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The streets of Liyue were saturated with a nostalgic orange hue as the special time of Lantern Rite was coming around again.
Vendors, makeshift stalls, and restaurants, were all haphazardly plastered in excitement with gold and red traditional and handmade decorations. Bright orange lanterns were strung through the city as far as the eye could see. It was all to commemorate the Lunar New Year, and it made you feel at home in a place that was not even called home.
The hustle and bustle of the city welcomed you, not as one would welcome a visitor, but in the way a mother would welcome a child who was away from home for a while. The warmth of this seaside city swirled around your body, blanketing you in familiarity and comfort, as you made your way to the Baiju Guesthouse.
You smiled and waved at some of the passersby that you recognised from the previous year during your annual visit to Liyue. It was sweet that they never forgot the faces of the wandering travellers who made their yearly show at the region’s biggest event of the year. The photographic memory of the people of Liyue were rival to the Kamera itself.
“Boo!”
You were snapped out of your lethargic, thoughtful state when a cheeky local funeral parlour worker suddenly appeared at your side.
“Hu Tao!” You laughed, clutching your chest in mock fright, “You nearly scared me to death.”
“Always making business opportunities.” Hu Tao replied, sticking out her tongue and winking at you.
She matched her walking pace to yours, but was soon running and skipping ahead of you; your walking much too slow for her ricocheting energy.
“How have you been?” She asked, drawing out the e’s and circling around you in excitement.
“I’ve been okay,” you laughed, twirling around as you walked, “I’ve really missed this place.”
“Someone missed you too.” Hu Tao smirked and frolicked ahead of you, leaving you blushing behind her.
It was no secret that you had ended a certain adeptus’s streak of lonely Lantern Rites with your presence at the previous festival; much to Hu Tao and Zhongli’s amusement.
You shook your head, the blush on your cheeks fading as you chased away the thoughts of him out of your mind.
“I haven’t even seen him since then.” You whispered to Hu Tao, afraid someone might hear.
“Yeah, well, he hasn’t stopped talking about you since then.” Hu Tao stopped her movement, standing in front of the guesthouse with her hands on her hips.
The blush crept back onto your cheeks. You hadn’t even realised you had reached the guesthouse.
You cleared your throat, embarrassed about the fact that Hu Tao knew that he was still thinking about you. And for a whole year! Hu Tao had to be pulling your leg.
“Thanks for walking me here. It was nice to see you again.” You gave Hu Tao a hug and you could hear her cunning laugh under her breath.
“See you around.” Hu Tao smirked at you, tipped her hat, and skipped away.
Suddenly, you found your cheeks grow even hotter, and you hid your face in your hands.
You made your way to reception, and then your guest room, refusing to reveal the red-flushed bottom half of your face from behind your hand.
****
You flopped onto your bed after settling and unpacking; turning your head to face the large sliding door that separated the room from the cosy balcony. The sliding door was pushed slightly ajar and the evening breeze wafted through, rippling the linen curtains and allowing the golden sunlight to speckle across your face.
You took a deep breath, shutting your eyes to truly savour the subtle saltiness of the breeze as it blew over the nearby ocean, meeting you in the room.
Left alone with your thoughts for a moment, you involuntarily reminded yourself of the encounter you had with Hu Tao earlier that day.
You allowed a small smile to pull at the corner of your lips before you hit yourself against the forehead.
“I am overreacting. Hu Tao was probably teasing me again.” You tried to convince yourself so it would be easier to ignore the butterflies that swarmed around in your stomach every time you reminded yourself that he could be thinking of you at that very moment.
Grabbing the room service menu from the bedside table, you made your way outside onto the balcony. You leaned over the railing and pondered over the beverage section of the menu.
The wine list caught your eye, especially since you hailed from Mondstadt: a city known for its wine industry.
You decided on a red wine; one described with a foreign name, you were not preoccupied by the taste, familiarity, or craftsmanship of the wine, but rather by its ability to make you drunk.
Once you had made your decision and room service had returned with your bottle, you were quick to inhale three glasses before taking a seat on the chair placed on the balcony.
After meticulously reading the label on the bottle - a side effect of being tipsy - you realised that room service had brought you two wine glasses.
You frowned, confused, but realised that they had assumed someone would join you to finish the bottle.
“Oh...” you said out loud, to nobody in particular, once the thought had hit you - a while after you realised the very same fact.
You trailed your finger on the rim of the unattended, lonely glass, finding solace in the idea that you could relate to an inanimate piece of crockery, and you soon began to think of him again.
This time, you were too intoxicated to stop your train of thought.
You sipped on your wine slowly, staring into the distance, over the harbour, recalling your last Lantern Rite.
It was the first time in a long while that you had thought about your time with him; amongst the golden lanterns and bright celebrations.
And then, you remembered a certain night spent with him, and your cheeks turned red; this time it was not courtesy of losing your sobriety.
There was a faint tug in your stomach, clearly not butterflies, and you instinctively bit your lip while your memories became a vivid recollection of the way his fingers danced across your thighs and his lips trailed over every inch of you.
You gripped onto the glass, downing what was left and pouring another one.
Your eyes widened as you watched your glass fill up with delicious red wine again, and you groaned when the consequences of your own actions suddenly dawned on you.
The special thing about red wine - it was infamously known for increasing ones sexual arousal.
As if you were putting on a magic show, you made the red liquid disappear instantly, setting the glass down when the act was over.
You were unable to get him out of your mind. Unable to stop thinking about how good he made you feel. Unable to stop yourself from remembering why Liyue felt more than home than any other place.
Liyue was where you found him.
You made the drunken decision to relieve yourself of all the frustrations that had washed over you ever since Hu Tao decided to open her devious little mouth.
Getting up slowly off your chair, you held onto the balcony railing for assistance. Once you were on your feet, as stable as you could manage, you grabbed the bottle of wine and wobbled your way inside.
You were not completely drunk as to forget the rest of the night, but more the kind of drunk where you don’t feel it until you have to walk in a straight line, or open your mouth to say something.
The kind of drunk that makes you feel, and think, and speak more than your anxious self normally would.
You took one final swig of wine - straight out of the bottle - before prying your pants off your body. The belt buckle felt so cold against your warm hands, and you became so hyper focused on the feeling that you spent nearly a minute fiddling with it.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake...” you giggled to yourself as you finally undid the buckle, untying your pants and sliding it off of you.
You dropped it onto the floor where you were standing. Not even halfway to the bed - you were just in front of the sliding door, the curtains flapping delicately around your bare legs.
When you finally made it to your bed, you fell down on your stomach, groaning when you rolled over onto your back.
Your cheeks were permanently flushed as you continued to flip through your recollection of memories from that night.
Your body was hot; your skin beginning to feel sticky as the spring sunset cast it’s warm rays right onto your bed.
Your hand snaked between your thighs, resting over panties as your mind began to whirl around all the thoughts of him.
His soft, stern voice that never scolded, only commanded. The way his warm breath fanned over your skin as he left trails of kisses down your body, gently caressing every inch of you, like he would break you at any moment. His dark hair twirled into its teal streaks; how it looked with your fingers raked through it, grabbing onto it when he made you arch your back.
Your hand found its way under your panties, your eyebrows furrowed as your middle finger made contact with your clit.
You hummed as you began moving your finger in a circular motion, pulling the memories from the back of your mind as you pulled muted moans from between your lips.
You remembered the way you tasted on his lips. The way, when his swollen lips met yours, his breathing was ragged when he said that you were the best thing he had tasted in thousands of years.
You sped up the rhythmic motion of your finger, your knuckles chafing against the material of your underwear as you frantically searched for release. Removing your underwear for easier access, you shut your eyes; eyebrows knitted together as your thighs spread open, touching yourself to the thought of him.
You had to slap your hand over your mouth as you threatened to let out loud moans; you didn’t want the other guests to hear you.
Your breathing started picking up its pace; erratic breaths warming the air with lust and need. You removed your hand from over your mouth and trailed it under your shirt to grab hold of one of your breast; kneading it as you felt the coil of pleasure tighten in the pit of your stomach.
You were writhing under your own touch, babble spilling from your lips. Without warning, you felt yourself climax. You let out a string of whimpers, moaning a single word in the process.
“Xiao...”
His name.
Your eyes snapped open, your hand went to cover your mouth, and you shot up in horror (which sobered you up a fair amount) as soon as you realised what you had done.
But it was too late.
With a swift gust of wind and distant whistling, he appeared in your room, standing in front of the open sliding door. And all you could do was squeeze your thighs shut, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“You called.” Xiao stated, before processing the sight before him.
Countless nights thinking about you, wishing you were next to him while he counted the stars, and here you were - half-naked, cheeks flushed, hair messy, eyes pleading for forgiveness as if you could ever do anything wrong in your life.
“What are you...” He looked at you in confusion before connecting the dots.
“I... I couldn’t help it.” You stammered, the redness in cheeks now the evidence of your embarrassment.
He slowly made his way to the edge of the bed. Xiao tried to hide his emotions and feeling most of the time, but he could never quite get it right when it came to keeping his eyes expressionless.
You watched as he raked his gaze over your body; his eyes darkened with lust and sparkling with impatience.
“How have you been?” Xiao asked casually, sitting down at the edge of the bed, causing the mattress to dip, and you tilted towards him just a little, still not completely sober.
This little movement made you feel completely unguarded and at his submission. You shivered as his presence radiated from him, overpowering your own.
“I’ve been okay.” You whispered, inching yourself closer to him.
“It’s been a while.” You laughed softly, your line of sight shifting between his eyes and his lips.
“Mmh, quite some time has past.” Xiao agreed with you and brought his hand up to trace against your upper arm.
His hands weren’t exactly soft; tarnished with the results of thousands of years of fighting and protecting the people who called for him, but they were regularly protected by his gloves, so his hands were not entirely rough and worn down.
When realised that it was his bare hand touching you and not his glove, you noticed that he was not sporting his usual attire. He was wearing a comfortable, loose-fitting pair or slacks and a tight-fitted black t-shirt. It was the sleeveless turtleneck kind, the one you thought he looked particularly handsome in.
“You’re not dressed in your demon conquering costume?” You asked, with a slight drunken slur as you raised your own hand to trace the faint jade coloured tattoo on his arm.
Xiao let out a soft chuckle.
“I heard...through the grapevine,” he started, opting to leave Hu Tao’s inability to keep quiet out of the explanation, “That you had returned. I was on my way to the Baiju Guesthouse for you, initially.”
Your heart started beating faster when he used the word ‘returned’, as if Liyue was your home to come back to as well. Maybe you were just been hopeful.
Xiao moved his hand to press against your cheek and you nuzzled into his palm.
“I have thought of nothing but our last encounter.” He whispered, stroking his thumb across your cheek, which warmed slightly as you remembered that night too.
“I’ve been thinking about it as well.” You confessed, moving your face closer to his.
“Mmh.” Xiao hummed in response, looking down at your lap.
You covered your face in embarrassment as you remembered the situation he had stumbled upon.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay.” Xiao said, pulling your hands away from your face and gently pressing his lips against your knuckles.
“Do you want me to help you with that?” He asked, his eyes shone with mischief, something so out of character for him that it nearly scared you.
You nodded your head and allowed him to guide your arms to rest on his shoulders. Instinctively, you raked your hands through his hair, tightening your grip on the hair at the nape of his neck, making him wince slightly as he moved his face towards yours.
You met him half way, hesitating as your lips brushed against his, your stomach stinging with longing.
“I’ve missed you.” Xiao breathed onto your lips.
In reply, you finally kissed him. It was soft, welcoming, and cosy - just like home. He kissed you back with so much care that you wanted to cry. He smelt like spring rainfall and summer breezes. His skin was soft everywhere else but his hardworking hands, his pale body seemed like it would be cold, yet it radiated so much warmth. His aura, because it was strong enough to have its own scent, smelt like baby powder and mint leaves.
You were so infatuated with the thought of him; it was so hard to fathom that he was right in front of you, in your grasp, his lips moving against yours as you sat before him.
You pulled away from the kiss first, a heartbeat going steadily between your thighs. Xiao fluttered his eyes open. Seeing your face with furrowed eyebrows, plump lips, pleading him for more, made him even happier that you were here.
The way he felt with every fibre in his being when you were with him made him feel more human than anything else in the whole world. More than anything he had ever experienced in his 2000 years of life. The urge he had to cater to your every need, to please you, make you happy, to keep you content and at peace, made him feel more mortal and primal, and just like you. Being with you made him feel like he was you.
He was nothing and everything with you.
Xiao kissed you harder, swiping his tongue along your bottom lip before sliding it against your own tongue. He pushed forward, forcing you to rest against your pillows, your hands wrapping around his upper arms as he held your waist with both his hands.
The kiss was steamy and everything you both wanted - closeness with each other.
You wished you could get even closer with him, so you tugged on the front of his t-shirt, signalling that you wanted him to remove it.
Xiao broke the kiss and rushed to pull the shirt over his head, his lean but slightly sculpted torso on full display now that he was shirtless.
You dragged your hand down his stomach, resting on the waistband of his pants. You tried to untie the bow holding his pants up, but he rested his hands on yours, stopping you.
“Today, I just want to make you feel good.” He said, lying down next to you once he threw his t-shirt on the floor.
You nodded, somewhat embarrassed, but you allowed him to move his one leg between your thighs, his clothed knee now flush against your bare cunt.
Xiao held himself up comfortably, resting on his one elbow as his right hand found its way under your shirt.
You were glad you had removed your bra as soon as you arrived in your room, so Xiao’s hand was in direct contact with your breast.
He hadn’t even done anything yet, but you were already arching your back, the red wine still clearly having an effect on you.
“I haven’t done anything yet.” Xiao smirked, as if he could read your mind, and you felt his dick harden against your thigh. The fact that you were so responsive to just his touch turned him on.
“Well, then do something already.” You mumbled, your annoyance growing with your need.
Xiao hummed and brought his lips to the area of your neck under your ear, where he began nibbling and sucking while his fingers grazed over your nipple.
“Ahh...Ngh~” You panted, your fingers tightening over his flexed bicep as his hand moved under your shirt. You held your hand over your mouth, not wanting to make too much noise.
“You can say my name now. I’m here.” Xiao mumbled before nibbling softly on your earlobe.
Your raised your eyebrows, your eyes fluttering as they struggled to stay open. He had began softly pinching your nipple, his leg prohibiting your thighs from squeezing together as you felt your arousal pool between them.
You moaned his name softly, his lips moving against your throat as the word left your mouth. He hummed against your neck in approval, his breath getting shakier the more your called out for him.
Xiao abandoned your nipple when your hips began bucking, and you let out a sigh you didn’t know you were holding. His hand rested on your stomach, and your turned your face to kiss him.
You cupped his face in your hands while he pulled your body towards him, his hand on your waist as he guided you over his clothed knee. With every exhale, his own body shook as he felt your hips rut over his bent knee and onto his thigh.
The contrast of texture against your heat was causing prefect friction, and you frantically humped against Xiao’s thigh, you could feel a second climax rising from your toes into your stomach.
You were moaning and whining in his mouth while he kissed you; breathless as he struggled to keep his own mewls in. Now and then, he would let out a soft groan, which simply just edged you nearer to your orgasm.
Xiao’s hand abandoned your waist, and moved to his thigh. He placed his hand with his palm facing up, his middle finger sticking out to perfectly brush against your clit whenever you rocked forward on his thigh.
You shivered at the contact, your breath hitching in your throat as you pushed yourself down harder on his hand and thigh.
“That’s it. Just like that.” Xiao showered you with praise as you rocked yourself nearer to your high.
“Xiao~” You moaned, leaving messy kisses on his neck and any other part of his body your lips could reach.
His lips met yours for a brief moment. You both furrowed your eyebrows at the quick but passionate kiss, catching each other’s whines and moans with your lips.
“Say my name...louder.” He encouraged, and you obeyed without a second thought.
The more you moaned his name, the closer you got to your orgasm.
You had soaked quite a bit of the thigh part of Xiao’s trousers, and you could feel the wetness rub against your inner thighs as you rocked forward and backward.
He moved his middle finger, angling it so that it teased at your entrance. This subtle movement was the tipping point, sending you over the edge and causing you to orgasm. You shook on his hand, curling your toes as a euphoric warmth coursed through your body.
“Oh, Archons- Xiao! I’m cumming!” You screamed, squeezing your eyes shut and tightly lacing your fingers through his hair. Xiao let out a soft throaty whine as you released on his hand, the tugging of his hair and your orgasmic moans nearly finishing him off too.
When you were done riding out your high, Xiao kissed you. He skilfully moved against your lazy lips, smiling into the kiss.
“My name sounds best when you moan it.”