When He Calls My Name

5

No commissions posted from the Adventures Guild this morning, so I spend the AM sitting on the docks of Liyue Harbor, on a private corner where I can watch the boats sail and the gentle waters flow.

My bare feet glide gracefully over the cool, clear surface as I enjoy every bite of my Wanmin breakfast. All is calm, all is peaceful...until I'm quite literally smacked by this dark, shadowy aura that tugs at the back of my hair.

I jump, and the last bite of my breakfast plops down into the waters below as I regretfully watch it sink down in the abyss between my feet. I sigh audibly, brows furrowed as I turn behind me to find none other than the man I had to baby all night.

"Not cool..." I pout, snatching away my braid from his grasp and giving him the stink look.

"What happened last night?" Xiao says quickly but quietly. "I need answers immediately."

My brows relax and I suddenly smirk, letting out a soft chuckle. "A lot," I reply, but that only grants me another hair tug to which I groan in response. "Ow okay! I'm guessing you woke up and read the texts, huh?"

"You have guessed correctly. Now speak."

"Relax," I say, patting the spot next to me on the dock. He hesitates, but takes the bait, sitting down beside me, arms still folded. "Remember that bottle I gifted you, right?"

"Mhm," he says, "I drank the whole thing. That part I obviously remember, Traveler. What happened when you came to my room?"

"Well," I say, "I got there, and you quite literally fell into my arms and puked."

"Puked?!" Xiao looks completely flabbergasted. "As in, vomited? On you?"

"Thaaaat is correct. Yep. So, I guided you to the bathroom so you could finish the job, holding you up—as you kept wanting to dunk your head into the puke-filled toilet—then brought you to the bedroom where I laid you down as you whined incoherent phrases. I then proceeded to remove my puke decorated shirt, to which you..."

I pause, holding my hand up to my mouth to stifle a laugh.

"To which I what?" Xiao's eyes search mine impatiently. "You cannot just stop speaking in the middle of a sentence like that!"

"Sorry, sorry," I say, waving a hand. "...To which you... gave me some...rather tasteful compliments."

Xiao's face goes absolutely beet red, eyes darting from mine to rest in his lap. "W-what were these compliments?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" I smirk.

"Traveler!"

"Fine, fine," I say, "Well... you looked up and um...moaned and said... 'Aether...when you have your shirt off like this, it makes me feel strange inside of my pants. But, this strange feeling is something of pleasure. It's like, a reaction to something I see that pleases me....' Only a lot more slurred and broken."

Xiao gets up immediately, but I grab his wrist, pulling him back down beside me. His flesh burns in my hand, and I can visibly see his heart racing by the sharpness of his breaths.

"Xiao, it's okay," I say. "You were drunk. We all say some weird stuff when we're drunk. No worries, I was only there to help you. After that, you passed out, and I just sat there beside you a little longer to make sure you'd be alright. And then I left."

He says nothing, just searching my eyes frantically, breaths still heavy, face still red, before quite literally disintegrating from my grasp. And just like that, he's gone again.

I sigh, head slowly lowering to the hands that now rest in my lap.

"Xiao..." I say softly, to no one at all. "Just let me in."

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TO BE CONTINUED