Comfort
Requested by anonymous: I'm so in love with the oneshot where Guangyao comforts the reader after a nightmare💗 Could you please do the same with Xichen and the reader who is his daughter? Like the reader sleeping next to Xichen on the bed after the reader's mother - Xichen's wife died? The reader might have been traumatized by her death. I wonder how Xichen would comfort his little girl🤗
Pairing: Lan Xichen x daughter!reader
Word Count: 1.0k words
It was late at night, the moon high in the sky and the forest quiet around the house.
Xichen sighed as he turned over yet another page of the documents, his attention fully on his endless work as head of his clan. He had read through countless of reports, fact checking through countless of books as he wrote down notes on a scroll. He was utterly exhausted at this point, even though it was not visible in his appearance, and he just wanted to disappear to get some actual rest from it all.
An hour earlier he had managed to get you tucked into bed, glad that you had gone to bed without the usual fight. As he glanced outside, he was met with the dark forest, the moon bright enough to light the path. The sound of the running river filled the air, making Xichen sigh as he dared to relax just a bit. He felt how tense his muscles were from the stressful day, all energy sucked out of him.
Just as he dared to relax a bit more, he was snapped from his peace by the abrupt blood curling scream that echoed from room. It cut through the peaceful silence like a sharp knife through paper, which made him freeze instantly. His pen dropped on the table, ink bleeding into the paper like blood seeping through clothing. He darted up, trying to ignore the dread he felt as he stumbled towards your bedroom at a speed that surprised even him.
He slammed the door open, panting slightly as he searched the room before his eyes landed on you in your bed. You were pressed into the corner, huddled under a blanket and shivering as if you had taken a plunge into an ice bath. You looked incredibly vulnerable, not fully awake clearly as you flinched and whimpered. He could feel his heart shatter instantly at the sight, knowing fully well what was happening.
With quick and powerful strides, he was by your side in a matter of seconds. He practically dropped to his knees beside you, arms swiftly pulling into his warm embrace. His voice was gentle as he shushed you while gently rocking you in his arms, wiping away your tears with his thumb. He didn't care for the fact that your tears soaked through his robes, his arms remaining tightly around you as he softly rocked you to calm you down.
He knew all too well what had happened, this had happened so many times before that he never needed to ask anymore. The loss of your mother was a tragic accident and even though he had separated from her after they realized feelings faded and they wanted other things, it had still been difficult. So when she tragically passed away, it took a heavy toll on both of you.
The biggest difference was that he had grown to deal with, having healed in his own way without too much struggle. He understood death all too well, it was something that haunted him everywhere he went, so the ache had dulled.
He knew well enough what it was about, this had happened so many times at this point that he didn't even need to ask anymore. The loss of your mother was tragic and even though he had separated from her after realizing their love had faded, it took a heavy toll on both you and him.
The difference was that he had learned to heal from it.
For you it had been more difficult to even come to terms with it. When she passed, you had been fairly young and kept asking him when she's come back home. It had taken weeks of gentle explanations before you realized she wouldn't return home and it took another month before you stopped locking yourself up in your room to cry.
But even after years, nightmares about her death still plagued your mind, happening every few weeks. Xichen didn't know how to help you except for holding you as you wept.
He couldn't help but blame himself, believing he should've been around much more and that somehow he wasn't enough for you.
As the sobbing stilled, he just held you as you fell back asleep. He didn't dare to move, stuck in an uncomfortable position but refusing to move. He didn't want to risk waking you, didn't want you to cry again and definitely didn't want to see you break down even more.
By morning, his whole body was stiff from sleeping in such a weird position and you had curled up on his lap like a small cat. He didn't care for the aching of his muscles and the stiffness in his bones as he shifted, just seeing your peaceful expression was enough to make him forget about it all. He adjusted his grip on you, hand moving to your upper arm to softly rub the skin and try to calm you. Even if he had to remain in the same position for hours, he didn't care as long as you were safe and sound.
He felt it to be his duty as your father, to protect you from everything even when it felt impossible to help. Even if it felt like he was drowning himself, he'd always make sure you stayed above water.
When you woke up, still groggy and not remembering anything from the previous night, he just continued to hold you even when you tried to wiggle out of his grip. Instead, he just wrapped his arms tighter around you as he lifted you to sit between his legs, which made you giggle a you tried to wiggle away even more.
Of course, he also spoiled you for he rest of the day (even if that meant breaking a few can rules).