I Have A Fever...

I have a fever...

So anyway, I made an au where Futaba does not belong to PT (but still lives and helps them, just like Mishima) but instead of her as Navigator there is Kowalski (yes, that Kowalski) who for some reason suddenly appeared at Futaba's palace and is in the team and goes with Protag like Mona and the rest of the penguins are in New York and--

This image is Akechi's wish, too. I am emotionally devastated but also extremely pleased because this basically is an official, word of god statement to finally put to rest whether or not he actually hates Joker. Source is the P5R artbook. Image from here.

Guy who can’t cook and his daily ramen dinner

─── 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒

+ itoshi sae x f!reader | wc 4k | content: angst, best friends to lovers to strangers type beat, i did not proof this besties

notes: lmao me , thinking i could get away from this man . guess who’s back with more sae ??? <3

summary: you’re the one sae can’t get over. he’s beginning to think he never will.

the freshly cooked bread is on the floor. it litters the nice marble tiles. the chit of paper with the order writes mr. rin hatoki.

“i'm tired of this, sae.”

sae doesn't say a word. he's listless, sitting on the kitchen table, staring at his own reflection on the glass, wondering where it all went wrong.

“why don't you love me anymore?”

it's weird. he can hear the sorrow. he can feel the pain. yet he feels nothing.

“what does she have that i don’t?”

maybe you're right. maybe he's an asshole. maybe this is his punishment.

the first time sae laid eyes on you, you were five and he was six.

he saw you playing with rin on the slides, and he remembers the way you smiled at him when rin told you sae was his older brother.

and even back then, even if it was a tiny crush based on superficial reasons like how sae liked your smile or your eyes or the way your hands felt on his when you locked hands and forced him to play with you and rin, he remembers you mocking rin and calling sae nii-chan.

sae remembers how he cringed inside because no. no no, he didn’t want you calling him that because that wasn’t what he wanted you to know him for. he didn’t know what he wanted exactly, but definitely not an older brother.

"itoshi-kun!"

“sae,” he corrected you, watching as you ran up to him on the field.

he loved the soft smile you wore on when you heard him. he especially loved the first time you said his name.

“sae.”

the first time he saw you cry, it was when you scraped your knee after some boys accidentally pushed you over.

you were nine.

sae scared them away afterwards.

you weren’t exactly sobbing—he found out you were funny like that, like you wanted to cry but didn’t want to let anyone see. but it was frustrating because sae wasn’t just anyone. or so he liked to think.

“get on,” sae told you, getting down on one knee with his back turned to you.

“what?” you sniffled, vision still blurry from your would-be tears.

sae craned his neck to look back at you, a faint smile on his face. “come on, i’ll carry you home.”

“i’m not weak, you know,” you argued, and sae would’ve told you to just accept his offer when he realised you already did, obediently climbing onto his back and wrapping your arms around his neck.

it was a relatively silent walk back. sae could hear the rapid beating of your heart though.

maybe it was a tiny crush too. the kind that stuck with you for three years and four months and threatened to stick with you for the rest of your life.

“hey, sae?”

“hm?”

a pregnant pause. you held him tighter before ultimately loosening your grip.

“mm, nothing.”

sae really wanted to hear you. but he let it go.

it was torture, really—you were fifteen when you got your first boyfriend. some guy called oliver aiku. who looked way too old for you, by the way, but fine, if you said he was only a year older than sae, who was he to question you?

sae hated it, really. watching you at the swings, laughing along with him, watching oli feed you ice cream. and you said oliver was a good striker too? sae bet he was better.

what did he have that sae didn’t?

and sae thought he’d love to witness the day when the two of you broke up. but he never counted on the fact that you’d be a mess when your heart was broken.

you ignored sae and rin for a couple of weeks, choosing to stay isolated, refusing to see anyone. you weren’t even replying sae’s texts.

[17:34] hey y/n, pick up the phone, idiot.

[17:34] rin misses you.

okay so that last part was a lie, but it was fine, rin didn’t have to find out.

[17:35] hey sae. :)

[17:35] hmm… so you don’t miss me?

sae had to do a double take at your text. since when did you become this cheeky? he didn’t even know why he was suppressing a smile.

it took him less than a minute before he got up.

[17:36] maybe.

[17:37] be at your place in 10, let’s get ice cream.

funny how he wanted to replace all of oliver’s memories. sae wanted you to lick the ice cream that he was holding. sae wanted you to play on the swings with him. everything him, no other stupid boys who would make you cry, who didn’t deserve you.

that was exactly what sae did—asked you what you did with oliver. you’d answer him, and he’d do the exact same with you, and he’d rewrite all the memories you thought would be so hard to forget, the very same memories you thought would be impossible to replace. yet sae did it, replaced the bad with the good.

sae wasn’t a mind reader, he couldn’t tell what you were thinking as he got you ice cream and fed it to you, couldn’t tell if you liked how he walked with his arm around your shoulder. couldn’t tell if you knew what he was doing.

he wished that you knew how he felt—then that’d make one of you. because sae had no clue.

“hey, sae?”

“hm?”

he got deja vu there.

and this time, you continued.

“do you do this for other girls too?”

sae nearly choked on that question because no, he didn’t do nearly as much for other people in general. you were the only one he’d ever put this much effort to.

“no.”

he can still remember your little smile to this day. it was pretty, even prettier since it was because of him. it was like a silent knowledge you both shared—you didn’t want him to do that for other girls, and he didn’t want to share you with other boys.

simple, but complicated. complicated because you were both shit at feelings and shit at admitting but it was still beautiful, if only because neither of you ever strayed.

back then.

“what about a house?”

“i’ll buy you the nicest, cosiest one there is.”

“anywhere in the world?”

sae nodded. “anywhere you want.”

“i want to open a bakery one day. you gonna help me with that?”

“i’ll help you with anything you want.”

you giggled. “yeah? you and what money, sae?”

he rolled his eyes, resting his head against his palm, elbow propped up on your study table. “when i become the best soccer player in the world, genius.”

sae flicked your forehead gently, as he remembers he liked to, smiling softly when you winced in faux pain.

it’s funny how comfortable he felt talking about shit like that with you, only half-joking. it was an innocent conversation on how sae said he would be able to take care of you when you were both older. even if it wasn’t his place, even if he wasn’t even your boyfriend yet then.

“oh? so i’ll get the world’s best soccer player itoshi sae all to myself?”

it all sounded dreamy and attainable when you were both eighteen and sitting on cloud nine. when the both of you were dreamers with rose tinted glasses and honeyed tongues to match.

“is that a confession, y/n l/n?”

he remembers he caught you off guard. he knew because the way you behaved when you were flustered was already ingrained in his mind. the way you fumbled over your words, the way you couldn’t hold eye contact, the way you made him melt with how you seemed so vulnerable for a split second.

“what if it was?”

that was the first time you ever managed to render him speechless. only because of how honest you were being. only because sae wanted you to want him and you did and then he was reduced to some infatuated idiot.

“good, me too.”

and maybe that was his first mistake. when he didn’t make sure you knew he wanted you for more than just that moment, that he had wanted you for a long time coming.

maybe that was the first in line for the domino effect.

life hit hard and fast by the time sae made a name for himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. he opened his eyes and saw that japan was not for him—he wanted more for himself, for his career.

sae wanted to move. and at the time, he wanted to bring you with him.

“how’s spain?”

it was the usual call the two of you had—a routine set in place because sae found he’d miss you too much if he didn’t hear from you for a while. it sucked that he couldn’t bring you with him now, not when he wasn’t best yet and not when you had a degree to finish.

“great, i play in the official match tomorrow, starting eleven.”

mundane updates about each other’s lives. he’d tell you about his soccer trainings and you’d fill him in on school. but for sae, it wasn’t enough. so he took a leap of faith this time, he was sure what he wanted.

“hey, what if we moved out here next time?” sae asked, cutting you off.

you stuttered, flustered and overwhelmed. in hindsight, maybe asking you that sort of thing when the both of you weren’t even officially together was kind of a stretch.

but sae had been sure at that point of time.

“there’s a lot to consider, sae.”

it was that tricky line where you were both more than friends but less than lovers and sae knew that over the phone wasn’t the ideal place to do it but he didn’t want to drag it on any longer.

“i mean, we’re not even together and we’re both just still kids, and—”

“then be mine.”

“i- what?”

for the first time, he was thinking about the future. and it had to be with you. he couldn’t imagine it another way. and when you agreed to be his that day, when you agreed you’d consider it for the future, sae was happier than he let on.

for the first time, the future was a little clearer. become the best midfielder, find a good forward worthy of his passes, and when all that was done and dusted, he’d always come back to you at the end of the day.

sae had thought hard about it.

but evidently not hard enough.

reality hit like a truck.

because fast forward five years into the future and you had moved out to spain to be with sae, your future husband, the diamond ring nestled comfortably on your finger.

moving in with sae was fun, exciting. it was a new place, new continent, new start. sae was with you every step of the way, choosing the house, choosing the furniture. turned out, being one of the most in-demand soccer players paid way too well.

what sae never considered was the gravity of what he asked you to do—uproot your entire life to be with him. you were both still young and full of life and loved seeking thrills and you both failed to grasp what the consequences would be.

it was harder than you bargained; adjusting to the new country, learning a new language, making new friends and learning the culture. sae was a pivotal part of your support system, but sometimes he didn’t have a choice; he couldn’t be there for you a hundred percent. he had soccer, contracts to fulfil, people to please. you needed him more than you realised.

and when you moved in together, both of you saw sides to one another you never really saw before. like how you get frustrated when sae messes the entire bedroom up after you spent the entire day cleaning the mansion. or how sae shut down whenever he was having doubts about his team, his plays.

it was difficult. but it still worked.

for a while.

but arguments were getting more frequent. and sae forgot why he did this in the first place. maybe you should’ve spoken up more too, whenever something bothered you, then maybe you wouldn’t have felt this resentful.

you blamed sae for asking you to move out here. but it was what you wanted too.

it got to a point where there was an animosity between the both of you that you couldn’t handle. the type that made you sad because somehow sae turned into someone you didn’t even recognise.

“where’d you go last night?”

sae sighed, like you were a bother, but really you weren’t. he was just being a dick. it was never okay to just abandon your fiancé at home all because of a dumb fight which he couldn’t even remember by now.

“stayed over at the captain’s,” was all he told you. didn’t even bother explaining.

he wishes he did, then maybe you’d stop getting the idea that this relationship had hit a dead end.

“is that what we’re going to do now? just leave the other one alone, not talk when we fight?” you were soft, because you were tired. you’d been tired for a while.

you were tired. sae lost track of himself. everything was a mess and neither of you had the capability to handle it. sae was thinking maybe he made a mistake, and you were thinking it wasn’t too late to turn back. he couldn’t be bothered to remember how you got here in the first place, and he missed all the signs you gave him.

how you had stayed up late just to wait up for him whenever he had practice. how you agreed to be with him through everything and kept a smile on your face even when things were hard on you personally. how you cooked for two even when sae said he wouldn’t have time for dinners at home, just in case.

he’s sorry; you thought of him way too much, and he didn’t give you enough.

“sae, say something, please?” you were on the verge of tears, and he was on the verge of giving up.

sae knows what you wanted to hear now. but back then, he didn’t. he was too pressed on his own feelings that he just couldn’t find it in himself to think for you.

“what do you want me to say?”

you sat next to him on the couch, and he could hear you sniffling. he didn’t turn to look at you, didn’t ask about you, didn’t try to console you. for his own good. because he thought he knew where it was going, and it was better if he didn’t.

“sae… do you still want this?”

that was the first time he was unsure. because what he knew was that there was no one else for him. there was only you. he wanted only you, but everything turned out like this and he felt conflicted, tired.

he just wasn’t sure.

“i don’t know.”

but that was as good of an answer to you as any.

you’d watched him over the years. you’d tolerated all of his misgivings, you’d watched him train even when he was injured, even when you begged him to rest. you’d supported him throughout everything. you were everything to him, but at that moment, sae failed to tell you, and you couldn’t hold on to something that seemed so futile, something that was hanging on by a single thread.

something that might’ve snapped at any moment.

the next day, all sae woke up to was the engagement ring on his bedpost and your absence from his life.

it’s been another five years since then.

sae’s back in japan. for some reason.

no, not some. just one. just you.

to think that up until now, sae still thinks of you. you’re always there somehow, in his memories. when he scores a goal, he still instinctively looks for your face in the crowd. when people interview him and ask him about possible partners, his first thought is your name. when he goes on his socials, he looks for you first. it’s habit.

sae’s jealous, still. even after four years apart. he still loves you. he’s still stupid. he’s still too late.

you’re happy now, if your posts are any indication. you live with him too. sae sometimes wishes he was him. then maybe he’d get to feel you again, be around you, hover over you and annoy you to no end. maybe he’d get to hear you call his name again.

but that’s a long shot.

you’re about to be mrs mikage soon. reo’s a lucky guy, whoever the fuck he is. sae hates him, but it’s biased. he’s probably good to you. he helped you build that bakery you always wanted, after all.

the bakery sae always orders from under a fake name because he doesn’t know whether you hate him and he’d rather not risk it. it’s the only way he knows how to hold on to you, to still feel close to you.

so he’s mr. rin hatoki.

“tell me!”

his girlfriend’s voice is shrill, it brings him back to the present, to his current predicament. to the fact that he’s been trying to put you in the past, but he’s not able to. and she knows it, too. she’s not dumb.

she probably stalked you ever since she first started dating him. she probably knew all along that the breakfasts sae buys for her is his pathetic excuse to just support your business. she probably knew that from the start, she stood no chance against you.

“i beg you, sae,” she’s crying now, and sae feels bad for regressing to this state, to hurting other people but most of all, he feels bad for flat out wishing she was you. “just break my heart already if you’re going to do it.”

two years with her down the drain. because he can’t forget about you.

sae doesn’t even look up at her because he’s filled with the vision of you smiling in his head. that’s all he’s staring at.

she asked what you had that she didn’t. and sae only knows the one answer is his heart.

“you’ll never be her.”

sae stares at you from the driver’s seat. he’s parked on the opposite side of the road, it should be safely tucked away enough that you won’t notice.

you’re closing up. you look like an angel. you’re dawdling, slowly mopping up the floors, your hair so messy and you’re still so perfect.

he wants to go there, wants to run to you and hug you, wants to grip onto you and take back what he lost. but he of all people knows that’s impossible. so he stays in his driver’s seat, stays in his fantasies, stays away from you.

maybe he should just drive away. maybe he should stop pining for you. this is stupid.

especially stupid when he sees your future husband pull up and run up the sidewalk, runs into your arms, carries you and spins you around and presses a kiss onto your perfect nose.

sae can only vaguely make out what he’s saying.

“have a surprise for you at home, baby.”

and sae can’t tell what you said, but he can tell you love him by the slow, affectionate kiss you give him, the way you wrap your arms around his neck and laugh against each other’s lips.

“wait here for a bit, yeah?” reo tells you, and you nod, obedient.

it’s like a drug, now that he’s here, sae wants to stay and watch the show play out to the end. he watches as you store away your broom and mops and as reo walks back to his car—wait, no, fuck, he’s walking to sae’s car.

fuck fuck fuck.

reo makes sure you’re back in your bakery and out of view before he smiles at sae. “i’m very honoured that a world-class soccer player is stalking us,” reo beams at him the moment sae winds down his windows. “wanna go over there and talk to her?”

he definitely knows of your history with sae. it doesn’t bother him though, apparently. not if he’s offering sae the chance to talk to you, and alone, by the looks of it.

sae’s not really sure what he’s doing, taking reo up on his offer. he walks through the doors to your bakery and the shopkeeper’s bell rings, inciting you to spin around, expecting reo, but your eyes widen when you see sae there instead, sheepishly standing there, staring dumbly at you.

“sae,” you call his name, breathlessly. “w-what’re you doing here?”

“i… don’t know.”

he doesn’t. zero clue. fuck.

you’re not smiling, you’re apprehensive, you’re still in shock as to why itoshi sae didn’t contact you ever since you left him and why he chose now of all times to show up. there’s tears in the corners of your eyes and he knows you’re trying not to let them fall. the corners of your mouth try not to but they form a small frown.

“i just wanted to tell you…” sae trails off because he starts to remember everything.

he remembers five years old and you on the slides. he remembers your nii-chan and how he hated it. he remembers your smile and him being lovestruck and pathetic. he remembers making you happy and then making you sad, going from everything you loved to everything you grieved. he remembers all the signs he thought you didn’t give. he remembers your newly opened bakery and the heart on his first order chit. he remembers his now ex-girlfriend hating his guts and throwing your bread on the floor.

most of all, he remembers how happy you look with reo.

so sae swallows all the words he wanted to say and gives you a knowing smile. “just wanted to come by and wish you a happy marriage.”

i miss you. i still love you. i want you back. i want to be yours again. i promise i’ll love you properly this time.

he bites back all his words.

your expression turns soft and you smile at him for the first time in five years. “thanks, sae,” you tell him, holding your hand out.

sae shakes it, resisting his urge to pull you close.

“how are—”

“i have to go,” sae interjects, because he doesn’t think he can act any more normal than this. he wants to see more of you, but he forces himself to leave, and you understand anyway, you and your weak knees because as much as you’re over itoshi sae, your lover, you still miss itoshi sae, your best friend.

reo walks past him on the steps, noticing his rush. “hey, leaving already?”

sae doesn’t stop. “yeah.”

“look, y/n’s clueless but,” reo continues, raising his voice slightly as sae gets farther away. “thanks for all the support!”

sae stops short of his car, turning around to look at reo, who’s looking at you, cleaning up the last of your cash.

“what are you talking about?”

reo turns back to sae, hands in his pockets. “i wanted to thank mr rin hatoki personally so—” sae’s eyes grow wide at the mention of the name— “thank you.”

how does he even know?

“you know, she was so nervous when it first opened, thinking that nobody would buy anything,” reo tells him, and sae listens, swallowing the lump in his throat. “i wanted to be the first customer but apparently a mr rin hitoki beat me to it.”

reo sighs, noticing how sae’s eyes are now glued onto you.

“y/n’s the kindest person i’ve ever met,” reo continues, turning his back on sae. “if you want forgiveness, it’s always there for you.”

reo’s revelation and offer sticks with sae, but he shelves it in the corner of his mind. when he sees you, crescent eyes and all smiles, sae drives off.

it’s fine. knowing you’re happy is enough.

that’s a lie. it will never be enough for him, but he’ll just keep trying to convince himself. sae loves you, and he might just love you enough to let you go.

anyone got like any good Akechi gen fic recommendations?

Like really GEN with no akeshu/shuake of any kind or like literally any ship with Akechi just— no romance. I'm so burnt out of romance and shuake fics like you have no idea and feel like I'm scratching under rocks to find non-shippy akechi content 🥲🥲

Quiet to a Fault - [Xiao] GN

blurb:

After rookie adventurer [name] no longer has the traveller and Paimon around to serve as a buffer between the awkwardness of them and Xiao, your presumptions about the adepti's opinion surrounding you are proven to be not at all what you had thought--but very much more pleasurable.

cw: not edited, second-person-pov, 16+ suggestiveness, not explicit smut but heavily implied, [name] is a clutz and stressed out af, xiao is blunt, he's almost maybe seen as mean?? but he's just emotionally constipated

| masterlist | genshin impact collection |

[2.6k]

Oh gods, you could feel it again—the feeling of being watched.

The back of your neck tingles and a cold shiver runs down your spine at the feeling of a gaze boring into your back.

Ever since you'd separated from the outlander at Wangshu Inn, you would feel a set of eyes peering at you from somewhere; no matter how fast you turned around, you could never quite catch them.

You were a bit of a traveller yourself, though not from another world like Lumine. You were originally from Sumeru and snuck on a boat to Mondstadt to escape your gruelling life as a scholar.

You hated writing—though it used to be your favourite past time. Being born in a poor village by the edge of the desert, as soon as your parents found out of your talent, they'd sent you off into the thick of the woods towards the Akademia in hopes of scrounging some money out of you.

Jokes on them though, you wanted out of that place anyway.

It was in Mondstadt that you became friends with a boy named Razor, who took you in seeing as you had nowhere to go, and later met the traveller who helped sign you up in the Adventurer's Guild.

Life had been so much nicer since then.

Well, aside from the whole—Rex Lapis dying and Liyue nearly drowning and Fatui attempting to invade—incident.

But it was nice.

If only whoever was watching you could just FUCKING NOT-

"Please don't kill me—oh my god."

At the very least, you knew whoever was watching wasn't there to hurt you, that much was certain.

As a rookie adventurer, you would often find yourself in trouble you couldn't get out of, but within a blink—and a flash of green—the trouble would be gone.

"Oh," You look down at the no longer cognitive ruin hunter with a newly speared hole in its head, watching it poof and leave behind its core.

"Ooh! Yes! Just what I needed," You jump happily, grabbing the item and stuffing it into your sling bag, "thank you!" you call out to no one in particular, before continuing on your path with a little song.

A pair of stagnant yellow eyes watch you closely, the individual facepalming at the adventurer's carefree nature. Despite it, he couldn't find it within himself to leave you alone.

And so with a sigh, the individual snaps his fingers, disappearing onto the next course of the journey.

"Miss Goldet! I'm back!" You stumble up the last few stairs of the inn, reaching the reception, "I got the materials you asked for."

"Ah, welcome back!" The woman smiles gently, moving from behind the desk, "how was your trip? Did Xiao take care of you?"

You tilt your head at her words while you slip your bag off from your shoulder.

"Hm? Xiao?" You blink.

Verr Goldet blinks back at your befuddlement before realisation hits her.

"Oh, never mind—ha, don't worry about it, [name]. I just assumed since he wasn't here today."

You nod slowly, "Oh, okay..."

"Speaking of," As you hand her the bag, she begins to sift through it for the desired materials, "would you mind covering for Yanxiao in the kitchens? He's had to run out for some ham—would you also mind putting aside some almond tofu and bringing it up to the balcony? Since the adeptus hasn't been here since last night, I'm sure he could use a treat."

Satisfied with the bag's contents, she turns and places it on the desk, concealing her knowing grin.

You sweat, a spike of panic hitting you, "S-Sure, but uhm... Miss, I'm afraid that the—uh... adeptus Xiao doesn't really, um, like me, all that much..."

Goldet rolls her eyes, "Don't worry, [name]. He's like that with everyone. If anything he tolerates you the most. Now, off you go, we've got some orders piling up!"

"W-Wait, no you misunderstand! H-He really doesn't—oh, okay..." Your voice fades off with a sweat as the woman pushes you towards the lower staircase of the kitchens before retreating back behind her desk.

You swallow anxiously before pushing your thoughts to the back of your head—you have work to do!

Midday transitions to noon, and noon into the evening.

It's only then that Yanxiao returns, giving you a gruff nod and a pat on the head for your hard work before sending you off with some free food and primogems.

The ex-criminal always had a soft spot for you.

It's now that your anxiety resurfaces, a plate of pretty almond tofu in your hands as you cautiously make your way up the stairs towards the balcony.

In reaching the top, you freeze at the sight of the adepti's back. Your breath stills and your eyes are wide.

Even from behind, Xiao was incredibly pretty—lean and toned figure, evident through the slight muscle on his open upper back, shoulders flexed slightly with his crossed arms. The green tattoo on his arm could be seen peering from atop his shoulder, complimenting his pale complexion.

The darkness of the evening illuminates his skin, teal tinted hair slightly ruffling in the early night breeze.

You'd found the Yaksha beautiful since your first run in with him when you first accompanied Lumine. Xiao didn't necessarily give you anything to fear—as a friend.

But after Lumine had continued with her journey, you found yourself incapable of functioning around the adeptus. And it didn't help that Xiao didn't really do anything to ease your nerves. Since Paimon would usually do all the talking you were fine, but since she stayed with Lumine...

The atmosphere between the two of you just wasn't as casual anymore, and you felt rather inferior to Xiao. You could totally understand his familiarity with the traveller, seeing as she was technically also another worldly being and had fought alongside the adepti—so it made sense that she and Xiao were friends.

But you felt as though you had no place to intrude, and it didn't help that you had the teeniest, weeniest crush on him either.

You jump as the powerful male suddenly turns his head, glaring at you from the corner of his eye.

You square your shoulders, holding the plate of almost tofu up in front of your face as an offering.

"A-Apologies for the interruption, Mister Adeptus, sir!" You cringe at that.

'Oh my archons, what was that, that was horrible—'

"Uhm, I-I'm just going to leave this for you here—oh!" You let out the manliest, high pitched squeak you had at the sudden sight of the Yaksha appearing right in front of you.

You remain tense, widened eyes quickly averting from the being in front of you. You hold out the plate in a nervous grip.

Unbeknownst to you, Xiao's eyes soften ever so slightly.

He glances off to the side, narrowing at Goldet who quickly waves him off, before returning his attention to the panicked individual. He lets out a dismissive hum.

"Come." Is all he says, turning around in indication for you to follow.

You lift your head up, startled at the adepti's command before quickly scurrying after him.

Xiao leads you into a secluded room somewhere in the inn, another balcony attached to it. You realise that this is the room Goldet has given to Xiao to rest in, though the sight of its slight dust and untouched bed covers shows how little it is used.

Out on the balcony is a square tea table and two chairs.

Xiao walks towards it, "Sit." He speaks gruffly.

You do so in a heartbeat, breathing as quietly as possible to not disturb the adepti's peace any further.

You place down the almond tofu in the process.

Xiao takes the seat across from you, tuscan yellow eyes staring into your soul. You feel yourself on the brink of trembling in your seat, gaze glued to your lap.

The adepti is ignorant of your anxiety, simply watching.

A heavy puff leaves his nose as his orbs narrow at you, and you can't help but shrink.

"Feed me."

what.

You blink, slowly looking up, "...P-Pardon?"

The Yaksha glowers at you, "Don't make me repeat myself, mortal."

Despite his angered tone accompanied by a darkened scowl, the large blush across his cheeks betrays him. His yellow irises had narrows into slits, and he leans forwards in his seat.

You reel back slightly, surprised at his request.

Your stomach does twists and turns at the adepti's blush, feeling your own cheeks start to burn—though a happy feeling slowly creeps into you, and you can't help but feel a bit... prideful.

Without a word you pick up the spoon on the plate and scoop up a bit of the tofu, using your free hand to hover beneath it in case any of the sweet nectar is to drip and fall.

Still with bright cheeks, the Yaksha huffs but leans forwards a bit more, a pronounced frown on his features. Once the tofu reaches his mouth, he pulls back and begins to chew, a content feeling nulling his eternal pain.

Once finished, he leans forwards again for more.

This process continues in silence, and soon the sun falls completely past the horizon, leaving the pair in the light of the night. Only two pieces of the almond tofu remain when Xiao stops, closing his eyes as he leans back contently.

Seeing this, you place down the spoon back onto the plate and sit patiently in the silence.

Xiao's expression of embarrassment plus his current calmness puts your mind at ease of having gotten into trouble.

As the Yaksha closes his eyes in what you assume to be a moment of content, you take the chance to admire him once more.

The man indeed has a very fierce appearance, although he is slim in stature, usually drawn from the sharpness of his eyes. Most of Xiao's features are rather sharp, ranging from the wisps of his hair, to the angle of his shoulders, and the point of his nose.

His colour palette is extraordinary, a mix of green and teal with light pinks and purples—a unique combination not many can compose.

It's only telling of his divinity.

Your eyes trace down towards his lips: pert, pink and, though thin in place, are plump in the centre--although Xiao's usual scowl normally hides this.

A quick glance up causes you to freeze, muscles tensing in your place—Xiao's eyes are open, a piercing glare catching your unwarranted staring, though he is yet to say anything to acknowledge it.

You feel a shiver creep up your spine, though the sudden chilled atmosphere causes it to stop at your lower back.

You're quick to divert your gaze.

Keeping your head low as your nerves return as soon as they left, you shift in your seat.

"...I-I will return this to the kitchen-" You hurriedly (and shakily) stand from your chair, moving to grab the plate but are quickly demanded to cease by the Yaksha.

"No," Xiao's voice is clear, and incredibly firm. His glowing eyes remain glaring at where you had been previously seated, "you will leave the plate as it is. Move that chair closer and sit."

Your eyes flutter wearily, and you swallow anxiously.

You do as told, though seemingly not quick enough as a sharp side eye from the Yaksha causes you to scrape the chair along the floor in attempts to fasten your pace.

Knees nearly touching, you hesitantly sit down in front of the intimidating man, Xiao having turned himself away from the table to make room for you.

As soon as you're seated the adeptus grasps the chair from the space between your legs and the backrest—causing you to instinctively close your thighs around his hand—and pulls you forward.

You're forced to brace yourself on the other's shoulders as your chair is leant forwards, so close that your eyes are forcibly met.

You stiffen tremendously, face growing warm before nearly bursting with humuliation—particularly at having pinned the Yaksha's other hand between your legs.

Intelligible sounds escape you as you try to make sense of the situation, though you're quickly shut down by the cold glare of the adeptus.

You hold your breath.

Xiao scowls at you, "Just what is it that you do to me, huh."

His voice, although scolding, is quiet--only for you to hear.

"What gives you the right to make me act like this? Answer me."

His questions sound more like statements, only adding to your nerves.

"I don't..-I don't know what you mean, sir... I-"

"Xiao," His glare hardens, as does his grip on the wooden chair, "say my name."

Your breath hitches in your throat, and you can almost hear the creaking of the chair under the tightness of the Yaksha's grip. Your face flushes, and you're forcibly leant even closer.

You're hands grip onto the fabric of the other's shirt desperately to ground your flurrying embarrassment.

"I-..I..-"

"Say it," His eyes narrow, "say. It."

"..."

"Now."

"X-Xiao!" You squeak out, clenching your eyes shut as yourchair is suddenly thrown back and unto all fours.

You yelp in alarm as a body crashes into your own, followed by a smooth pair of lips meeting yours.

You gasp in shock.

A tongue invades your mouth, slipping just past your front teeth to prod your tongue before it retreats. Xiao's hand that was clamped firmly between your thighs had released its grip on the seat of the chair, changing to grasp onto your clothed leg.

His other hand has long made its way onto the back of your head, pushing you closer and keeping you in place.

His possessive grip and feverish kiss leaves you breathless with a thundering heart, and your embarrassment only grows as Xiao manoeuvres to suck on your tongue.

You whimper anxiously against his lips, earning a slight growl from the Yaksha. One of your hands grip the cloth of his tight shirt whereas the other digs it's nails into the skin of his back.

Xiao enjoys sting the little red marks create.

Eventually managing to pull yourself away with swollen lips, you're given no time to rest as the adeptus dives unto your neck, leaving kisses and small bites along the flesh.

You can't help but squirm and wriggle at the feeling, sighing and whining all the whilst. You let out a particularly loud whine at the feeling of a hand hesitantly grazing your clothed core, eyes snapping open in shock.

Steam would have been rising from your cheeks if you were given the time to process what had happened.

However, you're given no such luxury to dwell as the Yaksha's uncharacteristic grin appears in your line of sight, and the sudden feeling of a hand on your bare skin causes you to cry out.

It seems that the male's cold demeanour had not stemmed from any form of dislike, but rather, the opposite.

Lumine's absence had meant Xiao no longer had someone to turn to for advice—as the girl often would have sent you together on little quests to help aid her daily commissions.

And a lack of Paimon's voice had meant there was no one to stem conversations between the quiet pair. Because of this, Xiao had no idea how to approach you, which you had misunderstood to be a disliking towards you.

Though, this night on the balcony proved to change things between the two of you, as the open night's air carried your cries and other such sounds of pleasured bliss.

It was lucky the inn was not as busy tonight, Verr Goldet quietly closing any windows and doors with a sense of knowing.

Knowing Xiao would no longer go to her for advice, or be as grouchy anymore.