𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙮 | 𝘹𝘪𝘢𝘰

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

★ 𝐈 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐬 ★

I returned to the tree the next morning and saw Xiao swinging around his spear, seeming bored. He was very quiet, even when slashing his polearm around like he was really killing something with it. I was especially surprised by that since I could barely hear the crunching of the snow under his feet.

"Xiao," I called. "Seems like some of the snow melted. Are we training?"

"That wouldn't be a good idea," he replied. "You'd probably get sick from falling in the snow again."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or teasing me."

"A bit of both."

"Shush. Anyway, I have something to tell you!"

"What is it?" He tilted his head and lowered his spear, curious about my announcement.

"I'm moving into the Wangshu Inn!" I beamed. 

He seemed utterly astonished, "Really? Did your mother give you permission for that?"

"Yep," I nodded. "Do you know if there's any job I could take at the Inn?"

"Not sure," he denied. "You'd likely be able to get a position in the kitchen."

"I hope so, I'm gonna need money," I sighed. "Would you mind having me around a bit more, Xiao?"

"I wouldn't mind at all..." He admitted. "I think... It'll be quite pleasant with you around."

"Really?!" My eyes lit up. "I'm glad! I was scared I would end up annoying you. I feel like I'm being too clingy... If you want me to back off, just tell me and I will!"

Suddenly, he had his hands firmly on my shoulders as he stared into my eyes. My face grew pink.

He sighed, "You need to stop worrying about that. You don't annoy me. Most humans do, but you're different. Why would I have gotten into a... Relationship... if I didn't enjoy being around you...?"

He looked shy during the last part, a small blush on his face. It was honestly adorable, especially since he turned his head to try and hide it. He really was being genuine, no question there. It was nice.

"You're very cute, Xiao," I complimented with a smile to accompany it as I placed my hands on his cheeks. "Can I kiss you again?"

"I already said you can," he muttered, embarrassed.

"Yes, but I want to keep asking until you get more comfortable with it," I responded. "So can I?"

"Yes."

I pressed my lips against his and he immediately replied, resulting in a pleasantly soft kiss. We pulled away and I grinned at his red face. I guess even an Adeptus could become weak to a certain person, huh?

"Xiao, do you like it when I kiss you?" I teased.

"I... Rather enjoy it, yes."

"I'm glad," I giggled, blushing immensely. "Now, what shall we do if we're not going to be training?"

"I'm... Not sure," Xiao admitted. "What do you normally do in your free time?"

"I explore!" I grinned. "But with the snow and the cold, I don't think it would be a good idea to stay outside for too long... Hah..."

"You're right," he nodded. "Glad you picked that up from last time."

"Shush, I learned my lesson when I got sick," I pouted.

Xiao chuckled and my eyes widened at the sound. I'd heard him laugh before, but it was so rare and something about this time was... Different. I had no idea what it was, but his voice was more... Real. That wasn't exactly how I'd describe it, but I lacked a better word to use.

"What?" He said, causing me to realize I'd been staring at him.

My face flushed red and my vision darted anywhere except Xiao. I was embarrassed. Something about him made me so nervous, but I managed to hide it most of the time. Other times, well...

"S-Sorry!" I apologized. "I didn't mean to stare, I was just getting lost in thought again! Haha... Ah..."

"What were you thinking about?" He asked.

"U-Um, anyways, what are we gonna do today? We-"

"Y/n? What were you thinking about?"

The way he said my name made me feel even more anxious than before, and he sounded really concerned. He probably assumed I was thinking of something bad that I didn't want to talk about. He was so clueless, it made him even more adorable.

"Uh... I was... Thinking... About you..." I mumbled, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily anymore.

He seemed surprised, "Really? What about me?"

"I- Um... Your laugh..." I answered. "I really... Like it."

He blinked, his eyes void of any harshness they usually held. The sharp look in his eyes, I noticed, was gradually disappearing when he was around me. I felt special, getting past his rough exterior.

"I don't understand how you can be so confident one moment, then get completely flustered to the point where you can't form a proper sentence," Xiao commented.

"W-Well, I don't know either, you just make me really nervous sometimes..." I whispered under my breath.

Even with how quiet I was, he still caught it, "Y/n, I don't scare you, do I? I would never try to cause you any harm, you know that right?"

"No! No, no! It's not like that!" I replied frantically. "It's just because I love you a lot and being around you makes me nervous to mess up and some things you do make my stomach feel all fluttery and-"

I cut myself off as I realized what I said and my idiocy slowly sank into my skull. Xiao seemed equally as astonished by it. At that point, my anxiety got so high that my legs decided to give out and I toppled over. Luckily I fell forward and Xiao caught me. We both said nothing for a minute or two until Xiao pulled me in and hugged me tightly.

"I love you too."