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miyatsumhoe · 2 years ago

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Genshin Detective AU Detective! Fem reader x Various! <zhongli, xiao, childe, scaramouche, heizou, diluc, kaeya> cw; proof read who?

Synopsis: You’re a fucking genius detective! Like literally! A good one! Your captain calls you a prodigy! Age 25 you already made ur name known and climbed ranks. Made it to newspaper headlines and the evening news! The only problem with you is you don’t want to accept your promotion.

Zhongli <Police Captain> Your captain. He used to teach at the academy but now you’ve been working with him for two years. He’s your favorite senior! You admire him so much, the skills and intellect he shows are incomparable. But what caught your eye is his demeanor. Whatever he do he’s always this calm and collected guy, he really contrasts your colleagues who either breaks down or yells “fuck this job i’m not paid enough for this shit.” So it really caused the souls of all the officers who witnessed his fit when you denied your promotion to Detective III.. He didn’t yell or anything but his face shows it all. That’s what make everything so scary.

“Y/N. I know how you clutch those cases of yours with hunches but think rationally for once, I’m not saying this as a friend nor senior, but as your captain. You’re talented, i hope you won’t make this opportunity pass again. It’s an order.”

Xiao <SWAT Sniper/Observer> A long time friend and colleague. Same division different unit. You’re from CIU (criminal investigations unit) and he’s from SWAT. You two are childhood friends, you were classmates in elementary but you two got into different classes in middle school and high school. You used to show your love for anatomy and stuffs so he got really surprised when he saw you at the police academy he’s like “wtf why are you here?” and got somehow more grumpy that you hid secrets from him. As an officer he’s very timid, and got those ‘fuck off’ expression so co workers and criminals both hate him. He doesn’t attend get togethers but he’s very diligent at work, very loyal to the law and captain. He’s in SWAT so danger is automatically present everytime, whenever enemies got the upper hand on their team he tends to sacrifice himself (which is ‘very foolish’ team operator’s thoughts not yours) He knows why you declined your promotion, the reason goes way back and you ended up telling him when you entered the academy when he got so upset with you. He’s an adoptive son of the captain btw.

“I already told you not to pull anything in front him, you may be close with the captain but you don’t know him to the extent as I do. You don’t want to taste his wrath. Also It’s already been seven years, the people had moved on too. Maybe it’s time to let him and the case go. You deserve better…someone who won’t hold you back.”

Ajax <Highschool Boyfriend> A guy in your past. He’s popular, you're a background character and somehow you two met etc. traditional cliche B-rate romcom stuffs blablabla. The thing going on with you two are more than friendship, highschool was fun because of him. Though your relationship with him was a secret because of a thing he has going on (that you don’t exactly know about.) You two used to sneak around the science lab during lunch time and after school. Childe truly loves you, he just can’t keep secrets from you no matter what. Instead of lying he tells you his problems vaguely whenever you asks him. He wants to protects you and his family, when it came to the point where everything is so messed up he decided to ‘k-word’ himself. Which you didn’t believe bc it’s not like him at all! Like dying is out of his bucket list, also you met him in the bridge 4 months after his so called burial wearing all-black like a random sus person. He handed you a bracelet he’s supposed to give you on your birthday and key you didn’t know what for and yelled “you shouldn’t use that pretty head of yours to worry for an asshole!” then he was suddenly shot in the chest and fell in the river like a lunatic when you try to catch up to him.

“Cowards run from their problem, and courageous people faces them. I would say i’m neither and also both. Does that explains it? Told you those books aren’t making you smarter hahahaha why don’t you just stop attending your night classes and focus on me hmmmm? Because no matter how much you study, no book in this world can describe the feelings i have for you. Argh! Damn that smile! My heart feels like it’s going to burst, can you prescribe me a kiss doc?”

Heizou <Detective I> He’s a new face to you. So you got really surprised when you found out that he’s ur co worker! You actually thought he’s a random ass civilian snooping around your unit until he showed you his badge to proved you wrong. From what you heard from Kojou Sara is he’s a detective too. Though he’s a rank lower than you, but he’s a genius! Like you he refuses to be promoted because he likes the crimes, the chases, and the thrill of the frontlines. He refuses to be promoted until he becomes a “true detective” according to him. He’s known for solving cases in a peculiar way, apparently he’s the type to just vanish into the wind without a word to his superiors and would just reappear declaring ‘case solved’. It’s a headache. What ties you to him is when he was punished for disappearing for 6 months for that one drug case. He ends up cleaning everything up including your office where he found Ajax’s case. He pestered you to let him in the case saying he knows someone who can be a lead. You didn’t expect to see a higschooler Ajax look alike in the front of your house at 10 am in the morning. Wait- Is that Teucer?!

“There’s a reason why everything i handle has a 100% succeeding rate, and if you want too know what lies behind this, you must do everything in my way. You are not alone in this case anymore! Just shut up and take my hand Detective! It’s about time for you to trust me too.”

Kunikuzushi <Ajax’s friend slash neighbor> As a a detective, you very much exploited the idea of the phrase ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’. It becomes handy on missions and in real life situations, sometimes being a star officer makes you feel you always have the upper hand. You would never expect that would backfire to you. You have known Kunikuzushi since highschool because of the fact that him and Ajax are well known friends with complete opposite personalities. He’s infamous for his stingy foul words, mean attitude and unexpectedly high marks. But you get along well with him surprisingly.

It’s rare for anyone to move in your neighborhood without being paid a sum for the pricings are quite high… that’s why everyone is eager to know who just moved in the biggest house in the neighborhood! (it’s next door) It didn’t surprised you much to see it’s kunikuzushi, you already knew he’s loaded when you met him. I mean his mother used to be a mayor in their city. But while catching up with him you can’t help but suspect him. He said he hate his mother and he didn’t accepted a cent from her, so he ends up having an office job after college. He lives lavishly for a ‘normal’ office guy. You used to think he dresses well, but any fashion expert could tell at first glance he’s wearing designer clothes head to toe. He’s really nice as a neighbor, he let your visitors wait inside his house whenever you’re still asleep or still out (most likely some of your co workers and of course teucer) Xiao says he’s smells like bad news like your ex while Heizou would describe him as a two faced whiny scum bitch when he first met kuni. He was ‘bribed’ offered with food and ‘he’s incredibly nice about it didn’t suit his face at all!’ unbeknownst to you this guy works for the Fatui. He’s the 6th harbinger, alias ‘scaramouche’. One of the faults for Ajax’s disappearance. But hey! Atleast he didn’t lie that he works as an office guy.

“Good morning Y/N! Are you heading out now? Do you want a ride? Oh… by the way Ajax’s death anniversary is coming up, i heard you’re still the one handling his case from the officers who visited your house yesterday morning. Seven years had passed already but I just want to tell you if you need a shoulder to cry on or a someone you can vent to, i am always here. Just like old times… don’t you miss it? The comfort of someone during your hardest times? Unlike my other services, my arms are free of charge you can pull me a hug anytime you want. :)”

Diluc <CSI Team Leader> You don’t have a lot to say about diluc to begin with. He’s a very uhm quiet guy. Diluc and the captain has some bond, maybe it’s because of their personalities? Other than him you don’t see anyone that close to him. Well if you’re going to describe diluc in some words you can say he’s your dream guy. He’s everyone’s dream guy it’s actually illegal to look at him. I mean have you seen him?!?!? Sometimes you just stare at him from your office window, he’s so dreamy with his high pony tail, his build and tiddies popping under that white dress shirt, and damn that glare of his-wait is he looking this way?!

Well there’s his looks, but he’s more than that! You got to know him on this one office party where you felt uncomfy because all the attendees are male and they’re all drunk asf gladly diluc accompanied you through out the night! You found out despite having that stand offish attitude he’s actually a fun and good guy! He’s a huge gentleman and fucking filthy rich too. Who knew he owns a huge ass winery? After that night you two just clicked and started hanging out whenever you two would like to meet. You already stayed over his place a lot of times already. While spending the night, you accidentally found out him and kaeya are brothers due to the hanged frames at the wall. You actually don’t know what’s your relationship with diluc, if ur being honest rn you would say you would like to try dating him, and he feels the same way too. It’s just that the both of you has a lot of baggage to unpack before you two can actually take it to the next step. For now you’ll just be contented to the subtle glances and hangouts with each other.

“Is it a bit selfish to say that i don’t want you thinking about work or anyone else while we’re together? You’ve been busy with your cases lately. now, can i have you for myself?”

Kaeya <Detective II> Kaeya. He’s that person in ur work that u either like or hate. It’s just that he’s a very complex person! Being in the same rank and all you always see his face. No, it’s not that kaeya’s ugly. Actually he’s one of the hottest guy in ur unit and u’ll srs get on bed with him if he just asks but it’s his fucking attitude and laziness. It’s a huge turn off! Especially when he makes you do all the paper work while he drank his life away and you spend your night in ur office. Also kaeya’s a huge flirt. He flirted with you when you were first new at work and this being kaeya and all you actually fell for his charms until you saw him doing this to everyone even the criminals he interrogates which is kinda annoying and killed the sparks that actually lit up. Well, those are the least of your problems when dealing with kaeya. He’s been much more annoying lately, butting on all of your businesses and all. He even buts into all of your conversations whether it’s with diluc, xiao, with the captain or even ur neighbor! He’s everywhere! In kaeya’s defense it just irks him that you’ve been running around and talking to everyone but him lately, while ur 24/7 living rent free in his mind. What’s with the sudden change? It’s not like you’ve found out he’s been working as a double agent right?

“I’m a mind reader and yes I will sleep with you- aw you won’t? Ok damn girl chile, there goes my 576 chance ig”

#genshin x reader #genshin imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin au #genshin fanfic #genshin fluff #genshin x y/n #zhongli x reader #xiao x reader #heizou x reader #scaramouche x reader #scara x reader #childe x fem!reader #tartaglia x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader

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miyatsumhoe · 3 years ago

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operation: mistletoe

pairing - xiao x gender neutral reader [MODERN AU!]

word count - 13 450

genre - fluff, crack

format - fic

warnings - reader and xiao share a bed (no sexual implications whatsoever), [hu tao, yanfei, ganyu, and xiao are all siblings with zhongli as their father], food, possibly ooc xiao, xiao changes clothes in the same room as reader (who isn't looking)

summary - after years spent pining over his childhood best friend, xiao's two little sisters have stepped in to help him profess his love during their annual holiday dinner party in a four phase mission titled operation: mistletoe

a/n - happy holidays!!! @amatxs i'm your secret santa! <3 this is my gift to you for @/favoniuscodex's secret santa event! i hope you like your gift (even though it's much longer than i anticipated aaaaa)! i adore childhood friends to lovers AND there's only one bed (REAL) and the combination of xiao + liyue family dynamics was just MMMM immaculate hehehe, i had so much fun writing this! :D <3

for all the mess that his mind was in, xiao was sure of only two things:

his hands have never felt more clammy and sweaty, not even the silky fabric of his obsidian dress pants could wipe away the nervous condensation that had congregated on his palms.

you're just as gorgeous as the last time he saw you.

granted, he had only just seen you yesterday while helping you unload the copious amounts of luggage you'd hauled home from your college campus into your hotel. additionally, you'd been wearing and old t shirt and a pair of unassuming sweats—which in comparison to the beautiful evening clothes you adorned now, really couldn't hold a candle to it. but there's definitive part of him that knows his heart threatens to leap out of his chest any time he sees you no matter what you're wearing.

"well? you just gonna let me freeze out here?"

if only he was like one of those suave characters in those dramas hu tao was always watching—he would've pulled you close and whispered something so alluring that would have had you weak in the knees and full of stuttering replies. unfortunately for him, you had to do nothing but stand there and he'd be weak in the knees and a stuttering mess.

"right, please come in."

the door clicked against the lock beneath his fingertips and once more he was left to bask in the comfortable silence between the two of you as you shed off your evening coat. he's always appreciated how you managed to fill the silent voids he'd create with either your swan-like voice or understanding silence.

sometimes, there was no need to say anything. but just this once, he really wished that his mind could let him say the words he's always wanted to say.

"wow, nothing's changed, huh?" you mused as your eyes roamed over the familiar setting of the adepti household.

though he's never given much thought to it, xiao couldn't help but agree: the dent where you'd headbutted into the wall while playing tag with him at the age of nine near the shining, black piano in the living room was still on full display. the noticeable yet unnoticeable chip in the the wood of the living room love seat where xiao had accidentally swung his dad's gold club while trying to play a round of indoor golf with you when you both were twelve was still there and unflattering as ever. the porcelain cups you'd made each other in high school pottery class still sat carefully placed in a glass cabinet.

not much had changed since you'd been away.

"i guess. papa still gives me the side-eye whenever he sees the couch dent though." he snorted and masked his frazzled blush with a nostalgic smile, hands stuffed full in his dress pants pockets.

"aw, i'm sure uncle zhongli isn't still upset with you about that," you giggled and bumped his shoulder with your own, "after all, you were crying loads and begging him not to separate us."

his ears hissed a bright red as he huffed in embarrassment and turned his chin away to fixate on the soft snowfall from beyond the front windows.

"why is it that you always remember the most embarrassing things about me?"

your finger tapped against your chin for a moment, lips stretched into a playful smile accompanied by a thoughtful hum before you replied: "well, it's not just the embarrassing things. but what's embarrassing to you is often very sweet to me. besides, as your best friend i'm obligated to hold onto all the embarrassing moments so you don't forget 'em."

sweet, sweet, sweet—the word swam laps around the crevices of his mind. did you think he was sweet? what does sweet even mean in this context? do you mean sweet as in sweet like "cute"? but what would "cute" connotate in your words?

"xiao? hey, you alright?" the familiar side of your palm came into view and waved up and down in front of his face.

"y-yeah, i'm fine," he brushed off the thoughts from his mind and coughed into his clenched fist to mask the crack in his voice, "papa's in the kitchen if you wanna go greet him, i'll be there in a minute."

your hand glided up his shoulder blade and rested snugly on his shoulder; the single, reassuring squeeze of your hand sent electric shocks all throughout his body and reignited the erratic thumping of his heartbeat.

"alright," you started, eyes bathed in mirth with just a sparkle of concern and worry, which you followed with that sweet, sugar-coated laugh of yours that blessed his ears, "but you better hurry up before i eat all the gingerbread cookies."

his golden eyes, hazed over with a sense of longing, watched as you disappeared around the corner in the direction of the kitchen. once alone, he allowed the blush he'd been suppressing to engulf his burning face, which he opted to bury deep into the sweaty softness of his clammy palms. the pearly white dress shirt practically stuck to his skin with how much his nerves rattled inside his body just beneath the thin skin of his arms.

"yeesh, that was kinda pitiful."

xiao's head whipped up in alarm and from the top of the stairs sat his two little sisters: yanfei, who in all her golden-pantsuit-glory sat beside hu tao, whose pretty red dress floofed around her shins, seated on the stairs.

"hey hey, you were doing that overthinking thing again weren't you?" hu tao jeered, hopped up from the mahogany stairs and leaned her bottom on the smooth railing to slide down. she landed gracefully, tulle of her dress puffing around her while yanfei chose the safer option of trotting down the stairs.

"i wasn't." he muttered and fiddled with the fabric of his black tie, avoiding the knowing gazes of his sisters.

if being the brother of two little sisters and one older sister had taught him anything, it's that sisters (at least his) are awfully perceptive.

"ha! that's a hoot—your jaw totally dropped when you opened the door for them. not to mention you completely froze up just now, what the heck was that?! what happened to all the romance training yanfei and i put you through?"

the "training" in question was beyond embarrassing—should you ever find out one day, xiao would be sure to purchase a cottage in a faraway country and change his name and appearance—and involved hu tao pointing to a whiteboard of popular articles from romance magazines and yanfei correcting him on being a true gentleman via the usage of romantic anime scenes (though kamisama kiss looks like a good show, he doesn't think he can ever watch it without the connotations of his "training").

"look, the night is still young AND we're all ready to go. operation mistletoe can still work out!" yanfei reassured, confidence oozing from her prideful smile.

"operation...mistletoe? what are the two of you talking about?"

yanfei and hu tao shared a single, knowing glance before yanfei pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket and unfurled it before xiao's eyes.

the top of the paper was titled "operation mistletoe" in bold, red pencil crayon and outlined in a shimmering gold. beneath it was an abhorrently drawn picture of what looked like him (he could only guess based off of the familiar forest green shade of his hair complete with the highlights he'd gotten recently) holding hands with a figure that looked similar to you with hearts drawn in the empty space in between.

"this is our four-step bonafide plan to finally get you to confess to (y/n)!" hu tao cheered.

"we've been working on this for ages. we know how much you care about (y/n) and honestly it's getting kinda frustrating seeing you not confess when they obviously care about you too." yanfei chided, ignoring the look of intrigue on xiao's face at the mention of your name and his feelings.

"you think...you think they feel the sam-?"

"aaaaaand that's not all!" hu tao interjected, wide, cheeky grin on her face, "we even came up with cool code names! yanfei will be "agent snowbell", because that's a super awesome name. i'll be "agent jingles", because that's an even MORE awesomer name- ah ah ah! don't tell me awesomer isn't a word," xiao quickly shut his mouth and let his sister prattle on, "papa and yuyu can't be agents since they don't know about the operation so they don't get cool names, and (y/n) will be the target."

"hey, genius," yanfei snorted and elbowed her sister, "you forgot xiao's name."

"oh right!" hu tao clapped her hands, cheeky smile soon turning downright malicious. "you will be known as agent grinch!"

"...why am i the grinch? never mind that, this is ridiculous. as thoughtful as this idea is, the two of you are not to interfere." he scoffed and folded his arms across his chest, eyes pointed and warning much like a parent.

"one: you're the grinch because i said so, but it was largely because i blanked out on holiday characters. two: c'mon xiaoooooo, let us help! i promise we can be helpful, just let me and yanfei work our magic!" hu tao pleaded, grabbing onto his clammy hand and squeezing it with all her might.

"no offense, but you're kinda terrible at communicating how you feel about (y/n). just let us help! we ARE the romance experts after all." yanfei puffed her chest out with pride etched in her irises.

the more xiao thought about it, the more he found himself agreeing: nearly twenty years of being graced with your presence from birth to adulthood, and he still hadn't been able to summon up the courage to let you know just how much you mean to him. it was ridiculously frustrating: to know that you were just within the reach of his fingertips, close enough to see and bask in your rays yet too far to embrace wholly and love in full.

maybe he'd regret indulging in his high school sophomore-aged sisters who probably only based their knowledge of romance off of media, perhaps he wouldn't. but his mind was clouded by the drum of his heart, and maybe his little sisters were right: a little nudge was all he needed.

"...fine, but don't be weird about it." he mumbled.

a sense of unease brewed in his stomach as he watched his sisters cheer and jump around with wickedly wide grins on their faces. gods know that if he ended up embarrassing himself, he'd never be able to live it down let alone in front of you. suddenly, a wave of regret washed over him at the thought of hu tao's notorious pranks.

but it seemed far too late to turn back as his two sisters grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

"operation mistletoe..."

"...is now underway!"

xiao could only hope that should things fall apart, he'd be able to salvage what he can.

continued utc!

phase one: gingerbread cookie decorating

agent grinch will approach target and request to decorate gingerbread cookies with them. from there, agent grinch will lead them into warm conversation while slightly hinting at his feelings. agents jingles and snowbell will have the job of ensuring that agent grinch and the target are left alone in the kitchen at all times to ensure the maximum romantic atmosphere.

xiao has never felt more ridiculous:

a frilly, baby blue apron that belonged to ganyu wrapped itself tight around his dress shirt and pressed against his tie. hu tao had wanted to tie a ribbon in his hair to match the look, but resigned after some convincing from yanfei (and a promise of half of tonight's dessert).

"this outfit is ridiculous. i look ridiculous." he scowled, thumbing at the cottony checkered material.

"nawww trust us! people love a man who knows his way around the house...or at least looks like he does," hu tao muttered the last bit under her breath, but xiao's ears were much too keen for them to slip by unnoticed, "besides, if you get your shirt messy that'll ruin the rest of the operation!"

begrudgingly, xiao resigned and let yanfei gently push him towards the kitchen doors.

"remember, you're gonna ask them to decorate cookies. make sure you ask them about their time at college, and then bring the conversation back around to the time you spent together as kids. if you panic, just compliment their eyes and clothes. got it?" xiao opened his mouth to respond, but was never given the chance as yanfei chirped out a "great!" and pushed him through the flapping kitchen doors.

he stumbled in on shaking legs and whipped his head up to see you and his father carrying on a pleasant conversation while preparing the food in the oven. the clatter from the wooden doors broke the comfortable atmosphere and two pairs of eyes trained themselves on xiao in all his blue-frilly-aproned glory.

"xiao?! dearest, are you alright?" zhongli quickly slid off his over mitts and hurried towards the fallen xiao, who scrambled to pick himself up from the pearly white kitchen tiles.

"y-yeah...i'm good. thanks, papa." he muttered and brushed the invisible dust off from ganyu's apron.

"xiao! you're just in time! uncle zhongli said the gingerbread cookies are ready to decorate, i was about to call you!"

xiao hadn't even noticed that you'd hurried to his side and your hand was now comfortably resting on his forearm. the skin beneath it seemed to blossom a striking rose red, visible and glowing beneath the sheer white of his shirt.

"hey, seems you already came prepared! this apron looks so pretty on you...-ah! isn't this ganyu's?" you hummed and eyed the fabric pinched between your forefinger and thumb.

'too close, too close!' the alarms blared firey red in xiao's head and seeped towards his cheeks and span of his neck.

"are you alright? your face is all red..." the cool breeze of your knuckles gently washed against his scorching forehead and ruffled the unruly strands of hair near his face.

he swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded vigorously, dismissing your hand as he rounded the kitchen counter in search of anything to distract himself. you followed suit and—much to his surprise—pulled out a cooled tray of gingerbread cookies, complete with icing bags of various colors and little, ceramic bowls of sweets of all kinds: from chocolate chips, to gummy buttons.

"i know how much you like decorating the cookies, so i asked uncle zhongli in advance to prepare this for us! what do you think?"

xiao's eyes roamed over the array of sweets and decorations you had set up, and all with him in mind no less. hu tao and yanfei's plan was already off to a smooth start, and you had unknowingly made it ten times easier for him.

just as he was about to thank you, the kitchen doors flew open to reveal an overly nonchalant yanfei and hu tao, whose curious and eager eyes didn't fail to notice the closed distance between their brother and you.

"papa! feifei and i were wondering if you could help us put some more decorations up in the living room?" hu tao looked up with what xiao could only describe as her "puppy dog" eyes.

zhongli tsked and used his large palms to smooth out hu tao's frazzled, chocolately locks with one hand, and fixed yanfei's golden necklace with the other.

"have you forgotten we have a guest?" he gently chided, and looked over towards where xiao stood side-by-side with you.

"you little gremlins!" you giggled and opened your arms wide, "how dare you not give me a hug!"

something that xiao loved most about you was your ability to move with the ebb and flow of his family. it was in your willingness to come over and help his father out with dinner when both he and ganyu were away at work or school, or when yanfei and hu tao managed to get themselves into some convoluted shenanigan that you made haste to unravel. his little sisters running into your arms with gleeful smiles and giggles full of mirth was such a familiar sight, but it was one he'd never grow tired of, not even for a second.

"we'd never forget! we were just saving it for later." yanfei beamed in your arms.

"alright, girls. which decorations would you both like to put up?" zhongli resigned to his daughters with a defeated smile and rolled up his sleeves. "excuse us just a moment, (y/n). xiao will keep you company."

hu tao and yanfei gave you one last hug (and one last gleaming glance of encouragement towards xiao) and bolted off to drag their papa with a hand in either of his to disappear out of the kitchen, not before hu tao threw xiao a thumbs up and yanfei mouthed a "good luck" in his direction. rambunctious, was the word xiao would describe them as.

"well, shall we?" you gently nudged his shoulder and placed a blank cookie in front of him.

"wait-" he urged, eyes flickering to the rack of aprons nearby.

his hands tugged down his familiar forest-green apron and with stuttering hands did he carefully loop the fabric around your neck, "your clothes will get dirty if you don't wear an apron."

"ahh so i suppose that's why you opted for ganyu's apron then? blue does look pretty good on you." xiao scoffed and fumbled to tie the apron string into a proper bow behind your back.

"don't start." he grumbled, and turned to face the counter again.

an empty void of a gingerbread person stared back up at him, awaiting the use of what was left of his creativity and composition to craft the finest of gingerbread people. his hands felt uncomfortably empty and so they reached for the nearest item: an icing bag of a horrid shade of red he wasn't quite fond of. looking to his side revealed that you were already getting started on your cookie, tongue poked to the outside of your mouth deep in concentration. it'd always been a habit of yours, but xiao would never point it out on the account that you look unbelievably adorable (and it makes his heart beat ten times faster than it shoulder).

xiao suddenly remembered the advice of his little sisters, and began to sort through the filing cabinets of information in his head while his shaky hands fumbled to pipe a red outline along the cookie.

"make sure you ask them about their time at college, and then bring the conversation back around to the time you spent together as kids. if you panic, just compliment their eyes and clothes."

"so...what's c-campus like-" he managed to stutter out, unconsciously reaching for the bowl of gummy buttons.

suddenly, his fingers brushed against a foreign texture that was definitely not gummy buttons. his eyes flickered upwards where your fingers gently brushed against his in the gummy bowl. electricity shot up his veins and rendered his mind completely useless as you gently bumped his fingers with your own and quietly hummed an "excuse me". you fingers lingered for a moment before you retracted your hand and stuck the buttons onto your gingerbread person. xiao could swear on all the stars above that one day you'd make his heart explode. his eyes, wide and full of an indescribable emotion, whipped up to you whose attention was still enraptured by the slightly dressed gingerbread person beneath you.

"campus, hm? well, it's alright i suppose. i miss uncle zhongli's dinners though. but there's this cool restaurant that has-"

as much as xiao adored hearing all about you, the tingles at the ends of his fingertips defied any and all means of comprehension. his mind was a fuzzy mess, yearning to once more bump his fingers against yours...or even stroke the apples of your cheeks, or run his thumb over the bottom of your lip-

no! no, he was getting too off track!

"if you panic, just compliment their eyes and clothes."

"panic" could definitely describe how he was feeling.

'breathe in, breathe out. remember what yanfei said: compliment their eyes and clothes if you panic.' he chanted like a mantra in his head, and turned his golden eyes towards you who was still rambling on about the amenities of campus.

"i-i like the f-fabric of y-your e-eyes!"

though xiao was aiming to mimic one of the sweet gentlemen he'd seen in one of hu tao and yanfei's romance training classes, his "compliment" came out frazzled and more or less barked out onto the counter. his face bloomed bright, cherry red from the tips of his ears to the span of his neck. he had meant to say "the fabric of your clothes is stunning, as are your eyes," so what the hell did he just say?!

from beyond the kitchen doors came a defeated thump, and he just knows that hu tao and yanfei will never let him live this down.

you had been mid-sentence, confusion now etched onto your face at his choice of words before you broke into a grin and sweet bursts of giggles bubbled up from your chest.

"was that your attempt at a compliment?"

groaning, xiao leaned his arms against the counter and buried his face into the coolness of his shirt to shield his glowing face from view. he jolted when your fingers, clean of frosting and ginger crumbs, gently ran through his soft locks. you'd done it so many times when the two of you were just kids both as a form of comfort and casual touch. your fingers in his hair felt so foreign after having been away from you for so long, yet there were honey-filtered memories of the same sensation that washed over him like a gentle tide.

"hey, it was a good attempt. i like the fabric of my eyes too," you teased and mimicked his position by folding your arms on top of the counter and resting your head on them, "you look pretty great yourself."

xiao revealed his face from his cavern of shame and faced you directly with his head still nestled onto his arms. the tip of your elbow just barely brushed against his and yet it sent tingles of electricity throughout his body and jumpstarted the rockets in his heart. just how was it that all you had to do was exist and he'd be enamored? he'd never be able to solve that puzzle though, that's for sure.

you said nothing more and let him get lost in the crevices of your eyes, half lidded and hazed over with an emotion he couldn't exactly read. silence was comfortable, silence was familiar, but silence shared with you was special and inviting. the soft smile on your face as you gently nudged him with your elbow communicated all the words and emotions he needed to know.

'what are you thinking about?' was the question your eyes seemed to ask, but even xiao couldn't define the cacophony of noise running around through his mind.

just as he was about to open his mouth, the steady, honey-glowing stream of comfort that connected you both was cut short with the raging scream of the fire alarm, followed by the abhorrent smell of burnt smoke. xiao shot his head up from his arms and whipped his head around in search of the noise, cursing the alarm for ruining the moment you were sharing with him.

"no! my casserole!" zhongli's figure burst into the kitchen, eyes frantic and worrying as he hastily put on his oven mitts and scampered towards the oven.

xiao hurried over to the alarm and silenced it, all while zhongli placed his now ruined casserole onto the stovetop and pressed his lips into a fine line.

"is it salvageable, uncle zhongli?" you asked from over his shoulder, grimacing at the bitter charcoal color the one vibrant casserole had taken on.

"i suppose not, my dear," he sighed and pulled out his phone, "shall we order takeout instead?" zhongli received all the confirmation he needed when hu tao and yanfei bounded in and began begging for mcdonalds.

thankfully, the gingerbread cookies had been graced mercy and were spared of the ghastly fumes and burning smell. xiao's cookie was only half-finished—a poor attempt at keeping his hands busy with a shade of icing he wasn't particularly fond of. whereas, his golden eyes locked themselves onto your cookie and found similar pools of golden staring back at him. the cookie had been outlined in a dark green, similar to his shade of hair complete with the matching highlights. there were even little orange lines under the golden dots of icing to mimic his eyeliner, and a squiggle of green icing to recreate the tattoo he had gotten the other summer. even the little gummy buttons were lined down the cookie's stomach from when his fingers had brushed against yours.

"is this...did you make this cookie of me?" he blabbered out, mouth agape and eyes wide with curiosity and anticipation.

you stifled a giggle and held up the cookie to appear side by side by a flabbergasted xiao with a prideful smile on your face.

"i think the resemblance is uncanny, what about you?"

he thought so too, but he should've handed you the red icing bag to mimic the tumultuous blush that began to spread across his face.

PHASE ONE STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: COMPLETE (?) DUMPSTER FIRE

phase two: holiday dinner

agent snowbell will rearrange the seating system so that agent grinch and the target are seated beside each other. agent jingles will ensure that agent grinch has the ability to show off his maturity and intelligence during discussions.

"okay! so maaaaybe phase one didn't go according to plan: you messed up the conversation bit, and papa's casserole ruined the romantic atmosphere, but it was still semi-successful, right?"

xiao shot his sister an incredulous look, as if she didn't hear him describe your eyes as "fabric".

"hey, chin up soldier! now we move onto phase two: dinner time!" yanfei cheered and clasped her hands in a pleasant manner, "papa made me in charge of seating arrangements at the dinner table this year, so i've arranged for you and (y/n) to sit together!"

"and i'm gonna ask you some super cool questions so that you can show off your intelligence, sound good?"

from a shelf to the side of his head, hu tao produced a stack of flashcards each with a topic or question hastily written down on the sheet white paper in bright red ink.

"give me a break—that last attempt was a disaster." xiao huffed and crossed his arms, embarrassment glazing over the rapid thump in his chest.

"but this time will go better! i made sure all my questions are about web design, i even googled interview questions!"

showing off wasn't something he was fond of, or partook in. even after voicing that thought to his sisters, they remained adamant as ever. there really was no helping a defeated older brother, and so he reigned himself in and nodded to silence their pleas. yanfei and hu tao shared an eager look with gleeful grins on their faces.

xiao couldn't help but once again feel that sense of dread, but perhaps it was the choked air of the cramped cleaning closet that hu tao had ushered yanfei and him into to avoid prying eyes and ears. it wasn't until he reached for the knob to open the door that it flew open from the other side and out came a tumble of adepti siblings with xiao flat on the bottom on his stomach, followed by a pile-on of hu tao and yanfei.

"wha-! what are you all doing?" xiao groaned and willed away the sharp pain from his back to peer up into his elder sister's plum-colored eyes.

"nothing, yuyu! don't worry about it, we were just- uh-" hu tao's eyes scrambled for an excuse when yanfei intervened with a pointed smile,

"we were just looking for air freshener! papa did burn his casserole after all."

ganyu's confused exterior melted away into understanding as she pulled up her siblings one by one and brushed their clothes free of dust. "don't worry about that, i'll go help papa out. why don't you all go sit down and get ready to eat?"

despite having sat beside you on more than on occasion, tonight felt different. perhaps it was because he sat beside you with a clear purpose and firm intentions. or, perhaps it was the devilish smile that yanfei had on her face as she discreetly switched your name card with ganyu's so that you now sat beside xiao. he felt hu tao's leg gently tap him from under the table, and looked up to see her thumbs raised, matched with her cheeky smile. xiao has never felt such an opposite emotion in his entire life; he'd describe it as being rocket-launched out to sea with nothing but his parachute to survive on as a raft. it didn't help that when you finally took your seat beside him (after cooing at the handmade name placements yanfei had made), your arm brushed ever so slightly against his and once again made the dormant butterflies in his stomach erupt feverishly. he couldn't help but let his gaze traverse a little bit and linger on your profile as you discussed something or the other with hu tao who sat across from you. his golden eyes drank in every line, curve, dip, dent, and fullness of your face and body. not to mention, it was as if cupid himself had been hovering over his shoulder like a cheeky cherub and shot his heart with one of his love-lathered arrows any time you laughed or smiled that beautiful smile of yours.

it was as if his eyes had taken you on as their muse and filled up the void within his cornea, retina, and irises with your beautiful image. truthfully, he wouldn't have it any other way: you were a true vision, stunning even in the most mundane moments.

"all right, dinner is ready! and, delightfully, not burned." zhongli chuckled, effectively breaking xiao from his spell of allure.

he turned his gaze away from you, internally chiding himself for acting so creepy as he focused his attention on his father who placed various bowls of takeout food onto the table.

"oooh is this from wanmin?" yanfei gawked, eyeing the scrumptious looking plate of jade parcels that zhongli placed in front of her.

hu tao practically drooled over the pot of adeptus' temptation that was placed near her, eagerly awaiting a spoonful with a silver fork in her hand, "wherever the heck it's from, it looks amazinggggg!"

zhongli smiled as he sat down at the head of the table, three daughters on one side, and you and xiao on the other. "please, let us celebrate and eat. may good fortune be bestowed upon all of you," he rose a goblet of wine in toast, to which xiao prayed that his glass of iced tea wouldn't slip from his clammy hands. he watched with a slight smile as hu tao eagerly dug into her jade parcels, while yanfei urged her not to down the whole thing in one go.

"xiao?" his attention was diverted from his sisters towards you, who held up a small plate of almond tofu with small candies decorated around the edge of the plate, "you like dessert first, right?"

as childish as it was, he did prefer his dessert first and nodded sheepishly as he took the plate from you, "please don't add this onto the list of embarrassing moments you're tallying for me."

you hummed for a moment as if in consideration, cheeky smile on your face, before replying, "hmm maybe, i'll keep this one on a spare file in my brain in case of any emergencies." you giggled, and picked up your own fork.

before he could brew up a comeback of his own, your hand gently overlapped his and brought the plate of almond tofu closer to you. your fork dug into the soft, bouncy texture and placed the delicacy into your mouth, humming pleasantly with every bite. meanwhile, xiao fought to regain his composure and did his best to will the blush away from his cheeks, hand still burning and pulsing from where you had so gently touched him.

"mmm! still tastes so good. remember when we'd walk to wanmin after school and get plates of almond tofu? chef mao would always give us discounts..." you trailed off, eyes finding his own with a nostalgic film over your eyes.

xiao did remember, every detail in fact. he remembered guiding your little hand in his own and standing up on tippy toes with fingers clutching wanmin restaurant's front counter. he remembered chef mao sliding them a large plate of almond tofu and urging that they take it on the house (he also remembered chef mao's constant teasing of xiao taking you on an "after school date", but he chooses to try and repress that part).

"yeah," he hummed, faint smile resting pleasantly on his lips as he found somewhere within the depth of his body: the courage to peer into your eyes from the side, "i could never forget."

his heart felt much lighter as you piled all his favorites onto his plate and handed it to him with little to no hesitation. somehow you always knew just what to pick (and what to avoid as well): pile on savory greens and tasty desserts and avoid fatty meats.

just as he went to bite into a juicy looking jade parcel, hu tao cleared her throat and began banging her fork against her flute glass full of cherry cola.

"any harder and it'll break, dum dum." yanfei snickered beneath her fist, propped up by her elbow on the table.

hu tao rolled her eyes and focused her attention onto xiao, where the sense of dread began to once again rise up in his stomach.

"(y/n), you know xiao's studying web design at college right now, don't you?" she chirped, bright eyes knowing and eager.

"yup! you should see the pictures of his projects he sends me, it looks like hell." you chuckled before stuffing a spoonful of black-back perch stew into your mouth.

"weeeeellll," hu tao paused to glance down at the cards in her lap (xiao presumes),

"did you know that the first prime minister of liyue was miss gui- wait...WAIT A MINUTE-!"

hu tao's cheeky disposition quickly collapsed into panic as she flitted through her flashcards, quietly mumbling little "no"s under her breath.

"agent jingles!" yanfei muttered through gritted teeth masked as a smile, "did you bring your history flashcards instead of the ones with web design questions on them?!" yanfei hissed, stretching her neck over to grab the untouched pile of flashcards in hu tao's lap.

"agent wha? what's that?" hu tao scratched the top of her head in confusion, before she was reminded by a glare and kick from under the table by yanfei, "OH OH RIGHT! my bad, snowbell." she giggled.

"gods you are hopeless," yanfei muttered and pinched the bridge of her nose.

xiao wanted the ground to swallow him whole and never have him return.

"aghh aiyah i SWEAR i thought i had the right ones! these were from my history exam." hu tao pouted and gently bumped her forehead against the table.

"what's going on with you two?" zhongli, firm yet gentle, eyed his daughters with a curious look.

"nothing, papa! nothing, we just wanted to fill in (y/n) about the cool stuff xiao does, isn' that right xiao?" yanfei quickly threw the fastball of conversation towards him, to which he could do nothing but agree with a tentative and hesitant forced smile on his face.

"are you a history buff now?" you gently elbowed him from the side with a coy smile dancing on your lips, "there's a great place near campus with tons of historical books, lemme know when you're free and we can go together."

he wasn't much of a history buff but now, he'd probably be asking hu tao for her flash cards later on.

PHASE TWO STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: SOMEWHAT SALVAGEABLE!

phase three: nostalgic photo reminiscing

agent snowbell will procure photo albums of agent grinch and the target from their youth and coax them into the living room to sift through the photos and reminisce. agent jingles and snowbell will be in charge of keeping ganyu and papa occupied as to not interfere.

baby pictures: the bane of his existence.

xiao has known no rest since his little sisters had somehow managed to get ahold of his baby pictures. there was no escape from their relentless teasing or the comments of "you used to be so cute! so what the heck happened?!" he's heard it all at this point.

so upon hearing yanfei explain the third phase, he's quick to shoot it down. "absolutely not."

"aw c'mon! xiaooooo they don't even have to be your baby photos, i'm sure there's tons of photos of you and (y/n) as kids. wouldn't it be great to reminisce?" yanfei pleaded, and xiao swore that she had absorbed the puppy dog eye tactic from hu tao.

"...papa or ganyu might know where the albums are, but what does this have to do with-"

"it has everything to do with (y/n)!" hu tao interjected, bowl of strawberry ice cream in one hand and miniature spoon in the other. if xiao inspected closely, it might've been a spoon that belonged to his father's collectibles but he didn't want to even imagine the scolding hu tao would be in for if she really was using one of his collectible spoons to shovel bits of strawberry ice cream into her gullet.

"think about it: you're reminiscing over your childhood, they see how your bond evolved, and how much you've grown and realize that they've fallen for you, and BOOM! they fall in love and you both get married and get a bunch of puppies and cats and feifei and i are always invited over to babysit them, the end!"

somehow xiao didn't think hu tao was being quite realistic. yanfei was always the more grounded one of the duo, but even she had her nonsensical moments. xiao would most likely count this moment as one of them, as she eagerly trotted into the living room with an armful of books.

"got 'em! hu, you go get (y/n)." yanfei ordered as she set the books down onto the living room coffee table.

xiao hadn't expected there were so many, then again his dad was quite doting and xiao wouldn't put it past him to take multitudes of photos.

"alright, here's the situation: papa and yuyu and washing dishes and cleaning, so hu and i will help them out and keep them distracted and away from the living room as long as we can. use the time to try and get them all warm and nostalgic, got it? this is super important for phase four, so try not to mess up!" despite the encouraging thumbs up and signature "yanfei-branded" smile, xiao couldn't help but deadpan a little at his sister's choice of words.

"hey! hu tao said you wanna show me something?" your familiar head popped itself into view, which yanfei took as her cue to leave (but not before mouthing "good luck" behind your back and flashing a thumbs up).

you shot a quizzical glance to the teenager and faced xiao once more with an incredulous smile on your face, "those two are acting kinda weird tonight, i wonder if they plan on pranking us." you chuckled and walked over to the couch.

xiao scooted over to make room for you, but you instead opted to send him into cardiac arrest and plop down right next to him so that your shoulders stuck together side-by-side.

"so, what's up? are these photo albums i see? are we doing some holiday reminiscing?" you giggled and eagerly traced your fingers along the spine of the albums.

he figured he may as well try and go along with yanfei and hu tao's plan, even if it hadn't been super successful previously. "yeah...i thought it'd nice to look back." he mumbled, hand fidgeting to rub the back of his neck.

his leg bounced, nerves flocking to the pulsating thunder of his heart as he watched you take the first book from the pile and turn open the page.

"aww look! it's a picture of us fighting over rexy!" you squealed and eagerly slid the book closer between the two of you.

asides from the ever-growing nervousness deep in his stomach from just your touch alone, xiao found himself recalling the faded, yellow memory with a faint smile as if it had just happened yesterday. the dragon doll, "rexy", was his favorite stuffed animal as a kid. but it just so happened that you loved rexy just as much, and most of your playdates usually resulted in the two of you chasing each other on stubby little two year old legs for the stuffed dragon's affection.

"rexy totally liked me better, by the way." you giggled and lightly slapped his bicep with the back of your hand.

"tch, no way. it's a stuffed animal..." he trailed off with a pensive look, only for it to dissolve into the slight upwards twitch of his lips and a sly glance from the side, "but i treated him the best."

your hand flew to your chest in mock hurt, yet there was no denying the playlist glint of mirth in your eyes, "i'm gravely offended by the implication that i didn't treat rexy right."

"i'm just saying it as it is." he huffed and crossed his arms.

"moving on from rexy, my beloved," he snickered at the honorific you used, which earned him a nudge from your elbow, "look it's our first day of grade school!"

xiao didn't quite remember that day, since the rain tended to beat out all other thoughts, but he did remember when you bounded up to him with a little froggy hat on your head, and handed him a matching one. the photo had captured when you had slung your little five year old arms around xiao's neck and held him close to show off your matching froggy rainhats. he also vividly remembered walking home hand-in-hand with you, jumping in puddles, and watching as snails and worms made their way across sidewalk pavements in complete awe.

"we should get matching hats again, frogs are all the rave now aren't they? you'd looks so cute with a wittle fwoggy hat on your head." you cooed and pinched the chub of his cheek gently between your forefinger and thumb.

the physical contact sent a jolt of lightning throughout his body and he felt the heat rush to his face faster than you could say "froggy" again.

"n-next page!" he quickly muttered, flipping the laminated photo over so that a different array of photos peered back up at him.

"awww i remember this photo, you were so nervous about going into the sea." you hummed, affectionately thumbing the sheathed photograph of you and xiao, hand-in-hand and ankle-deep in a crystal blue sea. zhongli had captured the moment just perfectly, with your head tilted backwards in laughter, gaps in your teeth perfectly on display, whereas xiao's fright was evident on his face as he desperately clung to your hands; if the embarrassment of the little blue floaties with miniature yellow ducklings on his two arms wasn't enough, xiao was pretty sure that he cried a ton moments after that photo was taken and demanded they go to shore to collect sea shells instead.

"why did papa only save the embarrassing ones..." xiao grumbled under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

you merely tilted your head back and released the sweet cacophony of your laughs from deep within your chest. xiao knew no sweeter sound nor melody that could ever compare with the snorts between your fits of laughter, or the choked coughing sessions you'd usually end up in after, like right now. his hand tentatively hovered above your back for a minute before it made contact with the fabric of your clothes and gently rubbed up and down to soothe your coughs.

"see, this is what happens when you laugh too much." he chided, attempting to mask the mirth and affection in his voice as best he could.

"oh hush, you worrywart." you waved him off and focused your attention back to the album in your hands.

xiao's hand still hovered near your back, and as if possessed by the cupid that had been hovering around his shoulders, he allowed his arm to carefully drape over your shoulders and pull you closer to him. the muffled squeals of joy from beyond the kitchen doors indicated that hu tao and yanfei had seen his act of bravery as well. his heart pounded wildly in his chest as he looked at your face, drenched in shock with a hint of intrigue. the small "o" on your lips quickly dissolved into a gentle smile as you placed your head into the crook of his shoulder and leaned back against the couch with the photo album shared between your laps. the muffled shrieks of joy indicated that hu tao and yanfei must have also seen that.

no matter how hard he tried, his heartbeat wouldn't cease its rampant thundering nor would his face calm its rouge fury. how many nights had he dreamed about a moment like this, where you'd be close by his side and your heartbeats would finally sync together in harmony?

'far too many,' he thinks.

you're silent as a mouse now, quietly flipping through the photo album with a nostalgic smile etched onto your lips. he can't help but be entranced with every detail that decorated your appearance, and every slight particular facial gesture or habit that made it much easier to read your moods. take right now, as an example: the scrunch of your nose as you looked at a photo of you and him in your matching, third grade halloween costumes of peanut butter and jam meant that you were trying to suppress a smile or a bubble of laughter. his arm has never felt such warmth.

now was as good a time as any, right?

"l-listen, (y/n), there's s-something that i...need to tell you," he started, face turning inwards and choosing to brave his storms and face you eye-to-eye.

but before he could continue, a clutter of noise rang from the kitchen followed by muffled curses and exclamations. you shot up from your relaxed position on his shoulder and shot your head towards the door.

"what was that?!" you mumbled, turning back to him with a worried look on your face as you pushed yourself up from his embrace and waited for xiao to follow suit.

still in a rosy haze and drunk on your embrace, it took a minute for his brain to finally get up to speed. you grabbed his forearm and hurried past the kitchen doors. xiao expected that perhaps something had fell or broken (or in the worst case scenario, a break-in). of course, in this family anything was everything but typical.

in all its grand glory, a pigeon of all things sat comfortably on the counter, pecking away at the oreos hu tao had taken out for a snack. xiao looked to the corner of the kitchen to see his three sisters huddled behind their father, who gallantly held a broom and a determined look on his face.

"both of you, come this way!" he ordered.

"oh nonsense, uncle zhongli. it's just a pigeon. here," with a nearby towel, you gently wafted the fabric in the direction of the pigeon. the pigeon, who seemed to mystically obey you, hopped down from the counter and sauntered over to the open sliding glass door as guided by your towel wafting. with one final flick of the fabric, the pigeon disappeared beyond the glass and flew off into the night sky.

"there! not so frightening now is it?" you beamed and shut the glass door.

"(y/n) you should've seen it! feifei cracked the sliding door to throw out some dust and BOOM!" hu tao's arms spread wide open and mimicked a plane flying in for landing, "in came the pigeon! i wanted to adopt it but papa said no." she pouted, crossing her arms and side-eyeing the older man.

with the threat of the pigeon now gone, the rest of his family began to tentatively move back throughout the kitchen. yanfei and hu tao shot him a double thumbs up and left him to stand beside you in front of the glass doors.

"so, what was it you wanted to tell me before we were so rudely interrupted by a pigeon?" you asked.

the "nevermind" that tumbled out of his mouth is quick and hasty, and it's little more than an excuse to excuse himself from the bewildering situation where he nearly poured his heart out to you, only to be interrupted by a pigeon.

PHASE THREE STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: A SUCCESS (???)

phase four: the big confession!

agents snowbell and jingles will decorate the back patio with fairy lights and candles. agent grinch will lead the target out to the back patio to watch the stars, where he will share his feelings with the target and live happily ever after!

"hey, that actually went pretty well!"

xiao did his best to blot out whatever other exclamation yanfei had made, too busy wrapped up in his own thoughts: was he too forward by wrapping an arm around your shoulders? but you leaned into him, so surely it wasn't the wrong choice, was it?

"hey hey, stop zoning out! we're in the home stretch here!" hu tao wagged her palm in front of his face and broke him from his daze.

"the pigeon fiasco ruined the moment, but you had a good run there! keep up that attitude, definitely." yanfei (who had somehow produced a clipboard) carefully wrote down something on a piece of paper.

what exactly she was writing, xiao could only guess.

"next up: the biiiig confession! now's your time to shine, lover boy!"

"confession?!" he jumped up from the living room couch with a start, eyes frazzled and worried and heartbeat more erratic than ever. "absolutely not, no way."

"xiaooooo you can't chicken out now! this is what the entire night's been leading to after all. feifei and i already decked out the patio earlier! all that's left to do is take them outside and profess your love like a disney prince mweheheheheeeee~" hu tao cackled, slumped over the arm rest of the plush couch with her legs dangling over the edge.

"i said no, i can't do this." his fingers found their way raking through his thick locks, other hand scrunching up the fabric of his white shirt within his fist as if he held in his hand his actual thumping heart. he had hardly heard when the kitchen doors opened and the familiar scent of ganyu's perfume wafted into the living room.

"have any of you seen (y/n)? a blizzard picked up outside and papa doesn't want them driving in the snow." ganyu's familiar mop of periwinkle locks popped into the living room. she glanced around in search of what xiao assumed was your familiar figure.

xiao looked towards hu tao and yanfei, who in turn looked at each other expectantly.

hu tao nervously glanced towards yanfei with an undoubted sheen of worry in her eyes, "feifei...you didn't already tell them to go outside on the patio and wait...did you?"

all color within yanfei's face drained as she whipped her head to xiao, confirming his suspicions with only the slight nod of her head. faster than he could even comprehend, his hands reached for a nearby blanket on the couch and his feet hurried towards the back door. all he could picture in his mind was your frigid skin and frosted fingertips, devoid of warmth and comfort as he whipped open the door and hurried outside in nothing but his father's outdoor slippers.

there you stood: with your back to him and clothes doused in a layer of frothy white snow, you stood against a backdrop of beautiful chaos and whirling snow. the fairy lights and candles hu tao and yanfei had set up earlier were blown off from where they hung and devoid of any sort of light. the biting snow burned against his cheek and exposed, bare skin as he walked towards you with the thick blanket grasped tightly in his hands.

"you're an idiot for waiting out here for so long." despite the harsh denotation of the words he muttered, there was a tentative gentleness to it that seemed to be reserved only for you. once close enough to your shivering body, he draped the blanket over your figure and held the material shut tight himself across your chest so that your back pressed against his chest.

"hey now, i can't disobey a direct order from miss yanfei herself. she said she had another surprise for me, but i suppose the surprise is no more?" your head cocked itself to the side to peer directly into his eyes.

"the only surprise you'll get from her is frostbite," he scoffed as he rubbed his hands up and down the sides of your arms over top of the blanket, "come inside now, you'll freeze out here."

"...maybe," you began, eyes still transfixed on the raging swirls of stormy snow that engulfed you; xiao turned his attention towards you with intrigue,

"maybe next time, i can actually experience the surprise she had for me." you mumbled, and leaned further back into his warm body.

deep down, xiao wished he had the guts to fulfil your desires.

PHASE FOUR STATUS OF OPERATION MISTLETOE: COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE

"(y/n) i apologize greatly. i've given these two a good scolding for sending you outside in nothing but your evening wear." zhongli gestured to a sheepish hu tao and yanfei, who ran straight into your arms as you entered the house again.

"t-that's fine u-uncle zhongli! b-but for n-now i'd j-just like to g-get a little w-warmed up? i'm r-really s-starting to feel the c-cold now haha." you sputtered between chattering teeth, latching on tightly to the fleece blanket xiao had draped across your shoulders as you used your other hand to stroke the heads of hu tao and yanfei.

"yes, of course. ganyu will bring you some warm tea once i've brewed it," zhongli smiled kindly and turned towards the kitchen before seemingly remembering something and turning back to face you and xiao, "and my dear, you should spend the night here. i'd detest if you were to drive back home in all that snow, it simply isn't safe. i believe we have a spare sleeping bag that you can use."

"y-yeah! that's f-fine with m-me if it's okay with x-xiao?"

before he could even reply (and provide an answer he wasn't even sure of yet), yanfei and hu tao interjected:

"of course he's cool with it! isn't that right, hu tao?" yanfei popped up by your side, accompanied by a nodding hu tao.

"yep yep yep! xiao's got the warmest room in the house!"

one day, xiao swore one day he'd get his two little gremlin sisters back for their transgressions.

"i believe xiao still has a spare set of your pajamas from the last time you slept over, why don't hu tao and yanfei take you to go get settled in his room while you wait for your tea?" zhongli suggested, eyeing his youngest daughters expectantly and silently pleading for them to not cause any more trouble once more before disappearing beyond the doors to the kitchen.

"are you sure you're fine?" he spun you around to face him and let his eyes roam over your body in search of anything worrying.

"oh please, a little snow won't be the end of me. i'll be just fine. but you might wanna fix your tie." you giggled and reached for the silky black tie that the winter winds had strewn over his shoulder, and fixed it back into place. your fingers lingered for just a moment longer than they should've, and managed to steal the breath from his lungs as they caught in the nets in his throat. as soon as they had came into contact with his chest, your fingers disappeared and your warmth trailed off behind his two sisters.

xiao's eyes wandered to your waddling figure, draped in the thick blanket as hu tao and yanfei guided you upstairs. his gaze lingered on you for a moment before he tore himself away and defeatedly groaned into the palms of his hands. weary legs carried him to the seat of the living room couch, where he all but collapsed and dug his elbows into his thighs while cradling his head. the sigh he'd been holding in all night finally slipped past his lips as his entire body sagged in complete and utter exhaustion.

he truly was at a loss for what to do now: if he really was that romantically incompetent on his own, and his little sister's plan hadn't been a success, then what was he left to do? perhaps giving up was in order, but the mere thought of never holding you close in his arms and never addressing you as all the cheesy pet names he's ever thought of before made his heart pang in an indescribable manner. not to mention, there was the fine line to be crossed between best of friends, and sweetest of lovers. would there ever be any return tickets if he ever made it beyond the threshold should you not like him in return? what of the friendship that lasted for nearly two decades up to this point?

if only he hadn't tripped and stumbled down the rose covered path of love towards your inviting arms; perhaps then he wouldn't be psychologically tormenting himself with his own inadequacies. just as he was about to slip below the cusp of his thoughts, a gentle hand placed itself on his shoulder and the scent of mint once again engulfed his nostrils.

"what's bothering you, xiao?" ganyu hummed, perched on the arm rest of the couch as she rubbed soothing circles into his shoulder.

"nothing, everything is absolutely fine." he spat, despite knowing that ganyu deserved least of all to be the brunt of his frustration.

"h-hey, don't get upset...just trying to help," she sighed and placed her hands back into her lap covered by the silky blue dress she wore, "you can always tell me anything that's bothering you. i'll listen."

xiao was reluctant—far too reluctant to inform his older sister that he was head over heels in love with his best friend and that he'd been dragged into a plot devised by their younger sisters to finally get him to fess up his feelings. there was the stubborn part of him that feared bearing his truth and admitting that he was scared: of rejection, of messing up, of so many things. but reluctance aside, ganyu's familiar sunset eyes peered back at him with such care and attention, it was almost as though the words he'd been so violently repressed had become unclogged in his throat with just those few words of reassurance she uttered.

maybe he'll try his luck once more.

the details of "operation mistletoe" came out in jumbled nonsense at first, until ganyu urged him to take him time and he slowly found momentum. from phase one to phase four, and all the moments in between, as well as his burning feelings for you, all his words came out in quiet globs of emotional admission.

"i put my faith in hu tao and yanfei because i thought it would help me confess to (y/n)...but everything kept going wrong a-and on my own...i'm not enough to make them feel things for me...and i'm terrified that if i mess things up that they'll never want to be friends with me again, and i don't think i could bear that."

his head hung low in shame, fists clenched together in front of him. frustration flooded his veins at his own incompetence and shameful admission to the thoughts that had been plaguing him for years.

"xiao..." ganyu mumbled and slid down the arm rest to sit beside him. "i think you're trying too hard to be something you're not. yanfei and hu tao mean well, but in reality romance is nothing like it's depicted in anime or dramas. n-not that i have any experience!" she quickly clarified, waving her hand in dismissal.

"but on my own," xiao paused and looked at his trembling hands, "(y/n) would never love someone like me."

ganyu frowned and overlapped his hand within two of her own. "xiao, i've looked after you and (y/n) since you two were in diapers. even if they can't see you romantically, there's no doubt in my mind that they'll never stop caring and loving for you, even if it's platonic. most importantly, (y/n) would love you for who you are even if it means they deal with your communicative problems and standoffish behavior. n-not that t-there's anything wrong with that o-of course!"

xiao felt a small smile creep its way onto his face as he stewed in ganyu's words. in truth: ganyu was right. you weren't so flimsy that you'd toss him aside should you reject his feelings, and you were well aware that it was impossible to reproduce the suave character of a handsome drama lead in someone like him. you've stuck by his side for all these years, not an ideal version of him, just him as he is: wholly human and bound to trip and fall yet get back up again.

"take a chance, xiao. it's alright if it doesn't work out; i know they'd never leave you." ganyu hummed and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his spine.

"i should've gone to you for help instead of letting yanfei and hu tao drag me around all night." he laughed breathlessly to conceal the film of tears hanging from his golden eyes and hid his face in his hands.

"ah so you three were scheming in the cleaning closet instead of looking for air freshener, that makes a lot more sense now." ganyu giggled and nudged his shoulder. "you're much of a better person than you give yourself credit for, xiao. don't sell yourself short."

with a shaky inhale, xiao managed to shyly squeak out: "i really, really like them, ganyu."

"i know, you'd have to be a fool not to notice after all." she smiled and smoothed over the top of his frazzled locks, "tell them how you feel when you're ready."

the thing is, he wondered: how do you know if you're ready?

"heya! soooo we couldn't find the sleeping bag, ehe~"

his fingers went to press the bridge of his nose almost immediately as if to soothe the oncoming migraine that his sisters would inevitably give him. the sleeping bag was probably hidden away, stuffed under either of their beds, but he didn't have the energy to fight them on it.

"hey, it's no biggie. xiao and i have shared a bed plenty of times together, right?" you chirped as you nudged his side expectantly.

you had indeed shared a bed before, but you left out the crucial fact that you hadn't slept in the same bed as xiao since you were kids. there was absolutely no way his heart could take this, but seeing how you bounced up and down on the balls of your heels, eager eyes peeking through the doorway of his room, it looked like there was no saying "no" to you either way.

"y-yeah, s'fine." he mumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets.

you'd already changed into your pajamas and warmed up from the mishap of phase four. the tea ganyu had brought to warm you up had been half drunk and now you settled comfortably on the side of xiao's large bed with your phone in hand. xiao would think the scene quite domestic and sweet if not for the jeering presence of his sisters behind him.

"there's only..."

"...one bed! it's straight out of fanfiction!"

their whisper-squeals did little to calm his racing heartbeat and no sooner than they had spoken did xiao usher them off with hisses under his breath.

"okay, you two have had your fun. now shoo," xiao turned them around and gently pushed their backs out of the door to his room, but not discreetly leaning down towards them and whispering a hushed "thank you."

"hey, no need! (y/n) would be super lucky to date you." hu tao cheered quietly and shoved an encouraging thumbs up for him.

"exactly, we're just glad to help. aaaand this kept hu tao from pulling any disastrous pranks this year." yanfei side eyed her sister, who innocently peered back with starlit eyes.

even after wishing them goodnight and shutting his door, the nervous pitter-patter of his heart had yet to cease. the dress shirt he'd been wearing all night stuck to his skin and itched at his sides and he wanted nothing more for it to be gone.

"xiao? you gonna get changed or do you plan on going to bed looking like a butler?" you snickered from your seat on his bed, knees tucked tight against your chest from beneath his white comforter.

he merely rolled his eyes and shuffled towards his drawers to pull out a soft, white t shirt and dark blue checkered pajama bottoms. you turned on your side to allow him privacy, but even with your eyes fixated on the phantom blue screen of your phone, xiao couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. too many times did his fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt and too many times did he misstep while trying to put on his pajama pants.

"you okay?" you called, face still turned the other way.

"y-yeah! just...lost my balance." he mumbled out an excuse and slid the t shirt over his head.

with every step he took towards his light switch, his heart's pulse threatened to burst out of his chest. he could practically feel the slight thump in his throat right beside his bobbing adam's apple.

"tell them when you're ready." but when will he be ready?

with a flick of his finger, his room shrouded itself in darkness with only the gentle trickle of pearly moonlight to illuminate the large, obsidian floor rug that blanketed his bedroom. you looked towards him and shut your phone off, scooching over in his bed to make room for his body. as much as his limbs trembled, he managed to slip underneath his sheets and turned on his side so that his back faced you and his body hung off the side of the bed in order to give you as much space as you needed.

"what are you doing? you know the bed is big enough for the both of us, right?" you giggled, and his stomach jolted in his body as your arms slid around his waist and pulled him into the bed, closer to your body.

"i just w-wanted to respect your space..." he mumbled into his pillow, and with the heat that reverberated off of the fabric he was sure that his face was nothing but a blushing mess right now. you'd said something of comfort to him, but it was blotted out by the thumping in his ears.

your arms still loosely draped themselves around his waist, and the heat of your body gently brushed against his back and sent tingles up his spine. there was absolutely no way he'd be able to sleep with how hard his heart was pounding in his ears.

your name flew out of his lips before he decided to let his mind overwork him to the bone and interfere once more: "(y/n)?"

"hm?"

"i..." his lips went dry and all the words he'd been practicing over and over again in his head flitted off into the air. your hand gently pressed against his tense shoulder blade, silently encouraging to take his time. but all he could feel was the warmth of your hand against his back; even just your presence was enough to send his heart into hysterics.

you were it for him, he was sure no one else could ever make him feel as safe and warm as you did.

he wasn't sure when he had inched closer to the edge again, perhaps it was when he felt the ticklish fan of your breath against the nape of his neck or when you shifted closer so that your leg brushed against his. xiao simply thought his mind had finally chosen to descend into the realm of sleep when his view of his bedroom ceiling began to turn and the familiar yet unfamiliar sensation of falling engulfed him.

it wasn't until his back made a muted impact against the carpet did he realize that yes, he, as a twenty one year old man, had just fallen out of his own bed.

"xiao?! are you alright?" you scrambled to the edge of the bed and peered down at him with worry glossed over in your eyes.

he sighed and draped an arm over his eyes, a warbled smile stretching itself onto his lips. "yeah, all good." he mumbled.

just as he was about to suggest that you sleep in ganyu's room, a pillow hit his stomach, followed by the weight of his comforter. you tossed a pillow beside him onto the soft carpet and scooted off of the bed to lay on the other side of him on the carpet.

"what are you doing?"

you turned to him with a cheeky smile and fluffed out the ends of the comforter, "sleeping on the floor with you, duh," you snorted and fixed the pillow on the rug, "when we were kids we used to do this all the time during sleepovers when you couldn't sleep, remember? we pretended it was camping."

of course xiao remembered, he could never forget his sleepless nights only remedied by the comfort of his floor rug, and how much you complained about your aching back in the morning yet never blamed him for an inch of your pain. "yeah, but i never fell off my own bed first." he choked out a laugh and shoved the pillow under his head before burying the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"times change, so do methods." you joked and laid flat on your back so that both you and xiao stared up at his ceiling, where the glow in the dark stars you both had stuck up nearly a decade ago still clung to the chipped, white paint.

"do you think that we'll ever change?"

the question came out choked and barely uttered under his breath but somehow you managed to hear him even through all the thick barrier and fog he had produced.

"of course we will," you hummed as xiao turned his head to the side to avoid your knowing gaze. his eyes snapped open when your fingers hesitantly brushed against his own before intertwining with his fingers, "but we'll change together."

of all the love advice and training sessions hu tao and yanfei had put him through, never did it occur to him that you wouldn't leave him behind in the dust even if he struggled to convey his feelings. he had always felt the pressure to keep up and measure up to his best friend's amazing qualities, yet preserve the years of history behind them. and yet you so boldly claimed that despite change, you'd be right by his side.

how do you know if you're ready? maybe he is.

"i think i'm in love with you."

too nervous to face you, xiao could only zero in on the glowing stars on his ceiling and squeezed your intertwined hand to quell the nervous tide washing up in his stomach.

"i know," you giggled and raised your intertwined hands to press against your heart, which thundered just as much if not more than his.

xiao's heart stuttered before jackhammering against the thin roof of his ribcage as he shot up and whipped his head to look back down at you, still laying on your back and looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars with your hand still intertwined with his—as if nothing had happened.

"you....you knew?" he mumbled breathlessly.

you shifted so that you sat up and faced him, body impossibly close to his as you used your free hand to play with the tips of his intertwined fingers.

"welllll," you started with a cheeky smile, "you did propose to me when we were six."

xiao groaned into the skin of the palm he rubbed over his face. he, unfortunately, remembered every detail of proposing to you with a ring made of a daisy and taking you "wedding clothes shopping" in his sister's and papa's closets.

"for the record, i think i do too."

dreaming, he was surely dreaming, because there was no way that you reciprocated his feelings.

"y-you...me? love??" his pointer finger jutted against his chest.

"i wouldn't put it like a caveman, but yeah," you laughed and caressed your thumb over the back of his knuckles, "i do, i love you lots."

"oh," was all he could manage to say amidst the tides of emotions that washed over him: his heart was practically still with how fast it was beating, and he thanked the darkness for granting him the mercy of concealing the raging blush that had overtaken his face.

how many nights had he spent dreaming of the moment where his hand would engulf yours and trail imaginary lines over the bumps of your knuckles? so many, that as he reached his free, trembling hand up to stroke the apple of your cheek, he thought himself still asleep and dreaming of your love.

your warm nose gently brushed against his, and though the lips he's dreamt of since he was a kid were so, so close to him, he found himself planting his forehead in the crook of your shoulder and gripping your hand with a nervous fervor through stuttered breaths. your laugh hummed against his skin as you ran a hand through his locks and pressed a gentle kiss to the tender area of his temple.

he was no casanova or romeo, nor was he particularly the best at romance and love. but no doubt in his mind: if you could embrace him with honey lined hugs and kisses that made his insides melt just as he is, there's no other place he'd rather be and no other way he would've had the evening play out.

there was always an unspoken language whispered in the comfortable silence between you two, and somehow you always managed to understand the jumbled desires and conversations in his heart that never met the threshold of his voicebox. sleep wasn't calling, but the desire to hold you within his arms was.

and as he tugged you down with him, pulled the covers over your bodies, and held you close against his chest to peer up at the glow-in-the-dark stars above, xiao felt all the worries of his night melt away and fizzle off like glitter into the air around him.

in your arms and with the lull of your heartbeat did he finally find paradise: a lover's secret garden where he'd love to walk hand-in-hand with you for as long as time would allow him.

"shhh! not so loud, you'll wake them up!"

ganyu—as the eldest—always made it her priority to keep her siblings in order. but just this once perhaps a little indulgence was allowed, as she leaned against the doorframe and watched with a fond smile as yanfei eagerly took round upon round of pictures on her phone of you comfortably nestled deep in xiao's embrace under the covers.

"see! i knew hiding the sleeping bag was a good call." hu tao giggled and quietly tip toed to yanfei's side to observe the angles at which she took photos

the morning light had made a great highlight of the slight trail of drool from your lips, and the tousled mess that was their brother's hair.

"alright, you two, i think that's enough. let's go help papa start breakfast." ganyu gently chided with a whisper and ushered the two girls to her side.

"awww, these photos are gonna look so good in the album." yanfei cooed as she swiped through the pictures and obeyed her sister's orders to tiptoe quietly to the doorway of xiao's room.

just as hu tao was about to follow, the rustle of sheets behind her and a raspy "hu tao?" made her stop dead in her tracks.

"xiao! uhhh-" she nervously whipped her head to yanfei and ganyu, who pretended to not notice her silent plea for help, "we were just- uh- you know?" she sheepishly smiled and raised her hands in surrender.

he really didn't know what she was talking about, nor why all three of his sisters had decided to congregate in his room. but the slight shift of your body in his arms reminded him of all the events that had transpired yesterday, and suddenly the annoyance and fatigue melted away into honeyed bliss.

"so," yanfei started, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips, "was our operation successful?"

his head shifted on his pillow to peer down at you with what he felt were metaphorical hearts in his eyes. a gentle brush of his fingers against your temple gave hu tao and yanfei all the confirmation they needed as they dashed out of his room with bubbling, giddy grins on their faces. ganyu chuckled and let him know of breakfast's brewing before quietly shutting the door and leaving him to bask in the warm, morning silence and your warmth within his arms.

xiao prayed that you wouldn't wake from his gentle touches, but against all odds your eyes fluttered open to reveal the beautiful shade of (e/c) that he loved so much. your lips stretched into a hazy smile as your raspy voice mumbled a "good morning"...

...followed by a quick, chaste kiss to his lips.

it'd be so nonchalant, xiao would've dismissed it as if you'd sent him a teasing remark like usual if not for the realization that you had just kissed him as if it were already part of your routine.

"oh! i'm sorry...i just- i did that instinctively..." your hands flew to your mouth, apologetic eyes flickering to gauge his reaction.

xiao didn't care for firsts, just that the first person to kiss his lips was you: his best friend, and the person he loved more than anything in this world. his hand, warm from the heat of your bodies, moved to cup your cheek and thumbed just below your eye.

the minute his lips connected with yours once again, he didn't feel fireworks or electric sparks like hu tao and yanfei's romantic animes and dramas and articles described. rather, his heart felt as though it had been dipped into a sweet pool of warm honey, and if he concentrated hard enough he'd feel the gentle flap of butterfly wings deep in the pits of his stomach, and the faint, fragrant scent of dewy carnations and roses in the height of spring.

sooner or later, he'd have to get up and pull you up from the ground and listen to you complain about the cricks and soreness in your back. his father and ganyu would embarrass him with stories of his youth during breakfast while you stuffed your cheeks with fluffy waffles bathed in sweet syrup. and there was no doubt in his mind that hu tao and yanfei would fill you in on operation mistletoe.

but even within all its chaos and domesticity, xiao would never change a single bit of it: not his family, not you, and not the stupid four-phase operation that got him here in the first place.

OPERATION MISTLETOE STATUS: A SUPER DUPER WONDERFUL SUCCESS!

date published: december 23rd, 2021

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