Ohhhhhhh boy here we go haha… True they are quite short but props to those who usually do this. It also takes time and dedication lmao hahahha. As it happens I’ve also really wanted to do this before but didn’t have a real reason to. This ask is a good excuse lmao.
Scenario:Flirty, dating but not yet official text messages from Ayato, Diluc, Childe
Notes: Let me know what you think of them please. Personally I think I’m no good at these hahaha they’re so short! And I have a newfound respect for creators who make these. Creating a story through a short text interaction is HARD! It was fun tho! Kudos to y’all seriously. Also what is this AU called? Is there a specific title for these kinds of post? Someone educate me please haha.
SUMMARY: just the things they’re willing to do and they do when they’re courting you.
FEATURING: diluc, kaeya, childe and zhongli
WARNINGS: mentions of violence and death in childe’s part.
NOTE: i’m back everyone! *looks at my asks and schedule* maybe not… *goes into hiatus for a month*
DILUC
even though diluc is a very busy man, he doesn’t forget to give you your favourite flowers every morning—with a letter containing compliments and other things he wants to say.
free drinks at the tavern. he would give it to you in front of everyone with a soft smile just so that everyone will know that he adores you and you only.
giving you gifts. it’s either something that reminded him of you or something you eyed last week when he accompanied you because you wanted to buy groceries (he was about to pay for everything you bought but you stopped him and said that it’s fine but in the end, diluc won and paid for it.)
letters, again. if he has some free time, he would write you letters. sometimes, it contains poems but he thought it was cringe so he swore he won’t write you anything like that again—and now, his letters only contain how he misses you (if he’s in another nation doing business) and how he wants to see you…or just straight up praises.
he’s willing to do anything for you, no questions asked. he doesn’t care if it’s going to make him look stupid. he doesn’t care if he’s going to get hurt in the process. this man loves you so much that he doesn’t care about anything when it comes to you.
he’s a 10/10. i’m going to say yes immediately.
more characters under the cut!
KAEYA
when he told you how he feels about you, you thought he was only joking. you thought that it was just kaeya being kaeya—but he wasn’t. he was serious.
like diluc, he will give you flowers too! he’s willing to neglect his work as the cavalry captain just to annoy and flirt with you.
speaking of flirting, this man only flirts with you. he doesn’t flirt with any random people anymore—just you.
the literal definition of “cool on the outside, sweating on the inside”.
to you, he’s like a mysterious man—full of hidden secrets and mysteries but he’s willing to tell every single thing about him to you when the time comes.
this man’s love language is physical touch and quality time (same kaeya, same) so expect this man to be clingy. CLINGY. he’s literally attached to your hip when he has free time.
ah yes, trust. kaeya trusts you so much that for the first time (in like- forever) he took his eyepatch off in front of you as he smiled softly. his adoration for you written in his eyes.
and for the second time, kaeya felt the warmth of a home—and it’s you. his safe haven.
CHILDE
literally has his guard down when he’s with you, shows you his “true and real” emotions, laughs with you but very loudly, can’t stop wheezing every time you make a joke about something and you’re telling me that this man isn’t down bad for you?!?!
he spoils you so much. gifts, and other things? he got you covered bro. you don’t have to worry about mora when childe’s there. you just gotta chill and let him court you.
even if he’s doing his missions, his brain can’t stop thinking about you. you’re literally on his mind 24/7.
to quench his “y/n starved” self, he looks up and watches the stars. it reminds him of your eyes…shining and full of emotions, unlike his.
when he’s done with his missions, he will go straight back to you, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist as he whispers in your ear how much he missed you.
LMAO why is he acting like you guys have any label
like diluc, he’s willing to do anything for you. he already stained his hands—and it won’t hurt him if he stains it more. he will do unspeakable acts for you. he will quit the fatui if you want him too. mans obsessed…
ZHONGLI
he’s so old fashioned when it comes to courting but i love him for that and i know you do to :((
he treats you very gently. he respects your boundaries and privacy too (not in a yandere way but this guy sometimes follows you for fun and to know more about you)
acts of service and gift giving is his love language. he will give you trinkets that remind him of you or he made by himself. he will also accompany you if you like! it doesn’t matter where you want to go—he will follow you.
compliments and praises EVERY SINGLE DAY. this man won’t get tired and he never runs out of things to say too! sometimes, he will brag about your achievements in front of childe and hutao! he can’t even control how his lips form into a smile when he talks about you!
he’s willing to do anything for you (3) and he’s also willing to spend his everyday life with you—since mortals only have a little time to live.
he literally keeps everything he does with you in his mind—his favourite moments, the times he made you flustered, and the times he kissed your knuckles goodbye.
SUMMARY: you punched his main target’s child, how would he react?
FEATURING: diluc, kaeya, childe, zhongli and ayato
WARNINGS: mentions of reader punching someone and cursing
NOTE: spy x family au woooooo!!!! :D i’m sorry if anything in these didn’t make any sense i was writing this at 11:50 pm :( this is just for fun though :D
DILUC
he was definitely crying inside. this man literally thought that he warned you enough and that nothing would go wrong—but you still punched his target’s child instead of just holding it back? he knows that you’re probably so done with the kid that you can’t help but punch him but STILL!- he just sighed very loudly and forced himself to smile at you. “how was school today?” if you answered him honestly, he would just forget about it and just ignore the first red flag of his mission and he would ask you to apologise to him—because it’s wrong and it’s not elegant but if you chose to lie to him, he would just nod and smile and think about getting a new kid (it’s a joke he won’t).
KAEYA
he was pretending to be a janitor and he heard how his target’s son bullied you (don’t worry the kid didn’t bully you, kaeya was just too worried that he called it bullying and besides, the kid has a crush on you so there’s no way he’s going to bully you). kaeya was internally cheering on you and wishing for your patience and sanity to be longer—but your patience was so thin that your sanity just went “bye!” and BOOM! you punched the kid and he went FLYING across the hallway /hj he was so shocked that he just went home and thought about his life choices. hours passed and when you knocked in the door, he opened it with a smile. if you weren’t a mind reader, you would think that he’s smiling at you genuinely. but if you read his mind—he’s screaming and panicking. i just know that this man is a perfectionist /j and seeing this MAJOR RED FLAG (you and what you did) makes him wanna pass out but he still greeted you happily.
CHILDE
i bet he was the one who taught you how to punch someone HARD in the face. it was supposed to be used in emergencies but THAT GUY deserves to be in the emergency room after all those things he did to you. when you come home, like diluc—he’s going to ask you “how was school?” and he won’t be mad at you, in fact, he’s very proud that he taught you that (you delivered a very good punch) and will be celebrating it with you! he’ll buy you whatever you want and spoil you! (fuck the mission- he’ll let this slide because you’re just too cute and his efforts paid off!). but you’ll have to practise apologising after that.
ZHONGLI
the calm one. like others, he would ask you how your school was. he doesn’t care if you lie to him or not because he was literally disguising himself as your history teacher and of course, you know that and you forced yourself to do good in “his class”. and i bet this man would be there to stop you before you could get to punch the kid. (but if you did punch the kid, he won’t do anything about it and just sigh). expect to be scolded though. apparently, you didn’t do very well at history and he also saw your test papers. (he’s also the type to make you apologise to the kid because of his mission and he also doesn’t want you to get tonitrus striked).
AYATO
smiling through the pain. he’s definitely a perfectionist and seeing a part of his plan fail (basically you befriending his target’s kid) makes him want to go and execute the plan alone. but that won’t happen because he can’t disguise himself as a kid (and he got TOO attached to you) so he’ll just report this to the headquarters and mark it as a minor problem (he trusts you) and like zhongli, he’ll ask you to apologise to the kid (don’t worry he’s not mad! just ignore everything he’s saying in his mind and watch your favourite spy cartoon on the tv)
“Whoa there,” Childe catches you before you can throw yourself into another pile of work. “Slow down, comrade. When was the last time you took a break?”
He recognises it; the desperation hidden in your tone when you tell him there’s too much to do to mess around, and that you were fine.
You were obviously not fine. Childe has seen many work themselves to the bone only to burn out in terrible ways. He doesn’t want that to happen to you - selfishly, he likes you better with some light in your eyes.
“Then how about this? Come have lunch with me, and I swear I’ll let you get back to work after.” He extends his hand to you, palm up, with a boyish smile. You wonder if he’s been in your position before, in some shape or form. “But you have to promise not to think about work while we’re hanging out, alright? Focus on one target at a time.”
“…Traveler.” Zhongli’s voice is gentle as he sets a teapot onto your desk. A calming aroma drifts from it; when did he brew that? Were you so distracted that you hadn’t heard him?
The man only chuckles at the question written on your face. “I’ve been here for a while.” He gestures to the window, sunlight streaming in like ribbons from a dance. “You’ve been working for hours.”
…You didn’t have the time for what he was suggesting. There would be other days, where–
When you meet those amber eyes, you feel your excuses deflate. “…Perhaps I’ll go for a walk, just a short one.”
There’s amusement in the way he pretends this wasn’t the outcome he was hoping for - for you to take a break, however short, and remember there was a world outside filled with color. A bit of the weight on your shoulders lifts as you take a walk with him, allowing your world to slow down.
“Catching up… to me?” Ganyu repeats in surprise. Understanding crosses her face when she realises how her work habits must’ve made you feel. Guilt comes next; she’s promised you a long time ago that she would take care of herself, but it seems like she’s failed to recognise when you started to need the same attention.
“Y/N, please don’t ever feel like you have to match or surpass anyone’s progress.” Ganyu’s gaze holds yours, and you’re unable to look away. She takes both your hands to give them a squeeze.
“There is value in you regardless of work results. You’re plenty irreplaceable without pushing yourself like this; your friendship in itself has made an impact on me, more than you’d know.”
“I… I wish to be someone you can rely on, just as you’ve accepted my insecurities.” Ganyu laughs lightly. “I suppose in that way, we’re both hoping to catch up with one-another, so don’t treat yourself too harshly, alright?”
plot: the way they ask for affection when they’re not feeling their best
contains: tartaglia, diluc, kaeya
warnings: it gets a little angsty in childe’s and diluc’s, but nothing too serious. diluc being grumpy but are we surprised
authors note: for the one anon who wanted fluff as an apology, here u go!!
tartaglia
i guess i just need to be close to someone for a bit
listen i know he’s listed as one of the clingiest and cringiest of genshin boys, but i personally think he’s so used to being on his own, that he slowly forgets how easy it actually was for him to ask for these kind of things as a kid
because for sure he was a momma’s boy who never had a hard time saying “hug me” or “sing me something” or “read me a story”, he was, and still is, a communicative person.
but the sheer transition from the warmth of his home to the coldness of military training at a young age toughened him up enough to forget those little instincts a bit
you’re both sitting in his office, focused on some work, he’s doing his papers with the most bored expression ever, obviously office duties are not his favorites at all.
you were lost in some book for a good couple of hours, before finally deciding to get up and stretch your muscles a bit. without a word, not to disturb childe, who you know has a hard time focusing when it comes to documents and all those little “fine prints”, you go towards the door, intending to leave.
“where’re ya going?” he mumbles, not lifting his eyes up.
“oh, to take a walk, i think” you answer quickly, before pressing on the doorknob. he does look at you, expression suggesting he has something to say, but ultimately he doesn’t, only nodding, as you leave.
before you can reach the front door of the northland bank though, quick footsteps follow you down the stairs.
“actually” you hear behind you, and turn around to see the most trouble look you’ve ever seen on his face “if it’s not any trouble, can you wait for me to finish, and we’ll go together?” he pleads.
you don’t see why not, but why was he so hesitant about it?
“of course”
you go back upstairs, and he assures you it’s not gonna take any longer than fifteen minutes.
“sorry, it’s just a bit… ah, you know what, nevermind” a smile falls onto his lips, and he waves off whatever comment he had.
well, someone’s acting weird.
“tell me” you say, getting comfortable on the couch “you look stressed, what’s up?” when he still doesn’t answer, you walk over to him, hands traveling up to gently fiddle with his fluffy hair.
“it’s a bit easier for me to focus when you’re around” he admits, not looking at you. “in a foreign country, hundreds of kilometers away from my own people, and on hard terms with the ones i love the most, the loneliest i feel is in this office, when there’s no stimulation to keep my brain busy. you being here just puts my mind at ease, however dumb that sounds” he laughs off his own problems, a common response he has.
you can’t help but smile at how difficult that was for him to admit.
“i guess i just need to be close to someone for a bit” he whispers, half hoping you won’t hear, but you do.
“okay” you say softly “that’s completely okay, but, just feel free to tell me”
he nods.
“i’m just being dramatic” he chuckles again, already not liking the vulnerability in what he says. “there are not even that many things to be missed in snezhnaya, especially not the people”
you smile.
“regardless. it’s normal to feel lonely and sad, even if technically there’re people around you. actually, it’s normal to feel in general, you know?” you wink at him knowingly, referring to how he tends to mask whatever is going on in his head all the time.
when he doesn’t answer, you lean forward to press a short kiss to his forehead. “chop chop, pretty boy, let’s go for that walk, you could use one”
diluc
i don’t want to be alone
we all know this one sucks at opening up to anybody
he considers anything he feels a sign of weakness, and wants to surpass it as fast as he can
his inner fight with his emotions is visible to others, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, noticeable by how he’s quieter, less focused, and more likely to snap out of the blue
which is exactly what is about to happen, when you’re helping him close up angel’s share, hating the silence between the two of you.
diluc is usually closed off, but that doesn’t mean he won’t hold conversation with you when you two are alone, in fact, those are the times he looks forward to in a day. he hopes to see you pop into the alcohol-smelling room and brighten it up with the way you smile at him, talking about your day, asking about his.
this time, however, he doesn’t answer at all, focused on the way loneliness is eating him up inside, with the feeling of helplessness at not being able to tell anybody what’s going on, even though the right person to listen is within arm reach from him.
“are you even listening?” you whine, hands theatrically falling onto the bar, a faux frown on your face. “diluc!” you say louder, to snap him out of his train of thought.
“fucking archons, what?” he finally snaps, the towel on his shoulder falling. “what’s so important?”
you’re taken aback a bit by his mean remark, not knowing what to answer.
“are you listening?” you repeat, quieter, and he replies instantly.
“no, i’m working, if that’s not obvious already” the sarcasm in his voice apparent as ever.
“well, i did offer to help” you continue “you just didn’t answer” your hand reaches for the cleaning product he has standing on the bar, but his hand takes it away.
“no, you’ll interrupt”
that did hurt you a bit, and you decide to get your stuff and leave him for a bit, to cool off and come to terms with himself. but as you’re about to get up and walk over to the door, a mumble reaches your ears.
“please don’t go” he says a lot softer than he did before. “i don’t want to be alone”
the quiet desperation in his voice hits you, and you stop in your tracks.
“but you don’t want to talk?”
“no.” he shakes his head instantly. “not yet” he adds after a while.
“mhm, fine” you answer, settling back into your spot. “come sit, though, i’m sure you’ve been on your feet enough today.”
he hesitantly comes over to sit on the other side of the bar, your hand instantly covering his, thumb moving in soothing motions.
“you know all you had to do was just ask, right?”
he nods.
“sorry.”
kaeya
can you sing me something?
now this one, he might seem more open, but he just has a mental limit of how far he can go without entering the level of vulnerability he’s scared of
he’s an upbeat person on the outside, but even he, the mighty calvary captain, has his worse days.
he’s used to being told he’s annoying, even taking pride in how many times he can make diluc say that in one day. but after a particularly nasty fight between him and bartender, rosaria being there and taking the redhead’s side, he decides not to spend his evening at angel’s share
it comes off as a surprise for you, to see kaeya at home by the time you get there, so you don’t even take off your shoes before walking over to the couch he was laying on, an arm over his eyes to cover them from the light.
“are you drunk?” you giggle, your voice startling him awake from the half-sleep he was so obviously in.
“no” he simply answers, standing up slowly, and gently grabbing your waist before placing a soft kiss on your cheek. “you hungry?” he asks, walking over to the kitchen.
“a bit, yeah” you nod, slightly surprised by his behavior. “how was your day?”
“normal” he shoots back, swiftly moving around the kitchen to warm up some dinner for you. silence falls on the two of you after that. you don’t know what to start with, he’s not in the usual mood for talking. “here you go” he says after a while, placing a plate for you on the table, sitting on the other side.
not even your usual ‘voilà’? you think to yourself, thanking him before sitting down. throughout your meal, you study his face. he barely says anything, eyes set on the surface of the table, not lifting once, even his usually busy fingers staying still.
“alright, mister” you finally speak up, voice firm and determined. “come on.” you get up, stretching to take his hand into yours, guiding him to follow your lead to the couch, where you sit, inviting him to do the same, and when he does you pull his shirt, making him fall directly onto your lap. he shoots you a confused look, and you explain “you didn’t even say anything like your usual ‘oho, well thank you, but may i ask to what do i owe the pleasure?’” you mimic kaeya’s voice terribly enough to make him smile a little. “so we’re gonna sit here until you tell me what’s wrong”
he studies your expression for a long while, not believing how did he ever get this lucky, and how could he ever forget that no matter how annoying did he think he was, he would never be that to you.
he takes a big inhale before explaining, shortly and not in detail. you nod along the way, and think what to say for a bit after he finishes.
“well, the past is the past. there’s nothing we can do with what happened, but we can change the way we’re dealing with it, and the way we act in the future.” you state, and with the clarity of your voice, his composure is coming back to him. “it’s late, we’re both tired, let’s not go over this in detail, okay? for now, tell me what i can do to make you feel better”
he finds himself dumbfounded at your question. he doesn’t remember the last time he has been asked that the last time, and has no idea how to answer you. you see his gaze flickering from place to place, as if the answer is gonna show up on the ceiling, but ultimately, he replies quietly:
“can you, maybe, sing me something?” the hesitation in his voice is disarming, and you can’t help but smile at how cute that sounded, flattered by the realization that your voice must be soothing to him. he clears his throat. “since we both know, your voice is way outta this world?” he adds a lot more confidently, and you let out a chuckle.
“seems as though you’re already feeling better.”
your friendly reminder that requests are open [here]
TW DEATH, TW BLOOD please do not proceed if you’re uncomfortable with the topics
ps: the song tartaglia is singing at the end is a rough translation of голубой вагон, a song from an old tv show for kids!
tartaglia
it’s always been promises over promises with him. many times has he came home from work covered in blood, dead eyes wandering around looking everywhere but not into yours, wounds bleeding over his clothes, leaving nasty scars behind. countless times had you pleaded him to watch out more, to be more careful, to choose his battles wisely, you reminded him that you couldn’t bare to loose him.
and countless times had he responded that you’re being silly, nobody could ever kill him, that he’s never gonna leave you alone, he’ll always be there for you, that he won’t loose.
and he kept his end of the deal this time. as a soldier you know one thing: if there’s an order, there’s no room for discussion, it just needs to be done and that’s it. so he fulfilled your order, he stayed alive.
so why didn’t you?
he never imagined it’d turn out this way. never in his deepest nightmares on the longest nights of the year. he would never wish on his worst enemy to be seeing his love loose life in front of them.
and yet here he was - restrain of the abyss herald’s grip on his wrists as he screamed, and screamed, even though he didn’t hear anything.
why was his body so weak? why couldn’t he just push him away and save you? why, why the fuck, when he needed his own abyssal powers, they wouldn’t work?
the sad smile of a blonde girl wielding a bloody sword before your falling body enraged him to the brim, anger tuning down all the other feelings, making him finally snap out of the herald’s hold, running towards you, tripping over his own feet in a rush.
“hey, hey, love, look at me” he didn’t know if it was a whisper or a cry, nevertheless he pleaded endlessly “it’s okay, you’re fine, i got you now, don’t worry”
was he calming you, or was he calming himself? your lost eyes finally found their way to his, as you opened your mouth in attempt to talk.
“shh, okay, don’t push it, save your energy for surviving” he put his hand on your cheek, gently wiping down the sweat, blood and tears.
“seems i finally managed to get back at you, tartaglia” the woman’s voice behind him suddenly exclaimed, walking over to the two of you. the redhead’s expression turned furious as his eyes sparkled with a dangerous shade of purple, overtaking the eveblue hue, an electric polearm appearing in his grip.
“one more step and you’ll be wishing you were never born” he gritted, hand shaking a bit from emotion. “fucking run”
the figure laughed bitterly before truly disappearing, or maybe she just walked away? you couldn’t notice, not with your vision blurring into one mush of images before your eyes.
a sudden need for your lover hit you, and with everything you had, you tugged on his uniform.
“ajax?” you muttered, and felt his muscles tense upon hearing the name.
“yeah? come on, love, let’s get you outta here” he smiled, or at least you thought he smiled, before struggling to lift you up, his arms tired and covered in cuts to add to his collection of scars.
you shook your head.
“can you— can you do something for me?” you coughed, feeling a watery substance flood your mouth.
“mhm, i’ll do anything, as soon as we get out of here” he promised, hopes of getting you to safety never fading away.
“no, no ajax, that— that won’t be n-necessary” you whispered with a weak smile. “i just want to hear your voice one more time”
your arms were fighting against him only gently, strength leaving your muscles, but he still abandoned his tries of lifting you with a broken cry.
“you’re gonna hear it every day, sweetheart, every day until you get sick of it” he kept saying “you still need to hear all my dumb jokes, all my million i love you’s, and all my stupid teasing, you’re gonna have to tell me to shut up so many times— who’s gonna tell me to shut up if not you?” tears dropped onto your cheek in a rapid pace, warming dots on the cold skin sending last messages to your tired brain. “i’m gonna make you get sick of it, pinky promise” he laughed through the tears, lacing your fingers together without waiting for your approval.
“can you… sing me that one s-song you said always put your siblings to s-sleep with?” your breaths were labored as if ripped out of your chest by force. “you know, the one you showed qiqi that one time?”
“but you won’t understand a thing, though” he chuckled, wiping his own eyes, and you shook your head.
“i don’t need to. your voice is pretty, do you… do you know that?”
he agreed to your plea with pain stabbing his chest, moving both of you towards a nearby wall, leaning on it for support, before he started to hum a melody born and sang in the land of snow and cold, the notes ironically warming up your slowing heart.
he couldn’t dare look at you, but his hand kept playing with your hair mindlessly as he sang. as predicted, you couldn’t single out any words, but the sound of it alone was peaceful and put your heartrate at ease, words almost not sounding like words, more like something that was meant to be a melody, and not to be spoken with. soon the sounds started fading away, and you gripped tartaglia’s hand tighter, afraid he’ll go away. you didn’t want him to go.
(…)a long, long road swirls and twirls, disappearing somewhere behind the horizon, oh everybody, everybody can dream a beautiful dream (…)
a scream left his throat when you stopped responding to his nudges, body remaining in his arms for long hours, an electric spark painting his irises.
they would pay for this with a river of blood and suffering, every single one of them, even if it would be the last thing tartaglia ever did.
if this is the hill he’d die on, he’d gladly do it, for you.
kaeya
it’s been a while since kaeya was deployed to a field fight, and to be honest, he wasn’t so sure of his abilities, after all, all he did for a long time was practice with bennett, but orders were orders, and so he went into battle. he wished he could have you by his side, but you were leading another group of knights, destined to hit the enemy’s resting place from some place else.
despite his previous worries, everything was going surprisingly smoothly and well. at one point he felt something heavy smash against his back, but looking over your shoulder he saw you, gasping for air.
“everything fine over here, captain?” you asked teasingly, the everlasting smile on your lips making kaeya grin as well.
“with such great support, how could it not?”
and it did go great, actually, another great victory against the abyss, another question for kaeya to keep himself with at night - was he on the right side of things? should he feel sympathy for his now foes? should he feel like he belonged with people who abandoned him? was it bad that he didn’t?
he struggled with every thin and perfect slice of his sword, but managed to pull through, as orders are always orders, feeling happy about being able to go home with you and let the feeling of your fingers brushing against his face numb the hole he felt forming in his chest.
so, he looked around to find you. maybe before you could go to the tavern and have one quick drink to help you both sleep? diluc acted like he didn’t, but he would want to see that kaeya is alive and well, so he could peacefully ignore his existence again.
“darling” he almost chirped, feeling great to drop the military ranks and refer to you as a lover should, with care and fondness, but his voice stuck in his throat when he saw one last abyss mage’s flames go right through you.
suddenly all the moral issues were settled for him, priorities set straighter than ever.
one second, and he was there, one more and the mage was no longer a threat, an icy figure in the shape of him turning into dust, the next moment kaeya was right beside you, your head on his thighs, as he gently patted your cheeks to stir you awake.
“jean!” he yelled with all he had “jean, get me a medic!”
people were rushing all around, causing terrible noise and commotion, yet no one was there to hear his plea, which he repeated over and over. finally he grabbed one knight by their forearm and ordered them to send for the acting grandmaster as soon as possible.
“kaeya” you gasped, noticing his face hover above yours. “kaeya” you repeated “fuck, something hurts so much, what the hell happened?” you winced in pain, shifting and squirming around, bringing yourself more suffering than necessary.
“shh” he attempted calming you “it’s nothing, baby, it’s just a scratch” he smiled softly, trained excellent at hiding his own fear until a confident demeanor.
it was more than just a scratch.
“really? it— fucking hell, it burns so much, fuck, kaeya please, please make it stop” you begged, causing panic to settle deeper and deeper inside his stomach.
“mhm, someone is coming to treat this for you as we speak, they’re gonna be here any minute, sweets” he assured “they’re gonna bandage you up nicely and you’ll be up and ready to go!”
you nodded, but your breath still hitched and your eyes still wandered around in panic, as you squeezed kaeya’s hand tighter for grounding.
“am i gonna die? please don’t let me die, i don’t want to go yet, i’m not rea—“
“baby, baby, hey, calm down” he cooed, caressing your cheek with his thumb. “everything is okay, you’re okay, i’m not gonna let anybody die on my watch, okay?” his face went white when he saw his other hand, resting on your upper stomach, stained with much more blood than he’d like to see. fuck.
“i don’t want to go, i don’t want to, i don’t—“ you choked on your own tears, and the rest of what you intended to say was no longer audible. kaeya’s bloody hand went up to his mouth and nose in a desperate attempt to muffle his own cry of helplessness, as he looked around in search of jean, or any medic, or just anyone who had a bandage, but noticed no one.
“alright” he said, swiftly ripping off a sleeve of his attire, wrapping it over your body, just above the fatal wound. “i’m gonna do this shit myself” he groaned squeezing it tighter and tighter, but not even a whimper of pain left your mouth.
“feeling okay there, sweets?” he asked, constantly checking if the blood flow decreased, but you didn’t answer, causing him to look up to your pale face and fading eyes. “hey, no no no, do you hear me, y/n? please, tell me you hear me” his tone became less and less commanding and more of a beg.
“thank you, kaeya” you whispered softly, eyes shutting down “i’ll always look over you” you added.
“i don’t need you looking over me, i need you to look at me, or with me, or, fuck, just, don’t go, please, please don’t leave me here alone” his cries breaking in the middle of the sentence formed something that would be quite hard to understand, too bad you weren’t listening either way. “i need you here with me” he wanted to scream, but his tired throat only let out a bare whisper. his head dropped as he wept, not knowing how much time had passed before a hand touched his shoulder, hand belonging to master jean. he looked up at her with nothing but pain.
he finally understood what diluc felt when leaving the knights.
zhongli
after all those years, and all those loses, he thought he would get used to outliving people, even if the price was to stop caring completely. but as time flew by, he realized, it wasn’t getting any easier, not even a little.
obviously there was this voice at the back of his head that predicted how it’s all gonna go the second he met someone, along with the feeling of being above everybody else, of being different, superior, even.
but oh how foolish he was back when he thought being a god makes him somehow better than humans. how could he ever think that? the only difference that mattered was that he was significantly harder to kill.
and that stopped being an advantage at some point.
he had made a promise with himself never to fall in love again after what happened with his first. besides, what was the average life expectancy of a human? however long their life would be, it still wouldn’t pass for more than a second in the lifespan of a god. the decision of becoming dependent on somebody was just too stupid to make,
and yet here he was. by his desk in the funeral parlor, flicking through the pages of a book, but, uncharacteristically for himself, kept glancing at the clock to see when his shift would end and he could go on a long promised meeting with you. it was so close to striking the hour he hoped for, but then all of the sudden a faint knock interrupted the silence in the room.
“could you get it, mr zhongli?” director tao asked without her usual energetic undertone, focused on some finance book all scribbled over with her messy handwriting. he nodded, even though she couldn’t have noticed that, and walked over to the door.
imagine the surprise in his eyes when upon opening it, a heavy weight fell right into his arms, a whimper leaving your mouth as your burning forehead touched the material of his vest.
“love?” he asked, concerned, as he noticed redness spreading all over his attire, and the sickly colour of your skin. “are you alright? what happened?” he asked, strong arms lifting you up to your feet again, but still supporting your waist, your legs too weak to stand on their own.
“it was an… an accident, i didn’t- didn’t mean to” you breathed out, clinging onto his clothes, afraid to fall.
his at all times calm eyes examined your condition growing more and more worried, before it finally got to him that he needed to act fast.
“what the hell?” hu tao finally got up from her desk, and rushed over, swiftly knocking over things laying on zhongli’s desk, rushing him to put you there. after an irritated glance at the “child he can’t stand” he did agree to comply, putting you down slowly and securely.
only when they both looked at you this way did he realize how badly hurt you were, yet his mind was still irritatingly calm. that’s alright, he can just use his godly powers to help, right?
he put his hand down right above your wound and focused the energy inside him, yet nothing happened.
“mr zhongli, what on earth are you doing?!” the brunette yelled “go get baizhu or something!”
he frowned, distressed. “give me a second”
his eyes fluttered close again as he tried once more, his hand trembling, veins flexed, but to no avail.
he gasped for air both from frustration and tiredness, the reality hitting him all of the sudden,
you were dying. and he could do nothing. he gave up the power he could’ve used to help you now, oh how selfish he was, how reckless, even after all those years.
“send for baizhu!” he yelled, hu tao looking at him in disbelief
“that’s what i’ve been saying all along!” she shouted before leaving to get the medic, zhongli staying by your side.
“love” he whispered as soon as the door closed behind his boss. “look at me, please”
with effort, you opened your eyes and glanced at him, though your vision was blurry and you barely made out the details of his face, your hand went up to cup his cheek.
he smiled at the touch, shifting his head closer, hands traveling to hold your cold one.
“i’m so sorry” you mumbled, and closed your eyes again, his pupils widening.
“no need, darling, just stay with me” he said calmly, but his whole body shook from fear. “stay with me” he begged once more, but he already knew the reality of his pleas.
once more his life and love was leaving him, and all he could do was hold their hand.
ever since he was 12, it’s all just very unpleasant dreams waiting for him anytime he closes his eyes, and since he joined the fatui he’s also trained to stay on kind of a stand-by mode in case anything happened
so he wakes up in a split second the moment he feels you tug on his shirt a little stronger than normally
it takes him a second to gain consciousness back, and as he does, the first thing he does (as always) is look over at you
there’re tears flowing down even though your eyes are tightly closed, and every now and then you shake a bit
he sort of just examines the situation until a string of muffled “no’s” comes out of your mouth, then he fully realizes you’re simply having a bad dream
“hey” he simply whispers, pulling himself up to rest his back against the headrest, wiping your cheeks softly. what’s going on in your head, he wonders, but he always does. he wishes he could know what you think, what you fear, and what you like. he dreams he could say he knows you more than you really know yourself.
it often makes him doubt - do you really like him? do you feel safe around him? don’t you secretly hate him? hate, he could take, but fear? he doesn’t really believe any god, his tsaritsa included, could ever help him, but he still prays that’s not the case.
his sleepy worries are quickly wiped away after another muffled cry, your weak voice begging someone to “not leave you” so incoherently he barely recognized the words.
“alright” he whispers with a soft smile “wakey wakey, come on” his hand patting your cheek a few times, then slightly shaking your shoulder, and after a few tries, you wake up with a gasp.
you shoot up, and for a second don’t recognize your surroundings. it all felt too real, and now you’re in a safe environment of your own room, wrapped in bedsheets, all of your fears resulting in being just simply fiction.
it’s when your searching eyes find tartaglia’s that you finally realized it’s all behind you, exhaling with relief, arms wandering to hug him as fast as possible, his steady heartbeat immediately calming yours, hand traveling through your hair in a calming manner.
“you’re still here” you mumble, visibly surprised, and he can’t help but laugh slightly.
“wasn’t i supposed to? you keep yelling at me if i come back home after you go to bed” you hit his shoulder, frustrated with the teasing. “bad dream?”
you nod.
“want to talk about it?” he asks further, but you shake your head no, and in response to that, he stays silent. supporting his chin on the top of your head, his hand trails lower to your back, drawing soothing circles.
the night continues, as he stares out the window into the sky, calmed by feeling the waves your breath settling, you grounded by the idea of him by your side, and finally, when you’re absolutely sure your voice won’t crack as you speak, you ask; checking if he’s still awake:
“ajax?”
“yes?” he replies instantly, not moving an inch.
“you won’t… you won’t leave, right?”
then you feel his breathing hitch in his lungs, head shifting, hands lifting up your chin.
“what on earth are you talking about?” there’s something about his voice that confuses you. his gentle manner of speaking to you doesn’t change, but you surely feel a sudden cold and seriousness in his words. “nothing will ever make me leave you, love, i told you that countless times”
he seems rritated at the fact that you do not understand such a simple issue, how much he loves you.
“that’s not what i meant” you whisper. it takes him a second to realize.
“oh” is all that comes out, as his hand stops in its tracks.
the next few seconds feel like forever. it feels as if you’re about to fall back down into the endless circle of your nightmare.
“i have a habit of not breaking a promise once i had made it” he starts to explain “so i’m not gonna swear to never leave. that would make me a potential liar. however” he takes a breath, and leans in to kiss the top of your head affectionately. “however i can promise you, that i will become the strongest, the best, and unbeaten, so that nobody, nobody can ever take me away from you.”
it’s not the best thing he could’ve said, you think.
“aren’t you doing that already?”
“well, if i had to decide myself, my life isn’t the most important thing in the world. but if by protecting myself, i’m protecting you as well, then not a single hair strand shall fall from my head. does that satisfy you, dear?”
you looked into those big blue eyes that you saw lifeless not an hour ago in your imagination. a glimpse of determination that you fell for, forever present in the blue hue appeared more apparent and stronger.
your fighter. nobody shall ever beat yourfighter.
“yeah”
albedo
your head has been resting in the ash blonde’s lap for an hour now, as he continues sketching
the picture on his paper starts to look more and more like the owl sitting on a tree branch outside the window, and although this isn’t the most comfortable position for drawing, albedo happily adjusts to the situation
every now and then hair falls on your face, and every now and then his thin fingers remove it from your eyes, so that not even a single impact ruins your sleep
he’s at the point of touching the coal to the page in order to add shading, when a violent turn of your head throws it out of his grip
he looks at you, expecting to find you awake and with a shiteating grin on your face, but instead sees a grimace of pain and disturbance
he doesn’t want to wake you at all, but knows immediately that your dream isn’t one of the pleasant ones. he quickly puts his work away.
He’s been sitting on a couch, and either way he thought of changing places for you to not get neck pain from sleeping like this, so he planned to get up rather soon anyway.
“alright, let’s go” he mumbles, scooping your body in his arms, careful not to wake you. he enjoys the weight against his arms and chest as he carries you, he likes the feeling of being needed. as much as he’d hate to admit, he likes to save you from danger, even if the danger is imaginary and low profile.
he enjoys being the savior.
albedo repulses that thought out of his mind as he reaches the bedroom door, having no free hands to open it and hence pushing it open with his foot.
he settles you onto the bed and tightly wraps a blanket around you, finishing the work with planting a small peck on your temple, sitting down on the other side of the bed. he decides to grab a book, a fiction one, and one he particularly enjoys, and founds himself dwelling deep in the story seconds after starting to read.
he’s thrown out of his thoughts rather quickly, when you get out of the blanket cocoon and instinctively find his resting arm, wrapping yours around it. you stir and try to nestle, but seem very uncomfortable. he let’s you do whatever you please, finger grazing your forearm slightly, a thoughtless motion he’s not aware of.
he continues to read, but every time you as much as mumble something, he stops and comforts yoj through your sleep.
“shh, it’s just a dream” he says “you’re gonna be okay. just fine”
when you don’t move for too long though, he also checks, sometimes even leaning in to kiss your forehead again. when you calm down, he takes it as his personal victory, but stays perfectly still, as he thinks it’s thanks to the position you found, legs tangled around his, hands holding onto his warm arm. it brings him pride, that you found peace with his help, and his help only.
and if in the morning you tell him you had a nightmare that suddenly stopped being so drastic and horrifying, he will only nod, say “interesting” and add it to his notebook…
diluc
now this, this is a true gentleman
he does not sleep until you sleep, end of story. he lets you find a comfortable position, he lays still, he talks with you until you’re tired, he even makes tea late at night if you don’t feel like sleeping.
but, that all is conditioned by whether he’s there for bedtime to begin with
diluc is a busy man, and as much as you try to wait for him, sometimes he takes too long in coming home, and your eyes become too heavy to be kept open
that’s the mystical reason for why he kicks out customers past closing time so diligently, hurrying to close up, but no one shall ever know, he just wants to catch that one last “love you, goodnight” from his beloved.
there’s a heavy storm raging that night, and not only does it limit his vision even further, it chills him to the bone, making home and a warm bed all the more pleasing
he finally does close the mansion’s door behind him, leaving his coat to dry, de-tangling his hair, and heading upstairs to get ready for sleep
“diluc?” he hears as soon as he enters the floor. the voice sounds weak and distressed, so instead of heading to undress, he pushes the bedroom door open.
“i’m home” he announces calmly, though happily, not deciding to enter the room further, instead choosing to lean on the doorframe.
a sight revealed to his eyes is barely even visible, lit only by the moonlight from outside the window. in a huge, way too huge for just one person, bed, there’s a figure sitting, hair disheveled, hands scratching eyes, night gown creased after laying in bed for some hours now.
„i-is it really you?” you ask, more determined, and his eyebrow can’t help but raise in question. what?
“well, it appears so, doesn’t it?” he starts to say carefully, walking towards you to see the reason of such trivial questions for himself, only to be greeted by arms suddenly wrapping around his neck. it does seem a little bit strange, considering neither of you are the right people to greet each other with that much emotion, but he does relish the warmth of your body on his skin, cold from the rain.
“you’re really here, you’re real” you repeat over and over, more to yourself than to him, and it alerts his worries more and more.
“love” he says, gently unwrapping your arms from around him, grabbing you by the shoulders, crouching just a little bit to look directly in your eyes. “what’s wrong?” he asks calmly, and you feel a wave of redness coming to your cheeks. his eyes locked on yours, the proximity of his face, you realized how impulsively you acted, and over a dream, at that.
“i— don’t worry, i’m just tired and talking nonsense” you whisper apologetically, trying your best to contain yourself, and intend to go back to bed, only to feel the grip of unusually cold fingers tighten on your shoulder.
“you seem distressed, you can tell me what’s wrong” he insists, even trying to break a little smile to encourage you, worrying he seemed too harsh and uncaring at first.
you analyze your situation for a couple of seconds, before giving in and admitting.
“i just had a nightmare” you mumble like an angry kid. “that’s all”
you expect it being brushed away, diluc is a practical man who doesn’t concern himself with something as trivial as dreams, after all, but yet here you feel his hand move from your shoulder onto your fingers, lacing them with his, and guiding you somewhere down the stairs before you even know it.
“where’re we—“
“ i “ he accents “am going to make you something nice to drink, and you” he does it again “will tell me all about that dream you had”
you can’t help but smile when you reach the kitchen, and he pats the counter two times, as if to show you a place to sit, while getting started on boiling the water.
you start talking, voice cracking a little bit when you get to the drastic part, a shadow of fear crawling up your back once more.
“hey” he says, grabbing your hand and caressing its top with his thumb. “no matter how alone you feel, we’ll always be here to protect you. we’ll always have your back.” he got closer, and kissed your cheek briefly before continuing “especially me.”
you smiled as your chest swelled with affection.
“sure, Batman” you answered jokingly, and he rolled his eyes in annoyance, secretly glad your good mood is coming back.
genshin impact characters also get tired sometimes
warnings:hurt/comfort technically, mentions of blood and scratches and things like that, mentions of physical injuries, mentions of overworking, mentions of lying
contains:tartaglia, kaeya, diluc
tartaglia
seeing that man without any visible signs of physical exhaustion is a miracle, so it’s not like you weren’t used to seeing those tiny wrinkles of pain and hearing the most quiet hisses whenever you had the questionable honor of patching something up for him
still, it never got any easier for you to witness
it was a huge comfort to tartaglia himself that he had someone waiting for him at the end of the day, that no matter how badly he messes himself up, someone will be there to help pick him back up
however, he should’ve probably thought the other side of the coin through more
and the tasks that day seemed exhilarating for him in the morning, when he was first greeted with a list of questionable guys to pay a visit to
(and negotiate using somewhat violent forms of persuasion)
however, further and further through the actual work he had started to regret not bringing anyone to back him up at times, since he noticed he wasn’t able to focus as he usually did, that resulting in a lot of dumb mistakes
dumb mistakes that could potentially get him hurt
and so finally he decided to go for it and used the most powerful weapon he had in store, not caring about the consequences
it was well past every rational person’s bedtime when you heard a faint noise outside your door, and rushed to the source of it, quickly throwing something on to protect yourself from the slight cold of the night.
“told you i left the keys on the—“ you started, ready to scold your careless partner for coming home late yet again, but stopped upon seeing the male figure in front of you.
this man was tall as a tower ever since you met him, not only that but also very muscular (one of the perks of having a possibly deadly day-to-day job), and always towered over you effortlessly, but now, even though he wasn’t even slouching, he seemed so little and fragile.
his nose was bleeding heavily, and he was desperately trying to stop it with his hand, the whole figure leaning against the doorframe in search for support, clothes in a mess, sweat shining on his skin so brightly it could be seen from a mile away, his condition pale and sickly.
for a second the only audible thing were fast gasps for air, but the voice had finally found its way back into your throat and you spoke up.
“what on earth happened to you, i—“ you stumbled over your words again, urging him inside and closing the door.
“hi, dear” he managed to whisper, but his voice was raspy and barely hearable.
you took a while to process the entire situation, to quickly examine all that was potentially wrong, and think about whether you had the means to fix it, and finally led him towards the couch, making him sit, or more likely, collapse onto it, before you positioned yourself right beside him, legs over his, starting to work on the nosebleed.
the room was terribly quiet, but you felt a lump in your throat that could not be fought against, begging for your hands to stay still. the sight was heart wrenching, but unfortunately not new, and you had to stay composed.
normally, childe would be very vocal when his injuries were being treated. he would brag about how he got them, he would whine, hiss, complain about the stingy feeling, all like a four year old with a scratched knee, so the silence was killing you inside. the only noise was a one sole whimper when you accidentally elbowed him ever so slightly.
“you’re burning up” you finally said, turning away so your face couldn’t betray you further if your voice did.
“mhm” he muttered. no “it’ll pass” no “who cares about a little fever” no “it’s all just adrenaline” no nothing. you feared the result when you decided to tilt his chin towards you and look him in the eye.
with moves of an expert in the matter you gently treated all the injuries in sight, gently rubbing your knuckle against his cheek in a soothing motion once you were finished. he was struggling to even stay awake, having not only to win the fight but also make it back home in one piece.
it hurts to see you this way, you thought, but kept it to yourself. the signs all over him showed what he did, and you were going to be mad at him at some point, but knew it was no time for emotional outbursts.
he never promised you he’d stop using it, and you knew forbidding him to access any of the attacks he had up his sleeve would be like keeping a tiger in a small cage. it would kill him more than any dagger ever could.
“you did it” you stated sadly, forcing yourself to maintain eye contact with those two big oceans, which’s spark has been long lost, but which looked so tired and so broken that you felt it in the gut.
“only because it was… necessary” he mumbled with difficulty, eyes threatening to close.
“hey, hey, stay awake for me for a little longer, okay?” you supported his face with your hands, that now were actively trembling, searching for the right predicament to fight the high fever. “just a short little while, can you do that?” you desperately tried to make your voice sound firmly and steady, but to no avail.
there was no verbal response, but you felt tartaglia’s hand wrap around your own to make you stop searching, and noticed how focused he was while looking at it.
“don’t be scared” he struggled to say “i’m here, i’m alive, and i will be every time i… every time i come back. promise” he slowly laced his sweaty pinky finger with yours. a distinctive smile slowly creeped up his face, a reassuring expression covering the pain and tiredness.
tears started to prickle at your eyes, forcing you to blink rapidly, but before you could say anything back, you noticed childe was already asleep, head tilting towards the edge of the couch again, so all you did was quickly reposition yourself so that it would land on your chest, and tried to steady your heartbeat.
he was okay. well, okay-ish. nothing else mattered to you in that particular moment, you relished the fact that he was safe and sound, resting right next to you, and nothing bad could happen. not on your watch.
“‘m sorry” you heard him mhm mumble quietly in his sleep, stirring a bit, the ginger strands tickling your chin.
“shh” you murmured with newly found confidence. “as long as you still let me help you, love”
kaeya
so acting grand master jean went on vacation
or more to watch klee, and nobody was ever relaxed with that child
nevertheless, whatever jean was doing, she wasn’t present in mondstadt
and that left all the power and responsibility on the calvary captain’s shoulders
kaeya was never a person to care much about protocols, rules and procedures, and even if he was, he still wasn’t a jean
however, you still noticed a change in his demeanor when he was left in charge: as if someone switched the carefree and chill kaeya with a bit stressed knight, staying late in the office, seeing everything through
honestly to be witnessing such a change was startling to say the least
you were a tad bit worried about his health since he was just never there for you to check if he’s okay
you sat at the tavern for what felt like ages, the meeting with your blue haired gentleman had been scheduled for some hours ago, and he still wasn’t showing up. you played with the brim of your glass, trying anything to pass the time, seeing all armed and uniformed knights come for a drink after finishing their shift, and there was still no signs of kaeya showing up.
the times when he’d come in along with the sunset, accompanied by his subordinates, laughing and promising that tonight’s rounds are on him seemed long gone, as everyone, even the city gate guards showed up, laughed, joked, and drank rounds, all without him.
“huffman” you finally said after getting up from your seat and walking over to the brown haired guard.
“mhm?” he turned around, flashing you a shiny, alcohol infused smile, cheeks red and eyes some place else.
“do you know where kaeya is?” you asked, crossing your arms and raising both eyebrows. other knights at the table didn’t even bat an eyelash at who was their colleague talking to, and he struggled to focus between the chat he was ripped out of, and whatever you were asking of him.
“uhm, captain kaeya?” he repeated, as to assure himself he heard that right, and after a nod, continued “dunno, i haven’t seen him all day, but he could show up, the booze’s running low” he complained before turning to the rest of the table and speaking up louder “guys! d’ya know where captain’s at?” he hiccuped, looking around.
some shook their heads, some ignored him, some started chatting between themselves to share information they had.
“isn’t he at the office with some liyue diplomat? he was some hours ago when i needed a paper signed”
huffs and nods of agreement spread across the table, and soon you had solid information about the whereabouts of the missing knight.
it didn’t take long before you found yourself before the big door of jean’s office, “grandmaster” written over it with gold letters, and hesitated to knock. wouldn’t it be inappropriate to interrupt an important meeting like that?
for a while you just stood there and listened if any voices were audible on the other side of the door, but after only hearing silence, you decided to knock.
“come in!” you heard kaeya call from inside the room, and so you did, first peaking your head through the door.
there was a tone of papers lying around on the desk, and three, five- six mugs that you supposed once contained coffee, or coffee infused with something stronger.
he didn’t even lift his eyes from whatever he was reading. dark circles under his eyes were showing, and his hair was a mess, probably from running his hands through them as a stress reliever.
“what’s the matter?” he asked, still not lifting up his gaze.
“hi, stupid” you said quietly, walking over to the desk, watching his head shoot up in surprise. he cleaned his throat.
“well, well, would you look at that, to what do i owe the pleasure?” he teased, although there was no playful undertone in his voice, and no energy in his voice.
“to making me wait for two and a half hours least” you joked bitterly, and he nodded, folding the papers he was holding, and standing up.
“yes, about that, i’m so-“
“don’t worry about it. i know you wouldn’t ditch me for no good reason, but… when’re you coming home?” you asked softly, letting him kiss your forehead and slide both hands around your waist.
“soon” he automatically replied, but that wasn’t good enough.
“when was the last time you took a break?” you pushed
“i will after this, you have no idea how badly i could use a drink right now”
you shook your head firmly, taking his hand into yours and guiding him over to the couch.
“if you go for a drink you won’t rest at all. that’s not healthy” you stated with a tone that didn’t allow disagreement, and yet he complained.
“but it’s gonna help me unwind”
“you can’t unwind here. come on.” you sat, and pulled him down with you, harshly enough that he practically fell down. shifting in your seat, you pushed him down so he’d lean onto the side, and positioned yourself right next, your head over his chest. “come on, you need to take a break. wanna tell me how was your day?” your tone became a bit more gentle as you drew circles on his attire with your finger.
he was quiet for a second, a second long enough for you to look up and check what was up with him. he faced up, eyes shining with a questionable glow, a weak smile on his lips.
“kaeya?” you asked quietly, eyes furrowing in worry.
“im a lucky guy” he simply said “so lucky”
you giggled without warning, shifting your head back where it laid before. “and you’re also a wonderful guy” you countered “you know, jean will be so thankful for your help, but even she can’t do everything that everyone asks on time. the day is only 24 hours long and you can only do so much before you have to give in and rest” you explained calmly “and i mean rest, not party”
“well” he exhaled “im not in the right mood to go and bother our dear bartender diluc anyway” his words carefully coated with faux playful energy. “i think i can skip a night, if it means hanging out with you”
you smiled to yourself. a victory all the way.
“but how about you tell me about your day instead, huh?” he continued after a while “i can’t seem to focus my attention—“
“mhm” you giggled once more “just go to sleep”
diluc
now this is a busy businessman
does he work this much because he’s simply dedicated, or because he’s escaping from some thoughts, that’s up to further examination, but the point is, not a day goes by that he doesn’t have like 3 meetings, duty at the tavern and a hundred contracts to sign
and to top all that, recently he’d been disappearing somewhere after his shifts, into the thick of the night, and nobody, you included, knew where
you’d lay in bed alone, listening to the sound of the clock ticking, noticing the hours flying by, until he came home at last, always with an excuse so thought through that it could be easily mistaken for the truth
it’s not like he actively chose to lie, it’s just… he needs some alone time every once in a while, and you get it, why wouldn’t you?
so you don’t press on it too much, who knows, maybe he’s just going to starsnatch cliff and watches the sea, wishing for the old days to return, if that’s the case then you shouldn’t rip that away from him
that is, as long as he comes home in one piece
you heard footsteps on the staircase, slower and louder than usually, going up all the way, and stopping before your door. you expected him to come in, but instead the footsteps went down the hallway, to the bathroom, yet they didn’t enter. you’d know, there was always a whining sound when one wanted to open the bathroom door.
a good while went by, and you hesitantly left your bed, walking over to the door on your tippy toes, opening it ever so slightly, just to peek and see what was up, but unfortunately enough, the darkness covered whatever scene was going on.
“diluc?” you asked softly into the night air, and silence covered the mansion again, for so long you almost thought you misheard the footsteps, or better yet, it was some sort of a maid, now too embarrassed by being noticed to say anything back. a little nervously you backed away into the room, but just before you closed the door—
“yeah?”
hearing the voice of your partner you took a lamp from the room and stepped into the hallway once more. going up to the source of the voice, the small light illuminated his big figure.
his features were unrecognizably worn out, eyes threatening to close, mouth opened in search for a breath to catch as his whole body leaned on the door for support.
the right words to say just couldn’t seem to come to your head, until you noticed a small cut, just underneath his his eye, bleeding onto the porcelain skin of his cheek. you swiped your finger below it, collecting the spilling blood, eyes wide open.
“whats this, did a customer not want to pay up?” you asked calmly, eyes examining the rest of his skin.
he exhaled sharply in a form of silent laugh. “i suppose that excuse isn’t going to work out today, is it” he mumbled, visibly a bit embarrassed.
“no, it’s not” you explained, still looking at him like a doctor at his patient “i never ask because i believe in privacy, and i know you need a lot of it, but privacy wont be a border for me once you get hurt, diluc” your voice calm and collected, but he knew your mind was already racing everywhere at once.
he tried to find the right words for a while before voicing his troubles
“it’s so hard to explain, though”
you nodded.
“come on then”
you lit up the bathroom, before letting him support himself on the sink, gently patting a piece of cotton on his slight injuries, washing them out gently. you ordered him towards the bedroom, going alone to the kitchen and stirring up two warm teas before coming back.
you found diluc irritated, fighting against the strings of his shirt, too tired to unwrap them properly.
you put down the drinks on the nightstand, can’t help but to giggle a bit.
“do you need help with that?” you asked, but didn’t wait for any response, simply getting started on the tied up strings, before removing the shirt totally and loosing up his tightly combed hair. the touch of your fingers against the red strands seemed so relaxing, that his eyes fluttered close, and he didn’t feel like explaining the “i am the darknight hero” issue at all.
“baby” you whispered, caressing his cheek “do you want to do this tomorrow?”
“no” he whispered back, shifting towards the headrest of the bed, pulling you into his arms, and handing you the drink, chin resting on the top of your head. “so you see” he exhaled “there’s this… sort of mission i took…”
note. i surprised myself with how much plot this actually has.
零 ; you, the typecasted “passerby a”
the path to stardom is an arduous journey, but you’ve already abandoned your dreams not even halfway down the road.
you are far from the fresh newbie you once were. maybe you hoped to be famous at some point, your name sung in ardent praises and joint with stellar performances, but you’ve never received major roles that strayed from “classmate b” or “the protagonist’s best friend” who only ever appears to give advice.
the closest you’ve been to getting a main character role is being part of the second pairing of a cheesy romance drama that never became a hit, a series with a generic plot and a bland cast of no name actors.
but you can’t deny the spark of hope lighting your heart when you receive word of an audition for an upcoming drama adaptation of a well-loved webtoon series, a series you are an avid fan of. it’s a murder mystery following a genius detective striving to solve a serial killings cold case, with snippets of romance and the occasional comedy, grim as the premise may be.
once the drama adaptation was confirmed, it quickly became a hot topic; fans are anticipating the casting and filming crew, expecting nothing less of perfection to honor the brilliant source material. by all accounts, it’s big news, and snagging even a minor role would definitely earn you more recognition.
if you’re chosen to act as the victim in the first murder, you would already be beyond satisfied—being part of such a masterpiece is enough to make you overjoyed. you don’t have too high hopes but there’s no harm in trying for the audition, right?
yes. no harm at all.
that’s if you don’t count the brain damage you suffered when your head slammed against the wall from complete shock as you received an e-mail from the staff confirming your admittance to the project.
as the protagonist’s love interest, no less—a journalist investigating the serial murders to enact revenge on their younger brother’s stead, the third victim in the killings.
一 ; xiao, the celebrity crush
acting practice is generally considered a casual affair in every project you’ve taken on, yet you couldn’t help but spend hours trying to make yourself look presentable (and avoid looking like a beggar compared to your shining idols when you stand side by side). you may be a tad bit overdressed, but you’d hate to make a fool out of yourself on day one.
except that is exactly what you do. because you’re a walking disaster.
in your defense, it’s not even your fault! the moment you step foot in the venue, you’re ushered by the staff to a row of waiting rooms… without any nameplates attached by the doors and no indication of where you’re supposed to go. left with no other choice, you mentally count eeny meeny miny moe and surge forward for the chosen room.
you can’t tell if you’re tremendously lucky or the most unfortunate person on earth, but you come face to face with a person you never thought you’d see in the flesh.
the thing is, the staff never informed you of your future colleagues. the casting is a well-kept secret, even from the actors themselves, to prevent information leaks to the media before the official announcement.
you really wish you had time to prepare yourself before you had to meet xiao, though.
he’s lounging by the sofa, curls of dark hair sprawled on the cushions. his face is obscured by an eye mask, fashioned in a cute design you wouldn’t expect him to take an interest in at all. if you took a picture of him right now and printed them as merchandise, you’re sure they’ll sell like hotcakes, but a selfish part of you wants to keep this sight to yourself.
yes, because… because you’ve been crushing on him since forever!
you’ve seen his growth as an actor as far back as five years ago, when he only just started his career! he made the perfect mysterious pretty boy male lead, and the romance film he starred in was such a good classic! but he didn’t get typecasted, no no. he went beyond his pretty boy persona to work in other productions, where he acted as the crazed antagonist in a horror movie. that, too, eventually became a classic film for any horror movie fan. his murderous glare is just too damn scary!
he’s excellent in action-packed movies as well, there’s never a need for stunt doubles with him. you’ve seen his behind the scene clips, and they’re just awesome. he doesn’t speak much in interviews, his replies clipped and hardly substantial, but you try to catch each piece of precious footage.
oh fuck i shouldn’t be here. you snap back to your senses and reach for the doorknob, but the creaking sound of the door prompts xiao to twitch.
a pale hand drags down the eye mask to his chin, and his dazed golden eyes pin you in place.
“…who are you?”
it’s a simple question, but it’s like you’re trying to prove your innocence to court. you begin to ramble, introducing yourself in a series of stutters, and explaining how you got to his room. you insist you aren’t there to peep on him and it was a complete accident.
“…so you entered my room by mistake,” xiao summarizes your ten paragraphs-worth of explanation into a single concise sentence. he doesn’t look angry, but doesn’t look pleased by your presence either. “it’s fine. i could guess the staff was too busy to show you your room.” he sits up properly, fixing his hair messy from his nap. “you’re the journalist, right? i look forward to working with you.”
rather than a job, filming feels more like a reward. you get to see xiao everyday, get to talk to xiao even if it’s just you commenting on the weather, get to eat with him in lunch breaks (you’re seven seats away from him but that counts, right?) and get to act alongside him-
and xiao is the second male lead. you get to act romantic scenes with him. you get to act lovey-dovey with xiao in a police uniform because he’s a policeman in this show.
each brush of your hands together sends your heart racing in a speed too fast to be healthy, but as an actor, you’re expected to keep your composure and deliver your lines properly.
(the makeup artist is always wondering why you look so red on screen when she swears she didn’t put much blush on you, though.)
“don’t you need to ask something of me?”
you blink innocently as you peel off the heavy costume, the last scene for the day finally wrapped up. xiao must be feeling hot too because he’s also wearing a huge coat in the middle of summer—his face is beet red.
“ask you for something…?” your cheeks burn bright. “oh no, was i too obvious?”
xiao awkwardly looks away. “you could say that.”
how mortifying! you fan your face, hoping your makeup isn’t too melted. you already feel like an idiot, no need to look like one.
but xiao already thinks you’re stupid. no turning back now.
“o… okay… since the cat is out of the bag, then…” you pull out a pen and a piece of paper, holding it out to him. “please give me your autograph!”
“…what.”
“i’ve been your fan for the last five years! i don’t know who ratted me out, actually i’m about 87% sure it’s childe, but since you know-”
“wait- what? five years?”
“………if that’s not what you’re talking about, then what is?”
“no, i thought you wanted me to ask me ou-”
he seals his lips at the most crucial moment, horrified at himself. “sorry. i’ll ask you another time.”
… and then he walks away. just like that.
“xiao, what about my autograph?!”
“forget it!”
“why all of a sudden?!”
二 ; childe, the scandal magnet
notorious for the massive number of scandals under his belt, it’s a surprise to find ajax (with a stage name of childe) in the set of this major production. you’re advised by your manager to steer clear of him and avoid unnecessary contact to prevent sullying your reputation, but you can’t deny his acting prowess—he shines on the stage, a performance you can’t tear your eyes away from.
he’s incredibly versatile, capable of taking on any role and absorbing the character to make it come to life, almost as if he is its incarnation.
it starts as a simple game before actual practice, each actor asked to draw lots from pieces of paper scribbled with different roles, and given an accompanying script to base off of.
everyone laughs when childe, ironically enough, draws the “womanizer who cheats on his lover.”
unfortunately, you couldn’t laugh along with them because you picked the “lover” role. your incredible (read: atrocious) luck astounds you.
it goes just about as well as everyone expects it. childe, seemingly in his element, plays the part of a perfect scumbag. it’s easy to hate him like this, all flamboyant gestures and empty promises of “you are my one and only.” his performance inspires you to try harder, and so you raise your voice, your passionate screams of indignance almost sounding heart-felt, like you truly are experiencing a severe betrayal.
when childe sweeps you into his arms, whispering platitudes dripping with honey, you’re nearly fooled into forgiving him.
it’s hard to get yourself out of the role when the director ends the scene, satisfied with the act. childe’s expression returns to its usual lazy grin, a far cry from the smug smirk prior, and he pats your head to wake you up. “nice work. i really felt like i was getting scolded by an angry girlfriend.”
dazzled by his brilliance, you barely have enough coherence to return the compliment.
your awe doubles when he performs his next act.
much to xiao’s horror, he picks the “dying younger brother” role, a direct accompaniment to childe’s “grieving older brother.” they make an… interesting pair, but they’re also professionals, and the scene they perform almost makes you weep real tears.
xiao lays limp on the floor like a lifeless doll, and childe cradles him to his chest, delivering his lines with sobs and cries that sound too real to be an act. his heart-wrenching wails bounce from the walls, going straight to strike your heart. his voice cuts through the air, demanding your attention, as if telling you to keep your eyes on him and to never look away.
it’s nothing like the sleazebag character he was playing twenty minutes ago, and you have to remind yourself your scripts are only given once you’ve drawn lots; he had a maximum of five minutes to read through it, process the information, decide how to deliver his lines, and visualize himself performing it in the best way possible.
like this, he doesn’t look at all like the scandalous man everyone makes him out to be. he’s just an earnest man who’s good at pretending to be someone else.
it’s terrifying to think about. did he ever act like his true self when the cameras stopped rolling, then? was he just playing the part of a “good co-worker” when he was talking to you earlier? was the whole “scandalous womanizer” image something he set up for himself? a reputation he deliberately made to attract the media’s attention? it isn’t unusual for actors to cause drama as a publicity stunt, after all.
no, that doesn’t make sense. no matter how desperate, nobody would like bad rumors circulating about them. as much as your name is spread around, it also goes hand in hand with distasteful gossip. childe is plenty famous, even before the scandals began popping up, so he never really needed them and they would only further ruin his image…
…on the contrary, if there’s anyone getting famous from those scandals, it’s…
…the girls he supposedly hooked up with?
rather than making those scandals for fame, doesn’t it make more sense if those girls fabricated stories and took advantage of his reputation?
it’s no secret that meddlesome paparazzi and hardcore fans obsessively pry into celebrities’ personal lives. if they sniff a hint of dating scandals, they don’t stop digging. furthermore, once the media releases information to the public, people will take it as fact. in actuality, it doesn’t matter what’s true or not; what the public wants to believe becomes the “truth.”
if the people deemed it plausible, if they thought “childe would definitely do something like this, so of course if the girl says they hooked up in the dressing room, they did”…
…even if childe denied those claims, nobody would believe him. not even you. you didn’t think about it until now. in fact, at the very beginning, you already had assumptions about him, devouring the media’s lies.
childe laughs when you apologize to him. it was certainly a shock when you suddenly knocked on his door, then the instance he opened it, you began to bow deeply, nearly slamming your forehead to his chest.
“i’m used to it, don’t worry.” he smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “you were so stiff around me, it was pretty obvious what you thought of me. but you didn’t have to apologize.”
“no, i do! i was being disrespectful!” you insist, taking him by surprise when you grab the lapels of his jacket. “you’re nothing like what they say! i’m sure you’ve been through a lot just because everyone keeps saying whatever they want, without thinking of your feelings… and everyone laughed that one time we played the acting game… i… i can’t take back the time i’ve spent being suspicious of you, but i want to change that!” you stare directly at his widened eyes, determined. “i want to know you better, ajax!”
the use of his real name stuns him and for a moment, all he can do is gape at you.
then he narrows his eyes, his lips shaping to a firm line, and he tugs you inside the room.
a yelp unwittingly escapes your mouth when you’re pressed against the door, his arms caging either side of you. his expression is unfamiliar now, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before; uncharacteristically stern, harsher around the edges, spiteful gaze boring holes into your skull.
“you want to know me better… some pretty words you just said. what do you actually want?”
your breath hitches when his hand caresses your cheek, but the striking glare he’s giving you makes you think he wants to sink his nails deep into your skin instead.
“this isn’t the first time someone tried to approach me, you know. what, you want to be friends with me? you’re going to ask if i can invite you to my house? then you’re going to tell people how i took advantage of you while you were sleeping?”
“what- no! of course not!” you yell, face heating up just by the thought of it. “nevermind lying to the media, i don’t have the guts to sleep over a guy’s house i barely even know!”
his expression falls to a deadpan. “oh. my bad. you’re quite pure, aren’t you. of course you wouldn’t.”
“that’s what makes you believe me?!”
the arms caging you falls to his sides as he walks away, leaving you dumfounded. “right, right, sorry for scaring you. can’t you let me off easy? it’s pretty hard to trust someone when you’re in my position. if i treat you to dinner, will you forgive me?”
“i… i came here with good intentions… now i feel as though i was harassed…”
his usual smile falls on his face, like he’s a completely different person from the man who trapped you just seconds prior. “what do you think about seafood? i’ll let you eat as many crabs as you like. i really am sorry, promise. if you were saying the truth earlier, then i’d be glad to know you better too, [name].”
you give him a look. “…if they saw us entering a restaurant together, wouldn’t that attract rumors?”
“hm? is everyone so narrow-minded they think anyone who eats together is in an illicit relationship?”
the answer is no, so you eat as much crabs and shrimp as you want to your heart’s content. you’re getting your food’s worth for that fright he caused earlier. childe isn’t complaining anyway, only impressed with how much dishes you’re practically inhaling.
in any case, it isn’t a date. there is no ambience or heart-pounding romance of any sort. not when you’re overtly taking advantage of his money and childe’s taking ugly pictures of you mid-bite.
but then, of course, the media takes note of it; the topic of your outing is brought up at an interview, to which you fret and panic because you were never popular enough to be interviewed before, and they’re asking if you’re fucking childe, of all things-
“what are you talking about?” childe pops up behind you, unhelpfully wrapping an arm around your shoulders as if he wants to add fuel to the fire. he chuckles, tilting your chin to lean closer to his face. “i’m just pursuing [name]. nothing’s happened yet. unless [name] wants to…”
you take it back. he’s definitely at fault for having this many scandals.
三 ; albedo, the male lead
the first day of rehearsals, the protagonist of the drama isn’t even there.
to your astonishment, nobody complains about it. twenty minutes into practice (most scenes skipped due to the protagonist’s absence), the director gets a call and excuses himself outside. less than a minute after, he informs everyone the star of the show won’t be able to make it.
the actors trade unsure looks, wondering what the hell is going on, but the rest of the staff remain unfazed. the director notices and explains, “it’s albedo. his busy schedule can’t be helped. his manager called me to let me know his flight got delayed.”
and then it makes much more sense.
albedo is well-renowned in the film industry, an extraordinary talent who first came into showbiz three years ago. it’s not at all a long time, but it’s long enough for him to receive countless awards and bountiful movie offers—he was just born for the stage. if anything, this drama is lucky to have him in it, not the other way around. a late arrival for a rehearsal is nothing. he could probably disappear for two months without telling anybody and when he comes back, the director would beg him to act for the drama for twice the pay. (an exaggeration, but you get the point.)
and… you’re expected to partner with him? you? a speck of dust compared to the sun that is albedo? you have to match his brilliance and not look like a turd beside him on screen? you have to be equals with him and- and you actually get to- you get to hold hands with him, kiss him, and- those couple stuff? everything? his fans would murder you if your mother doesn’t kill you first! you know she likes his movies a lot!
the fourth day of rehearsals, he finally comes to the set. not with an air of arrogance or excessive pride. he just exudes confidence, strutting to the room in an elegant poise you can’t hope to replicate. he gives his sincere apologies for the inconvenience to the staff, all polite bows and offer of recompense.
“but there’s no reason to worry,” he declares, gaze steely. “i won’t make any more trouble for you.”
he refuses when the director suggests taking it slowly and instead goes straight to practice. but it doesn’t look like he needs any of it at all.
as if he’s been here all along, he falls into place with the other actors, not a single awkward pause in their scripted conversations and everything smooth sailing. he delivers a flawless performance, like the cameras are already rolling and he’s practiced for tens of thousands of times already, not read through a portion of the script in the car ride towards the set.
there is one thing he’s struggling with, however.
“you’re too stiff with each other,” the acting coach comments, frowning slightly at the two of you and cutting the scene short. “rather than bickering, it’s like you’re actually arguing, and that’s not what we want to portray.”
you blink, exchanging a look with albedo, and look down at his collar you’re still gripping.
maybe you do look like you’re trying to strangle him instead of pulling him closer to your face for some good ol’ sexual tension.
originally, the characters you play didn’t get along well in the beginning of the webtoon; the genius detective didn’t like to rely on others, conceited enough to believe he can solve the case on his own, hence seeing the journalist as a hindrance since they kept pestering him to let them help him, and he help them in turn so they could work together. the detective didn’t deem them “useful” for the investigation, and it was only much later that he (begrudgingly) admitted the journalist can be helpful… sometimes. thus officially starting their partnership for the investigation, and later on, partners in the romantic sense.
there were quite a lot of bickering scenes before the actual romance commenced, and you’re struggling with finding a delicate balance to that—where exactly do you draw the line between petty squabbles and severe disputes? how do you show the chemistry between these two characters while butting heads in every instance? the enemies to lovers trope is harder to act than it seems.
“try to get familiar,” the director suggests. “you’re stiff because you don’t know each other well. you’re too shy to touch or get closer. why not leave early and go on a little date by yourselves to fix that?”
“is that really okay…?” you say, unsure. besides being hesitant to leave earlier than the rest, you’re also nervous to be alone with your co-actor.
“if he says it’s fine, then it’s fine.” albedo shrugs, starting to walk towards the dressing room and tugging you along. “but if we’re going outside, we should wear disguises. it’s also fine if we borrow some of your clothes, right?”
“of course, of course~” the director indulges him. “have fun, kiddos.”
as it turns out, albedo is a master of disguise. he doesn’t even have a wig or anything but you almost can’t recognize him clad in casual attire. he also almost looks like a stylist while figuring out what outfit to give you, and you’re left in awe when you look at yourself in the mirror wearing clothes you wouldn’t normally pick out yourself but they look really, really good on you, and they do a good job changing your image too. not that you think anybody would recognize you anyway, unpopular and all.
“where do you want to go?” you trail after him on the way to the bus station, always a step or two behind. albedo makes a humming noise, subtly slowing his pace to match your strides.
“why not just go wherever our feet takes us?” he pipes up. “as long as it’s not teeming with people, of course.”
so with zero preparation at all, you do just that. you stop by a bookstore, with you showing him around the comics section and him adamantly insisting the plain hard-cover literature he’s picking up is a thrilling epic that will definitely pique your interest, [name] stop yawning-
you pay a visit to the arcade, where you find albedo is clumsy with his feet and can’t play dance dance revolution to save his life, but also unnecessarily adept with claw machines because he has a little sister who loves getting stuffed toys. you compete over who gets the most points in the basketball game to decide who pays for dinner, end up in a tie, and move on to a zombie shooting game. you win by a narrow margin and albedo tells you so, but you point a finger at the results and tell him to cough up the cash. then you play around in the photo booth using the craziest filters, and you take the liberty of pasting stickers everywhere.
dinner is a simple affair. albedo looks ready to go to some michelin star establishment but you introduce him to a sushi restaurant that’s relatively cheap. he’s impressed by the way you swipe at the conveyor belt so quickly. okay, so you may look like an utter glutton right now, but it’s fine. not the first time you embarrassed yourself in front of a co-actor.
lastly, you stop by an ice cream shop to get gelato. your appetite is “awe-inspiring,” as albedo put it, but you argue there’s always room for dessert.
“will this actually help us, though…?” you sigh, eating a spoonful of gelato. “i don’t understand the difference between bickering and arguing.”
“we’ve done it the whole day,” albedo reminds you, using a tissue to clean the residue of cream on your cheek. “we’ll do just fine.”
you stare at him in disbelief. “…is this also one of your habits from taking care of your sister?”
“ah. you could say that.”
just as albedo said, filming goes a lot more smoothly. the playful air is a huge improvement compared to last time when they said you looked ready to beat him to submission. the romantic tidbits are coming along well, too, spun between action-packed scenes where you’re pressed against albedo in a slim locker to hide from the murderer lurking nearby or sweet slice of life moments outside of the investigation.
at last, the confession scene is upon you. just a while back, the two main characters got into a full-blown argument; the detective was irritated by the lack of progress in the investigation, and deduced his feelings were distracting him. he decided to keep the journalist at arm’s length, never allowing them to go close. of course, they didn’t react well to this, and so they pester him again, but the argument became heated and it eventually peaked to “you’re an inconvenience to me!” which led them to separate ways.
the journalist, desperate to solve the case on their own, approached people who seemed to be in the know. they were nearly pulled into bed by an attractive yet suspicious man, who’s genuinely interested in the journalist romantically and used intel on their younger brother’s murder as leverage, but they get interrupted by the detective pounding on the door.
he dragged the journalist out, thoroughly upset at the notion of selling themself, but they deny the accusations and claim they were tricked.
the argument stretched longer, the both of them airing out everything they dislike about the other, but the detective accidentally slipped and confessed his real feelings. the journalist, who never thought of him that way, was frozen on the spot.
it’s a long scene requiring much preparation. aside from the amount of lines you have to memorize, there’s also a hotel suite you have to borrow for the shoot, the cameras they need to set for the “dragging” scene that has a lot of movement, the really awkward half-bedroom scene you have to act with your co-actor, and the fact that you have to take the confession scene before the sun completely set.
it’s truly a busy day. anxiety plagued you the moment you came out of the makeup room, knowing what comes next.
but it’s a job, and one especially you couldn’t afford to slack on. the kind-of-but-not-really-bedroom scene goes without a hitch, but albedo interrupts you a tad bit too early; the top of your shirt is barely unbuttoned but he’s already storming in, ripping you out of the other man’s grasp.
the director doesn’t chide him for it however, and he drags you out of the hotel as planned. you’re a bit frazzled by the suddenness of it all, clothes still rumpled, but it adds on to your acting and your stuttering questions make the scene look more natural.
albedo’s fury seeing you in such a disheveled state seems almost genuine, too.
“why are you acting like this?!” you pull your wrist away in an effort to make him let go, as described in the script, but albedo refuses to. an improvisation, perhaps? but now of all times…? “you didn’t care about me before! are you trying to be nice now? didn’t you say you were sick of putting up with me? you hated me for being stupid, right? guess what, then! i was stupid enough to get almost taken advantage of! if you’re just going to lecture me, let go. i don’t want to hear any of it. i already know how much of a fool i am.”
you’re supposed to back away now, but he doesn’t let you do that either. for one step backward, he takes two forward, nose nearly brushing with yours in the close proximity. your face heats up in a combination of confusion and embarrassment, your ears barely registering his lines.
“…never listen to me. you always go off on your own and i still think you’re a reckless idiot. you’re noisy and brash and you annoy me to no end,” he says in one breath, staring deeply into your eyes. “but seeing you with someone else annoys me even more. to the point i’d abandon everything just to get you back.”
“w…” your throat is incredibly dry. “why would you…”
“whether i like it or not, you’ve become important to me. i love your stupid laugh and your stupid smile. i love the way you look at me, and i don’t want you to look at anyone else. you drive me crazy when you put yourself in danger because i don’t want to lose you. i want you so badly that i want you to only think about me, spend time only with me, only love me. i-”
you’re fairly certain this is nowhere near his lines in the script.
“i love you so much that it scares me.” his voice trembles as his hand lifts to cup your face, something that finally bears semblance to the original scene. “it was wrong of me to say those horrible things. not just last time. i’ve been terrible to you, and no amount of apologies can make up for it. but i ask only one more chance.”
his finger hovers at the corner of your lip.
“[name], won’t you only look at me?”
you gape like a fish out of water, unable to reply. you’re trying to remember your lines, flipping through the mental script in your head, but the director’s “cut!” pulls you back to reality.
albedo blinks, getting himself out of the role, and he lets go of you reluctantly, the heat of his fingers lingering on your skin.
“the scene was good, but you said the wrong name.” the director laughs. “it’s alright. we can still shoot where we last left off. return to your positions.”
as told, you go back to your previous position. you give a furtive glance at albedo, whose cheeks flare in humiliation. he’s probably never done such a rookie mistake before. there’s no reason to be that flustered about it; you’ve made the same error plenty of times.
“i apologize. i won’t do it again next time.”
(if he’s going to confess, the least he can do is make his own lines for the occasion.)
five hundred years ago, a pair of immortal twins saved the world of teyvat from collapse with the help of its gods: the seven archons. as a result, they bestowed their powers upon the twins and crowned them the rulers of their kingdom, celestia. then, they disappeared from history, never to be seen or heard from again.
fast forward to five hundred years later, you are a mercenary living in the woods unknowingly rescued the twin rulers from thieves. indebted to you through this action, they offered you a position in their kingsguard. now a royal soldier, castle life takes time getting used to, especially when there have been threats made against the royals. you are tasked to find the source of those threats, and so far you suspect the various visitors that have stepped foot inside and decide whether they are either friend or foe.
will you be able to save the world from the forces of evil? or will it finally collapse — its supposed fate from five hundred years ago?
.
princeps cretaceus [albedo] - social interactions are not his forte and so are assassinations… or are they? several servants claim to witness him attempt to assassinate the twins, having him enlist you to help him clear his name.
taurus iracundus [arataki itto] - the mighty mercenary leader has a bounty on his head for the recent robberies and kidnappings. you don’t believe he’s behind this, so you’ll have to punch the truth out of him… literally.
monoceros caeli [childe] - the self-proclaimed diplomat is a terrible liar. in fact, he isn’t a diplomat at all. when his brother sneaks in for a visit, he dumps all his elder sibling responsibilities to you to hide what he really is.
noctua [diluc] - politics are the least of his worries, except when they concern the knights of favonius. it’s suspicious that his views align with a vigilante named the darknight hero, so you decide to investigate the matter for yourself.
aphros delos [eula] - the townspeople become even more upset with her due to her uncle conspiring with an enemy. to prove her trustworthiness, you must learn aristocratic etiquette from her to stop his evil schemes.
canis bellatoris [gorou] - a certain guuji takes advantage of his adorable appearance to promote her works. you find it strangely convenient somehow that the targets on your list are attending the event by being drawn in by his alter ego.
leo minor [jean] - work is always in her mind. her knights are concerned about her health, not to mention her sister. they task you to distract her during work while setting up a surprise party for her.
acer palmatum [kaedehara kazuha] - the infamous crux fleet is hosting a clash for the strongest warriors in the kingdom. the grand prize goes missing, so you and the newest addition have to chase after the culprit.
pavo ocellus [kaeya] - the cavalry captain is full of secrets, so it’s uncharacteristic of him to share one of his. his favor looks nothing more than a treasure hunt, but that’s just a scratch on the surface. what’s he up to exactly?
cypressus custos [kamisato ayato] - the royal ball is a rare occasion where the young lord is seen in public. it’s also a good hiding place for enemies. you agree to act as his spy to prevent a potential massacre from happening.
dracaena somnolenta [sangonomiya kokomi] - the divine priestess gets tired easily. her general states that she likes books, so you buy her favorites. upon entering her room, she’s been waiting for you in the most unexpected way.
rubeum scutum [thoma] - soldiers from house kamisato love to criticize his special treatment by the family. he doesn’t mind, but you can clearly see that they’ve been troubling him, especially when his past is brought up.
alatus [xiao] - the vigilant yaksha is posing as a soldier to meet you, the mercenary who fought a beast alone. rumor has it that demons have occupied the castle, and he has to risk his identity to make this fateful encounter happen.
historia antiqua [zhongli] - a monster that was thought to disappear centuries ago mysteriously appeared to destroy the kingdom. while you search for ways to defeat them, a certain historian makes himself known from the shadows.
.
inspired by fire emblem: three houses and based on my royal au headcanon: within these castle walls.since i reached 2k+ followers, the installments are planned to be around 2k words each. but maybe i could make them longer hehehe.
all these installments are inspired by their story quests (5* + kaeya) and hangout events (4*). if you haven’t done some of them, refrain from reading those to avoid spoilers. they’re not connected in any way, but they’re still part of the same universe.
the characters on my list are the same ones from my headcanon. however, i could always add more (dainsleif, scaramouche, yelan, etc.). i may or may not have roles for them already lol.
i’ll be graduating next month, so this will be worked on during the summer! let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!
. (if your url is in bold, that means i can’t tag you!)
. yay, it’s my birthday! well… in three hours. and guess what? it’s jean’s birthday, too! i haven’t written in a while, so why not give a headcanon as a present to myself.
. he sketches you all the time, but hasn’t gathered enough courage to show you them. for his gift, it’s a portrait of you smiling and laughing. you begin to tear up of how beautiful it is, to which he confesses that the first time you expressed those emotions there was when he fell in love with you.
. not one normal person would gift you onikabuto and miss hina trading cards, but you appreciate his efforts nonetheless. this year, he takes you to a cliff where he holds a talent show with his gang. as he’s about to perform his birthday song, the tenryou commission appears to chase after the two of you. it turns out the cliff is private property, and he didn’t see the signs.
. celebrations are always lively at her ship. her connections with wanmin restaurant and liquor merchants allow her to prepare a feast just for you. as it’s your special day, she’ll let you be captain, giving you permission to sail wherever you want to go. you and her crew know too well that she’ll go all out on the drinks and become too drunk to handle her duties.
. just for one day, he doesn’t want to do anything related to the fatui so he can spend time with you in peace. throughout the dinner with you and his family, the both of you sense a presence outside, excusing yourselves to take care of “business” — agents from another organization who you took down a while ago. maybe some celebrations aren’t meant to be peaceful after all.
. romantic dinners are the best dreams to come true; no need for extravagant parties. having one at the balcony of dawn winery, with candles burning brightly and each person holding wine in one hand, you make a toast with your significant other to another good year ahead. afterwards, he’ll take you to the living room, dancing to each other’s heartbeats.
. as she had celebrated her birthday alone in the past, she isn’t used to someone else holding her hand and being dragged around the city, spewing laughs for such a special day as yours. when you ask her if she wants to stop, she shakes her head. when her special day comes, she wants to feel free with you.
. working all day and night, she didn’t find time to buy you a present. instead, she bakes you a qingxin flower cake, and a messily attempt at that. yet she hides it behind her back, thinking that you won’t appreciate it. you happen to see it, which makes you want to try it. she sighs in relief to hear you say you really like it, and now she’s obligated to bake one for you every year.
. you didn’t think it’s possible for someone else being more excited than yourself in celebrating your special day. the morning of, he’ll hunt for fresh fish and crabs at the beach. at night after his patrol, he’ll prepare a banquet in front of a bonfire, rousing sparks of jealousy. they wish to be dedicated and loving as the general for their future significant others.
. it’s not the spooky season yet, but she never fails to bring its energy to everyday life, and your birthday is no exception. after her shift, she takes you to wuwang hill just to stargaze, which she keeps on insisting. you don’t trust everything she says, but you still get pranked by her, using her ghost to disguise as her to make you think she’s “gone”.
. the guildmaster has many hidden talents, and one of which is singing. she gets embarrassed if someone hears her sing. everyone assumes that you did, but that’s a misconception. for your birthday, you finally hear her for the first time in forever after annoying her for so long. to your surprise, she really has a nice voice.
. being the poet that he is, it’s no surprise that a haiku will be his gift. yet every single time he recites one, you fall in love with him all over again. he doubts his creativity in this one in particular but you insist that it’s the best he’s ever made so far, thanking him with a kiss. you would’ve never thought to see him so flustered.
. for someone who talks a lot to charm his way into someone else’s affairs, he greets you with a few words and a sliver of a smile. he doesn’t want to ruin your special day. but how can that be if he’s the reason your life has gotten so much better? as soon as he feels your reassurance, he reverts back to being a tease. your special day won’t be special without him.
. she manages to find out your birthday from the housekeepers in advance so she could make your gift extra special. she initially thinks that an expensive one would be suitable to your liking, but begins to have second thoughts. she decides to take you to chinju forest, a place not too far from the estate and where she’ll perform her fan dance.
. (kind of?) salty that his retainer chose to spend his birthday with the traveler instead of him and his sister, he doesn’t give you the liberty to act on your own today — he wants you for himself until then. while he pampers you with his peculiar cooking, you think of ways to fool him to escape. however, outsmarting him won’t do, because he’ll catch you in the end anyway. send help, aha.
. learning an important lesson from the traveler to rest every now and then, she requests time off from work for the first time in a while to make you a present. she gives you a lantern which looks ordinary, but it runs on electro energy and stays lit indefinitely. she tells you that it serves as a reminder of her being an extra light in your life, and you in hers.
. spending the majority of her time tending to her duties as a general, she’s unsure how to celebrate birthdays other than her own properly. on yours she immediately skips the formalities and goes straight to the point by asking you if you have a birthday wish. not only will she grant you one, but five, her lucky number. it’s cute that she’s trying her best, and you happily accept her offer.
. when you first started working under the tianquan, you were intimidated by her presence. once you get to know her, she’s a generous and kind lady; for instance, giving you a super expensive gift for your birthday. they’re brocades, which you can use to make your clothes. as someone who has never learned how to sew before, she’ll gladly teach you how to do it.
. ah, don’t mind the shogun; she won’t hurt you! the electro archon finally accepts that time goes forward and she must go along with it. ever since the cataclysm, you celebrated alone, but now she’s at your side with a bundle of tricolor dango in her hand. it’s the modern age of inazuma, where the both of you can pursue eternity in a different way together.
. as expected of the resident strategist of the sangonomiya resistance, she has already planned out everything for your birthday, even noting the possible changes of the weather. one thing she hasn’t done since the war is swimming at the pools of the island, so she takes you there for a dive in the morning. the shrine maidens are glad to see her having fun as she sprays water at you.
. her master tells her about the importance of birthdays and also notes that humans in particular highly appreciate materialistic things. as someone who isn’t really fond of them, she takes you to her favorite place in the world — the mountains, where you can see the beautiful view of the sky. her way of celebrating your day is way better than any physical present.
. he’s friendly… too friendly. he practically invited the entire city, recommending them to bring any of their signature foods and drinks for your celebration. you told him you wanted a small party, but never mind that; he worked too hard for this. oh, yeah! a party hosted by thoma isn’t one if the hotpot game isn’t included, which is quite dreadful to say the least.
. despite not being an experienced baker, he attempts to bake a cake for you because someone once told him that you’re supposed to eat one on birthdays. it’s apple-flavored, his favorite! an amateur in baking, the cake doesn’t look like an actual cake — more like an apple pie. regardless, you did enjoy it. in addition, he allows you to request to have him sing a song as you eat.
. he doesn’t celebrate birthdays because he doesn’t understand their concept, stating that they’re redundant. yet he still gives you a gift before going off on your journey — a butterfly emblem created from leaves. he says it’s an adepti amulet that staves off evil. so no matter where you go, the object will protect you from harm every step of the way.
. she isn’t a big fan of celebrating such festivities because people would merely come to her for her blessings instead of using their time for other things, as their visits disrupt her leisure time. since you’re her significant other, she’ll give you special treatment (for a minute before kicking you out of the shrine). she won’t admit it, but she’s happy to see you and wishes for a fruitful year ahead.
. she’s the definition of lively… and disastrous. you’re still unsure whether lighting up fireworks is a great idea because she got caught by the tenryou commission (again) for “illegal activity”. however, that doesn’t stop her from making you the best birthday present ever. as she begins to light up the fireworks, you could hear the footsteps of the soldiers trying to contain the incoming chaos.
. as old-fashioned as he is, he gifts you a dried glaze lily. he says that it bears the beautiful memories and prayers of the nation. afterwards, he connects it to another story of a god whose eyes fell upon the love of their life, and then a field of glaze lilies bloom. unbeknownst to you, it’s about you and him, when the two of you first met.
. (if your url is in bold, that means i can’t tag you!)
contains:archon quest “chapter ii: act iii - omnipresence over mortals” spoilers, baal’s divine punishment, ooc scara :(
summary:with the reveal of the newest archon quests, our streamers are not prepared for the very first canonical onscreen death.
notes:hey uhh… archon quests are slowly tearing me apart, how are y'all? also, i did this with scara and childe since it made more sense, if that’s okay!
Anon asked: Inazuma Archon Quest Spoilers!!
hello!! I hope you’re having a wonderful day! I wanted to give an idea on the Reader Impact series; perhaps, the reader taking Signora’s place and getting executed, and the characters’ reactions to that?
childe -
okay, first off, you’re supposed to be in liyue >:(
why did no one tell him that you were gonna be in inazuma?????
he’s so genuinely excited to see you again.
so… why?
why does he feel his chest tighten as you fall to the floor?
“my… you’ve gotten… stronger since we last met… sweetheart,” you heaved, slowly turning around on the floor. childe’s character turns to look at you, only for the camera to cut to the heels of the electro archon.
she passed the traveler, staring straight ahead as if they did not exist. you looked back up at the archon, struggling to push your body up from the floor.
“you know… i’m not going down… without a fight…” you hissed, managing to push your body up. you glance over at the traveler, a determined shine in your eyes. you smile the very same smile childe had seen dozens of times before.
“your journey… is yet to be finished…” you mutter, mainly to yourself. “take care… of them, okay? just like we promised…”
and before childe could even process your words, your character charges at the electro archon.
as the legends and tales said, she delivered her divine punishment, cutting your character into pieces. you fell to the ground in a cloud of particles similar to your vision.
“…chat,” childe whispers, staring at the camera. “how… dare you… not warn me about this.”
he’ll spend the rest of the stream hugging his plush of you.
scaramouche -
scara was already excited after seeing you in the 2.1 trailer.
(of course, he didn’t let anyone know how excited he was.)
seeing you again after the unreconciled stars event was, honestly, the happiest his chat has ever seen him.
and fighting you was the most they’ve seen him hold back.
totally not because he wanted to see you and hear you longer, no sir.
but when that final hp disappears from the top of his screen, his heart drops.
“huh… so the rumors… were right,” you huffed as you gathered your weapon from the floor. and as the electro archon’s looming presence griws closer, scaramouche begins physicallyshaking.
“wait…” this is the most vulnerable he will be on stream. he genuinely does not like where mihoyo is taking this.
“i can’t believe… this is how… we meet,” you proclaim as the archon’s sword glows brighter. her piercing gaze doesn’t leave you, the very eyes that you share cutting through your soul.
“and to think… my journey would here… of all places…” contrary to how scaramouche would expect and hope you to react, you simply fix your posture to sit in front of the archon, your legs tucked to support your body. “with all the training… i cannot… i will not raise my hand to you.”
“hold on…”
“i hope to be welcomed to eternity once more.”
those were your final words as your body disintegrated into nothing but ash.
“…” scaramouche doesn’t say anything for the longest time. a few of his viewers complain, but the long time fans know that this scaramouche, the one they are seeing, is the most emotion they will ever see from him.
and what they don’t see is him breaking down at the mere idea of your character disappearing from memory forever.
so. childe. how on earth did you end up dating the most idiotic, most playful, but surprisingly level-headed boy in your class? sure, he isn’t as bad as some of the others like scaramouche or dottore, but to say he’s well-behaved would be a total lie. yet somehow, you, the ‘golden student’ of your class, gravitate towards him and his weird sense of humour. you don’t know what it is about him that attracts you, but over a few years, the two of you become best friends.
perhaps best friends is a bit of an understatement. best friends who flirt all the time, or best friends with half-benefits of being wingmen for each other, would be a better description. it’s funny, really, how you had to listen to him gushing over signora when he was obsessed with her, and he had to listen to you going crazy over diluc when you had a crush on him, but after all that you both fell for one another. (fun fact; the irl versions of signora & diluc became a couple later LMAO)
although when you think about it, it’s impossible not to fall for him. seeing his smile practically lights up your world, and he always manages to make you laugh, and the two of you have so many pictures together where you’re going :D and he’s just -_- to annoy you by not posing properly. you just never expected him to possibly reciprocate your feelings.
-
you’ve just got off a call with kokomi and yoimiya where you talked about your feelings for childe, and both of them encourage you to confess. unfortunately, you decline, saying you’d rather not ruin your friendship, but when you see his status as online, a stupid impulse washes over you. maybe it’s the fact that it’s 2am, or the fact that you’re willing to throw caution to the wind at this point, you’ll just play it off as a joke if anything goes south, but whatever the reason, you end up texting childe and asking 'hypothetically speaking, if i asked you out, what would ur reply be?’
yeah. basically you’re a coward AND a dumbass who can never ask things straight. archons, this is stupid. but then he replies almost immediately, 'yoo??? hypothetically i’d say yes’ and you’re like ?!?!?!? and then he goes 'hypothetically, if I asked you out, what would you say’ and you reply 'i’d say yes too’ and both of you are just kinda !??!?! then childe, who has such a way with words (/s), says 'wait can i ask you now’ and you’re like 'WHAT’ and he goes 'can i ask you out now or is it like a bad time idk how to do this’ and finally after a lot of flustered-ness from both sides he eventually goes 'y/n, would you like to go out with me?’ and obviously you reply 'yeah childe i would’.
anyways, then childe is like 'can’t believe i finally got myself a cute s/o’ and you’re like 'well i finally got myself a cute bf’ and both of you are just kinda rambling to each other about how cool is this, and although you’re not entirely certain you’re pretty sure that both you and childe are equally flustered but also having so much fun.
the thing is, childe manages to say the cutest things ever while seeming so genuine that it really makes you want to spontaneously combust or fly to the moon or just hug him. like that same night he’s like “wait i can finally call you cute… oh ur so fucking cute” and then goes on to explain in length all the reasons you are. and you just ?!?! then you say that you can barely form a coherent reply because you’re so happy and he’s just like 'that’s right i always leave you speechless’ please slap him. he deserves it!!!!!!!!!!
yk that thing in relationships where they ask stupid questions like 'if i was a bug would u still date me?’ yeah childe does that except he says 'if i was a ghost would you still date me’, and when you reply 'yeah sure’ he goes 'okay good because if you said no i would haunt you’.
also literally every single time you flirt with childe he’ll tease you by saying 'stop flirting i’m taken, i have an s/o’ and you’ll be like 'what a coincidence, i have a boyfriend but he’s an idiot.’ and he gets so offended,,, but then you say 'he’s my idiot though’ and he switches up real quick LMFAOOO
-
as for your friends’ reactions to hearing that the two of you are a couple now when you get back to physical school, honestly nobody’s surprised. you and childe are the couple that everyone knew was going to happen, even the teachers, and it was just a question of sooner or later.
being in school together is a million times more fun though! you get to spend so much more time with him, and although you’ve been friends for years and dating hasn’t changed much between you both, it’s still more fun to hang out now that it’s a definite fact that he likes you too.
one time you’re in the library studying, and childe stands behind you with his hands on the back of your chair and bends over to ask, “hey, how are you?” you lean back to look up at him and grin, “good now that i get to see you.” and he just smiles although his face is turning redder by the second, “you’re so cute.” now it’s your turn to be embarrassed!
also you talk to him all the time in class because you sit behind him, and you just kick his chair whenever you want to get his attention. he leans back and catches your hands with his (they easily dwarf yours and he later tells you that your hands are adorable) and you make fun of him, “are you trying to hold my hands? simp.” “yeah, i am!” is his immediate reply, though he can’t meet your eyes after that and you end up getting more flustered.
childe brings food for you too. it’s just one of the little ways he shows you affection, remembering your favourite and bringing an extra in his lunchbox just for you, it’s genuinely so sweet. you always scold him and say that you need to repay him for all this, but he just laughs it off and tells you not to worry, after all, “you being my s/o kinda means i get to shower you in gifts. does that mean you’re my sugar baby though?”
his entire family knows about you too! teucer especially likes you, and randomly gifts you cans of fizzy drinks from the vending machine, which you accept wholeheartedly with a lot of gratitude. you and teucer also bond over your shared love of the game genshin impact, and childe complains that teucer gets heart eyes whenever he talks to you about all the characters he has and that childe is really getting jealous. you reassure him that he’s still your favourite no matter what, and that satisfies him.
you and childe have a private discord server just for the two of you, with multiple voice and text channels although you don’t even really need them. one of the voice channels is named 'childe bullying’ and that’s the one you’ve spent the most time in, talking for hours and hours about the stupidest things yet when you’re together they become the most interesting stories in the world. you also use the truth or dare bot and have a ton of fun forcing each other to answer the weirdest truth questions.
also, childe is a closeted romcom enjoyer, and you swear he’s watched even more than you! he finishes them all so fast too and gives really good recommendations. it is slightly embarrassing though when he tells you to watch 'love chuunibyou and other delusions’ and you haven’t started it but he’s already finished watching 'the pet girl of sakurasou’ which you recommended last week. he also reads 'spy x family’! and it’s so awesome for you to finally have someone to scream about it with, it makes you so happy that he likes it and you’re even happier that he actually takes your recommendations into consideration.
for your birthday, childe gets you a necklace. it’s stunning, though honestly if it was from him you’d have accepted a rock. but the fact is, he put so much thought and effort into this gift, shopping at jewelry stores for almost three months and messaging all your friends to confirm what they think you’d like, and eventually buying it and wrapping it and giving it to you. just to tease him, you ask childe to help you put it on, and although he nearly explodes while doing it he finally succeeds at fixing the clasp and promises it suits you perfectly.
and every time the two of you talk and laugh together, you’re certain that you love childe, and that he loves you, and for the moment, that is the most wonderful feeling ever.
a/n ; he also texts u stupid stuff that is somehow cute such as 'can we play val together (romantically)?’ ahhh :(
childe who would spoil you with so many gifts if you were his s/o like how he spoils teucer and probably his other siblings he could literally be your sugar daddy but insists that he isn’t and says that his love language is gift giving and also adding that he doesn’t have anything to do with the money so he spends it on expensive food, clothes and gifts bdjfnsjdnnf
pairings/characters: mona x gn!reader, childe x gn!reader
warnings⚠️: none (I dont think there are any at least)
note: 5 minutes works kinda thing bc I suddenly got this idea yas .3. reblogs are appreciated <3
mona(莫娜)
☁︎︎ is super supportive of you ! as an astrologist herself, she knows the basics and would beg you to teach her a few spells or divination tricks outside of her own hydromancy skills
☁︎︎ she even offered to teach you hydromancy once you told her about you being a mage
☁︎︎ you guys spend lots of time together, talking about the stars, talking about new things you guys learnt, talking about ways on how to save money too (sadly TvT)
☁︎︎ bring you along with her to the market every sunday so you guys can get items you may need for spells and also cheap ingredients so that you can cook for yourselves instead of wasting money on food outside
childe(達達利亞)
☁︎︎ even though he isn’t very well verse in these kind of things, he’s really supportive of you and willing to hear about since its coming from you
☁︎︎ just saying but he’s definitely willing to sponsor your expenses so that you only get the finest products.
☁︎︎ makes you kiss him good luck and cast your spell stuff, as he likes to call it, before he enters a match or goes off to fight someone. something like, “bubs, can I have a kith please?”
☁︎︎ accompanies you to where ever you need to go so that he can learn alongside you. learn about how plants and gems all have different meanings, properties and uses.
— synopsis: the changing of times and ways to govern, foolish desires and violent ideals. the tenryou commission was versed with a new wielder, having the orders enacted by the lands very deity, though, the news was nothing but a betrayal. unfortunately, having been known as merciless and loyal, the commission would believe no claimed wielder’s claims, even if they exclaimed their family’s betrayal.
— pairing: var!genshin (male) x fem!reader
— genre: harem (??), fluff, slight angst
— warnings: abandonment, injury, mentions of death, not proofread!!!!
— status: coming soon. updates every sunday.
— taglist: open, just hmu
a/n: i know paimon says that when she first met traveller, baal hadn’t introduced the vision hunt decree yet but shhhh you heard nothing
as if the gods of celestia had known what a pitiful day was to come for y/n, the present rainfall raged harder, the pelting of each drop growing louder by the minute. the child-like smile plastered on her face was now wiped clean, a quivering lip taking its place.
the day started off pure. her begging her mother to let her tag along with her while she works, claiming that her little sister was old enough to be able to stay home by herself. clinging to her mother’s arm in a childish nature, her mother was trying her hardest to tug her arm out of her child’s grip. with one final beg, her mother abruptly whipped her body to face the teen.
before y/n could sneak in another beg, she saw a faint look of hesitation in her mother’s eyes. the way her eyebrows creased and her lips turned down into an indistinct frown before reverting back to her hostile gaze at her own daughter. the older woman yanked her arm out of the grip on the teen and opened her mouth. there was a faint realization that this would be the last time she would ever see her mother the same again, hoping that once in her life that flowers would flow out of the older woman’s lips, out only came thorns and stones.
“wait, no!” her cries were ignored as the woman holding a wood-woven basket filled with her belongings had treaded through the undergrowth and out of sight.
“come back! please, mama!”, shifting her weight into her feet to run after her mother but faltered as soon as she heard calls of her younger sister back at her abode.
“tame”, the name left her lips breathlessly, sprinting back to her house and busting open the doors, only to see soldiers of the tenryou commission pushing and pulling at her, in search of her vision that her parent’s had claimed the two of you had.
“there’s the other one, seize them.” kujou sara, the loyal general of the commission, having devoted her life to their deity.
“wait, no! she doesn’t have one, only me! stop, don’t touch her!” [y/n]’s voice boomed through the abandoned home and bounced off the wooden walls as she ran in front of her crouching sister, hiding her figure behind her arms.
the other soldiers raised their weapons, the blades of each taunting [y/n] mocking her to make another move, “i’ll give you my vision, just let her go.”
“how strange, we were told both of you had visions…” her tone was mocking, and venomous.
“it’s not true!! please, let her go” her pleas had made the entire house go silent, the only thing heard was the harsh pattering of the rain outside.
“very well… take her vision if it’s the last thing you do!”
“tame, run.” was the very last thing tame’s older sister had ever said to her, before sprinting out of the house, effectively chasing every soldier out.
though her legs burned and the pelting rain irritated her skin, [y/n] kept running, she had to, she didn’t want to die, not now, not like this. unbeknownst to her, the general was a bow wielder, standing quite a ways away from her, she drew the arrow, and fired, aiming at the [h/c] girl’s calf.
shrieking in pain, [y/n] felt herself tumble to the ground, the soldiers now catching up to her. one specific man drew his sword out, aiming it at the girl’s abdomen. fearfully, she used her arms to pull herself back, but he was quick to catch up to her.
“give up your vision, now!”
the girl cried, looking both left and right, hoping, praying that there was a way she could get out of this situation. a brown wooden boat had caught her attention, it was abandoned left at the shore with no trace of the owner. taking deep breaths in to ready herself on her legs again, she forced herself upwards, dragging her injured leg behind her and running towards the boat.
“stop her!” turning her head to look behind her, she materialized her polearm, given to her by her father before he passed away. she forced it in front of the only soldier able to catch up to her. before she knew it, the soldier was able to land a hit- or rather a stab in her side. he gave it a sharp twist before pulling his dagger out, making her choke on her own breath. her grip on her polearm tightened, swinging it at the man and slicing her arm. she fell to the ground in pain just as he did, and clutched at her side.
“get up!” a voice that lingered in the back of mind sounded through her head.
a voice of whom held a special place in her heart before his life was taken away from him.
“get up y/n!” was she delusional? was this what happens when you die?
still, she obeyed dragging herself to the shore where the abandoned boat resided. up, she thought. one more step and you’ll be safe. she just had to force herself to climb, then she’d be free of her life in inazuma. her father’s voice sounded through her mind, her eyes teary from the pain.
“i can’t papa…”, her voice was weak, but there was a passion that seemed to belong to something- someone much more powerful.
mindlessly, she was able to force herself into the boat, the feeling of someone else controlling the mechanics of her body, she surrendered, laying idly against the wood of the boat as it drifted out to sea.
with one last look at the island she grew up on, reminiscing on the foul and nostalgic memories she had made, she only saw her sister and her tear-stained face, their gazes stuck on each other. tame was being dragged away by the general and her subordinates, writhing and screaming all while staring at her older sister longingly, her protector, her family.
“tame…” her voice reeked of pain, and it was the last thing she said before her world grew dark.
perhaps some people saw it as a miracle, but she only felt guilt. she had somehow made it to liyue harbour alive, and this time as a vision wielder. growing accustomed to the life of the people in liyue, she embraced it rather than pushed it away, in hopes of the lingering reminder of her sister fading. though, she likes to think that she just had a knack for getting herself chased out of nations for things she did not do- or have. that was how she ended up in the forests of mondstadt, exploring and seeking shelter in what she had left.
though, she had made an interesting discovery after having a blonde boy sneak up on her. it was rather interesting, the way they met. she had almost killed him, but lowered her guard as soon as she saw his attire and apologized profusely.
“you… don’t look like you’re from here…” the question seemed to make the stranger nervous, giving the back of his neck a nervous scratch before responding.
“well… you see…”
a/n: erm hi i know her backstory on how she got chased out of liyue was not very detailed but i really didn’t want this to be too long pls bear w me hehe
— synopsis:the changing of times and ways to govern, foolish desires and violent ideals. the tenryou commission was versed with a new wielder, having the orders enacted by the lands very deity, though, the news was nothing but a betrayal. unfortunately, having been known as merciless and loyal, the commission would believe no claimed wielder’s claims, even if they exclaimed their family’s betrayal.
— pairing: var!genshin (male) x fem!reader
— genre: harem (??), fluff, slight angst
— warnings: death, violence (canon-level), injuries, etc. these will be more in-depth at the beginning of each chapter.
anon asked: hi! ill like to request something among the lines of xiao and childe (separately) being jealous, with a gn!reader, please! :) thank you! <3
omg my first request!! tysm for requesting, i really appreciate it!! i hope you like it, anon <3
gn reader x xiao, gn reader x childe sfw warnings: none
word count: around 400 and 500 words, respectively.
xiao
anguish.
seeing you with another person, oblivious to their blatant flirting, gave him anguish. it was just a normal night at wangshu inn, you had brought xiao some almond tofu and was about to leave, until some merchant from fontaine stopped you to start some small talk. you, of course, dropped everything you were doing and started talking. how could you just carelessly stop to talk with some random merchant? what if he was dangerous? thoughts concerning your safety went through xiao’s head like a hurricane.
no, he wasn’t jealous, he was just concerned about this stranger — or at least that’s what he would like to think.
one minute passed. then five. and then twenty. xiao had enough at this point, as only his gaze wasn’t enough to intimidate the pesky merchant, and you looked fairly tired of talking. the adeptus made his way to the both of you, your eyes immediately shifting towards him with curiosity. he wasn’t one to show many emotions and he knew it, but this was too much. the merchant looked at xiao with annoyance as he tried to grab your attention once more.
“y/n” xiao said, and you looked at him with confusion in your eyes. “i see you’re tired. do you wish for me to accompany you through your way home?”
you looked very confused. xiao never offered to do something like that before, and he knew you were wondering. “i wouldn’t like for you to run into any monsters, that is” he added quickly, making you look at him with even more confusion. yes, he knew you could fend for yourself, and at first he didn’t mind your presence much, but you had grown to become something he cherished. so, it was only normal for him to offer to take you home, right?
maybe this will be enough to scare him off, xiao thought. and yet, he was wrong.
“actually, i was thinking the same-” the merchant started to say, but suddenly stopped at the feeling of xiao’s gaze on him. maybe it had finally worked, staring at him with unmatched anger. “oh no! i just remembered i have something really important to do! see you, y/n!” and, with that, the merchant was quickly gone.
xiao could only sigh in relief.
childe
childe was jealous, and that was obvious to everyone around him.
both of you were strolling around liyue harbor, enjoying one of his rare off duty days. it was a sunny day, the breeze was nice and the streets were bustling with people looking around shops and enjoying their day. everything was perfect, the way your hands intertwined, the way you laughed at his flirtatious jokes, the way your hair flowed with the wind.
so why had your ex suddenly appeared?
it was funny, really. your ex didn’t even recognize childe, neither as your current boyfriend or one of the fatui harbingers. if he did notice you both were having a date, he was surely happy to intervene. it made childe’s eye twitch slightly out of annoyance, but his facade was perfect. well, almost.
it was his body language that made it clear for you. the way he held your hand slightly more tight, as if you were going to leave him at any moment. the way his stare made its way between you and your ex, switching between you both constantly. it was clear that he was annoyed, but you couldn’t do much about it, as your ex just wouldn’t stop talking. he would ask you about your family, about your current occupation, about the present. you were quite uncomfortable, but what could you do? just turn away and go?
on childe’s mind, that’s exactly what you should do, but he knew you were way too polite to do something like that. so, he waited. for a while, that is. as the conversation seemed to have no end and you seemed quite uncomfortable, childe decided it was time to intervene.
“hey comrade, i’m sorry to interrupt but me and y/n were about to go eat something together, i believe they must be quite hungry, right?” he looked at you, and you instantly nodded, noticing his quick plan to get rid of your ex.
“oh? i’m sorry, who are you? we are having a conversation here, if you can’t tell” you ex replied, and something sparked in childe’s eyes.
it wasn’t anger, but rather amusement.
“my name is childe, but i also go by tartaglia. nice to meet you!” as childe said his name, he noticed a sudden fear in your ex’s eyes. he retracted back, looking at the other like an alien.
“t-tartaglia, you say?” your ex said, and childe nodded enthusiastically. this is fun, he thought. your ex turned to you, looking frightened by your current boyfriend. “ah, i’m sorry, y/n, but i suddenly remembered this thing i have to do… farewell!” he said, quickly making his way away from you both with trembling legs.
after your ex left, you looked to childe and suddenly burst out laughing. he followed, laughing heartily as well. and you two continued your date, thankfully without any interruptions this time.
warnings: nsfw content, size difference, dacryphilia, degradation, praise, breeding kink, choking, Itto has a knot and barbs on his cock, Zhongli has two dicks
DILUC stops immediately when you tell him to — hurting you is the last thing he wants —, though he can’t help but chuckle when you, teary-eyed, tell him that his dick is too big and that it won’t fit. He quickly shushes you with a gentle kiss, his smile warm and loving as he reassures you that it’ll be fine, he’ll try to be as careful as possible.
Even though he tries to go slow for your comfort, he groans in pleasure when he finally bottoms out inside of you, your hips flush together, and while he had originally planned to give you some time to adjust to his size, he can’t help but pick up a fast and hard pace a few moments later, because what you don’t know is that your words sent a white hot spike of pleasure up his spine. His size kink is thriving, especially when there’s a slight bulge showing through your stomach as he thrusts into you.
“You’re alright, dear. It’ll fit, don’t worry. Ah, fuck—, you feel so tight around me. Archons, you can even see my dick through your stomach — fuck.”
When you complain to KAEYA about his cock being too large to fit inside of you, he genuinely can’t help but laugh. You’re adorable — really, he’s at a loss of words here. There’s a smile on his lips as he tells you that you’ll be alright, and he doesn’t bother to stop pushing into you; giving you time to breathe would only result in you overthinking even more. Besides, he knows you’ll be fine.
When he finally pounds into you, his hips slapping against your own with lewd squelching noises accompanying each thrust, you’re moaning and keening, your back arching, and there’s mocking words and teasing sentences falling from Kaeya’s lips before he can stop himself, but, really, who can blame him? Just a moment ago, you were protesting and worrying, and now you’re taking his dick like a champ — it’s almost ironic, really.
“Ah, look at you, darling. Weren’t you just whining about my dick being too big for you? Now you’re practically sucking me in. That’s adorable. Makes me wonder if that innocent persona of you was but an act, doll.”
warnings: nsfw content, size difference, dacryphilia, degradation, praise, breeding kink, choking, Itto has a knot and barbs on his cock, Zhongli has two dicks
DILUC stops immediately when you tell him to — hurting you is the last thing he wants —, though he can’t help but chuckle when you, teary-eyed, tell him that his dick is too big and that it won’t fit. He quickly shushes you with a gentle kiss, his smile warm and loving as he reassures you that it’ll be fine, he’ll try to be as careful as possible.
Even though he tries to go slow for your comfort, he groans in pleasure when he finally bottoms out inside of you, your hips flush together, and while he had originally planned to give you some time to adjust to his size, he can’t help but pick up a fast and hard pace a few moments later, because what you don’t know is that your words sent a white hot spike of pleasure up his spine. His size kink is thriving, especially when there’s a slight bulge showing through your stomach as he thrusts into you.
“You’re alright, dear. It’ll fit, don’t worry. Ah, fuck—, you feel so tight around me. Archons, you can even see my dick through your stomach — fuck.”
When you complain to KAEYA about his cock being too large to fit inside of you, he genuinely can’t help but laugh. You’re adorable — really, he’s at a loss of words here. There’s a smile on his lips as he tells you that you’ll be alright, and he doesn’t bother to stop pushing into you; giving you time to breathe would only result in you overthinking even more. Besides, he knows you’ll be fine.
When he finally pounds into you, his hips slapping against your own with lewd squelching noises accompanying each thrust, you’re moaning and keening, your back arching, and there’s mocking words and teasing sentences falling from Kaeya’s lips before he can stop himself, but, really, who can blame him? Just a moment ago, you were protesting and worrying, and now you’re taking his dick like a champ — it’s almost ironic, really.
“Ah, look at you, darling. Weren’t you just whining about my dick being too big for you? Now you’re practically sucking me in. That’s adorable. Makes me wonder if that innocent persona of you was but an act, doll.”
CHILDE has got you bent in half in a mating press when you whine about him being too big, his dick being too deep inside of you, and he couldn’t deny that your words made his cock twitch inside of you even if he tried. He scoffs, obviously amused, and it’s such a huge ego boost that he thrusts into you roughly, his hips flush with yours as he bottoms out in one quick movement that has you gasping and crying out.
There’ssome half-assed shushing from him as he assures you that it’s fine, you’ll be alright, but in reality, you’re barely able to understand what he’s saying with the almost violent pace he has set and he knows it. You’re drooling while he pounds into you, saliva dripping down your chin, and Childe isn’t shy to mock you for how desperate you look. By the end of it, he makes sure you’re literally dripping with his cum.
“Fuck, babe, that’s so hot—, you think I’m too big for your tight little hole, hm? Don’t you worry, baby, I’ll fill you up so good. You’ll be fine—, ah, fuck, I promise, just let me make you feel good. Just let me breed you.”
ZHONGLI raises his eyebrows when you complain about his size in a seriously worried tone, but he’s quick to shush you despite not understanding why you seem to have trouble taking only one of his cocks. The other one is resting against your abdomen as he slowly but surely continues to push into you, the tip of it dripping precum onto your skin.
While he’s constantly praising you for how well you’re taking him, he can’t help that he enjoys seeing your eyes all glassy with tears, and his thoughts immediately go to how you’d cry and whine under him if he were to fuck you with both dicks, only to fill you up and breed you.
“You’re so good for me, darling. You take me so well. In fact, I’m quite certain you’d even be able to take both of my cocks if you’d like to try.”
Honestly,ITTO is used to this kind of reaction. He’s a big guy all around, which is why it doesn’t come as a surprise when you claw at his back and whimper about him not being able to fit inside of you. Still, while he understands your worries, he’s too much into it to stop now; he can’t help that he continues to push into you until you’re stretched wide around his dick.
He at least has the decency to apologise while thrusting into you, his hips slapping against your ass, even though he gets a massive ego boost from the way you’re crying out. His apologies don’t make it better — especially because his size isn’t the only thing you have to deal with. What’s much more difficult to take are the barbs on his cock, as well as his knot once he fills you up, but what can he say; he’s an oni through and through and his biology is intent on breeding you.
“Ah, baby, fuck, ’m sorry, I don’t wanna hurt you, fuck, I promise, you just feel so good, can’t stop, please, babe, I need to fill you up—”
Honestly,SCARAMOUCHE thinks of you as ridiculously naive for even hoping that he’ll be merciful when you blabber something about his cock being too big. You’re on all fours underneath him, cheek against the ground and ass raised, and he’s not above taunting you as he repeats your whiny plea in a mocking, high-pitched voice.
As if inspired by your words, he thrusts into you at once, his pace rougher than it needs to be solely because he wants to see you cry on his cock, your cheeks flushing and your eyes crossing as you clench around him. When he feels particularly mean, he even wraps a hand around your throat, if only to hear your high-pitched keening noises as you choke and whine, your thighs trembling and tears dripping down your cheeks.
“What are you saying? It won’t fit? Oh, I’ll make it fit, don’t you worry. Besides, you’re already dripping wet. Fucking slut. This is the only thing you’re good for, so shut up and take what I decide to give you.”
WhileAYATO is quick to coo soothing words at you, his voice a low purr and with his hands gently caressing the curve of your hip, his lips also curl into a smirk. You can’t see the way his eyes sparkle with mischief and something more sinister because of your position — your cheek pressed against the pillows, your back arched and ass raised —, but that his polite words are just a facade is obvious in the way his hips snap against yours.
Theurge to make you cry just because of his cock makes his movements more hurried and rough, his usual effortless grace bleeding away into impatience and brutal thrusts. His nails dig into your hips as he rocks into you until your thighs are shaking and tears drip down your flushed cheeks, needy noises falling from your lips, and Ayato can’t help that he wants nothing more than to truly break you.
“Oh, am I too big for you, love? Are you saying you can’t take it? That’d be a shame, I was hoping to have you come on my cock. Ah, there you go — look, it fits. You’re such a slut in reality, hm, darling?”
ALBEDO pauses the second you whine about his dick being too big to fit inside of you, his head cocked to the side in a curious manner as his gaze meets your teary eyes. While he’s an attentive and observant lover, he also can’t deny that his cock twitches inside of you at hearing you say that.
Hetells you matter-of-factly that there’s no need to worry, that your body is quite literally made for this and that it’s obvious in the way your cunt is basically sucking him in, before continuing to push in until he bottoms out, your hips flush together. If you haven’t relaxed until then, he’s honestly at a loss of what to do, though a feeling of pride spreads through his veins when you finally moan and mewl in pleasure rather than in fear. He just loves being correct.
“Oh? Look at you, dripping wet around my dick. Didn’t I tell you you were going to be alright? You’re literally made to take my dick, love, and it seems you’re a natural at it, too.”
When you first tell him to stop, please, that his dick is never going to fit inside of you, XIAO scoffs, his eyebrows drawn together into a frown. For a moment, he genuinely thinks you’re making fun of him, though he quickly stops moving when he notices that there’s tears welling up in your eyes.
Thelast thing he wants is to hurt you, which is why he pauses immediately. It doesn’t matter how aroused he is, your comfort is his top priority, which is why he’ll only continue once you give him the consent to. Even when he finally bottoms out inside of you, his hips flush with yours and with you mewling underneath him, he checks in on you to make sure you’re alright.
“Fuck, I—, please, love, are you alright? Tell me. How are you feeling? May I continue? Fuck, you’re so damn tight around me.”
warnings: nsfw content, breeding kink, Itto’s dick has barbs and ridges, knotting, implications of pregnancy, begging, dirty talk, degradation, overstimulation
WhileDILUC is usually rather tender with you, some part of his mind simply short-circuits when you ask him to cum inside of you. He pauses for a moment, his eyebrows raised in surprise, but you don’t need to say more to convince him. He’s thrusting into you again a few moments later, his pace damn near violent compared to before, and all you can do is whine and arch your back and take it.
Diluc himself is all low groans and grunts; he wants a family so badly, so when you offer him to fill you up, he suddenly can’t think about anything but you, dripping with his cum, anymore. He’s moaning out promises of breeding you so so well while pounding into you, and it doesn’t take much longer before he reaches his orgasm, his cum spilling into you, and he presses a loving kiss to your lips afterwards.
“Ah, fuck, you have no idea what you do to me—, I’ll fill you up so good, darling, I promise you that. I’m gonna make you a mommy, sweetheart, don’t you worry.”
The second KAEYA moves to pull out, you dig your nails into his shoulders, surely leaving red crescent moons there, and he raises an eyebrow at you. When you whimper that you so desperately want him to cum inside of you, he huffs out a laugh, though it sounds strained. His following words are mocking, but they lack the usual sharpness.
He’sa lot more affected by your plea than he lets on; it shows in the way his dick twitches inside of your cunt and how his pace speeds up as he thrusts into you a few final times, his hips slapping against your ass with lewd squelching noises. You mewl as he fills you up with liquid warmth, his cum following his cock out of your loose cunt as he pulls away, and he chuckles when you whimper at the feeling.
“Oh? Do you need me to fill you up that badly? That’s pretty—, ah, that’s pretty pathetic, you know. But I guess I don’t mind indulging you one time, love, even if you’re acting like a slut right now.”
