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Wet feet met the floor of Wangshu Inn, heavy footsteps echoing through the lobby. Another fishing trip thrown askew by the terrible weather, and another night to be spent trying to warm up after being caught in the rain. But first, you had to drop off the few fish you had caught by the kitchen.
You'd been staying at the inn for the past few months. Once a studious traveller on the path to mastering the art of the blade, and now, an expert fisher, ever recovering from a most unfortunate injury. It's hard to make a living when a simple trip down to the marsh steals all your stamina for the day, so you earn your keep by doing odd jobs around the place instead; cleaning, paperwork, cooking, and sometimes fishing if you're up for it.
Yanxiao was one of the few official employees who paid any attention to you. Most people just accepted you as a part of the inn, like a dusty painting on the wall. Getting to see him was far from a rarity, but helping out in the kitchen was still the highlight of any day. You sauntered down the short stairs at the entryway, maneuvering around the shelves laden with produce and the bench covered in meat. It was dark out, but the combination of the lit stove and a couple lamps was enough.
Strangely, the kitchen was empty. He must have gone outside for something, then?
You set the bag of fish down, shoulders lifting somewhat once the weight was removed. But, when you turned to exit, you walked straight into something tall and firm. Certainly, this couldn't have been there when you entered?
"Ah, you're back."
Looking up, you flashed an apologetic quirk of the lip. You'd walked straight into a very familiar chest.
You fidgeted backwards, freeing up some of his personal space. Yanxiao was rather imposing and sturdy, but in the Wangshu Inn kitchen, he looked nothing short of homely and content.
"... Sorry", you muttered, and he smiled down at you.
"No harm done. I was just looking for Jiangxue, hadn't seen him around for a bit and I wanted to make sure he wasn't causing any problems for the guests."
"Well, you'll be glad to know he was with me the whole time. Course, he rushed back inside as soon as it started spitting out, so I was left to drag in what little we'd caught."
You gestured to the bag on the table, sagging as if full of liquids rather than the day's catch.
"I'm gonna have to have a word with him about that."
"It was no problem, really, the bag was much lighter than usual and the equipment only needed to be carried to the shed -"
"Look at you, you're soaked! That lazy bastard just left you out in the downpour. You can downplay it all you like, but I'm relaying this back to the boss, too."
You slumped in defeat, far too tired to argue in Jiangxue's favour. Yanxiao had it out for him anyway so it was unlikely any complaint he made would be taken all too seriously.
"Come on, I'll get you a chair and cook you up something hot to eat. You can dry out a bit here, but be sure to change clothes as soon as you get back up to your room."
You leaned against a shelf, palms flat either side of you, supporting your weight on one of the slats. Yanxiao squeezed past, scuffling about out of sight. You wandered around and idly picked a few ingredients out; he knows your favourite soup recipe by heart, so it'd come as no surprise that this was your request for the night.
The pot he usually used for this soup sat at the back of one of the higher shelves. You set down what you'd gathered on a bit of spare benchspace, leaning up, standing on the tips of your toes and praying you could reach it. Your fingertips hit cool metal, but before you could grab hold of it, the hand you were resting on slipped. Pots and pans alike went flying as the shelves toppled down. The noise was defeaning, but at least it couldn't have gone unheard.
Footsteps bounded back into the room, and you groaned when some of the weight was lifted. The mess on top of you was pulled aside bit by bit, and eventually, a pair of strong hands brought you up by the arms. Yanxiao enveloped you in a tight hug, one that would've knocked the wind out of you had there been any in there in the first place.
"You scared me! What were you even doing in here?"
"I was... Just trying to get the pot. For my soup."
He shook his head, leading you out of the kitchen and keeping a firm grip on your forearm.
"Where are we going?" you asked, "My room's in the other direction, you know that."
"You're staying in my room tonight, since you're obviously too tired to be left alone right now."
"But I -"
"I'll make you that soup when I'm done fixing up the kitchen. For now, just let me take care of you, alright? I don't want you hurting yourself any more tonight."
Your face flushed red, but you nodded in acceptance. Eventually you reached his room, and he ushered you inside, flitting off to some drawers and yanking out seemingly random articles of fabric. He tossed them over to you.
"Get changed, and don't wait up. I might be awhile. There are books around here somewhere if you get bored. And just in case you're thinking otherwise, you will be sleeping in the bed. I won't have you rugged up on the floor after all you've been through today."
He looked you right in the eyes, gaze soft with worry yet sturdy and commanding. You nodded again, eyes trailing after him as he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
The rest of your time in his room was largely uneventful. You umm-ed and ah-ed over whether or not to actually wear his clothes to bed - eventually compromising and donning one of his tunics, but keeping your still slightly damp leggings on - and tucked yourself in. At some point in the night you're sure you felt a sweet kiss on the forehead and certain you heard a fondly whispered goodnight, but when you awoke the next morning, the only trace of someone else's presence was the bowl of cold soup on the nightstand.