Art Disclaimer: Please do not take the photo and repost. Feel free to reblog though. Commissioned chirika for this one.
Meet You Halfway (Part 1) Kamisato Ayato x fem!reader [Bodyguard AU]
Summary: Kamisato Ayato is hired as your personal, undercover bodyguard. Despite your protests that there’s no need for such a service, unconvinced that there’s really anything wrong with that strange, threatening email you received, your father promises you that it’s only for a short month, just to give him some peace of mind. You yield to his requests, ignoring Ayato’s presence altogether in your life, telling yourself that a month would pass by quickly. However, a series of events changes your dynamics with the undercover agent and you’re forced to come face to face with the fact that your life and your safety, is, in fact, in Kamisato Ayato’s hands.
contains: spoilers for phantom tales of the night (manga series), my own au i literally created on the spot, aether’s tired of being teyvat’s dog,(name) is not referred to by name but it’s you :), some talks about cannibalism, some similar to hypnosis is kinda insinuated? i don’t know how to describe it
summary: it seems a traveler has wandered into a quiet inn on the outskirts of teyvat. however, the source of payment the innkeeper seeks isn’t mora. in fact, it’s nothing physical. it’s the visitor’s deepest darkest secret.
notes: so i’ve been waiting for phantom tales of the night vol. 5 to be delivered to my house so i can finish up to vol. 7. so while i’m waiting, here i am making a weird au based on it. i hope you enjoy :D this basically follows the first chapter of vol. 1 but with genshin,,, also i got a bit carried away with this going to 2,979 words…
all he wanted was to find his sister. his sweet twin sister who always stuck by his side, no matter what challenges they were faced with.
instead, he was stuck here, in a world he was widely unfamiliar with accompanied by a strange pixie-like being. he traveled through cities, aiding in whatever fetch quests he was asked to complete in exchange for… nothing.
mora here (which was always used up for resources, leaving him with double-digit amounts), food there (which were always eaten by paimon), respect elsewhere. what about the help he was promised by the higher ups of the cities?
the knights of favonius promised to help find his sister after he defeated a raging storm fueled by a dragon’s anger. and all they did was put up missing person posters.
the liyue qixing promised the exact same thing in exchange for defending the city from an awakened ancient god. and, once again, all they did was put up missing person posters.
he was tired. he was tired of being teyvat’s dog with no reward.
all he wanted was his sister back.
“aether?” paimon called out nervously, watching as the blond traveler trudged through the grass. heavy bags had formed under his eyes and his blond hair stuck out of his braid is curly wisps.
“not… not now, paimon,” aether sighed, swatting at his floating companion. a few moments passed before aether heard the familiar sparkling sound of paimon disappearing to archons know where. he let out another sigh, one that was more resigned and choked.
as he wallowed in his sorrows, he didn’t notice the geo creature towering behind him.
“watch it,” a calm voice echoed through his ears. just as aether turned to face the roaring geovishap, he felt the back of his scarf get tugged on as he was pulled back.
from what he could see through the blur of rock and ash, the dark brown scales were what caught his attention the most. the creature’s tail flowed along with the golden fur gathered at the end of it, its claws tipped as gold as mora. the polearm it grasped in its clawed hands matched its body perfectly, from the color to the rigid edges mimicking crystals.
“who…?” was the only word aether managed to mutter as he stared up in awe at the creature. it, or rather he, peered over his shoulder to look down at the traveler, his eyes sharp as he stared.
“i’m afraid we will attract more attention if we remain here,” he bellowed, seemingly speaking to someone other than aether. “it would be wise to bring him inside.”
“of course,” a distant voice responded. as aether blinked, he found himself a ways away from where he had been before. instead of the soft grass of liyue, he found himself sitting on smooth rock littered with sparkling geodes and crystals. in front of him stood an intricate building framed by lanterns of varying sizes and designs.
“aether,” the same voice cooed, this time coming from a source visible to him. walking towards him was a figure wearing a (color) kimono covered by a similar haori. hanging from their fingers was a lantern, its light illuminating the area far better than the countless lanterns hanging on the building behind them. “i have been awaiting your arrival. please come inside.”
aether managed to push himself up, careful to avoid the sharp and ragged edges of the rock beneath him. the figure stared at him for a moment before greeting, “i shall be your host. if you have any requests, please feel free to ask.”
“my… host?” aether echoed, cautiously walking towards the (h/color)-haired figure. their smile remained unchanged as he grew closer.
“yes. that is our job here, after all. come, we mustn’t delay,” the host ushered, reaching out to grab aether’s wrist. they pulled him along the trail before continuing, “if we do, there’s no guarantee they won’t catch up to us.”
“they…? huh?!” aether quickly glanced over his shoulder to see a hoard of geovishaps and their hatchlings barreling towards them. he reached out to summon his sword but was quickly interrupted by the hand of his host.
“ah, there’s no need for that,” they muttered, lightly pushing aether’s hand down as wind began to swirl around the two. “let us handle this matter. for now, let’s head inside.”
“inside… this?” aether questioned, nodding up to the lantern-filled building.
“my inn,” the host answered with the same smile, watching for a few moments as the wind began to flow towards the hoard of monsters. “i can assure you that this inn is the safest place to be when being chased by teyvat’s creatures. however…”
the host released aether’s wrist, prompting the traveler to pause just before the steps of the inn. the host turned around slowly, their haori flowing behind them as if it were a cape.
“i do need… one thing from you.” their lantern seemed to glow brighter, causing the shine in their eyes to become more intense than before. “i ask that you grant me one of your secrets.”
the moment aether stepped inside, the inn was far grander than he had previously thought. keeping up the theme, the ceiling was shrouded in lanterns, making the wood that presumably supported it invisible due to them while tatami mats lined the floor in a distinct pattern.
“well? is it suitable for your tastes?” the host asked, sliding the door closed as quietly as possible.
“uh… how do i say this…?” aether muttered to himself, looking around at the room he had just stepped foot in. “it’s… actually really nice. am i even allowed to be here?”
“of course,” the host reassured, ignoring the roars outside the door. aether jumped back suddenly as the door was pushed in, barely keeping intact as another roar was heard.
“how is this even standing…?”
“ah, company secret,” the host grinned before clapping their hands lightly. “now then. venti! get the luggage, would you?”
aether yelped as he felt wind fly up behind him, the bag he had carried being hoisted from his shoulders into the air. as the wind began to swirl, a figure began to manifest from the air.
“huh?! wh-what?!” aether gaped, looking back and forth between his host and the wind being only known as “venti”.
“don’t fret,” the host called. “he works for me.”
“that’s not what’s weird…” aether clarified, fiddling with the end of his scarf. “he… formed from the wind.”
“oh? it seems our guest is not as shocked as we thought he would be,” the host hummed, glancing over their shoulder at the traveler.
“he isn’t one to be easily scared,” venti points out, twirling the end of one of his braids with his finger. “in fact, i would have been surprised if he were afraid of a mere wind spirit.”
“i guess let the wind lead was literal, huh?” aether laughed to himself, earning a small smile from venti.
“that it is,” venti hummed softly, part of his body disappearing as the wind carried it away. the upper half of his body remained, allowing him to float around the host and wrap his arms around them. the host remained unbothered, lifting one of their hands to lightly glide their fingers along venti’s neck. “the people of mondstadt cherish that saying. in a way, they cherish my ability to lead them in the right direction. and you were led here. we will do our best to help you relax. both body and mind.”
“follow me,” the host ushered as venti fluttered after them in a gust of wind. as aether walked down the halls, he couldn’t help but take in the only piece of decoration that littered the inn.
lanterns. varying lanterns of size, color, shape, and design lined the walls and filled the ceilings. he recognized a few of them as xiao lanterns, the very same ones he had written a wish in during liyue’s lantern rite.
“uh, excuse me?” aether called out, prompting the host to look over their shoulder at him. “i’m… i’m really grateful for all of this but… i don’t think i can afford any of this? it just looks really expensive…”
“…pfft!” venti, who had appeared beside the host in a gust of wind, tried to suppress his laugh but to no avail.
“venti, you’re being rude,” the host scolded as they guided aether into a separate room, they led the traveler to a small table beside a window, the outside still littered with floating lanterns. the host took their seat and motioned to the chair in front of them, causing aether to sit opposite of them.
they placed their lantern on the table and interlocked their fingers, resting their chin on the small platform they had formed. “aether, the compensation i’m searching for is not mora. i’ve told you before, the one request i ask of you is simply your secret. nothing more.”
“that… that’s it?” aether asks, nervously squirming in his seat. “there’s no… extra thing you need? nothing for me to find or fight or make. just… a secret?”
“that’s all,” the host reassures, smiling softly. “and in exchange, we promise to do whatever we can to find your sister. and that’s not putting up missing person posters.”
it was as if aether just shut down at that moment. anything regarding his sister, even if it’s a lie, is sure to attract aether. all he could think about at that moment was reuniting with lumine and leaving this world that took advantage of him and his kindness.
“just a secret… just a secret…” aether muttered to himself, squeezing his hands. “let’s see… i guess my secret is that i’m not from this world.”
“…”
“ah-hahahaha!” venti’s laugh echoed throughout the room, causing aether to furrow his brows in confusion.
“venti!” the host calls, snapping their fingers as if scolding an animal. they let out a quiet sigh before leaning forward, their arms resting on top of the table. “i’m afraid that isn’t much of a secret to us.”
“…huh?”
“it’s quite clear to anyone who has heard of you and your deeds. no normal person from teyvat should be capable of that,” the host explains, prompting aether to hum softly.
“…i guess? so, that means i can’t stay here, right? and… you can’t help me?”
“i wouldn’t say that,” the lantern’s light suddenly dims, casting shadows on the host’s face and body. “but… i hope you don’t think that’s all you have to offer.”
“i… what are you talking about?” aether felt a chill run up his spine.
“there are other secrets, one that particularly interests me. it’s a secret that may shake your very existence,” the host points out, reaching across the table to place their finger on aether’s lips. with a sickeningly sweet smile and glazed over eyes, the host mutters, “and unless we reveal that, i’ll be unable to assist you.”
he really should have left this inn when he had the chance. one minute he was in the hot spring outside with the strangely pushy host and the next…
he’s caught in the middle of a geovishap attack with nothing but a towel to guard him. not even his sword was hidden away in the pocket space it always disappeared to.
just as the geo creature’s claws were about to crush the blond, a familiar polearm-wielding creature intercepted the attack.
“owner…” the creature huffed, kicking their weapon towards another geovishap. “with all due respect, why did you let him outside?”
“he is a bit carefree, isn’t he?” the host, now known to aether as owner, hummed. similar to aether, the only item that guarded them was a towel obtained from the hot springs. however, in their hand, they held their signature lantern, brightly lit with a flame. owner wipes away the water dripping from their face before explaining, “we were in some sort of rut regarding what he is, that’s all.”
“…i trust your judgment, owner, but we must be more careful with our guests,” the dragon-based creature sighs as it traps the geovishaps in stone.
“yes, yes, of course,” they hum as they head towards the grassy area aether had previously been taken to. they face the geovishaps before smiling, “now then, i ask that you return my guest.”
the geovishap lets out a roar followed by a series of growls. venti’s top half begins to form behind owner as he drapes their haori over their slightly dry body. “zhongli? what’s it saying?”
“hm… they’re complaining,” zhongli answers, his tail swishing as he continues to translate. “they claim to have found our guest first and that we stole him from them.”
“huh… odd,” owner hums, reaching up as venti peers over their shoulder to cup his chin. “surely you wouldn’t be complaining once you admit you followed the wind and the earth to him. without them, you wouldn’t have found him. if you’re making excuses, at least make a good one.”
as the geovishap lets out another roar, owner moves their hand to cup their lantern’s flame into their palm. “this will be my final warning to you.”
“this outlander is my guest. keep away from him.”
zhongli seems to growl at the geo creature as it responds to owner. the innkeeper lets out a dry chuckle before placing their finger on their chin, lightly tapping it as they warn, “or else, i’ll expose your secrets right here and now. do i make myself clear?”
surprisingly, the geovishaps let out a noise akin to a low whimper and scamper off, leaving aether behind in the grass. he looks off into the distance, searching for the monsters as they disappear beyond the horizon. he opens his mouth to say something before letting out a sneeze, earning a light laugh from venti. “you know, you’re the first one to run off with nothing but a towel. do you want your clothes back? they might not help much, though…”
“did… you know those things?” aether grumbles, ignoring venti who simply fiddles with the end of his wings. “you… knew their secret. you must have known them, then!”
“…i suppose you’re not wrong,” owner nods, lifting their lantern to illuminate their face. “we definitely aren’t friends, per se… but regardless, you were too occupied with the idea of us being enemies. had you stayed calm, i would have answered any questions you had. although, i don’t blame you due to all of the fetch quests you’ve been through…”
owner fiddles with the top of their lantern, the quiet squeaking of the handle moving filling the air.
“to answer your question before, they’re a part of teyvat’s creatures that are in an active search for their country’s downfall. or rather, they were recruited by that nation’s survivors to search for their oppressors or their lost comrades. it was only a matter of time before he found us since we house a myriad of creatures.”
aether paused before slowly turning to stare up at owner. oppressors. if those geovishaps had infiltrated this inn after encountering him…
what had he done to be labeled an oppressor?
“what… what did you mean by oppressors?”
owner slowly looks down at aether to meet his stare, their eyes darkened as they lift their lantern up to their face. “oh dear. you really don’t know, huh?”
they slowly walk towards the blond traveler, reaching down to trace the underside of his jaw lightly. as their finger curls back towards their palm, aether finds himself drifting towards them as if searching for their touch once more.
and as their finger pressed against his forehead, he remembered.
the cataclysm.
the fall of k'haenriah.
he wasn’t an oppressor they were searching for.
he was one of the lost comrades.
“what… what do you want from me?” aether hissed. his first question was to ask of their identities, but he felt in his gut that he already knew the answer. “you’re not… here to take me celestia, are you? or did you save me to… eat me or something…?”
“eat you?” owner echoed, covering their mouth with the tips of their fingers. “me? eat you?”
the air was soon filled with loud laughs which came from owner themselves. they turned to look at their employees, giggling, “guys! did you hear him? another one’s asked if we’re here to eat him! why do they all think they’re worth it?”
“i have no answer for that,” zhongli hums softly, his tail, once again, flicking behind him.
“maybe it’s what they want deep down,” venti giggles, his body half formed from the wind.
“heh… aether, do you remember what i’ve said before?” owner asks quietly. “mora holds no value here. we have no interest in the weight of your soul as ordained by the gods, either. and, to answer your question, i am not interested in eating your body. i’ve lost the pleasures i felt when indulging in those actions. the only thing i wish for is your secrets. nothing more.”
aether let out a yelp as he was pushed to the ground. he blinked to see owner directly above him, their legs straddling his waist and their face mere inches in front of his. they reached up and seemed to cradle his face, their thumbs brushing against his bottom lip.
“gnawing at your bones, nipping at your flesh, swallowing your remains, all of that is a source of nourishment that my body does not need nor crave. aether,” as his name came out as a soft coo from their lips, aether felt his mind fogging up and becoming distant. “i yearn for something that is much deeper in you. and that only comes to the surface when your mind and body are completely offered up to me through your deepest, darkest secret.”
I’ve written two drafts out of the six and the third one is almost finished. I wish I could say I was brainstorming the entire time and was able make some stellar plot but I really just got hit with writer’s block again.
I’m sorry for taking so long to finish the drafts and I’ll try to finish them faster.
What if there was a Kaeya who had lost everything? Crepus died and he was blamed for it. Diluc also blamed him and - in the moment he received his Vision - he accidentally killed him. He’s the one who goes on a failed Fatui killing rampage that only makes things worse when he can’t find any of the answers he seeks.
He completely snaps when he sees wanted posters declaring him the murderer of the Ragnvindr Clan and he proceeds to spiral into insanity. He begins to actually believe that everything was truly and utterly his fault. In a fit of desperation to right his wrongs, he uses khemia to create a device that lets him jump between different Teyvats. In each one, he hunts down versions of himself and kills them (whether they’ve turned “evil” or not), having completely convinced himself he’s doing the right thing.
Then he comes to the canon version of Teyvat and starts to seek this world’s version of Kaeya out too. However, even if Kaeya agrees with him, Diluc makes up his mind that he’s not going to fail where all his other alternates have. He’s not going to let his brother die.
Especially not to some psycho alternate version of himself.
I Had An Interesting AU Idea (Trigger Warning for Sexual Harassment and Horrible Extended Family Members)…
What if Diluc’s extended family (either his father’s side, mother’s side, or both) didn’t approve of Kaeya when they found out about him? If they felt he didn’t deserve to be part of the Ragnvindr family.
In front of Diluc and Crepus, they would treat him nicely only because they knew Crepus wouldn’t tolerate any bad language towards his adopted son. Any other time, they’d whisper about him and make cruel remarks about him, his appearance, and his possible lineage and homeland.
Kaeya endures all of this in silence until Crepus and Diluc catch them badmouthing him outside. Diluc ends up taking Kaeya inside and does everything to reassure him he is family while Crepus stays outside to chew them out and tells them not to come back if they couldn’t respect his son.
Years and a falling out later, the extended family comes to visit Diluc only to find him gone and ecstatic to hear rumors that he disowned Kaeya. They occasionally visit to see if Diluc had returned and to harass Kaeya, saying things like he had never deserved to be part of the family and how he should know his place. They would abuse him by forcing him to basically be their servant during their visits and humiliating him in public.
Though, Kaeya feels the urge to lash out, to scream and cause a scene, tell them to go screw themselves in a very vulgar manor, he holds his tongue. He has long since learned that anything they considered backtalk would be met with punishment. It was better to silently take it.
Any help Jean tried to give was gently but firmly turned down. Lisa always made sure to have a brew of calming calla lillie tea waiting for him after every visit. Albedo never said anything but he never turned Kaeya away when he needed a quiet place to unwind where no one would find him. Even Amber and Eula both seemed to get a little indignant at how he was treated, as strange as the idea was.
When Diluc returns, it doesn’t take too long for his extended family to hear about it. It only takes a month for them to show up, a month of being reminded by Diluc what they had already drilled into his head over the past three years.
Kaeya is nursing a Death After Noon after an already crappy day when they walk in. It takes everything in him not to curse but it just had to be his luck. They immediately swoon over Diluc, telling him how happy they were to see him and his much they missed him. Diluc appears unfazed by their praise, much to their annoyance. Kaeya could tell they were losing their patience.
Then they finally notice Kaeya and dread fills his gut. He wonders if it’s too late to make a break for it.
Diluc’s uncle huffs, asking what a stray mutt was doing at the counter. His wife lets out a haughty laugh that grates on Kaeya’s nerves as she says that he’s probably begging for scraps since he was so poor and his pay had probably been cut again. As they continue to degrade him, none of them seem to notice that Diluc had gone deathly still as Charles looked like he didn’t know if he should run to Kaeya’s aid or hurry to defuse his employer.
Surprisingly, it’s not Diluc who snaps first. Maybe all the bullying had finally gotten to him, maybe all of it plus Diluc’s new harsh and cold attitude towards him caused the captain to snap. Slamming his glass on the counter, Kaeya shoots up from his seat and gets in Diluc’s uncle’s face. He raises his voice, not shouting but definitely loud enough to be heard by the people around them. He chews them out about how they’ve treated him pretty much ever since they met and how sick he was of them.
He then proceeds to drop a bombshell that the uncle and his wife have been cheating on each other, the wife longer than her husband. He even spills how, despite him supposedly being a low, dirty mutt, that the wife had come onto him several times as well as their daughter. By the time he finished the tavern was hushed in stunned silence while the family was flushed red with anger. The father gives an angered shout, calling Kaeya a filthy liar as he charged him, his fist pulled back.
In a blur of movement, the man found himself on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Kaeya is stunned as Diluc rises from his crouched position between him and the wine tycoon’s family. Diluc makes sure to stay between them as he tells them that violence isn’t allowed in his establishment and tells them to leave. The aunt tries to object but the look Diluc gave her probably scared her because she scrambled to help her husband up and the family rushed out. Diluc tells everyone the tavern is closed and, understanding not to argue, everyone silently exits. Kaeya tries to leave as well but is stopped by Diluc calling his name. The look he gave him and the nod towards his seat were all that was needed to get his point across.
Even as he sat back in his seat, he found himself wondering if this was it. Was Diluc going to officially ban him from Angel’s Share for life? A restraining order? When he looks up at Diluc, the man has put his hands on the counter and is leaning forward, he breathing forcibly deep and even as if he was trying to calm himself down. Had he made Diluc that angry? His question is answered when Diluc asks how long they’ve been treating him like that. Kaeya tries to dodge the question but Diluc isn’t having it, demanding to know.
So Kaeya tells him. His mouth starts running and he’s horrified that he can’t seem to stop. He doesn’t tell everything but he gets the general point across. By the end of his rant, Diluc looks angrier than Kaeya thought he ever would, even more than that night. He’s terrified.
All of his panicked thoughts are cut off when Diluc hops the counter and forcibly pulls him into his arms, his fingers from one hand burying themselves in his hair while the other wraps around his back to hold him close as he mutters apologies and promises that Kaeya will never have to deal with them again. Kaeya freezes at first, unable to comprehend the situation (that Diluc would ever hold him like this again, whispering reassurances into his hair, anddear Barbatos were those tears he felt) before he melts and hugs back. He doesn’t bother to hide his tears as he breaks down and only feels safer when Diluc tightens his grip.
Genshin Impact x Pokemon AU I’ve seen people put Albedo with Smeargle, Ditto, Diancie and others, which I can imagine them all-
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BUT imagine him people with the small, cute, artifical pokemon Castform!
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As I was making this picture, I realized Baltoy was a far better representation for Albedo. Hello~ an artifical pokemon made from clay!…Close enough right?
He’s an electro claymore character that travels Liyue, and now Inazuma, doing protection work for clients against monsters. He’s at odds with the qixing due to personally hating ulterior motives, so you can usually find him hanging out with Beidou or bothering Kazuha.
8’m really proud of how this turned out, so please give it some love!
He’s an electro claymore character that travels Liyue, and now Inazuma, doing protection work for clients against monsters. He’s at odds with the qixing due to personally hating ulterior motives, so you can usually find him hanging out with Beidou or bothering Kazuha.
8’m really proud of how this turned out, so please give it some love!
“You chose the wrong person [CENSORED] person to fight! I’ll make sure my blade gets a taste of your charred ashes!”
– • – • –
The feral lightning catboy has arrived! He’s 5'6, 24, and a monster hunter cursed to be short (he vehemently maintains that he was destined for too much power, and so the gods personally nerfed him). He hangs around with Beidou and Kazuha after getting in trouble with Liyue officials, and carries with him a token badge from a mysterious mentor who’s name he manages to dodge mentioning. Please show him some love!
“You chose the wrong person [CENSORED] person to fight! I’ll make sure my blade gets a taste of your charred ashes!”
– • – • –
The feral lightning catboy has arrived! He’s 5'6, 24, and a monster hunter cursed to be short (he vehemently maintains that he was destined for too much power, and so the gods personally nerfed him). He hangs around with Beidou and Kazuha after getting in trouble with Liyue officials, and carries with him a token badge from a mysterious mentor who’s name he manages to dodge mentioning. Please show him some love!
