And When He Leaves You In The Dark. Xiao X Gn!reader. Warnings: Angst, Xiao Dies, 2.7 Chasm Update Spoilers.

and when he leaves you in the dark. xiao x gn!reader. warnings: angst, xiao dies, 2.7 chasm update spoilers. wc: 1,906. semi proofread.

in each of xiao’s waking moments, he thinks of you.

he thinks of the sun rising in your eyes when you turn to look at him. he thinks of your smile brighter than the moonlight when you tell him about your day. he thinks of the warmth in your hands when you gently grab his own, tugging on him to lead the way.

and as his body grows weaker with each passing second from the fantastic compass, he thinks about you. as though his ears are filled with water, the loud yelling of yanfei and paimon is drowned away by his thoughts of you—it has always only been of you.

you always hated how self-sacrificial he was. your shoulders would slump when you’d hear him utter his thoughts and you’d angrily bite back your tears. you’d wrap your arms around his waist after and tell him it was all nonsense—that he still had you.

that should there come a day the stars will not align, xiao will still have you.

you would never miss the sudden look in his eyes, yet he smiles lightly and nods every time.

when the platform shatters and so does his mask, vanishing slowly as the strength in him dies a little more, xiao finally remembers what you had said to him before he left.

“come back home to me.”

you had been playing with his fingers when you spoke, not once looking up at him—missing the ghost of a smile on his lips. someone like you was too far for xiao to reach but still, he wallowed in your affection and surrendered himself fully.

you who has been blighted by someone like xiao, a demon who has slain thousands—mortals and gods alike. xiao wished back then that he had stayed away, kept to himself on the balcony of wangshu inn and never helped you with your problems.

for someone as awkward as him, xiao learned to breathe and love. love someone so different, someone who is not like him; and will never be like him. he learned to breathe you in as though you and he do not know where the two of you had begun and when you two had become whole.

“okay, i will,” xiao whispered that night. it was a promise to you and him—he’d come back home, safe and sound, to you.

then you looked up at him that time, smiling lightly as your eyes interlocked. you had noticed the fondness in his eyes, hand reaching up to cup his cheek. cute, you thought—but you’d never tell him that.

xiao supposes this would be the only time he has broken a promise to you. of the countless promises he had kept, this would be the only one he would have to break, whether he had a choice or not.

he staggers back, breath heavy and so is his body. they all look at him—yanfei, yelan, the traveler, paimon, and shinobu—with wide eyes as he stands weakly, eyes travelling towards the opening above them.

he would apologize if he could, take you once more into his arms and kiss your nose. he would apologize for everything he couldn’t have done with you and ask for your forgiveness. he knew you’d accept him as you always have.

xiao knows that his time is running out.

the color green engulfs his right hand as he balls it into a fist, knowing this would be his last act. heroic—he thinks, idiotic—you’d say. 

“i like the color green,” you told him once on a stroll.

xiao paused in his steps, turning to look at you with a raised brow. “green?” he repeated.

“yeah, i like it,” you hummed. “everything about you is green—you’re green.”

he didn’t know what it meant during that time, only that he knew you liked it because of him. xiao took every chance to take home every colored green object in sight when he would go out.

he brought a four-leaf clover once, hoping that it would bring you any luck compared to being with him. xiao left it on your hands with a shy smile as you stared at it with a smile.

everything else followed after that. xiao would grab a jade stone should he see one, a beautiful water lily when he passes by the lake, a green flower when it blooms at night.

when the sunset came and you laid your head on his shoulder by a tree trunk, xiao hesitantly asked, “why the color green?”

you didn’t move from your position, instead, you took a look at the setting sun. “i just like it,” you answered. “but, if you really want to know…”

xiao gazed at you, watching the way your lips would move, nose scrunch up when you smiled, and eyebrows moving when you spoke. he then glanced at the sky and the setting sun—it was pink and purple, something you always loved to stare at, even more than you loved the color green, that he knew.

“does that answer your question?” xiao blinked. ah, he didn’t listen.

“it does,” he said, hand slowly reaching towards yours, intertwining it with his. 

though he feels disappointed in himself for never hearing your answer, xiao realized there, you are more beautiful than the sun setting. should the sun itself disappear, xiao would follow you to the ends of the earth just to watch the sunset in your eyes.

this time, however, xiao understands why you like the color green—it symbolizes his protection. the color engulfs his companions, a bright light green that he knew would protect them and bring them to safety, and he knew that it would bring only them.

xiao watches as yelan reaches out to him, yelling something incoherent in his ears, then finally, they disappear and leave him on his own. 

the platform below him cracks and xiao falls.

he wonders what you would have said to him should you know he sacrificed himself for others—only this time, he isn’t coming back. it was his job, his duty—it was bound to happen at one point. it was something you always refused to accept, xiao shouldn’t have to bear the burden of others.

“you first before others,” you said one time. “why should you put your life on the line for them?”

it was in the contract—he would have said. but xiao was bound by no contracts (at least anymore), only his morals and his guilt. his sins were far greater than any living adeptus and he must suffer for all eternity for what he has done.

but you show him that he doesn’t have to bear the burden of others, that like everyone else, xiao is loved. and he is loved deeply and greatly by none other than you.

to others love may be a burning fire of desire, to know all of your deepest secrets, or kissing below the shade of the trees in spring and waiting for the flowers to fall. but for you, you show xiao that love to you is simply him.

and xiao knows that you love him more than you do yourself.

it’s only that xiao knows in himself that you are the epitome of love itself—and he will love you even until death.

“what are you holding?” you came up to him on a cold night by the balcony. the wind blew and howled, you shivered slightly as you make do with your hands rubbing your arms for any source of warmth.

xiao turned to you, holding a crystal-fly in his right hand. “i thought it would suit you,” he murmured, reaching out to tuck the piece in your hair. 

he gazed at you, a light smile on his lips as you touched the crystal-fly on your hair gently. xiao was right whenever it came to you—something he was always proud of, and the only thing he was proud of in himself.

“i love it,” you whispered.

“i love you,” xiao whispered back—barely audible but he knows you hear it, and wants only you to hear it.

[name], when tomorrow starts without me, i hope you feel relieved.

he has seen the mountains fall and the oceans rise, but xiao knows that he has loved only you, and forever will only be you. 

but i hope you know that i will love you even if there are no clouds in the sky and the setting sun has become dull in your eyes.

and as he falls into his doom, xiao remembers your smile, the crinkle of your eyes, the laugh you let out when he takes you too seriously, the warmth of your hugs, and the love that you brought him.

“what’s your favorite flower?” he had asked suddenly.

you thought for a few seconds as you say, “oh, i don’t know.”

xiao frowned.

“but if there was a flower like you, i would choose that one,” is what you said after.

you gave him a bright smile, laughing at your own words—still, they were true. wrapping your arms around his neck, he staggered backwards, holding your waist to steady the both of you. should there be a garden full of flowers, you would choose xiao again and again.

“that’s nonsense,” xiao clicked his tongue.

“huh? hey! i thought it was cute!”

his eyes shoot open.

for once in his life, xiao reaches up towards the small light and wishes it would grab him just as how you pulled him out of his misery.

what would you think?

what would you say?

what would you do when the news comes to you?

as he falls, tears spring to his eyes as he remembers you. the only person in his life who had shown him love. the only person who had cried when he came home with blood on him. the only person who he knows would be devastated when you find out the truth about what had happened to him.

if only xiao had stayed far away from you, it wouldn’t have ended up like this—you would not have to cry for him.

until xiao’s final moments, he thinks about you.

--

“i’m sorry, xiao has died.”

the smile on your face fades, handpicked qingxins now lay by your feet as your hands drop to your sides. verr goldet stands in front of you, a solemn look on her face—you watch her lips move but you could barely hear what she says.

xiao has died.

xiao has died?

you open your mouth to thank her for bearing you the news, but it stays open. there was nothing to say. she watches as you tremble, the gloss in your eyes fading—a look she had first seen on xiao when you had not come for a week.

with a shaky voice, you reply, “okay… thank you.”

you should have seen it coming; that one day, xiao would not return safely in your arms. the longer you stand in front of verr goldet, the heavier your body becomes, dragging you down as if it wishes to bring you with xiao himself. for now, you will weep for your dead lover.

you hope that in xiao’s final moments, he knows that should he and you walk this world once again with no remnants of each other, you will find him again and again.

notes i thought about xiao finally resting but wipee go down with me he worries about leaving you alone so in his last final moments he's desperately trying to cling onto whatever faith he has left in himself to go back to you but <3 he can't tada hehe also i hope the transitions are understandable as you can see the reader isn't with xiao in the chasm, so all you saw are xiao's memories with you just loving him or as i like to call it his life flashing before he dies :p i wrote this in one day i can't believe but i had to edit it a lot because my metaphors didn't seem right, i am not an english major so i am horrible at this

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Byeol~ I hope you're having a lovely time wherever you are!! You can do this when you're not busy, but I wanted to make a drabble request with the "there's only one bed" prompt with Ayato and Childe <33 I'm stuck between Diluc and Scaramouche (since your characterization for them is to die for) so you can choose whoever you like more for the last. Thank you so much and have a good time!

underneath twilight ♡ part one

✦ ayato. childe. diluc. scaramouche. x gn!reader | part two.

✦ tags: sharing a bed (completely SFW) + various tropes.

ayato *. ⋆ lord and employee relationship

your eyes bounce between the extravagant king-sized bed and sofa. immediately, you make a beeline for the latter and promptly sit down on it. 

as you fluff the cushions on the sofa, AYATO's shadow casts over where you are. aside from his clean, familiar scent that was enough to scramble your brain whenever it enveloped you, he was the only other person in the room. 

the room he insisted you stay in — reasoning that it was reckless for you to sleep with the other male housekeepers, and that no one would wait on him. 

wasn't it the same though, staying in the same room as him? you wanted to question, but refrained, biting your tongue instead. he'd most likely find another way to have the last word. he always did. 

you look up at him, folding your hands in your lap and offering him a polite bow. "i bid you goodnight, milord. please do not hesitate to wake me if you require anything." 

ayato hums, tilting his head in your direction playfully, before elegantly taking a seat next to you. he crosses his legs, blatantly making himself comfortable. 

you blink dumbly. what was he up to now? squirming slightly under his gaze, you cautiously approach, "my lord?" 

"go ahead. sleep," he taunts airily. his voice drops an octave lower when he follows his challenge with, "i'll move you to the bed once you do." 

your stomach knots furiously, and it only worsens when he leans in abruptly. the commissioner seemed to have no concept of personal space, as he always lingered a little too close — never at a distance that could allow you to form coherent thoughts. 

the only problem was, you didn't mind this as much as you should have. 

"is that what you were hoping for?" he asks, tone changing from teasing to innocent so startlingly it almost gave you whiplash.

but after working alongside him for several years, you knew that ayato was never innocent — no matter how much he tried to hide it behind an innocuous facade composed of eloquence, grace, and close-lipped smiles. 

"i wouldn't dare!" you refute a tad too late. and with the cheery grin on his face, he knows you had considered it. sputtering out, "i could not possibly allow you to sleep here!" 

"i never mentioned that i would." he stands up, finally giving you a chance to breathe again, and makes a show of clambering into bed. laying on his side, his eyes shone with a gleam you were all-too-familiar with. "i'll stay right here. beside you." 

the long whoosh of air that gets knocked out of you a second time leaves you speechless, and all you could do was stare at him, open-mouthed, from where you sat. 

when you don't move, ayato sighs. "would you rather i turn this into an order?" he says it good-naturedly, though you knew firsthand that he'd make do with this threat. "i will not lay a hand on you. quite frankly, i cannot be bothered with the paperwork if you do report me for harassment." 

and even though ayato was never innocent, he's never placed you in harm's way. so, you slowly make your way to the bed with your back against the wall, arms slightly raised in apprehension.

still, you wonder if you could get away with strangling him in his sleep. you're pretty sure you'd be doing everyone a favor. perhaps a generous reward awaits you from guuji yae. 

ayato only tracks your figure with a lazy, amused smile. like a fox waiting for its prey. 

eventually, you find yourself under the covers. exhausted from today's activities and not wanting to deal with the man next to you, you fall asleep rather quickly after a murmured goodnight.

propping his head in his fist, he gingerly pulls the blanket closer below your chin. his hand lingers there for a second, thinking about how easily you'd fallen into his whims. 

his hand trails down to your jawline, tracing it as you slept. his heart is barely beating when a content sigh leaves your lips, feeling as if he could stay in this moment forever. 

in this moment, where you felt within his reach. and although you always were, given your occupation, tonight felt like he was hanging by a thin thread — suspended in time.

a place where status did not matter. a place where he did not have to mind prying eyes, and meddlesome mouths. a place where, even while you were asleep, his touch could cause you such contentment. 

and that was enough for him.

for now, at least.

childe  *. ⋆  childhood friends to lovers

"leave that for tomorrow," CHILDE complains, calling out to you from the other side of the room.

"i know, i know," you mutter to yourself, rubbing your eyes tiredly as you finally switch the lights close. "'m coming." 

it's almost pitch-black, and the cool weight of evening and fatigue fall on your shoulders. only silhouettes dance within the shadows as you maneuver in the dark to locate your bed. 

your knees hit the edge of its frame, and you pat the surface blindly. childe lets out a small grunt, "that was my stomach," he all but wheezes. 

"sorry," you snickered, not sounding a bit apologetic.

childe coming over to sleep was nothing new. the two of you were inseparable when you were younger, and you shared many other things besides a bed growing up. 

that is until he disappeared from your life for quite a while, and this little sleepover would mark the first time in a long time again.

though not much has truly changed. 

he's still insisted that you take the side that's right next to the wall, with him closest to the door. he explained that he'd be able to protect you much more quickly if ever someone intruded.

and like before, you're always the last to come to bed, so you always find yourself crawling over him to get to your spot. 

but the passage of time does not keep everything the same. it's inevitable — something that goes by unnoticed when you don't pay attention. not until the shifts are right in front of you.

because now, you've forgotten that childe's taller. much broader. and before you realize it, you clumsily fall over half of his body. he lets out a second grunt that night, and with a strength you don't recall he possessed before, he keeps you there by draping an arm over your hip. 

you strain your head up to look at him, the tip of your nose brushing his neck. this too, seemed like a new development. one you weren't overly opposed to. hesitantly, you whisper, "childe ... ?"

"stay there," he mumbles, releasing you momentarily to fix your positions and the blanket over both of you. you bury your face in his neck as he holds you in an attempt to become snug. 

"good?" he asks quietly. his fingers thread in your hair, featherlight touches as they dance atop your scalp.

you hum an affirmative reply, clinging to his shirt just a little more.

"good." there's a fond lilt in his voice, and you knew that he'd probably give you shit about this tomorrow morning, but you couldn't help it. 

despite the changes, despite all the years that passed, he still felt warm and familiar. solid and safe. 

"i didn't know you missed me this much," he teases. apparently, he couldn't wait until tomorrow. 

"i did," you admit, and childe is partly taken aback, not expecting you to humor him with blunt honesty. "more than you know." 

the arm around you tightens, pulling you even closer to his side. feigning his laid-back demeanor, he easily replies with, "oh, i know." 

you huff, managing a retort despite your weariness. "you're so annoying."

he laughs, and you feel his entire upper body shake. his hand goes to your upper arm, rubbing it up and down mindlessly. "but you love me." 

"i do," you whisper. the confession is so delicate — so raw — that his hand stills in their movements while sleep drags you deeper into its hold. "more than you know." 

vaguely, you feel him angle his head to look down on you. something damp presses against your forehead so lightly, that you almost believe that you were dreaming already. 

but childe's lips murmur against your forehead.

"i love you more." he breathes.

diluc  *. ⋆  fake dating

DILUC pinches the bridge of his nose in aggravation. he didn't account for how kaeya and the others would actually go this far. 

it started with a straightforward proposition. a simple scheme to get elzer and kaeya off his back, but he didn't foresee this far ahead into the future, nor considered this possibility. 

a future where you're both forced to share a room since you were parading around as "lovers" in mondstadt.

"i'm really sorry," you began, and diluc hates the way you sound so remorseful. this wasn't even your fault, as it was him who'd stupidly roped you into this entire predicament. "i could ask the front desk if they have another spare room, but they might find out that we separated ways." 

and he hates that it's still him, his reputation, his well-being, that you were considering to the very end. "i don't care. i would much rather have you sleep comfortably instead of keeping up with this act. i can sleep on the floor or move rooms —" 

"it's fine!" you blurt out. diluc opens his mouth to protest again, but you hurriedly propose, "we can share! it's just two people sleeping." 

with the look on your face, diluc knew you weren't entirely convinced as well. but then you continue with forced indifference lacing your voice, "plus ... this is all just fake, right?" 

an arrow pierces through his chest. 

"yes," he lies, mouth going dry. the arrow's steel tip digs down a little deeper. 

you nod, gifting him with a smile that's meant to reassure him, but diluc only feels dishonorable. after a while of awkwardly shuffling around one another, you feel the bed dip beside you as he finally lies down. 

"should i head down and request another blanket?" diluc offers. truly, why would whoever designed this room place an enormously large bed with a single piece of cloth that was half its size? 

you swallow nervously, avoiding his eye. "we could also ... share. if you don't mind." 

he gives you the tiniest little nod, and before he can spark another argument about moving rooms once more, you scoot closer to his side until you're flush against him. 

draping the blanket over both of you, he wonders if you could hear the hammering of his heart in this dead of night. it would be impossible for you not to. 

"please sleep well." your words come out muffled from his chest, and your breathing slowly evens out.

he keeps his arm above your shoulder, afraid to wrongly touch you anywhere else.  

he's aware that you've both gone too far to go back, and that you're both too terrified to move forward. and with the way he pulls you closer, presses you more tightly against him, even he can't deny that this wasn't just for warmth anymore. 

because with every minute that goes by, diluc knows he can't ever let you go. not when you feel like home in his arms. 

so he closes his eyes and decides that when the sun rises, he needs to make this all real, somehow. 

but that was a promise for tomorrow when you both start anew. 

scaramouche *. ⋆ enemies to lovers

"listen, can we please just get this over with?" you plead wearily. 

SCARAMOUCHE stood by the edge of the singular bed that you were currently arguing over. exhaustion permeated the air, as today's mission was longer than most — courtesy of your assigned partner, who never failed to give you a migraine — and you definitely did not want to sleep on cold, hard ground tonight. 

scaramouche closes his eyes with an irritated click of his tongue, looking as equally exhausted as you did. still, he manages to sneer and say, "and as i said, i'll be taking the bed." 

you heave a sigh, massaging your temples. "no, you'll take the floor." 

"i won't. do you forget your place? i carry a higher rank than you do." 

"fine," you spit out bitterly. "i'll go and ask childe if i can room with him. maybe he won't be an immature ass and actually knows how to fucking share." 

that's when his head snaps back to look at you again. bingo. his nostrils flare while he glowers at you — an expression you were practically immune to by now. "i can fucking share."

"see?" you scoff. archons, he was so predictable. "must you always win?" 

unbeknownst to you, scaramouche lets that comment slide, distracting himself by rearranging the extra pillows into a line down the middle of the bed, splitting it in half. 

because yes, when it comes to you, he'll always win. he wants — needs — to.

he gets in first, and you follow right after without any semblance of fear. it's something that's bothered him up to this very day and is responsible for the tight feeling in his chest whenever in your orbit that he's yet to name or acknowledge at all.

"stay on your fucking side or i will burn this entire place down," scaramouche warns threateningly.

you don't miss a beat when you answer just as rudely, "then we wouldn't have anywhere else to sleep, you idiot."

both of you lay there in stifling silence for a while, both staring up at the ceiling. neither of you questioned the tsaritsa's orders whenever you were forced to work together — but sleeping was a dangerous and vulnerable position to be caught in even if you were technically on the same side.

and it seemed like both of you was aware of that. 

"thank you," you express quietly, clearing your throat. your words hang heavily above your head, but you carry on. "i wasn't entirely keen on sharing a room with childe. or anyone else, if i'm being truly honest." 

the air shifts ever so slightly, and scaramouche stays silent for three more seconds before he can prevent himself from asking, "because?"

he feels you move to peek at him from the fortress of pillows, and he can nearly imagine the astonishment on your face. as much as he wants to witness it, he keeps his eyes stubbornly trained on the ceiling. 

"oh. well, i'm simply not as comfortable with the others unlike when i'm with you," you reveal easily, lying back down.

a feeling of pride surges in his chest.

"and i'm sorry —" you begin before he cuts you off. 

"it's ... fine," he responds curtly. the phrase felt so foreign on his tongue. dealing with forgiveness was never his specialty. normally, whoever slighted him never lived to see another day to apologize. 

"but are you always this talkative even before you sleep?" he gripes without any real malice to it. 

you let out a small, drowsy laugh, and he finds himself enamored with the sound, instead of being vexed. he doesn't fight the urge anymore and turns his head to look at you. 

he's grateful he did. 

it was the first time he'd seen you laugh, genuinely, without any pretense, and it filled him with another strange, unfamiliar, burst of emotion. 

"only with you," you mumble softly, a small smile playing on your lips. "goodnight, idiot." 

he merely scoffs at your name-calling, not wanting to presume how affectionate it almost sounded. soon, he allows himself to rest, sleeping soundly for the first time in years. 

and neither of you says anything when you both wake up entangled in each other's arms. 

the line of pillows gone, boundaries crossed, and sides long forgotten. 

✦ byeol’s notes: thank you to the lovely nonnie who requested this! i decided to do them all, my way of saying thanks for being so sweet and i loved the idea! and to my other readers, i'll be back to posting regularly — at least, once a week — if life is kind. ♡

i've been catching up on kdramas and manhwas, so you might've noticed that ayato's part is inspired by that one scene in the business proposal and the duke's cursed charm.

✦ reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated! feel free to send any requests in. thank you sm and ily <3

you wear another man’s clothes

f!reader┆canon┆wc. 1k┆navi┆like or reblog┆

ayato [綾人]

he wasn’t a jealous man, but it’d be a tremendous lie if he said he didn’t experience it. his jealousy didn’t stem from insecurity or low-self esteem. his tendency to get jealous was sowed in petty, childish annoyance over anything else

jealous? debatable. possessive? of course. the need or obligation to uphold a facade around others made it a fun challenge. it forced him to act sneakier than a fox when it came to showing his true feelings and intentions

he was so smug about it. sure, you didn’t know he was behind it but he didn’t mind. the reactions people had towards you compensated for it

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