#alatus modern au

[lxkeeeeee]

THIS IS CRIMINALLY SO SHORT 😭😭😭

❝the chase.❞

ʚ motorcyclist! xiao x fem, ballerina! reader ɞ

synopsis: a chance encounter amidst traffic fleeting like the wind, a ribbon tying you two together yet why were you both foolish enough to not ask for names?

genres: romance (implied mutual attraction), modern au + smau.

word count: 680.

author's note: this was gonna be a kuni fic but thinking about it, i think he'd just smack your hand playfully LMAO- but this fic was created by my brainrot induced by this video ᡣ𐭩ྀིྀི₊ ⊹.

ʚ masterlist ɞ

As the car comes to a stop within a sea of traffic, you sigh tiredly as your eyes drift to your bag.

Frustration blooms within you as you inwardly wince, remembering that your current pointe shoes are basically dead and that you’d have to break in new pointe shoes when you get home.

But with the reminder of you not fully grasping your piece during rehearsals, the frustration welling inside you explodes in a quiet storm in your mind.

Tugging the silk ribbon from your hair, your locks descend down your shoulders in waves, before you’re lowering the window.

Putting your hand through the window, the silk ribbon flutters softly in the night breeze and you pause as you question whether you should let it go, the ribbon—and ballet.

But just as you were about to let the ribbon flutter away, a warm and unfamiliar hand encompasses yours gently.

Your eyes shoot up to meet deep amber ones, red eyeliner lining his sharp eyes as locks of black and turquoise peek from his helmet, his face hidden by the mask beneath his motorcycle helmet.

The man gently closes your hand into a fist, securing the ribbon in your grasp as he gently nudges your hand back into the car. 

“You should put your hands back in the car,” He hums and you find yourself entranced by the lull of his voice, deep and soothing—alluring. 

The man turns his head to face the road yet he keeps eye contact by looking at your through the corner of his eyes, “It’s dangerous.”

He’s gone as fast as he had unexpectedly arrived as traffic begins to move and only then are you able to realize what had just happened.

You feel heat rise to your cheeks as your bottom lip slightly falls, your stomach twisting and turning and you swear there’s a whole swarm of butterflies in your stomach.

Swallowing thickly, your fingers absentmindedly played with the ribbon, tying it into a cute bow.

And as traffic begins to lessen and the driver accelerates, the loud roar of a motorcycle catches your attention.

Instinctively grabbing your phone, you snap a blurry picture of the cute motorcyclist hoping to find him once more.

Boldly, you roll down the window once more as the car speeds up, unwittingly chasing the motorcyclist who unknowingly caught your eyes as your hand tightens around the ribbon in your grasp.

┊ ੈ✩‧₊*°࿐ྂ。

Xiao quickly revs his bike, weaving through traffic before a flailing hand enters the corner of his vision.

Curiosity blooms within him and he takes the bait as he slows his bike to match the car’s speed.

Being mindful to stay aware of his surroundings, his eyes meet yours once more and a small smile tugs at his lips as he recognizes you as the one from before.

Pretty. He thinks as he finally takes you in, too engrossed in informing you to keep your hands in the car to have noticed your beauty prior.

But you gently wave your hand in the wind, a smile stretching across your face as Xiao brings up his hand to grab whatever you’re holding.

He sees a faint flash of pink as your fingers brush against his and he swears he feels a buzz of electricity dance atop his skin.

The car speeds up and you maintain eye contact with him, a coy yet sweet smile on your face as you wave him goodbye.

Xiao is struck by a sudden fluttering in his stomach that distracts him enough for the car to enter the maze of cars along the freeway.

Realizing that he's lost your car, he sighs as he understands it'd be troublesome revving his bike through traffic to chase you.

Instead, he allows his eyes to drift down to what you had given him.

A baby pink silken ribbon tied into a cute bow.

A smile graces his face as he huffs amusedly behind his mask. His hand tightens around the bow as he quickly shoves it into the pocket of his jacket, noting to tie it to his bike’s keys.

© 2024 𝐌𝐘𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆-𝐈𝐕. do not copy, repost, share, or translate any of my works to tiktok, instagram, and/or any other websites/platforms.

[xiaoluvss]

the pretty boy at the café. ₊˚⊹ ♡₊˚

— your favorite barista !

(barista!xiao & regular customer!reader)

✧.* barista!xiao who was the barista you always saw each time you visited your favorite café, which you were a known regular in.

✧.* barista!xiao who you thought was extremely attractive from the first moment you saw him. his slender figure, slender hands when he worked, attractive yet stoic face, the piercings on his ears, and the way his uniform complemented his features so well . . you fell in love almost immediately.

✧.* barista!xiao who developed from 'a tiny crush' to a huge one where you started thinking about him every day.

✧.* barista!xiao who the more you'd visit, the more he'd start to notice you.

✧.* barista!xiao who was your favorite barista, and you, his favorite customer.

✧.* barista!xiao who eventually memorized the drink you'd always order from how often you'd come here . . memorizing what time you usually come by and then have the drink ready by the time you arrive. you were surprised (and flustered) when he himself handed you your drink before you even got to order.

✧.* barista!xiao whose co-workers started teasing him due to the slight difference in his attitude whenever you were in the café. now he was the one who was starting to develop a tiny crush on you.

✧.* barista!xiao who finds himself staring at you as you read a book in your table while he's making drinks or wiping down the counter. his co-workers usually notice this and nudge his side with a teasing smirk.

✧.* barista!xiao who's less nonchalant and cold towards you, seemingly having all his attention on you whenever you speak to him. you were really sweet . . and nice, and so perfect to him in his eyes.

✧.* barista!xiao who seems more agitated whenever you aren't visiting the café. he'd always seem to be much more gloomy when you aren't there.

✧.* barista!xiao who noticed you staring at his arms and hands one time, which caused the slightest smirk to appear on his face.

✧.* barista!xiao who you scolded one time, asking him to come closer with a worried look on your face as he seemed a bit tired. you took a closer look at his face and started scolding him, saying that he should rest more and that he shouldn't overwork himself. he actually listened to you, which was a rare thing for him to do with anyone else.

✧.* barista!xiao who puts little cat doodles (or doodles, in general) next to your name on the cups whenever you order, so that he could see that tiny smile of yours every time.

✧.* barista!xiao who'd keep each and every gift you'd give to him. he really appreciates you, he just won't show it. there's no way he'd admit that . . right?

✧.* barista!xiao who gifted a cute plush keychain to you, looking away with his cheeks tinted a light shade of pink. that became the first time he received a hug from you, and the moment he found out how good you actually smelled.

✧.* barista!xiao who can't hide his blush whenever he sees that exact keychain dangling on your bag when you enter the café. he remembers your hug each time he looks at it.

✧.* barista!xiao whose number you eventually found on a piece of paper taped to your drink's cup, with an 'add me?' written in neat handwriting. you found that he also added his instagram username at the bottom of the paper.

AHHDHSKDSK WHEN HE'S COLD TO OTHERS BUT NOT TO YOUUU

anyways,, I'm on a roll now omg😭I've been posting so muchhh I just really hope you guys enjoy them ૮₍˶ ╥ ‸ ╥ ⑅₎ა

thankyu for taking the time to read my works !!

[missnancywritesfanfic]

Music Festival Ft. Anemo Boys

Characters: Venti, Xiao, Kazuha, Heizou, Wanderer(Scaramouche), Aether

Contains: Modern AU, extreme fluff, drug use(kazuha), suggestive(wanderer)

A/N: I'm glad the first was so well recieved, good news I have another! Enjoy 💗

--

VENTI - Somehow Got On Stage

At first, you thought you'd lost him in the middle of a mosh pit. You're turned around more times than you could count and trying to find his vibrant aqua braids in a sea of neon is hard. This is until you hear the speakers boom.

"Hellooooo Mondstadt!"

Your attention is pulled back to the stage where you see him, front and centre with the mic in his hand. Your jaw drops at the sight.

Even from this distance, you can see his cheeks are flushed. He's clearly drunk. How did he get on stage? How was he allowed on the stage??

"This song's dedicated to the love of my life!" Venti points down to the mosh you're wrapped in, you swear his eyes lock with yours. "I love you, baby!"

Your face flushes, your heart flutters. It's not just the heat of the crowd effecting your anymore. Tears spring from your eyes as you yell back with a huge grin.

"I love you too!"

XIAO - Chilling On The Beach

You both sit on the sand, letting the waves touch your feet. You lean against his shoulder, silently playing a conch shell you found earlier.

You'd agreed to join your friends at this concert but unfortunately, it was rather overstimulating for Xiao so you decided to bring him on a walk.

The concert is still in full swing a ways from you. The cheering of the crowd and the live music echoes on for what felt like forever.

You look back to Xiao who's focus is glued to the ocean waves. It's a rare sight to see him so tranquil. You swear you can see the faintest smile on his lips as he plays with the sensation of sand between his toes.

His focus breaks when you silently hand him the conch, and gesture for him to hold it to his ear.

He does so, confused at first, but then his eyes go wide at the music he hears inside. His cheeks are dusted pink, bewildered at the sound, but his eyes glow a little more.

You gave him sounds of the sea to help drown out the screams of the crowd.

KAZUHA - Getting High With Strangers

Gatherings like this are nothing new to him, he finds it to be the best way to relax and connect with others. And you decide to join him.

Whether you yourself get high or not, you both sit around a bonfire with a bunch of people you'd just met from all walks of life. Party animals, first timers, 9-to-5 workers getting their first day off in forever.

And you two, the young lovers, cuddled up against one another as the sun's setting and the concert is mellowing out.

Kazuha keeps an arm wrapped around you, to shield you from the cold and partially to keep himself grounded. The entire time he listened to the shared conversation buzzing from one topic to another.

But he can't help focusing on the warmth you emanate. Maybe it was wrong to assume you needed protection from the cold night, when you produce enough heat for the both of you.

"Kazuha?"

He hums and opens his eyes, not realizing he's dosing off and leans his head on yours. You chuckle softly and brush a strand of hair from his face.

"I was just telling them about the poetry nights."

"Ah, yes, a wonderful event. My little bird creates such beautiful haikus."

Your face flushes at his praise.

"I meant your own poems, babe..."

HEIZOU - Slow Dancing With You

He can't help himself. Especially when it's you.

You just look so beautiful he has to hold you and sway to the music playing. And you melt right into his hold and let him guide your moves.

You remember this song. It was playing when you two went on your first date. Not quite the same atmosphere, definitely a unique first encounter, but thinking back makes you happy you stuck by him.

After a tough case, you offered your company and took him out for fast food and light chat. It was nothing special. You just wanted to see him smile, even if it were for a short time.

There was a car nearby with its windows rolled down, and the radio was blasting, at the height of summertime. You remember clearly the chipper tone you carried.

"Aaah, I love this song~"

Heizou turns you around so he can lie his head in the crook of your neck. You happily placed your arms around him and press a kiss into his hair.

You jump at the butterfly kisses he starts leaving on your neck.

"Heizou, there are people around us..!"

He snickers and keeps decorating your skin with kisses.

WANDERER - Making Out In The Car

Your favorite song is playing, and you're blindly searching for your phone that's buzzing on the car floor. But you nearly miss it while locking lips with your (very greedy) partner. You finally manage to catch your breath and pick it up, weakly hitting his shoulder, hoping he'll slow down on kissing your neck.

Your friends are calling, but before you can answer he takes the phone from you.

"Ah-" You whine and try to steal it back. You can barely concentrate with his hands feeling you up underneath your shirt. "Th-They're calling, I need to-" You wince as he sucks along your collarbone.

"They can wait."

He suddenly pulls you flush against his chest as he sits up, his lips still teasing your vulnerable neck. You wrap your arms around him.

"Did you want to stop?"

You shake your head and take a breath, relaxing into his touch and embracing his kisses. "Good." He turns you around and lays you down, the hand under your shirt trailing up your thigh and kindly guiding your legs to wrap around his waist.

You find yourself unable to breath again. He presses his forehead to yours, looking you in the eyes. You swear he can hear your heartbeat right now.

"Now quit your yapping and let me work."

AETHER - Checking Out Food Booths

Over seasoned meat. Fried rice. Hot dogs. Burgers. Alcohol. Soda. Ice cream. Squid. Pita pockets.

If there's one thing that Aether and Paimon are excited for outside of seeing their friends performing at this festival, it's all the food booths that'd be set up for the attendees.

He takes your hand and brings you to every single booth, he insists that you try at least one of each dish offered.

This was also the first time you'd have the opportunity to meet a bunch of his acquaintances from his travels. Unlike Aether, who had work that took him world wide, you stayed local.

Watching your boyfriend interact with so many people, and see him speak a multitude of languages on the fly is definitely a sight to behold.

You'd be lying if you said your heart didn't flutter at the sight. Just when you think he couldn't get anymore attractive.

"Hey (Name), check it out!"

You blink. He suddenly appears in front of you holding three tri-color dango sticks and a huge grin on his face.

"On the house, just for us~"

You giggle and happily take one from him. You plant a kiss on his lips as thanks.

Bless his heart. He's too cute sometimes.

[noellefan101]

Bakery Love

Genshin impact, modern baker au, reader´s family owns(and works at) a bakery + reader works there, gn!reader

characters: Tighnari, Albedo, Kazuha, Cyno, Nilou, Xiao x gn!reader

Warnings: kissing, baking(duh), romantic relationship (+ planoinic in some but not with the main), kissing, , tell me if i missed anything

Note: I'm sorry if there´s any mistakes, english is not my first language and this is not prof-read yeah enjoy ;) and it feels so weird to write for Nilou when the rest is men, i didn´t think abt that. luv you all, mwah ;)

Tighnari

i feel like he would be there to get a birthday cake for Collei, (im sorry it just sounds too cute) and you were at the front desk in your apron talking to a customer, when he walked in and ordered. you looked at him, asked what he would like and wrote a note down so you could remember - he ordered a "healthy" cake with green frosting on one side and red on the other with Cuilein anbars on the green side and baron bunnies on the red side. and then he also leaves his number woth the order bc he thinks your cute so you start to become friends. anyway, thats how you met onto when you start dating

you would come over to his house after your shift, or when you both have time, and bring him some baked goods for him and Collei/i feel like they would live together in a modern au, like Tighnari would still be her caretaker, just like in the game/. you and Tighnari would definitely bake together, and you would teach him how to bake certain pastries and stuff, and Collei/+Cyno maybe/could join if they wanted to (it would be so cute wtf). i also think he would be like a florist or smt, like he owns a flower shop, so he would bring you flowers or just plants in general. so the bakery would have a lot of plants that he´s given you. and your family (lovingly) hates him because where tf are they gonna put all these fricking flowers and stuff he gets you every week. tho their happy for you and they also got free decor for the bakery so they don´t really complain.

to him you´re like a rose, beautiful, even if sometimes you sting, he adores you just as much

Albedo

he was just there to study at first, maybe get some coffee and a piece of cake, when he saw you behind the counter he kinda.. uhm.. fell in love at first sight, yeah... anyway now/because of your beauty/he is there studying more often or when you´re there to be exact. your sibling or parent called it out but you denied it and didn´t think much of it. and then he finally asked for your number

when you finally start dating, he would still study at your bakery but it´ll be a little more often. and not only on your shifts but on other family members too, mainly bc he wants to get to know them better. he also brings his little sister, Klee, with him more often so she can meet you and your family + see the bakery. he also would make some artificial things for you, like flowers and stuff, you could either put in your room or around the bakery. yk the flower he makes in his idol or whatever its called, so like one of those or just anything you want really. he could also paint there, but he´ll just start painting you and he doesn´t want other people to think he´s stalking you.

to him you´re like a painting, pretty in many ways, and perfect in his eyes

Kazuha

he would visit the bakery once in a while, finding it relaxing to be there and finding great inspiration for his poems and stories. and something he has noticed is the beautiful person that is sometimes behind the corner/you hehe/and starts to slowly become his muse. he couldn´t help it its like keeping a secret from someone, but sharing it with the world at the same time. he finds himself going to the same place over and over again, only wanting to see your face one more time. (wtf happened to me) while he was unknowingly falling in love with this new muse, you were falling for him. (ok i need to fricking stop, omg)

when you two finally started dating, he still kept you as his muse, but this time you were both aware and laughed a little together because of it. anyway he would be there even more to just sit and write about something, then later in the day/or week if you both were busy/he would read them out to you. and at some point you would start giving him notebooks every few months just so he could write his poetry on something other than the tissues from the bakery(omg that would be so cute and hilarious at the same time). in return he would gift you your favorite flowers and try and learn to bake, even tho its not perfect he tries and you love it. sometimes you´ll bake something with him and teach him properly how to do something/or do it the way your family does it/and then after you eat it together.

to him you're a miracle, your his love, his life, and his muse, he doesn´t know what to do without you now

Cyno

he´s a policeman (the hot kind) and there was an incident with your neighbor bc their store got robbed/in my mind it's a jewelry store but let your mind go wherever/so you got a few questions since you were on your shift at the time they came in. but you then after went into the back/your home to get your parents. and then after he started showing up more both because of the situation but also because he generally liked your pastries and cakes. even after the case ended he still came over on a lot of all of his breaks, maybe it was sometimes to see you but you ofc didn´t need to know that ;)

so when you guys started dating, he would ofc still come over but also look out for you, your family, and the bakery. also in his free time/even tho its not often/he would "help" you with baking. aka your teaching him how to bake bc he can´t for the life of him, but he brags to his friends abt it "cough". anyway, he would love to try some new recipes you find online or in your family cookbook, and help as much as he can. if you made him some pastries for him to take with him to work, he would fall even more `head over heels` in love with you, seriously do it. he would definitely stop anybody that tries to steal anything from the bakery, and get them arrested immediately.

to him your love is like a drug, addicting, but even if he knows it he will still love you for eternity

Nilou

yk the cake she eats in game, that would definitely be the reason you two met. like it would be in the bakery´s window or smt and she would order that with a smile, while you where on your shift ofc. and she would get all exited and stuff. + she thinks the way you and your family make it is much better, so she´s basically a reguler bc she orders at your bakery so often. and then she starts to fall in love with one of the bakers there (you), and so she tries to find out when your shift is and stuff. (my brain couldn´t stop sry, that was a lot)

anyways, when you start dating she would definitely want to try and learn the recipe and bake it with you, but ofc she needs practice so she´ll eat your portion at the start, but you can´t complain you´ve literally done this your whole life ofc you´re better. she´d also want to meet your family early on bc you told her about some baking days when you test new recipes and stuff, so she´d be the taste tester and give tips if she could. aand you would give her discounts for some kisses. she would also dance in the bakery, with you and your family´s content ofc, so she could attract customers with her beautiful dancing.

to her you´re like cake, has many flavors, not all perfect but to her you are too perfect to enjoy only once

Xiao

i see him getting dragged there by some friends/yk aether, venti, kazuha, heizou and then scara is getting dragged there too. so basically 6rezze(sry if thats wrong) or 5wirl, but they aren´t famous/and they drag him to your bakery. bc they wanted to try the cakes and stuff. and your the one behind the counter(idk if thats a good thing or not, but ig it was?). and so you had to deal with some boys yelling at each other while one of them was completely silent/xiao/he just ordered and explained what the rest/but not for heizou, kazuha cuz i feel like they would already have ordered/you just got the pastries and cakes they ordered, and they then sat down seeming to calm down.

after you started dating he wouldn´t come to the bakery often, but he´ll definitely come over like once a week/before was like once or twice a month/and he won´t order much but is just there to support you. otherwise, if he comes to the bakery he´ll just go straight to the back to see you/they know who he is ofc, but for first-time workers that might be weird/and he would be a little sad if you were too busy to give him attention. if you give him some non-sweet cake or pastries he´ll love you even more(i swear thats impossible). he´ll also feed you, and let you feed him in return. if you want him to learn how to bake he´ll do it, but only if you teach him ofc. so there you are in your kitchen with xiao, trying to teach him to bake the non-sweet cake he likes.

you´re like the cakes you make, sweet, although he doesn´t normally like sweet things, he loves you more than anything else

Author: the sweet things at the end of each one, omg how tf did i come with those aaaaahhhh i´m freaking out right now. also if you want me to do more of these pls tell me + the characters you want in it.

thank you for reading, luv ya-Masterlist

You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody liking my posts

[aethscend]

consequence not coincidence . —

pairing. - xiao x f!reader

STATUS: being rewritten and formatted trust in the process! 🤞

- SUMMARY : first year in college and your final major project is in, except, the professor switched it around and made it a group assignment! and you were paired up by draws. no choice of your own, you were completely stranded. what, when came a random helping hand?

GENRE. - modern au! strangers to lovers, opposites attract? slow burn (and not on purpose 😭), both socmed and writing(marked), conflicts of interest, past relationship(?)s, reader side pairings(!!!), jealousy, misunderstandings, literal high school drama (flashbacks), questionable humour and decision making. y/n is referred to as feminine + she/her!

teasers;; (1) msgs , (2) inbetween , (3) pretense prfls* : guoba minions | spying network

Index

Act 1. uproot .1 to be anew .2 somewhere worthwhile .3 chances you take (w) .4 all in my head .5 solidarities (w/♡) .6 indetermined .7 enlighten .8 night before .9 amidst

Act 2. familiar .10 place only i knew (w) .11 cup of sunshine? .12 in a day (w) .13

Act 3. foresaw

Act 4. excerpt tba

subject to changes!!

[huekaveh]

i wish you could replay the quests again cuz i’d be doing the perilous trail quest everyday then

[pandamito]

Another day with Geoanemo family

AU explanation under here:

For those who are wondering, I have a Geoanemo family AU, born just cause I thought that the interactions between my genshin mains were fun. In this au Xiao has a twin, Alatus, an oc i made from Xiao's beta design, and they are guili/zhongguang's children. From a misunderstanding, Xiao and Gorou think Noelle is something like a god warrior so they start following her trying to learn to fight from her, but she's actually only super strong. They all became friends and they have their little adventures, but Xiao and Gorou sometimes fight, nothing to worry about it, just some cat vs dog fight to have their master's attention. Oh, I forgot to mention that in this au Xiao, Alatus and Gorou can shapeshift and turn themselves into animals. Also in modern au they live together and share a flat. I also have a witches au where they all are Noelle's familiars. The dogs here are Tawara (Gorou's camp dog from his bday art) and Shirou (his family dog, the one in his burst).

[tsikuri]

:)

[cryoculus]

— imagine being loved by me! ⟢

pairing: xiao | alatus x reader

summary: the one where your best friend gives you ten tattoos over the next ten years. the problem? you fall deeper in love each time the ink stains your skin.

word count: 7.1k words

tags: modern au, tattoo artist!xiao, childhood friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending, relationship study, non-explicit smut

warnings: emotionally stunted xiao but i fink everyone knows that already, mentions of needles, there's smut but it isn't detailed

notes: this blog's been dead for Months but i thought i'd revive it with this fic that my beloved @delvalentine commissioned me to make! i love u to DEATH, v, i hope i did your requests justice :')

header art cr: yuca7302 on twt

01.

“Ow, fuck! Can you be more careful?!”

“I am careful. You just have a shitty pain tolerance.”

“Wow, that’s not something you should say to your first willing client,” you huff, trying not to pull away as Xiao repeatedly punctures the skin of your forearm with pen ink and a not-so-sterile sewing needle. “My family could sue you if I die from a blood infection, you know.”

Xiao rolls his eyes. “Something this small won’t kill anyone. Plus, you came here on your own volition, so stop complaining.”

“Are you saying you’re just going to let me die of sepsis if everything goes to shit?”

“Pretty much.”

You didn’t know what to expect when your best friend of several years asked if you wanted a tattoo of your favorite constellation. It’s been a running joke between the both of you that the two moles on your forearm looked a lot like two-thirds of Orion’s belt, and that maybe, in another life, you would’ve been born with all three of its stars on your skin. 

You should’ve known that Xiao likes to blow your expectations out of the water—whether he intends to do so or not.

It’s sundown when he finishes embedding black pen ink beneath your slightly inflamed skin. Xiao doesn’t comment when you repeatedly complain about how much that fucking hurt, and that you’re never agreeing to do it again, but you don’t miss the way his eyes occasionally flit up to the starry sky before shifting to your new ‘tattoo’ as he walks you home.

You don’t think you’ll ever forget that night. How you admired the amateur handiwork in the soft glow of your nightlight while thinking about the boy who gave you a star fashioned with his own fingers where others would’ve given flowers instead.

But then you remember Xiao is nothing but your best friend, and it’s a little…weird to be thinking about him like that. 

Must be the sepsis fucking with my head, you muse before flicking off your nightlight, and the room is plunged into pitch black darkness. 

02. 

You’re eighteen when you realize Xiao is completely serious about this tattooing business.

It comes as a not-so-pleasant surprise to you one day when your high school’s guidance counselor approaches you while you’re hurrying over to your next class—asking if you’ve seen Xiao around these days because apparently, your best friend hasn’t been attending his classes for a better part of the semester. 

Of course, you receive the news with a scowl. While you don’t exactly see him all that much at school because of how different your schedules are, you never expected to find out he’s been playing hooky all this time. 

You don’t particularly like sticking your nose into other people’s business—especially not Xiao’s, since you know how he likes to keep to himself better than most. But for some reason, you aren’t able to resist, and end up calling him after excusing yourself from your two-hour Biology lecture. 

Once your classes are done, you head over to a nearby tattoo parlor whose address Xiao texted to you right after you squeezed his whereabouts out of him during that phone call. It’s located in one of the more run-down parts of town that your parents would’ve detested Xiao for inviting you to. But whatever prejudice you might’ve had about the denizens of this district all go up in smoke once you meet the owner herself.

“You should’a seen Xiao practicing with our machines a few months ago!” Beidou, as Xiao had sheepishly introduced earlier, barks out a laugh before slinging an arm around your best friend’s shoulders. “Said there’s someone he wanted to give permanent tatts to. I’m guessing you’re the guest of honor?”

“Beidou,” Xiao groans. “It’s not a big deal. I already practiced on her before.”

You don’t completely catch it when Beidou makes an inappropriate joke as a response to what Xiao just said—eyes trained on the fading dot on your forearm. It’s been two years since Xiao gave you your first ‘tattoo’, and even if the receding ink makes it look like one of Orion’s stars are starting to die out, it’s still there.

“Okay,” you say in the middle of their bickering, startling both Xiao and Beidou in the process. “I’ll let him ink me if he wants to.”

Xiao stares at you with brows furrowed. “You sure?”

No, you’re not sure because as much as you want to support Xiao in what seems to be a budding passion of his, you’re certain that your father is going to kill you when he sees a full-blown tattoo on any part of your body. You barely got away with the artificial mole that Xiao did for you a few years back.

“Positive.” You back your words up with an indignant huff before sifting through the pre-made designs on Beidou’s catalog. “You just have to put it somewhere not everyone can see, I guess.”

Beidou snorts out another jarring laugh when Xiao clicks his tongue to alleviate the embarrassment that’s painting his face just a touch of red. 

Earlier in the day, you intended to scold your best friend for not taking his studies seriously, but ended up going home that day with a new piece inked onto the skin of your left hip: a little spruce twig that you last remember seeing in your old hometown—years before you even met Xiao. 

There’s no particular meaning behind it, apart from a hint of sentimentality and rebelliousness. It’s your first actual tattoo, and one of your best friends gave it to you, free of charge. Even if it hurts ten times more than Xiao’s novice needle method from two years ago, you end up loving it more than you thought. One time, you stare at Xiao’s intricate handiwork in the mirror for so long that you nearly run late for your first class of the day. 

(Another thing that makes this particular piece memorable is the process itself.

Xiao is a person who’s always been startlingly precise in everything he decides to put his head into. When you learned that he wanted to become a tattoo artist, you instantly felt like there’s no other path more perfect for him than this.

Yet you couldn’t help but notice how his fingers sometimes trembled as he gave you your first piece—with you lying chest-down on Beidou’s tattoo chair in nothing but your shirt and underwear. It shouldn’t have been strange. Xiao has seen you dressed down like this dozens of times before. 

But when all’s said and done, he refused to meet your eyes, and you don’t have the slightest clue why.)

03.

You just can’t stop staring when you see Xiao’s half-sleeve for the first time.

It’s meant to be a phoenix, he said, but you can’t really see it because the patterns are too abstract to make sense of. Still, the azure ink sits nicely on top of his built bicep, and you have to tell yourself that you’re just trying to find the stupid phoenix as an excuse to keep ogling him.

Thankfully, your weird fascination lasts for only about a week until you’re back to shitting on him like you always do. 

By some miracle, Xiao manages to graduate high school despite being on probation from his excessive absences. He’s actually smart if he makes the effort to hit the books, but you’re not sure if he’s planning on going to college with how comfortable he is with being one of Beidou’s most in-demand tattoo artists. 

You ask him about his future plans at a party being thrown by the previous captain of the football team in his parents’ lavish penthouse somewhere uptown. It took a great deal to force Xiao into tagging along with you as your plus one, and you’re going to make good on his acquiescence by interrogating him about things he normally skirts around.

“I told you, I didn’t take any entrance exams,” he grumbles against the rim of his red cup. “I’m managing just fine working for Beidou, so I don’t see any reason to go to college.”

You’re about to argue that Beidou’s tattoo parlor won’t be open forever, and that he needs to think about broadening his career options until a bunch of girls with linked arms shuffle closer to where you and Xiao were lounging on the couch. You don’t talk to them a lot, but everyone in your grade knows the infamous Pyro Trio.

“Hey, Xiaooo,” Hu Tao drawls with a smirk, pushing up her sleeve to reveal the branches of a cherry blossom tattooed on the delicate skin of her arm. Behind her, Xiangling and Xinyan snicker like it’s some sort of inside joke. 

You intend to shift your gaze elsewhere. Clearly, you’re not the person these girls want to speak with. But the sight of the ink on Hu Tao’s skin makes the back of your neck prickle with misplaced irritation. Xiao must’ve been the one who did her piece, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Though he’s this year’s most notable absentee, rumors about Xiao’s handiwork haven’t gone unnoticed among the students in your (now) alma mater. 

That doesn’t mean you have to like the idea of your best friend inking other people that aren't you, though.

You decide to excuse yourself from Xiao’s company—given that Hu Tao is giving him plenty of attention already as is. Your best friend utters something you don’t quite catch as you walk away, and you don’t bother turning around to ask him to repeat himself.

(As you stuff your face with shot after shot, you force yourself to just keep dancing to the rhythm of whatever song is blaring to the speakers. You didn’t give two shits about the fact that Hu Tao keeps feeling up the stupid phoenix tattoo on Xiao’s arm. Nor did you care about the fact that your best friend—who’s normally evasive when it comes to casual contact—seems like he doesn’t mind at all.)

The night ends with Xiao begrudgingly getting behind the wheel of your car, since you’re obviously in no state to be driving anyone home. When he announces that he’ll bring you back to your apartment, you slur out a drunken protest—asking if he can take you to the tattoo parlor instead.

“What?” he asks incredulously. “Why?”

You huff, curling in on yourself on the passenger seat. “The cherry blossoms you gave Hu Tao were ugly as shit. You can do a better piece on me. Y’know, as practice.” 

Both of you know that you’re bluffing. Xiao’s pieces are one of the most intricate you’ve ever seen, even if he is a rookie tattoo artist, and that you don’t have a lot of points of reference to compare to. But instead of taking offense at your mindless jab at his work, Xiao slots the keys into the ignition with a defeated sigh.

“Fine. You mentioned wanting spider lilies a while back,” he says before propping his arm against the car seat as he backed up on the street. It’s the perfect angle to moon over his not-so-phoenix tattoo, and if you were any more intoxicated, you would’ve reached out and squeezed his arm. 

“Where do you want it?”

You know he meant to ask where you wanted him to put your prospective tattoo, but the question sends your mind straight into the gutter. Thankfully, you still have some semblance of coherence lingering in your drunk thoughts, and you answer with:

“Right hip. Opposite end of the spruce twig.”

When Xiao heaves another sigh and steps on the gas pedal, you don’t think much of it—still convinced it’s completely normal to expose such intimate parts of yourself to your best friend so he can tattoo a fucking flower just above the swell of your thigh.

04.

“You have been watching way too much anime.”

“Come on! At least I’m not having you tattoo the names of my shitty ex-boyfriends on my ass, right? Just give me my modified Tanjiro hanafuda and Fullmetal Alchemist flamel!”

“...Is this your way of coping with taking up a nursing course? Is it that stressful?”

You whine as you hold your phone closer to your ear, already picturing the look of disbelief in Xiao’s face when you asked when he’s free to give you your next tattoos. You still go to college in the same city, but it’s been weeks since you last saw him. 

“You have no idea,” you groan. “It’s like my first year, and I’m already burned out! How is that even possible?”

Your best friend grunts on the other line. “Maybe if you stopped being such a perfectionist, then maybe you’ll learn to be more content. Less stress on your part, too.”

“Ah, no can do. I never do anything that isn’t perfect,” you chuckle. “

“Yeah, I saw you score at the top of your class during your, uh… what was it again? Biochem exam?” 

For someone who doesn’t exactly give a damn about anything outside tattooing and other similar forms of artistry, you find it endearing to know Xiao actually remembers all the things you rant about in the wee hours of the morning. You don’t hate biochem, but if you have to draw another chemical configuration, you might just pop a vein. 

“Okay, let’s say I agree to tattoo those weird doodles you sent,” Xiao propositions, “do you even have any free days? You usually study on weekends, right? I don’t think you’re free to drop by the shop even if you wanted to.”

Fuck. He’s right. You still have a few major exams coming up in the next two weeks. If you wait that long until you get your silly weeaboo tattoos from Xiao, you would’ve already gotten over your momentary hyperfixation on the TV shows that were salvaging your sanity in the middle of the semester. It wouldn’t feel as thrilling to get them anymore.

“I’m free…” You trail off, eyes darting to the digital clock by your desk then to the course notes you have opened on your laptop. You haven’t studied as much as you wanted to for your upcoming anatomy test, but…

“Right now, actually. Can you pick me up?”

You can hear him frowning. “Don’t you have a car?”

“I do, but I don’t wanna drive when I have plastic wrap all over my body.” 

“You’re exaggerating. It’s not all over your—”

“Jesus, get the hint, Xiao. I miss my best friend, and I want to have a quiet evening cruise on his motorcycle before he gets me inked again!” 

Xiao falls silent, and this time, you’re having some difficulty picturing what expression he’s wearing on his face. You like to think you’ve startled your un-startle-able best friend, but that’s pushing your influence too much. 

“Okay,” he says, more agreeable than you thought he’d be. “I’ll be there in thirty. Don’t you dare fall asleep on me.”

05. 

When you introduce your first serious boyfriend in a while to Xiao, you’re a bit annoyed with how prickly he’s being. 

Sure, it’s wired into his system to be the snarky asshole everyone knows and loves, but if there’s anyone else who knows about the tragedy that is your love life better than yourself, it’s Xiao. When you finally land a decent guy to settle down with, you at least expect him to be a bit more supportive.  

“Actually, we came here ‘cause we planned on getting matching tattoos,” your boyfriend, Yin, explains with a dimpled smile. “Isn’t that right?”

You stifle a soft laugh, a bit embarrassed to agree, but too in love with your boyfriend to protest. 

A few years ago, you distinctly remember drunkenly rambling to Xiao about how stupid it is to get couple tattoos especially when relationships these days are built on flimsy foundations. 

If you break up, what then? You have a physical reminder of that person on your body for eternity? No fucking thanks!

“Sorry, we’re closed right now, as you can see,” Xiao grunts before jabbing his thumb at the sign he just turned at the door. “You can try some other time, though.”

At the time, you were pissed at Xiao for denying your little request. He always agreed to ink you during ungodly hours of the day, but now he’s playing the ‘shop’s closed’ card just because he doesn’t like your boyfriend?

But then, you end up grateful for his attitude exactly a month later. 

“Fucking cheated on me with some bitch from his Physics lecture,” you sniffle on Xiao’s ratty sofa as he makes you some tea in his kitchen. “I can’t believe I nearly tattooed our anniversary on my wrist! I would’ve had to fucking amputate it in the end.”

Xiao sighs before placing a piping hot cup of honey lemon in front of you on his coffee table—crossing his legs together. He doesn’t tell you I told you so, like others probably would if they were in his shoes. Your best friend just stares at you with withering understanding, no matter how stupid the choice that got you here in the first place turned out to be.

That’s one of the many things you loved about him. 

“You were supposed to have ‘XV’ inked together, right?” he asks. 

You huff before tossing some of the soiled tissues you used into the bin. “Yeah. We made it official on September 15th.”

“Well, if you still want the tattoo, you could just give it a different meaning.”

Scowling, you stare at Xiao as if he just grew a second head. “What the hell are you talking about?” Is he really suggesting for you to get the same tattoo that he denied you and your ex a month ago?

Xiao shrugs noncommittally before taking a sip from the tea he prepared for you. “It’s been fifteen years since we became best friends. That’s worth commemorating, at least. Unless you suddenly don’t give a shit about that, too?”

Your jaw hangs agape at the sudden reminder. October 15th. When you were four, you accidentally spilled orange juice all over Xiao’s teletubbies backpack, and when he forgave you on the spot, you crowned him as your first bestie. 

That was fifteen years ago. Holy shit.

He startles when you abruptly shoot back to your feet, earning yourself a perplexed stare from Xiao who just wants you to sit down and drink your damn tea—

“Is Beidou’s shop open?” you ask. “I want her to do our matching tatts.”

Xiao grimaces. “Our?”

You nod brusquely, tugging at his arm. “Yeah, I’m allowed to have matching tattoos with you, ‘cause you’ll never walk out of my life, right, Xiao?”

He’s always been a stubborn little shit, so you don’t really expect Xiao to relent as quickly as he does. You nearly stumble to the carpeted floor when he lets you pull him up—faces hovering so close to each other, you nearly choke on your own breath.

It doesn’t help that Xiao has definitely…put in a few inches of height. Back then, you used to tease him a lot for being taller than him, but now?

“Never,” he whispers so softly, you wouldn’t have heard it if you weren't as close to him as you are. “Now drink your stupid honey lemon tea so we can head to the shop.” 

About two and a half hours later, you’re sitting on the vacant seats in the shop’s waiting lounge—a familiar sting still sizzling beneath your ribcage from where you had your first matching piece with Xiao permanently inked. You made him swear to have his own ‘XV’ tattoo made on the same place, and he makes good on his promise when he emerges from the workroom, wearing nothing but his dark-washed jeans.

Unlike yourself, you rarely see Xiao in various states of undress. The most skin you could get out of him on most days is the lean muscle of his tattooed biceps, and sometimes those are enough to have you staring dumbly at him for several minutes.

Now, though?

You learn that he has several tattoos on his torso—spread across his skin like patchwork. It makes you wonder if he did some of them himself, or if he had Beidou work on them for him. Still, despite the plethora of new ink stains to gawk at, his weird phoenix tattoo remains as your personal favorite.

Along with the newest piece he got not five minutes earlier—the tattoo he shares with you.

“Are you happy now?” he grumbles, letting you marvel at the perfect roman numerals just below the jut of his ribs. “It’s a good thing Beidou gave it to us free of charge, you know.”

You giggle. “All of my tatts so far have been free of charge.”

“That’s only because you’re special to me,” Xiao sighs before freezing up in the next moment—like he didn’t mean to let that slip aloud.

You smirk. “Mm? What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

“Fuck off.”

06. 

Much to Xiao’s disappointment, your shitty taste in men doesn’t exactly end with Yin.

About three months after getting the tattoo to commemorate your fifteen years of best friendship, you meet Kaeya. He’s an exchange student, and you know better than to form any sort of attachment to someone who isn’t going to be in the same continent as you by next year. 

But you let him in anyway. 

You allow Kaeya to get to know you in ways that not even Xiao is familiar with. The smooth-talking foreigner likes to kiss every single one of your tattoos—lamenting the fact that they’re all inked in spots hidden from view. You laugh every time he brings it up, saying your parents are going to kill you and Xiao if they saw any of the pieces your best friend did for you over the last six years. 

“That best friend of yours…” Kaeya muses once he’s done bringing you to paradise and back, smoking a cigarette that makes you wrinkle your nose with distaste. He would’ve been perfect, if only he wasn’t such a chronic chainsmoker. “He’s in love with you, isn’t he?”

You nearly fall off the bed at his bold declaration.

“W-What the fuck are you talking about?” you stammer. Xiao? In love? With you? 

Kaeya shrugs. “I dunno, sweetheart. If I was a tattoo artist, I wouldn’t let anyone freeload my craft as many times as you did—even if you are my best friend. Unless I was down fucking bad for you, of course.”

Xiao doesn’t like Kaeya, but the reasoning behind it is a bit different from why he doesn’t like your ex. He knew Yin wasn’t a good match for you. Kaeya, though? The two of you had inarguable chemistry. The only problem was he was a free spirit that didn’t like to be tied down by commitments—something you clearly struggle with. 

When you reassured Xiao that Kaeya is nothing but a way to scratch a passing itch, he merely scoffed and told you to do whatever you wanted.

Could his dismissiveness be because…he’s in love with you? 

That can’t be right. You’re the one who knows Xiao best. If he hypothetically does catch feelings for someone—much less, you—you’ll surely be the first to notice, right?

Right?

Kaeya chuckles before tracing the XV tattoo along your ribcage with a cold finger—almost like he’s teasing. You roll your eyes before crawling back on top of your midnight lover, kissing him just to shut him up. 

When you drop by Beidou's the next day, Xiao is nowhere to be found.

“Didn’t he tell you?” She gapes. “Our boy’s starting his own shop downtown! He had the soft launch and everything a week ago. I was wondering where you were.”

“Uh…” 

You’re not sure how to break the news that Xiao has been giving you the cold shoulder ever since you got together with Kaeya. But finding out that he put up his own tattoo parlor without even telling you? 

If Kaeya turns out to be right, and your best friend really was in love with you, he sure as hell wasn’t acting like it. 

Deciding to play along with whatever game he’s playing, you make an appointment to get a new piece inked under a fake name. Xiao accepts it right away and schedules you for an early evening slot. You make it a point to arrive twenty minutes late just to get a rise out of him. 

When he sees you at the entrance to his shop, you almost let yourself feel smug about the unadulterated surprise on his face. Almost. You’re still pissed off that he didn’t invite you to one of the most important milestones of his life.

He fulfills your request in silence—the French word for green inked unassumingly on the underside of your shoulder blades. Xiao doesn’t say a word about his evasiveness, nor does he address the fact that you, his literal best friend, are standing in the shop he’s kept a secret for god knows how long. 

When he still refuses to talk, you slam your payment on top of a nearby table—intent on storming out of the building even if he hasn’t wrapped your newest piece in a protective layer of plastic yet. Xiao barks that he doesn’t want your fucking money, and you end up throwing your hands in the air, asking:

“Then what the hell do you want?”

You expected him to blow up in a fitful of rage. He’s never been good at anger management, you knew this well. But instead, he crosses the distance separating the two of you and crushes your mouths together.

“You,” he whispers hoarsely, desperately against your lips. “I’ve only ever wanted you.”

Kaeya calls you multiple times that night—even leaves a text message asking where you are and if you’re free. You aren’t able to answer any of them though. Not when you’re busy being railed into the next life by your best friend of fifteen—going sixteen—years in the same bed that Kaeya just had his way with you a week ago. 

When Xiao’s lips graze each and every tattoo he personally inked onto your pliant body, it’s leagues different from when Kaeya does it. It’s like your best friend is leaving a trail of fire sizzling beneath your skin everywhere his mouth trails along your hypersensitive flesh. 

Even the way he makes you fall apart from a blistering orgasm is ten times more intense than every session you had with Kaeya and Yin combined.

There’s no affection nor is there adoration in Xiao’s gaze as he fucks into you—golden eyes fueled by something carnal and zealous, but you knew better than to call that love. 

When morning comes, Xiao isn’t here with you, and you don’t know which emotion to feel. 

Kaeya, at least, has the decency to leave a note whenever he has to depart early. But all that your best friend leaves you with is a sinking feeling in your stomach, and a glaring realization that you did not want to make when you’re crying all alone in your apartment at the crack of dawn.

Kaeya was wrong. Xiao isn’t in love with you.

You’re in love with Xiao, and you immediately know you’re in deep fucking shit because of it.

07.

It’s two weeks into your mission of complete radio silence when Xiao finally breaks.

You’re in the middle of a pharmacology lecture when your phone buzzes in your pocket. You knew it wasn’t Kaeya because he’d already packed his things last week and headed back to his home country. The bastard even asked you for a quick farewell fuck, but you turned him down right away and gave him a kiss goodbye instead.

When you find out it’s a text message from the same person you’ve been trying to avoid all this time, you’re all too quick to parse through its contents.

Xiao: I'm sorry. Can we talk?

That’s how you wind up standing right outside of his new tattoo parlor. 

You haven’t been able to take a good look at it the last time you were here—too frustrated with your best friend to really make sense of your surroundings. But he’s put up his new shop in a pretty good part of town. You wonder how Xiao managed to afford it all. 

Then again, he’s been working at Beidou’s shop for years. You knew he had a decent number of regulars, as well as potential clients that are highly interested in his work. 

For once, you let yourself be proud of him. Even if he didn’t put your name on the guest list for his soft launch.

Xiao looks a little sheepish when he lets you inside and flips the sign on the front door to give the two of you some privacy. You aren’t faring any better. The last time you saw him, he was balls-deep inside of you—fucking you like you’re the most despicable woman in the world.

“So there’s this…collage piece I wanted to try,” he starts, and you fight the urge to roll your eyes. 

Of course when Xiao invites you over to talk, you shouldn’t have expected any actual talking to take place. That’s just not his style. He’d rather make up for whatever mistakes he made by inking another stupid tattoo on your body, but honestly? You’ll take whatever you can get.

When you saw his sketch of a Statue of David peppered with four-leaf clovers, you couldn’t even dream of parsing the meaning behind the piece. The only thing that makes you relent is an old memory of you and Xiao hunting for four-leaf clovers in your mother’s garden—even putting the effort to plant whatever you could find in a pot in hopes that they would grow bigger.

It takes him hours to complete the entire thing. This one is probably the most realistic piece he’s done for you, and you can’t help but watch the intense concentration on his face through the mirror on the wall as he inks it a few inches above the last tattoo he did for you. 

You’ve never really realized how…breathtaking he looks like this.

His fringe falling across his pretty gold eyes, the comfortable set of his jaw as he focuses on his work, and the soft slope of his cupid’s bow despite how harsh the words that come out of his mouth can be.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You really are in love with this guy.

When he’s finally satisfied with his work, Xiao puts down his machine before wiping a sheen of sweat off his brow. He already looks so fucking good while he’s working. How is it fair for him to look even more gorgeous right after the entire process?

“Come on, let’s wrap it up,” he says before stretching his limbs. The action makes the cropped shirt he’s wearing ride up his torso a little, and you’re teased with a glimpse of the tattoo he matches with you.

Your heart nearly leaps to your throat, and if it weren’t for the dull sting of your newest tattoo, you would’ve been entranced by the sight of him entirely.

“Sure,” you say, even if your heart is begging for you to just be honest with him. To let him know how you’ve felt all this time because frankly, you can’t keep carrying the weight of your own feelings for much longer.

But then you remember how…apathetic Xiao looked like the night he dared to tell you he wanted you. There was no love to be found in his animalistic gaze, and you fear that he’ll turn you even further away at the slightest hint of more-than-friendly affection from your end. 

You can live with this. His fleeting yet heated touches. His deep, piercing stares. 

You’ll do anything to preserve what you have with him now—even if that means sacrificing everything else you could still dream of.

08.

Sometimes, you think Xiao is making you hope on purpose.

Sure, your friendship was more or less salvaged after offering your Statue of David tattoo as a quiet apology. You’re back to teasing him for all the most minuscule things, and Xiao is back to being your voice of reason in no time.

These days, though, you don’t really have much time to hang out with him like you usually do. You’re in the last year of your nursing degree, and your shifts at the hospital on top of your regular academic workload render you much too exhausted to catch up with any of your friends. Xiao included.

But there comes a night when he visits you in your apartment when you’re busy studying for a tricky surgery exam—a bucket full of fried chicken, and a bottle of sparkling water in hand. What kind of fiend would turn away an unannounced blessing like that ? 

You munch through the midnight snack Xiao brought for you all while forcing him to do your flashcards with you. He knows the drill, anyways. Though he’s been out of school for years, Xiao is still familiar enough with your study habits to be of substantial help during these trying times.

While you’re in the middle of differentiating the different types of sutures, though, he proposes an idea.

“It’s been a while since I inked you with a sewing needle and pen ink, isn’t it?”

You narrow your eyes, taking a swig of your carbonated drink as your gaze flickers to the pseudo-Orion’s belt on your right forearm. The third star has all but faded from view over the years.

“Yeah, why are you asking?”

Xiao rummages through his knapsack for a few seconds before bringing out what seems to be a small sewing kit, and a jar labeled ‘Indian ink’. You gulp in equal parts dread and anticipation.

“I figured out how to make the tatts stay longer,” he says, a gentle smile settling over his face. “You want me to give you a new one? I can even revive good old Orion, too.”

You sigh. Who are you to turn the love of your life down anyway?

Xiao gets to work while you’re lying sideways on your bed, flinching every now and again because he decided to outline the spitting image of the flower vase sitting on top of your nightstand along the curve of your waist. 

Unlike your first experience with manual needling, your pain tolerance is much better. The only reason you’re squirming every time Xiao embeds the ink into your skin is because you’re fucking ticklish. All those years of being intimately acquainted with Beidou’s tattoo machine were all the sensory training you needed, it seems. 

When Xiao is done with this piece, he pulls you into an upright position, making you hold out your arm so he could resurrect the first tattoo he ever gave you. You roll your eyes, but let him do as he pleases anyway.

At this point, you’ll let him do anything with you.

It’s nearly three in the morning when you’re putting away the dishes and glasses you and Xiao used for the night. He’s kind enough to throw out the trash while you clean up in the kitchen, and when he meets you back in the living room to exchange farewells, you don’t really want him to go.

“You have morning classes tomorrow, right?” he murmurs as he pulls you into a firm embrace, careful not to press down too hard on your new tattoo. “Take care. Don’t burn yourself out too much. All your hard work will be for nothing if you end up keeling over before graduation.”

You can’t help it. The soft timbre of his voice coupled with the fond look in his eyes tears all your defenses asunder. As you look up to meet Xiao’s uncharacteristically doting gaze, your chest twists more and more as you keep yourself from lunging in for a kiss.

“You’re such a pessimist, it’s almost funny how caring you sound,” you chuckle. “Go on, now. Shoo. It’s late.”

Before you can push him out of the door, however, Xiao catches you by surprise when he leans down to peck your lips. You stay frozen in place even as he pulls away—smiling so prettily, you can hardly believe this guy is your perpetually pissed off best friend.

“Good night.” 

Unlike the last time he left you all alone in your apartment, you’re filled to the brim with an emotion you can’t quite name. It’s far from the emptiness that made a home in your heart when you thought you were in love with someone who didn’t love you back. But you’re not about to call it happiness either.

Whatever this strange feeling is, you let it sit in your chest for a while longer, and it lingers even when the memory of Xiao’s lips stops prickling against the skin of your own.

09.

On the day of your graduation, Xiao asks you to drop by his shop after the rites have concluded. You tell him that he’s self-centered as fuck, and that this is your day, so if he wants to use your body as a practice canvas again, he’s going to have to wait tomorrow.

You don’t tell him that you’re sulking because he didn’t even show up to congratulate you for surviving four gruesome years of nursing. But you suppose that someone who never went to college in the first place wouldn’t be the best at sympathizing with this particular milestone in your life.

He shows you his latest sketch when you make it to his shop the next morning—and you can’t contain the look of disbelief that colors your features when you realize what it is.

“A bouquet that’ll never wilt,” he chuckles, one finger expertly pointing out the flowers he’s drawn on the neat page. “Orchids and hydrangeas: your favorite. Violets: you press a bunch of these in books every summertime. Pink baby’s breath ‘cause you wouldn’t stop gushing about them at your sister’s wedding.”

You aren’t able to stifle the flattered giggle that spills from your lips. “Can’t believe you actually remember all that. What’s the lily of the valley doing there though?”

“Oh, this?” Xiao hums with one brow raised. “Your mom had lots of them in her old garden. Those are my favorite.”

“And, pray tell, why is your favorite flower going to be permanently tattooed on my body?”

Xiao doesn’t humor you with a verbal answer right away. Instead, he wheels his revolving seat closer to you so that he’s close enough to press your foreheads together. Your breath hitches when his mouth curves into a loving smile you’re starting to get used to seeing.

“Because you’re mine,” he says simply. “Now, are you going to tell me where you want me to ink your eternal bouquet or not?”

10.

You’re a complete sap when it comes to weddings. Everyone knows this.

It’s for that reason that none of your guests are surprised when you end up crying in the middle of exchanging vows with your fiancé. Xiao sighs before taking out a handkerchief from his front pocket, dabbing at the tears streaming down your face. For someone who comes on so tough to other people, you’re awfully sentimental.

“Sorry, sorry—” you sniffle, thanking every single god out there for the invention of waterproof mascara. “Okay, I’m ready now.”

The rest of the session proceeds swiftly. You get to kiss your best friend of more than two decades and call him your husband in front of some friends and family. The matrimonial rites were held in a private resort at the base of a mountain. Both you and Xiao wanted to preserve the intimacy of your wedding as much as you could. After all, you didn’t need all that flashy and grandiose wedding prep to prove to the world just how much you want to spend the rest of your life with Xiao. 

Your thoughts stay the same even as he lays you down in the king-sized bed of the cabin you had to yourselves. He sighs in between kisses as he strips you off your wedding garbs. You’re surprised he’s taking his time with you. Xiao has been eye-fucking you since you started walking down the aisle. It was so bad that even Beidou made a few off-hand remarks about the sexual tension during the reception. 

“I was thinking,” you breathe as he grinds his hips against yours, “of getting another tattoo. My last one.” 

Xiao lifts his head for a moment, one brow arched. “You’re married to a tattoo artist, and you think the tattoo you’re getting after the wedding is your last one? You’re dreaming, princess.”

“Fine. Point taken.” You roll your eyes. “But anyway, I want a dragon tattoo riiiight…here.”

Your husband watches with rapt attention as you guide his hand to the spot you’re talking about—just below the collection of your favorite flowers inked above your waist is a blank stretch of skin. Xiao’s lips twitch into a fond smile as his calloused fingers graze your flesh.

“Still against having showy tatts?” he asks before pressing a soft kiss on the spot you pointed at. 

“Mhmm. You see, my dad doesn’t care if I’m married and have my own life. If he sees that I have tattoos, he’s still going to murder me,” you chuckle. “So yeah, tatts are staying under my clothes until he grows old enough and forgets that he hates seeing ink on other people’s skin.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind then.”

When Xiao ravishes you for the first time as your husband, your chest overflows with love for him. Not everyone is lucky enough to have their best friends by their sides for as long as you did, yet you ended up tying the knot with yours. Although the entire process was more than twenty years in the making, you suppose there’s no point in rushing anything.

After all, Xiao is as permanent in your life just as much as the ink stains on your body.

“Look,” you chuckle once Xiao is done cleaning up in the bathroom and settles down right next to you on the bed, “Kaeya sent us a postcard. He says congrats on overcoming the emotional constipation.”

“Throw that thing away,” your husband grumbles, pulling you away from the pile of postcards on the nightstand. “Why are you even keeping touch with him still?”

“So I can use him as an excuse to get you jealous, and have you fuck me rough?”

“Oh, princess. If you wanted it rough…” he starts with a sigh, rolling his neck with a smirk. You gulp, wondering if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew this time around.

“All you had to do was ask.”

⟢ end notes: it's been a while since i wrote for genshin, so i hope you liked it! thank you sm for reading ^^

[hopebun]

Alatus, modern AU. Time-lapse art here ~

[zhongrin]

unchanged

◇ characters ◇ zhongli (ft. xiao and childe)

◇ tags ◇ modern!au, formerdelinquent!zhongli, professor!zhongli

◇ a/n ◇ part one here

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ⬙ 𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡

“more chocolates? geez, who knew the fearsome morax is secretly a sweet tooth?”

“shut up,” the boy sighs and throws a glare towards his ginger friend - not that it would affect him; the smiling idiot who got even more excited and reckless when a student from another school brought a knife to a fistfight. at once, another smaller boy swoops into his defense, golden eyes narrowing as his lithe arms crossed upon his chest.

“it’s ninety-five percent cocoa. bitter is the word you’re looking for. then again, you’re so dumb you’re failing art, so i suppose it’s understandable that you would struggle with language.”

“wha- the teacher’s the one who can’t appreciate real art! my narwhal looked fine!”

“that…. was a narwhal? it didn’t look like one.”

“alright, well, it might have looked a little like an orca, but-”

“it looked like a mauled deer.”

“oh, that’s it, pipsqueak, you and me, we’re settling this right now. maybe then you’ll understand that you don’t deserve the general alatus title!”

“hmph. you really are a child, just like your infamous nickname.”

zhongli sighs inwardly, teeth biting off the chunk of chocolate and humming appreciatively as the taste flooded his tongue. this would pair well with that tea he just procured from guizhong, he muses silently. ignoring the two’s bickering, he scanned the area before his gaze settles on a familiar figure. at once, he turns his head slightly to address the two.

“quiet.”

the order in his voice makes them stop abruptly for a moment. ajax breaks into a whisper, but barely two words in the dark brown-haired boy hears his friend grunt, presumably from getting hit by his right-hand man. morax refocuses on the scene.

one moment, you're looking around like a timid mouse, and the next, with a swiftness that rivals xiao’s punches, slip something into a locker. or, well, more specifically, his locker. a second after, you walk away hurriedly.

he waits awhile before stalking towards the same spot to open the same door and reaches inside.

“…. oooohhh, i see now,” ajax hums and giggles like a lovestruck schoolgirl, “you don’t like like sweets, you just like the one who brought it for you!”

zhongli throws another glare, and he knows for sure that this one isn’t working because one - ajax only laughs louder, and two - he can feel his cheeks burn.

“quiet.”

this time, there’s no order in his voice, and even xiao breaks into a small smile.

© zhongrin | 2022 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

◇ taglist ◇ @thestarsofenkanomiya | @genshinparty | @abyssmal-skies | @hamdehlesmis | @depressivecomforts | @sophiethewitch1 | @why-am-i-here-someone-save-me | @sunnshineflxwer | @heartonthemoon | @yuutasbabe | @percyval-archives | @carbs-need-more-love | @rebeccka | @queen-belial | @stygianoir | @niverine | @silentmoths | @niktwazny303 | @dustofthedailylife | @herdrops | @clovcly | @marina-and-the-memes | @angryhope | @mixed-kester | @shuangxo | @fiannee | @lordbugs | @anonymousficreader | @shizunxie | @ladylofspades

[heiayen]

love across the stars various x gn!reader

summary: small snippets of you and your lover, but each universe and scenario is different <3

tags: snippets, modern au (yoimiya, kazuha, shenhe, ayaka, albedo) canon divergence (wanderer), this is just many aus where you meet the character, established relationship (ayaka, shenhe, albedo, xiao), pre-relationship (wanderer, kazuha, yoimiya), 100+ words each

notes: *crawls out of the grave* im alive!! not really though!! anyways this is a part of @favonius-library gift exchange event and this is a gift for @soleillunne!! i hope ull enjoy it <3

WANDERER

Wanderer was plagued with... dreams. He would wake up near a waterfall, in a quiet forest, interrupted only by the gentle playing of a harp. Your harp.

You would always sit next to the water, strumming the strings, but never daring to talk. Wanderer didn't either. Though, he did ask Nahida once about it, after she noticed his thinking face.

"It seems a certain deity took interest in you!"

That was so stupid. A deity? Took interest in him? Why would anyone even do that? And yet, his curiosity piqued, he couldn't help but speak up the next time he saw you.

You stopped playing the harp and looked at him, a small smile gracing your lips. Your beauty sure was the one of a deity.

"Let's have a chat, shall we?"

KAZUHA

The flower shop was beautiful, everyone and you thought. But so was the florist working there; Kazuha was his name. You were an often guest there, always asking for flower bouquets to put in your room. You usually had a theme ready, be it a certain color, a certain feel or whatever you thought would fit the week. And Kazuha always gladly created the prettiest bouquets one could think so.

So one day you asked him to make a bouquet that he wanted to. With a charming smile he went to the backroom and some time later, came back with a bouquet even prettier than the previous ones. He gave it to you with a soft smile that made your heart skip a beat.

When you later checked the flowers and its meanings online, it turned out that every flower had some kind of a romantic meaning behind it...

And you couldn't help but wonder if it meant anything more.

XIAO

Alatus was the name he used online, but Xiao was the name you knew him with. He was a popular streamer, known for his... interesting attitude, but also for how private he was with his life. So it was a big shock when the news came that he was dating someone. Namely, you.

It was so shocking to his viewers to see someone in the background of his camera. You walked up to him and Xiao turned off his mic– or, well so he thought. The conversation between two lovers that was meant to be private, simply, blew up Twitter that day.

From that on, you became an often guest on his streams and everyone completely adored the way his eyes softened every time you walked in.

ALBEDO

Albedo had a habit you adored.

He would often take photos of you, be it when you were doing simply nothing, just sitting next to him, or maybe when you were busy watching a movie or reading. When your attention wasn't on him.

Or when you were smiling, pointing at something you noticed, wanting to capture your happiness.

You do look the prettiest when you were happy, he noticed. It was a view so precious to him, he wanted to capture it.

He never asked you to pose, no. He wanted to capture the real you, the one you allowed him to see; not the one you showed to others.

You knew about it, he wasn't especially sneaky with the photos anyway. but you had no complaints about it.

It somehow... made you feel special.

Special in a way only he could make you feel.

YOIMIYA

It was New Year's Eve when you noticed her, amidst the colorful lights of the fireworks. You didn't know her name or who she even was, seeing her for the first time in your life, in the middle of a park.

Even though it was dark and the only source of light were the fireworks, you swore you could see her beautiful smile. Full of happiness and warmth. You stared at her until your eyes met and, oh.

She really was beautiful.

Her eyes shining brighter than anything else could, brighter than the fireworks in the sky, she waved to you and gestured for you to come. She didn't want anyone to spend this time alone, after all.

You didn't know this stranger's name or anything about her, and yet your heart already made a verdict about her.

"My name is Yoimiya! And what about you?"

SHENHE

On ice, Shenhe looked like a princess. Movement graceful and fluid, as if skating was something natural to her. As if the ice was her second home. You sometimes felt like it was. She looked so pretty, twirling on the ice. There was no music, no spotlight on her, and she was just another skater among the others, but your eyes couldn't just leave her.

After a moment though, she skated to the railing, on which the other side of it you were standing.

She noticed your staring. You smiled.

"Just admiring you."

Her cheeks grew just a bit redder, already blushed from skating, and you couldn't help but smile just a bit wider. She looked at you for a moment before opening her mouth and speaking.

"Would you like to skate with me?"

AYAKA

She was your muse.

So elegant with her moves, everything carefully thought through, she was stealing your breath with her beauty. You lost count of the songs you wrote for her, the words singing a quiet love confession for Ayaka.

You wanted to write her a song she could dance to.

Carefully write the notes down on paper, gently press the piano keys, and with all your heart softly sing the lyrics, and so watch her move, watch her dance to the melodies of your love for her.

You told yourself that you would one day.

Just one day.

There was no need to rush, after all.

[submissive-wifey]

𝓑𝓮𝓰𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓰 - Modern Au ft. Xiao & Kaedehara Kazuha HCs & Imagines

!! Warning !!

Minors Don't Interact

Disclaimer ; Mentions of Scientific exploration and tools

HCs ; CEO Xiao Alatus

Ø He's bossy and grumpy

Ø He's into BDSM

Ø He would do anything to please you

Imagines ;

You were on Xiao's office begging him to have mercy

He's bodyguard caught you cheating with Childe and now you're being tied up, sobbing

Xiao was furious enough to know that you cheated on a man and that man is Childe

You know that Childe was Xiao's worst enemy but still you made a contact with him

It's been an hour Xiao slapping and spanking you real hard and it made bruise and on a max bullet massager on your velvety walls

" A whore like you begging me for mercy? "

" How ridiculous.. "

He said in a deadly look on his face

HCs ; Bodyguard Kaedehara Kazuha

Ø He would buy you some sweets

Ø He would make you some love poems

Ø He's into BDSM too (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵)

Imagines ;

Kazuha refuse to believe that he saw you cheating with another man and he refuse to believe that it was Scaramouche

Now, you were on your knees tied up in kinbaku style, he made you suffer from the pain of metal stamping

It was written on his name, Kaedehara

You were begging him to stop but he find it sensual, sexual so he continue it

" I love to see you begging me, my love.. "

" It's quite romantical... "

He said with a menacingly smile

Author's Note :

Reblogging my post appreciated 🥰✨

[noellefan101]

Nick-Names - Genshin

Characters: Xiao, Scaramouche, Venti, Lyney, Albedo, Kaveh, Thoma, Diluc, Childe, Heizou, Kazuha x GN reader

Warnings: a lot of cheesy and weird nicknames, if you dont like some for a specific char you're welcome to send me your ideas, could be modern au, established relationship

(you can clearly see that i prob put in an OC, so im so sry, but some i just also really head-canon as the "would rather date a loving person than be loving" if you get what i mean)

Summary: both of your pet names for each other, some silly some sweet

Note: you can really tell where i had no ideas for nicknames. and ik i use both 'pet names' and 'nicknames' but im just kinda stupid and didnt care to change stuff when i was already done with it. also i may just have a problem but why does princess sound 10x better than prince, no matter your gender, anyway love youuuu

Xiao

He will always say what is on his mind, and he did the same thing when you brought up using pet names. he wasn't very fond of the idea, and sometimes he still isn't(depending on the situation). but he has gotten used to it more over time, like when you burst open his door and to talk to him while using the most absurd nicknames he´s ever heard of.

__

Pet names for you: lovely, qinxing, [shorter version of your name](sry people with short names, i fell ya)

Pet names for him: babe, baby, cutie, dove, birdy, my alatus

Scaramouche

Will never admit he likes being called weird things by you, EVER. if he did then he was drunk and he was totally lying. and that counts with calling you stuff as well, he would rather die than admit he doesn't just call you that bc you wanted him to.

__

Pet names for you: idiot, princess/prince, dear

Pet names for him: smoochi, love

Venti

He was probably the one who suggested the idea at first, like two days/weeks (seconds) into your relationship. i also think he already had at least one nickname for you when you were "just friends", in the crushing phase, and has some for all his other friends as well(prob also his teachers if school au, lul).

__

Pet names for you: windblume, cecilia, [insert the cheesiest thing you can think of], my love

Pet names for him: venni, my dear, sweetheart, my bard

Lyney

He would be over the moon if you gave him a nickname, and would instantly be looking like a tomato too. would increase its usage by tenfolds if you said you liked one of his nicknames. you cannot stop him even if you somehow got 'Father' involved.

__

Pet names for you: babe, mon trésor, mon amour, beautiful

Pet names for him: sweetie, amour, lyn

Albedo

He didn't really see a use for it at first, finding it kind of useless. but sooner or later realized how happy you looked when he had somehow slipped up and called you 'love' when he needed your assistance. and later just didn't bother to stop.

__

Pet names for you: love, my cecelia, my dear

Pet names for him: 'bedo, lovely, (my) genius

Kaveh

He LOVES nick-names, probably made one for everyone in the friend group(yk alhaitham, tighnari n cyno), and would be delighted to make some up for you.

__

Pet names for you: beloved, lovely

Pet names for him: baby,

Thoma

He really wanted to try using them, yes he calls Ayato and Ayaka my lord and my lady, but its just not the same as calling your lover something sweet. and good luck if you don't like it, he's keeping those names forever.

__

Pet names for you: babe, sweetheart, baby, sleepyhead, lovely

Pet names for him: babe, love

Diluc

He honestly wasn't a fan at first, he hated it even. but of course, you being you, insisted on using names for him, and encouraged him to at least try to use some for you. so he kinda got into routine with it.

__

Pet names for you: my love, my dear

Pet names for him: dear, red head, love, my hero

Childe

Of course, he would use nick-names and such, he uses nick-names for the traveler and paimon, so of course he would be using such with you. honestly how could he not, especially when you're looking all cute cuddled up in his hoodie.

__

Pet names for you: my love, beloved, cupcake

Pet names for him: ginger, ma strong man(only for teasing purposes), hubby

Heizou

He'll almost never call you by your actual name, he didnt even when you two were just friends, only in the most serious of times would he do that. so it was no surprise that when you actually started dating, they could only become sweeter and cheesier as time goes by.

__

Pet names for you: princess/prince, baby, beautiful, (my) sunshine

Pet names for him: hei, zou-zou, babe

Kazuha

He loves it bc no matter what you call him he'll be happy. and he makes sure you have "some" as well, and i guess he just can't stop coming up with more, and they're always more cheesy than the last. you don't know how he does it, but maybe its just his poetry skills coming through.

__

Pet names for you: dove, (my) love, sweetheart, sweetie, my dear

Pet names for him: kazu, dear

thank u for reading whatever this thing is(totally not a filler bc i habe been working on that streamer au for too long), luv ya-Masterlist

You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody for liking my posts

[aethscend]

conseq. not coincidence [3] : chances you take

time drags itself by in the suffocating room, your mind settling into a haze some while ago. the professor’s voice echoes steadily throughout, clicks and pen scratches on notes accompanying him.

last of summers warmth seizing as the seasons shift between, the short break coming and going all too quickly with everything back in routine once more.

“To conclude, we will be holding a summative. this time around, in pairs."

okay, yeah everything.

groans weren't even tried to be suppressed.

"I get it, I get it-" his irk undeniable from tone alone, "networking is inevitable so we will be getting it out of the way now, not to mention the stakes I have going with our side branches." he waves his hand around. "We will be drawing lots at the front, remember to keep the slip secured and don't try to switch it around, I'll know."

just the season's luck. you watch as person from person begrudgingly go down, trying to recognise how the system would work. each slip has a corresponding pattern, and you find your partner based on it.. aand the teach is subtly writing the picks down, even greater. how does he keep track like that

watching as the people gradually dwindle away from the area, you stretch before going for it yourself. it wasn't the biggest class, maybe you could get someone good.

風

huh.

your mind completely blanks as you try to recall if you saw it before you went up. there was no way you could be without someone, it was even students.

a glimpse of something comes up as it clicks, right, zheng had a similar colour, normally sat 2 desks beside and was one of the first up. you aren't quite sure about him but a chance is a chance! you had seen him just before you stood too. and--

he, was definitely not still sat there. what

this was one of the rooms where the doors were on strictly one side of the room, the other side having top windows. you were between where the desk, halfway back to your station, and directly across from the closest door that he should've had to pass by to get out was.

the fuck.

it took all you could to not scream right then and there, how were you even supposed to- he could not have disappeared like that.

dejected and back in your seat, material still scattered infront as you let it come over you. you've gotta be kidding. seconds couldn't drag by any slower as everyone else had their chances, maybe your eyes could've deceived you and someone else, a saviour, could've gotten your match later on. nope, not even another blue.

the professor should at least have his contact listed, you reason and sigh, still dejected beyond

a gentle tap on your chair, whipping around in a fleeting hope way quicker than you probably should've when both you and the mysterious hand had to stabilise to keep it from toppling over. it's squashed and taken over by something else entirely as tame gold eyes bore into yours instead.

“Want to.. band together?”

and it stays like that. neither you nor the stranger, blue hair you note, moves. it was like both of your breaths were taken away, stolen and hoarded elsewhere as he subtly swallows; before the illusion breaks.

“Eh? you two.. unless you want to start paying extra tuition I’m looking forward to sitting back here.” teach grumbles, and that was all it took for you to break away, mind in a haste as was your body.

what was that. were you staring, of course you were. you were almost filled with embarrassment if it could catch up in time. even the one behind you’s words haven’t been caught on just yet.

bursting and almost tripping out of the door came all too quickly given it took you to that point to comprehend. breath caught in your throat again as you forced it out this time, he was right beside you just talk it out.

a warm breeze could've reflected you perfectly then as two steps out the door,

“S-so uh,” not supposed to happen why why why

you were matching eyes with him just like before, stumbling of words tried to be disregarded as you merely let your eyes waver and close briefly for that slight relief.

“hey-“

when you opened them he was gone.

..

— were you cursed?!

.

mlist || prev. > next

an/ i really tried with second person!

whispers:

out of sight out of mind, xiao wants to believe himself after that. what was even the point. his face flushed from the sprint to catch his breath, yeah right. if he could disappear for real now would not be a bad time. ducking himself even further away from the initial building, what he would do

he wants to forget all about it for as long as he has to, impulses be damned as the forsaken stick is still between his tensed fingers. the other hand rakes through his hair to try to release his worries.

光

[morpheusic]

MY LOVER | xiao.

main focus: xiao / alatus

warnings: xiao is just really devoted idk, mentions of blood, modern au / xiao is your bodyguard

small note: I'm back pookies hru 😘😘 (psych course is a bitch)

Edit: BYE I DIDN'T PROOFREAD THIS..

"Would you do me the honor of a dance?"

The world around you fades into insignificance as you lock eyes with Xiao, standing alone in the silent room. The soft melodies of the violin and piano in the background fade into a muffled hum as you both share a moment that feels almost heavenly. He stands in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection, but as soon as he sees you, everything else falls away.

You can see the hesitation in Xiao's expression as he turns to face you, unsure of how to proceed. But despite his reservations, he extends his hand towards you, asking you to dance. The moment his hand meets yours, a passionate melody fills the room and the two of you begin to move in sync.

As you twirl around the room, the sound of your footsteps clacking on the ground in perfect rhythm, you can feel the warmth of Xiao's hand in yours. His fingers interlock with yours like puzzle pieces, and his grip is gentle but firm.

Your fingers spread across Xiao's arm like the bloodstain of a deadly wound: Slow, gentle, and warm. Your eyes sparkle, fixating on his face, and your lips softly praise his beauty, making the man's heart pound. It was as exciting as if a painting had come to life.

Xiao's attention is solely focused on you, his gaze fixed on your face. It's as though you're the only person in the room, and the way he holds you is like you're the most precious and delicate thing in the world. Your eyes sparkle with delight, and you can't help but praise his beauty in a soft voice. He held you close, handling you with such care as if you were the most expensive thing in room.

His gaze was solely focused on you and you alone, and a thousand thoughts raced through his mind in an instant.

Yet, he couldn't help but stop so abruptly.

“You only belong to me, right?”

As soon as the question left your lips, the room seemed to fall silent. The soft music in the background only heightened the tension as Xiao suddenly freezes, and from underneath his hair, he thinks you can glimpse the red tips of his ears.

He suddenly can't bear to look at the woman he's dancing with in the eyes. It's almost painful. Shame pools at his stomach, eating through his gut. He shouldn't be flustered by you, especially not this easily.

He can't deny the euphoria coursing through his veins at this moment, however. Like the light flaps of a crystal flies wings, his heart flutters in his chest. Xiao feels almost dazed with happiness. If only you weren't in the room— he can't stand the thought of you witnessing himself in such a weak state.

And yet, despite his embarrassment, Xiao couldn't deny the euphoria coursing through his veins in that moment. His heart fluttered in his chest like the light flaps of a crystal fly's wings. He was almost dizzy with happiness. But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what you would think of him if you knew the dark, nasty thoughts he kept buried deep within himself. Would you still see him as deserving of your grace and beauty, or would you turn away from him in disgust?

To know how easily he caves, how quickly he crumbles in on himself— only for you, and perhaps, you would like that. And he was willing to, only for you and you alone.

He was undeserving of your grace and beauty in every way, barely able to keep himself collected in your presence, or just by the mere thought of you.

"I've always been yours," he whispers, amber eyes that were like the stars in the heaven above, full of ardor and loyalty as he finally looks at you.