17 - Affection

                                    

                                          
 Waking up to a pair of beautiful golden eyes was not common- especially when those eyes belonged to the Geo Archon himself. Y/n found herself gazing sleepily into those said eyes, entranced and dumbfounded.
                          
"Good morning, dear." A peck on her forehead was all that it took to stun her awake. She didn't dare move, afraid that what had occurred was only a dream. 
                          
"M-Master?" She finally gathered the courage to breathe. It certainly did not feel like a dream- though it seemed impossible.
                          
"Yes?" He kindly smiled down at her. Y/n moved her head a bit, realizing that it was resting on his lap. A slight ache from her head told her that she was experiencing a hangover from last night. 
                          
"Did I do something... weird?" She asked, rubbing her forehead anxiously. "Or say something weird?"
                          
"No. Is there something wrong?" He looks at the girl with an unfazed expression. 
                          
 She visibly relaxes, glad that she didn't do anything humiliating. Though she couldn't recall the events from last night, she concluded that she did not need to fret because of her Master's reaction to her question.
                          
"Wait... Where are we?!" She then sat up, immediately regretting it after. The dizziness hit her and she felt like throwing up on the spot.
                          
"My room..." Two arms wrapped around her waist. The answer and action were both unexpected, leaving her heart racing in profound beats. The warmth calmed her down and she willed herself to resist the urge to puke in his room.
                          
"Master... Why are you being like this?" Y/n asked quietly, her hand over his. 
                          
"What do you mean?" He tilts his head innocently. "Can't I take care of my assistant?"
                          
"Yes but this..." Y/n did not know what to say. He was acting peculiar but it did not feel odd. The way he touched her and greeted her- they all felt genuine and full of love and affection. It scared her.
                          
 Not because of the sudden change but because she might lose this affection as quickly as it came. She hoped that she wasn't dreaming.
                          
"This?" Rex Lapis leans in, his breath lightly blowing against her face. "May I?" He caresses her cheek, glancing at her lips. With averted eyes and blushing cheeks, Y/n couldn't possibly refuse him. She nodded and he kissed her, feeling elated to the core.
                          
 The girl did not know anything, she couldn't remember anything. That was all he needed. As long as she remained ignorant, the relationship can continue, even after her punishment is carried out.
                          
 He needs only to be careful with three words, and to make sure he never says them during this time, he repeats them in his mind. 
                          
'I love you.'
                          
-
                          
"Xiao!" Y/n beams as soon as she spotted her dear friend. The Adeptus remained at his spot before moving his arm across his face, a mask in place. She halted in her steps and stared as Xiao faced the group of Hilichurls, corrupted with black wisps of aura.
                          
"Woah..." She mumbles in awe as the famed Demon Conquerer shakes the earth with strong plunges with his Anemo vision.
                          
"What are you doing here?" He removes his mask when he notices the spectator. Although he was inevitably suffering inside, he forced himself to not show his pain. He did not wish to have the one closest to him feel his burdens.
                          
 Knowing Y/n, Xiao guessed that she would most likely cry for his sake.
                          
"That dark energy did not feel nice at all..." Y/n mumbles, glancing at Xiao's polearm. He touches it briefly before closing his eyes.
                          
"That is none of your business."
                          
"But we are friends!" She fists his head, causing Xiao to frown and rub it with slightly droopy eyes. "And you know what friends do for each other?"
                          
"No, I don't and I do not wish to know." He states blandly before walking off. 
                          
"Hey! Friends help each other, you dumb tofu addict!" She shouts, following him. "And that's exactly why you should tell me why those monsters had that weird black smoke around them!"
                          
"That is not a valid reason. Stop following me. You're annoying." He remains unconvinced. 
                          
"Why can't you just rely on others sometimes? It doesn't hurt to ask for help, does it?" Y/n proceeds to throw her arm around him. "Come on now, spill the tea..." She pokes his cheek repeatedly.
                          
"Leave me be!" He growls, pushing Y/n away. However, he did not control his strength and the girl lost her sense of balance, landing on her butt.
                          
"You are paying for the damages you've done to my butt." She immediately says before wailing as if she hadn't just spoken perfectly fine a second ago. "Ah, I seem to have sprained my ankle..." Y/n tearfully looks down.
                          
"You- ugh... Hop on." Xiao crouches down, revealing his back. Y/n giggles in mischief before slowly climbing onto his back.
                          
"Thanks, friend!" She exclaims. 
                          
 The gratitude fluttered in Xiao's heart, making him flinch more by how close she was. At that moment, he had forgotten about the pain within him. All that was there was her small breaths against the back of his ear and her thin arms that tightly wrapped around his torso.
                          
"Dammit..." He muttered as quietly as possible. He did not want to harbor these annoying feelings. He knew it was bound to be unrequited anyway, judging by how Y/n always looked at Rex Lapis in a certain way.
                          
 The thought of her loving someone else and abandoning him stung. It stung to the point that the pain overweighed the one he already has. 
                          
"Xiao? Xiao?!" Y/n calls out repeatedly, but the Yaksha could not bear it any longer. His desperate pants for more air caused Y/n to fall off his back and hold his shoulders tightly in concern.
                          
"I'm here. Slow breaths, come on, Xiao." She squeezed his hand, on the verge of tears. The pain he kept inside poured out endlessly, etched on his face. His resisting grunts soon turned to screams of agony.
                          
"Please... You're too young to die..." She hugs him from behind, hoping it would help a little. 
                          
"Hah... Even though you're younger than me." He laughs before clutching his chest again, glaring at the grass. If the grass was alive, it would've been exterminated under his deathly eyes.
                          
"Shut up, old man." Y/n grumbles. "You've been holding it in for so long... catch a break, alright."
                          
"... Thanks." His voice was barely audible but Y/n could tell what he meant from his red ears.