Chapter Text
A low throb of pain to her head woke her from unconsciousness. Yellow light seeped in through closed eyelids, beckoning her to open them, and as she did she was met with the caring eyes of the man she trusted most standing above her, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear as he sighed.
She made an attempt to sit up and take in her surroundings, but a pang beneath her ribs stopped her in her tracks. A yelp followed, but was muffled by Zhongli’s hand over her mouth.
He chuckled at the girl’s look of confusion. “Quiet. She hasn’t slept properly since you got here. Don’t wake her now.”
Hu Tao’s half-lidded eyes followed to where he was pointing. She recognised where she was now - her bedroom, in the apartment above the funeral parlour. The wooden chair that was usually at her desk had been pulled up to the side of her bed next to her, and in it sat Xiangling, asleep and curled up with Guoba in her arms. The position she was in couldn’t have been comfortable, but judging from the bags under her eyes, it was unlikely that she cared.
She rubbed her eyes as she tried to sit up once more, slowly as she’d learned her lesson not to make sudden movements. Looking down, she noticed the bandages wrapping around her torso under the loose cotton t-shirt she wore. Each breath she took was shallow, restricted by the tight bandaging, but it was no longer painful. She smiled as realisation set in - her lungs were clear of blood, clear of silk flowers. She could breathe freely once more.
But the initial happiness quickly subsided. Her smile fell seconds after it arose as she looked up to Zhongli and spoke.
“What happened?”
He sighed again, taking her hand in his own as he sat next to her on the bed. “She carried you all the way down from Mt. Tianheng back to the parlour. You’re lucky no Millelith stopped her on the way, because right as she got here you stopped breathing.” Zhongli’s hand began to shake as he remembered the ordeal. He brought the other to close over Hu Tao’s. “Xiao used his mask for speed and took you to Madame Ping. Only Adeptal Arts could save you by then, and you were in her care for nearly a week. You’ve been here for a number of days, and ever since, Xiangling has refused to leave your side.”
Hu Tao’s eyes were wide in horror. “Why would you all do so much just to save me?”
It made no sense to her. Any other mortal with this disease would have been left to either die, or have it surgically removed. She chose to die. And yet, they all went through so much to save her.
Zhongli looked up to meet her shocked stare. “You chose to live.”
Her brows furrowed. “..What?”
“You told her you didn’t want to die. And considering the flowers had disappeared from both of your bodies, it doesn’t seem that it was your destined fate after all. As adamant as you were..” He reached up to ruffle her loose hair, no longer tied into its usual style.
She remembered now. Somehow, everything that happened that night had slipped her mind. The flowers themselves hadn’t been what nearly killed her, after all, but the damage the roots had left right at the end. Had they not taken root, and had the confession come a mere few seconds earlier than it did, Hu Tao would have been completely fine. To refuse treatment for the aftermath of the disease was like refusing treatment after being shot with an arrow to the chest - it’s not running from fate, as it wasn't ever meant to kill.
She felt an immense weight lift from her shoulders. Before she even realised it, warm tears and silent sobs escaped her as she grasped to Zhongli’s form. He quickly reciprocated, enveloping her in an embrace once more. The familiar scent of Fate’s Yearning only spurred her to cry more intensely, whispering ‘thank you’ over and over into the fabric of his black shirt. He just smiled and kissed the top of her head, stroking the brown hair of the girl he feared he’d have to say a final farewell to far too soon.
Her sobs reduced to soft sniffles, the two sitting in a comforting silence as she calmed. Pulling away, Zhongli stood from his seat on the side of the bed to kneel next to it, holding Hu Tao’s hands as he spoke.
“I’m glad you’re alive, Hu Tao. I’ve been tending to business, and I’ll continue to do so until you’re back to health.” He kissed the back of her palm. “Get some rest, my dear,” he whispered before getting up and walking to the door, closing it softly as he exited.
The click of the handle, as gentle as it was, seemed to be loud enough to wake Xiangling up. She stirred under the thin, red blanket covering her and the small brown bear in her arms before she lifted her hand up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she opened them, she was met by a sight she was definitely not expecting to wake up to.
Hu Tao grinned at her. “Morning!”
Her eyes shot open, all remnants of sleepiness disappearing in an instant. She kicked the blanket to the ground and set Guoba onto the chair by himself as she stood up and launched herself onto the bed, her arms wrapping around Hu Tao’s torso and squeezing her tight as she sat on the edge next to her.
“You’re awake.”
“I won’t be for long if you keep squeezing me like this.”
Xiangling backed off from the other girl, in fear that she’d hurt her. She’d completely forgotten that she’d be in such a fragile state - but the worry in her mind was subdued by the sound of Hu Tao’s laughter.
That giggle that sounded like the stars twinkling in the night sky, that she’d been deprived of for weeks, that she feared she’d never hear again. That grin on her lips, accompanied by bright, blooming plum blossoms, healthy and bursting with life once again. It filled the younger girl with nothing but love and hope and reassurance that she needed, reassurance that she’s okay .
Raw emotions filled Xiangling and overflowed from her eyes, stopping Hu Tao’s laughter as she leaned forward and took her face in her hands. As she thumbed away the tears, she spoke with the usual mischievous tone that Xiangling missed like nothing before.
“Awe, did you miss me that much~?”
She decided not to answer, instead letting her actions speak for her. Before Hu Tao could register it, she felt lightly chapped lips crash into her own. Unlike the first time, though, she had the energy to reciprocate it. This time, instead of being met with cold, unresponsive lips, Xiangling finally felt warm ones smile against her own before kissing her back - and as traumatic as the whole ordeal had been, it proved to be worth the wait.
Warmth fluttered in Hu Tao’s heart as she wrapped her arms lazily around the other girl’s shoulders, hands landing on her nape while Xiangling’s rested lighter than air at the base of her neck. As the younger girl moved to pull away, Hu Tao giggled and grabbed the collar of her yellow hoodie.
“I don’t think so,” she whispered before gently pulling her back to connect their lips again, this time lying back into the pillows below her head and in turn making Xiangling lean over her. She grasped her free hand and lay their intertwined fingers beside her head, the simple action making Hu Tao’s head spin as she swore she would drown in this feeling all day if she let her. Her senses were filled with nothing but Xiangling, this loving, caring, kind, gentle, adorable girl who’d not left her side once through it all - she didn’t know what she’d done to deserve her, but now that she had her she knew she’d never let her go.
A soft knock to the door made Xiangling jump away from the other girl, but not letting go of her hand as she did.
“Zhongli told me you’re awa- Oh.”
Xiao had let himself in, it seemed.
“S-sorry, I’ll come back later, I guess,” he mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the pair as he retreated back through the door.
Hu Tao grinned as he grasped the door handle to shut it behind him. “Missed you, Xiao,” she giggled.
“Missed you, too,” he grumbled with a small smile before closing the door and leaving the two alone once again.
Turning back to the girl at her side, Hu Tao noticed how red Xiangling had gotten, having been caught by an actual Yaksha , making out with his close friend on her bed. She sat up and leaned her forehead onto hers, meeting her eyes through dark lashes. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. Unless Zhongli tells him to. Then, he does bite.”
The way Xiangling’s eyes widened made Hu Tao laugh loudly, pulling away and kissing her cheek to try and ease the terror that was evident on her face.
“He’ll kill me if I make even one mistake, won’t he?”
“Maybe~,” Hu Tao hummed, “But Guoba and Chef Mao would slow roast me, so I think we’re even.”
The young chef sighed as she lay her head on the other girl’s shoulder, who brought her hands up to play with her soft indigo hair as if by reflex. They sat like that for some time, each just enjoying the other’s comforting presence after being deprived of it for far too long.
Xiangling slowly wrapped her arms around Hu Tao’s waist, shuffling closer as she lifted up her head and touched their foreheads together once more. “Hey,” she whispered timidly.
“Hey?” Hu Tao quirked an eyebrow at the sudden shift. She watched as Xiangling calculated her words in her head, lips pursed and eyes narrowed.
“.. I love you.”
She felt her heart swell upon hearing the words fall from her mouth. She couldn’t hold back her grin, so wide that she could barely speak through it. “I love you too, beautiful.”
Xiangling giggled in response, pink pigment creeping into her cheeks at the new pet name. “So.. that means-“
“That means,” Hu Tao kicked that duvet that covered the lower half of her body away and shuffled toward the other girl, cupping her cheeks in her hands as she sat on her lap. “That I’m yours. If you’ll have me.”
Her chocolate brown hair cascaded down and around the two of them, like a curtain concealing them from the world. The smell of peaches and silk flowers and plum blossoms that followed Hu Tao filled Xiangling’s senses, the signature scent somehow persisting after everything. She gazed up with adoration in her amber eyes at the shy smile on the older girl’s face as she looked right back at her with anticipation. She knew then just how lucky she was.
“Of course I will.”