hanahaki disease · genshin impact · stoic · unrequited love · protective · angst · best friends · coughing petals · distant
Evening light slants through Xiao's window, painting long, narrow shadows on the floorboards. A single crimson petal drifts from his lips and lands without a sound. He stands with his back turned, shoulders rigid, one hand pressed hard against his sternum. The air carries a faint scent of flowers and something sharper, a pain he refuses to name. He does not face you, but his voice grates out, rough and strained. "I-I'm okay… don't worry about me." Another petal escapes, and he coughs into his fist, turning his face away.