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The stomach is heavier just from the memory of a table filled with food. The grass tickles feet pleasantly, and the wind caresses skin, sending little goosebumps. A smile does not want to leave her lips when Hu Tao follows Xiao along an overgrown path. His broad back seems so firm and unshakable in the fading twilight that the heart shudders at any sound. But he is definitely as well-fed and satisfied as the director of the funeral parlor himself.
This is not surprising at all, considering in what wonderful company their pre-holiday dinner was held. The surprised face of the Traveler flashes before her eyes when Hu Tao brought the great Adept. However, Hu Tao was so happy when Zhongli sent her to fetch Xiao that she practically does not remember the way to the Wangshu Inn. She only remembers how her heart was beating when she called the mighty Yaksha from the balcony, how they walked along the road to the harbor, and how awkward he felt at the table, exchanging cold but polite phrases with other participants of the banquet.
Aya, definitely, this lantern festival is the best. Not only because of the delicious food, but also because he was there. Among her friends and family, met the holiday and enjoyed the worldly goods.
Hu Tao gasps, stumbling over a pebble, consciousness recovers a little after hot drinks and naughty dances from which his legs ached a little. Xiao stops and turns to her, piercing amber eyes.
His eyebrow is curiously arched, although Hu Tao knows for sure that he noticed it a long time ago. To be honest, she didn't want to hide, so she just smiled broadly and stood up, coming closer to Yaksa.
"Where are you going?" such a stupid question from the strongest warrior in all of Teyvat.
"Just like you."
"Are you following me?" he frowns so funny, but Hu Tao just laughs. If he wanted to, he would have used his adept tricks and disappeared as soon as he left the Xinyue Kiosk. But he walked so slowly, moving up the slope, that Hu Tao could not overcome herself and not follow him.
Curiosity killed the cat, but even so, Hu Tao would still have gone after Xiao on this magical holiday.
"Nothing like that, Dear Xiao. I, your humble servant, obediently follow the great Adept, protector Liyue, wherever I am called."
"I didn't call you."
"But you didn't send me away. You knew I was coming for you"-his attentive gaze slides over her face, causing her heart to jump in her chest.
Alcohol is still felt on the tip of the tongue when his silence replaces a positive response. The Xiao language is quite simple, and for so many years Hu Tao has learned to read it.
"Keep up. We don't have much time."
He agrees so simply that she involuntarily freezes. Happiness fills the body, giving a second wind, and Hu Tao runs after, climbing the slope. Behind her, Mountain Tianheng was visible, and from the corner of her eye she could see Liyue Harbor. Night was slowly falling, everything freezes in anticipation of the launch of flashlights, and her palms are trembling a little with anticipation.
She couldn't make a gift right in front of everyone and put her beloved Yaksha in an awkward position, but this year Xiao has no chance to refuse. Otherwise, she will be very offended, and it was not in her plans to start the new year with insults!
"Didn't you want to look at the lanterns? Xiao, why are we coming here?"
"You'll see."
There is so much mystery in this man. Ah, her poor heart. A little more, and he definitely won't stand it. But then it would be too simple a defeat.
Xiao easily jumps onto the ledge and turns, extending his hand from above. From such a simple movement, her heart falls to her feet, and her cheeks burn. She puts her hand into Xiao's palm without hesitation. He squeezes her wrist tightly and jerks her up with incredible force, so that for a second Hu Tao thinks she is taking off. Supported by the adept's hand, she steps onto the hill.
"Ay-ay-ay, Xiao, you are not only powerful, but also strong," she says without guile, but notes of laughter still slip into her voice, hiding embarrassment.
Xiao frowns and snorts something under his nose. She thinks he's mumbling about disrespect again, but even that sounds like music to her ears. Although, perhaps she is just imagining it, because with such a loud concert and Xinyun's voice, Hu Tao could definitely lose her hearing for one evening.
He turns to the harbor and his gaze glides over the houses, over the lights from the windows that fill the landscape with a magical soft light. The whole harbor shone with decorations and lamps.
Hu Tao involuntarily gasps and squeezes his palm, forgetting about everything. Something tickling, warm covers the body and she rises on her toes, wanting to catch new angles and views of her home in the festive light. Everything shines so brightly that she is filled with anticipation and joy, as she once was in childhood.
"Oh! Do you always watch the lanterns from here? What a beautiful place!"
"Not always. Once… I was here. "
This is already amazing, given his busy schedule. Hu Tao nods approvingly and only now notices how their hands are still connected. She quickly looks away from the clasped palms, feeling the heat on her cheeks. If she stares so openly, Xiao will definitely notice it.
When she looks up, Xiao is looking straight at her, which makes her heart jump again. Her throat tightens, but she still finds the strength to ask the question: "How do you like dinner, Xiao? Say it was fun."
"Dinner shouldn't be fun." His voice, as always, sounds stern and unshakable. Hu Tao is already predicting his next sentence.
"Yes, you're right! But it all depends on the company, doesn't it? Everyone gathered for the holiday. Even the Traveler from Paimon arrived in Liyue! I haven't heard so many stories for a long time, especially about Sumeru!" Xiao is silent, which makes her smile widen. Ah, this is a proud stubborn Yaksha. He, too, had heard all these stories about the distant land of flowers and wisdom. His face remains strangely gloomy, but so... peaceful. "Can you imagine, I gave Zhongli a wallet, and today he almost forgot it in his office right before leaving. And Xiangling's food was just fine! No one can treat dinner more respectfully than Xiangling. Well, I think it was fun! And Zhongli even came out almost sober. And then you know how it happens..."
"I know."
Hu Tao could have put her hat on the line, because Xiao had a smile on his face. Weak, almost imperceptible, but she knows exactly this curve of the lips. This is a little treasure that she collects piece by piece and keeps deep in her heart.
"So you admit it was fun?"
Xiao stares into her eyes, as if looking for a trick. She feels him squeeze her palm harder and takes a deep breath, but she doesn't hear fatigue or irritation.
Her heart stops when the warmth leaves her palm and the cold night air touches her skin, getting goosebumps. Xiao folds his arms over his chest and looks at the harbor again. The struggle mixes in his golden eyes, but something else wins, forcing Yaksha to relax under the soft light of the moon and the harbor.
Perhaps the memories of tonight, the warm company and delicious food could weaken Xiao's hard armor. Hu Tao could only guess.
"It was… Interesting. Quite a lively atmosphere."
"Ah! The Immortal Yaksha admits that it was fun? No, it's definitely a national holiday!" She laughs, trying to get rid of a slight longing for his warmth. Her gaze slid over his free palms for the last time, and Hu Tao decided to return to contemplating the magical landscape of her beloved Liyue.
She feels it. He feels that Xiao wants to add something, to say about his place as an Adeptus, about the feast of mortals, at which he does not belong. And she already has ready-made answers to this, because no matter how much she loves Xiao, his wounds still cannot heal from the words of an ordinary mortal.
The bitterness of thoughts slides on the tip of her tongue, which she immediately shoves away.
In the twinkling of stars and distant lights, the silence between them is saturated with understatement, strange tension and slight pain. But on a festive day, Hu Tao does not want to be sad and think about the differences at all. Especially now.
The distant sounds of waves and the excited voices of Liyue residents reach two lonely figures. Something faintly flickers in the dark sky among the lights and rises. Hu Tao does not immediately notice the light that glides through the air higher and higher.
"Oh-oh-oh! It's starting, Xiao! Look!" She grabs him by the edge of his sleeve and points with her hand at the first lanterns that peek out from the roofs of buildings.
Her heart skips a beat as she watches the others follow the first lantern, slowly circling and rising into the air. Time sets up for a leisurely walk through the sky, which is filled with light. They strive for the stars, just as her soul wants to soar after the lights.
Impatience and delight pierce her body, and she turns to Xiao, wanting to share this moment. His undeservedly beautiful immortal face is filled with warm light and tranquility, an echo of the human feeling of admiration and joy that her stupid heart is filled with love.
She absorbs this picture, trying to remember every line, every curve and emotions that fill his amber gaze.
Something distracts him (probably her gaze is too intense), and Xiao turns to her. For a moment, but it seems to Hu Tao that something just as hot and magical glides in his sparkling eyes when he looks at her.
The atmosphere is so charming that Hu Tao allows himself to believe in a beautiful fairy tale where a stupid adeptus is attached to a mortal just as the stupidest mortal is in love with a Yaksha.
She smiles, her hand slips into her pocket and pulls out a rolled-up flashlight. Xiao's gaze instantly drops and his eyes widen.
She points to a dark green lantern with a purple bird pattern. "Ahem, I hope you will accept this humble gift, O mighty Yaksha. This is a lantern specially for you!"
Hu Tao remembers swallowing dust when she was looking for a book about Adepts in the funeral parlor archive to repeat the drawing on his hand. How she bought a batch of candles and spent them at night, painting the fabric, circling the figure with gold paint.
Xiao blinks, examining the lantern in her hands. Hu Tao slowly opens it, shaping it and holding it out to the adept. Xiao stands as if he has been nailed to the ground, and cannot take her eyes off the gift in which she has invested all her strength. "Is this... for me?"
"Aya, if you know another Adeptus Xiao, then you should introduce me to him immediately! In our difficult business, it never hurts to know about immortals."
A chuckle escapes his lips too quickly for her not to have time to enjoy the sound. Xiao accepts the gift, rustling the paper, and looks at Hu Tao with the most impenetrable expression on his face. Is this a surprise? Gratitude? Embarrassment? She doesn't know.
Xiao looks at his empty hands. "Where's yours?"
"I have already made a wish and asked Xiangling to make mine," she smiles slyly and folds her hands behind her back. In fact, Hu Tao completely forgot about her lantern, but, ah, her cherished wish will come true right now, so it would be foolish to ask for more.
Such greed can then incur the wrath of Celestia herself.
"Fire..."
"Silly Xiao, here I am!" Under her gaze, the wick instantly lights up, and the flashlight is filled with light and hot air. Xiao looks at a simple decorated piece of paper the way Hu Tao usually looks at a terribly funny and simple order for which the customer brings a fatally large sum. "Launch it soon and make a wish, Xiao! The lanterns are about to fly away!"
"Yaksha don't make wishes."
"Oh. No one will know!" He looks at her strangely. "And I promise that this secret will go to the grave with me! I'm a master at keeping secrets. Let's! Until everyone left."
Xiao sighs and slowly takes her hand. Hu Tao freezes when his palm touches the bottom, and his palm covers it from below. Heat fills her body, and she is unable to pull away the hand that Xiao is holding. He takes her other palm and repeats the movement.
Warmth envelops her weak palms, and her cheeks are filled with heat. Hu Tao hopes that in the light of the lantern it will not be so noticeable, but the girl's heart still starts dancing in her chest.
"The gods will not hear the pleas of sinners," he whispers softly.
Hu Tao gets the hint. And it is forgotten in the loud beating of the heart.
"Then I'll have to ask for you," Hu Tao replies just as quietly.
For a second, in the light of the light, a smile appears on his lips and he nods. "Make a wish, Hu Tao."
I want to be near you , she begs, and for some reason his palm shudders.
The warmth completely fills the ball and Yaksha slowly lifts their hands up, still clutching her weak palms in his. Hu Tao feels like it's a dream. A beautiful, sweet dream. And she doesn't want to wake up.
They look up, watching the lantern glide through the air, rising higher. A strange color, it attracts the eye and stands out among the rest of the light lanterns with its gloom, severity. But even so, he seems awfully cute to Hu Tao when the lantern circles around his “friends”, adjusting to the heavenly dance.
Her heart is pounding, her body is shaking, and his hands are still gripping her tightly.
The lanterns slowly rise, illuminate the sky, and mix with the stars. So close and so far away. Just like Xiao next to her, whom she still can't reach, no matter how close he stands.
"What did you wish for?"
Hu Tao shudders and looks straight ahead, afraid that her desire is written on her face. Her business mask has always cracked next to the protector Li Yue, who shares with her the secret of the afterlife. She can still feel the heat of his palms. His fingers tighten around her in a mute, insistent demand for an answer. Hu Tao swallows, trying to collect his thoughts.
Yes, the atmosphere is really magical. So much so that she wants to believe that her wish will come true.
"If you say it out loud, it won't come true."
Xiao blinks. For some reason, a strange smile appears on his face.
Hu Tao can't understand what amused him so much, and what feelings are hidden behind his beautiful face this time, behind a soft charming smile that can burn the whole Li Yue. The question is trying to leave his lips when he suddenly pulls her towards him.
His face is pressed against her chest, and his arms are wrapped around her waist. The air leaves her lungs as Xiao presses her body harder against his, squeezing her in such a tight embrace that for a second she thinks her spine will turn to dust. Well, so be it , Hu Tao thinks, cupping his chest in response, trying to press his hard body closer to his own.
Every muscle movement feels like its own, and for a second it seems that they have the same body. His chin rests on her shoulder, and his ear is pressed against her cheek. Hu Tao unwittingly adapts to his deep breathing, which stirs the tips of her hair and touches her burning ears. Her heart is strangely raging, but calms down with every breath.
This is so strange for Xiao, but Hu Tao does not find the strength to ask unnecessary questions. She will keep this moment a secret, in her heart, like everything else connected with this stupid vigilant man.
Xiao is still holding her in his arms when the city is plunged into the silence of the night. The decorations are slowly going out, ready to meet the dawn, and in his hands, time seems to have stopped for them.
She lost count as they stood pressed tightly together. It seems to her that she is ready to stand like this all night and meet the first morning of the new year together. With her hands, she feels his shoulders and body relax, but the grip on her waist still feels steely and unbreakable. In fact, Hu Tao herself cannot find the strength to let him go, to separate her hands and look at him.
Yes, it's probably really a dream.
"Thank you." His voice is so quiet that she can barely make out the words.
So weak, peaceful and calm that involuntarily the hands are pressed harder against his body in mute support.
"You're welcome, Xiao."
After her words, Xiao's arms tighten around her body, and with a strange sigh, he weakly pulls away. Slowly, as if reluctantly, she lowers her hands and looks at the Adeptus. She feels his gaze on her face and takes a deep breath herself, filling her lungs with air. She needed to muster up the courage to openly look into his amber eyes.
She feels the need to say something."Whatever you wish for, it will definitely come true."
Hu Tao sees a strange soft light and feels fingers on her face. Xiao adjusts a lock of dark hair, tucking it behind her ear, and her heart fills with heat as his face slowly begins to approach her face.
Hu Tao closes her eyes in fright, she is afraid to open them and waits with a sinking heart for the continuation. But nothing happens, and the silence is filled with her loud heartbeat. Tao is worried that his acute hearing has heard all her excitement and anticipation, but does not move from his place, as if he is afraid of scaring him off.
"Maybe."
Xiao answers with a strange intonation, and when she wants to look at him, the hat covers her view. His fingers confidently squeeze the edges, lowering his grandfather's hat more strongly almost on his nose.
"Xiao..?"
"Happy holiday, Hu Tao. Now go home."
"Wait!"
"Call my name if you need help or are in danger. I'll be there."
And he disappears in the most familiar way, holding her hat to the very end. The wind glides over the skin with a pleasant cooling jet. The night, inexcusably long, continues to flow, echoing the sounds of the waves. The harbor behind her falls asleep after the holiday.
Hu Tao walks down the hill, holding his hat with one hand so that it does not fall. Her eyes search among the stars for the lost desire of Yaksha.
And the amber look is felt on her back, which makes a joyful laugh fly from her lips.
"Silly Xiao. Happy holidays," she whispers to the wind, knowing that the message will be delivered.