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❥ 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳: 𝘕𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭
❥ 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦
❥ 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘍𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧
❥ 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦: 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦
❥ 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘟𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘲𝘪𝘶 !!
╰──➤ 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝘼 𝙂𝙄𝙁𝙏!
I rush to our spot, sword in hand, trying my best not to be late. My feet are aching from all the running, but I'm able to let out a sigh of relief once I reach the open clearing in the middle of the woods. Some of the silk flowers I planted are still here as I drag myself over to Xingqiu, who is sitting against a tree with a book in hand.
"Ah, you've finally arrived."
"Y-Yeah," I huff, resting my hands on my knees as I catch my breath.
Once I recover, I beam at him and hold the sword out, holding it horizontally. "Happy birthday, Xingqiu!"
"So you did remember," he smiles. "You got me a sword?"
"W-Well, um... Before you start hating me, let me tell you it's specially made for you!" I say.
He chuckles. "I would never hate you or anything you give me, my liege. How is it specially for me?"
Growing nervous, I suddenly take it back and hold it vertically, behind me. "Uh... I'll give it to you at the end of the day! So... What are we doing?"
"Hm," he hums. "Could I ask a favor of you?"
"Yeah, of course! It's your birthday, after all," I answer, letting his present dissipate so I can summon it later.
"May I rest on your lap?"
My face flushes red. "U-Uh, sure?"
Why does he want to lay his head on my lap? I wonder.
"Thank you, my liege."
I sit down beside him, leaning against the giant tree trunk and letting him position himself so his head is on my lap. He looks up at me with a smile and my face flares up even more. I'm not sure what to say.
"Are you nervous?" He asks.
"E-Eh? Why would I have any reason to be nervous? Ahah..."
"You tell me. You're blushing quite hard, my liege," he smirks.
"D-Don't tease me, Xingqiu," I mumble, looking off to the side.
"But your reactions are so cute-"
"X-Xingqiu!"
"Fine, fine."
Despite him agreeing not to tease me anymore, he continues gazing at me. I find myself growing self-conscious under his gaze, and he clearly notices.
"You look wonderful from any angle, my liege."
Why does he compliment me like we're dating!?
"T-Thank you..."
"Can I fall asleep here?"
"Well, yeah..."
He gives me another smile. "Wake me up in an hour or so."
"Got it!"
"Thanks," he whispers, closing his eyes and turning on his side.
After a few minutes, I start subconsciously playing with his hair. Part of me wants to lean down and give him a kiss on the cheek, but I'm too paranoid that he's awake and that would be way too embarrassing if he is. So, I settle for gently tangling my fingers in his hair. His asymmetrical bangs are charming in a way I can't describe with words. I smile softly, staring down at his sleeping face. He looks so peaceful, away from all the troubles of reality...
Wait, is this creepy?
At that thought, I immediately look away and realize he's still holding his book from earlier. I slip it out of his hands and into mine. I look at the summary and realize it's another trashy romance novel. I frequently find him reading these, though it's always in private. Eventually, he gave up trying to hide them from me. I chuckle and open the book to the first page, deciding to read to pass time. Of course, I make sure he marked his page before anything else.
•❅─────✧❅✦❅✧─────❅•
"The scenery here is beautiful," I comment, sitting in the grass next to Xingqiu on a cliff that overlooks Luhua Pool.
"Yes, it's quite the sight, especially while the sun is setting," he agrees.
"Is there really not anything else you wanted to do today?" I query. "You didn't even wanna spend today with Chongyun or Xiangling?"
"Mm. While their company is nice, I prefer yours. But... There is one thing I wanted to do."
"Oh? What is it?"
He suddenly blushes. "It's... embarrassing."
"Wow, it must be bad if you find it embarrassing," I raise my eyebrows. "Tell me!"
"Hm... No."
"Aw, why?!" I whine.
"Because I said so."
"No fun," I sigh.
"You still haven't given me my gift," he mentions.
"...O-Oh, that! Right..." My face burns at the thought. "Do I have to-"
"Yes."
"Damn..."
He pokes my cheek and I blink in surprise, wondering why he did so. I look over at him and he grins, absolutely melting my heart. How is he so cute!? It's not fair!
"Can I run away after I give it to you?" I request with a nervous smile.
"...Why would you run away?"
"You'll see!"
"Okay, I guess?"
I exhale and summon the sword again. "Thank you. Um, here you go!"
My hands shake as I hand the sword over and once its in his hands, I hastily stand up and watch as he looks over the sword, likely wondering what's special about it. He sees the words engraved on the blade and his face promptly appears red. That's my cue to run.
