you needed to.

The older you and your sister got, the more she also became aware of the favouritism. Luckily, it didn't grow over her head, and she tried her best to get your mom and dad to focus on you, too. But they never did. Instead, your sister spent time with you, which you were really greatful for.

When the time came, you were old enough and had enough money saved, you left your home. You told no one, except for your sister. She was sad to see you leave, but she understood why you did it, and wished you the best of luck. Even to this day, you hold some sort of loose contact to her.

Your parents however? You haven't heard a word from them since you've left. You weren't even sure if they've noticed your dissapearance, if they even remembered that they had an older child. But you were glad, you didn't want anything to do with them in the first place.

While listening to your story, Wanderer felt himself get more and more angry on your behalf. How dare they treat their own child in such a way? What kind of a parent would do such a thing?

He was gritting his teeth, clenching his fists. He wanted so bad to make them pay for what they did to you. But then he focused back on you, still in his arms, sobbing as you were telling him your story. No matter how much you reassured him that you were fine, it was still affecting you.

So instead, he focused and channeled his anger into the love and worry he had for you. He tightend his hold around you, planting a soft kiss to the top of your head. "I'm sorry you had to live through something like that. But that's all in the past. You're here now, with me. You've achieved so much for yourself and by yourself, so you can be proud of you. And I'll be by your side for each and every step in the future. I won't let something like this ever happen to you again. And if you ever want me to pay your parents a little visit... let me know."

That last statement brought him a small hit to his side, but he merely laughed it off.

You'd always be his number one. Forever and always..

Xiao

Having an Adeptus as your boyfriend, the Guardian of Liyue himself at that, you tried to spend as much time with him as you possibly could. For you, that meant spending ever second of your free time in or around Wangshu Inn, sometimes even spending the night there despite having your own living place.

Xiao appreciated this gesture of yours. You knew that he liked the Inn as his place of operation, and you didn't want to force him into spending time at your place, when he would only be anxious the entire time. So it was a compromise you were willing to make.

Today was a nice summer day. You were dressed in soft clothing, allowing the occaisonal gust of wind to cool your skin down as you were standing on the top balcony of the Wangshu Inn, observing the scenery before you. Xiao was currently out somewhere, so you had decided to wait for him here.

While you were observing, leaning your body against the railing, you suddenly felt the presence of someone behind you. Before you could turn around, a pair of arms came around from behind you, encircling your body as his hands found purchase on the railing, next to yours.

You immediately recognized him, a smile spreading as you felt his body leaning against yours, his soft lips pressing against your exposed shoulder.

"You should be more careful. I wouldn't want you to lean to far over and falling to your death.", he mumbled, staying close to you, searching for the physical contact.

You loved how openly he showed his love and affection to you when it was just the two of you, no one else around to witness this soft moment of his. "I'm sure you'd catch me before anything could happen to me.", you reply, intertwining your hand with his.

"And you'd be absolutely right."

You smile but don't say anything more as you stay with him like this, enjoying the way his body feels against yours. If only this moment could last forever...

But alas, it didn't last nearly as long as you'd want it to. Soon enough, you could hear some shouting from below, coming from the reception. You heard the Boss Lady, Verr, call after someone. "Sir, please! You can't just barge up there!"

But whoever that man was, he just ignored her as both you and Xiao could hear the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. With one last look at each other, you break apart to an appropriate distance, figuring that whoever this was was probably here to seek the help of the Adeptus.

However, as the man arrived at the top balcony, your breath got caught in your throat as you recognized the man standing in front of you.

His eyes found yours, and you saw a glimpse of something wash over his face that you couldn't quite name. Xiao also noticed this, choosing to remain silent for now, but closely watching both of you. He may not know who this man was, but it was obvious to him that you recognized him.

"Dad?", you then asked, still hoping that this was just some bad dream you'd wake up from any second now.

"(Name)! I finally found you! You weren't at home, so I've been searching everywhere for you."

The man, your father, made a step towards you, but as soon as he did, you also took a step back. The motion didn't go unnoticed by Xiao. You were clearly uncomfortable with your father being here, so he was preparing to step in the second things threatened to go out of control.

"What do you want?", you ask him, not wanting to spend any more time in this mans presence than you absolutely have to.

"What, a father can't visit his child?", he asked, letting out a chuckle, but everyone present could tell how fake it sounded.

"Just tell me what you want already."

Your father threw you a glare, but relented nonetheless. "Fine then. Your mother and I were hoping for a bit of financial aid from you. Your sister wants to study at the Academiya of Sumeru, but we lack the money to help her with that. We heard that you were doing pretty good for yourself, so, naturally, you'd help out your family a bit. Right?"

The last word sounded almost threatening, like refusing would cause you serious consequences. You knew that tone in your fathers voice all too well, having been "disciplined" by him most of your life if you ever dared refuse him.

This entire situation was almost laughable to you. You haven't had contact with either your parents or your sister in years, since you finally left their home for good. And now, after years of silence, they suddenly remember you, only to come crawling and begging for money. Which they plan to spend on your sister.

As it always was. It's always been her over you.

"..No.", you say after a few seconds of silence. Hearing your answer, your fathers forced smile drops and he stares at you, like he couldn't believe the word that just left your mouth.

"What did you say?", he asked, his voice ice cold and you flinched a bit, hiding a bit behind Xiao as you were still scared of this man, but you refused to subject yourself to him again.

"I said No. I'm not giving you any money."

Your response was hanging in the air for a bit, when suddenly, anger started to show on your fathers face and he then began lunging towards you, one arm raised as if to slap you.

"You ungrateful, little-!", he yelled and was about to take a swing at you, when suddenly, within the blink of an eye, he was laying on the floor, face pushed onto the ground, with Xiao standing over him, restraining your fathers hands.

"You will not put your hands on them. I won't allow it."

Your father was cursing and screaming, trying to escape the hold Xiao had him in. But the more he struggled, the more force Xiao put into holding him down, which only worsened the curses thrown at the both of you.

Witnessing this, the reality of what would have happened to you if Xiao wasn't there with you sank in, and you felt your knees giving out, sinking to the floor as tears subconsciously began to run down your cheeks.

Noticing this, Xiao quickly reassed the situation as he leaned down to your father. "Leave. And don't you dare ever come back. If I see or hear you bothering them ever again, I won't be so mercyful next time."

Then, he let go of your father and rushed to your side, checking in on you. Your father cursed some more as he finally got to his feet again and quickly left the scene, and hopefully, your life as well.

You on the other hand, were a mess right now. Tears running down, you were sobbing as you held onto Xiao like your life depended on him. He let it happen, soothingly running a hand along your back as he just held you, letting you cry it all out.

After you've calmed down again, he just has to talk about what just happened. "I take it this happened more than once to you?", he asked softly, referencing the moment your father tried to lay hands on you.

You couldn't say the words, so you just nodded as a response. Xiao felt anger rising in his chest, but he held it under control focusing on you, since you needed him right now.

"What else has he done to you?"

And so, with shaky breath and lots of pauses in between, you tell him about all the abuse and the clear favouritism of your sister you've been going through your entire childhood, up until the day you ran away from them for good.

Xiao was in shock that parents could do such a thing to their own child. And even if he wanted to go out and make them pay for their actions, there's nothing he could do. He was bound by a contract to protect the people of Liyue. He couldn't harm them. But he could protect you..

So, he takes you in his arms again, holding you close to him as he softly speaks into your ear. "I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you. From now on, you won't have to worry about them any longer. I'll protect you. From them and any other harm that tries to make their way to you."

And you knew that he meant every word he said. You knew that you could trust Xiao with everything, most importantly your life, and he'd guard it as his most treasured possession. With him by your side, you finally felt safe for the first time in your life...

Tighnari

Working as a Forest Ranger has always been a lifelong dream of yours. Doing so with the love of your life by your side was that dream actually coming true to you. Sometimes, you just stare at Tighnari, wondering what you did to get so lucky to have him as your partner. How you deserved him in the first place.

He always laughed a bit and softly reprimanded you, but he never did so with ill intent. When he did that, you could always see the genuine love he held for you in his eyes, clear as day.

When it came to your relationship, everything happened a bit slowly, as per Tighnari's request. Since his species only has one partner their entire life, he wants to make extra sure that this will work out.

You take your time with going on several dates, where he explains to you the basics of his kind, what to do and what not to do, with him and others of his kind. But nothing he told you ever scared you away from him. If anything, it made you fall for him even more.

Then came the day when he wanted you to meet his parents, before you were making things official with him. You were nervous to meet them, but luckily, his parents instantly took a liking to you, especially his mom. She was over the top with her sons choice in a partner and the both of them gave you two their blessings.

The day after, you finally made things official, telling everyone of your friends that you were dating, and everyone was congratulating you. Word also spread among the other Forest Rangers, and soon enough, you were also bombarded with congratulations from them, as well.

Life was going good, but there was one thing that Tighnari was still thinking about.

You've met his parents, but he's never once met yours. Matter of fact, you don't even talk about them all that much. He's asked you one or two questions about them, but he soon came to the conclusion that this wasn't a topic you were too fond to speak about.

He did ask you why that was, but when you only gave him vage answers and excuses, he dropped the topic, figuring that it wasn't too important anyways. The main issue was your relationship, not some outside opinion. He thought that you'd come around and tell him more once you felt ready to do so.

Unbeknownst to him, that day would arrive much sooner than he anticipated.

One day, as Tighnari was about to head out for one of his patrols, he noticed you standing at the entrance to Gandharva Ville that led to Sumeru City, talking to two figures he didn't recognize. He thought for a second before he decided to head over to see what was going on.

As he got closer, he began to pick up on some signs of distress coming from you, which already set him a bit off edge. Then, he picked up on the voices and realised that you were arguing with those two individuals. He didn't know what it was about, but that wasn't important.

".. you understand, (Name)? We only want the best for you, so-!"

"Excuse me. Is everything alright over here?", Tighnari interrupted the conversation, and as you turned around to him, he couldn't help but notice the relieved look on your face. He gave you a sympathetic look before turning back to the other two visitors, who looked upset at being interrupted so rudely.

"And who are you?", asked the man, while the woman nodded along with him. Before Tighnari could say anything, you were already at it.

"This is Tighnari, Leader of the Forest Rangers, and my boyfriend. Tighnari, those are my parents.", you said as you vaguely gestured with your hand between them.

Tighnari's eyes widened as he heard you introduce them. He cleared his throat before extending a hand to your parents. "It's nice to finally meet you."

However, instead of taking his hand, your father simply ignored him, while your mother looked at him for a second, before scoffing and focusing back on you. "Seriously, (Name)? You got involved with someone like him? You could do so much better for yourself.", your mother said, looking at Tighnari with disgust, specifically at his more animalistic features.

"..Excuse me?", Tighnari asked again, retracting his hand. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. When he looked back to you, he saw you gritting your teeth, yet when you spoke again, he heard the strain in your voice as you tried to remain polite with your parents.

"Like I already said, I'm happy with my life here. I'm happy with Tighnari. Nothing you do or say can change my mind about it."

"Quit being stupid already, (Name)! Now that your sister isn't taking over the family business anymore, we need you to come back and take over. We also found a suitable marriage candidate for you. If you would just-!"

"I said No!", you interrupted them again, this time however, all the politeness has left your tone.

"I know you only never bothered me about coming back till now, because you were betting on my sister to take over. You'd never force her to do the things you want her to do, but doing it to me is fine for you?

I'm done with that. I have my life here, doing what I always wanted to do, with the love of my life with me." To undermine your words, you stand next to Tighnari and take his hand in yours. The action fills him with pride, as well as the fact that you're standing up for him to your parents.

"So, you can either accept that fact, support me and still be a part of my life. Or, you can leave, and never bother any of us again."

You finish your little speech, your mother gasping at your words, but your father quickly takes her and ushers her away, leading them back to the city.

As the two walked away, you let out a deep breath, relief washing over you as they walked away. You were still holding onto Tighnari's hand when he spoke up again. "I take it that was why you didn't want me to meet them, am I right?"

"I'm so sorry about that. I know I should have told you, but I never wanted you to have to go through that. I already don't have a very good relationship with them, and I didn't want it to affect you, as well."

Hearing that, Tighnari smiled as he turned towards you to take you in his arms. "Thank you", he whispered into yours ear.

You nodded against him. You'd always stand up to your parents again, without another thought, if it meant you were doing it for him...

[dxstopiaa]

hey hey! could i request zhongli, cyno, and tighnari with a hypersexual s/o who is actually pretty ashamed, so when they finish, they wait till theyre asleep and starts breaking down bawling their eyes out. this is kinda deep but i js want some comfort at the same time. if this is too deep or dark feel free to not do it 🫶🫶🫶

characters: zhongli, tighnari and cyno x hypersexual! gn! reader.

warnings: nsfw elements! hurt/comfort [dont worry at all anon <3 if this is something you experience, you should never feel ashamed]

zhongli

❥ That feeling was there again— the one of guilt and shame you couldn’t eradicate no matter what you told yourself. Your husband’s thick cum still coated your thighs, not daring to move nor clean it up in fear of waking him beside you.

❥ You truly envied him. Zhongli slept peacefully with arms snaked around your bare waist, not a worry present. He loved you, you knew that, yet a tide of disgust wavered over your shivering body. It retreated in the form of hot flashes, returning upon each dreadful thought that went too long considered.

❥ His forearms, dangerously close to the tears accumulating at your jaw, embraced you so gently. You were too lost in the depths of your shame to realise your sobs had grown louder, grasping onto your lover’s hands for any sort of comfort.

❥ “My darling? What has you so distraught?” Zhongli’s husky voice whispered into your ear, not doing much except influencing the developing streams of saltwater across your cheeks. Your lack of response frightened him greatly, feeling his weight shift against the head board.

❥ “Please answer me, dearest?” His heart pumped with agony at your strings of broken cries. Did he go too rough with you? Were you scared? His questions dissipated when you wrapped your frail arms around his chest. Soft, tear-ridden eyes gleamed up at him, nothing but a satin robe to distance your bodies from another.

❥ “I feel so revolted with myself. Do you feel that way too?” Your meek, shaky voice muttered such self-deprecating language left those lips he kissed with pure adoration. How could you doubt his love? His light gasp followed by a frown pulled you from the depths of overthinking.

❥ “Of course not, sweetheart. Hearing words so undervaluing from you leads me to think of the restless nights you’ve endured without my knowledge. Allow me to help you, what is it that you’d like, dear?” He fondled your shaking hand, smoothing a finger over your wedding ring.

“Anything that regards you is nothing short of perfect, i’ll prove so by whatever means.”

cyno

❥ Soft, undisturbed snores filled the room, courtesy of the sleeping general. You were still reminiscing of the events which had occurred a mere hour ago. You— who was so eager and needy for Cyno it felt humiliating. He had you on his cock nearly every day, pleasuring you albeit not making as much noise himself.

❥ Was he tired of your high libido? Was he getting bored of you? Endless questions swarmed your mind like a cyclone, twisting your perception of your boyfriend till it rained down. You couldn’t help but start to weep, tributaries of tears collecting at your chin, washing away the gentle touches Cyno had placed there prior.

❥ You shouldn’t be so obvious about it, you thought. Perhaps it’d be better to calm down in the bathroom, removing the covers from your body. You didn’t even get to lift your head from the damp pillow fully as your lover had seized your wrist.

❥ “Don’t go, hiding your tears from me won’t help you in the slightest, love.” Called out Cyno, voice raspy with slumber. Although he didn’t know what this was about, that somber expression did not suit you in the slightest. He’d rather have it gone.

❥ Eyes blurred and hazy, you glanced over at him, finally allowing him to pull you close at his side. How could you even describe this to him— say that it’s nothing or burst into tears before you even opened your mouth? Your throat felt painfully constricted.

❥ “Don’t worry, if you can’t tell me now, this can be discussed in the morning. For now, just get some rest.” Cyno comforted, tracing his thumbs over each tear-stained cheek. You didn’t need to tell him, he could already sense what was wrong.

❥ That distant look in your eyes whenever you finished quickly, the sobs he thought were of pleasure were rather subtle cries of guilt. It was quite obvious yet he was so unperceptive to not realise it till you were curled up beside him? Cyno held you closer than ever, arms framing your shivering body as if you were glass, about to shatter any second now.

“I apologise for not seeing this earlier. Let me remind you that i fell in love with the exact person you’re incorrectly ashamed of, i wouldn’t change anything about you.”

tighnari

❥ There was something off about you— Tighnari could sense it, although not place a finger on it. Your lips trembled with something he thought was fear, yet it wouldn’t make sense if it was. You’ve always been an expressive person, so why the sudden change?

❥ You were quite loud just a few minutes ago, now it seems you’ve withdrawn yourself under the cotton covers for comfort. You’d always ask for aftercare and snuggle close to him after sex, though not a single request sounded from the opposite side of the bed.

❥ If only he knew that your saline tears dampened the pillow and your lashes, the red hue that was on your cheeks had shifted up to your eyes, worn with distress. Tighnari had never mentioned anything negative to you at all, however this sickening discomfiture twisted your stomach.

❥ Despite how hard you tried to disguise the reality of your feelings, fleeing from your excessive eroticism, it’d all come down one day. Your throat closed up, a pounding migraine overtook your senses, making it all the more apparent.

❥ “Dear? What’s the matter? Are you hurt?” The forest ranger panicked— ears twitching half-confusedly. No response apart from a snivel and the rustling of the quilt which you grasped onto. Immediately, he reached for a glass of water and towel.

❥ Tighnari turned you over, fingers brushing along your jaw, patting the cool, damp fabric over your closed eyes. Wails of panic were replaced with small hiccups, breathing still irregular but not as before. Would you even want to discuss this now? He fears startling you again.

❥ Your boyfriend continued to lightly massage your head, raking his slender fingers in your tangled hair. Moments like these— where you needed him the most, he’s here for you.

“Shh, it’s okay, don’t stress over this too much dearest. Get some sleep now.”

[theendisneat]

"I love you, I love you, I love you." [Dying in their arms]

Warings - Death, mentions of illness and injury, hurt/no comfort

Characters - Xiao, Childe, Kamisato Ayaka, Venti, Scaramouche/Wanderer

Word Count - 1410

Xiao

He held you in his arms. If he wasn’t so concerned with hurting you, even now when blood slid from your lips and down your throat, he would be crushing you against his chest. But his hands cradled your body tenderly, so softly he was practically hovering them around you, not wanting to taint your already dying body with his karma.

Tears gathered in his eyes, but he forced himself not to cry when you two made eye contact. He wanted to, archons he wanted to ball when he saw the light slowly dim from your pretty eyes, the eyes he was admiring not so long ago.

“Why?” He couldn’t help but whisper. “I could’ve protected myself.”

You opened your mouth, only for no sounds to come out on the first try. You swallowed harshly, the taste of blood making you want to vomit, but you didn’t even have the energy for that. “It was instinct.”

It was then Xiao finally let those tears fall. It was instinct? The instinct to protect him? You loved him that much? He hugged you closer, pressing his forehead against your own so he could hear your breaths, your shallow, dying breaths. You protected him, you loved him, and he loved you.

Slowly he kissed your cheek. “I love you.”

Your forehead. “I love you.”

Eyelids. “I love you. I love you.”

And finally, the lips that had taken their last breath. “I love you, so, so, much.”

Childe

Fighting beside you was a dream for him. Both of you engaged in the thrill of battle, taking out enemies side by side with equal grace and power. He loved it, loved seeing you in his domain, loved seeing you kickass. It put a smile on his face knowing his lover was like him, powerful.

But everything powerful eventually falls, and you did it for him. So caught up in the heat of the battle, a rush going throughout his whole body, he didn’t notice the one enemy that was creeping up behind to stab him through the heart, but you did.

You had pushed him out of the way, the sword piercing you like a hot knife through butter, right in the heart where Childe was meant to get hit. The sword was pulled back with a metallic whine as Childe saw red. He doesn’t remember what he did, or what was happening until his body hands were holding your head and pressing down on your heart.

He was mumbling reassurances, desperate pleas to stay by his side and do everything you’ve ever dreamed of doing. Hysterical nonsense was the only thing to be heard besides your quiet breaths and the drip of blood as it painted the field alongside the bodies of the other enemies.

You used the last of your strength to cradle his cheek, accidentally smearing your blood on his pale, flushed face, but neither of you cared. You mumbled out a returning ‘I love you’ as you body went limp and Childe screamed.

Kamisato Ayaka

You didn’t know the woman in front of you, but she obviously knew you with the way she flittered about your room. Was it your room? You couldn’t recall. The memories were hazy, and your limbs were heavy. 

Ayaka had never been more scared out of her mind when Thoma had dragged you home one day saying you had gotten in an altercation with the Tenryou Commision protecting an immigrant merchant and had lost your vision. You had been beaten, that was obvious enough, but what she was really worried about was the lack of vision, with only bad things to say about the condition of those who had lost theirs.

Ayaka was right in her worry as you began to deteriorate before her eyes. You stopped knowing how to get around the house, you lost recognition of some of the house’s staff members, you would wander around, eyes glazed and thoughts foggy. It was only about time when the memories of Thoma, and Ayato, and her started to fade.

You would lean away from her kisses, struggling to remember her name, and stayed in your room when moving became too difficult. Your body was going along with your mind, becoming a corpse right in front of your forgotten lover’s eyes.

When you took your last breath, you were too weak to lean away from Ayaka’s hands. They cupped your face gently, her delicate finger wiping away tears you didn’t know the origin of. The last thing you remember was the sound of her crying, her tears dripping on your face as she hovered over you, desperate to see some last spark in your eyes before they finally went out.

She whispered to your still body. Pleas of adoration for you to come back, to open your eyes and look at her with recognition and love once more, but you couldn’t, and she knew that, and it only made her cry harder.

Venti

Your head was in his lap, hair spread across his thighs haphazardly as he caressed your face with such gentleness it felt like a morning breeze. You could feel the pain anymore, the one that had traveled through your abdomen to your heart. It had been stabbing in tune with the beat of your heart, but now, laying here, it didn’t hurt so bad.

The feeling was leaving from your feet, limbs becoming numb. You tried to twitch your fingers to reach up to your beloved’s face. Tears had begun to slide down his cheeks, but a stoic, empty smile was on his face. Why was he crying?

“Are you alright, love?” You had no idea why it took so much effort simply to speak. Your mind had begun to fog, eyes, unknowing to you, had glazed over slightly, making you look like a doll.

“Yeah.” Venti murmured, trying to make his smile more joyful, but you could hear the lingering brokenness in his voice. “Everything’s alright darling.”

“Why’re you cryin’ then?” Venti heard the slurring of your voice and had to bite down a new wave of tears. He thumbed the skin under your eye, rubbing away any lasting tears of pain.

“I’m just so happy to see you again. You’ve been off on your adventures. It’s nice to see you back home ya know?”

Venti leaned down and kissed your forehead. “Why don’t you go to sleep darling? We can do something fun in the morning.”

“Okay.” You felt exhaustion settling in your bones, going limp entirely now. Black spots entered your vision as you felt your consciousness fade. “I love you.”

Venti let out a wet laugh. “I love you too.” And with one final kiss on the cheek, you were gone.

Scaramouche/Wanderer

“You can’t do this to me!” His grip was tight, almost too tight, but you had lost feeling in a lot of your body a long time ago and now a previously bruising grip became a comforting pressure. “You can’t fucking do this to me! Are you going to betray me too? HUH?!”

He couldn’t control himself as you simply sat there, wrapped in your blankets with a content smile on your face. You were leaving him. Didn’t you understand how much it would hurt, living everyday for the rest of eternity wishing you were there?

You had been sick your whole life. No doctor had ever lied to give you hope that you would live past twenty five and so you made the most of your time before you had to move on. Content with death since the moment of your birth, you strayed away from many relationships as they would benefit nobody but misery in the long run. 

But something about Scaramouche just pulled you in.

You gravitated towards him, and he to you. Caught in each other’s orbit you danced for however long you had left. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough time. Cradling Scaramouche’s cheeks with your weak hands, you swiped away the ugly tears that marred his beautiful face. Pulling him to your chest, you immediately felt his arms circle your waist.

He tucked his face to the crook of your neck as he cried, pleaded. “Please don’t leave me too. Please, please, please. I love you. I love you so fucking much.”

Scaramouche heard as your heart stopped beating, your chest staying still. Your arms fell limp from where they had wrapped around his shoulders in a loose hug.

[taintedtort]

hi there, i love your writing and i’d like to make a request!!

i’d love to see a chronically ill reader who tries to hide their illness from their partner (xiao, wanderer) because the near constant comments about how wEaK aNd pAtHeTiC mOrTaLs aRe has made them insecure and afraid that their partner would no longer want to be with them if they knew how weak they truly were.

bonus points if they find out about the illness because the reader pushed themselves too far and could no longer hide the symptoms in front of them :) feed me the hurt/comfort :)

prompt ✧ sick reader

characters ✧ xiao, wanderer

warnings ✧ gn!reader, mentions of illness, hurt/comfort

a/n ✧ FINALLY writing this, sorry it took a minute… and thank you for the request!! (i literally hit the limit for words in one text box so these are cut up into sections)

XIAO

✧ when he found out you were ill and that you weren’t able to be permanently cured, he felt like crying. which is big for xiao, he doesn’t feel many emotions, especially sadness, and he doesn’t know how to cope. so he did what he thought was best.

you were trying to help him in his demon hunts, something he told you over and over was a bad idea, but he let you come anyway after you insisted so many times. he couldn’t really say no to you about most things, so he just decided to be extra careful and on guard. he steered clear of spots he knew were way too dangerous and let you follow him around to watch.

eventually, you told him you felt lightheaded right before passing out. he, of course, caught you, but at that exact moment he felt his world fall apart. automatically assumed you were feeling side affects from his debt, which caused him to blame himself harshly. swore that when he knew you were alright, he’d leave so he didn’t harm you anymore.

when you woke in your bed at the inn, he was laying right beside you, waiting for you. it made you smile, the fact that he stayed with you, but it faded when you saw the look on his face. you asked him what was wrong but got no answer, he just placed a kiss to your forehead and whispered a quiet apology before he vanished. confused and still in a sleepy daze, you didn’t think much about it and assumed he was apologizing for having to leave for his duties.

a week passed and you didn’t see him, you grew achingly worried. you asked everyone around town if they’d seen him, but you only got apologies in return. you tracked him down for days, hurt and confused, and he knew that of course, he was watching you. he couldn’t be near you, but he had to know you were alright. you seemed upset at the absence of him, but xiao knew you’d be better off. he ignored the desperate calls of his name from your lips, breaking his promise that he’d always be there for you. it shattered him, and it shattered you.

after weeks of your voice calling out to him but getting no answer, you started to feel dejected. you didn’t want to face the fact that he may really be gone for good. you knew why too— he couldn’t be seen with such a weak mortal. his apology was out of pity for your poor state, not because he felt bad for leaving. with that conclusion, your heart was no more. you fell out into sobs, stomach wrenching sobs that left your head aching. with a final attempt, you choked out xiaos name and a plea followed close behind it.

you aren’t sure why he decided to show up that particular time, but he did. you saw his feet materialize from your spot on the ground and your head shot up. when he saw your face, your tears, he knew he’d caused you the most amount of pain possible. he tried to keep a straight face so you wouldn’t see how much this was hurting him, it was for your own good, but he couldn’t push you away when you leaped up from the ground and brought him into an embrace. you clutched onto him, your tears wetting his shirt as you kept repeating questions as to where he’d been and why he left. he thought he owed it to you to at least give an explanation, so he told you. he told you how he had hurt you with his debt and that he never wanted to harm you ever again, so he had to leave. he told you how much he loves you and how he couldn’t live with himself if he put you in pain. while he spoke, he realized that he’d done what he was trying to avoid doing in the first place. the pain of him leaving you was much greater than any pain you could get from his debt.

when he finished with tears in his eyes, you told him the truth. the truth about your illness and why you had passed out that day. you let him know of your fears, the fear that he thought you were too weak, that you were just as pathetic as the other mortals he always spoke of. he was already shaking his head as you were talking, trying to deny those words before they entered your mind. he knew it may have been too late, but he asked for your forgiveness anyway. you called him an idiot and kissed him, both of your cheeks still wet.

"i never meant for this to happen, please forgive me, i’m so sorry."

WANDERER

✧ when he found out you had kept such a big secret from him, he was broken. why wouldn’t you tell him you were sick? he was your partner and you loved him, so why would you keep this from him? he started to doubt if you actually felt the same feelings he felt for you. that was until he saw your face after you told him your little secret.

you two had been exploring a new patch of forest you found. he was on guard, as were you, thanks to the unfamiliar land. you both went a long way before turning back, but by that time you already started to feel dizzy. you grabbed onto his arm and muttered his name, right before seeing black. he caught you, somewhat ungracefully, but your head didn’t hit the ground. he was literally stunned, just stared at you with his mouth slightly agape. he assumed either you got too hot, there was something in the air over in this area, or you hadn’t eaten. he ruled out the second one, he wasn’t feeling anything, nor did he notice anything different about the air. chalked it up to it being your fault and carried you back to your campsite.

he monitored you while you slept, which wasn’t very long, you woke within an hour. when you opened your eyes and glanced around, you were met with a sour faced wanderer. he was scowling at you with his arms crossed, and you just smiled back. once you sat up, he started demanding answers to his questions. what did you eat today? have you drank any water? did you walk for too long? did you feel hot? you knew he was just worried, and you didn’t want to lie but also didn’t want to tell him the truth, so you just nervously laughed and tried to wave him off.

he obviously continued to pester you, refusing to let you wiggle out of this one. as your loving partner it was his job to make sure you took care of yourself, so he wasn’t letting this go. you had passed out, he needed to know why.

you, very reluctantly, told him about your sickness. you tried to keep it brief and make it sound less than it was, but he heard the words 'permanently ill' and his stomach dropped. you saw the look on his face and wished you could take it back, wished you would’ve just lied to him, wished you were strong, wished he’d see you the same.

he was already marking you as his fourth betrayal, you could tell. the pain in his eyes was clear, the sheer hurt clearly visible to you. it was you that had caused that look, and if he chose to leave you, you’d spend eternity with that image burned onto your eyelids. you already felt the stinging in your nose and the familiar tears forming at that thought. the thought of having to live without him, the thought of him resenting you.

when he noticed your lips trembling, his brows drew together. why were you crying? were you embarrassed? he truly didn’t understand human emotions sometimes. and because he didn’t understand, he asked you, that was the only way he knew how to get answers. when he saw your face carry confusion, he became truly lost. he asked why you were crying, what was so confusing about that? why do you have that look on your face? he knew he liked your smile best, but he wasn’t aware of how much he hated it when you were upset. he’d do anything to get that expression of your face.

so he did what he thought would help… he hugged you. he was aware that humans craved physical contact, especially when sad, and since he wasn’t very sure what helped you, he went with a hug. he was unaware of how to fix this because you rarely got sad around him. he brought you pure happiness with just his presence, so you’d never had the chance to cry with him around.

he got a bit nervous during his approach. usually when he’s going to initiate physical affection, you meet him halfway, but you stayed still while he got closer. it wasn’t until his arms were halfway around you that you allowed yourself to hug him back. your grip was strong, and you wouldn’t let him go ever again if he let you.

when he heard your pleading whispers of him not to leave you, he reeled back completely stunned. him? leave you? he wasn’t capable of doing such a thing. and he told you that. he told you how much he loves you, how he can’t live without you, and how you’re the light of his being, his reason for living.

"i’d never leave you, i wouldn’t be able to bring myself to even think of it."

[hugs4wriothesley]

Sleepless Nights

“I’m tired,” you say while burying your head into your lover’s chest as you both lie on the bed

“That’s why you shouldn’t have gone to bed that late last night,” your lover commented with a slight chuckle

“Mmm” you grumpily mumble into his chest while still snuggled up next to him

“You know, whenever I didn’t get enough sleep, I would just have to keep pushing through the day until I could actually rest.”

This made you perk up a little. You knew that before moving in your lover didn’t have the best sleep schedule but you thought at least he could take a little care for his health. “Because you ended up doing a lot of work and lost track of time?” You questioned raising your head a little.

“That and…” He started to trail off. Quite a few years have passed since the so-called “incidents” of his past. Enough time that when reminded of it he can just brush it off but that doesn’t mean it occasionally stops creeping in his dreams. Before you moved in whenever these occurrences would happen he would wake up in a cold sweat. He did not want to be reminded of what happened and the fear and anger he felt those days in his sleep. So on those days he would wake up early and work out or get a head start on work for the day. He had nothing to ground him or his bottled up emotions that appeared in his dreams so for the first few hours of the day he was a little off but by the end of the day he was already over all that happened in his sleep the night before. He knows since you’ve moved in he’s been more content and relaxed before bed causing him to sleep peacefully and smoothly. However it would also be a lie to say these occasional nightmares just stopped appearing. They are, however, less frequent and he’s able to calm down much quicker by just knowing your calming presence is there. You’ve always talked about how you feel safe and comfortable in his presence and the truth is he feels the same way. Waking up from one of his cold sweat flashbacks, his heart racing a little, all he has to do is slightly look down and see that you’re peacefully sleeping on his chest. Noticing your slow and steady breaths lulls him back to a blissful sleep. Of course, he’s never told you that these nightmares sometimes happen, but he is forever grateful for your presence in silence, and if you ever needed to hear it out loud he would explain right then and there just how much you mean to him. He was then snapped out of his thoughts as he realized you were staring at him waiting for him to continue his sentence. “Sorry,” he apologized “My mind seemed to go elsewhere”

Without him even saying what he was thinking you could infer what it was about. “It’s ok, you don’t need to finish that sentence,” you started. There was a small pause before you continued, “We have each other now”

And that was all he needed to hear to know that ‘Yes, everything will be ok’

Wrote this with Wriothesley in mind but realized it could also apply to Xiao and Scara

[cegantheayugipi]

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better (Xiao x Reader Smut)

An Enemies to Lovers smut oneshot

WARNING: 18+ CONTENT BELOW THE CUT, MINORS DNI!!

Tags include: hate sex, no foreplay, angst, breeding, loss of virginity, competitive sex, post nut depression, soft ending, Xiao being Xiao

Xiao was furious. Again.

At the report of monsters in Dihua Marsh, Xiao rushed to the scene to eliminate them. This was merely part of his Adeptal duties – he protected all mortals in Bishui Plain and beyond. As ordered by Rex Lapis, he would not allow any human to come to harm while under his watch… However, for the past several nights, Xiao would reach a location reported to have monsters only to find their scattered corpses.

And not only would the monsters be completely eliminated, but they would be struck down with no traces of elemental power whatsoever. The poor Yaksha consulted all remaining Adepti, and none of them knew what could be responsible for such a feat other than some fluke or natural disaster. Still, night after night, Xiao would be frustrated upon reaching the scene. He would be mere minutes too late to catch whoever seemed to be disrespecting him, taunting him, telling him over and over just how slow and incompetent he was at his own job.

At the report of monsters in Dihua Marsh, Xiao rushed to the scene to eliminate them. This was merely part of his Adeptal duties – he protected all mortals in Bishui Plain and beyond. As ordered by Rex Lapis, he would not allow any human to come to harm while under his watch… However, for the past several nights, Xiao would reach a location reported to have monsters only to find their scattered corpses.

And not only would the monsters be completely eliminated, but they would be struck down with no traces of elemental power whatsoever. The poor Yaksha consulted all remaining Adepti, and none of them knew what could be responsible for such a feat other than some fluke or natural disaster. Still, night after night, Xiao would be frustrated upon reaching the scene. He would be mere minutes too late to catch whoever seemed to be disrespecting him, taunting him, telling him over and over just how slow and incompetent he was at his own job.

Still baffled by yet another impossible feat, Xiao wandered through the remnants of the hilichurl camp. He seethed at his incompetence; this would be the last time he’d miss anything like this. 

“Help! There’s Geovishaps!”

A voice tickled Xiao’s ears, and his head immediately shot up.

“I won’t miss it this time,” Xiao muttered. His superhuman senses told him exactly how far away this call came from. He disappeared from the field, leaving behind only black wisps of smoke. 

In an instant, the Yaksha had traversed hundreds of meters to the source of the voice, only to watch the earthen monsters be beaten into dust by a blindingly fast flash of metal.

“What?!” Xiao blurted out, his mouth falling open as he watched a small figure – a human – destroy the monsters with efficient strikes of a claymore.

And what was worse, the human had no traces of elemental abilities whatsoever. Their claymore fractured the earthen ground as they struck the monsters over and over, a testament to their power.

Meanwhile, Xiao simply stared, too shocked to take over in the fight.

“Hyaa!” You screamed, flexing your shoulders as you wound up for your final attack. The metal of your greatsword sung into the night as it struck down the monsters and embedded itself into the damp earth.

The stony Geovishap bones scattered across the ground, mere remnants of the monsters that terrorized the mountainside only minutes prior.

Now that the monsters were defeated, a silence fell over the area. You listened to your own rapid breathing as you recovered from such strenuous work. Wrapping one hand around the hilt of your claymore, you pulled it out of the ground and inspected it for damage. As you did so, you failed to notice the enraged Yaksha, who seethed at you.

“YOU!” Xiao roared, making you jump from surprise. You spun on your heels to face him. “You’re the one who is killing MY monsters!”

“Who said they were yours to kill?” You scoffed, sticking your giant blade back into the ground and crossing your arms over your chest. “From the way you look, it seems like you’re an Adeptus. I guess they really are stuck up old fogeys.”

“Stop trying to do my job,” Xiao spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re a weak mortal. Killing monsters is a job for the Adepti, not humans.”

“You’re the one who’s taking too long to even get to the monsters,” You stated with a shrug. “Maybe it’s time to retire, you’re getting slow.” 

Xiao let out a growl at your insinuation. Rather than snap back at you, however, he turned his head to the side, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

You rolled your eyes as you watched him disappear. A couple of villagers who witnessed the fight stood there in shock as you turned around and began to walk down the path away from them.

“Onto the next field, then,” You muttered to yourself.

~~~

Aether and Lumine frequented Wangshu Inn during their travels, and knowing their elusive Adeptus friend lived there, they often tried to talk to him – whether it be luring him out with almond tofu, or calling for him until he would get too annoyed to ignore them any longer.

Although they thought Xiao acted this way towards everyone, the twins had no clue that they were the only mortals in all of Teyvat that Xiao would ever willingly interact with. They were the closest thing to a ‘friend’ the Yaksha had in a while.

Aether was speaking to Verr Goldet about any requests she might have for the day. The sun had just breached the horizon, and the two travelers were already at the front desk of the inn, eager to go out and explore the area for the day.

While waiting for her brother to finish speaking, Lumine looked up through the main foyer of the inn to see Xiao ascending the staircase towards the top.

“Hey, Xiao! There you are!” She called, but received no acknowledgement from the Adeptus.

Aether turned when he heard his sister speak. “Xiao?” Aether called, but the twins merely watched as he continued to ignore them both. The reclusive Adeptus walked through a door at the top of the stairs, slamming it behind him.

The twins exchanged glances, wondering why he would act that way, and Aether gave his sister a nonchalant shrug.

“Maybe he’s busy. We can talk to him later.”

~~~

The next night, Xiao was determined to defeat the monsters that lurked throughout Bishui Plain and Qiongli Estuary before you could even get there. He stayed on high alert, traveling north through Dihua Marsh and clearing out Hilichurl camps before they would become a problem for the nearby villages.

As an Adeptus, he didn’t need rest… he could slay monsters for days on end without needing a break. He was determined to prove he was infinitely more capable at slaying monsters than you were.

“Weak!” He exclaimed, pitching his spear through a Mitachurl’s chest. He watched as the beast crumpled to the ground, defeated. The seething Adeptus wrenched the polearm out of the dead Mitachurl’s rib cage, bringing with it a spray of blood.

Xiao didn’t need to look around to know that all of the monsters had been killed – he simply walked onwards down the path to the next camp he would come across.

However, in the distance, he spotted blackened earth and trails of smoke that rose into the night air. Confused, he teleported towards the location, arriving only to see yet another destroyed monster camp.

You had already been there.

Xiao’s hands balled into fists as he turned slowly in a circle, examining the elemental traces…

A Pyro Abyss Mage, an Electro Samachurl… and half a dozen Hilichurls. 

Next to the smoldering remnants of the monsters’ campfire, a Samachurlian staff had been stuck into the ground. Attached at the top of the staff, a daintily handwritten paper note fluttered in the late evening breeze.

‘You’re rusty ;)’

Xiao let out a growl so frustrated and enraged that if anyone nearby had heard it, they would confuse him with the monsters he killed.

~~~

“Why do you seem more cheerless than usual, Alatus?” The serene voice of Cloud Retainer echoed across the peaks of Mt. Aocang. The mystical Crane perched elegantly on a rocky precipice of Qingyun peak, her gold and white feathers glowing in the late-afternoon light.

Xiao had visited his fellow Adeptus to retrieve powerful medicinal herbs which only grew in Jueyun Karst. Cloud Retainer had stored them in a latched wooden box, waiting for the time he would come by to take them. 

“I do not wish to talk about it,” Xiao responded curtly, causing Cloud Retainer to lean closer towards his face.

“You also appear to be fatigued. Have you not been resting properly?” Cloud Retainer questioned.

“Adepti have no need for rest,” Xiao responded, looking away from the prying Adeptus.

“Is it because of that mortal who has been purging the land of monsters?” Cloud Retainer mused, fluttering her wings as she adjusted her feathers.

Xiao scoffed, “Nonsense.”

“They are quite the aid to Liyue. The mortal has even rid Jueyun Karst of treasure hoarders.”

“WHAT?!” Xiao exclaimed, turning back around to face the Adeptus’s aviary form. “When?!”

“About a week ago.”

Xiao’s mind reeled. Every single night he had watched with near-helplessness as you cleared out monster camps in Western Liyue faster than he could find them. He had no idea how you could possibly do this in Eastern Liyue at the same time.

“One despises mortals who tread on the sacred land of the Adepti. However, this mortal is more than just an exception. One would like to invite such an honorable person for tea. Perhaps One should invite Morax as well, and One can teach such a child about the ways of the Adepti.”

Cloud Retainer’s rambling only made Xiao seethe with anger. How could Cloud Retainer consider you honorable when you were stealing the job of an Adeptus so blatantly?

“I must go. Farewell.”

Xiao’s blunt statement was as courteous as he could possibly make it. Too furious to wait for a response from Cloud Retainer, he teleported back to Wangshu Inn with the package of herbs in his hands.

Verr Goldet looked up from her desk as she felt the wind shift in the air. Xiao had appeared before her. 

“Oh, Xiao, you’re already back.” The Inn Owner smiled. “Thank you for fetching the herbs for me. I’ll prepare your medicine promptly.” Xiao didn’t respond as he stalked towards the desk, dropping the package onto the oak surface and teleporting away once again.

Verr looked down in shock, wondering why Xiao would seem even more irritated than usual. She knew he hated visiting the front desk in the Inn’s main foyer due to the number of humans that usually filled the room.

However, it didn’t seem to be as busy as usual, so it left her even more baffled. To top it off, Verr looked down to realize the wooden box had been splintered from the intensity of Xiao’s grip.

~~~

This time, Xiao was more determined than ever to prove to you that patrolling the countryside was a job meant for Adepti only. Humans were frail, and Xiao was certain you would slip up at some point.

The night was incredibly clear. Xiao could see all the way across Liyue from his perch atop the roof of Wangshu Inn. He looked out towards Guyun Stone Forest, admiring the vast remnants of the Archon war and lasting proof of Morax's power.

Something glimmered along the coast of Yaoyang Shoal. At this distance, Xiao couldn’t tell if it was a glimmer of moonlight reflecting off of the sea or if it was something more.

Not willing to take any chances, he teleported to the sandy beach.

As he arrived, he realized he was right – amongst the scattered remnants of Khaen’rian Ruin Guards were some that were still active. How they could survive centuries of deterioration and the elements was a question for someone else. 

Xiao was simply here to destroy them.

The ruin guards began to wake up, clambering to their feet with the screeching metal and whirring engines.

Spinning his spear in one hand, Xiao prepared to strike one ruin guard down when a flash of silver caught his eye. He barely had time to register the claymore that shot straight into the Ruin Guard’s core, impaling the machinery and causing the monster to collapse to the ground. Sparks flew from the core as it sputtered and the ruin guard began to die. 

You leapt down from one of the rock faces that dotted the shoal, landing on the ruin guard to wrench your blade from its core.

Xiao let out a low growl, shocked and enraged by your sudden appearance.

“Wow, you actually found the monsters before me this time,” You laughed darkly, moving onto the next ruin guard.

“Worthless!” Xiao shouted, turning to fight a third one that had awoken.

“Easy now, old man.” You shouted between clangs of metal against metal. Sparks flew into the air as your claymore screeched against the reinforced armor of the ruin guard. You jumped from place to place, the muscles in your back flexing beneath your skin as you wound up to strike at a weak point.

Xiao growled as he fought the other ruin guard. He gripped his polearm so tightly he was worried he might break it… But that was the least of his problems. With a gust of wind, he launched himself into the shoulder of the ruin guard, breaking its arm off in one clean strike. Arcs of electricity sparked across the joint, stunning the machine and preventing it from fighting back. With several more quick jabs of his spear, Xiao was able to cut down the automaton.

As soon as the Ruin Guard was no longer a threat, Xiao spun around to attack the next one – only to see a beach of scattered metal parts. He gawked at the destruction, shocked that you were able to defeat two ruin guards so quickly.

“Man, whatever metal these Automatons are made of sure wear out blades fast.” You sighed, running your fingers down the side of your claymore.

“You don’t have a vision. How do you find monsters so fast without elemental sight?” Xiao demanded, stalking towards you.

“If you actually looked at the Adventurer’s Guild bulletin in Liyue Harbor, you’d be able to see where all the monster and enemy sightings are.” You rolled your eyes. “But you’re too busy being a recluse, trying to do everything without any outside help. And definitely not making any money either!”

You lifted your blade above your head, shoulders and biceps flexing as you lowered it into the holder on your back. Of course, since you weren’t gifted with elemental power, you couldn’t create a subspace pocket for your belongings. That meant carrying around your ridiculously large and heavy greatsword wherever you traveled.

“This isn’t a job for mortals. It is the duty of the Adepti,” Xiao seethed as he stared at you intensely.

“Duty of the Adepti, my ass!” You scoffed, dusting some sand off of your shoulder. “Liyue is rife with monsters that would go unchecked if it weren’t for adventurers like me.” 

“Mortals cannot be tasked with killing monsters. It’s too dangerous.” Xiao pressed, stepping closer to you.

“Then why am I so much better at it than you are?” You smirked.

Xiao’s eyes widened suddenly, and you thought you had finally gotten through to the stubborn Yaksha. However, instead of snapping back or continuing to argue, Xiao roughly pushed past you as an orange glow filled your vision.

“Watch out!” He exclaimed. You turned around just in time to see Xiao use his polearm to swipe away a magical fireball that had been hurtling towards you. A sinister high-pitched cackle filled your ears, telling you exactly what it was.

“Abyss mages!” You exclaimed, instinctively reaching over your shoulders for the handle of your greatsword. Pyro and Electro Abyss Mages had shown up out of nowhere, laughing and taunting the two of you from behind their spheres of elemental shields.

Xiao immediately attacked both of them with his polearm that he infused with Anemo. You grew frustrated as you watched him effortlessly use the Abyss Mages’ own elements against themselves thanks to the wind’s power.

As someone never gifted with a vision, you could do little against Abyss Mages with just a claymore. Instead, you turned around and ran towards the ocean. Swinging your claymore backwards like a bat, you used its flat edge to splash into the water, sending a wave towards the Abyss Mages and drenching them.

“What are you doing?!” Xiao exclaimed, confused.

“Work smarter, not harder!” You responded, used to using your surroundings to your own advantage. “Now swirl them!”

Xiao growled, begrudgingly doing as you requested. The Pyro shield broke first – you immediately took advantage of the Mage’s sudden weakness, sending it into the next life with a single strike.

The Yaksha wasn’t far behind with killing the Electro mage… In mere seconds, the beach was silent once more. All you could hear was the gentle rush of the tide that rose and ebbed along the sandy shore.

Xiao turned to face you, appearing as though he was about to shout at you again. You crossed your arms over your chest, staring at him, refusing to show any sort of weakness towards the Adeptus.

However, before he could open his mouth, he turned away from you and disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke and wind.

“Asshole.” You grumbled, frowning.

~~~

The teal-haired Yaksha appeared in his small room at the top of Wangshu Inn. It was sparsely furnished, with only a bed, a table and chairs. The wooden floorboards and walls were thin and creaked with each footstep. Despite Verr Goldet offering a suite for the Yaksha to live in, Xiao preferred the attic. Here, he could see all of Dihua Marsh from his window… and he preferred a room far away from guests or any other humans. At the top of the building, it felt less like an inn and more like a treehouse. The ancient tree’s branches grew through one side of the room, its bark poking out of the wooden planks and running from floor to ceiling.

Despite usually enjoying his little piece of serenity at the center of Liyue’s marshes, Xiao had arrived irate.

“INCOMPETENT!” Xiao roared, throwing his spear down in a fit of anger. Its shaft clattered against the floorboards as the weapon slid across the room, its blade embedding itself into the bark of the exposed tree trunk at the far wall.

Xiao was too furious to acknowledge that Verr Goldet would most certainly be heartbroken if she ever saw the damage he caused to the tree. He was too furious to eat, sleep, or do most things these days. All he wanted was for you to stop doing his job.

~~~

Your treks through the mountainside had been boring for the past couple of nights. Smirking to yourself, you thought that perhaps you were simply too good at killing monsters. You passed your time traveling from monster sighting to monster sighting, finding little to entertain you in-between.

Thus, when you heard the sound of fighting in the distance, the smirk on your face grew into a  grin.

You rushed down the path towards the fighting, finding yourself in front of a very large hilichurl camp. At the center, a furious Xiao tore through the crowds of monsters, shrouded by a cloud of black smoke.

“It’s about time something interesting happened!” You exclaimed, drawing your greatsword and jumping into the fray.

Xiao noticed you approaching in an instant. “No- stay away!” he exclaimed, launching backwards as he attempted to continue fighting. He jumped into the air before diving back down, raining ethereal spears down from the sky. They impaled all of the Hilichurls around him, killing them almost immediately. Xiao’s face was obscured by a black mask as black wisps of smoke continued to swirl around him. You had never seen elemental power like this before, so you couldn't help but stare for a moment before going back to fight on your own.

“When will you realize humans can be just as good at fighting?” You exclaimed, swinging at a Mitachurl that blocked you with its shield.

You didn’t receive a response – you finished off the Mitachurl and turned around to see Xiao struggling with the Hilichurls.

“Off your game today?” You taunted, jumping into the fight to help.

With your powerful swings, you made quick work of the remaining monsters. When all of them had finally been killed, you turned to face Xiao only to see him with one knee on the ground, relying on his polearm for support. The black wisps of smoke had increased in intensity, swirling around the Yaksha’s body like a miniature maelstrom.

“Are you alright?” You asked, reaching out to offer him a hand.

“Don’t touch me!” Xiao exclaimed sharply, making you take a step back.

His curt statement was enough to finally make you snap.

“Okay, I’ve had it up to here with you!” You raised your fist and shook it at the stubborn Adeptus, anger boiling over within you. “What is wrong with you? All the gods, the Adepti, the Yakshas embody immortality and superiority over humans. And for what? None of you really protect the land. None of you really care about the humans who live here!”

“That’s not true.” Xiao muttered, groaning as he used his polearm to pull himself to his feet. “We do care-”

“If Morax really cared, my family would still be alive! If he gave half a damn then maybe he would have punished the people who killed them!” You were irate, and now nothing could stop the dam that had broken loose as you raged.

“You…” Xiao was bewildered as you continued to rant. While the torment of his Karmic Debt was severe that evening, he suddenly couldn’t feel the pain at all as he processed what you were saying.

“I’ve trained day after day to become stronger and avenge my family because nobody else would. If any of the gods cared at all, I’d at least have a vision after everything I’ve been through and everything I do for Liyue!”

“What…” Xiao’s voice wavered as his grip on his polearm faltered.

“So fuck the Archons, fuck the Adepti, and fuck you!” Your face was bright red as you shouted. You were completely unaware of the way Xiao swayed where he stood, too consumed by anger to notice something was wrong with him.

“I-” Xiao groaned as his knees finally buckled. You weren’t exactly sure what you were seeing as you watched the mask disappear from Xiao’s face, revealing his amber eyes that rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness.

You caught him instinctively, not sure what to do with a fainting Yaksha. After a moment, however, you shouted as burning hot pain flashed across your skin.

“Ah! What the hell?!” you looked down at yourself to see the black wisps of smoke lapping at your irritated skin. Whatever this ability was, it seemed to hurt humans.

“You fucking idiot Yaksha!” You exclaimed, suppressing every urge to throw him and gently setting his body on the ground.

“Miss Goldet… the herbs…” You heard Xiao half-consciously mutter.

“Goldet? Verr Goldet of Wangshu Inn?” You asked Xiao, leaning down to stare at the expression of agony on his face.

“The medicine… at the inn,” Xiao whimpered.

You had never heard a sound like that come from an Adeptus. Your heart began to race as you realized the situation was dire. You were hours away from the inn by foot, and weren’t sure how long the poor Yaksha had before whatever was affecting him would kill him.

Your skin still seared with pain from what little contact you had with him, so you looked around you for the best thing you could do.

You scrambled across the ground, tying together bloodied hilichurl furs and fabrics to fashion a makeshift rope. You looped it under Xiao’s arms and around his chest, deciding that dragging him back to the inn would be your best chance.

You could feel the stabbing pain of the black wisps that licked at your fingers as you gripped the furs. You persevered, attempting to drag him back to the inn. While he may be a small Adeptus, he was certainly not light… After dragging him for several feet, you let out  a sigh of disdain as you unsheathed your claymore and stuck it into the dusty ground. You could only hope nobody would come to steal it as you continued your way along the rolling hills and plains of Liyue.

Without your bulky and heavy greatsword, you found that you could pick up your pace to a slow jog. Despite being battle-trained and strong, your hands and arms began to ache as Wangshu Inn grew in the distance. You cursed yourself for not having the capabilities of the Adepti, being forced to travel by foot.

“Menogias… you need to tell them…” You heard Xiao mumble, half-conscious, squirming against the rope that you carried him by.

“Come on, short stuff. You can make it.” You grunted, picking up the pace. You weren’t sure if you were trying to encourage him or yourself.

It wasn’t long after that when you found yourself at the foot of the huge tree that held the inn. There were a couple of people around you who spotted such an uncanny situation, a young human dragging an unconscious Adeptus that had a whirlwind of black smoke enshrouding himself.

“Is that the Yaksha?”

“Who is that adventurer?”

“What’s going on?”

The murmurs of people who surrounded you began to grow as you ran across the wooden porch and up the stairs to the main foyer of the Inn. Your legs and arms ached as you dragged Xiao up the stairs, but you were more concerned about whether Xiao would be alright.

As you reached the spacious lobby, you spotted the blonde innkeeper behind the front desk.

“Verr Goldet!” You exclaimed, “Can you help?”

“Xiao!” The innkeeper exclaimed, her eyes going wide as she rushed over to the two of you. “His Karmic Debt- I need to get his medicine!” 

Verr Goldet scrambled across the room towards the kitchen, for what you were assuming was the medicine to help with whatever this burning smoke was.

“Xiao…” You murmured. “So that’s your name.”

You began to slowly unwind the ropes from around his torso, the sting of the malicious smoke no longer a deterrent to you.

Feet scuffled across the room as Verr returned, a glass vial of medicine in one hand. She knelt beside Xiao and reached towards his face, but quickly recoiled when the black wisps licked at her fingers.

“Ahh, that hurts!” She exclaimed. “How can I make him drink this?” 

“Here, give me the medicine.” You held out one hand, and Verr hesitantly placed the vial into your palm.

You worked quickly, gritting your teeth as you harshly grabbed Xiao’s jaw and forced it open, pouring the medicine in then shutting his mouth afterwards. When it was all done, you recoiled and shook your hands vigorously to rid yourself of the searing pain – only a couple of seconds of contact were enough to leave angry red marks traveling from your fingertips up your forearms.

“Did you just-” Verr stuttered, staring at your inflamed skin. She turned around and shouted back into the kitchen. “Smiley, get the first aid kit!”

“I’m fine.” you scoffed. “What even is this black smoke anyway? I’ve never seen an elemental ability like this.”

“That’s because it’s not an elemental ability.” Verr responded, her tone ever-so-slightly melancholic. “It’s Karmic Debt that Xiao had accumulated over millennia of slaughter. He’s the only Yaksha left… the rest have all died because of it.”

The breath in your lungs fell still as you heard this.

“He regularly takes medicine to abate the symptoms, but recently he’s been acting strange… he hasn’t been eating, has barely come back to the inn at all, and hasn’t taken any medicine in weeks…”

Your breath came back to you as you murmured, “weeks…?”

Mind reeling, you sat back on your heels. Was Xiao acting this way because you taunted him and told him he wasn’t as good at killing monsters as you were?

“Hey, show me your hand.” A concerned Smiley knelt beside you, opening up a wooden box filled with first aid supplies. You complied absentmindedly, too busy thinking as you stared down at the unconscious Yaksha before you.

~~~

Not long after you had given Xiao the medicine, the toxic wisps of Karmic Debt subsided enough for him to be moved out of the foyer and into one of the bedrooms. Verr offered you a place to stay while you recovered, and despite your protests, she demanded that you at least stay one night to rest after everything that happened.

So here you sat, on the soft mattress of a luxurious bed, staring out a window at the beautiful Dihua Marsh. Moonlight reflected off the peaceful waters and cast a glow across the landscape.

Verr Goldet was kind to have offered up one of her guest rooms for you to stay in. But while you were given such a nice room to stay in, you felt like you couldn’t truly rest – your mind still reeled from what you had learned earlier that evening.

Shaking your head, you decided that this was enough. You stood up and began to put your holster back on, deciding that you should go back to retrieve your Claymore and then continue hacking and slashing your way through the monsters of Liyue. Only then, in the throes of combat, you felt you might be able to shake off this feeling of uneasiness.

You began to walk towards the door when the air shifted in the room, a familiar figure appearing in front of you without warning.

“Are you trying to leave?” Xiao spoke, his amber gaze boring into you, his brows pinching together.

“Why do you care?” You scoffed. “You should still be resting. You were in a lot of trouble today.”

“That’s none of your business.” Xiao retorted.

“None of my business?” Your voice rose into a shout as you waved your hands at him. “You nearly died! Hell, you would have died if I didn’t bring you back here!”

Xiao’s eyes caught onto the bandages that wrapped both of your hands and forearms. His eyes trailed up, realizing there were red marks that peeked out from where the bandages stopped. He instinctively reached out to them, knowing exactly what it was.

“Did you come close to me while-”

“Get your hands off of me!” You screamed, slapping away his hand. Xiao froze, his eyes wide.

You let out a frustrated and animalistic growl as you stepped towards Xiao, making him take a step backwards to get away from you.

“You’re…”

You took another step, making Xiao move further backwards.

“Such a…”

Another step forwards for you, and another step backwards for Xiao.

“Fucking IDIOT!” 

Xiao tried to step backward again, but found his back against the door to the room. The look in his eyes made it seem like a million emotions were passing through his mind at once. But you didn’t care – you were mad at him, at the archons, at the evil that plagued the land of Liyue. You were furious that Xiao had pushed himself so far that he was overwhelmed by his Karmic Debt. You were even more furious that his sworn duty to Morax was to put himself into such a situation. Your heart twisted and wrenched at the thought of the Yakshas falling one after the other because of such devotion to their Archon.

In your fit of anger, your hand flew up to Xiao’s neck and pinned him against the wall. His mouth dropped open, body completely freezing up as he felt your bandaged fingers against his skin.

You paused for a moment, staring into his amber eyes. There was so much that had gone unsaid between the two of you, so much tension, hatred, fear…

You let out a low growl, your head tipping forwards until your lips crashed into his.

Xiao’s heart stopped as he felt your soft lips collide with his. You were so close to him, he could feel the heat that radiated from your skin. This sudden intimacy bewildered him, and his mind began to reel as your free hand snaked up to cup his cheek. This sort of action was something he had only seen between people who loved each other dearly. It sent his mind back to the times he would catch his fellow Yakshas Menogias and Bonanus stealing a moment of embrace or sharing a tender and intimate kiss. It was something he didn’t understand… although he wanted to. 

Xiao’s mind flashed to a gruesome scene: driven to insanity by the Karmic Debt they had accumulated, Menogias and Bonanus fought each other to the death.

“Stop.” Xiao twisted his head, breaking away from the kiss.

Your eyes snapped open as Xiao wrenched himself away from you. Your eyes scanned across his face, searching for a reason why he’d withdraw like this.

“Why…” Xiao muttered. “Why are you doing this?”

You made the most baffling expression at Xiao’s question. Your hands balled into fists at your sides, the frustration only continuing to build inside of you.

“Because I like you, dumbass!” You responded angrily, slamming one fist into the door beside his head. 

“You…” Xiao spoke, his voice trailing off, his eyes fixating on your lips once again. 

This time, he began to lean closer to you, his lips delicately brushing against yours as if he were afraid to hurt you.

You smirked, hands moving to cup his cheeks as you pulled him into the kiss.

Things quickly became heated as your lips moved against his, your hands eagerly roaming over his body. Xiao could feel the hunger in your embrace, the desire you radiated… He felt the same, overwhelmed by the nostalgic sense of comfort you gave him despite being a visionless mortal… You were someone Xiao never thought he would feel such a way about. Previously, he looked down on all humans because of their fragility and their brief lifespans, but you changed all of that with the way you seemed to run laps around him as you killed the monsters he was meant to be killing.

You grabbed onto Xiao’s wrist, forcing it against the wall above his head. The Yaksha let out the slightest gasp at your forceful action, his other hand sliding down your waist and gripping tight enough to turn your body when he slid one knee between your legs.

Your eyes went wide for a moment as he overpowered you, turning your body so now it was your back against the wall. You let go of his wrist in surprise, and he took that moment to pin your arms against the wooden wall.

However, you wouldn’t let yourself be overpowered so easily. With a grunt, you used one leg to kick at Xiao’s knee, destabilizing him and knocking him backward. As he fell, he let go of your arms which allowed you to snake one around the back of his head, cushioning his fall as you knocked him down to the floor.

You landed on top of Xiao, your arms and knees placed in a way where none of your weight was on him. You sat up on your knees and stared down at the blushing Yaksha as you began to undo your clothes.

“What are you d-”

“Take off your clothes, asshole.” You grumbled, throwing your shirt down on the floor.

When Xiao didn’t comply, and only looked up at you with a bewildered expression, you rolled your eyes and dipped your head back down to lock lips with him. Your hands roamed over his torso, sliding down to his waist, fingering at his belt.

Xiao froze as he felt your hand slip beneath the belt. You deftly undid the tie that held it together, allowing your hand to slide further down and palm his crotch.

“Ah-” Xiao’s eyes widened, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks.

You felt him twitch inside his pants, his member stiffening as your fingers ran across it.

Nobody had ever done this kind of thing to Xiao before. He didn't know how to act – his only knowledge of actions like this were from centuries ago, when he caught Menogias and Bonanus in a similar sort of position, clothes strewn aside… he didn’t understand the significance of such an act, only that it was an extremely private affair – and he didn’t stick around to find out.

So here, with your fingers wrapped around his stiffening cock, Xiao had no idea what to do. He felt a new sort of hunger take over his body as jolts of pleasure surged through his body, his kisses turning ravenous as you leaned down to devour his lips.

Xiao’s hands began to move on their own, undoing his clothes in the midst of your passionate embrace. You began to do the same, until all Xiao felt was the cold wooden floorboards and the heat of your bare skin against his.

You began to slide your hand up and down his member as you bit at his lips, making Xiao’s eyes squeeze shut as he shuddered with pleasure. His hips began to move in sync, shifting up and down against your strokes, trying to get even more motion from your movements.

You broke from the kiss, sitting back upright, sliding your hips forwards until they came to a rest with his throbbing member pressed against your entrance. Xiao looked up, taking his first glimpse at your naked form; he realized how much more beautiful you were without any clothes.

His eyes lingered on the curve of your neck, the tone in your shoulders, the faded battle scars that cut into your soft skin. He watched the way your arms and torso flexed as you moved, the ripple of muscle that was once hidden beneath clothes, the way your chest rose and fell with each breath you took. His eyes trailed up, trying to decipher the look in your eyes – desire, longing, sadness.

Xiao was wrenched away from his thoughts at a completely foreign sensation. You began to sink yourself down onto his cock, easing him into your hot entrance.

He gasped, his eyes rolling back in his head. He wanted to watch what you were doing, to see just how you could make him feel this good, but he couldn’t manage to focus. His mouth hung open, half-caught in a gasp. His hands fell limp to his sides as you seemed to take over his body with whatever magic you were doing.

You let out a groan as you sank further down his shaft, your walls quivering from the new stretch. You pushed down, gripping onto Xiao’s shoulders, your fingers digging into his bare skin.

“Ah-” Xiao murmured, the scratching of your nails making him snap back to reality. “What’s this-”

Again, Xiao was cut off as you rolled your hips, stirring your own insides with his twitching cock. He groaned, trying to keep his focus despite this ungodly sensation you were giving him.

Slowly, you began to rock back and forth, sliding yourself up and down his length. You leaned closer towards his face, lips brushing against his. Suddenly Xiao’s hands flew up to the back of your head to pull you into a fiercely passionate kiss. His teeth nipped at your lips, and you bit back, hard enough to draw blood. 

Meanwhile, you continued to move, creating a steady pace of up and down. Heat began to build between the two of you, droplets of sweat beading on your bare skin as you fucked yourself on Xiao’s dick.

The Yaksha began to move in time, shifting his hips up and down to get more movement against his throbbing member. He shifted his hands up to your waist, beginning to move you as well, beginning to pant from the pleasure you were giving him.

Xiao began to rut his hips harder and harder against yours, your body beginning to bounce on top of him. Your walls tightened around him, and he let out a breathy whine from the sensation. 

As pleasure began to overwhelm him, Xiao’s movements became choppy. You could tell he was on the precipice of orgasm – when Xiao’s hands moved down to your hips and his fingers dug into your skin, you stopped moving and simply stared down at his face. His hips tried to move again, but you had him pinned in place with your thighs pressed against his torso.

Xiao growled at the lack of movement.

This brought a smirk to your face, but it didn’t last long as Xiao quickly overpowered you.

He twisted his body to flip you around, and you suddenly found yourself on your back with Xiao hovering above you.

Xiao lined himself back up at your entrance, pressing into you without warning.

“Ah! Sh-shit, - Xiao!”

He didn’t respond, his fingers digging into the underside of your thighs as he pressed them against your chest. He began to thrust hungrily into you, controlled by the overwhelming desire that filled his body. You stared into his half-lidded eyes, watching the way his movements were almost animalistic above you. 

“A- aah!” Your eyes began to lose focus as Xiao picked up his speed, his hips snapping against yours, lewd slapping filling the room.

Xiao’s movements were hungry, growing faster and faster, chasing a release that devoured any sense of restraint. You began to grow overwhelmed by the repeated hammering of his cock against your most sensitive parts.

He was becoming more aggressive, his hands pressing into your thighs until it bordered on pain, pinning you in place so he could thrust into you more easily. Your eyes began to roll into the back of your head as your mouth hung open, lewd moans and whimpers escaping your throat.

Xiao let out a growl as his movements became hungrier, more possessive, more aggressive.

The sounds of his cock bullying into you over and over made squelching and slapping noises that filled the room, mixing in with your gasps of pleasure.

“Ahh, Xiao…” You whined, squeezing your eyes shut and falling fully into the utter bliss he was giving you.

His fingers gripped into your legs even harder as his movements fell still, his hips settling against the plush of your ass. 

You could feel his member twitch, followed by a rush of warmth, and you whimpered as you realized that he had just finished inside you… and that it felt good.

Xiao���s grip on your thighs relaxed as he blinked, realizing what the two of you had just done. He was a Yaksha plagued with Karmic Debt, harmful to any humans he came too close to… Including you. An immense wave of guilt washed over his body, making his heart wrench with grief.

“I… I’m sorry.” Xiao began to move backwards, pulling his member out of you.

“Wait.” You spoke, quickly moving your legs to wrap around his waist and stop him from backing away. Xiao froze, staring down at your flushed face. “Can we keep going?” 

“You… You want me to stay?” Xiao questioned, baffled.

“Yes.” You responded.

Xiao didn’t need any further response from you. Once he realized you didn’t resent him for what he had just done, he lunged back towards you to hungrily devour your lips again.

With a new burst of strength, you sat upwards, grabbing onto his shoulders and flipping him over to pin him back down on the ground. You caught his lips with yours, teeth gnashing together as if you were trying to devour him. 

At the same time, you shifted your hips to press Xiao’s quickly hardening dick back into your leaking entrance. You began to bounce fast, your legs straining as you forced yourself up and down him. You were hungry – desperate, even – for this.

Again, Xiao shifted his hips in sync with your movements, exaggerating the drag of his cock against your swollen and sensitive walls. You closed your eyes and dropped your head, trying your best to keep going as the pleasure in your core grew and grew.

The slapping of your hips against his grew wetter and wetter as you continued, the noises driving you further towards your climax. You could barely keep going, the coil in your abdomen tightening and tightening.

Xiao sensed this – his hands flew down to your waist, the snap of his hips becoming more and more aggressive as you fell fully into your impending orgasm.

As the coil finally snapped you threw your head back, crying out in pleasure as your walls convulsed around Xiao’s length.

Xiao groaned from the new sensation… it felt like you were trying to milk his next climax out of him.

The Yaksha stared up at the expression on your face, your head clouded by lust. The bandages on your arms began to slip down from the ferocity of your sexual act, revealing more of the angry red scars that marred your skin. The breath caught in his throat as he neared his climax, the lust overpowering all the guilt he felt for what his Karmic Debt had done to you.

Xiao pounded into you faster, harder, until he reached the precipice of his orgasm as well.

With something halfway between a cry and a whimper, he fell still, and you felt the familiar sensation of his climax spilling into you.

“Hah…a-ah..,” You murmured, your body relaxing, laying down on top of Xiao.

For a moment, everything in the room was quiet. All you could hear was the elevated breathing that came from the two of you and the rapid beating of your own heart. 

You rested your head on Xiao’s shoulder, looking up at his face to see him staring blankly at the ceiling.

There was a perplexing expression on his face… You furrowed your brows as you stared closer, and realized it looked like tears were welling up in his eyes.

Xiao, for some reason, felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened. The way you had entered his life and turned it upside down, becoming his rival, then saving his life, and now he had just experienced something so profound and intimate for the first time with you.

“Are you… crying?” You questioned, picking your head up to stare down at the Yaksha.

“No. Adepti never show weakness in the form of tears.” Xiao responded bluntly. However, at the same time, you could clearly see a single tear spill over and trail down his face. 

You reached a hand up and brushed it away with a bandaged finger, holding it up for Xiao to see.

“What’s this, then?” You asked. 

Xiao looked at the wet spot on the bandage, then back to your face.

“The roof leaks.”

You chortled. Sparing a glance at the window, you could see the sunshine streaming through the curtains.

“Idiot.” A grin spread across your face as you stared down at him. Xiao merely blinked and looked to the side, more tears spilling from the corners of his eyes.

You laid a tender kiss on the wet trails his tears left down his cheeks then settled back down, resting your head on his shoulder once again.

For a couple of minutes, everything was silent. The two of you merely enjoyed each others’ presence, despite the fact that you were laying naked on the floor surrounded by long-forgotten clothes when there was a perfectly made bed only a couple of feet away.

After a while, Xiao cleared his throat and began to speak.

“I should, uhm.” Xiao paused for a moment, unsure of how to say what he was trying to say. “...remove myself from you, right?”

You realized his dick was still inside of you, and the two of you were just laying on the floor this way.

“N-no, let’s just stay like this a little longer.” You responded, hugging him slightly tighter.

~~~

A huge thanks to my beta readers for the help writing and the wonderful motivational xiao photo

[the-sweet-madame]

"ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜɴꜱᴇᴛ ɪꜱ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ."(𝘟𝘪𝘢𝘰 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳)

Warnings: Breaking down, crying.

Summary: Reader reaches her breaking point and Xiao is there to witness it. Pre-established relationship. Hurt/comfort.

Female reader! Happy reading <3

The cold breeze was harsh against her skin, the floor was even more freezing and hard. Her skin was littered with goosebumps as she let out a shaky breath.

Crystalline tears slid down her cheeks, her heart clenching as she sobbed. Expectations were far too high; how could she manage to reach every single one of them? She never wanted to disappoint people, but it becomes inevitable, the glances of pity and disappointment. How could she ever compare to the others?  She was only human; she couldn't exist to be perfect. Yet everyone expected her to be with her high levels of skills. Every time she accomplished something great, they only desired more. If she wasn't able to give them what they wished for, they would turn their backs on her.

She tried. Again and again, but it was too hard. They were too demanding; she could only do so much with the level of her talents. She was just another talented person that has been drained from the very bottom. Is this what Xiao thought of her? Incompetent? She bit back a sob. Her own lover? The thought itself was wrenching her heart. He was immortal, he's obviously seen better people, no? People that she couldn't compare to even in the slightest. Did her ever think lowly of her? The tears were flowing like a raging waterfall at this very point, and she pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on her knees.

A gloved hand tilted up her chin, gentle yet steadily. Honeyed eyes looking into her own, concern embedded with anger swirling in them. He was crouched down in front of her, on one knee. His voice was quiet yet fierce, his face stern yet so very worried.

"Who?"

She looked away. "No one."

Her voice was softer than the clouds, more delicate than a newly bloomed Glaze Lily.

"Then why?" He swiped a tear with his thumb as she gulped.

His gaze was intense, like the flames that enveloped buildings whole. He was patient but he obviously wanted a quick answer, even if he didn't show it.

Her heart got caught up in her throat as she sniffled.

“I- just overwhelmed.” She decided to say gently. “Things.”

He nods, not questioning her further and she was more than glad. She didn’t know how to put what she felt into words.

“How can I…assist?” He asks hesitantly, his voice softer.

Her tongue fumbled in her mouth, unsure if she wanted to bother him but she saw his eyes. His eyes that were filled with pure concern for her.

“Stay with me.”

He had seemed slightly taken aback; his eyes widened slightly. He looked into her teary eyes with a hint of fondness. He had sat down next to her but she could have sworn she saw a ghost of a small smile on his face.

It was subtle yet it was a lot to (Name). She couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips tug into a tiny smile through her tears as they slowed down.

“The sun has begun to set.” He announced, his voice quiet as she looked ahead.

The warm colours seeping into the sky, entangling with the stripes of azure as the blazing sun stared at them. It was pretty. But what really took her breath away was the softness in his eyes as he watched the sun sink slowly. His expression so very peaceful. It was a rare sight to witness. His hair swayed gently with the breeze; his lips slightly parted as he sat cross legged beside her. The sweet orange lighting had reflected on his face so bewitchingly, her thoughts of sadness began to disperse by just being within his presence.

It was as if he radiated warmth, she felt herself magnetising towards him. She steadily leaned her head on his shoulder, a small sigh emitting from her lips as she did so.

In any normal circumstances, he would have frozen but somehow her actions brought more tranquillity to his racing mind. He didn’t move or say a word, but they both knew her actions were welcomed.

“The sunset is pretty.” She said, her voice just over a whisper.

A sense of relief overcame him at the lack of sorrow within her tone although he remained stiller than a rock. He never was the one to feel hesitant but with her, he always remained more careful and a little more considerate. He may be reserved but that never meant he never said what was lingering on his mind. Yet he felt inwardly tentative, unfamiliar with speaking honeyed words. But for her, he wanted to try this once.

He silently took in a short breath before he spoke with his voice gentle. His tone subtly loving towards her.

“Perhaps but you are far more captivating than a mere sunset.”

[dumbificat]

Day 11 -> xiao + christmas miracle

☆ - xiao h/c fluff | wc: 623 ♡ - non-graphic descriptions of a wound/blood | gn reader ♪ - note:: day 11 of my event ! one more to go… i’m sorry again about the delay but i hope you enjoy nonetheless <3 ★ - taglist -> @https-furina @ryuryuryuyurboat @imapencil @mccnstruck | join my taglist

soft, icy crystals of silken snow fell from liyuen skies, a crisp blanket over wangshu inn. said inn had never appeared so serene before; there was a gentle whisper of the wind that breezed through leaves, the divine light of the moon a stark contrast to the deep inky black of the winter sky.

you were sat, awaiting your lover’s return. on the table- two plates of freshly prepared grilled tiger fish, made just for him. the favourite meal of your favourite guy, just in time for the festive season. they were cooling quickly due to his absence, yet you didn’t want to eat without him. he was late. later than he usually was when his duties would keep him out for longer than intended. worry clawed its way into your heart, ripping any semblance of hope to shreds. it made its way to your head, screaming at you to go find him.

right as you were about to move from the table, there was a smoky flashy. wisps of anemo disappeared as quick as they came, leaving in their wake your beloved xiao.

you rushed towards him, arms wrapping tight around his. you peppered his face with small kisses, doing more than enough to convey your worry to your adeptus. you pulled away, hands shifting to his shoulders, to ask,

“xiao, where have you been?”

to this, he winced, and that’s when you noticed. his hand was clutching his side. traces of blood seeped through the thin fabric of his shirt and onto the scarred skin of his hand.

you gasped, shocked still. it took a second to realise he was still bleeding while you stood before him, so you rushed to move him to a chair. seeing the urgency in your eyes, he followed without complaint, knowing any resistance will just worsen the pain. you hurried over to the cabinet, returning to your lover with bandages and disinfectant after washing and drying your hands. he rested awkwardly on his side, jaw clenched and eyes shut tight. gently, you reached for his hand, disinfectant at the ready.

the wound was, admittedly, not terrible. not as bad as one would assume, what with it being more of an unfortunately placed graze than anything. a deep, stinging graze. but not bad. regardless, you dressed the wound to the best of your ability, a skill you’ve been practicing since you fell in love with the yaksha.

with your main concerns put to rest, you remained on the floor, hands resting on xiao’s knees. you gazed up at his face expectantly, his eyes now open, but averted.

“darling..? are you alright?” receiving no response, you followed his eye-line, having completely forgotten what was on the table. there was… your stone cold dinner. before you could voice your apologies, xiao spoke up,

“don’t worry, my qingxin. im sure it was delicious, your cooking always is. i appreciate it still,” despite his shaky breaths, you could hear in sincerity in his voice. you looked to him, his favourite smile on your lips.

“here, for you,” he hands you a small qingxin, its petals somehow still pristine, “i picked it for you before the fight. i’m… surprised it lasted this long.”

“it’s a christmas miracle…” he offers a rare smile, placing the pretty flora behind your ear before reaching for the back of your neck, pulling you in. wanting to avoid any strain, you leaned up the rest of the way, meeting his lips in a sweet kiss.

his injuries may not have been lethal, and as regular an occurrence they may have been, you were glad he was still there with you to spend christmas together. you’ll have to thank your lucky stars for the miracle of him.

thank you for reading day 11 ! please reblog with tags if you enjoyed :)

link to event post

[yinastra]

✩ A Silent Heartbeat ✩

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Xiao x gn!adeptus!reader

Summary: Xiao has never noticed the beauty of the world around him─ or of his "partner", either.

TW: Self depreciation, survivors guilt

Cws: Xiao talks down on himself a lot, angsty, hurt/comfort(??), sun and moon trope(if you squint)

Wc: Around 4.3k (I've gone insane)

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Xiao's pants come in heavy as he stares at his surroundings.

This ruin guard factory had been becoming more and more active, something he couldn't allow to continue.

There had been a small girl who was almost harmed under his watch by these very ruin guards. Unforgivable, he thought.

How could he, an adeptus sworn to protect the vast lands of Liyue, allow a small child to feel such fear for her life? Unforgivable.

His face is expressionless as he removes the Yaksha mask, placing it back upon his waist.

His work done, he sets out to retire back to the inn for a while to gather his bearings. Then, he shall set out again on his nightly patrol of Liyue.

He appears where he always does, on the roof of Wangshu Inn. There, he sits. He has not the right mind to admire the way the stars shine, nor the crisp night air on his tongue. Instead, he fixates on the scent of bloodshed still lingering on his person.

He notices footsteps on the balcony of Wangshu Inn coming in rapidly. Looking down, it's..

Them.

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An adeptus of fairly negligible background, they serve as a mere worker at Wangshu Inn. However, not long ago..

they were to be assigned as Xiao's personal healer.

Xiao never took care of himself well. Any wound he received he'd brush off as a "flesh wound", not paying much attention. He was an adeptus, how could he protect Liyue and uphold his promise to Morax if he would allow such 'small' wounds hinder his ability to carry out his duties?

Of course, as an adeptus, naturally, the wounds would heal. However, it was no secret that adepti could still feel pain. Even of 'flesh wounds'.

This was made apparent to Zhongli─ Morax, by them.

In turn, Morax summoned Xiao. Without question, Xiao returned to Morax's side, awaiting orders, when─

"Xiao. I'd like to introduce you to your new partner." His deep voice resounded through the walls.

Xiao looks up from his bowed position, eyes piercing and sharp.

There, stands another adeptus, their person adorned with many medicinal herbs utilized for mortal use.

"Useless," He thinks. Mortal medicine doesn't work on him. He's an adeptus, he's meant to be above these material things. He's meant to protect mortals, not waste supplies they need. It'd be undignified of him.

They introduce themselves. Their name, their occupation. "Herbalist," they said. "Doctor," they said.

Useless.

An herbalist? A doctor? A partner?

How useless.

Xiao had no need for those things. He was simply..

he simply..

No matter. He had no need.

However, Morax was persistent on the topic, and who was he, really, to deny Morax's orders? Nobody. So, Xiao 'accepts' this 'partner' of his, with no intentions to further a relation with them.

It began small. Instead of the chef of Wangshu Inn leaving the food for him, they did it. It began with them simply being the one to deliver the almond tofu, leaving it in the night's solemn embrace for him, to them sitting near the balcony's table, carefully setting down the plate for him in wait.

The weight of Morax's expectations pressed upon him like a leaden cloak, each silent command a heavy burden upon his shoulders.

With a resigned sigh, he begrudgingly accepted their presence, feeling the weight of duty pulling him down. He sat in stoic silence, his jaw clenched tight, unwilling to indulge in conversation but willing enough to endure the oppressive silence that hung between them.

..did not deserve.

At best, he'd spare a few words for them. They did this a while, until he learned..

he was specially reserving parts of his day for them. For that very moment.

And then..

He'd reserve for them parts of him. For that very moment.

For that very moment they meet under the moon's gentle glow, as friends, as colleagues, as..

Partners.

It used to be a chore to speak even a few words to them, to even sit at the same table as them. Yet, now..

He craved it.

He wanted them to listen. He wanted them to hear what he had gone through.

Maybe..

Maybe they'd accept him.

What a foolish thought. Incredibly irresponsible─ how could he disregard the fact that his karmic debt would still chip away at their very being, their soul.

So he strays away from them. He sits on the roof longer, peering down at them.

He observes how they deflate when he's late. When he doesn't show up at all.

How their eyes fall down, as they fidget with an accessory on their person, and as they huff to see their breath in the cool night air.

He can't help himself from feeling..

incomplete.

Without their presence, without their listening ear, without their calming voice, without their soft chiding and scolds, he's..

missing something.

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He looks down as they sit there, still waiting for him. As the moon reaches its peak, he realizes they won't leave.

He could just take the almond tofu and leave, right?

He couldn't have anticipated this.

His arrival is immediately met with their warm embrace. He was surprised, startled even.

Dealing with the vicious beasts of Teyvat was usual for him. Not even the most abominable creatures and monsters could make him cower anymore.

And yet..

These mortal feelings, this mortal warmth..

It shook him to his core.

Quickly, they pull away, apologizing for the sudden intrusion of his 'personal space'.

This.. was not a feeling familiar to him.

They apologize profusely, placing the almond tofu on the table and leaving quickly.

He sits down by himself, bringing the almond tofu to his mouth.

Tonight..

The stars seemed to shine brighter.

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The next night he returns with a gaping gash on his arm. He hadn't slept in days, causing his guard to falter for a moment too long.

He grits his teeth as the pain meshes into the strings of karmic debt, pulling and pushing at him constantly.

Without thinking, he jumps down to the balcony.

They seem startled, but the surprise is met with worry as they see the large gash on his arm. Immediately, they stand up, assessing the wound.

Without hesitation, they take his other arm and throw it around their shoulder, holding him up with their own arm.

They lead him to his room, setting him down carefully onto the bed.

"What did I say about sleeping? Even adepti must rest," They chide, carefully wetting a towel and dabbing the spot, causing him to hiss.

"I have to need for mortal activities. I live only to kill, and to kill alone. Sleep is unnecessary." He speaks out gruffly, looking the other way, towards the window.

"This wound speaks otherwise. How are you to protect Liyue if you can't even protect yourself? I require you to rest for at least 3 days before you return to duty." They say, running a hand along the wound.

The wound closes up partially, courtesy of their healing abilities. They open up their medicine bag, pulling out some herbs he's never seen before.

"Mortal medicine won't─"

"This isn't mortal medicine," They interrupt him before he can finish speaking, some of the leaves in their mouth as they place some others in the mortar and pestle to crush into a fine powder.

After a few moments, they add in an herbal base, mixing the two together. They lightly apply the cool paste to his wounded skin. He grits his teeth at the sudden sensation.

"This is adepti medicine. I have specially cultivated it myself. It should help with the pain." They explain, seeming unphased as they crush up another bundle of leaves.

"This.. this will induce a restful sleep. I require you take this every night before the moon reaches its peak." They clarify, holding out the paste that has been mixed into a tea-like base.

He opens his mouth to protest stubbornly, to again, state how he, an adeptus, could not leave his position for such 'useless' rest. However, he, again, is silenced by them. This time..

by their unfaltering gaze.

Eyes swelled with worry, no doubt had he never seen such emotion within an expression, just..

just for him.

He quiets, accepting the treatment.

"...and adepti must eat. Before I send you off to rest, I shall bring you your almond tofu. Don't move too much, that wound isn't completely healed yet." They say, leaving the room, leaving him with his thoughts.

The wind howled outside, a symphony of nature's fury as it swept through the trees, rattling their branches and sending leaves swirling in a chaotic dance.

He looks until he sees his reflection in the window, faintly.

He's pathetic, he thinks. Requiring help as the sworn protector of Liyue, he.. he..

He really didn't deserve this.

How could he have survived? All the other Yaksha..

Why was he the only one left?

Xiao's gaze drifted to the ground, his fists clenched at his sides. Memories of battles lost and comrades fallen flashed through his mind like shards of glass. He wasn't the strongest Yaksha, that much was clear.

Each defeat weighed heavily on his shoulders, a constant reminder of his inadequacy. The thought gnawed at him like a festering wound, twisting his insides with self-doubt. As he looked up at the star-filled sky, he couldn't help but wonder: how could anyone love a warrior who had failed so many times?

He shouldn't have survived. He shouldn't have lived to see this day. And he really shouldn't allow himself the luxury to even.. enjoy these days.

He did not deserve this more than the other Yaksha did. He did not deserve peaceful days, he did not deserve compassion, he did not deserve love and care like the other Yaksha did.

The other Yaksha would have surely treated them better.

Unlike him, who treats them with unwavering frigidity.

Unlike him, who acts indifferent to their acts of service.

Unlike him, who craves their voice, their touch, but will never speak of it.

Unlike him, who is unworthy.

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Footsteps are unheard throughout the halls. He can sense them as they make their way back to his room, a plate of almond tofu in hand.

This was not the plate on the balcony before. This was a new plate, plated differently and made differently from that of the usual; this was not made by the hands of the chef of Wangshu Inn.

"I've decided that the almond tofu on the balcony wasn't tasteful anymore. Here. I've made it myself. I apologize for any mistakes made, the chef wasn't present at this time." They speak quietly, sitting near his bedside and passing him the plate as he sits up.

With his good arm, he raises the mortal utensil to take a bite of it.

It tastes..

It tastes just like a sweet dream.

"..please take the medicine on the bedside. It will help you sleep. If you require anything of assistance, I will be in the room over. Please call my name." They stand up, gathering their things, before a hand clutches their wrist.

He wants to ask for them to stay, just for a while longer, he wants to tell them all of these complicated human emotions, but he quiets these thoughts.

"Thank.. you." He manages to mutter, before quickly releasing them.

They give him a small nod and leave.

That night, he takes the sleeping medicine.

The dreams it induces are..

sweet.

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The next morning, he awakes to the sound of the morning birds singing, the sun filtering through the shades of his room.

Sitting up, he feels his head pound. No more than a side effect of the medicine, he assures himself.

Waking up this way was.. new.

It felt so.. tranquil here.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the herbalist walking into his room. They sit down near his bedside once more, holding the back of their hand to his forehead to check for temperature.

"Good morning, Xiao. How do you feel?" They ask, rummaging through their bag for something.

"..Fine." He replies curtly, unwilling to elaborate.

"Alright then. I suggest you stay in bed for today. Tomorrow, you should be set to start moving again, but still no combat or sharp movements, you hear me?"

"..This is unnecessary."

"Do you hear me, Xiao?" They reiterate again sternly.

He paused, knowing they wouldn't let up until he agreed.

"..yes." He murmurs begrudgingly.

"Perfect. I'll have Smiley Yanxiao prepare your─"

"Can you.. please.. do it.." He manages to rasp, his voice caught in his throat at the prospect. What was he doing? Why would he say that? They were already taking such good care of him.. something he truly didn't deserve. So why.. why was he asking for more? Why did he crave more?

They pause.

Were they going to deny his request? To have his request, spoken so brazenly be denied was to be expected, he thought. He said to himself, "Why would they ever do this for me again? They'd be better off with nothing to do with me."

"..Of course." They reply.

"Stay here. It'll only be a moment. And remember; no sharp movements." They remind, leaving the room, and leaving Xiao breathless in the process.

Breathless from the sheer effort it took to mutter that request.

Breathless from their reply.

And breathless from them.

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The moments pass as Xiao stares down at his lap. Xiao: bedridden, helpless, at the mercy of another adeptus.

The other Yaksha would never humor this idea of him. After all, he was always so cold and brooding, who would ever think of him sitting in bed, with only his thoughts to accompany him? And with..

A companion, to boot.

This time, he doesn't sense their presence before they walk through the door.

He let his guard down again. And he wasn't even tired.

How foolish of him. What if it had been some kind of creature? He couldn't begin letting his guard down like this. This would be detrimental to his role as protector of Liyue. How could he be so weak? How could he be so foolish?

But it wasn't. It was them.

"Xiao?" Their voice snaps him out of his thought.

"Here you are. Please take this time to rest. Liyue needs its protector, but no living being is simply a machine. Liyue needs its protector to be in his best condition, alright?" They say, folding some of the towels by his bed.

"..right." He mutters, mouth full of almond tofu.

"I'll be off today. I must tend to my fields." They stand up from their sitting position.

"Just call my name if you ever need me, and I will be there." They say, as their footsteps trail out of the room, their presence disappearing soon.

That day, he takes his time looking out at the world. The sun had begun to set, the air beginning to change into the sharp night he was all too familiar with.

He never noticed the beautiful oranges, yellows, and pinks before. When the sun sets, it paints such a beautiful picture. Much unlike the sight of bloodshed he usually observed. The blood staining his clothing, the blood staining the ground around him.

He took the medicine on his bedside, slowly drifting off to sleep as the sun followed suit.

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The next time he awoke, they were already there with a plate of almond tofu for him, made fresh. His arm certainly felt better, he noticed.

The sun seemed brighter than he'd ever noticed, the trees lush and the flowers seemed to prosper under its watchful gaze.

He sits up in bed, hands in his lap.

"May I touch your arm?" They ask.

He's surprised. Nobody has ever asked him before. They might have noticed how his demeanor changed with physical contact. They..

worried about his comfort?

..Inconceivable.

He slowly nods, holding out his arm. It surely felt better than it did the day before, but it still slightly hurt to hold out.

They trace two fingers over his wound, helping the scarring swell down. After, they apply the cooling paste once more.

"It looks like you'll be alright," They begin.

"You'll be able to get out of bed today. Just no fighting. And no sharp movements, as the wound could still open." They conclude, standing up to leave after their assessment of the situation. They must be going back to tend to their fields, something Xiao had no experience in. He doubted he could be helpful, and him, a merciless killer, tending to delicate plants and herbs? He could never. But still..

"May I.. come with you?" He chokes out. "To.. to your fields." He clarifies.

A slight expression of surprise surfaces on their face as they think for a moment. They seemed perplexed.

"I.. I understand if─"

"..You can come." They nod. "I don't mind some extra help. And it's good to get some fresh air."

"You mean.. I can.. come?" He asks, mouth running dry.

"Of course. Would you be ready to come now? I can wait a few moments."

"Y.. yes. I can come now." He quickly says, sounding more.. eager than he meant to.

"Great. Would you like a change of clothing? I'll have your current clothes washed."

"A change of clothing? I don't own any other articles of clothing."

"..ah. I see. Not to worry, I'm sure there are some basic articles of clothing in here." They say, walking over to the dressers and rummaging through them. Not a few moments later do they return with some basic clothing─ a brown shirt that clasps in the middle and pants that are tapered at the bottom.

"I assume you don't need help with dressing?" They ask, cocking an eyebrow.

"No. I have not lost my ability to dress." He speaks, looking away.

"Good, good. I'll be outside of your room should you require any assistance. Feel free to come out once you're ready." They say, leaving the room and shutting the door.

Once dressed, Xiao takes in the feeling of the common clothing.

He's never been in this clothing before. It felt.. different. The cloth felt strange on his body. This.. was mortal clothing. He should never be seen wearing mortal clothing. It was unbecoming of someone of his status.

Walking out of the room, he catches a glimpse of them in the kitchen, helping Smiley Yanxiao with the influx of orders. Their moves are quick, nimble, and he finds that they are skilled in cooking. Their hands are delicate, most likely due to the skill required to pluck plants and herbs from the ground without damaging them.

They look up and see Xiao. Smiling at Smiley Yanxiao, they wave a goodbye to him and walk over to Xiao.

The pair set off not a moment later.

Walking on the stone path, a silence covers the two. The hot sun was at its peak, leading the herbalist to pull up their sleeves.

Soon after, they arrive at the plot of land. As far as Xiao's eye can see, the fields are filled with various different types of herbs. They harvest this.. all by themselves?

"If you'd like to help, go and grab a few of the baskets. We'll begin with 3, and then we can get more if needed." They instruct, leaving him to find the baskets.

Doing mortal chores in mortal clothing, how idiotic of him to partake in such activities, he thought to himself as he moved through the fields, trying his best not to trample any of the plants.

As he makes his way back, he finds they they've already plucked many herbs from the ground. They must be used to this by now.

He leans downward, trying his best to pluck the herbal leaves. He's confused when the leaf crumbles in his grasp. Perhaps this was just a testament to his murderous nature, unable to appreciate beauty and preserve it. Perhaps he really was only meant for murder, killing, and war. Perhaps─

His thoughts are interrupted as they seem to notice his struggle, crouching down next to him. Beckoning him to look and observe, their hands gently pluck the leaves without haste. This leaves it pristine, looking as if it had been untouched.

His breath hitches. He could never do that. His work was based on haste and power. He could only ever destroy beauty, this was a fact he knew rang true. But as they took his hand, gently ran his coarse fingers across the leaves, and plucked it with such care, he wondered..

..was he capable of being.. gentle?

He discarded the thought.

As he worked alongside them in the fields, a sense of tranquility settled over him, the burden of his duties momentarily lifted by the simple act of tending to the earth.

The torturous strings of his karmic debt still tore at him, body and soul, even if he should have been at peace.

Who was he angry at?

That night, he lies in bed, staring out at the window to catch a glimpse of the moons glow. He never noticed how bright it shone, even if the sun proved brighter.

The moonlight beamed down, coating the world in a fluorescent white. The world stands still, the world stagnating into a cold blue as the night ran its course.

He closed his eyes.

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The next time he opened his eyes, the dawn was still young. Looking out to the window, he took note of the warm sun that blanketed the landscape, protecting all in its light.

The reflection of himself in the glass of the window was more apparent, almost like the stained glass in an art piece.

The door creaks open, revealing them in their usual form.

As per usual, they come in and inspect his wound, checking for any changes.

"It should be almost fully healed by now. I do advise you take it easy for today, however, you're ready to get back on 'duty' tomorrow." They nod, staying in their sitting position.

They mutter something to themselves before turning to the bedside table, handing Xiao a plate of almond tofu.

Xiao silently takes the plate, bringing the spoon to his mouth for a mouthful.

Within their presence, he realizes, time.. felt endless.

The days that have passed were simple days, filled with menial, useless tasks.

So why did he feel..

So fulfilled?

The other Yaksha wanted to become as the mortals did once the archon war ended.

They all wanted to live what he was living now.

He, at that time, had no interest in the mortal lifestyle, even after the war.

..did he?

But even so, he had no business feeling fulfillment of any kind.

He who was worthless.

He who was unworthy.

Yet, that day, he stayed in bed without protest.

He sat idly instead of stubbornly requesting release.

And he spoke with them.

A long while.

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By the end of it, the wounds imbedded into his psyche were very evident.

They paused, pursing their lips a moment, before responding.

"...I apologize. My expertise.. is in the body, the flesh. I have no resources to heal the wounds of the mind."

"..Perhaps.. you are capable of much more than you believe." He replies, not quite understanding what his own words meant.

That night, as they left his room, he came to a conclusion.

The one he was angry at had always been himself.

Angry for surviving.

Angry for being so powerless.

Angry, for everything.

And yet, with the presence of his 'partner', he noticed the way the grass would bend to the breeze, as the tides would rise and fall with the moon.

He noticed the will of the mountains, unwavering and steeled.

He noticed the blooming of the flowers, resilient in their passage.

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The sun rises to light the path and protect, even if he doesn't realize it.

The moon rises to set the path for rest, its cold tones readying the world for the suns warmth.

The sun burns so bright to give hope and strength, but even the sun must rest, lest the sun burn itself to the core, unable to shine once more.

The moon may not shine as bright, but even so, it will always serve as a light in the dark, a symbol of rest.

The sun doesn't realize his capacity for warmth and love.

As the sun guides all others, the moon will slowly guide the sun unto the path of peace.

Where, on that pier,

he may finally look onto his reflection,

and accept who he is.

[killuagirly]

Xiao x Reader

Summary: Xiao has been experiencing some feelings that are new to him, and he only realizes what they are once it's already been said out loud. Luckily, those feelings aren't one sided.

Notes: I'm not really back into the Genshin fandom but here we are, writing this on a whim. I don't really like it if I'm being honest, but oh well. I haven't written anything decent in months now anyways, so hopefully you'll enjoy this short piece!!

CW: Mentions of Xiao's past, denial maybe? Not much really, just some unexpected hurt/comfort?? I don't know what this is.

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Xiao

☆ Xiao was not the biggest on affection, anyone who knew him could tell you that. Recently however, his view of the subject may have been swaying a bit. You were the one at fault, as once his fingertips brushed yours he only seemed to crave more. He had never felt a need to be close to someone before, so why now? He wasn't sure he could answer even given forever to think.

☆ Or maybe, it was just because being around you felt so euphoric. Every time Xiao looked at you a sense of comfort and warmth would fall over him, leaving him in a frantic mess to get away. It wasn't because he wanted to leave you, but he just couldn't place his finger on what he was feeling. He wasn't too keen on the idea of speaking to you about it, so he just kept quiet and hoped you didn't notice his odd behavior.

☆ Eventually the day he dreaded came as you approached him on the topic, "Xiao, you've been off lately. Is something wrong?" He could feel his heart drop to his stomach hearing your voice, his favorite sound, weaving words together he hoped he'd never have to hear. You knew Xiao didn't like you worrying about him, or at least he that's what he told you, but you just couldn't help seeing him so distraught without any explanation.

☆ For a moment he was silent, unsure of whether or not he should tell you of his thoughts. Perhaps it would burden you, but he knew very well by now that was just his own consciousness eating away at him. So, he allowed himself to cave in for once and told you everything you could've ever wished to hear. It was quick, and a lot of his words were jumbled together, but the meaning came across.

☆ Xiao visibly stopped after hearing himself voice his thoughts as a realization hit him like a pile of bricks. He was so obviously in love with you. It never really occurred to him, the idea of loving someone. After all that he had been through, it was understandable that he didn't associate himself with such topics.

☆ His eyes met yours in a haze, tears threatening to fall and you took a step closer. In his mind, this could go wrong in so many ways. For instance, what if you didn't feel the same? He didn't see how you could with his cold and dismissive demeanor. Then again, what if you did? That weighed a heavier fear than the instance of you hating him forever.

☆ In the cloudy heap of anxiety surrounding him, you raised your fingers to his pale cheek and wiped away stray tears he hadn't noticed were falling. A gentle smiled crossed your features, one he swore could've only been from an angel. "I love you too, Xiao," you spoke in a hushed tone, as if he would flee at the slightest mishap. That was the only time Xiao could be seen wrapping his arms around another, letting his emotions flow as they pleased.

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Masterlist

[fallingdownhell]

i love your recent posts but can i request hurt/comfort genshin impact xiao, wanderer, cyno where like they get into an argument about the reader being weak or something like that

although they didn't mean it, but after a few days after the argument, they see reader like training hard for them because of the fight.

<3

Mhh, always. You know I love me a good dose of angst! And I'm sorry, but I only included two of the requested characters, because otherwise this would haven gotten way too out of hand and too much to read. Hope you're okay with that.

Characters Included: Xiao; Wanderer

Content: gender neutral reader; angst; comfort; hurt/comfort; established relationship; arguments between them and reader; shouting and cursing at reader in wanderer's scenario; Kunikuzushi/Kuni is being used for Wanderer

Word count: 2,2k words

Enjoy the read!

Xiao

You have to understand him. He's just looking out for you!

There is a clear, natural difference in strength between you and him!

He's an adeptus after all, and you're just a human! Sure, you possess a vision and you know perfectly well how to utilize it to your advantage in battle, but he's still your boyfriend! Let him be worried about you!

Honestly, he really just had your best interest and saftey in mind when he approached you one day, offering to train with you and possibly make you stronger, since he noticed your form to be a bit lacking when he watched you train.

The problem was, he told you exactly what he was thinking, no filter whatsoever. Which in turn caused you to get a bit defensive with him. That didn't sit right with Xiao, because in his eyes, he was only trying to help you.

This then resulted in a huge argument, where neither of you wanted to back down against the other.

"(Name), for the love of the Archons. Can't you see I'm only trying to help you here?"

"By berating me and telling me all the things I'm doing wrong? Without offering any advise at all? Yeah, great help.", you scoff as you turn your back to your boyfriend, trying to resume your exercise in peace. You were hoping that he would get the hint, to leave you alone. But he didn't.

"I'm really only looking out for you. You lack basic knowledge with the sword and you lack stamina as well. You're moving around too much, you make so many unnecassary movements. The hold you have on your weapon is too loose. Anyone could easily knock it out of your hand. Also-!"

"Okay! I got it!", you suddenly burst out as Xiao keeps on listing the things you're doing wrong in his eyes. It not only frustrated you, but it also made you feel so inferior.. to him and basically everyone else. You know that everyone starts out at some point. Everyone has to learn from the beginning. So why is he being so mean to you? Shouldn't he be more supporting of you as your boyfriend?

"I get it. You've made your point very clear."

You speak again, while Xiao just stares at you, mouth still hanging open. He didn't expect for you to raise your voice like this. You were usually so soft spoken.

You stared into each others eyes for a few more seconds, before you let out a sigh and placed your sword back into its sheat.

"I'm going home.", you announce as you go to grab your stuff. You collect everything and put it in your back, leaving without taking another look at him.

Suddenly, Xiao got the feeling that he made a huge mistake. Not only by "helping" you out with your training, but also as he let you go like this without having a talk with you, but something told him to let you be for the time being.

.....

Well... did he regret letting you just go like that. It has been almost a week since he last saw you, because you refused to call his name like you usually did on a daily basis.

And he was afraid of seeking you out himself, since he feared to only further sour your mood with an unannounced visit from his side. But he wanted to see you again so badly...

When the one week mark was reached without hearing anything from you, Xiao has had enough. He needed to make sure that you were okay. He was certain you would have called his name if you were in mortal danger, despite the argument at hand, but it's better to be safe than sorry. He needed to know you were still alive..

So, he teleported to your home, waiting for a few seconds in front of the door, gathering courage, before knocking on the door. He waited and waited, but nothing happened. He knocked again, but still nothing.

Xiao was about to leave again, scolding himself in his head, because of course you wouldn't open, you obviously didn't want to see him right now, when he heard noises coming from a bit further away.

Deciding to investigate, he followed the noises. And what he saw did shock him a bit..

He saw you, standing in a circle of training dummys, practicing different moves and tactics. He could tell that your hold on the blade has gotten better over the week you have been apart. In fact, everything he had critiqued about your skills seems to have improved...

Have you been training relentlessly this entire time??

This made him feel even more bad about this entire argument. He wanted to help you, not make you overexert yourself like this, just to prove something to him..

Deciding that it was finally time to talk, he approached you. You heard the footsteps coming your direction and turned towards them. Surprised to see Xiao there, you stopped in the middle of your session, facing him.

It was quiet for a few seconds as he arrived in front of you, and when you couldn't take it anymore, you decided to speak up again.

"What? Here to berate me even more?" It sounded way more sarcastic and hurtful than you had intended it to, and you saw Xiao flinch the slightest bit at your words, but you didn't back down from them.

"No..", Xiao answered weakly.

"I'm here to apologize." His words left you surprised, not expecting this at all.

"I didn't realize how much my words were hurting you. That was never my intention, (Name). I.. I'm just worried about you. There is a clear difference in skill, after all, but I shouldn't have been like this to you. I sincerely apologize for the way I treated you."

You have been with Xiao long enough to know two things. First, he was being completely honest with you. You could tell by the tone in his voice and the way he tried to look into your eyes, while also trying to avoid them at the same time, feeling embarrassed about being this vulnerable with someone.

Second, you knew just how hard it was for him to be honest and vulnerable with you. Saying this must have caused so much for him to do, yet he did it anyway.. for you.

For a second, you stood there and stared at him, before sighing and walking over to him, wrapping your arms around his body in a warm, comfortable hug. He did not hesitate for a second before doing the same, having missed this feeling dearly for the past week.

"I don't mind you helping me or giving me advise.. but maybe don't be so brash and insulting about it. Okay?"

He nodded, promising you to be more careful with his words from now on.

Wanderer

You sighed with relief as the Ruin guard in front of you collapsed and shattered into its parts, the cut on your side hurting a bit when you breathed, but it wasn't bleeding too bad, so the wound must not be too bad, either.

You were usually not that easy to surprise, but for some reason, you overlooked that particular ancient machine, resulting in it getting a hit on you before it was taken down.

Though, you were not the one responsible for taking it down. The actual reason was flying in from behind it, your boyfriend, Kuni. And while you were smiling at him, wanting to thank him for his help, he had a scowl on your face as he landed in front of you.

"What the hell were you thinking, Idiot? You would be dead now if it weren't for me being here!", he shouted as soon as he landed, not letting you get a word in.

You were taken aback by his harsh words and tone, staring at him, which only made him even more agitated.

"The hell? You don't even have an excuse! How can you be so fucking careless? I know you're weak but I wouldn't have thought of you being this stupid as well!"

You heard each and every single one of his words, and they all stung right in your chest. You were aware of the difference in power between you two, but that didn't mean you were incompetent with your polearm. You've trained long and hard to get to the point where you are now, and you were proud of yourself for it.

When you looked into his eyes again, you could see a bit of shock behind them, like he was surprised himself that the words actually left his lips.

You waited a few seconds, to see if he would apologize to you or take them back, but nothing came. Kuni's pride hindered him from doing the right thing..

"I see. If that's what you think of me, I won't be in your way again."

The words sounded cold when they left your lips, and Kunikuzushi flinched ever so slightly when hearing them, but you didn't react to it. Instead, you turned and walked away from him without acknowledging his presence any longer.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Where are you going?", he shouted after you, but no response. Then, he chased after you, but when he noticed that you were still ignoring him, he gave up on it, figuring that it would be best to leave you alone for the time being.

Surely, you would come crawling back to him soon enough... right?

....

....

Two weeks.

The incident has happened two weeks ago. And for those two weeks, he did not hear or see anything of you, whatsoever.

He was so sure that you wouldn't even survive a week without him before coming back and apologizing, but it seemed like he was wrong this time.

And he hated to admit this, even to himself, but.. he missed you. Missed your stupid, cheerful smile, your laugh and the way you always made his day better, just by spending time with him.

After about a week and a half, he began to think, that maybe, this time, he was actually the one in the wrong. That maybe, he took it too far with his words this time around.

Maybe.. he should be the one to apologize to you.

And yet, it took him a few more days to overcome his stupidly high pride and actually follow through with his thoughts.

Nahida, who knew all about the situation from Kuni himself, smiled and nodded proudly as the puppet went to leave the Sanctuary of Surasthana.

He first searched for you at your home, but you couldn't be found there. Then, he went on a stroll through the city, hoping to run into you along the way, but that too, proofed to be without success.

His last hope was the adventurers guild, and that someone hopefully has seen you there.

And luck was on his side this time, as some other members told him about how you have constantly been taking commission after commission for the past few days.

Feeling his worries for you rise again, he went to the locations given to him, hoping to find you there.

About an hour or so later, he spotted you at the location of the third commission you took, standing next to a defeated ruin drake while facing another one head on.

He had half a mind to rush over and take care of it for you, but something in him told him to let you handle it yourself. So he watched with bated breath as you easily took care of the machine, letting it fall to the ground while you remained completely unharmed.

That's when he really realized what his words might have caused for you. You are by no means a sheltered human, you're capable of defending yourself, and very well so.

As you were checking the defeated drakes for useful stuff, he came out of his 'hiding spot', walking directly to you. You noticed him approaching but chose to ignore him still. In fact, you've noticed his presence in the middle of the fight, but decided not to call him out and see what he would do.

When he arrived, he just stood next to you in silence for a while, watching you. But when you still wouldn't acknowledge him, he decided to speak up.

"(Name)... I... I'm sorry..", he mumbled quietly. He felt embarrassed, not used to acting like the bigger person, but he was in the wrong here, so he had to do this, no matter what.

The words out of Kuni's mouth caught you by surprise, your head swirling around to look at him, finally.

Kunikuzushi didn't know what else to say right now, so he stayed silent, hoping you would understand how difficult this was for him right now.

"..I'm not weak.", you answered him quietly as well, fully facing him now, but your posture and tone seemed a bit more open and calmer now.

"..I know."

He may not be the best with words, but somehow, you always understood what he wanted to say, anyways. It has always been this way between you. It was one of the many things he loved so much about you.

And that's how it was this time, too. He quietly thanked the Gods when he pulled you into his arms again, holding you for the first time in what had felt like an eternity.

[www-brontide]

Hello, I'd like to request a comfort / fluff fanfic mainly with xiao but you can add other characters, but hopefully xiao

Gn!reader is insecure with their ability to fall in love with people because they feel as though their emotional qualities are lacking (feeling like they'd never be able to?) and because they're fearful, they end up avoiding xiao for some time but he manages to pick up on the avoidance but still is confused, so he tries to understand what's going on despite the inexperience

Gn!reader gets comforted but afraid, but xiao does his best to reassure them in his very xiao-like ways (confused at first on what to do, reluctantly patting gn!reader's head, ending up saying words that still sound quite in character but still comforting)

I think that would be nice, I hope that makes sense, thank you! Not forced

⊰ i could never choose to love another. 🎐「 xiao. hurt/comfort 」 dreamscape. emotionally insecure? that’s okay; that doesn’t mean your boyfriend will love you any less.

memory zone. self-esteem issues, emotional insecurity, implications of past ‘i love you’s being a lie?, reader is scared, avoiding communication (at first), doubting feelings, angst, eventual comfort, xiao is trying his best as per usual. memokeeper musings. (nonnie do you have cameras set up in my room /j) this has been sitting in my inbox for almost two week im so sorry nonnie JAJFJGJKDH also how we likin the new format??? 🥹 @soleillunne!!

            It’s always been hard for you to identify feelings, much less express them outright. Well, the more complex ones that can’t be explained through one sentence alone. Perhaps after so long, the lines between ‘genuine’ and ‘fake’ started to blur, leaving but only a hollow trace of confusion. You weren’t sure when it started, for most of your past memories are hazy, at best.

            ‘I love you’s were always few and far between in your relationship with Xiao. That didn’t immediately signify that this was a loveless relationship— quite the contrary actually, but the man saves those three sacred words for moments of pure serenity, tranquility, and intimacy. 

            But as for you, well, it was a rather… perplexing situation, to say the least. In short, you were terrified. Terrified of the words ‘I love you’ ending up being yet another fabrication of your emotions, as it had once been in the past long before you met him. And if it was… you’d never be able to forgive yourself; Xiao loves you honestly and earnestly, and to realize that you hadn’t been genuine with how you feel would be devastating for him and for you.

            …You couldn’t take that risk; in your eyes, Xiao deserved so much better. So, in order to protect him from yourself, you had to push him away, before you could get the chance to hurt him more than he already is. Was it truly the right decision, though…?

            Now you’d been visiting Wangshu Inn less and less, and interaction between the two of you was scarce— normally, Xiao would’ve understood; you had your own matters to attend to just as he does, after all. But this time felt different. Off. It felt like… like it was done deliberately. Had he done something to upset you? He didn’t think that was it, Xiao was always making an effort to be mindful and considerate around you.

            Were you in a bad mood? He recalled that there are times where you’d avoid interaction when angered or when the people around you pushed you too far; but in the end, you still confided in him about the source of your irritation and frustration after awhile. Xiao was not a particular expert in comforting others, but he knew how to listen.

            More questions led to more logical conclusions that didn’t quite explain your recent apparent avoidance. You were completely fine around your circle of friends, so why was it only him that you avoided like the plague? Is he doing something wrong or was there something wrong with him? Were you… getting tired of him, distancing yourself from him until it grows far too wide? Did you realize that he wasn’t the most optimal choice of partner…? Was this really it?

            ‘…No. Cease making your worries grow by the second. Pull yourself together. Confront them.’ Xiao internally berated himself and attempted to shake off that invasive way of thinking, but the thoughts still lingered in the back of his mind. If… If there was truly a chance you no longer wanted this relationship… at least you’d be able to communicate.

            “X—Xiao!?”

            Sharp amber eyes looked into yours, hands on both sides of your head resting on the wall behind you, leaving little room to escape. Xiao had affectively trapped you between him and the wall. Now, he would thought of other methods to confront you, but you slithered away from his grasp each time with nothing but a shallow excuse, so you really left him no other choice.

            “You have been avoiding me. Not anyone else, not your friends, but I, your partner. Why?” His gaze softened, tilting his head slightly as his eyes peered into yours. He didn’t want to make you feel pressured or uncomfortable in this current situation; that’s the last thing Xiao wants for you.

            “I— I’ve just been—” “Do not lie to me. Do not hit me with the ‘busy’ excuse; it will work no longer,” He promptly cut you off. Xiao’s tone came off a tad sharper than he’d like when speaking to you, but he needed to get his point across. When he was met with no response from you, he sighed softly; “am I… doing something wrong? I told you to inform me beforehand if I am, no? So… tell me, please.”

            “No, no! It’s not you— there’s nothing wrong with you, Xiao,” That ‘please’ caught you off-guard, to say the very least; “it’s… me.”

            Xiao, at first, was relieved to know that he hadn’t hurt you enough in some form to warrant you avoiding his presence. He straightened his posture a little more as his hands slid down the wall, stopping just above your shoulders. At those last two words, he raised a confused brow; “You? Please elaborate.”

            You were hesitant, but it wasn’t fair to keep Xiao in the dark after he bore his heart open to you, and only you. No one else. So, with too much to lose, you did the same. From how you felt emotionally inadequate, to the fear you felt of your love being but a measly fabrication of your mind to trick your heart. In the safe confines of your bedroom, you poured your heart out to him.

            Xiao listened intently, feelings of guilt creeping up his own heart — he should’ve noticed this sooner — but never did he once interrupt. No matter how much his heart ached. Because despite how it was hard for him to hear this, he understood that it was even harder for you to say. By the end of it, you two were seated on your bed, and once you were finished explaining, his hand slowly moved to intertwine itself with yours.

            His other hand gently pulled you in closed in a half-hug, your head resting on his shoulder. “…Is this okay?” You nodded. Even after all this time, he still asks for your consent whenever he is the initiating physical contact instead of the other way around.

            “I… sincerely apologize for not realizing how you feel. I am unsure if you have noticed, but I have. I have always felt your love each and every moment that we spend with one another. It is raw, unconditional, real, genuine. That is just a fact that has been made known to me for so long. Therefore, even though you may think that I deserve better, I truly do not share that sentiment; you are the one for me. I could never choose to love another.”

© www-brontide 2024 — do not steal, plagiarize, or repost onto another platform without my explicit permission.

[theendisneat]

Nightmares

Word Count - 878

Characters - Xiao, Tighnari, Zhongli

Warnings - None

Xiao

Your eyes snapped open as you rolled over to face the window. Your breathing was heavy and your eyes were hazy from sleep. Absent-mindedly you realized that the spot beside you was cold. Xiao must not have come back yet.

You whimper as the cool breeze from the window caressed your uncovered arms and you shivered, shuffling into the slightly warmer sheets. The horrors of your dreams pounded at the back of your eyes. Every time you tried to fall back asleep, flashes of the dream came and you snapped your eyes back open.

Eventually you couldn’t take it anymore, your muscles tense and sleep continuing to evade you. You never liked calling Xiao’s name. You knew how seriously he took his contract to Liyue and loathed to take him away from that for something so ridiculous.

But you sighed and whispered ‘Xiao’, curling even tighter into the silk sheets. He flashed in, surrounded by black and green, his mask covering the pretty face you love. When he saw you were in no immediate danger he vanished his spear that he had been clutching tightly and strapped his mask to his belt where it hung on his thigh.

He sighed and sat next to you on the bed, running his hands through your hair without a word the way he knows you like it. You sat up after a moment and reached out to him, circling your arms around his neck and nuzzling your cheek against his own. He held you delicately, placing his hands on your waist and resting his cheek on your head.

He stayed like that with you for the rest of the night, cuddling you close until your breaths evened out and he laid you down gently, tucking himself behind you and giving you a small kiss to the back of your neck.

Tighnari

When you sat up gasping, you noticed your lover still scribbling away on what you were sure was what had been keeping him up all week. The bed had been cold without him but you made do with listening to the sound of his frustrations when he wrote something wrong and had to scratch it out, the swish of his tail having lulled you to sleep.

But tonight, it was difficult to rest easy as you were plagued with nightmares. They shocked your system awake, shakes in your fingers making it difficult to clench the sheets. You look over to your guys’ shared desk to, unsurprisingly, see Tighnari working away.

Slipping from the bed you unknowingly creeped up behind the unsuspecting fox, startling him when you wrapped your arms around his waist and pressed your cheek to his shoulder. He jerked under your hold, letting out a breath.

“Nari,” you mumbled, pressing kisses to the crook of his neck. “Come to bed please.”

He sighed. “[Y/n] I-”

“Please Nari?” You whimpered and squeezed him tighter.

He paused, his tail unconsciously wrapping around your waist to pull you even closer. “Is something the matter?”

“I just.. I… I had a nightmare. I want you with me right now, please?”

Tighnari turned around, placing his hands around your waist he brought you into his embrace, running a soothing hand up and down your back. “Alright. My work on Sumeru’s decline in Rukkadevata mushrooms can wait until morning, let’s go to bed.”

Zhongli

You woke you with your chest heaving, tears sliding down your cheeks as you silently sobbed. You didn’t want to wake your lover, who was behind you with an arm curled around your waist holding you protectively to his chest, but it seems that no matter how you try to keep quiet, your still too loud for his Adepti ears.

He stirred at the sound of your cries, immediately blinking awake, wasting no time to look over you to see if you were in any pain. When he deduced that you weren’t, he settled back down beside you to lightly trace his fingers across your hips in easy shapes.

“Are you alright, love?” His voice was heavy with sleep, gruff and inquisitive.

You had calmed your breathing, focusing on the way his fingers traveled your skin. “Yeah.” you croaked out. “I’m fine, just a bad dream.”

You heard him hum and shuffle behind you and you realized he was leaving the bed. You frantically turned over to grab his wrist and stop him from leaving, but he merely smiled at you and cupped your face. He held you like you were china as he reassured you that was only going to leave to make a small cup of tea that would ease your mind.

He knew you wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep but it was still late into the night and you had an early day tomorrow that you needed to be awake for.

You stayed up with Zhongli in the kitchen as he made the tea, filling the silence with mindless chatter that Zhongli indulged you in, understanding that this was your way to get your mind off whatever dream had plagued you.

You managed to fall asleep soon after, the tea doing wonders and Zhongli tucked behind you just like before with a hand around your waist and his face nuzzled into your hair.

[spacesodaa]

Xiao x Reader - I'm Alive

Characters: Xiao, Reader

Summary:

In the night I sit alone Lifeless to the world I know Faith loss long ago In this graveyard I'm calling home Carved into the stone A diary of broken bones and Words I should've known

The sky was clear, but the night was cold as Xiao sat in the grass in front of his fellow yakshas' graves.

_____________________________________

Word count: 1,626

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, good ending (no bad endings in this house)

A/N: This is a songfic based on I'm Alive by Story of The Year, also posted on Ao3

In the night I sit alone Lifeless to the world I know Faith loss long ago In this graveyard I'm calling home Carved into the stone A diary of broken bones and Words I should've known

The sky was clear, but the night was cold as Xiao sat in the grass in front of his fellow yakshas' graves. 

The whispers in his head had long ago become screams, the feeling of bindings never left his body even when fighting, worsening while using his mask. 

It was near and he knew. 

Nothing anymore could alleviate his very own and personalized torture. 

He groaned as pain shot through his head, breaking the delicate silence of the cold air. 

Not even wind dared make a peep that night. 

Another flare was about to start and he steeled his muscles just in time before it hit him. 

A vile and searing pain invaded his whole body, making him choke on his own ragged breath, worse than any other flare ups he had endured since he sat down there in the morning. 

His only regret was that he didn't say goodbye to you. 

But you knowing what was going on would put you in danger. 

He knew you. 

He knew you would come and find him, so desperately trying to stop it. 

And you would end up dead, likely by his own bloodstained hands when he would eventually lose any shred of sanity left in him. 

He just hoped you wouldn't notice him missing until it would already be too late for you to find him. 

He wouldn't even leave a body for you to bury. 

All that would be left of him would be a gust of corrupted smoke, easily dispersed by the winds. 

All his companions met that very end, no matter the means which they used to gain death. 

And there were so many times he had thought to join them, to finally be free of this cursed existance. 

Yet he was forever indebted to morax, later he felt he couldn't leave you behind on his own accord. 

But this grave's too deep to ever make it up I'd do anything, anything Just to feel like I could reach the ground I'd do anything, anything now To spread these wings somehow I scream these words so loud But they never make a sound

The screams were now so loud he couldn't hear his surroundings anymore, gripping his hair close to the scalp in blinding pain. 

He so wished for you to hold him, to hear your voice, to be there with him. 

For once in his disgraced and long life he actually wanted to survive. 

He didn't deserve the happiness and serenity you had brought him, your sunshine smile. 

Yet he wanted it, yearned for it with every single fiber of his being. 

He wanted you, wanted to stay by you until you inevitably took your last breath. 

But now he wasn't convinced he would outlive you anymore. 

And for the first time he tried with all the strength to fight the curse. 

To push it down as far as he could so he could see you one last time. 

I'm alive But I'm barely breathing now So place my heart under the ground Lay me down I'm alive But I'm barely breathing now So drag my lungs into the ground Lay me down

Something was terribly wrong. 

Xiao wasn't at the inn. 

He wasn't at Zhongli's either. 

He wasn't with the traveller. 

He didn't answer your calls. 

You had turned upside down almost all of liyue and night had long fallen. 

It was freezing cold, but you didn't care as you walked briskly on the dirt path. 

You didn't know where it was, but at this point you were sure you would find him in a place linked to his dead fellow yakshas. 

You checked all the ruins from Zhongli's stories, racing against time. 

The more the night progressed the more agitated you grew, until you heard a scream and all birds flew away from the trees in a big flock. 

You felt your blood freeze for an instant as you tried to discern the origin of the sound. 

It was then that you felt it, the festering corruption. 

And it dawned on you. 

"Xiao!" you screamed his name as you ran in the direction you thought was right. 

The clearing you reached was creeping full of corruption. 

You saw him, writhing in pain in front of what looked like tombstones. 

Your heart squeezed in your chest. 

This was the place he had chosen to die. 

Alone. 

In the night I sit alone The stars rain on the world below Beg me to explode But these dreams I keep are nowhere to be found I'd do anything, anything just to stop This weight from pressing down I'd do anything anything now To spread these wings somehow I scream these words so loud But they never make a sound

You knelt in front of him slowly, eyes burning with tears. 

Through his muddled sight he recognized your figure, but couldn't get a word out as stabs of pain stole his breath. 

I'm alive But I’m barely breathing now So place my heart under the ground Lay me down I'm alive But I’m barely breathing now So drag my lungs into the ground Lay me down

"I'm here!" you wanted to say it with confidence so badly, but it was wobbly and weak. 

What could you possibly do?! 

In a panicked attempt you grabbed him by the shoulders and activated your vision, pushing as much energy as you could towards him. 

The blood curling scream he let out when you hands touched his skin made you almost retract with your heart in your thoat, but you repressed the awful feeling, biting your lower lip so hard it drew blood. 

You knew it, your healing wasn't enough, it would never be enough to purify the evil and damnation that was stuck on the adeptus now for millennia. 

"Please please please please" you muttered. 

Suddenly a light started shining through your utility belt and a token came free out of one of the pouches. 

You recognized it immediately. 

It was a gift of cloud retainer for helping her. 

A powerful amulet she said, but even though no one had ever been able to activate it, it was enough to ward off monsters and keep you safe.

That was the reason she had given it to you. 

It all became pitch black, your body lost it's weight and your mind lost the time.  It all came back as quickly with a rushing force, that threatened to knock you over. 

But you no longer were in front of the tombstones, honding onto Xiao for dear life. 

There were screams, fire, panic thick in the air. 

Blood flying in all directions and creatures and humans alike flocked in one spot, writhing furiously and being sent reeling back with brand new wounds but with more viscious hatred. 

Amidst all of the chaos was him, swinging the polearm like it was second nature. 

Like his body mooved on it's own and for a moment you could see a flash of horror pass through his amber eyes behind the mask. 

You found you still held onto the amulet. 

A breath came in and out of your mouth before you stepped forward. 

You dragged away creatures, kicked humans and wrangled against black masses. 

Struggling and crying in frustration as you made little progress. 

"Xiao!" you screamed. 

Deep enough so that I'll never feel again Far beneath any chance at breaking skin I'm giving in

Your hand reached for his as he became increasingly buried in the mass of bodies, no longer able to repel them, the mask cracking. 

You pushed as hard as you could, desperation was the only fuel left as the masses crushed your lower half and took away your breath. 

All the promise of smiles and happiness That's a dream I'm not willing to admit I'm not ready yet To face regret No I'm not ready yet I'm not ready yet No.. No.. No..

And your hand finally reached his, gripping for dear life on his bloodstained glove. 

I'd do anything now So spread these wings somehow I scream these words so loud But they never make a sound

The mask broke. 

The amulet shone brighter and brighter. 

I'm alive But I’m barely breathing now So place my heart under the ground Lay me down

You snapped back to reality, sweat dripping from your forehead, chills biting your body. 

You gulped and finally looked at Xiao. 

Your heart sank as you watched his pale form, head thrown back, still as stone. 

He gasped and screamed lurching forward as he furiously gripped and scratched at his shirt. 

You hadn't realized a shocked sound had escaped your lips until he turned to you in a panic and shook you to get your attention. 

"Oh thank the arcons!" you cried. 

Your eyes burned with hot tears as you tried your best to still his shaking body and calm him down. 

"It's fine, you're okay now, I'm okay" you quickly said, taking his hands in yours. 

You gently tugged at his arms and brought him to your chest. 

Xiao immediately responded to the hug, holding onto you like he was scared you would run away that instant. 

His face was hidden in the crook of your neck, but you could feel his shoulders shake with silent sobs as you gently rubbed circles on his back. 

Slowly, his breath steadied and his body stilled in your arms. 

I'm alive But I'm barely breathing now Tread my lungs into the ground

"Rest, I'll be here. You're okay now" 

Lay me down

[sweet-honey-fruit]

Genshin Characters with Injured Reader

Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort (?) possibly

Warnings: Use of pet names. Strong language. Descriptions and mentions of blood/injury (nothing life threatening). Spoilers for Scaramouche’s story. Slightly suggestive for Venti’s, lmao sorry im biased.

Inspired by me being flung into a fence and scratching up my legs. How? Don’t ask, it’s embarrassing. I’m rewriting this cause TUMBLR DECIDED TO DELETE MY. FIRST. DRAFT. Also please note that i am very out of practice with writing. These characters may seem OOC but i promise you im trying my best to make them canon djnfjnds. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! I aim to get better to provide you all with high quality content. Let me know if you guys would like a part two!

Childe

Upon seeing you walking in with scratched up knees and hands, he’s secretly on high alert.

He hides it with his usual laid back and child-like persona

“Well well, what do we have here? Is my lovely babe injured? Come here, let me take care of you.” While giving you a cocky smile.

It doesn’t matter how much you protest, he’s going to bandage and clean them up

“Childe please, I’m not a toddler, I can take care of it myself.”

“I’m well aware that you can, but would you even get around to it?”

As he’s putting a bandage on them, he’ll ask you what happened.

“Would you like to tell me what happened? Oh- you fell? Was there anyone around? Why am I asking that question? What, am I not allowed to be curious” Cue him putting his hands on his hips while pouting

Childe doesn’t show it, but he’s highly paranoid about your safety anytime you’re not around him or someone he trusts.

The Fatui has a lot of enemies, especially him. He’s a bloodthirsty Harbinger, and the most front and center member of the Fatui to the public eye. Meaning you are also on display.

And while the mere mention of his name makes people fearful and tremble, there are a handful who simply don’t care and wish to hurt him with any means necessary.

So anytime you come back with something as small as a scratch, he instantly thinks it’s someone trying to get to him by going through you.

If it was an incident of you being clumsy and falling, he’ll lovingly lecture you about how you should be more careful while holding you close, mentally thanking the Tsarista that it wasn’t anyone targeting you.

But if it was someone, either on accident or on purpose.

Hahaha, pray for them

It’s better to be up front and tell him the truth, otherwise he won’t leave you alone till you tell him who and what happened. He knows when you’re lying. It’s a keen skill to have in his line of work.

While he admires that you’re trying to cover for someone, he admires getting revenge on your behalf way more.

He will interrogate you until you tell him who it was that dared put there hands on you.

But don’t worry, it won’t be like the interrogations he does for the Fatui, he loves you too much to do that. It’ll seem like a casual conversation.

He’ll act like he drops the subject before brewing you a cup of tea, giving you your favorite snack, and holding you close while you two talk.

He’ll get you to tell him who it was through a seemingly normal conversation. He’s good at doing that.

He won’t stop the conversation till he gets the answers he was looking for. Not that he would want to anyway, he absolutely adores talking to you. So really, it’s an added bonus.

Chongyun

Oh Chongyun, my sweet, sweet boy Chongyun

This man is instantly worrying

“What happened?! Are you okay?! Was it a demon?! Tell me where it is and I’ll take care of it. I’ll make sure it never touches you again!”

That last sentence is low key terrifying to you

Please reassure him that you’re okay and that it wasn’t a demon. It was just you being clumsy, that’s all!

He has to walk away for a moment and eat a popsicle to calm himself down before his Yang energy acts up.

Once he has calmed down, he’ll come back to you and sit you down to take care of you.

He’ll carefully clean it for you before bringing up a spray bottle

“I bought this in case either of us were in need of first aid. Baizhu said that it’s a no sting disinfectant spray.”

He sprays it. And it stings lmao.

“OW THAT HURTS YOU FUCKING LIAR”

“Ah! Wait I’m sorry, please! I promise he told me that it wasn’t supposed to burn!”

He’s instantly hugging you tightly while apologizing

“No Chongyun it’s okay, I’m sorry I didn’t mean that, I was just surprised.”

It’s a disaster lmao. He’s still mumbling apologies.

He has to eat a popsicle again fjjdr

He wants you to double, triple, quadruple confirm that it wasn’t a demon once you’re all cleaned up and bandaged

“Are you su-“

“Yes Chongyun, I’m positive! It was of my own clumsy volition to trip down the stairs.”

Once he’s finally calmed down and pushed away the thought that it was a demonic attack, he’s holding you close while carefully tracing the bandage

“Please, my dear, be more careful. I don’t want any harm to come to you.”

Scaramouche

As you walk in through the door with blood pouring down your head and legs, this man just stares at you

His eyes follow your every movement as you’re limping towards the kitchen to get the first aid kit

He doesn’t make a move, he’s just watching you, as if he’s analyzing you

It isn’t until you’re hissing in pain trying to get the first aid kit does he finally stand up and go towards you.

“Sit.”

“No, Scara, it’s fi-“

“I said sit” He pulls out a chair and pushes you to sit down in it. You don’t dare protest with the look that he’s giving you.

He huffs as he pulls out an alcoholic wipe to clean up your wounds, not caring about the hisses, whines, and protests your spewing out

“Quit your whining. What the hell happened to you?”

He won’t show it, but he’s concerned. He low key has the same fear that Childe has. Being an ex Fatui Harbinger doesn’t come without its dangers. Not only does he have enemies from being a Harbinger, but he has enemies within the Fatui as well since he took the Electro Archons Gnosis for himself.

But once you tell him that you just fell down the concrete stairs in Inazuma City, he’s scoffing at you

“How can you be so pathetic and clumsy?!”

He says as he forcefully pulls you into a hug

Don’t take anything he says too serious. He cares about you deeply and can only express it through tough love.

“Dont-…don’t do that every again.”

He won’t let you leave the house for a while after. Unlike Childe, he lets his paranoia take over just a little bit.

It’ll take some time to let you get back out of the house, but that doesn’t mean he’ll leave you 100% alone.

Venti

This man saw the accident happen first hand. He was playing his lyre in the courtyard of the cathedral. You just came back from your commissions and decided to go watch his performance. As you were walking around the crowd to get a better look at him, you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. You guys made eye contact and he gave you his brightest smile. You were too focused on how elegantly he played and how adorable he looked that you didn’t notice the concrete pillar in front of you. As you smiled back and gave him a little wave, you comedically ran into the pillar

The anemo archon immediately stopped playing and ran over to you

“Windblume?! Are you okay?”

You rub your head, feeling the warm blood that’s gushing out of the cut along your temple

This man is instantly all over you, cupping your cheeks, checking you over for anything else before grabbing your hand and leading you back home

He’s thoroughly cleaning it while lightly scolding you

“As much as I admire you watching me perform, I want you to do so while standing in place next time.”

Once he makes sure youre 100% okay, he will flirt and tease you, that’s just how he is by nature

“Although, my precious Windblume, if you wished for my attention, all you had to do was ask. There was no need to go about such drastic measures.”

“Venti, I wasn’t-“

He’s putting a hand up to your lips while shushing you

“Now now Windblume, why don’t I show you how much worship this bard has to offer”

And who are you to say no to that 😏

Either way though, he’s going to cling onto you for a while to make sure you don’t hurt yourself further

He’s slightly scared you’ll injure yourself in a more serious manner

Can’t really blame him though. You’re the only one that saw him for him, even after finding out he was Lord Barbatos himself. You worship him as a mortal, not as an archon and he holds you dearly because of that.

You’re the only one he has truly ever loved in all his years of living. He just doesn’t want to have another Nameless Bard incident with you.

Please reassure him that nothing will happen to you. Please hold him close. In times of you getting hurt, he is in need of more comfort than you since his imagination loves to run wild.

He doesn’t have to worry for long. He’s the anemo archon, he realized. He forgets he is sometimes since he gets so wrapped up in his mortal façade. As the anemo archon, he can always have an eye on you with just the slightest breeze.

He gives you a soft kiss on the lips before dragging you to Angels Share for a drink or two in order to lighten the mood.

Xiao

Xiao is a little bit like Scaramouche, only more understanding and visibly caring.

He’ll scoff at you and roll his eyes all the while he’s checking up on you and making sure that youre okay

“I can’t believe you managed to get yourself injured. You mortals are so fragile….Are you hurt anywhere else? Who did this to you? Why didnt you call my name?”

It takes some convincing that “no, no one did this to me”, “no, I’m okay”, and “No, im not going to call your name over something as minor as a cut on my arm.”

He doesn’t buy the last statement. It doesn’t matter how big or small the situation or injury is, he wants you to call his name. He wants to know that youre able to rely on him.

Why did he have to date such a stubborn individual?

He keeps you in his lap and kisses your head while gently holding your injured arm.

He’s not one for physical touch most of the time, only when you’re hurt.

You joked about that one time and it didnt go well

“Wow. If I knew I would get cuddles and kisses like this, then I should get hurt more often.”

The look he gave was enough to shut you up and instantly retract your statement.

He’s stern while lecturing you. Practically demands that you call his name next time, even if it was just you tripping over a tree branch.

With anyone else, it would be annoying to have his name called out all the time. But if it’s from you? It’s a relief. Cause he knows that he’s protecting you.

This man has seen a thing or two, he knows the horrors the are out there that everyone else seems to be ignorant to.

If he could permanently stay by your side then he would, but he knows that’s not possible.

Yet it’s refreshing to know he’s only one shout away.

Please call his name when something happens, even if it’s only you stumbling a bit. He feels relieved to know he can be there for you so quickly for anything.

[doveypink]

between comfort and chaos [xiao]

summary: xiao decides to change, starting with you. word count: 0.7k warnings: gn!reader, spoilers for perilous trail quest, hurt/comfort, confession. a/n: i’m not immune to xiao angst </3 but this is pretty soft so i hope it makes you feel less sad after the event :,) + title is from ceilings by lizzy mcalpine!

The Wangshu Inn is just as quiet as it usually is this time of night, when the fireflies begin to glow and the crickets chirp their song. You’re standing on the balcony, your arms propped up on the railing while you watch the world fall under its midnight spell. Sleep has evaded you tonight, kept awake by worries in your heart.

Something stirs in your chest at the very moment you begin to recall what’s keeping you up. Almost as if by a sixth sense, you feel the presence of another behind you and call out casually: “So you’re finally back, huh? Took you long enough.”

Xiao pads towards you, catlike in his graceful silence, before he stands near you by the railing. You peer at him from the corner of your eyes while he removes his mask. There’s a pensive look on his face that makes you fully turn towards the yaksha. Your voice softens with sincerity. “Hey, did something happen?”

You knew the gist of Xiao’s plan: to explore the Chasm for clues pertaining to his former comrade’s fate. It was obvious when he explained it to you before his departure that this was a serious endeavor (as if anything with him isn’t serious); even so, you’re aware that this mission was something personal to him. When it comes to his life as a yaksha, you can’t say you know much more than anyone else. He hides a great deal of his past from you despite your years of friendship; you could never force him to tell you about such things, not when you can feel the hole in his heart, but it troubles you nonetheless. Even now, you don’t expect him to give you a clear answer, if anything at all.

This time, Xiao surprises you.

“He never made it out.”

The intensity of his gaze strikes you. You can only manage to respond with a whispered, “Oh.”

The silence that follows is heavy; it settles like snow around you both. There are no words you can say to soothe his troubles. There is nothing you could do at this moment to lift the centuries of pain in his heart.

You reach for his hand instinctively. You half expect him to flinch or turn you away, but the yaksha astonishes you once more by allowing you to slide your palm against his own. His hands are calloused, rough and scarred from centuries of fighting, yet he holds your hand as though he’s touching fine china. When Xiao squeezes your hand slightly, your heart aches.

There are no words to soothe his troubles, but this is enough.

The silence stretches on for what may be an eternity before Xiao speaks again. “I have come to understand something after my mission,” he begins. “I… have been too harsh to this world. To its people, especially. I have known for all of my existence that I am fated to lead a life of misery. That is the path of a yaksha, and I do not fear it. But even so… Even though I know my destiny…,” he says, his grip on your hand tightening. “I may never have peace, but the others — the yaksha, my family — would not want me to live without having experienced the joys of this world. My brothers and sisters may not have had enough time to live through such things, but I do.”

Xiao looks to you, a clarity in his golden eyes that you have never seen before. “You,” he breathes, “are a joy that I refuse to neglect.”

Your heart is in your throat, tears pricking your eyes. “So stay,” you whisper. “Stay with me as long as you’d like.”

Your fingers interlock with Xiao’s, a rare smile gracing his features. “Gladly.”

For the first time in his life, Xiao allows himself to forget the weight of his destiny. He allows himself to have this one corner of the world to be a little selfish, to hold your hand and not feel ashamed. His debt may harm you, but he recalls the traveler’s words: There will always be someone willing to be by your side.

For the first time in his life, Xiao takes comfort in something human.