This Is Literally So Cute - Tumblr Posts

Un canon things

I got lazy and wanted to sleep

HELLO????????

THIS IS..

THIS IS SO GORGEOUS OMG WHAT?????????

SQUEALING RN THIS IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSLY DONE, I LOVE THIS SM!!!! I'M DEEPLY HONORED THANK YOU <3 <3 <3

ALSO (MAKES ALL OF YOU PERCEIVE IT) LOOK AT THIS!!!!! HER ART'S PRETTY NEAT PLS GO SUPPORT HER <3

anyways i had too- will i ever finish this? idk maybe

this is 100% inspired be @tunamayuu's bsd x kny crossover <33

Raising My Legson: A New Friend

back to basics

🛸 .。.:*°　🌙　•　　.°•　　🚀 ✯　.°• ★　*　　　°　　 .。.:*・°.　.°• 🛰 　°· 🪐.　 •　° 　 •  ☄ .。.:* ・°☆. •　.°•💫 .。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°

mutuals look we are in the planetarium together

I’ve got you now, my sleepy head :3

Re: Price letting her rent the spare room you just know he mentions that he travels a lot for work and often for stretches at a time so really she’d be doing HIM a favor by having someone around while he’s gone u.u

𝒔𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒚!𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 || 𝒔𝒖𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

Tells you to make the common spaces yours as well because you live here now too, and one of your first measures is to set out a vase on the kitchen counter, regularly fill it up with fresh flowers until you start getting so swamped with your studies that you accidentally let them wilt for days at a time; Price eyes them for a while, wonders if you're going to replace the bouquet yourself until taking matters into his own hands and then deciding to go out of his way to pick up something nice-looking (he doesn’t really care much for flowers, but you seem to take an interest so he tries his best) from Petals at Bibendum on Fulham Road. The ladies swoon when he drops by every two to three weeks only for them to find out that he's literally doing this for his roommate to which they start rooting for him, unbeknownst to you, and he sets up a delivery service for when he's off on deployment or he'll literally show up home after a mission still in his military garb with a bouquet of flowers in the doorway like it’s not something a boyfriend or husband would do.

When you fall asleep on the couch watching the telly and he wants to carry you to your room but out of respect, he instead opts for layers, slips your quilt from the arm of the sofa – another lovely addition of yours that makes this a home and not just a place that he occasionally stays in when he's on leave – and tucks you in so you at least don't get too cold in the middle of the night.

Lets you know when he's coming back from deployment (out of courtesy) but discovers that you've thrown together a small, home-cooked meal for him if he gets in early enough for dinner or have his favorite take-out from one of the restaurants that still happen to be open late at night (it's the least you can do, isn't it?). In your other flat, you'd use candles a lot because your lights always had issues that the landlord would never fix, and that's a habit that you've carried on over to Price's place. So all of the food, the entire spread, is laid out on the dining table and it's dim aside from the fact that this is basically a candlelit dinner. And you don't even realize the romantic atmosphere, because for all intents and purposes, this is merely a friendly homecoming surprise and the candles are day-to-day. But he notices. It's strangely domestic. He never had that before you started living there, but he knows that he doesn't ever want to go back.

He occasionally has nightmares and since your room is right next door, you can hear when he’s in the middle of it; you just pad out to the kitchen, get the kettle ready for camomile (over his usual earl grey or lapsang souchong) to put him at ease since there’s no caffeine in it; you grab some first-edition book he has from his personal collection, have it open to the beginning and his mug steaming on the coffee table in the living room – he finds you waiting, snuggled under blankets and not needing an explanation, just ready to comfort him as you make room for him on the couch and begin to read aloud. He never pays attention to what you’re saying, only spends the entire time staring at you and debating whether or not he'd lose you if he professed his love for you this early.

MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS OH MY GOSH. I'M FR GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET 🙈🙈

lily of the valley | xu minghao

pairing: non-idol!minghao (svt) x fem!reader

notes: meet-cutes, preschool teacher!reader (sorta), grumpy x sunshine (sorta), tooth-aching fluff, crack, established relationships, a series of flashbacks, hao doesn’t like cliché things! yet he’s the most romantic cliché ? loosely based on the song 은방울 lily of the valley by DANIEL

word count: 3.7k

summary: hao thought the idea of a meet-cute was corny, impossible even. however, when he recalls the first time he met you, he knew he had to swallow a few choice of words and his pride.

part of the to x, with love mini series

shuahoonie's masterlist | to x, with love masterlist

hao scoffs at the screen when the main lead from the movie that you two are watching meets for the first time, at the most ridiculous instance. the meet cute being: the guy practically throws himself to save the girl from a moving vehicle.

hao believes that is not cute.

his reaction caused you to look up at him with a glint in your eyes, ready to annoy your boyfriend even more.

“where is the hostility coming from, lovey?” you asked, sitting straight.

hao sighs, “i know that look.”

“what look?” you blinked innocently at him, knowing full well you’re going to pick on his hatred for romantic clichés.

minghao mutters a long string of words as he pulls you back in his chest, wrapping his arms around you.

you let out a chuckle, you knew what he was trying do. it’s cute, that your haohao would do anything to disassociate himself from romantic clichés, but the man was the most romantic person you’ve ever known. he was your romantic cliché.

“baby,” he practically whines “can we watch something else?”

“what do you mean? you promised you’d watch this with me,” you said as jennifer lopez’s the wedding planner played on the screen.

“you don’t even like this movie,” hao reasons out. “i don’t even know why you’re willing to sit through this.”

“it was included in the list of films that has the best meet cutes,” you said reading off your phone.

“are you still on that?” he dreads, you felt his chin rest on the top of your head.

“it’s because what we had was a meet cute!” you insisted. “don’t you remember?”

“oh, i remember alright,” hao mutters into your head.

it was a rainy friday afternoon, the sound of children were slowly starting to dissipate as the day goes longer.

“ms. ln,” min tugs on your skirt as you watched the rain pour harder than what was anticipated in the weather forecast. “do you have an umbrella?” her eyes practically sparkled as soon as the words left her mouth.

“why sweetie? do you need one?” you asked her, crouching down. “i don’t have one with me, but i can text miss lee if she has an extra one in her classroom that you can borrow.”

she shook her head no, her pigtails swinging along, making you smile. “my uncle is picking me up and i want to know if you’re getting home safely.” she says with a smile. liu xiaomin has always been looking out for her peers and it was no wonder that her warm-hearted nature reaches you. she is a bundle of sunshine and you're lucky enough to have her in your class.

“that’s so sweet of you min," you replied with a soft smile "but i think i'll just wait for the rain to stop."

"what if it doesn’t miss?” she asked with a pout.

“then i’ll just find a way to enjoy the rain,” you said, patting her head. or you can call a cab, but that doesn’t sound as romantic as enjoying the rain.

“okay,” she sighs, sitting at the front steps of the school. “i hope uncle haoi gets here soon.”

you glanced at your watch, it was 10 minutes past dismissal. although min’s uncle is not extremely late, she has been waiting for quite some time now. and with the non-stop pouring rain? it was bound that traffic is up on the horizons.

“do you want me to wait with you, min?” you asked her, feeling bad that she’s the only student left waiting for her ride. xiaomin nods eagerly as she scoots to the side, signalling you to sit next to her.

you two were quietly watching the rain hit the pavement when min asks suddenly, “miss ln, do you have a boyfriend?”

you practically choke on your spit at her question. how does a five-year old even know about that? “sweetie, how do you know about that?”

“i’m five years old, miss, i’m not a baby,” she said with a huff, making you laugh.

“of course,” you tried your best to rationalize, giving her a smile. “but no, i don’t have one.”

“oh, you should meet my uncle haoi then,” she smiles, satisfied with your answer.

you raised an eyebrow at her sudden interest. “and why’s that?”

“i keep hearing my mom tell uncle haoi to get a girlfriend.”

“okay…” you trailed off— you don’t really know how to respond. you barely know this uncle haoi that she keeps bringing up because you’ve only met min’s parents— both of whom usually take turns in picking and dropping her off.

“i think uncle haoi will like you because you’re pretty and you’re very kind and you like painting and you like painting your nails and you like clouds…”

as min went on an endless ramble about how her uncle haoi would like you immediately, you received a text from min’s mom, saying that min’s uncle will be a couple more minutes late.

you tried to suppress a sigh, knowing that you were going to stay a little longer. maybe it was the friday rush, but you were hoping to get home earlier so you can crash on your sofa, catch up on your shows, and be completely static for hours on end.

“miss ln?” min calls your name as you’ve spaced out for a bit. “i think that’s uncle haoi’s car,” min says as you two stared at the black suv that pulled up in front of the school.

“okay, sweetie, let’s just wait till your uncle introduces himself and picks you up personally from me, okay?”

min was more than happy to do so. “uncle haoi!” min calls his name as she waves her hand, practically jumping in excitement.

one look at min’s uncle and you knew exactly who he is. you’ve recognized that tall build that’s approaching you, especially with an umbrella in hand— umbrella man finally has a name.

‘uncle haoi’ looks to be in the same case as you. as soon as his eyes landed on you, he recognized who exactly you were— the girl in the rain.

min makes a run for it and greets her uncle with a hug, making sure to stay under the umbrella. this makes hao melt a bit, lowering his guard down. his features soften at the sweet gesture of his niece.

“it’s you again,” hao mutters as he reaches you, noticing the familiar glint in your eyes.

“uncle haoi, i presume?”

“xu minghao,” hao clarifies curtly, “or just hao.”

“well, okay, hao,” you forced a smile. “here are min’s things.” you said as you handed him her things.

hao puts on min’s backpack and picks his niece up, settling her in his left arm as min clings onto him with a smile on her face.

“miss ln, did you bring your umbrella?” min asks as she whips her head to face you.

hao looks at you for an answer, he had an inkling of what your answer is going to be.

you gave her a forced smile, avoiding eye contact with minghao— his piercing stare was practically boring a hole in your skin. “i’ll just call for a cab, sweetie, don't worry about me."

"uncle haoi," min pouts at her uncle.

"yes, honey?" hao's expression softens upon hearing the soft call from his niece.

"can miss ln come with us?" her eyes practically twinkled as she gave hao the cutest puppy dog eyes she could muster.

hao was caught off-guard, this was the first time min expressed this kind of closeness towards her teachers.

the truth was, you were min's favourite teacher— or in this case, substitute teacher. you were only filling in for the last three months of the school year due to a teacher's personal emergency. but within the short amount of time you had with the students, they found a surprising pull towards you— a bond so tight that even surprised yourself.

unbeknownst to everyone, including min herself, min was playing matchmaker. since uncle haoi and miss ln were her favourites, it would only make sense to combine them together. right?

"um," hao turns to you, but you had an unreadable expression on your face. "i can drop you off at your place, if you want? it'll save you time, and the faire."

"thank you, but it's fine, you two go on ahead." you said, trying your best not to sound dismissive. hao, however, picked up on your tone and gave you a curt nod. "maybe next time, okay?"

"you promise, miss ln?" min asked with a pout. you gave her a nod, making her smile again— satisfied with your answer. "okay, bye miss ln!!" min enthusiastically waved goodbye.

you watched hao skillfully settle min onto her car seat as he tried his best not to get her soaked from the rain. you were about to order yourself a cab when hao approached you with an undiscernible look on his face.

"yes, mr. xu?" you looked up from your phone and blinked at him innocently.

with no other words, hao hands you his umbrella— the exact same way he did the first time he met you.

you just stared at his hand that was firmly grasping the handle of the umbrella as the rain poured down on him, effectively soaking his hair and the white cardigan he was wearing.

"just take it,” was all he said as he forced the umbrella on your hand and ran back to his car.

“okay, but that was not the first time we’ve met, lovey,” you said as you looked up from his chest. the movie was now forgotten.

“i know, but that was the first time jiejie teased me about you,” hao practically grumbles upon memory, his cheeks were turning red.

your eyes sparkled as soon as the words left his mouth. “how did i not know about this?” you practically squealed at the information.

“oh shut it, yn,” hao playfully puts his hand over your mouth, prompting you to bite it. “ya!”

“well, i’m waiting, lovey,” you practically sang.

“why are you soaking wet, hao?” minghao’s older sister asks as soon as hao and min entered the house "did you forget to bring an umbrella? today of all days? is minnie okay?"

hao sighs at the instantaneous nagging of his older sister. "min's fine. she didn't get wet, don't worry about it." xiaomin makes a run towards her mom, giving her a giant hug as soon as her shoes were off.

"okay," his sister sighs and hugs her daughter back, kissing the top of her head, before min runs to her playpen. "so why are you?"

"remember the girl i told you about before?" hao starts off, removing the soaked cardigan he was wearing. "the one from the heaven’s cloud café?"

"the one you practically bullied into accepting your umbrella because it was raining and she was just casually walking under the pouring rain?"

"yes..." hao frowned at his sister's overtly detailed description. "well, i met her again, jiejie. today. at minnie's school."

it took hao's sister a minute before she realized what minghao was implying. "you mean it was yn?!" a pleasant look of surprise takes over her face.

"that’s her name?" hao wonders out loud “you know, jiejie, minnie was surprisingly fond of her.”

“really?” hao’s sister almost looks relieved upon hearing hao say those words “she always had that charm, it’s no wonder that her students are enamoured by her.”

“you knew her?”

“yeah, university,” she smiles at hao.

“how come you’ve never mentioned her?” hao asks with a frown.

this piques her interest. “well, i haven’t talked to her in years since she moved away.” she says, watching her brother’s steady reaction “i only found out she’s back when word got out that min’s class were getting a sub. yn made sure to personally let the parents know about what’s going to happen.”

hao just hummed, taking all of the information in. hao’s sister uses this to her advantage. “you sure do ask a lot of questions about her.”

minghao scoffs at his sister’s implication. “i’m just making sure that minnie’s in good hands,” hao replies almost defensively.

“oh, she’s in great hands,” hao’s sister smirks “why, do you think yn’s pretty?”

“stop trying to play matchmaker, jiejie!” hao throws a pillow at his sister “it’s rubbing off on minnie!”

hao’s sister laughs “what do you mean?! i did not teach my daughter that!”

“well, she must have seen it somewhere! she asked me the if i thought ‘miss ln was pretty,’” hao pointed out, frustrated.

“uncle haoi?” minnie calls from the backseat.

“yes, honey?” he looks at the rearview mirror to check on his niece.

“do you think miss ln is pretty?” min asked innocently, making hao choke on his own spit.

“well,” hao’s sister grins “what did you say?”

hao’s silence and the fact that his face was turning red was enough of an answer for his jiejie.

“aw, lovey, you had a crush on me from the start?” you beamed at him, adjusting your position from the couch. you were still practically glued to his side, tucked under his arms, but now you were just looking at him— chin resting on his chest.

hao playfully scoffed at your implication “baby, i think it was the other way around.” his answer prompts you to smack his chest lightly. “i was always wondering why you kept taking my umbrellas.”

you gasped, appalled. “you wish, xu minghao!”

“i did,” hao smiles at you. “you know whenever it rained, i always wished that for some reason you would forget your umbrella— which i knew you would, i’ve come to learn that after the first 2 weeks of dating you.”

“i have like four umbrellas from you,” you muttered shyly. hao laughs at your timid confession, softly caressing your cheeks.

“i know, i kept buying new ones,” he replied with a soft smile. “and since i knew you were eventually going to forget to bring one with you, i started offering you a drive home.”

“aha! so that was your tactic of wooing me then,” you squinted your eyes at him.

“uh, no?!” hao was almost offended, making you laugh. “it was the lilies, remember?”

“uncle haoi,” min calls for her uncle’s name excitedly “look what i’m giving miss ln!”

hao looks back at the driver’s seat to find min waving a pink ‘happy birthday’ card. he smiles at his niece’s sweet gesture.

ever since hao’s jiejie started working back in the office, he’s been frequently dropping off and picking up his niece. his work schedule conveniently fits min’s school schedule so this means more encounters with yn.

it’s funny, hao thinks. he’s somehow formed an indescribable bond with you. the fifth time that hao was actively aware that you forgot your umbrella (again), he insisted that he can drive you home.

“what kind of teacher am i if my students knew that i willingly went inside a stranger’s car?!” you argued.

“the kind of teacher that accepts help from those who are willing to give it,” hao argues back. this was your what— fifth meeting? it was refreshing for hao to see this side of you. “and i’m not a stranger! you know my jiejie.”

“yes, but i don’t know you,” you crossed your arms, childishly.

this makes hao crack a smile. this was the first time you saw hao smile— or rather, the first time hao smiled because of you.

“xu minghao,” hao extends his hand “you can call me haohao.”

hao checks the time on his car’s dashboard, it was still quite early since they beat the morning traffic. “should we buy flowers to go with that card, minnie?” he asks his niece who nodded excitedly.

“okay, why did you get me lilies though?” you asked him.

“heaven’s cloud café,” hao answered simply. “you were carrying a bouquet of white lilies.”

“and you presumed i just liked them?” you were teasing, of course. you liked white lilies. after receiving the bouquet of white lilies from hao for the first time, you’ve come to love them. you even kept some of the dried lilies on a frame— something to remember by.

“well, i made sure that i asked the right source.”

“still don’t know how you’ve managed to know him.” you grumbled “i feel betrayed.”

“i keep telling you that i met them during our university days!” hao laughs.

“how come he’s never mentioned you?!”

“jun never mentioned you either!”

“what about that one,” you asked jun, pointing at the red velvet cake “oh no, but that bear-shaped tiramisu looks adorable.” you pouted as you continued to browse the dessert section of the café.

“yn, seriously, just pick one,” jun groans as he watched you struggle. “wonwoo’s going to bite our head off.”

“i heard that,” a deep voice appears behind you two.

“i heard that” you mocked your friend, earning a smack in the head from wonu. “ya! i’m telling!”

jun laughs at you two. you, jun, and wonu grew up together. for three people who spent most of their lives intertwined, it’s amazing how you three are not still sick of each other.

you three even made a pact to have a mandatory weekly meeting. if one person can’t make it, they have to pay for the next meeting. since you’re all stingy, you three have done your own ways of going through hell and back just so you couldn’t miss a meeting.

“just pick the red velvet, ynnie,” jun says without even looking up at you, totally engrossed on his phone. “ynnie, you still like lilies, right?”

“yeah…” you said, watching jun type furiously on his phone. “who are you texting?”

“no one,” jun says not-so-innocently. “so what are we doing today aside from giving our hard-earned money towards cheol & han?” jun’s sentiment makes you three laugh.

“you know i keep hearing good reviews from this place from my co-workers,” you said as you eyed the chocolate cake.

“seriously! have these two never heard of a friends and family discount?” jun wails even more, obviously not done.

“what’s all this yapping about?” someone emerges from the backroom, carrying a fresh case of cupcakes.

“jeonghannie!” jun greets him with a smile. “if we buy three slices of cakes, do we get the next one free?”

“no, you get it for an additional 20% of the price,” jeonghan says making you laugh. jeonghan spots you— a new, yet oddly, familiar face. “you must be yn!”

“hi hi, yes!” you smiled at him. you’ve only heard jeonghan through stories from your friends— wonu and junnie. as a matter of fact, you’ve yet to meet their gigantic friend group. “i’ve heard lovely things about your place!”

jeonghan smiles, pleased. “and because of that your entire order will be on the house today!” he beams, before he turns to wonu and jun “you two have to pay full price.”

“that’s not fair, we’ve been friends for years!” jun whines, making jeonghan laugh.

“oh, it’s fine, i’ll be happy to pay— no worries!” you say with a kind smile.

“okay, fine all of your orders are on the house,” jeonghan rolls his eyes playfully. “only because you’re sweet and hao just can’t get enough of you.”

you were about to say something when jun places his hand over your mouth. “thank you so much jeonghannie! i’ll make sure to put in a good word to my co-workers!” jun says in one breath, pushing you towards one of the empty booths.

“junnie,” you eyed him warily “what was jeonghan talking about?” you asked with your arms crossed.

“well, it’s a long story actually…” jun trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

“how does he know about minghao?”

jun was about to answer when wonu interrupts him as soon as he finished ordering for the rest of you. “we’re all friends, yn,” wonu starts off “it’s quite impossible for our circles not to cross.”

“okay, but that doesn’t explain what’s going on,” you said, confused. “and how come i’ve never heard of hao when i know literally everyone else.”

“yes, you do!” jun counters “it’s just sometimes we’re used to calling him his korean name.”

“he’s myungho?” you were flabbergasted, somehow the dots never aligned. “god, that man has so many names,” you muttered to yourself “then how—“

“university days,” wonu answers for you “you went to a different school, you even met hao’s sister.”

“you even moved out of town,” jun added, practically resting their case. besides, it’s not like you always kept tabs on who their friends were. however, the latter part of jeonghan’s sentence got you intrigued.

“okay…” you were unconvinced “but what about the other thing that jeonghan said?”

this makes jun smirk, using it to his advantage. “about what you being sweet?” jun asks innocently, making wonwoo laugh.

“wen junhui!” you smacked his arm playfully “i’m being serious here!”

“i’m serious too! i’m not too sure about you being sweet though,” jun says teasingly, making you roll your eyes at him “hao, however…”

wonu watches your reaction, he noticed your attention perked up— eyes practically dancing in anticipation. “aw, our little yn has a crush,” wonu says with a teasing smile.

“psh, me? having a crush? what am i, 5?” you were getting defensive, which means they were correct with their assumptions.

“aha, so you did have a crush on me!” hao exclaimed, pulling you closer to him— as if you could get any closer.

“yes,” you muttered through your teeth “however, you liked me first! you kept bringing me coffee every time you dropped off min at school.”

hao didn’t want to argue so he nodded, smiling softly at you. “yeah, i sure did.” his comment makes you melt into a puddle. one year of dating and he still manages to make your heart burst. “and i think if i had the chance to do it again, i wouldn’t change a thing.”

“you’d still give me your umbrella?”

“i’d still give you my umbrella,” hao murmurs before giving you a kiss on the lips.

hiyaa friends! we're almost halfway through the series and i alr want to start a new mini series 😭

"hey there beautiful woman who lives in my house"

❦ 𝚃𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚂𝚘𝚊𝚛 ❦

❧ Pairings: Xiao x Reader (GN)

❧ Summary: While looking for him, you stumble upon Xiao in his bird form. You help him with his feathers as you find out something he was keeping to himself

❧ Contents: Hurt/comfort, bird!Xiao, fluff, wing grooming, a kiss at the end

❧ Word count: 2.9k

❧ Author’s Note: Xiao in his bird form is an obsession :)

Xiao wasn’t at Wangshu Inn when you got there.

The fireworks were long over, the night was still and quiet in the Marsh. You’d bidden your goodbyes to your friends, vague in your explanation of where you were going and giddy in your trek towards the inn. You weren’t naive to Xiao’s duty—you knew this night was one of the most violent ones in terms of demonic activity, which meant that it was the busiest night of his thankless task.

You knew, so when Xiao told you that he might not be able to spend time with you, you understood perfectly; getting your hopes up was inevitable, though, especially since you had come from hours of laughter and celebration in the Harbor.

Truly, the only thing you wanted was a moment of respite with Xiao. Reminding him of how thankful you were for his efforts was something you tried to do often, whether through words or gentle caresses he wasn’t used to yet.

Those hopes were dashed like a candle flame against a storm. Your shoulders fell when you took in the empty balcony, the plate of Almond Tofu suddenly feeling heavy in your hands. Leaving it on the railing, perfectly balanced out of habit, you stared out into Liyue’s scenery in hope of spotting flashes of green and black; knowing he was up and fighting would bring you some sort of comfort.

You saw nothing, though, and you couldn’t help but worry. Was he doing alright? What if his karma was giving him more trouble than usual? What if the monsters were too much for him and–

No.

You shook your head, shoving that thought aside immediately. Xiao was strong, he had to be alright… right?

The temptation to call for him was like an itch, a twitch of your fingers. Only once should be enough and when he came, your mind would be at ease. You’d explain to him that you were simply fretting a little and then you would wish him good luck.

“Xiao?”

A second passed, then two, then three, then ten. There was no push of Anemo behind you, no voice to confirm that he’d heeded your call—there was only the breeze and the rustling of the leaves filling the silence, with your increasing heartbeat soon joining in.

He didn’t answer, and if you weren’t worried before, you were definitely worried now. There was no way in Teyvat you’d stay there and do nothing, not when there was a chance that Xiao was hurt or in need of help.

Making sure you had everything you needed, you headed out.

————— ୨୧ —————

Searching for Xiao was harder than you expected.

Constantly calling his name coupled with questions of his whereabouts was not only fruitless, but it attracted monsters to your location. One horde was all you could manage before you decided to look for him in silence and prayed to the Archons that you’d somehow find him.

The peaks of Liyue were tall and intimidating to look at from below, and thinking about scaling them made you wish that you were able to teleport like Xiao. Fortunately, Jueyun Karst was eerily quiet, so you told yourself that you would only climb if you heard movement from above.

After minutes of checking caves, nearby enemy camps and trying to find elemental traces, you stopped dead on your tracks when you heard… something, right above you. You couldn’t pinpoint what the noise was, and it was extremely soft, akin to leaves in the wind but not quite. There was no certainty that it was Xiao; it could very well be an enemy, but a possibility was better than nothing.

You were silent and careful both as you climbed, making sure you wouldn’t alert whatever was up there, if it even was something alive. The added effort of controlling your breathing tired you when you were nearly at the top, and you didn’t dare look down.

The strange noises of movement were still audible, which meant your efforts had paid off. The second you were close enough, you peeked over the edge of the stone; it took all of your willpower not to gasp at the sight that greeted you.

Right in front of you, under the moonlight and perched atop of a rock, was the most beautiful bird you’d ever seen. Its back was to you, but it was preening its feathers and that gave you a wonderful view of them—they were a dark green, with hints of turquoise underneath and fading to gold at the tips. While some of them were mangled and bent at awkward angles, the wings were still majestic and a part of you felt as if you weren’t supposed to be looking at this.

It was too breathtaking, too gorgeous and bewitching, and your first thought was that it had to be an adeptus. There was no other explanation for its beauty and size.

Gathering yourself, you pulled your body up as carefully as you could, using the fact that the bird wasn’t looking at you and was busy to your advantage. Apparently, though, the Archons had had enough of giving you a streak of luck, because as soon as your second foot touched solid ground, pebbles were pushed behind you and down into the ground below, which was enough noise to startle the bird into looking at you.

Gaze locked on its torso out of respect, you didn’t move, not even when you saw how its demeanor changed the second it laid its eyes on you. The previously relaxed feathers were now pulled close to its body and you could tell it was preparing to move its wings, either to fly away or scare you off. You took a step closer, slow and steady, not because you wanted to make things worse but because being so close to the edge made you more nervous.

The bird—adeptus?—didn’t take kindly to this, immediately spreading out its wings and letting out a low hiss. Even through your panic, you couldn’t help but think that it was still beautiful. Looking up in order to look at it directly in the eyes, an apology and words of reassurance brewing on your tongue, your heart just stopped.

Its eyes were pools of pure amber with a single black pupil in the center, as piercing and sharp as the spear he used. Your own eyes narrowed in recognition, unspoken threat all but forgotten, and if the eyes weren’t enough, there was a purple diamond in between that confirmed it for you.

“Xiao?” you asked softly, even if you were completely sure.

The name garnered another reaction from him; he immediately looked away, even more tense than before, and began flapping his wings to take off.

“Wait, no!” you called, trotting up to him before he left. “Don’t go, please.”

Xiao stopped and gave you a glance. You pleaded silently, a chaos of emotions swirling inside you; surprise, shock, relief, happiness, amazement. Finally and with a huff, he tucked his wings away, breaking eye contact but staying in place; he appeared smaller, almost bashful, and nothing like the intimidating display he’d given you earlier.

Without a word, you tested the waters by approaching and sitting down on the rock, which was big enough for the two of you. He didn’t escape, much to your relief, but he seemed uncomfortable, what with how he shifted in place and accommodated his wings.

“Are you okay?” you inquired and it was difficult to understand his silence like this, with his face turned away. The air was easily breathable, the wind was refreshing, so his karma wasn’t acting up, which was a good thing and the one that had worried you the most. Xiao didn’t appear to be injured either, now that you could take a better look at him; ignoring the unkept feathers, everything else looked perfectly fine and healthy.

So, if he was alright, one question remained: why?

Why didn’t he answer your calls? Why was he in bird form? Why was he so aggressive when he first saw you? Why was he ignoring you now? Why, why, why?

You wished you could have all of those answers, but Xiao was clearly not in a talking mood at the moment, if he could even talk in this form. He shifted again and after what seemed to be an inner battle, he finally reached under one of his wings and plucked out a feather, dropping it to the ground; some tension left him once he was done.

Right. You’d interrupted his preening when you found him. Was that the reason—or one of them—for him being uncomfortable?

“Xiao, I can help you, if you’d like me to. May I?”

He turned to you and stared; you smiled. With the bird equivalent of a sigh, he nodded and turned around so his back was to you. His long, feathered tail ended up on your lap. Then, almost shyly, he spread his wings for you.

“I’m going to touch you now, okay?” you announced. It was something you always did, for his sake, to prevent him from jumping and flinching and stressing out. In the dead of night, when the world was asleep and the two of you were huddled close on a bed, you always murmured what you’d do at first, until he relaxed in your arms. Let it be caressing his hair or placing gentle kisses on his lips and his cheeks, you made sure he was okay with everything you did and you had never taken it too far.

The most you’d done was have a heated make-out session and you wouldn’t ask more of him.

Taking his silence as an answer, you ran your fingers down one of his wings, almost gasping at how soft it was. It reminded you of his hair, equally soft and somehow well-kept. You used your other hand to caress his neck, down to his back, but you stopped when his entire body shuddered.

“Sorry, is that a no?”

Xiao chirped. 

He chirped, and you almost lost yourself right then and there in a second of pure bliss. Such a melodious sound, and you had to resist the urge to aww at him, lest he pecked you.

You took his noise as a negative, just in case, and kept one hand on his neck instead, thumbing the feathers there, while your other hand took care of straightening up feathers and plucking out unsalvageable ones. Xiao barely flinched at the pain, but he’d tremble and ruffle his feathers whenever you decided to scratch at his neck.

He would let out a low thrum, but wouldn’t really object, so you continued either way.

Minutes into helping him, taking care of the other feathers while he worked on his underwing, his wings looked ten times better; they almost shone under the moonlight, reflecting that beautiful tone of green and gold. 

There were a few left for you to take care of, but before you could continue, a gale kicked up.

It was strong, too much so, forcing you to cover your face. Fortunately, it stopped soon enough, and the scent of Qingxin lingered in the air, mellow and comforting—familiar. When you opened your eyes, you found yourself looking at Xiao’s back, his human back, though his wings were still there as was his tail.

The opening of his shirt was perfect to house the origin on his wingbones while his tail came from somewhere on his lower back, ever so slightly lifting the white material. You saw how his gloves fell to the ground before he looked behind him for a second, moving his wings a little as he sighed.

“I don’t have enough energy to transform fully. The use of power tonight forced me to revert back to a beast to recuperate,” he explained, his breathing ragged, like he was agitated. Perhaps the transformation was draining and left him panting.

“You could’ve stayed as a bird, I wouldn’t have minded,” you said, placing your hand back on him, on his nape. Xiao said nothing, but you managed to hear him huff; ah, that was a sound you recognized better.

Wordlessly, you went back to your duty of feather care, occasionally scratching his skin and applying pressure; a lazy massage, but one you hoped would bring him comfort. There was something bothering him still, and now he could talk—you could wait as long as he needed.

Even if your view of him wasn’t the best one, Xiao in his human skin with wings was a majestic one nonetheless. You knew he was somehow related to avian creatures, given what he told you about his tattoo, but he had never told you more. He never told you he could turn into a bird, or that he was a bird, for that matter.

Perhaps it was something you should’ve assumed, taking into consideration what you knew about Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper, but jumping to conclusions regarding the adepti was never good, so you never even speculated.

“Were you– Are you… afraid? Of me?” he spoke, breaking the silence, which you were thankful for. His question, however, caught you off-guard completely. Afraid? Of him? Where did he get that idea? The thought of him thinking you feared him made your heart ache and throb in sympathy.

“I’m not. I was a little shocked when I saw you, but once I figured out it was you, I was completely fine.”

Xiao moved a little, his wings moving with him, stretching for a moment before coming back.

“You should be,” he said then, his stern tone betrayed by his still-agitated voice. You were about to protest when he continued, “Now you know what I truly look like.”

You frowned, confused. You wanted to say something, anything, but you were at a loss of words and not because you agreed with him. If anything, getting to know this side of him, the one hidden underneath his human guise, his true self, only made you appreciate him more.

How couldn’t you when the soul you’d fallen for was the same, no matter what he looked like?

“I never wanted you to see my true form,” he added as a whisper, his voice full of regret, even sadness and shame.

Your hands trembled at the honesty of his words, at the unfiltered intent behind them. Xiao had gone through so much in his millenia of being alive, from losing his family to carrying a burden as heavy as the entire world on his shoulders, all alone. You’d managed to open a hole in his defenses, giving him love and affection and comfort to the best of your abilities and he accepted them hesitantly.

Yet, the breach of mortality had never been taken care of—tales of the yaksha being beastly creatures were everywhere and, perhaps, they’d gotten to him. He didn’t wish to scare you away, he didn’t want you to find him unsightly.

He was far from that.

Standing up from your place behind him, you went to kneel in front of him. His face was flushed, but you focused on his eyes and his hands. He’d taken his gloves off earlier, and at the time you didn’t know the reason, but now you did; his hands were dark green, the same tone of his hair and his wings, and it faded into his skin color near his forearm. Moreover, where nails should be there were claws, sharp and dangerous if you didn’t know who you were dealing with.

Carefully, as if approaching a scared finch, you cradled his face in your hands. Xiao relaxed in your hold, becoming pliant and leaned into the touch. Keeping one hand there, you reached down to take a gentle hold of one his hands—he tried to pull away but you tightened your hold, firm but not painful.

“Xiao, listen to me,” you began, thumbing his skin and smiling at him. “That form of yours, no matter how beastly it might be in your eyes, is still a part of you, and I love you. Nothing will ever change that.”

He was silent, but he was listening and you didn’t need more. The only thing you wanted was for him to understand that your feelings for him transcended outer appearances and the line between mortals and adepti. He could be caked in blood, emerging from debris as he screeched at an enemy to return to the shadows, and you would still love him unabashedly, wholeheartedly and unconditionally.

“I love how selfless you are, how caring and thoughtful, even if you don’t know how to express it. I love how honest you are, I love our days and nights together. I love your heart and your soul, whether you have hands and feet, or wings and talons.”

You rose, leaning in closer to him as you thumbed his lower lip. Xiao remained speechless, but his eyes, avian and hypnotizing, called out to you in a silent plea. You nudged your nose with his as a request—he brought his free hand up to grab your wrist tenderly.

With his permission, you closed the distance between your lips and caught him in a searing kiss. It turned your blood into magma, like Pyro blazing through a field. Xiao kissed you back with urgency, uncharacteristic of him but you welcomed it nonetheless.

You’d told him how much you loved him, and now you would show him.

The Little Things

BKDK - 1452 words (SFW)

Katsuki downed the rest of his beer, thudding it on the table.

“You sure you’re okay, man?” Kirishima asked.

“Yeah,” Katsuki grunted, running his hair through his hands irritably, “Just had a rough week ‘n need to unwind.”

“Alright buddy, let me know if you want to talk!”

“Will do. I’m gonna grab another beer.” Katsuki stood, making his way to the bar. It had been a rough week. Rough month. Rough forever since he came to one stupid ass conclusion:

He was in love with Izuku Midoriya.

It wasn’t some big grand event (like dying for Izuku during the war) that caused him to realize, either. No, it was infuriatingly normal. He and Izuku had been hero partners for the better part of a year now, and as Katsuki predicted, they worked flawlessly together. They were a perfect duo and had been flying up the ranks ever since they joined forces. It was perfect.

So why did Katsuki have to go and ruin everything with feelings?

It had been an ordinary patrol that day, when Katsuki and Izuku had returned to their agency. After changing Katsuki flopped onto the sofa of their joint office with a groan.

“We didn’t even fight anybody worth remembering today, so why the fuck am I so tired?”

Izuku entered the office with an understanding smile, “That’d be because you’ve been putting in extra shifts in lately, Kacchan.”

Katsuki waved him off, “Endeavor’s agency needed help with that kidnapping case. It was dumb extra work, but I couldn’t let that asshole stay in his number 1 spot.”

“Sure,” Izuku grinned, knowing Katsuki would have helped out regardless of Endeavor’s ranking.

“Shuddup, nerd,” Katsuki threw an arm over his face. Izuku giggled, plopping on the couch next to him. Katsuki slung his legs over the other’s lap like it was normal.

They sat like that for a while until, “Hey Kacchan.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you doing for dinner tonight?”

Katsuki lifted the arm from his face, eyeing the green haired man, “Same thing I do most nights. Whip up something from whatever crap I have in my fridge. Why?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to come over? I was working on a recipe and wanted to show you,” Izuku scratched his chin, looking almost nervous.

Katsuki raised his eyebrows at that. Izuku wasn’t a bad cook by any means, but he was not a recipe type of person. He was a throw together ingredients and hope they taste good type of guy. “You? A recipe?” Izuku’s wide eyes met his own and he felt his breath catch. This seemed to mean a lot to him. “Sure. It better fucking taste good, though. I don’t want to put out any fires when I’m off the clock.”

Izuku beamed at him and Katsuki knew he made the right choice.

Katsuki was sat on Izuku’s couch watching some dumb soap opera after Izuku kicked him out of the kitchen, saying it was a surprise. Katsuki didn’t go without a fight but was eventually commandeered to the couch. “You almost done?” he asked in a huff. He heard Izuku laugh from the kitchen, and he grumbled.

Finally, Izuku came out of the kitchen with two steaming bowls of curry. He placed them gingerly on the kitchen table, and beckoned Katsuki over.

The blonde sniffed the air. It almost smelled nostalgic.

“I hope you like it,” Izuku smiled.

Katsuki took a small bite, and he gasped at the familiarity of the taste, “Oh my god. No way.” The spice curled around him like home, “My favorite curry house. The one that closed down. Did you get the recipe from them?”

“You were able to tell?” Izuku was practically glowing, “I’ve been working on trying to get it up to par for a while, but honestly, I just got too excited and had to show you!” Izuku continued to ramble on about how he had to call around and get info for different parts of the recipe, while also try several different spice combinations to get the taste just right.

Katsuki just stared, eyes wide.

Izuku had done that for him. He knew that they would do anything for each other, heck Katsuki knew firsthand they would even die for each other. But this, seemingly one of the many things they’ve done for each other, this was different somehow.

This was such a small thing in the long run, learning a new recipe for someone, but Izuku did it because he knew how much it meant to Katsuki. And in that moment Katsuki knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man.

I love him.

Katsuki choked on his curry.

“Oh! Are you okay? It’s not too spicy, is it?” Izuku ran into the kitchen, grabbing some extra napkins.

“No,” Katsuki forced himself to say when Izuku came back, fussing over him, “It’s perfect.”

So yeah, Katsuki Bakugo was in love with Izuku Midoriya. And it was ruining his life.

He turned away from the bar, umpteenth beer sloshing in his hands.

“Kacchan?”

Katsuki almost groaned, turning towards the source of his misery, “Hey.”

It was just his luck that the love of his life would be at the same stupid bar as he and his friends were.

“Oh, it looks like Tsu and Ochako already found Kirishima and Mina. Do you mind if we hang out with you guys?” Katsuki reached out and flicked Izuku on the forehead, to which the other yelped, “Hey!”

“They’re y’r friends, too. Y’ don have to ask to sit with us.”

Izuku’s eyes widened, a small, surprised smile on his face, “Oh. You’re right. Thanks, Kacchan.”

“Jus c’mon,” The blonde dragged the green haired boy over to their table and into the seat next to him.

As Izuku greeted their friends, Katsuki took a generous sip of his beer. He let the music in the bar roll over him, and allowed himself to just sink for a while. Just watching the love of his life.

“-achan. Kacchan?”

Katsuki picked his head up from where he’d apparently laid it down on the table, “Mm-what?”

Izuku was looking at him worriedly, “Are you okay? Did you have too much to drink?”

“Sh’dup,” he slurred, pushing an accusatory finger into the other’s chest, “It’s y’r fault.”

“My fault?” Izuku eyebrows shot up, “How’s that, Kacchan?”

“It’s y’r stupid face! I can’t stop thikin’ bout it!” Katsuki bemoaned, glaring at the other, “It’s so stupid and I just wanna squeeze it and kiss y’r dum fuckin’ freckles all the time. Lovin’ you is so annoying; I swear to God.”

Izuku gasped, gripping onto Katsuki’s arm, “What did you just say?”

“’Re ya fuckin deaf?” Katsuki growled, leaning next to Izuku’s ear, “Your. Face. Is. Stupid.”

“Not that,” Izuku rolls his eyes. When Katsuki just kind of looks at him, Izuku relents, breathing out, “You said you loved me.”

“Shit.” Katsuki’s ears reddened, “Don’ tell sober me that I told you that. It was s’posed to be a secret.”

“Don’t tell- Kacchan!” Izuku grabbed his shoulders as the blonde tried to escape, pulling him back into his chair, “How long have you known? How long were you planning on keeping this a secret?”

Katsuki sighed, resting his head on Izuku’s shoulder, “Forever, maybe. I don’ know.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t want things to change. Didn’t want you to hate me.”

Izuku exhales, resting a hand in the blonde’s hair. Katsuki leans into the touch. “I could never hate you. Pretty much the opposite, really.”

Katsuki leans back, meeting Izuku’s eyes. He whispers, looking nervous about the answer. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Katsuki smiles, resting his head back on Izuku’s shoulder happily.

“I will be having some words with sober Kacchan, though.”

“Shit. I’d hate to be that guy,” Katsuki mutters. Izuku laughs, running his hands through blonde strands once more.

--

Katsuki drags himself from unconsciousness with a groan, feeling around blindly for his bedside lamp. God he feels like death. He flicks on the light, and sees his phone plugged in, which is honestly better than he expected. He goes to grab it, then pauses when he sees a full cup of water, some aspirin, and a note.

“Hi Kacchan!

Hope your headache isn’t too bad this morning! I left you some extra strength aspirin, so make sure to take them, okay?”

Katsuki rubs a hand down his face. So Izuku was the one who brought him home.

Izuku was the one that saw him drunk.

Fucking Fantastic.

Memories of the previous night come flooding back as he reads the last couple lines.

“Oh, and don’t forget about our little talk you promised me, alright?

XO Izuku”

Katsuki pales.