Star-Crossed [ G. Impact ]

eight | VIII

ミ☆

at the start of their journey, xiao had fallen completely silent other than the sound of his boots against the dirt path. (y/n) walked alongside him, getting distracted every now and then by the pretty flowers growing on the side of the path.

spotting a qingxing bloom near the edge of a cliff, she didn't hesitate to trot in that direction and proceed to delicately unearth it. irritated, the adeptus stopped in his tracks as not to trek too far ahead, tapping his foot impatiently.

as (y/n) made her way back towards him, she glanced up at his displeased face and chuckled nervously.

"sorry, i'm just taking everything in," she said in her defense, twirling the flower in her grasp with nimble fingers. he grunted in response, sparing a slight nod towards the direction they were heading. the girl frowned. his lack of speech was beginning to get to her.

she had to walk briskly in order to keep up with him. "do you know where we are going?"

"yes. mountain shaper's abode."

"you haven't even looked at a map once, are you certain we're headed in the right direction?"

at this, he glared at her dubiously. "if you would like to lead the way, be my guest."

"ah—no, no, i was just making sure..."

she sighed softly. he glanced at her from the side, lips twitching ever-so-slightly. the day was still ripe with the sound of birds chirping, accompanied by a gentle zephyr weaving through the long grass. (y/n) put her hand in the air as if grasping the sky, only to clutch a handful and pull it down to her chest.

he couldn't continue to ignore her. "what are you doing, mortal?"

"huh? me?" the girl pointed to herself in disbelief. he was addressing her?

"who else, dummy? you're the only other person here," xiao pointed out, flicking her forehead as if that would set her straight. she whined, holding a hand to the spot. it was still tender from a few days ago in the ruins.

"no need to resort to violence, if you want my attention just ask nicely," (y/n) chided, a smile forming on her face. he rolled his eyes in return.

her grin grew as if the most genius idea popped into her head. she leaned closer to him, to his dismay, and tucked the flower behind his ear. he grumbled under his breath when she started cooing at him incessantly.

"stop that," he swatted her away defiantly.

"if your personality was as pretty as your face, i might just make a move on you myself," she stated boldly. xiao clicked his tongue, but left the flower in place. upon noticing this, her chest twinged with warmth.

this time, she stuck close to his side instead of wandering off. his face had lost the tense expression it held previously and was replaced with something much more approachable.

as the trees and greenery passed by, (y/n) wondered why he took a human form instead of an animal like the others. she supposed it was because he was staying at the inn around other humans but perhaps she was thinking too much into it.