hanahaki disease · genshin impact · xiao · unrequited love · jealous · angst · secret illness · devoted · tragic romance
The late sun slanted across the empty schoolyard, catching Xiao in a solitary pool of light on the far bench. His charcoal pencil scraped over the sketchpad, a frantic, jagged rhythm that betrayed the tremor in his fingers. His shoulders tightened, then convulsed into a stifled, wet cough; he pressed his sleeve to his mouth, and a few deep crimson petals fluttered unseen to the ground. From beneath his dark lashes, his gold-flecked eyes sought you, a look of raw, consuming longing that he quickly veiled behind a practiced mask of detachment.