Genshin Impact Oneshots & Drabbles

happy anniversary - xiao

pairing : gn!reader + xiao
warnings // tags : angst, not proofread
word count : 2203 words

you've loved xiao for three whole years. throughout those years, you've found many reasons to love him for who he is. the kindness you could find in him as he helped those who were in need, the bashfulness he holds when he presents you gifts, the look he gives you that transcends what words could convey.

he was everything you've ever loved.

but, no love was perfect.

you've come to realize that for awhile now. you just couldn't accept it for yourself. you didn't want to admit it to yourself because it seemed so insulting to him, to your lover, to xiao. it seemed so insulting that you'd think 'he's so hard to love.'

the very same reasons you loved him became the exact same reasons that you loathed him. his kindness and his want to save people that became the reason he lost time to see you, the pride he holds when a conflict arises between you two and he prefers to run away than to face it, the glare he gives you that transcends what words could convey.

when you got into a relationship with the yaksha, you had already known of the chains he was held down on. you've already acknowledged that his karmic debt would take a toll on your relationship, you told yourself that you would be able to handle it. that you would be able to handle him. that you would be able to at least shoulder a few of his burdens with him.

you did. that's always how it starts off, right? you were patient with him, you continued to love him even when he took long absences that would often turn from weeks to months. you were patient when he wouldn't show up because of him dealing with himself.

but, time does things to a person. you're not a selfish person, not at all, never. you understood him always. because, you had no right to ask for his attention and for his love when he had more important things to deal with than your relationship, right?

so, here you are now. in the comforts of your own home, one that was once shared with the yaksha. but, you can barely call it a shared home anymore when the other is always absent. the house barely has any remnants of your lover anymore.

you looked around in a dejected, disappointed manner. a heavy sigh left your lips as you grabbed the ice cream box in your fridge, it wasn't even a recent buy. this is what remained of the house date you two prepared, a house date that he... didn't show up to.

you grabbed a lighter and placed a candle on top of the ice cream before you lit it up with the said lighter. you stared at the fire blankly. "what a lonely, lonely third anniversary."

you don't even want to call his name anymore, you feel like you'll only disturb him if you do. that was one of the reasons you stopped calling for his name, the other one was because... you were afraid that if you did, he might not show up. a sign that he wasn't listening to you anymore, that he didn't care about you anymore.

"happy anniversary," you said to yourself with a sad smile, watching the candle light being your only source of warmth in this moment. was this relationship still savable?

you can barely hear the wind shift momentarily behind you. a quick swoosh and a whip, and you could tell that your lover had already appeared from behind you. you don't dare to turn around though, he made himself known as he approached from behind you.

"happy anniversary... to us," he says in a sing-song tone, quiet. almost like a whisper. a small bouquet of flowers slowly comes to vision. it wasn't anything grand, in fact, it was selfmade. picked by his own hands throughout his travels.