Nilou Teaching You How To Dance

family bonding time

Caught staring at their Lips

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Summary: They catch you staring at their lips and how they would react (headcanons + short drabbles format)

Characters: Ayato, Childe, Diluc, Heizou, Kaeya, Kazuha, Thoma, Xiao, Zhongli x (gn!)Reader (separate)

Warnings: None - pure fluff!

A/N: Your girl is back! I finally managed to finish these drabbles I had sitting in my drafts for half an eternity already. Always appreciate any asks, comments or reblogs about this if you liked it. Let me know your favorite! <3

AYATO

It wouldn't take long for him to notice your dreamy stare.

Would literally stop talking mid sentence as soon as he notices you staring, just to see how long it would take you to notice he was no longer saying anything.

Once you realized, he would just smirk and throw you a knowing glance.

He can't help himself, he needs to throw a remark and he would enjoy it greatly that he is making you even more flustered.

Despite him looking like he is entirely unaffected by your gawking, on the inside you would make him go crazy, his heart would beat so loud he is scared you would be able to hear it.

He hummed, snapping you out of your trance, making you realize that you had been staring at his lips for the entire time he had been talking. Wait? When did he stop talking? Oh, Archons. You felt the blood rush to your face and wanted to cover your eyes in embarrassment, but that would be admitting that you, in fact, had been staring at Ayato's way too soft and inviting looking lips while you wondered what they would feel like against yours.

"Care to share with me what you were so entranced by on my face?"

"... I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, so you admit that you were staring at my lips?"

"I… no, I–." You were desperately ringing for words and all you could manage to get out was a stammered word salad - much to the amusement of the man in front of you.

He let out a soft chuckle and he trained his lilac eyes on yours before he suddenly took your hand into his, brushing over the back of your palm with his thumb. You thought your heart was about to jump out of your chest any second, which seemed to be very much visible on your face as well, because Ayato's smirk grew even wider.

"No need to be so nervous, I was just testing you."

"W-what were you–?"

He quickly pulled you forward and pressed his lips onto yours, one of his gloved hands finding its way to your cheek, cupping it gently.

"Now that we finally got around to spending time together, don’t you perhaps think it’s being wasted by just staring?"

CHILDE

Oh Archons, you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into…

He would be an absolute tease about it (because of course he would be).

Would it stroke his ego if the most beautiful person in all of Teyvat stared at his lips this way? One hundred percent.

If you thought you’d seen his shit-eating grin before, better reconsider that because the grin he would have on his face now, was wider than it had ever been.

Prepare to be flustered because that man will stare right back at you and not even falter for a second under your gaze.

You stood in front of his desk as he flicked through the pages on the clipboard you just brought over to him. You closely watched the way his eyes scanned over the paper with a bored expression, finding your eyes wandering from his eyes a bit further down to his lips.

You found yourself drifting off, fantasizing about what it would feel like to press your own lips against his. You were so lost in thought, you missed the way he kept looking up at you out of the corner of his eyes with a smug smile slowly forming on his face, before getting up from his chair and getting over to where you were standing.

“Look at you!”, he took your face in between his index finger and thumb and pulled it up in a way that you were forced to look into his eyes. “Staring at my lips like you have a chance in hell to kiss me, hm?”

“I-I’m sorry, I must’ve…”, you rung for words as he kept pinning you down with his intense ocean blue eyes, the conceited grin on his face becoming wider with every stammer that forced itself out of your throat. You hoped he didn’t feel how your cheeks had started to burn under his gloved hands and how fast your heart had started to hammer against your chest.

“What if I told you though, that you do have a chance?”

Oh Archons, this man would be the death of you.

DILUC

Would be the one to keep talking even if he notices that you’re staring.

Don’t be fooled though, he just tries to keep it cool but he’d eventually break under your gaze.

His face would turn a flaming red and become almost indistinguishable from the color of his locks and he would start to stammer and avoid eye contact.

Would probably inquire whether he had something in his face making you aware of the fact that you had been staring, flustering you all the same in return.

You would shake your head and attempt to hide your face while an awkward silence settled between you two.

He would secretly wish for you to look at his lips like that more often.

Sitting at the bar at the Angel’s Share you caught yourself being entranced by the lips of the man behind the bar who was focused on wiping some of the glasses dry, while striking a conversation with you.

As soon as he looked up from the counter you noticed a small startle in his composure before he kept talking again, earning nothing but a zoned out hum or nod from you in response as you were too busy with the way his lips basically danced a slow rhythm as he was speaking.

“Sorry. I-Is there anything between my teeth… or on my face?”, he stammered suddenly, interrupting whatever he had been talking about prior to that. Not that you would actually remember what it was about, embarrassingly so, because you knew exactly why he was asking.

“No, no, everything is fine.”, you replied awkwardly to which he nodded before quickly turning around, busying himself with cleaning up the perfectly arranged and spotless shelf behind him. You had been too obvious, hadn’t you?

“Say…”, he suddenly turned around again with a bright pink blush across his cheeks. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

HEIZOU

What gave you the idea that staring at his lips would either go unnoticed or end well?

That man basically has a sixth sense, of course he would notice straight away.

Would probably let you stare for a bit longer and pretend he doesn’t see you looking at his lips so blatantly obvious

He absolutely wouldn’t be able to hold back the smug grin on his face for too long.

Brace yourself for teasing, because you sure won’t hear the end of it.

As you sat at your desk at the Police Station you couldn’t help but steal sneaky glances over to your colleague and his handsome features every now and then. Especially his lips magically kept pulling you back to them and you frequently began drawing imaginary patterns over them with your eyes and were unable to take them off.

Heizou suddenly piled up some of the files he had been working on the entire day, grabbed them and walked over to your desk with a confident smirk on his face that could mean nothing good.

“Well, my favorite colleague, care to lend me a hand with a case I’ve been struggling to solve?”

“Excuse me?”

Him? Struggling with a case? Frankly said, you found that almost impossible to believe so you just questioningly raised an eyebrow at him. 

As if prompted, he pulled out the chair in front of your desk and sat down, putting the files on your desk, too. But much to your surprise he didn’t open them but instead pushed them aside and leaned in closer to you over your desk, intently staring at your face, the smug grin never faltering.

“You heard that right and you’re the only one who can solve it.”

You stared back at him as if he had lost his mind. He had never asked for help with a case, neither directly nor indirectly. As if spurred on by your confusion his grin grew even wider and you started getting more nervous by the minute.

“So… there is someone who keeps staring at my lips recently in a not so sneaky way. Do you think they want to kiss me or am I on the wrong track here?”

Oh god.

KAEYA

He would catch you staring pretty quickly

A smug grin would be painted on his face along with a flirty glint in his eye.

Similarly to Childe he would be a total tease about it - so better prepare for some remarks thrown your way.

Although he would just use it as a facade to play down and hide his own flusteredness.

He would most certainly be thinking about your longing stare for quite some time after, wondering what your lips would feel like when joined with his.

You and Kaeya sat together at the Tavern after work over some wine and snacks. While he was talking you couldn’t help but start scanning his handsome features. The way his soft hair fell across his forehead and shoulder and the way his frost blue eye wandered around the dimly lit tavern and the way his lips softly wrapped around the rim of his wineglass every so often.

As you kept looking at his lips you soon noticed that they had formed into a sly smile. Looking up you saw that he had his eye trained on you. Crap, had he caught you staring?

“Why, hello there, sweetheart. What are you looking at?.”, he purred and playfully bit his lip.

“Oh archons, stop it?!”, you whined as you clasped your hands over your face in an attempt to hide..

You were ready to sink into the ground in embarrassment right then and there, and it got worse when you heard him put his glass down onto the table and felt his hands pull yours off your face again so he could get a look at your flustered expression. 

A pleased grin was painted on his face as he moved so close to yours you could smell the wine he had been drinking on his breath and his lips were barely a hair’s breadth away from yours.

“Well if you’re so intent on staring at me like that, you have to live with the consequences, don’t you think?”

KAZUHA

When he catches you staring he would smile back at you, a light pink dusting his cheeks.

He would be so soft and nice about it, softly brushing over the back of your palm to divert your attention his way even more.

Prepare to be showered with words of affection and compliments in return.

By far the most romantic about it out of the bunch. 

Would be the type to write poetry about the moment and dwell on the moment for quite a while.

You and Kazuha were sitting together near the harbor in Liyue, on a big stone bank just outside the city. Kazuha was leaning back with his eyes closed and propping himself up with his hands. The mild ocean breeze softly carded through his white locks and his lips were formed into a soft smile. You actually would have liked to kiss them right then and there and the urge to reach your hand out to brush over them became stronger with every passing second.

He turned his head over to you and fixated his crimson colored eyes on yours before throwing you the most beautiful smile you had ever seen. 

He grabbed your hand to trace small circles over the back of it with his thumb making your whole body feel tingly and your heart started racing.

"Can you believe we've known each other for almost our entire lives... and yet we've never shared a kiss.", he suddenly remarked, a rosy blush playing around his cheeks. "... we can change that now, if you want."

You could feel how the heartbeat in your chest became more erratic at his words and your face started heating up. 

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel–", you began to protest, but you didn't even get to finish your sentence before you could feel a pair of soft lips be tenderly pressed onto yours.

"You're incredible!", he whispered before uniting your lips once more.

His words engulfed all your senses and you gripped his shirt in a futile attempt to keep you stable as the sensation of his lips made you melt like candle wax in the sun.  And if you were honest, you were sure this must be what heaven felt like.

THOMA

He would become so flustered once he notices and would totally forget what he was saying while averting your gaze. Who would have thought outgoing and cheerful Thoma could be so shy?

He would desperately try to keep his cool but would outright just fail and become beet red in the face.

Definitely would stammer and start nibbling on the mochi in his hand - anything to keep his lips out of your line of sight and his thoughts away from the way you just looked at them.

Should he ask you what you were looking at? Did you want to kiss him? No, no, he must be seeing things.

When you noticed his weird behavior you realized what you were doing and in turn felt the blood rush to your face as well.

You and Thoma sat in the patio of the Kamisato estate, eating snacks all while you went through the organization lists for some of the upcoming festivities the Yashiro Commission was assigned to host. 

There was but one problem, you just couldn’t focus on the work in front of you because you repeatedly found your focus shift to the lips of the man before you. The way they moved when he talked, the way he quirked the corner of his mouth up or the way he pressed his pen against them when he was thinking about something. 

Lost in scanning his features you completely missed the moment Thoma addressed a question to you.

“Are you still listening?”

“Hm?”, you snapped out of your trance, flicking your eyes up to meet his again. 

He didn’t miss the shift in the direction of your gaze and instinctively reached his hand out to his lips before it started to dawn on him where you had been staring the entire time. The thought instantly made him blush violently. 

He hastily grabbed one of the mochi lying on the plate in front of him on the table before shoving it in his mouth in a futile attempt to make the tingling feeling on his lips and in the pit of his stomach go away. How was he supposed to concentrate on his work now?

“U-Uhm… w-well. Do we need some more pa-paper lanterns? What do you think–”

XIAO

By far the one that gets flustered the most when he catches you staring at his lips.

Would quickly turn his face to the other side to escape your gaze and his cheeks would glow in a bright pink.

Would seem rather annoyed, but don’t take it the wrong way - his heart is threatening to jump out of his chest any second now.

No matter how hard he tries to shake it off, he has to admit that the way you looked at his lips felt rather nice.

Please stop him from teleporting away because he is just too flustered.

“Ahem…”

The man in front of you clearing his throat pulled you out of your thoughts and you flicked your gaze from his lips back up to his eyes. You were met with an undecipherable but stern expression of the adeptus that made your heart run wild time and time again.

“Would you stop that?”, Xiao asked in an almost demanding tone.

“What?”, you asked, genuinely confused at first but it soon dawned on you. You had been staring again, but this time it wasn’t you who caught and could reprimand yourself but instead it was him who did so.

“Did no one teach you that staring at others is rude?”

“I’m sorry. I-I didn't... I couldn’t help it–”

“Tch…”

He scoffed and turned his face away from you abruptly, but it wasn’t fast enough for you to miss the dust of pink that was starting to bloom across his cheeks. 

No matter how hard he tried to seem cold and distanced, around you he never quite managed.

ZHONGLI

He would mistake it at first and would think you're just pratically glued to his lips because you find his storytelling so enthralling.

But when he notices the longing glint in your eyes he immediately knows it's something else that has you so captivated. 

And it has surely been a while since he welcomed the feeling of someone staring at his lips this way that much.

And especially considering it was you, he would be genuinely flattered.

He indulges in the thought of what it would feel like to kiss you for a while, although he would not let it show on his face.

Might throw an underhanded remark your way.

“It was then said that Rex Lapis allowed the Lord of Geovishaps to roam the land freely until his mind fell victim to corruption and he began attacking those he had once sworn to protect, leading Rex Lapis to having to seal him back underground.”

Zhongli picked up his teacup and blew the rising steam off it before taking a sip. You didn’t miss the way his lips curled around the corner of his cup and how the tea dampened them before the corners of his lips turned upward in a content smile.

He continued retelling his story where he left off but your eyes and thoughts were trained on something else instead. You were so entranced by the way his lips moved while he spoke that you at first didn’t notice that he had stopped midway, looking at you curiously with a sleek smile playing around his mouth.

“Am I perhaps boring you?”, he inquired.

“N-no, not at all, it’s just – I was distracted.”, you stammered, feeling the blood rush to your cheeks.

“Hmm, I see. Do you want me to continue or are you perhaps more inclined to keep being entertained by whatever thoughts are on your mind instead?”

You could see the right corner of his mouth twitch upwards ever so slightly into a soft smile while he trained his gaze on your face, a fond and adoring expression flaring up behind his amber irises.

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— made for loving you —

things you do that make them fall deeper in love with you!

pairings: kazuha x gn! reader, cyno x gn! reader, xiao x gn! reader, abyss prince! aether x gn! reader, albedo x gn! reader, tighnari x gn! reader, scaramouche x gn! reader.

genre: fluff, absolute fluff

warnings: not proof-read

“i’ve loved you three summers now, honey, but i want ‘em all”

— taylor swift, lover

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA — THE WANDERING SAMURAI

when you ask him about his poetry and his adventures. kazuha’s heart warms at the sight of your bright and hopeful eyes and at the way you give him your undivided attention. be it sitting under the shade of scarlet leaved trees or in the privacy of your home, the way you always play with his fingers as his gentle voice weaves flowers or narrates thrilling journeys never fails to make his heart skip some beats.

CYNO — GENERAL MAHAMATRA

when you defeat enemies and when you laugh at his jokes or follow his explanation of it intently. cyno thinks it’s so attractive of you taking on those criminals and making them confess, with only a swing of your weapon. and, when he goes on about his jokes and they make you laugh, genuinely laugh, the general’s gaze becomes wide eyed, his lips turning up into a subtle smile, in the same way yours curve up when he explains the meaning of the jokes you don’t quite understand.

XIAO — THE YAKSHA, GENERAL ALATUS

when you literally do anything for him or show him affection. xiao is not used to being taken care of in such tender ways as you do. when you simply hold his hand while you walk around wanghsu inn, when you cook almond tofu for him (and insist he lets you feed him), when you put qingxin flowers in his hair while you two rest under the golden canopies of ginkgo trees… if you pay attention, you can see the adeptus’ golden eyes hold endless tenderness and his cheeks catch a the prettiest shade of red.

AETHER — HIS ABYSSAL MAJESTY

your kindness, the light you radiate. in a world buried and surrounded in darkness and years of loss and anguish, you are his north star. aether doesn’t think he can put into words the warm sensation spreading through his chest when he comes back to you after any missions he has to attend. there is a nostalgic tenderness in the way your fingers comb through his locks of tainted gold and your arms wrap around his troubled frame, memories of long gone sunny days and the scent of fresh flowers surrounding the prince of the abyss.

ALBEDO — THE CHIEF ALCHEMIST

when you care for him and for klee. something as simple for you as bringing albedo snacks and reminding him to take breaks when he’s working for hours in his lab means the world to him. the cool headed alchemist can be seen blushing and smiling softly to himself. also, when you play with klee or take her fishing (and prevent her from blasting the whole lake) albedo’s thoughts wander to dreams of a family with you one day…

TIGHNARI — THE FOREST WATCHER

when you help him relax after a long day of work. similar to albedo, tighnari spends long hours collecting ingredients and preparing medicine, as well as making sure the forest is safe. so, coming back home to you and cuddling in your arms, while you pet his tail and ears with care, always manages to put him at ease. like albedo, tighnari’s heart fills with warmth when he sees how much you care for collei and how much she adores and admires you.

SCARAMOUCHE — KUNIKUZUSHI, THE WANDERER

your loyalty, when you stick to him, no matter the adversities. scaramouche has lost so many people he cherished, so it won’t be easy for him to let himself feel again. but when despite his cold and biting tone, you persevere, you keep being kind to him, because you see through his facade, the cage around his heart starts to melt. slowly, one bar at a time, but surely, not even himself can’t deny his appreciation for you. caressing the heart of the balladeer is no easy feat, so hold it dear and treasure it, treasure him, because kunikuzushi loves you, and even if the veil of his emotions is not transparent, you grasp the message.

hori says: since these were very short headcanons i felt i could include tighnari as well without writing him too ooc!

(Gender of reader not mentioned)

Kazuha gently hugged you in bed, stroking your back gently and full of love. Him staring at your stressing face with adoration, wondering how in the world he got so lucky with someone as amazing as you. Someone as perfect as you. Someone who never fails to make a silly, goofy, love-sick smile grow on in face.

Kazuha loves you too much. Everything about you makes his world a whole lot brighter and a whole lot better. You’re like a breath of fresh air to him.

The wondering samurai pecked your forehead and carefully traced your cheek with a free hand, admiring your stunning features.

“You’re amazing…” He whispered, lips turning up into a smile as the corners of his eyes became to crinkle from the loving smile. “Everything you do is wonderful. You are valid. You are my muse, my inspiration, a gift that I’m very grateful for. I love you, my dear. Keep being yourself, keep being happy and show the world your charming smile.”

He trailed his hand down your arm and interlocked your hands together as he cuddled closer to you.

Kazuha loved you a lot. And he knows that everyone also do, too.

relationship w thoma headcanons!

soft hours for my most spoiled four star <3

you're the luckiest person in teyvat if thoma's your significant other. his love language definitely is acts of service. as much as he'd like to spend all his time with you, he's still busy with his work, but he'll never fail to do anything to help you!

thoma will wake up before you, his gaze soft as he looks at your adorable sleeping face. he will place a kiss on your forehead muttering a quick 'i love you' before getting up to get ready for the day. when you wake up, he's almost done preparing breakfast and already wearing his usual outfit. "good morning, babe!" he greets you while putting down the last utensil on the table, you leaned close to him and kissed his cheek. "good morning, babe. thank you for this!" it's an unspoken routine at this point, but he still feels butterflies whenever you kiss him first thing in the morning.

thoma's definitely on the shy side when it comes to pda, but he'll always have his hand on you. his warm hand holding your hand, fingers intertwined together. if he ever senses danger, his arm is automatically on your shoulder tugging you closer to his side. he'll reassure you that he will protect you.

on the more quiet days where he isn't busy as usual, thoma likes to hold you in his arms while muttering sweet nothings in your ear. also loves leaving small kisses on your temple, your cheeks and your neck. nothing feels better than having your lover pour out his devotion for you while he stares into your eyes and his body wrapped around you.

in the tranquil nights, where the moon is shining above the clouds, thoma faces you with a hand caressing your hair. "i love you so, so much." he says with a quiet voice, his sleepy eyes still full of adoration. you nuzzle your face closer to him and placed a quick peck on his nose. "and i love you so, so much, too." kissing his lips gently, thoma has a giddy smile on his lips, feeling sleepier but happier than ever.

𝑨 𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑫𝑰𝑬

⟡ content: xiao x gn!reader; sfw; fluff; established relationship; xiao has certain powers that i will not disclose since it will spoil the fic, but it will be very obvious when you read it !; 1.5k words

⟡ a/n: couldn't for the life of me come up with a one sentence summary for this so unfortunately there is just the title to go off of 😔 also chibi xiao for the banner because it matches the vibe of the story hehe i hope you enjoy mwah !

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“If anything happens-”

“Just speak your name and you’ll be there.”

You finished off Xiao’s sentence with a soft smile.

Xiao’s protectiveness was second nature to him. Though he knew you were capable of fending for yourself, it never felt right for him to let you go on long travels without reiterating his promise to you. Especially now when you were heading to another nation where its threats were unfamiliar to him.

“But I won’t need to because nothing will happen to me,” you continued, flicking the clasps of your travel bag closed. “That is, unless the alchemical materials in the laboratory become sentient and decide to attack.”

Xiao gave a pout. “My concern is with the monsters of Dragonspine, not inanimate objects.”

His unwavering sincerity meant he seldom reciprocated your jokes, particularly when they revolved around your own safety. He had always thought that this would make him appear too stiff. Little did he know that it endeared him to you even more.

You walked over to Xiao, taking both his hands in yours. Eyes meeting his serious, amber gaze, you gently kissed the spot between his brows, trying to smooth out the furrow that had made its home there. He tensed ever so slightly before relaxing, still getting accustomed to your open affection.

“I’ll always be accompanied by members of the Knights of Favonius,” you detailed. “And I’ll be staying in the city whenever I’m not doing my training.”

Conceding to your rational arguments, his frown melted away with a sigh. The sharpness on his face was replaced with a softer expression as you squeezed his hands. He let out a low hum, focusing on the weight of your hands in his own. After your leave, it would be a little while until he would be able to feel this once again.

“I’ll be alright, Xiao.”

Your voice resonated through his head. Sweet and reassuring.

Of course everything would be alright. It was you after all.

However, there would be nothing stopping Xiao from being who he was either.

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There always seemed to be a pleasant breeze in the City of Mondstadt, neither too strong nor too cold. You were thankful for the window in your room facing outwards into the street so you could always enjoy the fresh air. The accommodation in Angel’s Share tavern was modest, with all the essential features for a visitor like yourself. A bed, a cupboard for storage, and small writing desk below a window.

Today, the winds cooled your skin, toying with loose strands of your hair, but never disrupting the papers on your desk below as you worked.

After tidying up the notes from that day’s alchemical training session, you brought out a fresh piece of parchment. Dipping your quill into the black ink pot, you began to write, taking care so your handwriting wouldn’t be as illegible as your study notes.

Dear Xiao…

To ease your boyfriend’s worries about your status, you also each promised to write to each other. Fortunately, with Liyue and Mondstadt being neighbouring nations, mailing could be sent and received within a few days. Verr Goldet would certainly be surprised to see Xiao skulking around the lobby, secretly waiting for a letter addressed to him.

Too engrossed in your penning, you failed to notice company joining you by your open window.

A small bird landed on the sill with unnatural grace. It hopped curiously, head tilting one side then the other. It was only until it gave a chirp did your head shoot upwards.

“Archons!”

You placed your hand over your chest in surprise. The bird let out another chirp, ruffling its own feathers. A laugh bubbled out of you, amused by how frightened you were by such a harmless creature.

Placing your pen to the side, you leaned your head in your hand and observed the bird.

“You nearly scared me to death, you know that?” you said to it, lifting your brows in mock scolding.

You hadn’t seen a bird like this before. Its plumage was a mixture of teals with purple around the top of its head. Maybe it was a native bird of Mondstadt. You’d have to ask Albedo about it during your training session tomorrow.

The little bird didn’t move. It simply stared back with unblinking eyes.

You were no animal whisperer, yet something about its stance made it look like it was anticipating something. Your natural urge to pet cute things took over and you slowly reached out a hand towards it. That seemed to be the correct response as the bird quickly met the palm of your hand, nuzzling under your touch. You chuckled, rubbing small circles into its head with your thumb.

The bird gave another chirp, quieter this time but satisfied, nonetheless.

“You might be the cutest bird I’ve ever seen,” you mused aloud. “I should keep you to myself and take you home with me.”

From under your palm, the bird squeaked. It almost sounded alarmed. You lifted your hand curiously, and it hopped out of your touch. Its head swivelled around, looking between you and the window behind it. It came to a decision and unfurled its wings, taking flight into the open air.

You stood up and stuck your head out of the window, following its path before it blended in with the clear blue sky and disappeared from your sight.

You flopped back down into your chair, the wood creaking beneath you. The inked greeting you wrote at the beginning of your letter had dried down, settling into the parchment. Smiling to yourself, you picked up your pen and continued to write.

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The little teal bird could only make it to Stone Gate before it had to make a stop.

Away from the eyes of any merchant or traveller passing through, it landed on one of the cliffs that lined the edges of the board walk.

If it were to land where there would be citizens present, it would probably cause a spectacle for what it was about to do next.

Wisps of green energy formed and coalesced around the bird, covering its body. The once tiny form grew larger and larger, reaching human size. Once upon a time, the transformation would have been much faster—almost instantaneous. But it had been a long time since he last used this power.

No trace of the little bird could be found as Xiao’s human form materialized.

Immediately, he fell to his knees. Partly because the transformation had been strenuous to concentrate on, but mostly because of his own embarrassment.

It had been less than a week since your departure, and Xiao could not wait for your first letter. He had to see for himself that no harm had befallen you.

He covered his beet-red face with both gloved hands, letting out a flustered groan.

His act would have been utterly blown had you kept him with you like a pet. The thought of him using up the last of his power and transforming while with you was too mortifying of a scenario. He also harshly reminded himself that you had not called him cute but rather the bird, and therefore there was no reason for his heart to be beating so fast.

How foolish of me... Of course nothing bad happened, he thought to himself. He had seen you unscathed, diligently studying, and even writing this week's letter for him.

Xiao took a moment to regain his energy and steady his heart. He gazed out at the landscape of Dihua Marsh. The remnant sensation of your warm hand caressing his feathered head left goosebumps on his skin. He had missed your soothing touch. Though, it just wasn’t the same compared to his human form. He couldn’t wrap his arms around you, feel you relax in his hold, or smell the scent of your perfume.

Xiao quietly admitted to himself that he preferred that you held his normal self. And because of that, he would be responsible and wait out these remaining four weeks until you returned to Liyue. That would be his first and last instance of spying in on you. Besides, he had your letters to look forward to.

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Loid Forger taking a moment