𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ↬ 𝘹𝘪𝘢𝘰.

𝙩𝙚𝙣

↬ 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 ↫

"Finally! I thought we were never gonna get that done!" Venti cries with joy.

"Yeah, it took a while. By the way, where's Xiao?" Aether asks.

"I think he went to see Y/n," Kazuha answers. "She lives on the floor above us."

"Why do you know that?" Venti blinks.

"Because Xiao told me."

"Seriously!? He never tells me anything!"

Meanwhile, you're screaming into your pillow. You can't contain the happiness inside your heart, and it feels like an earthquake every time it beats. You can barely believe what just happened. But when you hear a knock on the door, you take a few deep breaths and go to open it, prepared to act like a normal human being. Even so, you're very jumpy.

So when you open the door and see Xiao, you immediately jump forward and wrap your arms around him. He staggers backward but keeps his balance, hesitantly hugging back while he tries to comprehend what's going on.

"I got a call from Jean! I can start working with you now!" You giggle, feeling your body heating up because of how close you are to Xiao. You're too happy to care much, though. You can't even stop yourself from laughing happily because of your excitement.

And Xiao's shocked by this news, since his manager never discussed her decision with them. Admittedly, he's ecstatic as well, but he's terrible at showing it and it would be embarrassing for him if his happiness was so obvious.

"That's great," he smiles, giving you a tight squeeze.

"Sorry for hugging you so suddenly! I'm just really happy!" You apologize, pulling away with a grin that you can't wipe off.

Finally being able to see your face clearly, Xiao's skin heats up until it's completely red. The smile you're giving him is the most adorable thing he's ever seen. You look like you're shining, and you don't even care, unlike most times. He quickly realizes he's staring at you and clears his throat awkwardly.

"I-It's fine, I don't mind," he stammers.

"Anyway, why'd you decide to drop by?" You query.

"I'm moving in downstairs," he says, still trying to recover from your smile and glowing eyes.

"Really?!" You gasp. "So much good news in one day!"

"Yeah. Jean decided to get us apartments here."

"She seems really cool," you state. "I promise I'm not just saying that because she gave me the job. Oh, right, do you want to come in? Or do you need help moving in? I'm willing to do anything right now."

"Help would be nice... But not right now," he replies.

You nod and let him through, into your apartment. You enter behind him and close the door. Kit jumps down from the couch and rubs against Xiao's leg, causing him to crouch and pet him. 

"He seems to like you more than he likes me," you say. "I can't really blame him, though."

"I can," Xiao mumbles, too quiet for you to hear.

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"If you say so," you shrug before your entire face lights up. "Oh! I have something for you!"

"What...?" He asks, standing up straight and wiping his hands off on his pants.

"Hold on!"

You leave the room and Xiao contemplates how you're behaving. He does like seeing you flustered, since it's awfully adorable, but if this is how you'd act if you weren't so anxious about everything, he'd take your worries away in an instant. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the power to do that.

You return from your bedroom with a vase full of Qingxin flowers and his eyes widen. He's somewhat amazed you remember his favorite flower.

"I know you like Qingxins, and I was walking by a flower shop yesterday, so I thought I'd get you some," you explain with a bright grin, setting the vase down on the counter in the kitchen while Xiao walks over.

"Thank you," he says softly, gently caressing one of the flowers. "They're beautiful."

"You're welcome!"

"You haven't stuttered," he points out with a smile.

"Ah... Should I be stuttering?" You ask with confusion.

"No... Confidence looks good on you."

"Thank you," you laugh nervously, averting your gaze from him. You try to avoid stammering.

"Just stating the obvious," he responds, turning his head to look at you.

"You're gonna start making me stutter..." 

"Sorry," he chuckles.

"It's fine," you smile. "Anyway, are the others downstairs too?"

"Yeah, they just finished putting their boxes in the rooms," he replies.

"...Do you think they'll be glad I'm working with them?" You ask.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure they're rooting for you, too."

You sigh with relief, "Thanks! It's still so unbelievable... I was always told I could never do something like this, so it means everything that Jean chose me. Hopefully I can prove I was the right pick!"

"...Who was telling you that you couldn't?"

"Hm?" You hum. "Oh! Sorry, I guess I said too much. It's nothing, don't worry."

Of course, he doesn't believe that.