roseapov

[roseapov]

Age of Eris

Pairings: Various ZZZ Men x reader

Summary: Weeks, you've been gone for weeks—no, months! You've been gone for months! No one could find you, no matter how much they tried to look for you. There were endless dead ends that drove them to the point of insanity. But one day, Belle rushes to Random Play to inform Wise that you've been found and are currently at the Public Security Office. The same person who captured the hearts of many. What's so special about you?

Note: I liked how this fic started out, until I got close to the end ;v; As always, the reader is gender neutral with no specific pronouns. I'm not entirely sure if this will be an isekai fic like my Genshin and HSR isekai series, but I left the reader's background be a mystery just in case it does turn into an isekai fic. Anyway, I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr), Ko-Fi (also Genshinluvr/Aaliah_exo), and AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Characters are ooc because I don't play ZZZ enough to be familiar with the characters (I'm also behind on quests and skip out on the quests unless it's for Hugo Vlad and Jane Doe).

Word Count: 6.4k

Belle bursts through the door of Random Play, startling the customers, Bangboo 18, and Wise. She pants, hands on her knees as she takes deep breaths. Wise rushes up to Belle, placing a hand on her back as he ushers her to the staff’s room. Once Wise closes the door behind them, Belle grasps ‌Wise’s sleeve, shaking him.

“They found them,” Belle whispers. 

Wise’s eyebrows furrow with confusion as he tries to make out what his sister is saying. “Who’s they? Belle, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

Belle squeezes her eyes shut and shakes him with vigor. “Wise, PubSec finally found them.” She gives him a look, hoping Wise’ll catch on to what she’s saying. After hearing that the Public Security had found a certain missing person after a long time, Belle didn’t waste any time and immediately ran back to Random Play to break the news to her brother.

Wise’s eyes widen, his heart leaping in his chest and up to his throat. “PubSec finally found [Y/N]?! Why didn’t you call me to let me know!?” Wise exclaims, now the one to shake his sister.

Belle stares at Wise in disbelief, her mouth agape. Well, sorry! Can’t blame a girl for wanting to break the news to her dear brother in person! 

She narrows her eyes at Wise, pushes his arms off, and looks away with a huff. “I bring you good news, and this is how you thank me? How sweet of you, Wise.” Belle deadpans. 

Wise visibly relaxes and sighs, his shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, Belle. It’s been so long since they went missing and—”

“And if you want to see them soon, we need to go to PubSec now.” Belle interrupts Wise.

Wise shuts his mouth, nodding. Belle is right. There’s no time to lose! The sooner he gets to PubSec, the sooner he can see you after so long. Belle and Wise run to their car, driving off to the Public Security Office in Lumina Square. 

Wise parks in front of the building and quickly takes the keys out of the ignition. Wise and Belle rush into the building, only to see a large crowd in the main lobby of the Public Security Office. Belle and Wise look at each other, confused. Why are there so many people gathering in this one spot? However, they’re not just random civilians of New Eridu. 

Aside from Seth Lowell, Belle and Wise see Billy Kid, Anton Ivanov, Von Lycaon, Lighter, Asaba Harumasa, and Hugo Vlad among the crowd. Belle and Wise peek from their shoulders to see you talking to Jane Doe as she and Zhu Yuan take notes while listening to everything you say.

“I saw my life flash before my eyes! I thought I was going to die in that moment and—”

Jane sighs, crossing her arms over her chest. “And you won’t die. We won’t let it happen, [Y/N]. You know that, right?”

You stare at Jane owlishly. Of course, you know that Jane and the rest of PubSec wouldn’t let you die, but you’ve been missing for months. It took them months to find you, but it’s better than never, right? 

Clearing your throat, you nod. “Well, yes, but I thought it was kind of cool, but also scary, that these thugs view me as important enough to kidnap and hold me hostage,”

Seth approaches you, his eyebrows furrowing. “It’s not cool, [Y/N]! You were gone for months! Heck, maybe almost a year or past that! We looked everywhere for you, and every time we thought these trails were leading us somewhere, we would hit endless dead ends!” Seth runs his hands through his hair while his ears twitch with irritation.

You can’t help but flinch at his outburst, shrinking in your spot. “Sorry, Seth. In all honesty, I’m trying to process everything that has happened. It was cool, yes, but most of the time, I was terrified of what could happen next. I didn’t know if I was going to escape from them alive or not.”

The ears on Seth’s head flatten. Just as Seth is about to console you, Wise suddenly appears and pulls you into a bone-crushing hug. You let out a surprised yelp, eyes widening. You quickly recover after realizing the person crushing you is Wise. You melt in his arms and wrap your arms around his waist. 

Wise buries his face in your hair, tightening his grip around you. “I’m so glad that you’re safe and sound. Gosh, you have no idea how worried you made me,” Wise whispers into your hair, squeezing his eyes shut, fearing that if he opens his eyes, this would all be a simulation of some sort. 

“Hey, [Y/N] had us worried, too!” Billy Kid interjects, propping his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes (?) at Wise. 

Wise ignores Billy and continues to hug you. You pat Wise’s back, letting the gray-haired man hold on to you like a lifeline. Belle peeks from Wise’s back, smiling and waving at you. You smile and wave in return, struggling to stand straight when Wise is putting most of his weight on you.

Lycaon clears his throat. “Mr. Proxy, I believe you should give [Y/N] some space to breathe,” Lycaon comments, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hugo Vlad chuckles bitterly, shaking his head. “What? Are you jealous, Lycaon?” Hugo asks, smirking at the annoyed canine Thiren.

Lycaon sighs, rolling his eyes. “That was merely for you, not for me, Hugo Vlad,” Lycaon mutters.

Wise releases you from his bone-crushing hug and rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks feeling hotter than he would like them to be. Jane and Zhu Yuan snicker from the sides, giving you a teasing smile. You quickly look away, hoping the flustered look on your face isn’t obvious. Unfortunately for you, it’s very obvious to everyone around you.

Zhu Yuan clears her throat. “Alright, I believe that concludes for today. We will continue this tomorrow morning,” Zhu Yuan says, putting her notepad into her pocket. 

Jane and Zhu Yuan walk away, and Harumasa approaches you. “If you’d like, I can escort you home,” Harumasa offers, holding his arm out for you to take.

Before you can take up on his offer, Lighter steps in, shaking his head. “It’s alright, Harumasa. I can take over. It seems like you have fans outside waiting for you.” Lighter gestures to the entrance of the Public Security Office.

Lighter is indeed correct. Outside the building is a large group of people—mainly girls— peering into the window of the building to get a glimpse of the stunner that is Asaba Harumasa. They let out piercing screams when they notice that Harumasa looks in their direction. Wait, where did they come from? When Wise and Belle arrived at the Public Security Office, there weren’t any crowds forming outside the building. 

Anton snickers. “You have quite the fanbase, huh, Harumasa?” Anton mutters, smirking at the flustered Harumasa. “For the sake of [Y/N]’s safety, I will be the one to escort them home. Who knows how crazy your fans are?”

Anton looks at you with a charming smile. You swear that the world around you fades to pink with sparkles and rose petals fluttering around you and Anton. You’re not sure whose offer you should take up. Sensing your distress, Belle—a godsend—wraps her arm around your shoulders and pulls you away from the crowd with Wise in tow.

“I’ll take it from here, boys! After all, [Y/N] lives not too far from the video store!” Belle chirps, looking at you from the corner of her eyes as if she’s telling you to play along.

You nod, relief hitting you like a tide. “Right! I forgot we live so close to each other. It’s been a while since I was home,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly.

Home. How long has it been since you last stepped into the comfort of your home? Months, but how long exactly? 

Anton sighs, running his hands through his hair. “How about this? To ensure everyone’s safety, mainly [Y/N]’s safety, we should all tag along!” Anton suggests.

Belle and Wise nearly deflate at how persistent these men are. The men around you, Belle, and Wise murmur among themselves. You peek at Wise and Belle, and they have similar expressions to one another, making you audibly snort. 

“I don’t know about you guys, but that sounds like a brilliant plan to me! We can all be [Y/N]’s personal bodyguards!” Billy says, nodding.

“Alright, sounds like a plan then!” Belle gives everyone two thumbs up before exiting the Public Security Office with you and Wise by her side.

The closer you approach the entryway, the more restless the crowd outside the building becomes. Belle and Wise link their arms with yours and open the door, pushing through the crowd of screaming fans while trying not to get separated from you by the crowd. You’re grateful that Wise and Belle drove their car to the Office, but you don’t think it’ll fit everyone tagging along. 

The seating arrangement for the trip back to the parking lot of the video store is questionable and awkward. Everyone, aside from Wise and Belle, squeezed into the back of the car. You can’t help but feel like you’re in a clown car—trapped in a decently sized car with more than four people. 

Once Wise parks the car in the parking lot behind Random Play, everyone exits the car. You look around Sixth Street, all sorts of emotions hitting you like a freight train. It feels so nice to be back at Sixth Street, your home. 

“So? How does it feel to be back home?” Seth asks, staring at you while you continue to survey your surroundings.

You sigh, feeling months of built-up stress finally leaving your body. “It’s nice to be back.” You whisper, finally locking eyes with Seth.

Seth’s face turns bright red almost immediately when you smile at him. He lets out a small giggle and looks away, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to calm down. You snicker and look at the others, who are staring at you and Seth.

Lycaon approaches you, holding his arm out for you. “Ready for us to escort you home?”

You smile, nodding. “Ready as always, Lycaon.” You loop your arm around his and allow him to guide you to where your home is. 

You live in a small apartment behind One Four One, the convenience store. While the walking distance isn’t bad, everyone wants you to arrive at your apartment without trouble. When Belle and Wise arrived at the Public Security Office, it was the afternoon. Now that everyone is escorting you back to your apartment, it’s evening. 

The night is chilly, sending shivers down your spine, and goosebumps appear on your bare arms. Before anyone can offer you their jacket, Hugo drapes his coat over your shoulders. The scent of his cologne is very comforting, and the warmth of his jacket envelops you like a warm hug. Wow, he smells so good. Would it be weird to ask him to spray whatever cologne he owns on your pillow so you can hug it in your sleep? Yes, yes, it is. 

You turn to look at Hugo, cheeks feeling warm from the blood rushing to your cheeks. “Thank you, Hugo,” you say shyly.

Hugo chuckles, stroking your hair while ignoring the glares shooting in his direction from Lycaon and others, while Belle pretends not to notice the spark between you and Hugo. And the ever-growing tension between everyone. 

“Anything for you, darling. Wouldn’t want you to freeze now, would we?” Hugo teases, lightly pinching your cheek.

Billy sticks his pinky in the air, his other hand propping on his hips. “It’s not even cold out, quit trying to show off, Hugo!”

Hugo grunts in response as you all proceed to walk up the stairs to your apartment. Now standing in front of your apartment unit, you search your person for your keys. Sheer panic kicks in, and your hands rapidly scan your body for the most important thing to access your home. Your heart drops in your chest as you turn to look at everyone like a kicked puppy.

“I don’t have my keys on me,” you whisper. “I think I may have dropped it somewhere in the Hollow, but I’m not sure when.”

How in the world are you supposed to access your apartment now? You’re not going to be able to take a shower, change into new and clean clothes, and get proper sleep when your keys are missing somewhere in the Hollow.

“It’s okay, [Y/N]! How about you crash at the video store for tonight, and we can figure out the next steps in the morning!” Belle suggests, smiling at you sympathetically. 

You sigh, nodding. It’s starting to get late in the evening, and you don’t want to disturb your landlord about your lost key. Might as well take up on Belle’s offer for the night. “Thank you, Belle, again.”

Belle pats your back, smiling at you. “Anything to help out a friend!”

At the video store, Belle and Wise argue over who gets to lend you their clothes for the night while you sit to the side with Hugo’s jacket still draping over your shoulders. At first, you assume that once you arrive at the video store, everyone else is going to retire for the night and return to their respective homes. However, you’re wrong because your bodyguards for the day are still with you.

You look at Lighter, your head tilting while gazing at him and the others curiously. “Are you sure you’re not returning home to get some rest?”

“We could, but it’s late. Aside from that, we also want to make sure nothing happens to you in the middle of the night.” Lighter murmurs, leaning against the wall of the bedroom at Random Play.

You snort, shaking your head. “I doubt anything is going to happen to me in the middle of the night while I sleep at the video store.”

Harumasa makes a noise, crossing his arms over his chest. “You don’t know that, [Y/N]. Those thugs held you hostage for months in the Hollow. Who knows what’ll happen to you out of retaliation?”

He’s not wrong. The months spent in the Hollow with those thugs were grueling, and you nearly lost all hope of ever escaping or being saved. You sigh, nodding. It won’t hurt to have someone (well, more like people) watch over you while you sleep. By the time Belle and Wise compromise over whose clothes you’ll be borrowing for the night, you have already fallen asleep on Seth’s shoulders with Hugo’s jacket used as a blanket to keep you warm. Lycaon sighs, shaking his head as he rubs his temples.

“It’s best to let them sleep, Mr. and Miss. Proxy. This may be the first time they’re getting proper sleep since their disappearance,” Lycaon says, the ears on his head twitching. 

Wise nods. “You’re right, Lycaon. We can head back to their apartment and grab a change of clothes for them in the morning before they wake up,” Wise suggests. 

Seth doesn’t move from his spot as he’s worried about waking you up from your peaceful slumber. Lighter cautiously scoops you up in his arms, making sure not to disturb your sleep. Seth’s ears flatten on his head, disappointed that you’re no longer sleeping on his shoulders. Lighter places you on the bed, removes your shoes before tucking you into bed. Though before he tucks you in bed, he removes Hugo’s jacket from your lap and places it on the railing in the room. 

“Time to retire for the night. Everyone had a long day, and now we can finally rest while some of us keep watch over [Y/N] as they sleep,” Lighter says, leaning on the railing beside the bed. 

Seth gazes at Lighter incredulously. “You’re going to pull an all-nighter? That doesn’t sound like the best idea since we all chose to be [Y/N]’s bodyguard for the night.” Seth huffs, standing up from his spot on the couch.

Lighter raises his eyebrows at Seth, sensing tension rising in the air. Belle sighs, burying her face in her hands, shaking her head. Not wanting to deal with the argument, Belle quietly exits the room to get some sleep downstairs in the staff’s room, leaving Wise behind to deal with the mess he’s also part of. 

Harumasa yawns, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. “It’s late, you guys. Let’s just get some sleep, and whoever wants to be the first one to watch over [Y/N], be our guest.”

Without a second thought, everyone raises their hands to volunteer to be the first one to keep watch. Hugo shakes his head, rubbing his temples with an annoyed sigh. Out of everyone in the room, Hugo is the only one who can keep watch over you (and everyone else in the room, but they can all handle themselves). 

“Does it matter who’s the first one to watch over [Y/N]? If we’re all taking turns, it shouldn’t matter, no?” Hugo mutters. “I’ll keep watch over them. After all, I doubt none of you will last thirty minutes into your watch duty.”

Everyone begrudgingly gives in and sprawls around the room to get some sleep while keeping a distance from each other. There’s no way in hell they’ll wake up to cuddling someone other than you. A smug smile plasters on Hugo’s face as he watches everyone reluctantly close their eyes to get some sleep. 

The next day, when the sun is high in the sky, you wake up with the sun shining in your eyes. You groan and turn over to your side, only to bump into something. You assume it’s the wall, but when you open your eyes, you nearly tumble out of bed. Anton somehow manages to make his way to the bed and is watching you. Judging by the look on his face, he probably woke up a few minutes before you started stirring. 

Anton smiles, brushing your hair away from your face. “Morning, [Y/N]. How’d you sleep?” 

Your face heats up at the mere thought of sharing a bed with someone other than the plushies on the bed at Random Play. “Good, but I’m really tempted to go back to sleep.” You rub your eyes and lie back in bed, sleepiness gradually kicking in again.

For once, after so long, you’re able to get proper sleep without having to worry about your safety. Someone clears their throat, startling you and Anton. You look to see the others standing near the stairs that lead to the bed, glaring at the man lying beside you.

Harumasa points an accusing finger at Anton. “You said you were going to keep watch, but instead, you snuck over here to sleep next to [Y/N]!?” Harumasa hisses, his hand clenching into a fist by his side.

“And this is why we leave the job to a PubSec officer. I’ve patrolled over Sixth Street and Lumina Square, yet none of you want me to keep watch overnight while the rest of you sleep?” Seth mumbles, shaking his head with disapproval. 

You look at Anton, who gets up from the bed and stretches his arms in the air like a cat. Wise walks over to you and hands you your clothes. Your eyes widen, and you look at him quizzically, wondering how in the world he managed to get your clothes from your apartment when you lost your keys. A knock at the door breaks the tension in the room. You look to see Belle waving at you, your apartment keys in her hand.

Belle holds up a finger just as you’re about to question her. “Before you ask, we went to your apartment and talked to your landlord about it. He agreed to make an extra key at no charge!” Belle says happily. 

You leap out of bed and pull her into a hug while Belle laughs, patting your head. “Thank you so much, Belle!” You pull from the hug. “But you could’ve woken me up to go with you guys, too, you know?”

“Why would we wake you up when you’re finally getting decent sleep in however many months?!” Billy exclaims, crossing his arms over his chest. “Now, go shower, stinky. Wouldn’t want to return to the Public Security Office smelling like blue cheese, now, would you?”

You glare at Billy and chuck a cushion at him, causing him to burst out laughing before successfully dodging the hit. You huff and let Belle show you where the bathroom is, so you can finally take a shower and change into clean clothes. While you’re in the shower, Wise and the others start to interrogate Anton for sleeping on the job. 

Anton sits at the edge of the bed, running his hands through his hair with a smug look. “Hey, it’s not like I actually slept on the job. I slept after you guys left because I was tired, and I’m too tall to sleep on the couch. Can you blame a guy?” Anton asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“There’s a couch downstairs in the staff’s room. If you were tired, you should’ve gone downstairs to sleep there instead.” Lighter comments, glaring at Anton.

Anton leans back, now lying in the spot you once were lying. “I could, but I don’t want to. It won’t happen again, I promise. But if we have to be honest, if any of you had the chance, you would’ve swapped places with me.” He holds his hands up in defense.

No one says a thing as they’re all silently fuming and agreeing with what Anton said. Everyone has known you for about a year and a half. It would have been almost longer than that, but you vanished in the night, causing everyone to nearly flip all of New Eridu upside down in search of you. Before your disappearance, you managed to make yourself a home in everyone’s hearts and minds. No one knows how you did it, but you did.

“I have a weird feeling about them,” Ellen Joe muttered one day, leaning against the wall of Victoria Housekeeping Co., watching Lycaon lean down to allow you to pet his ears, his tail subconsciously wagging with happiness and contentment.

Corin Wickes gazed at Ellen with her head tilted, confused about what she meant. “Why? Did you catch them stealing in the act!?” Corin whispered, peeking from the pillar of the building to watch you and Lycaon from a distance.

Ellen Joe shook her head. It’s not something Ellen can point out easily. You were a nice person—a little awkward and sometimes too cheerful for her liking, but she liked you nonetheless. If it were possible to put it into words, Ellen would have an easier way to pinpoint the strange thing about you. There was something off about you, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. At least not yet. 

Rina approached Ellen and Corin with a fake smile. “Let’s not get distracted, ladies. Lycaon will not be pleased if he sees both of you slacking off just to spy on him and [Y/N].”

Ellen and Corin muttered apologies before proceeding to do their tasks around the manor.

After your shower, you and the others go to your apartment to do a quick check-up to make sure things are still in their place. Everything in your apartment is untouched, thankfully. You make a quick note to yourself to clean your apartment once you return from the Public Security Office. Your desk and shelves are dusty, and there’s untouched laundry you need to start on. Great, coming home from the Hollow only to start on chores that were supposed to be done a few months back.

Seth approaches you. “Ready to head to the Public Security Office?” Seth asks.

You nod. “Yeah, I’m ready. Let me grab my wallet and keys.” You quickly excuse yourself.

Harumasa emerges from your bedroom with your wallet and apartment keys in his hands, jingling them in front of you. “No need to worry about getting them.” Harumasa hands you your wallet and apartment key, the two of you accidentally brushing hands.

You smile at him, pocketing your belongings and thanking him while doing so. You turn to walk to the entrance of your apartment, where the others are waiting for you, Seth, and Harumasa, leaving a flustered Harumasa and fuming Seth to follow you. Seth glares at Harumasa from the corner of his eyes, his tail puffy with irritation. Harumasa happily hums; there’s a pep in his step, and his eyes are sparkling. 

Once everyone is out of your apartment, you go to lock the doors, digging into your pockets. 

Hugo raises his eyebrows. “What’s got you all riled up?” Hugo asks, crossing his arms over his chest while he leans on the railing outside your apartment.

Seth shakes his head, exhaling audibly. “Riled up? I’m not riled up at all. Anyway, let’s go to the Public Security Office and get this over with.”

Seth huffs, walking ahead of everyone after you locked your apartment. Belle glances at Wise, who looks just as confused as she does. The two don’t say a thing and proceed to follow your group to their car behind the video store. When everyone is figuring out the seating situation, you quietly pull Seth to the side.

“Are you okay?” You gaze at him worriedly.

Seth crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m perfectly fine! Why’d you ask?” Seth asks, refusing to look at you.

You press your lips into a thin line, unsure of what to say. You nod, slowly backing off. As you walk back to the group, Seth watches you from afar, his ears flat on his head. He didn’t mean to upset you, but… seeing you with Anton and Harumasa makes him feel a certain way. It’s a very ugly feeling in his chest. Watching you laugh with the others, wearing Hugo’s jacket to keep you warm, and your hands touching Harumasa’s hands makes him feel jealous.

“Seth! Are you coming or what?! You’re wasting precious time here, and I don’t want to sit here any longer than I need to be.” Billy hollers from his spot in the car.

Seth exhales for the umpteenth time today and climbs into the backseat of the car, where everyone else is. Seth nearly loses his mind when he sees that you’re sitting on Lycaon’s lap with his hands planted firmly on your waist. Seth swallows his pride and sits wherever he’s appointed, silently fuming with jealousy. 

The ride to the Public Security Office is awkward and tense; it’s worse than last night for sure. Every time there’s a bump on the road, someone starts complaining when the person beside them bumps into them. Whenever you look at Seth, he will not look at you at all. Did you do something to upset him? Was it ‌because yesterday when you said that it was cool how a gang of thugs views you as important enough to kidnap? It can’t be that, right?

“Is there something on your mind, Mx. [Y/N]?” Lycaon murmurs, pulling you out of your thoughts. 

You shake your head, rubbing your temples. “There’s a lot on my mind, actually. But I’ll be okay, I promise,” you peek at Lycaon, smiling at him.

Lycaon leans back in his seat. “If you would like to discuss anything, I’m all ears. If there’s anything that’s bothering you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

You smile at Lycaon and squeeze his hands, finding comfort in his words. You quietly thanked the Thiren for the reassuring words, unaware of the glances you and Lycaon received from the other seven men in the car. Plus Belle, who glances in the rearview mirror to see the sweet interaction between you and the leader and representative of Victoria Housekeeping Co.. 

Billy huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe I should’ve chosen the option to walk to the Public Security Office instead.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, Billy,” Belle snorts, shaking her head as she pulls up to the parking lot of the office. 

Everyone starts piling out of the car, grumbling about the lack of space. Instead of letting you step out of the car, Lycaon carries you out himself. Heat rushes to your cheeks when you notice bystanders are staring at you and Lycaon. 

Lycaon places you on the ground after, gazing at you worriedly. “Are you alright? Did I, perhaps, make you feel uncomfortable?”

Your eyes widen, and you quickly protest, shaking your head. “No, no, Lycaon! No need to worry at all, please! I’m just not used to the amount of attention on me, that’s all,” you laugh sheepishly. 

Seth lets out a sharp exhale, walking between you and Lycaon and towards the building of the Public Security Office. “Let’s not waste time. Jane and Zhu Yuan are inside waiting for us,” Seth grumbles.

Standing beside you, Harumasa makes a disgruntled noise. “What’s his problem? I’ve never seen him act this way before until today,” Harumasa comments, glancing over at you and Lycaon.

Both you and the Thiren shrug in response before entering the Public Security Office. Upon entering the building, you’re immediately greeted by Jane and Zhu Yuan. You greet the two women before subconsciously searching for Seth, wondering what you could have possibly done to upset him greatly. 

“Are you ready?” Jane asks, pulling you out of your thoughts.

You smile at her and nod, following behind her and Zhu Yuan. A million thoughts race through your mind a mile a minute as you sit in the chair of their office. As you recount every moment that has happened while you were held captive in the Hollow, sharp pain in your head forces you to stop. You try not to show it, the white-hot pain shooting throughout your head, sending painful and hot pulses in your skull. You close your eyes and sigh, rubbing your temples. 

Zhu Yuan stops what she’s doing and stares at you worriedly. “[Y/N], are you alright?” She murmurs, turning to Jane without taking her eyes off you.

You clench your jaw, nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Jane looks at the clock, noticing that it’s a good place to stop for now before continuing after their lunch break. You nearly cry out in relief. Finally, you can leave to get some air and maybe have a restroom break. You walk to the nearest restroom and close and lock the door behind you, pressing yourself up against the wall and sliding to the ground. 

The pain from earlier is still there; it’s dull, but you can still feel the initial pain before it dulls out. What in the world was that? You stare at your hands, slowly inspecting your body to see if there’s anything else. The world around you slowly drowns out as you continue to check yourself. You press your hand against your neck, feeling for a pulse—it’s there, strong as ever. You press your hand against your chest, feeling your heart drumming against your ribcage. Instead of a steady beat, it’s racing. Your hands feel sweaty. So sweaty that you can see faint beads of sweat forming on the palm of your hand. 

“What the hell is happening?” You mutter, pushing yourself off the ground and slowly walking to the sink.

You clutch onto the sink, the running water from the faucet drowning out the voices in your head—the same voices that are making you overthink the littlest things. Maybe it’s because you didn’t get enough sleep last night. You splash cold water onto your face, hoping it’ll calm you down. You wipe your face with the white paper towel before looking in the mirror. Your breath gets caught in your throat, and you jump back in fear. 

You turn around, only to see no one. You turn to look at the mirror again, only to pull something, sending the same white-hot pain pulsing throughout your skull. You cry out in pain, clutching your head as you collapse to the ground.

What you saw in the mirror that caused you to react in a certain way was a person. They looked like you, but they’re not you. This person looks almost deranged, disheveled, and crazed. The faint humming in the bathroom slowly fades away as your ears start to ring. Once the ringing finally stops, you lie on the ground, trying to collect your thoughts and process what happened. 

A knock at the restroom door startles you.

“[Y/N]? Are you alright? You’ve been in there for an hour,” Lighter’s voice is muffled behind the door.

You slowly sit up, looking at the watch on your wrist. An hour? You swear that you’ve been in the restroom for less than fifteen minutes. Lighter knocks on the door again as you get off the ground, turning the faucet off.

You clear your throat. “Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry for taking so long,” you answer, walking to the door and unlocking it.

When you open the restroom door, you and Lighter lock eyes. Immediately, his eyes start scanning you from head to toe out of habit. You look pale and frazzled, and your hair is a bit disheveled.

Lighter’s eyebrows furrow with worry. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Again, you nod in response to his question. You walk out of the restroom, fixing your clothes and hair to make yourself look presentable compared to what you looked like before exiting the restroom. An hour, Lighter said. You were in the restroom for that long? How is that even possible?

Wise approaches you. “Hey, are you okay? You were in the restroom for an hour and weren’t responding to anyone who was trying to get your attention.” Wise explains, staring at you with eyes that remind you of a neglected hamster. 

“Oh, it’s probably because I had the faucet running and it drowned out your voices. I didn’t want anyone hearing me doing my business,” you lie, rubbing the back of your neck with a sheepish smile. 

Billy walks up to you and throws his arm around your shoulders, chuckling. “Hey! It’s totally normal to feel a bit shy about dropping a log or two in a public restroom! Just don’t scare us like that next time, yeah?” Billy nudges you.

You can’t help but bury your face in your hands after Billy’s comment. You know what? Whatever it takes for them not to interrogate you over why you were in the restroom for more than fifteen minutes is good enough. Heck, even if they do interrogate you, you don’t know what to tell them because you have no idea what happened in the restroom at all.

Seth leans against the doorframe, still looking irritated as ever. “Since you took so long in the restroom, Jane and Zhu Yuan went to get something to eat. They’ll be back in thirty minutes.” Seth grumbles, huffing and puffing. 

Goodness, what in the world is up with him? You turn to look at Hugo, who, in return, shrugs. “I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head about him. Given his behavior, he may be in a rut,” Hugo comments, the corner of his mouth curving into a smirk. 

Seth sighs, running his hands through his hair. Before Seth can retort, Seth notices a change in your behavior. You rub your temples, eyes squeezed shut. You lean against Billy, legs beginning to feel like gelatin.

“Are you alright? You don’t look too good, sweetie,” Hugo murmurs, standing in front of you.

You don’t respond, still rubbing your temples. Hugo cups your face in his hands and tilts your head so he can get a better look at you.

You peek at Hugo, but the ceiling lights make it hard for you to look at him. You’re suddenly aware of many things around you. The light is too bright, the fan in the office is too noisy for your liking, Hugo’s leather glove feels a bit too leathery for your liking, but he smells really good. The chattering outside the office is loud—louder than it was when you entered the Public Security Office for the continuation of yesterday’s questioning conducted by Zhu Yuan and Jane Doe. 

“Uh, not to alarm anyone, but we need to get [Y/N] to sit down immediately or else they’re going to collapse,” Harumasa says.

You can hear urgency in his tone, and given ‌the tone of his voice, you don’t look too good. Anton scoops you in his arms without hesitation and carries you to the nearest chair. When Anton sits you down on the chair, you go limp in the chair, almost falling over if it weren’t for Anton. 

Billy runs his hands through his hair, pulling at the roots. “What’s going on!? What’s happening?! Why did they faint!?” Billy frantically asks, looking around to see if anyone knows the answer to his pressing questions.

Belle, Jane, Zhu Yuan, and Qingyi push through the crowd of men surrounding you. The men start to protest, refusing to leave your side as Jane holds your unconscious body up in the chair while Qingyi and Zhu Yuan check up on you.

Belle wrings her hands nervously. “I immediately went searching for Jane and Zhu Yuan after hearing that [Y/N] was unresponsive in the restroom for an hour,” Belle murmurs, peeking over Zhu Yuan and Qingyi’s shoulders to get a glance of you. 

“I���m sure [Y/N]’s fine. I’m assuming that it’s their body trying to readjust to being out of the Hollow after months, but who’s to say?” Zhu Yuan mutters, pressing her index and middle fingers against your neck, searching for a pulse.

Qingyi scans you from head to toe, trying to see if there’s anything off about you. “So far I’m seeing nothing…” she trails off, eyebrows furrowing. Qingyi freezes when she sees a faint glow on the back of your neck. “What is that?” she whispers.

Jane has you leaning on her, face buried in the crook of her neck as she brushes your hair aside, revealing the nape of your neck. Everyone stares at your neck closely, searching for whatever Qingyi saw. After what feels like forever, it happened. There’s this strange, colorful thing (?) that would pulse every now and then, spreading throughout your body before fading away.

“What in the world is that?” Wise whispers. 

Qingyi shakes her head. “I don’t know, but I have a feeling that it has to do with the Hollow and that it’s potentially life-threatening if we don’t figure out what it is and get rid of it fast.”

Note: Yes, I left it on a cliffhanger because I love them, and because I want it to be a mystery like how the reader's background is a mystery in this fic. This is my first ZZZ fic and I somewhat like it. I saw the lack of ZZZ content in fanfics (the last time I checked), and I wanted to give it a try after someone popped up in my inbox about it a while back. While the title of this fic has no huge significance, I do recommend looking up Eris on Google :) Again, the reader is gender neutral, but Eris has a meaning. My work schedule is going to be weird again, so it might take some time for me to be able to type something out and update ;v; Anyway, to all my new and returning readers, keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr), Ko-Fi (Genshinluvr/Aaliah_exo), and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist: No taglist for this update :) will make a new one in the future.

Read more of my works on my Grand Masterlist, which contains every masterlist I have created! | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories there, too, but who knows? You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like as a way to show support! ^^

[roseapov]

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done to me, betrayer Throw your stones and stab me with your hateful stares Curtain call, the final act, so say your prayers So long to you beloved traitor."

「 ✦ LOWER ONE'S EYES ✦ 」

┆ ┆ ┆જ ✾ After you lost your mother to the witch hunts as a child, you've spent the better years of your life living with a family friend and making sure that the Council of Elders won't figure out you're one as well. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when a new witch hunter who is said to have an accurate killing streak arrives in the city, and his eyes are set on you.

masterlist | you are here | part 2 ->

Word count: 16410 Reading time: 1h 22m Featuring: reader, phainon, aglaea, lygus Other characters: caenis, anaxa, cyrene, cipher (mentioned), tribios (mentioned), hyacine Tags: all tags are applicable to the fic as a whole and not just the part posted, major character death, written before 3.5, alternate universe, potential ooc, slowburn (im serious phainon doesn't appear until maybe 5k words in), gn reader, no use of y/n or [name], witch hunts, not time period accurate, bittersweet ending, implied grooming, gets suggestive at some point but no nsfw content, aglaea as reader's adoptive mother, implied aglanaxa if you squint, reader has trust issues and still refuses to trust phainon 30k words in, phainon is refered to as flame reaver at the start and khaslana near the end, slight edits made, no beta please kill me already Notes: If this is your first time interacting with me or my works, please read my rules beforehand. hey remember when i said i was worried that the witch hunter!phainon x witch!reader fic was going to finish at 25k but then i thought it might end at 30k but it finished at 42k before edits. ha. hahahahahaha. its at 64k words. and since i refuse to post something that long on tumblr, i decided to split it into parts. part 2 will be posted in three days. while the fic isnt based on it, the title and chapter titles are from lower one's eyes. specifically, the english cover by trickle. give it a listen if you have the time! it slaps at it was my #1 song on spotify wrapped during 2022. youll never guess what #2 was (it was the original version). thank you all for listening to my yapping and enjoy the fic! edit: forgot to mention! if you guys want to be tagged for the second part, please let me know! i'll add you to the taglist!

I. A Last Supper With Nothing to Say

You were ten when it happened. And yet, the memory was still so clear in your head.

Night had just fallen, and your mother was cooking a hearty Dromas stew in the kitchen of your cottage. You had lost your father to the Black Tide recently, but your mother never stopped smiling. Even right now, as you heard her repeatedly say, "It's just dinner for two", she didn't look sad. If she didn't look sad, why would you be? You were always happy in your home, after all. It was just like any other night. The only difference was that your father was being happy in the Nether Realm with Thanatos now instead of with you and your mother.

It was supposed to be just like any other night. But when your mother placed the bowl of stew on your side of the table, someone knocked three times. The first round was gentle, and you had thought that your father came back from the Nether Realm and was about to tell you stories about Thanatos. The second round was still the same, but your mother told you to sit still and let her deal with the guests. And when the person knocked a third time, it was angrier, almost as if they were planning to break your door if your mother didn't open it any time soon.

When your mother opened the door, someone from the Council of Elders came in with witch hunters behind her. The woman, Caenis, had accused your mother of witchcraft. That she was the reason why your father died. She had bewitched him, and then used the Black Tide to kill him and to make her dark magic stronger.

You were confused when you heard her accusatory words. But before you could say a word, your mother had used a spell to keep your lips sealed. By the time that the spell wore off, your mother followed Caenis and her witch hunters, leaving you alone in your cottage.

You already knew what was going on. You knew what happened if someone was found guilty— even found guilty, just declared guilty—of witchcraft. It was an immediate execution. They rarely did investigations. If someone, especially someone from the Council of Elders, called someone a witch, a trial was useless. Their minds were already set that the person was guilty. They considered witchcraft as an insult to the gods, a blasphemous act that as associated with the corruption that was the Black Tide, so they would want the witch to be gone as soon as possible.

But you and your mother were witches. The two of you had spent your entire lives hiding from the Council just so no one would know the truth. Unfortunately, it was too late. It was a lost cause now.

Somehow, your mother had convinced the Council that you were innocent. That you were just a child, unaware of the sins she committed. Though they were still suspicious of you, you were spared from the death penalty. Even as a child, you knew you weren't above the law. You had heard from gossip before that even children your age were executed if they were declared witches. You had no idea how you escaped punishment. Perhaps it was your mother's last act of magic to save you from an early death.

And so, there you were, running to Kephale Plaza while crying and yelling to anyone who would listen. You grabbed for clothes or scarves, falling to your knees, hoping even just one person would listen to you. Your mother had no connections to the Black Tide; no witch was. In fact, you were all protecting everyone from the Black Tide from advancing forward. She was innocent, and the Council was about to kill her despite her lack of crime.

But only one person picked you up from the ground: Aglaea, your parents' friend and another witch in hiding. Among all of the people, she was the only one who thought of picking you up from the ground and making sure you didn't get crushed or stepped on. Even when you tried to run to your mother's pyre, she grabbed your hand and buried your face in her chest.

"Don't look, child," she whispered. "Please… don't look."

You couldn't remember if your mother screamed or cried that night. Everything was too loud. From the people all screaming, "Burn the witch!", to the sound of the fire as another member of the Council lit the dry hay up, to your blood roaring in your ears. You held on to Aglaea, the last anchor in your life, while everyone watched and cheered as the flames took your last family member away.

Aglaea told you to not look, but you still did. You still saw it. You saw how your mother looked at you with tears falling down her reddening eyes. Her hands were tied to a stake, so she was unable to run away from the fire ate away her hair, her dress, and soon her skin. But even so, you could never recall what her mouth looked like in that moment. Were they opened, screaming in agony? Were they closed, showing you one final smile? Or were they moving, telling you one last message that you couldn't recall no matter how many times you replayed that memory?

You never left that spot. Even when people finally parted. Even when all of Okhema fell asleep, and even when dawn was rising on the horizon. You remained there, kneeling in front of the ashes that was once your mother. Aglaea never left your side, either. You were thirsty, your stomach growled, but neither of you moved until lunchtime. Since you didn't sleep or eat the entire night, you had no energy to protest against Aglaea's suggestion of returning to her house.

The Black Tide took your father. And now, the people who feared it took your mother.

You were ten when it happened, but you still understood what this meant: all eyes were on you. It didn't matter that your mother convinced the Council that you were innocent. Any wrong move, and they would realize she had lied to them. And if people found out about that, you were next.

When Aglaea finished making lunch, she placed the bowl of salad. "Darling, I know it's too soon… but for your safety, you'll be living with me from now on."

Her words snapped you out of your thoughts. You lifted your head up and met her soft gaze. "Live… live with you?"

"Your… your parents and I had talked about it already. I agreed that, if the day came that you would be all alone, I'll let you live with me. It will keep you safe. No one would dare to accuse the main sponsor of the council of witchcraft, let alone the child she's taken in."

That was true. Aglaea grew up in wealth, with her money regularly funding the Council of Elders. It was how she had always managed to avoid suspicion. Even if people suspected she could be a witch, they wouldn't want to lose their main benefactor.

"I can provide you with anything you need," she continued. "I can teach you magic. I'll teach you the spell that's been protecting Okhema from the Black Tide. Do you know Anaxagoras? He's not just a professor, but also a witch, and I can have him teach you both basic education and magic. If you want, I'll teach you how to use a needle and work in my shop. What do you say?"

You took a spoonful of the salad. Aglaea's cooking was always excellent. During the times you and your family received her food, you always loved how flavorful they were. But right now, everything was bland.

"I… I don't know." Your eyes were burning, but no tears fell. "I want to stay in our house, too… Mama has a lot of flowers that I wanna take care of. And… And Dad always said he made the cottage for them after they got married, and…"

She sighed and patted your head, taking the seat next to you. "It's alright, I understand. I just don't think it's safe for a child to live alone now. You don't know how dangerous these streets can be."

She was right again. You doubted you could live off the streets, and it would just increase the chances of people thinking you were a witch.

Aglaea hummed. "How about this? You still live with me, but you can go to your cottage anytime you want, and I'll accompany you. Once you're older, you can choose to live back home if you want, or you can stay with me if you wish. Does that sound better?"

You wanted to say no. You wanted to tell her that you would rather sleep on your own bed, wake up to the smell of earth outside your own window, and talk to your own flowers as if they were your friends. But the same thought echoed in your head. Eyes were on you. Any wrong move, and it could be you at the stake. Any wrong move, and not even Aglaea could help you.

You had no choice but to nod. "Okay… Thank you, Lady Aglaea."

She smiled and patted your head again. "Of course. Anytime, child."

That was how your life went for the next few years. Aglaea took you in and raised you as if you were her own. Every morning, she treated you to a delicious breakfast. In turn, you would help her in her tailor shop whenever you could. At eleven, you did the basic tasks she asked for. Fetch me my needle. Get the tape measurer. Hold this basket. At twelve, you started mending simple things, like a broken button or a ripped seam. Occasionally, a customer would shoot you a suspicious stare. But at the sight of Aglaea's crossed arms, they would immediately purse their lips and not even glance at you anymore.

When both of you had free time, you returned to your cottage. Sometimes, you would clean it up. But most of the time, you attended to the plants and flowers in your garden. Even if you wanted to talk to them, which you rarely had the energy to do so, you had to keep your lips pursed. Talking to flowers could be a sign of witchcraft. You didn't want to risk anything.

Before the sun would set, you two would return to Aglaea's house, where she would teach you one of three things—how to cook, how to sew… and how to use your magic.

She taught you her own magic of sewing and making clothes. When there was a topic out of her scope, she would schedule a session with Professor Anaxa, a teacher and another witch in Okhema, where he would tutor you with not just magic, but also basic education. Most importantly of all, she taught you the spell that protected Okhema from the Black Tide.

"It differs from witch to witch," she said when you learned about the spell for the first time. She pinched the air, and golden threads appeared between her fingers. "For instance, my way of protecting Okhema is wrapping the city in invisible golden threads and creating a barrier. But I also have to be careful, and the spell can't be too strong. If it is, the Council and witch hunters will be able to sense it and connect the spell back to me. Overusing my magic can also tire me out quickly, and it would cause the barrier to break."

You nodded. "Lady Aglaea… if we're protecting Okhema from the Black Tide, then why does everyone think witches are behind it?"

She sighed and pulled you closer to herself, arms wrapped around your form. "That's because the Black Tide is magic. More specifically, residue of magic that witches should be regularly cleansing, or else it will corrupt. But people took it to mean that if witches no longer existed, then the Black Tide wouldn't as well."

"But if there's lesser witches, then wouldn't that mean the Black Tide would just stay corrupted?"

"It's impressive that even a child like you understood that," she said with a chuckle." Unfortunately, most people don't. And now that the Black Tide has been growing worse in some locations, it would take a lot of witches to cleanse it. So, the best we can do now is to block it from advancing, and hope that we'll have enough witches in the future to clean it."

Aglaea poked your nose, earning a small giggle from you. "I sense greatness from you," she continued. "I know you'll be more powerful than me, and your own barriers will be stronger than mine. And who knows? Perhaps in the future, you'll be able to change Okhema and gather enough powerful witches to finally clean the Black Tide."

And being the curious and nosy child that you were, you immediately asked Professor Anaxa about it when you went to his study the next day. Your response was a sigh and him closing the scroll he was reading, before gesturing you to sit on the couch across him.

"So she's burdening you with that task at such a young age," he said as he crossed his arms. "No matter. She needs a successor, after all, and you're young enough to take her place when the day comes. I don't usually send people my thoughts and prayers, but it seems like you would need it."

"You don't sound so happy to hear that, Professor Anaxa."

"That's Anaxagoras to you," he said with a frown, which only deepened when you giggled. "And yes, I'm not really fond with this tradition of ours. However, it's not my place to scare you about it. Let that woman do it for you once you're older."

"Is there a reason why only she can do it?"

"She doesn't have to do it by herself. In fact, there used to be some cities that had more than one witch cast the spell, but it's difficult to perform. If even one witch falters, then the other has to overwork or else it risks danger." His single eye turned to you, which seemed to glow in the dimness of his study. "If you ask me, I'd rather you not worry about protecting Okhema by yourself and would prefer to see a life where everyone can cleanse the Black Tide instead. But unfortunately, such a future is still out of reach. Let's just hope this placeholder task will last us long enough."

And when you told Aglaea his response, the two of them bickered again the next time they saw each other, to which you watched with amusement.

When the first day of a new month would arrive, she would always make sure that the two of you would celebrate it, even if it was just in secret. You learned that her strongest moon was the Month of Weaving, with her patron god being the God of Romance, Mnestia. It was also when her main magic of weaving would be stronger, and the garments she crafted would be more beautiful than ever.

Your own magic also grew stronger over the years. It took a while, but you soon started dedicating yourself to Georios, the God of the Earth. Originally, you wanted to dedicate yourself to Cerces, like your mother. It was said they also watched over the cultivation of plant life and nature in Amphoreus. But Aglaea and Professor Anaxa had convinced you otherwise, saying that you shouldn't burden yourself with the pursuit of knowledge if you simply wanted to take care of your garden.

"Besides," he said during one of his lessons, "you should feel honored that you're dedicating yourself to the God of the Earth. After all, they created the Dromas. What better god to serve than that?"

And you knew that, when the topic would shift to his favorite creatures, the only proper answer was to listen and nod. So, when the Month of Cultivation came, you swore yourself to the Pillar of Stone.

The entire time, Aglaea never stopped taking care of you. She was natural at being a mother. Once or twice, the word "Mom" would almost leave your lips, but you always managed to stop yourself from embarrassment. Still, it was almost like she had her own child before. But since she never mentioned anything, you just assumed she already knew what to do.

By the time you were seventeen, she was finally confident enough to let you live all by yourself and return to your family cottage. So, you returned home, this time all by yourself. Opening the door was like opening a frozen memory. You regularly cleaned it up, so no cobwebs hung from the ceiling or dust gathered on the surface. Even the dishes were clean. It was like nothing had changed. Your mother was still going to come downstairs, telling you she had a new spell ready for you to learn. Or that your father would enter through the back door, greeting you both with a hug and telling you the stories of how he helped fight off the Black Tide.

For the first year, your routine was monotonous. Wake up, tend to your garden, help Aglaea in her shop, then go home. When it was the Calamity Season, you would sometimes stay in Aglaea's house again since you had nothing to do during the winter. At some point, she started asking for your flowers for her garments. Every time people started asking her where she got her flowers, to which she always would redirect them to you. Eventually, they started talking to you. Asking if you still had some of those flowers and if they could buy some. As if a few days ago, they wouldn't even want you to buy food from the market in fear of you somehow poisoning them.

Fortunately, with Aglaea's help, you were able to put up a flower shop in front of your cottage. If people walked near your house, they might see your beautiful garden, then purchase either a bouquet or a pot from you. Sometimes, but most especially during the Month of Joy, you would go to the marketplace and sell flowers to people who walked by.

And whenever you sold your flowers in the street, your ears always picked up the same conversation from everyone.

"Isn't that the witch's kid? Those flowers are probably cursed, then. Why are people buying? Aren't they worried?"

"Hey, that's Lady Aglaea's kid you're talking about. Why would she sponsor a witch when she's a devoted follower of Mnestia? You think she'd tolerate someone who's a disgrace to the gods?"

You always released your breath every time you heard those conversations. You were safe for now.

For now.

You didn't know how long this safety would last. But you didn't worry about it for now. The important part was that, even though people were still suspicious of you, they feared Aglaea more to actually do anything. And that was enough.

II. Shutting a Throat So Singed, I Don’t Have a Word That Won’t Sting

It had been twelve years ever since you lost your parents. With those twelve years, it felt like Okhema barely changed. In fact, like the Black Tide, it felt like it got worse. With Okhema being the largest city in Amphoreus, it accepted more refugees from cities or villages, the population wasn't the only thing that grew. There was also the paranoia.

Back then, while witch hunts were common, it still wasn't a regular occurrence. You didn't hear witch accusations just by walking the street, or wouldn't assume that another missing merchant meant the Council took another one for questioning. Now, you keep hearing that the Council shouldn't be accepting refugees that would bring the Black Tide with them, or that security should be stricter for people's safety.

It was all ironic. If only they knew that the strongest witch in the city was single-handedly protected them all from the very thing they believed witches caused. If they actually understood what they were afraid of, they wouldn't have this issue in the first place.

Sometimes, you had to attend the executions with Aglaea. While you couldn't be there for every one of them, it felt like basic courtesy to be there. To silently mourn an innocent soul, witch or not, that no one would even make a grave for. After all, if you didn't mourn for them, no one would.

With the rise in people entering Okhema also saw the rise of witch hunters pouring in. Nothing changed in your life. It just meant you had more people to be wary of. But still, you couldn't help but feel like things have been a bit… eerie.

You couldn't remember when it started. Perhaps it was a few months ago, perhaps it was even longer than you initially thought. But something changed.

You didn't know every witch in Okhema for safety reasons, but you knew the ones Aglaea introduced you to. There was the young man who tended to the Dromases and would use his magic to make their feed healthier. Then, there was the kind old lady who you always bought fruits from and would sometimes share you secrets on how to properly care for your plants, even during the colder seasons. Another one was a person your age, still trying to find out what their talent was going to be. You couldn't know them on a more personal level, but you knew them enough to be acquaintances.

And you would never be able to know them better, because all three of them were dead. Gone. Devoured by the same fire that took your mother.

It was then when you heard the gossip. A new witch hunter had arrived, someone who the Council was confident had an accurate nose. You didn't catch his name, but you did hear the nickname they gave him: Flame Reaver. He came from a small and unheard village called Aedes Elysiae, and a member of the Council left Okhema for a few years to train him personally.

"I doubt he's as good as they claim him to be," you told Aglaea when you delivered the yarrow she asked for. "I'm sure it's just pure chance that he's killing the "right" ones. If you kill seven people and four of them end up being witches, of course you'll think you're good at your job."

"Let the Council declare what they want to declare," she replied as she weaved the yarrow into a headpiece. "It makes them feel better about themselves and think they're "cleaning" the world from darkness."

"A little hard for me to do that." You scoffed and crossed your arms. "It's hard to let them do whatever they want when it's affecting so many lives permanently. I can't just sit idly and watch as they kill anyone in Okhema that questions their authority. At this rate, no one will be able to protect them from the Black Tide."

"Your spirit is strong." She turned around and faced you. Twelve years had passed since she first took you in, but she still looked at you with those soft eyes and smile. Aglaea placed a hand on your face, brushing away a bit of dirt that got on your cheek. "A strong spirit might not be enough to change the world, but it can be a spark for change. Just remember to be safe as well. Be a fire that guides people in the dark, not a fire that destroys without a thought."

You returned Aglaea's smile and pulled her in for a hug. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to stay safe."

You had gotten used to the chaos of Okhema that the next week was surprisingly peaceful. No fingers being pointed at each other, no mobs knocking on doors and dragging people to the Marmoreal Temple for questioning, no strife in general. While most people basked in the peace, your skin prickled. Something was off. Something was extremely off. This wasn't a breath of fresh air, this was the calm before the storm.

And your fears proved to be true.

The peace was cut short. Unsurprisingly, there was another execution. You had no plans to attend it. It was sundown, and you had just finished selling flowers in the street. You just wanted to go home. But just as you were about to leave the marketplace, your ears caught the name of the person being executed, and you immediately froze in your tracks.

Professor Anaxa.

Yourteacher. The one who had convinced you to not burden yourself with Cerces' teachings, just like him, and pursue a gentler and more lax god like Georios. The one who taught you not just magic, but general knowledge that you could use in your everyday life.

This was bound to happen someday. It was the thought that repeated in your head as you ran to Kephale Plaza. Professor Anaxa was already a controversial figure. People saw him as a heretic, a madman, a blasphemous scholar. He always insulted the gods at any opportunity he got and saw no reason to respect them. In fact, it was a miracle it took them this long to get him. He practiced alchemy in broad daylight, and no one seemed to bat an eye.

It was bound to happen someday.

You pulled your hood up and joined the crowd.

Even Aglaea was expecting it.

Your feet picked up their pace.

Professor Anaxa always said that his execution might as well happen tomorrow, so they didn't need to delay the inevitable.

The crowd was large, larger than it usually was. It was as if everyone in Okhema was here to watch and celebrate someone's death. When you saw Professor Anaxa, you covered your mouth to hide your gasp. They didn't just tie him to the stake—they had his wrists bound, arms spread wide open and tied to two wooden poles next to him, and his ankles were tied with even more rope as he hovered over where the fire would be later. It was as if he was the most dangerous person to ever exist. As if his death would suddenly purge the Black Tide.

He had always looked forward for this day… There was even a smile on his face as he scanned the crowd with his singular eye, the other one gone no thanks to one of his alchemical experiments in the past.

And yet, your heart still ached. He was still one of your teachers. Aside from Aglaea, he taught you everything you knew. You almost devoted yourself to Cerces because of him, and he persuaded you to live a simple life without worry of pursuing greater knowledge that you couldn't fathom.

Why? Why did they have to take him as well?

Keep your chin up. He would tell you that. In fact, you could even hear that in his voice. This is nothing to mourn for. Consider it a sign that I, Anaxagoras, achieved something so great that the council would rather execute me rather than understand my findings.

Someone holding a torch stood in front of him, and you didn't need to squint to know who it was. You recognized that man. A man who always claimed to be neutral, and yet was the one who lit every single pyre before he left Okhema for a few years to do gods know what, and continued to do so even during his return. The man who lit your mother's pyre.

Lygus.

"Citizens of Okhema," he began. "Heed my words—only those with unwavering faith shall accept Kephale's protection. The flame of blasphemy will not be allowed to take root here."

You had expected him to set fire to the hay, like he always did. But when he turned to Professor Anaxa, he threw the torch at him, making his pants catch fire before it could even hit the straw. And as the flame grew bigger and bigger, the crowd became louder and louder.

"Blasphemous!"

"Blasphemous!"

"Unforgivable!"

"Blasphemous!"

As expected, Professor Anaxa paid them, nor the fire, no mind. He didn't just smile, he laughed. It almost reminded you of the times he would teach you basic gardening magic, stop in the middle of his lessons to laugh and write something on the board, before dropping you off back to Aglaea just to disappear for a week or two. It was as if this was just another one of his eureka moments and not his death sentence.

"This body has long been tempered by near ruin," he said, like it was just another lecture. "But reason, desire, passion… will always re-ignite the burning fire within my soul!"

And fitting for his final performance, the fire turned from a bright and blinding orange to a deep blue-green and devoured him whole. High pitched screams erupted from the crowd as everyone backed off, some even running away, from the demised scholar.

As expected of him. He was on death's claw, and yet he still chose to bid farewell with an act people would always remember.

You lowered your head and held your hood. Another witch, gone too soon. You could feel tears gathering in your eyes, but seeing how he laughed… at least he got what he wanted.

You glared at Lygus again before turning your gaze to the others near him. They all wore the same attire; the pitch black robes that belonged to the witch hunters. Most of them wore masks, but you could imagine that they all had their brows furrowed down as they glared at the green fire. One of them removed his mask and wiped his face. His hood was up, but you could see the wisps of white hair peeking out. And now that his mask was off, his bright blue eyes stood out, almost as if they had their own glow to them.

The man froze, his eyes narrowing, before turning to his left. That was when you realized he was looking at you.

Running away from a witch hunter wasn't a good idea. It was grounds for suspicion. If you ran, then you were dead. But at the same time, you couldn't stay here. Aglaea's protection could only reach so far. If someone, especially a witch hunter, accused you in front of a crowd, then the majority would also vote for you to be burned as well. At least if you left, you might have an easier chance to escape. And if he caught you, it would be easier to convince one person rather than an entire city to spare you.

You turned around, leaving the mob and the burning body of your now deceased teacher. You kept your head low and tried to blend in as much as possible. Though if a witch hunter already had his eyes on you, a hooded figure walking away would be suspicious.

Even though you were now out, you still walked. Don't run, just walk. A warning so many witches had told you already. If you run, you’re as good as dead. If you walk, at least it won’t confirm their suspicions. And if you think you can use magic to get away, then you might as well confess you’re a witch. They’ll know if you use magic in front of them.

Your legs were itching to pick up the pace, to just run and maybe make him lose you. It was getting darker, and you were in an alleyway. Surely, you might be able to outrun him? Your cottage was at the outskirts of the village, away from most people. If you continued walking at this pace, then—

"In the name of Kephale, stop."

Dammit.

You did what you were told and turned around, watching as he removed his own hood. Now that he was face to face with you, everything about him was strangely bright. It wasn't just his eyes that stood out from the darkness, but his snowy white hair that reflected the light from a streetlamp behind him. His brows furrowed down as he scanned you from head to toe.

Those eyes… they were such a bright shade of blue. And yet, they glared at you as if you were lower than dirt.

You were half expecting him to spit on you, like how other people did. And when he spoke, you almost took a step back. "Remove your hood," he said.

You gulped, but you still followed. "Is there something wrong, sir?"

"You were at Kephale Plaza earlier, but left as soon as I saw you. Explain yourself."

Oh gods. Your heart was beating so loud that it was the only thing you could hear. That was the reason why he was suspicious of you? Because you left at the sight of your former teacher being burned alive? It was okay, it was fine. You could answer him. No need to panic.

"I- I'm sorry. It's just… Professor Anaxa is- was"—the correction made your stomach twist—"my teacher. It was- it was difficult to watch. Especially since the Council took unnecessary measures and tied him up like he was dangerous monster."

"He was a witch and a heretic. Those precautions were warranted."

You bit your tongue, almost literally. Sure, Professor Anaxa was eccentric, but he was far from a dangerous monster. But you couldn't say that. You weren't allowed to talk back. Not unless you wanted to be next.

“You say he was your teacher,” the man continued, snapping you out of your thoughts. “That means you must have been aware of his witchcraft, even to some extent, aren’t you?"

Cornered again. You couldn't say no; no one was unaware of Professor Anaxa and his beliefs. Saying no would be an obvious lie. "I believe everyone in Okhema knew about it."

"Then why didn't you report it to the Council of Elders?"

"If everyone was aware of Professor of Anaxa being a witch, but no one killed him before now, I- I saw no reason to send my teacher to death."

"So you would stay complacent because everyone else was doing it?"

"No, it's just that- I—"

"Reaver!"

Another voice appeared behind the man. When he turned around, another witch hunter was running towards him. The other man's eyes were wide, before his brows immediately furrowed down. A mask that covered the lower half of his face, but it was easy to tell that he was frowning when he grabbed his companion's arm and pulled him away from you.

"Hey, you got a death wish or something?" he hissed. "Do you have any idea who that kid is? That's Lady Aglaea's for gods' sake!" The man then turned to you and bowed. "I am so sorry for my friend here. He just got relocated to Okhema a few months ago, and he's still unfamiliar with how things work."

"Lady Aglaea's…" The man furrowed his brows as he looked at you. "But they don't even look alike. You're not saying this is—"

The other witch hunter nudged his chest, making him mutter an "ow" under his breath. "Again, so sorry about him. Please forget this ever happened. It wouldn't do good for the Council's reputation if they found out that the Flame Reaver wrongfully accused someone of witchcraft. I'll take him now."

It was as if someone poured cold water all over your body. Flame Reaver?

Even as Flame Reaver and his companion left, you remained rooted in your spot. Your throat was dry, and you doubted drinking an entire lake would be able to fix it. That was him. The Flame Reaver who was said to have an accurate nose for hunting witches.

Before the two of them left, Flame Reaver cast you one last glance and put his mask on again. You took that as your cue to pull your hood up and walked back to your cottage.

You always had difficulty sleeping these days. But right now, you tossed and turned in your bed even more than usual. You would have been shaken if it was any other witch hunter, but you doubted you would have been this restless. But the fact that it was Flame Reaver, the man that even the Council themselves was claiming to be accurate…

That word didn't stop echoing in your head. Accurate. If he truly was like what they claimed him to be, then you would have been dead meat if no one came there to stop him. Aglaea would have taken care of you for nothing.

No. You shook your head. You shouldn't linger on those thoughts. You were alive, and that was all that mattered.

And like what you told Aglaea before, how could they tell if someone was an "accurate" witch hunter, anyway? The ones they wrongfully accused never came back from the dead. In their eyes, wouldn't that make every accusation a spot on accusation? How did they determine if someone fit that claim? Even the Flame Reaver must have made some mistakes before.

He wouldn't find you. You were safe. They were suspicious of you, but you had evaded their eyes for twelve years now. You were safe.

You didn't know when you fell asleep. But you did know that, by the time you opened your eyes, it was morning already. You slept, but your mind still felt like it was floating on water. Unfortunately, you couldn't stay in bed and sleep in. You had work to do, no matter how little it was.

And so, you began your usual routine. Washed yourself, changed into one of the comfortable attires Aglaea crafted for you, then worked in your garden. You were careful with using magic, especially since sometimes, people would come in to your shop. Whether it was to ask why their flowers were dying even though they watered it everyday—

"No," you had said to the child that was crying when their tulips didn't look like it was blooming, "not every flower has to be watered daily. Tulips only need weekly watering. It's alright, you didn't know. Here, let me fix your flowers so it can grow again."

—or if it was a man whose lover was upset at him, and he was hoping to ask for forgiveness by buying some flowers.

"Do you even know what her favorite flowers are?" You scoffed at him. "Of course you don't. Well, you can't go wrong with ros—"

"She doesn't like roses."

Deep breaths. "Well, how about sunflowers, they're also popular."

"She hates yellow."

"Well if you know your partner that well, then, why don't you get flowers you know she'd like?"

"But I don't know what she likes! Aren't you the florist here?! What flowers would say, I'm sorry?"

You almost bashed your head against the wall when the man finally left.

When lunch rolled around, you finished most of your needed work earlier than usual. Perhaps you could pay Aglaea a visit.

Aside from that… Professor Anaxa just died last night. Though the two always bickered and argued, they both praised each other behind their backs. Aglaea was even the one who recommended Professor Anaxa to you. You should at least check on her. See how she was doing after the city lost another bright witch.

You grabbed your usual flower basket, just in case children would want to buy from you, and closed your shop for the day. As expected, once you reached the main streets of Okhema, they were the first ones lined up after you. Some of them offered trinkets, like the little boy who offered his "special pebble" that he found from the ground in exchange for roses for his mother. Some begged their parents to buy a flower crown, to which you would receive a suspicious glance before eventually purchasing one.

Now that you were older, your heart ached at the sight of them. These were children, no older than you when you first lost your parents. Did some of them also lose their parents to the witch hunts or the Black Tide? And most of all, how could the Council see these little ones and not hesitate to execute them if they were witches? Did they hate you all that much that they would be willing to kill children?

The thought stayed in your head, even when you finally reached Aglaea's shop. At least here, you could feel more at ease. A small chat with her always soothed your troubled mind.

"Aglaea, I'm ba—"

Perhaps you had offended the gods somehow. Or perhaps the threads of fate had already finished spinning the tapestry of your future, and decided that your demise was a beautiful color. Because why else would Flame Reaver be inside of Aglaea's shop?

He was looking down at first while Aglaea took his waistline's measurement, but he lifted his head when you entered. Something about him looked different, though you couldn't tell what it was. It wasn't like he changed his appearance. Maybe it wasn't him, but the change of scene. After all, last night, you met him in a dim alleyway during a cloudy night with your only lights being a streetlamp behind him. Now, the sunlight from the shop's window illuminated the side of his face, letting you see the smaller details. Like how his white hair was messy and unkempt, or how he had dark circles under his eyes.

Your stomach twisted, and you felt bile rising up in your throat. Was he also suspicious of Aglaea? No, no he couldn't be. He immediately let you go when the other witch hunter said you were her kid. He must have understood her importance. Or… was he also suspicious of her because of that fact? Did you drag Aglaea to her death as well?

"Ah, darling." Aglaea's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. She placed the tape measure on Flame Reaver's shoulders and took his measurements. "You're just in time. This is my last customer of the day, and I finished making lunch a while ago. Come in."

If you had any confidence earlier, it all turned to ashes.

Fortunately, Aglaea was doing a better job at keeping her composure. She just grabbed her pen and wrote the numbers down on her notebook. "Have you met Phainon?" she asked. "He's the Flame Reaver the Council was singing praises about."

"We…" You gulped. "We bumped into each other last night."

Even though she didn't pause, you saw the way her hand faltered. "Oh, I see. I did not know about that."

Now that Aglaea was done with him, Flame Reaver stepped away from her and placed a hand on his nape. "I- I sincerely apologize for that, Lady Aglaea. I didn't know that- I shouldn't have- I'm sorry for being suspicious of your child. My colleagues already warned me about it."

Aglaea simply hummed. "Do be careful next time. You know how seriously the Council takes accusations of witchcraft. Once it happens, it's near impossible to escape their clutches."

"Of- of course. I understand." He nodded. "Umm… is that everything for the clothes, then? When can I go back to, uhh, collect them?"

"Usually, I would say that it would take at least five months before you can expect the first garment to be finished, especially with how long my queue is. But since you're an important customer, I will be prioritizing yours. I estimate that everything will be done before the Month of Weaving can even start."

"Thank you. I'll see you, then."

Before Flame Reaver could walk past you, you took a step away from him. Unfortunately, he still turned his gaze at you. If his eyes were soft or gentle, you couldn't tell. It still felt like he was looking at you the way he glared at you last night. And right now, that was the only thing you could see on his face.

"I… umm…" He cleared his throat. "I think it's unfair that I apologized to Lady Aglaea but not to you. I- I'm sorry."

You shook your head. "It's fine. We can forget that last night ever happened."

Though you doubted you would actually be able to do that. The memory of almost being caught would definitely haunt you for a while.

"I didn't get your name, by the way. I'm—well, Lady Aglaea already told you who I am. But regardless, I'm Phainon."

Phainon. As if you would ever remember that name. You were certain you would call him Flame Reaver till the day you would die.

You told him yours. "And please. There's no need for formalities. You can just call me just that."

Flame Reaver repeated your name a few times before nodding. "Of course. I- umm- I'll go now. Thank you for the new clothes—or maybe, for taking my measurements, Lady Aglaea. And I'm sorry again about last night. I'll see you both."

Even when he finally left, you still didn't know if you had permission to breathe. The air was still thick. You were worried that, if you took a deep breath, you would suddenly find multiple knives piercing your lungs and making you choke on your own blood.

You didn't even notice that you dropped the flower basket until Aglaea picked up and placed it on a table. She placed one hand on your shoulder, while the other caressed your cheek.

"Child…" she whispered in that same motherly tone she always used on you. Whether it was because she was about to scold you for agreeing with Professor Anaxa's antics, or because you accidentally scraped your knee and needed healing.

You didn't fight back. Instead, you just leaned closer and wrapped your arms around her. "He's- he's gone. Professor Anaxa. They- they got him last night.

Aglaea pressed a kiss on your forehead and returned your hug. If you closed your eyes, you could imagine your mother doing the same thing. "I know. I heard. We should be at least thankful that he managed to survive this long, especially since it feels like he was intentionally trying to get himself killed. Though I'm sure he would be mocking us for mourning him. He'll want you to focus on what he deems more important things."

You almost laughed at that. "You mean have all the Dromas in the city gather together for his funeral?"

"I think he would rather you do that than throw all of his Dromas memorabilia into the River of Souls." She shook her head. "But enough of that. How are you feeling?"

Your heart clenched in your chest. "Is he… is he suspicious of you?"

"I'm not sure if he realized it yet, especially since we don't use magic anywhere inside the shop itself."

"Why did he come here?"

"He said he wanted to get his measurements so he can have clothes aside from his uniform. But I think he might have been looking for you."

"Aglaea, he's not—"

"He won't." Her hold on you grew tighter as you met her gaze. Her blue and green eyes always looked like she knew more than she was letting on, like her golden threads didn't just protect the city but also listened to the whispers in the streets. But despite that, she never stopped being soft and gentle.

How could a witch hunter look at her eyes and say she wasn't human?

"He won't get us," she continued. "He will not get you, and he will not get me. I'll have his new clothes finished before the Month of Weaving. That way, he has no reason to visit my shop. And if you want, you can stay with me for that entire month and say that you're just there to help me. We'll be safe, darling. I promise."

If it was possible, you held her even tighter. Even before your parents died, she was always there for you. And when she took you under her wing, she always did everything she could do to keep you safe, even if it sometimes felt like it was beyond what your parents asked for. Not once had you done anything to repay her kindness, but she never stopped being kind to you.

"Thank you, Aglaea," you whispered. "Thank you."

"Of course, darling. Anytime."

III. Lower Your Eyes, My Love and Spite Look Quite Alike

Like every time a witch hunt would happen, the days would pass by normally. It didn't matter if the Council found another person they deemed suspicious and dragged them to be "interrogated"—which you knew consisted of them whipping a confession out of the poor suspect and either leave them ostracized or dead in their home a few days later—or if there was another innocent soul burned at the stake, or if talks about the Black Tide became less of gossip and more of regular market conversations. Oronyx didn't freeze time so you could grieve your parents, why would they freeze time just so you could grieve those with looser connections to you?

At least Flame Reaver didn't approach you after that day in Aglaea's shop. You would occasionally see him in the Marmoreal Market or the main streets, but you didn't give him the opportunity to see you or talk to you. If you had to deliver flowers to a couple celebrating their anniversary, you would act casually so he wouldn't realize you saw him. If you went to Aglaea's shop, you made sure to linger there longer and even help around just until he would leave. If children were asking you to teach them how to make your flower crowns, you gathered as much as you can so he wouldn't think of interrupting children having fun.

You didn't know if he was suspicious, but you wouldn't give him the chance or opportunity to be more convinced.

Were you being paranoid? Probably. And maybe that paranoia would be the cause of your execution instead. But you would rather be paranoid and be over-prepared instead of being caught off guard.

The days turned into weeks. Before you knew it, it was the Month of Freedom, where everyone was free to do whatever they wanted. The seasons were also starting to change—the leaves shifting from bright and healthy greens to deep and dark reds. Every time you stepped out of the house, the first thing that would greet you would always be the satisfying crunch of the leaves beneath your shoes.

Surprisingly, Aglaea had also finished making all of Flame Reaver's garments. You didn't know how she did it, especially since she didn't use any magic to make his clothes. She even had to move one of her looms to a space in her house where she didn't use magic at all just so that not even residue of magic would cling on to the fabric. You were her only assistant, and she never ar asked for your help.

So it was a miracle that, a month later, you were helping Flame Reaver put on his new white coat.

Ever since you met him, the first thing you always noticed from him were his eyes. The murderous glint he showed you that night, the empty look they had that didn't reflect any light, the way they would flick to the side every few seconds whenever you were near each other, as if he was subtly watching you from his peripheral vision. So right now, as you watched him examine the elegant leaf pattern on his sleeves, you naturally found yourself looking at his eyes.

They were usually empty and blank, but you swore you saw them light up for a brief second before dimming again.

"These look… intricate," he said in that usual mumble of his. As if his voice would break if he spoke above a whisper.

"I'm glad you think so," Aglaea replied with a smile. "Here, let me add a finishing touch."

She clasped a blue and gold cape on his left shoulder, the length almost the same as his own coat. Blue on the back, gold on the front, with embroidered lines on the edges that resembled the sun's rays.

"They're… they're beautiful."

You had to agree. Aglaea really outdid herself with this one. Then again, this was Aglaea, after all. When did she not outdo herself? You also couldn't help but think that white suited him better than black. Perhaps because it matched his hair. Or maybe his cape's colors also matched his eyes.

"It's it's a shame that I can't wear this everyday."

You raised a brow. "What's stopping you?

"Well, I- I have to wear my uniform everyday, after all."

Ah, right. He looked so different in that coat that you had almost forgotten who or what he was. On the bright side, at least it was another testament to how amazing of a seamstress Aglaea was. The clothes she made could completely change a person's demeanor.

"I can't thank you enough, Lady Aglaea," Flame Reaver said once he was back to his uniform. Your shoulders tensed at the sight, and you took a small step back to hide behind one of the mannequins. "These outfits… wow. I don't think words can express just how much I love them."

"Of course, of course," Aglaea said with a wave of her hand. For most people, they might see her expression as either her usual gentle smile or perhaps even a blank look. But you noticed the faint way the corner of her lips curled up in a small smirk.

A few minutes after he finally left, you breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. You were never this nervous around a witch hunter before. And yet, every time you saw him, your legs would always shiver and your heart would start pounding so fast it would hurt. You could never tell if it was a sign to run or if it was your body freezing in place. You didn't even understand why you were so scared of him. Was it really because he almost caught you that night? Or because of his stupid reputation. Maybe that was the case. Perhaps even your own doubts weren't able to douse your fear of being caught.

"He's gone," you said, taking another deep breath and long sigh. "I thought he would take longer."

"It did seem like he was planning to stay around for a while," Aglaea replied as she sat across you. "But, it's as you said. He's gone now."

Your brows furrowed down. It was rare to see it on her face, but there were dark circles under her eyes. Even if she was tired or overworked, she always adorned her face with makeup, so it was difficult to tell. Even then, the curls of her golden hair were clearly unbrushed, and she didn't have the golden laurel wreath that always made her more elegant.

It was difficult to imagine her working during the late hours, stitching every pattern, connecting every piece, and even weaving every fabric, all by hand and without using her magic. Her gift was a part of her, and it was who she was. You were sure it pained her to not use her talent, but she still did it if it meant keeping the both of you safe.

"You know, it's still the Month of Freedom," you said. "You still have another month before the Month of Weaving. Why did you finish all of his clothes so soon?"

Aglaea lifted her head and met your gaze, making her tiredness more evident, even with the smile on her face. "I simply want to celebrate the Month of Freedom, like everyone else. I realized that my queue isn't as long as I thought it would be. So, why not use the opportunity to finish his garments, take a break for the rest of the month, and then continue my work once it's the Month of Reaping?"

That excuse felt… flimsy. Weak. You knew there was something else she wasn't saying. But you weren't going to question her about it for now. She was tired. The last thing you wanted was to stress her out with questions even more.

So instead, you nodded. "I understand. Get some rest, then. Do you want me to make dinner instead?"

"That will be lovely, darling. Thank you."

Since she closed the shop early, you had time to make a nice meal. Still, anxiety still ate away your veins as you watched her while you both ate together.

Maybe she was already tired before making those clothes. Perhaps she truly did mean it when she said that she wanted to clear her schedule for the Month of Freedom and have a break before her schedule would start piling up. Besides, her moon was coming soon. Her magic would grow stronger, and the outfits she would make would be more extravagant. Not to mention that she would use it as an opportunity to strengthen the threads holding Okhema's barrier together. She needed to rest and save her energy for her busiest month.

True to its name and the god that it was dedicated to, the Month of Freedom was peaceful, and it quietly transitioned to the Month of Reaping. Usually, this would be the time you would visit Professor Anaxa's home and listen to his rambles for an entire month.

"You don't have to burden yourself with the knowledge that came directly from this god," he would tell you, "but that doesn't mean I won't be teaching you what I deem valuable information to share. Now, grab a pen and paper and make sure to write everything down."

And you would sit with him in his study, writing down only as much as you could before complaining to Aglaea that he was sprouting nonsense again. To which the two would bicker again, and he would be forced to teach you "simpler" and "easier" spells that could actually help you grow stronger.

But he wasn't here anymore. When you opened the door to his house, there was no voice to scold you that you should have knocked. No one to warn you that he hadn't cleaned his house since last week, as he was engrossed in another alchemical experiment. You dragged no one away from the transmutation circle, no one to convince that trading his popliteal vein wasn't worth the risk of transforming into a Dromas at will.

Despite the silence, you did what you usually did whenever you got the chance to visit him. You cleaned up his house, leaving only his study and bedroom the way they were. The multiple Dromas plushies he owned looked lonelier without him. You would throw them into the River of Souls and hope that they would find him in the Nether Realm, but you had a feeling he would haunt you if you dared lay a single finger on all of his valuable items.

"I'll be leaving now, Professor," you whispered. "Thank you for all of your teachings. May you be reborn as a Dromas in your next life."

Despite your heart feeling empty, it was also heavy when you opened the door. But before you could even take a step out, a scream almost left your lips.

Flame Reaver stood in front of you.

Was he following you? His eyes widened as if he was shocked, but he could be pretending just so you wouldn't think he was following you. Dammit, you didn't even notice he was nearby. The peace that the Month of Freedom gave you must have made you lower your walls. You needed to remember that a witch hunter might be on your tail now.

"F- Flame Reaver. Good morning," you said with a nod.

He returned your nod. "Morning. What… what brings you here? This isn't your home, is it?"

You shook your head. "No, sir. It's- it was my teacher's. Professor Anaxa's. I just… I came here to clean his place up. It's been tradition of hours that, during the Month of Reaping, I'll come to his home and help him tidy up the place while he studies what he can. How about you? Why are you here?"

"I have orders from Lygus to confiscate anything I find suspicious here. So if you can, let me inside."

"Confiscate?" Your brows furrowed down. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. What is there to confiscate. Professor Anaxa is long dead. You've no need to investigate his home when you've already killed a witch, don't you think?"

"He might still have some things the Council will find useful. Perhaps a list of any witches he knows, or if he tampered with the dark arts and he left symbols that we should be wary of before it corrupts Okhema. I'm sure you understand. I won't ask a second time. Let me in."

Your hands clenched into fists. If Professor Anaxa was here, he would have pointed his gun at Flame Reaver and tell him to get out. Aside from his Dromas collection, his research was another thing he valued the most when he was still alive. He didn't even share you what was in his notes and scrolls. Rather, he would either make you write what he was saying, or rewrite a new one for you that you would be able to understand.

You didn't want to let him in. But at the same time, if you didn't, then he would drag you to the Marmoreal Temple. Before you knew it, you'd be dead.

This was a lose-lose situation.

With a gulp, you stepped aside and let him in. "I- I know you're here to investigate, but if you can, please leave his Dromas collection in his room. It meant everything to him, and I would rather they remain the way they are."

He raised a brow as he entered Professor Anaxa's home. "It's clean…"

"Like I said, I cleaned it up."

He opened the door to Professor Anaxa's room. If he weren't a witch hunter, you would have chuckled at the way his eyes widened. No doubt he saw the multiple Dromas plushies, Dromas figurines, Dromas blanket, and even Dromas onesie that you had laid on top of his bed.

"You were… you weren't joking when you said that it's filled with Dromas," he said as he stepped inside, and you almost squeaked as you followed him. "Is there a reason with his obsession with Dromas? Does he use them for potions? Maybe trades their body parts for power? Make deals with the devils of the Black Tide and use them as sacrifice?"

This was a trap, you could tell. Everyone in Okhema knew that Professor Anaxa was a witch, but you had mentioned before you were his student. While he did teach other children things that weren't related to witchcraft, this could still be a way for him to get you to slip up that you were aware of what he did that involved magic. It could be a way to get a confession from you.

"Umm… I- I don't know if this is the answer you're looking for, but I don't- I'm not aware of everything Professor Anaxa did behind closed doors. He just taught me basic education. Though I doubt that he actually used Dromas for whatever witchcraft he did. He just seems to like them. A lot."

Flame Reaver almost reached for one of the figurines on the windowsill, but immediately withdrew his hand. He was quiet for a while, just standing near the window with his chin resting on his hand. While he did stare at the window, it didn't seem like he was staring at the Dromas figurines specifically. Rather, he was simply facing their direction.

You didn't know what he was thinking, and you didn't want to know. You just wanted him to get out and not disrespect your teacher anymore. But at the same time, you didn't want him touching anything here. What if he accidentally broke one of Professor Anaxa's utensils? What if he would grab one of his plushies and rip it open just to see if he was hiding anything inside? You needed to think your actions. Impulse would be your death sentence. But how would you even get him to leave?

"I promise there's nothing in this room that would be of use to the Council's investigations." The words left your lips before you could even think twice, making you mentally kick yourself. Your hands clenched into fists as you felt your eyes burn. "I know you're worried that- that he might have left something here that will curse Okhema. But it's not in his room. This is really just his collection that he loved so much."

Your words seemed to snap him out of his trance. Flame Reaver lifted his head and looked at you. His mouth opened, closed, opened, and then closed again, before sighing. "You're right. I can't sense anything here. I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something."

Deep breaths. Your nails were digging in to your palms now. If you would clench your hands even tighter, no doubt it would leave crescent-shaped wounds or even bleed. Perhaps being in your deceased teacher's home was making you irrational. If he were still alive, he would have told you to leave for your own safety and disregard the Dromas collection.

"I- I should go," you whispered as you turned around. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be interfering with official Council business. I- I apologize."

Before he could mutter another word, you left. Like always, you didn't run. You just walked. You kept your head high and hands by your side until you returned to your cottage. Only then did you allow yourself to fall to your knees and for your tears to fall.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! You should have left as soon as you saw him, but you didn't. You thought that you should be protecting Professor Anaxa's belongings instead. If he was still alive and found out that you made such a reckless decision, no doubt he would have been mad.

"Prioritize your safety," he would have said. "Once Aglaea passes, you're the next in line to protect Okhema from the Black Tide. Let my collection burn to ashes if it means that you would still be around."

You wiped your tears from your eyes as you stood up. Would he really say that? Or would he have told you to protect his collection at all cost? You remembered how much he loved that collection. It was ridiculous, but you always noticed how he seemed softer whenever he held even the smallest plushie he owned. It was valuable to him, and you didn't want anyone in the Council getting their dirty hands on it just so they could hurt more of your people.

Get a grip. Flame Reaver was, no doubt, convinced now. You should have left when he arrived, but you didn't. So now, you would have to clean up your own mess and make sure that he wouldn't be able to catch you. Because if you died too soon, then that would truly anger Professor Anaxa, and he would no doubt chase you off with his gun in the Nether Realm.

For the next week, you had been starting your morning in one of two ways—opening your eyes and realizing that you didn't get proper sleep, or get up from bed without any sleep at all. You rarely had energy to make breakfast, too. So, not only were you constantly sleep deprived, you didn't even eat unless Aglaea reminded you to.

You dragged yourself out of bed and did your first routine. Wash, get dressed, open the shop. Maybe today, you should get lunch at the Marmoreal Diner later. You still had work to do, so unfortunately breakfast was out of the picture. Even if your arms could barely carry the watering can, you still picked it up and watered the flowers that needed watering. Fortunately, it wasn't a lot. It was fall now, and most of your flowers would be wilting in the winter. But taking care of them before they depart wouldn't hurt.

You were in the middle of watering a patch of golden flowers when the bell rang. Which was a little odd. While you did have customers during morning, it wasn't even the usual breakfast time yet. Maybe you forgot a delivery or a reservation? With how little sleep you had lately, it wouldn't be surprising.

"In a minute!"

You put down your watering can and stood up, removing any dirt that clung to your clothes. If it was Aglaea, the last thing she needed to see was how sleep deprived you were. If it was a customer, you needed to smile and let them know they weren't walking into the devil's den.

"Good morning! Is there any way I can help you today?"

Your smile almost faded immediately when you saw who it was in front of you. Flame Reaver.

The whispers and gossip returned to your mind. About how he had an accurate nose for finding witches. About how, once he found his target, he wouldn't let them go until he found damning evidence of their witchcraft. You remembered that night again, when he found you in the alleyway, and the day he found you in Professor Anaxa's home with you acting extremely suspicious.

Great. You had done it. Your recklessness yesterday had sealed your fate. You might as well grab a shovel in your shed and dig a ditch. At least that way, you wouldn't burn to death. If you hadn't been so reckless that day, then maybe he wouldn't be here.

His uniform didn't help, either. A black garb, with a golden crescent moon on his chest, and a torn cape. If someone told you that this was what Thanatos looked like, you would have believed them.

Calm down. He wasn't here to drag you to the stake yet. That was the worst case scenario. Which was still possible, but you didn't want to dwell on that thought for now.

"Morning," he said with a wave and a small smile. As if he didn't look like an executioner. "Umm… your flower shop looks nice. You… you grew here everything yourself?"

"I… I did." You nodded. "Morning. Is there any way I can help you?"

"Umm, well. I- I just wanted to apologize again for that day in your teacher's house. I continued investigating after I left, but I didn't touch any of his Dromas collection like you asked. I'm- I'm sorry. I must have bothered you that day."

You allowed yourself to sigh in relief. For now. You didn't know if he was going to bring up the fact that you were a witch, but you would let yourself relax before the worst would come. "It's alright," you said. "Honestly, it was a ridiculous thing to be mad about now that I'm looking back on it. I shouldn't have stepped in when you were working."

"No." He shook his head. "I also would have been on edge if someone I didn't know started touching my deceased loved ones' important belongings."

At least he was aware of that.

"Words aren't probably enough to express how sorry I am," he continued. "I originally thought of buying you flowers as an apology, but then I remembered that you were the florist. So maybe… maybe I can buy flowers from you instead?"

It was an innocent request, but you knew it was anything but. It was almost the same reason why Aglaea rushed making all of his new clothes without using magic. Some witch hunters were more sensitive at sensing magic more than others. And if he was both excellent and trained for that, then even the smallest hint of magic could be a death sentence.

Unfortunately, you weren't in a situation where you could reject him. Aside from the fact that you had been acting nothing but suspicious, you had no valid reason to not give him any flowers. If you did, he would ask you if your flowers were grown with magic, and then drag you to your death. And either Aglaea would be forced to cut ties with you to protect yourself, or they would drag her along.

It was a bright and sunny day outside, and yet it felt like the abyss was clawing you, dragging you, telling you that the Council was right and that there was a special place in the Nether Realm specifically for witches like you.

You raised a brow. "You want to buy flowers?"

He nodded. "I'm not really an expert on them, so I don't know how to properly care for them. Maybe… maybe something low maintenance? I'll definitely remember to water them and give them sunlight. The window in my house has a lot of light, actually. I just don't know if I can take of flowers where I need to cut the stems frequently, or if I have to change pots every season."

You nodded and turned around, repeating it was fine in your head again. You didn't use magic all the time to take care of your garden. You had taken care of flowers without any magic at all before. The question was, had you taken care of a flower that fit his criteria?

After scanning your display, you found one. Golden flowers, just like the one you were taking care of earlier.

"Here." You picked the pot of golden flowers up and passed it to him. "These are chrysanthemums, and they're on the low maintenance side. Place them on a spot with enough sunlight, and you only need to water them whenever their soil feels dry. Of course, if there's anything wrong with your flowers, like you're not sure why the leaves are turning yellow or why they're dying even after you water them according to schedule, you can always ask me questions."

Even though the last thing you wanted was more interactions with a witch hunter.

After paying, he pulled the pot closer to him and smelled the flowers. Just like that time in Aglaea's shop, his eyes lit up, even for a moment. "They smell very sweet." His usually straight lips curled into a faint smile. As if buying golden flowers was the highlight of his day that had just started. "Thank you. I- I'll take care of them. I like to think I have a green thumb."

Somehow, you doubted a man who could kill people with no remorse would be talented enough to keep a simple pot of flowers alive.

You were about to bid him farewell when your stomach growled. Right. You hadn't eaten yet. Maybe since yesterday lunch.

"You- you hungry?" he asked, reminding you that he was still there. "I know this is too forward, but would you like to join me for breakfast in the Marmoreal Diner? Consider it my treat. And as an apology for… everything."

You felt a brow twitch. He wasn't even hiding the fact that he was keeping an eye on you now, was he?

"It's fine, I can cook. Besides, didn't you already buy the flowers as an apology?"

"Well, how about an extended apology? Witchcraft accusations are heavy and shouldn't be taken lightly. Do you really consider me buying flowers as water under the bridge? And besides." You didn't think it was possible, but his smile widened. It felt a little out of place, especially since you only saw him with a grim expression on his face all the time. "Can you really say no to free food?"

Yes, yes you could. This was a trap. You were an idiot for being reckless in Professor Anaxa's house that day, but you weren't foolish enough to say yes. At least this time, you had a reason to reject him.

"The offer sounds nice, but the answer is still no. I hope you understand."

If he was disappointed, it was a little difficult to tell. His smile became smaller, almost fading, but that was his usual expression. "Don't worry, I- I understand. Thank you for the flowers again. I'm sure they'll be a lovely addition to my home."

With a final wave, he finally left your shop. Even when he was gone, you still couldn't forget the smile he showed you. A big and wide grin, almost as if the world was alright. As if he didn't have the blood of multiple witches on his hands. And most of all, you still couldn't forget the night you two first met.

It didn't matter how many smiles he showed you or how many flowers he bought. At the end of the day, he still wanted you dead.

Your heart was still restless in your chest, even when you finished working in your garden to cook yourself lunch. How long was he going to stay in Okhema? Hopefully, not forever. Whether it was because other witches had found a way to cleanse the Black Tide, or because he would be assigned to a different city, it didn't matter. You missed being able to breathe without worrying you'd be dead if you exhaled wrong.

You wondered if Oronyx, ever the childish god as the stories always said, was playing with you and making time slower to spite you specifically. Everything felt so agonizingly slow, and the passing days felt more like passing years. The Month of Weaving couldn't come any sooner. It would be the last month of fall and Aglaea's busiest season. Your shop wouldn't be open, and you would be spending your days helping her instead. You would be under her protection, and no witch hunter or member of the Council of Elders would be insane enough to drag you out of her shop.

Maybe you could also sleep in her house again. You were having difficulty sleeping these days, and you never had the energy to make breakfast for yourself. In fact, you didn't open the shop today. You could feel your body growing weaker and weaker by the minute, and no amount of magic could sustain you skipping your meals.

Once you were sure your door was locked, you stretched your arms and sighed. It was quiet today, save for the fallen leaves dancing in the air as the wind blew them away. It was a perfect weather for a nap. If you didn't feel like passing from hunger in the next three seconds, you would have stayed in bed and just slept.

Though just before you could leave your garden, a chill traveled down your spine. Something felt… off. And it wasn't just your paranoia or a gut feeling. Something in the air was wrong. You couldn't pinpoint what the exact feeling was, but it was as if there was corrupted magic nearby. Which didn't make sense. Aglaea's threads held a tight grip on the city. Corrupted magic like the Black Tide shouldn't be able to get in.

Unless… unless it did? She had been protecting Okhema all by herself for almost twenty years now, maybe even more. And not once did she stop to take a break, even to the point where the spell was still working in her sleep. It wouldn't be unsurprising if a Black Tide creature managed to enter Okhema. You couldn't fault her for that.

You didn't have a lot of energy right now. Which, unfortunately, meant you couldn't deal with the problem. Perhaps after lunch, you could pay Aglaea a visit and tell her about it. She might also be able to tell you what to do. Acting rashly might hurt you.

You pulled your cloak tighter around yourself and stepped out of your home. As soon as you did, the chill you felt grew worse. You stopped in your tracks and close your eyes, then took a deep breath. Something was coming towards you. Something you had felt before. A Black Tide creature was coming your way. Something that couldn't enter Okhema no matter what. Which meant…

Aglaea's threads… you couldn't feel them. Even when you pinched the air, you couldn't find even the thinnest thread. Did the barrier shrink? Was she alright? What if she passed out in her home from fatigue and didn't realize it made the spell stop?

Dammit. You couldn't just leave this here. If this entered Okhema, then no doubt the witch hunts would just grow more intense. You had to deal with this before it grew worse. Your magic was weak right now, but it would be enough to handle a Black Tide creature.

It didn't seem like it was far from your cottage. Rather, it was the forest near your home, which meant it hadn't entered the city yet, thankfully. While you didn't want any of them corrupting your garden, you would rather they attack your home first than hurt the normal people of Okhema. At least you could handle yourself.

The forest grew darker the deeper you went, with the sunlight peeking through the red and orange leaves providing you light. After a while of walking, you finally reached the place where the corruption felt the strongest. At that moment, it felt like the gods had decided to punish you by letting Zagreus let lose and have you be a victim of their pranks. Because kneeling in front of you had to be none other than Flame Reaver himself.

It didn't look like he noticed you yet. Instead, he was focused on the black and red marks on the dirt—a telltale sign that a Black Tide creature was here not too long ago. He took out something from his pocket, but you couldn't tell what it was. Only that it looked like a card of some sorts. You can definitely feel corruption from the mark, but it wasn't what you felt. If it was just a scratch on the dirt, then it wouldn't have been this strong.

Maybe you should just leave him. The last time you meddled in his business, you almost got caught. And he was a witch hunter. It would do you better if he died. It meant you had one less thing to worry about. Nothing would change about your life, but at least the worst one was gone, right?

You were about to turn around when you faced him again. He wasn't even looking at the mark anymore, just at the card he was holding earlier. Your eyes moved to the right—

"Flame Reaver, get down!"

Before he could stand up, you got out of the bushes and ran towards him, pushing him out of the way. Your vision blurred, and your arms burned as it scraped the ground beneath you. But at least you were hurt because you pushed him away rather than because the gryphon managed to scratch your skin.

You tried to open your eyes, but your head was spinning. The gryphon roared again, but it was hard to tell what was going on. Your eyes were heavy, your body was heavy. It was fall, but everything was both too bright and too hot. Even though you were on the ground, you could feel sweat falling down your forehead. In the middle of the Month of Reaping, too.

"Hey, hey. Can you hear me? Can you get up?"

When you opened your eyes, you had half expected to see you still on top of Flame Reaver when you had pushed him out of the way. But instead, he was above you, blue eyes wide as he held you in his arms. When you turned your eyes to the side, you could see his sword planted on the ground, with the gryphon fading away into squares before disappearing.

He called your name again, free hand lightly tapping your cheek. "It's okay, it's okay. I got you. Can you get up?"

Despite your shaking legs, you nodded and forced yourself to stand up. Before you could trip again, he grabbed your arms once more. "Easy, easy. Sit down for a minute. Here." He grabbed the flask of water from his waist. "Drink up. You're probably really thirsty right now."

"Th- Thank you." Gods, even your voice was dry.

You gathered any remaining strength you had to open the flask and slowly drank the water. It was cold, and it stirred your mind awake somewhat. Your vision was still a little blurry, but you could see Flame Reaver's brows furrowing down as he sat next to you.

"I- thank you," he whispered. "I was too lost in thought that I didn't even notice the gryphon. I'm sure I would have been a goner if you hadn't been there."

You shook your head and passed the flask back to him. "Don't mention it."

"No, I- I'm really grateful. I don't know what you were doing here, but I don't think I would have gotten out safe if you didn't push me away. Though I am a little worried. The gryphon didn't touch you, but you still passed out after you pushed me away. Do you have a fever, or…"

He raised his hand. For a brief moment, you saw it again. The way his eyes looked like he didn't see you as anything human. Before he could touch you, you scooted backwards, arm ready to swat his away just in case.

He paused, but immediately lowered his hand. "Sorry, I just thought I should check you in case you had a fever or something. Or if the gryphon managed to hurt you and… it didn't get you, right?"

"I'm fine," you replied, albeit too quickly for your liking. "I'm fine. I'm alright. It's just fatigue and hunger. I haven't been eating or sleeping properly lately."

"I do remember that you were already working when I came to your shop for the first time, even if it sounded like you hadn't eaten yet."

You already knew where this was going.

"Do you want to join me for lunch?" he asked, and you weren't surprised. "I'd treat you as payment for saving my life, but you can pay your own if you want. It's just that, well, you're obviously hungry. I don't think it would be right if you skipped another meal."

It truly seemed like your paranoia would be your downfall. If you had just brushed everything aside, you wouldn't have stayed up the entire night worrying if you would find yourself at the stake, and you wouldn't have passed out near him. There was also the possibility that he knew you would act like this. Knew that, if he scared you enough, you would eventually find yourself in this type of situation. And he would act like a caring and concerned hero, only to lure you into his trap.

You wanted to decline again. But both your stomach and head were starting to ache in a way that you could no longer ignore.

"I don't think I have a choice on that matter," you said with a sigh. "Besides, I was already on my way to the Marmoreal Diner. Having company shouldn't be too bad."

If the company was anyone but a witch hunter, then sure. You would have believed that thought, even if it was just a little.

He smiled, and his eyes lit up for a moment. Their blue hue didn't suit the warm autumn leaves behind him. "Do you want to hold on to me? I don't want you accidentally falling again."

"I'm fine. I can walk."

If he had any protests, he didn't say them. Instead, he just nodded. "At the very least, let's take it slow. You shouldn't overexert yourself."

He helped you up to your feet and returned to Okhema. By the time you reached your cottage again, you could feel the faint hum of Aglaea's threads once more. But you held your sigh of relief. Flame Reaver stiffened a little. He must have sensed the sudden presence of magic as well. Fortunately, with how spread out it was in the city, it would be difficult to pin it to Aglaea herself. She was safe right now.

You didn't notice that you had arrived at Marmoreal Diner until the smell of food reached your nose. And as if to remind you of your unfortunate predicament, your stomach growled. When was the last time you ate? You knew you skipped dinner last night, but did you even eat at all yesterday? Or the day before that?

It was a futile thing to hope for, especially since it always seemed like she knew what was going on in the city, but you hoped Aglaea didn't wouldn't find out that you had collapsed somewhere in the forest and a Black Tide creature almost got to you. You remembered the exhaustion in her eyes. Adding to the fact that the barrier faltered for a moment earlier, she must be extremely tired and stressed with protecting Okhema. The last thing she needed was to add you to her list of worries.

Someone took your order, and it was only a few minutes before they arrived with it. The food in the Marmoreal Diner was always appetizing. Whether it was something like your favorite mutton chops, or the grilled fish that Flame Reaver ordered for himself, you always found yourself craving for their food. You remembered eating here with Aglaea when you were younger, and she had drag you out after having eating because you still wanted to eat despite the fact that you were full.

But right now, despite passing out from hunger and fatigue, you didn't know if you could eat.

Still, you took a bite out of the meat. The familiar sweet and savory flavor hit your tongue, and your stomach growled even louder. If you were feeling a little better, perhaps you would have eaten with delight. But you couldn't even tell if you were shaking from hunger or anxiety, so it was difficult to enjoy your meal.

"Hey."

It was as if he read your thoughts. When you lifted your head, Flame Reaver was looking at you, brows furrowed down in concern, before his lips slowly curled into a small smile. You interacted with him only twice or thrice. And when you did see him, his expression was always serious or pensive. But somehow, that smile on his face seemed more like his natural expression.

"Listen, I know we started off on the wrong foot, but I was hoping if you could be less tense around me?"

You blinked. "Less tense?"

"I notice it, you know. Whenever you're near me, you always look so nervous. I know that witch hunters don't have the most pleasant reputation, and I'm aware that there have been cases where people have been wrongfully accused—not to mention I must have been very disrespectful in your own teacher's home that day—but I want you to know that you have nothing to be afraid of. Not with me, at least."

Oh. So you were more obvious than you thought. If he noticed your entire demeanor changing around him, then what else did he notice?

You didn't intend to, but a scoff left your lips. "Let me guess… I have nothing to fear if I have nothing to hide? I've heard the Council of Elders say that so many times already."

"Would you believe me if I say that I don't believe that?"

"I apologize, but no."

"Well, I truly don't." He shook his head. "Right now, everyone has every reason to feel afraid. The Black Tide getting worse, the rising number of witches being discovered, the Council of Elders being stricter with their regulations—even a normal person would be afraid from just the tensions alone. I don't blame you for being afraid, which is why I'm letting you know that you've nothing to fear from me. You can trust me."

If he wasn't a witch hunter, you would have almost believed his words. Aside from Aglaea and Professor Anaxa, you didn't have anyone to confide in. They had told you that, even if someone was a witch, you shouldn't feel to comfortable around them because if the Council were to discover them, then they might tell the truth if they were tortured long enough. And even if you just wanted to befriend the average citizen, people wouldn't look at you without a suspicious glance. You didn't have a lot of people to trust in.

While you wouldn't have been able to tell him the truth, perhaps he might have been a breath of fresh air. If he wasn't a witch hunter, perhaps that smile of his could have convinced you that maybe, maybe this could be the first person that would treat you like a human. But he wasn't that person. He was a witch hunter, and you were a witch. There was no circumstance where you could feel comfortable around him.

It was a curious thing, however. If he had those beliefs, then why did he become a witch hunter? He was just contributing to that very fear he was talking about, but he was still in this job. His words were obviously meant to soothe you, but they did the complete opposite. Let's not forget the fact that he's supposedly the best one the Council has. Nothing about him was comforting.

But if he was truly like that, then why was he here, spending lunch with you, instead of dragging you to the Marmoreal Temple?

Your head was hurting. Maybe you shouldn't think too much on it. Regardless of what he was like as a person, he saw you as lesser than human when he thought you were a witch. You couldn't find yourself trusting a person who saw you like that.

After lunch, your stomach felt full. A sigh of relief left your lips as you leaned back on the chair. Food definitely eased your mind a bit, and you could slowly feel your energy and magic returning. Who would have known that the answer to hunger was food? What was next, the answer to fatigue was sleep?

"I feel better now," you said. "Thank you for accompanying me to lunch, Flame Reaver."

"No problem. And please, like I said before, just Phainon is alright. It's very unfair that I'm calling you without any formalities, but you're referring to me with my title."

As if. But his answer was still interesting. "I thought witch hunters would have wanted the prestige that came along with the job."

"Not all of us." And there it was again. A laugh, followed by a small smile. "I'm glad the meal helped you feel better. And what I said before, too. I meant it. I don't want you to feel like you're walking on eggshells around me. I'm not here to hurt you, after all."

It was either a lie, or naiveté. You couldn't tell which one was worse.

"If you say so. See you around, Phainon."

It felt strange saying his name. Your tongue burned a little, as if it was punishing you somehow. Your mother had told you before that names had power, even if one wasn't a witch. Perhaps the power of his name was to punish witches who would say it out loud. But you didn't linger on that thought for long. You took your leave as soon as you were out of the diner. You didn't know where he was going nor did you care. You weren't going to let his kindness—a witch hunter's kindness—deceive you.

When you reached it, Aglaea's shop and house still provided you with the same comfort it always did. You felt bad intruding her when she was resting and eating a platter of meat, crackers, and cheese. But still, you had to tell her about the fact that the barrier faltered earlier. She had to know, or else neither of you would be able to fix it before it got worse.

After you recounted the events of today, she sighed and looked down. "I see. That was… negligence on my part. I didn't even realize that it had happened. Has the barrier returned to normal?"

You nodded. "When I returned with Flame Reaver, I noticed it was up again. I think he did, too."

"I'm not too worried about him in that regard. And I think you need to lessen your fears about him, too. It's not healthy for you."

You sighed as you grabbed some crackers and cheese. "Easy for you to say. I feel like I'm going insane every time we bump into each other. He must really just be naive to let me get away if this isn't his way of waiting for me to take the bait."

"This is a development. Weren't you the one who told me that he's not as good as a witch hunter as the Council claims to be?"

"I did, but that was before I saw him." You placed your cup of ambrosia down and pushed your knees to your chest. "You should have seen him that night. I've been so restless these days because I don't know if I've been so reckless with my decisions that I'm worried he'll figure me out sooner or later. I- I know I'm being paranoid, but…"

"While it's good to be wary, especially of witch hunters, you'll only exhaust yourself by worrying. Eventually, that will be the thing that gives you away." She scooted closer to you and held your hand. "I'm not saying to completely trust him, but it also wouldn't do you good if you think he's hiding in every shadow in the corner. Especially if it's come to a point where even he has noticed it."

You sighed again. "You're stating the obvious again…"

"You say it's obvious, and yet you don't seem to notice that."

"Oh, be quiet." Despite your words, you still found yourself laughing. Her warning was obvious, and you had repeated it to yourself several times already, but it still helped. Perhaps because it was coming from her.

At least you still had a place where you didn't feel alone. At least you still had Aglaea.

Taglist: @dear-mydeimos @rukiatheloml @maivqs @keigoloveminty @teyvat-inks @nshasy @byeohzu @maxiine @leviniar @paleocarcharias @sloppygoblin420 @arluene7688 @1horsewithnoname @kayla-drawz @zlahn @nineworks @hipsdofangirl @liiilylooolyy @argentits @3lectraheart @yetchann @asoundofdrop @ourserendipity @spacechipairstrip @lurulu-ru

[roseapov]

Alternate Universe

Pairings: Various Genshin Women x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: In another universe, the people who holds you near and dear to their hearts are women who secretly wish you would get the hint. Some are secretive about it, but others aren't so secretive.

Note: Did I plan on writing Genshin women x isekai'd!Reader? No. Did people (maybe like 3 people) want me to write it? Yes. This fic only has a few selected women in Genshin rather than every female character like my usual Genshin harem fic. Also, just because a character is mentioned in the fic or makes an appearance in the fic does not mean that they're a love interest. If you want to see who the actual love interests are, they're in the tags. Anyway, I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr), Ko-Fi (also Genshinluvr/Aaliah_exo), and AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: None that I can think of

Word Count: 5.2k

You feel nauseous. Archons, so nauseous. The world is spinning around you, and despite having your eyes closed, you can still feel the room spin around you. Your head hurts, and most importantly, you have the urge to vomit. It takes you a minute to realize someone is cradling you in their arms, your head resting against their chest as they caress your face and head. The voices around you sound muffled, as if you’re underwater.

“It’s okay, [Y/N]. You’ll be okay,” says a familiar voice. 

You groan in response, trying to force yourself into consciousness. Your eyelids feel like lead; it’s almost impossible to open your eyes. 

You mutter out, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Slowly, the voices around you become clearer. Whoever is cradling you sure feels comfortable. Someone pats your cheek, trying to get you to wake up. You squeeze your eyes, struggling to open your eyes. 

“This is what happens when you feed [Y/N] something they can’t eat,” Ei mutters.

“Look who’s talking! At least I can cook! With all due respect, Electro Archon, but you cannot cook yourself,” Hu Tao huffs.

Before Ei or anyone can retort, you manage to open your eyes and look around the dining room, causing everyone in the vicinity to quiet down. You rub your eyes with the heel of your hand. 

Navia sighs in relief, hugging you to her chest. “Oh, you poor thing! I thought you died for a moment,” she says, resting her cheek on your head.

“I think they might’ve actually died after consuming whatever monstrosity Hu Tao cooked,” Furina quips. “Trust me when I say this: I saw their soul leave their body the minute they collapsed from their seat.”

You stare at the ceiling, questioning why you agreed to eat whatever Hu Tao cooked for you. How did it slip your mind that Hu Tao isn’t the best cook? You look at Hu Tao, who stares at you with worry. 

You jokingly say, “You almost had a new customer at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao.”

Hu Tao laughs, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’ll make sure to be careful next time. Just don’t tell Zhongli about what happened,” Hu Tao pleads.

Clorinde sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose while shaking her head. “There will not be a next time, Hu Tao. Leave the cooking to Escoffier and Xiangling; they are professionals, after all.”

A knock at the door grabs everyone’s attention to see Sigewinne peeking inside the room with her first aid kit in hand. Arlecchino summarizes what happened to Sigewinne while the head nurse takes note, taking in every information given to her. 

Sigewinne gestures to the couch. “Let’s get you to the couch before I begin with the checkup,” Sigewinne says, clapping her hands.

Before you can get up and walk to the couch yourself, Beidou approaches you and carries you bridal style over to the couch, startling you. Heat rushes to your face while you mutter about how you can walk to the couch yourself. 

Beidou laughs off your comment. “Sorry, sweet cheeks. Let me take care of you just this once, alright? You had me scared when you collapsed, unconscious.”

Beidou, the ever so affectionate woman, gently lays you down on the couch before lightly pinching your cheek. Sigewinne does a quick evaluation of you before treating you. That’s how your morning started—almost dying from eating what Hu Tao cooked. You plan to go out to Liyue to shop at markets, and maybe stop by Fontaine to have desserts with Furina, but after what happened, Shenhe and Yae Miko forbid you from leaving your humble abode because of the possibility of you vomiting up what you ingested earlier today. 

You plop onto the sofa, groaning. “Let me go outside! I crave vitamin D,” you writhe around on the couch. 

Lisa snickers, ruffling your hair as she walks past the couch. “No one is stopping you from going outside, cutie.”

You blink at her. “But I want to go to the market in Liyue and eat desserts in Fontaine! I promised Furina that we were going to get desserts in Fontaine today,” you pout, petting the fluffy cushion beneath you. 

Mid-Autumn Festival is fast approaching, and you want to be able to buy as many things as you can before the holiday arrives. While it’s happening two months from now, many stores in Liyue are putting out decorations for the holiday already. You want to be one of the first few people to be prepared for a huge holiday. These decorations are going to sell out before next month, and you don’t want that to happen like last time.

Lumine plops beside you, pulling you onto her lap while stroking your hair. “If you’d like, we can go to Liyue and Fontaine tomorrow! I’ll keep you company while you buy whatever it is that you need!” Lumine offers, running her fingers through your hair. 

Paimon nods. “Yeah! Plus, you won’t have to worry about spending a single dime when it’ll be Lumine who pays!” Paimon interjects, looking smug.

You shake your head, against the thought of someone else paying for you. While you appreciate the sentiment, you can’t bear the thought of someone splurging a lot of Mora on you. Plus, it’s not like you’re spending thousands of Mora on luxury items. You’re buying decorations for your humble abode and ingredients to make traditional Liyuen dishes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

You pat Paimon’s head, smiling at the floating girl. “I appreciate the sentiment, Paimon. But that won’t be necessary!”

Although you don’t mind having someone filthy rich spoiling the absolute hell out of you in the slightest! You just want to splurge on a lot of Liyuen decorations with the money you earned for the upcoming (technically two months from now) holiday.

“You two can accompany me to the market in Liyue! Then I’ll meet up with Furina in Fontaine for desserts!” You suggest.

Furnia pops up from behind the couch, startling both you and Paimon. “Whaaaat? But [Y/N] I thought it was just going to be the two of us!” Furina protests, propping her hands on her hips. Noticing the looks on Paimon and Lumine’s faces, Furina begins sputtering out an excuse while the apples of her cheeks turn bright red. “Not that I don’t mind having both of you accompany [Y/N] and me, but I find it a bit rude to invite additional people to plans that have been created already!”

You sit up and grab Furina’s hand, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Furina, you and I will still be having desserts in Fontaine together! Lumine and Paimon want to accompany me to the market in Liyue. I don’t think they’ll be with us in Fontaine,” you try to reassure the former Hydro Archon. 

Paimon clears her throat. “Technically, it’s Lumine who wants to accompany you to the Liyue market! I’m just her wing woman!” Paimon nods, bobbing up and down in the air while smiling at you innocently, ignoring the flustered glare Lumine shoots in her direction. 

Furina tilts her head, tapping her chin. “A wing woman? I haven’t heard such an interesting term before. What is that?” Furina asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

Before Paimon can respond, Lumine lunges forward and covers Paimon’s mouth, her face bright red. Furina stares at the duo with wide eyes, turning to look at you. You rub the back of your neck, wondering why so many embarrassing things have to happen to you in one day. 

Unfortunately, you never get the chance to go to Liyue market that day. You, in fact, did end up vomiting the food Hu Tao cooked for you. After the awkward conversation with Paimon, Lumine, and Furina, you were fighting for your life in the bathroom and were forced to retreat to your bedroom for the night earlier than expected.

The following day, you stand in front of a vendor in Liyue, debating if you should buy a pack of rice. Something in the corner of your eye catches your attention, pulling your gaze away from the rice. “Oooh, is that mooncake?” you gasp, staring at the fancy mooncake box in awe. 

The vendor smiles with pride, going on a tangent about the designs of the box and what’s the source of inspiration for such a design. The box is gold velvet, smooth to the touch, and has beautiful embellishment on the box that represents Liyuen culture. 

“I’m so tempted to buy it, but it would be too soon to buy mooncakes, would it not?” You let out a wishful sigh, gazing at the beautiful box longingly. “Perhaps I will buy it next time! I need to focus on buying decorations for my abode!” You say, beginning to walk away from the vendor.

Just as you’re walking away, you stop in your tracks when you see a familiar face among the crowd. Your eyes light up, and you wave to the Funeral Consultant as you and he lock eyes. A small smile appears as he approaches you, weaving through the crowd to get to where you’re standing. 

Now standing in front of you, Zhongli nods. “It’s good to see you, [Y/N]. I see that you’re feeling well after the fiasco yesterday,” Zhongli comments.

Your eyes widen. “Oh! How did you know?” You tuck your hair behind your ear.

Zhongli laughs. “Miss Hu Tao told me the incident at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor today. She said it’s been eating her up all day yesterday and it still is today.” Zhongli replies.

You sigh, slumping forward. This morning, before you set out on your journey to Liyue, you received fancy floral arrangements from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor as an apology and get-well wishes from the director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Now, some people would take that as a threat because why would a funeral parlor send beautiful flower arrangements to their abode? Could it be a threat of some sort? A, I don’t know, see you soon type of message? But you find it incredibly sweet of Hu Tao to do that, and you’re hoping to stop by the parlor to talk to her after buying a few things from the market. 

You smile at Zhongli, guilt eating away at you. “When you see Hu Tao again, please tell her not to apologize. I’m not upset with her in the slightest, and it’s not her fault!”

Zhongli makes a face, as if saying, “You sure about that?” After all, you ate something Hu Tao made, and if you recalled correctly, Zhongli (along with Xiangling, Chongyun, and Xingqiu)‌ warned you not to eat whatever Hu Tao cooks. 

Both you and Zhongli continue to chat while walking around the market, catching up with each other before parting ways. The former Geo Archon bids you farewell before returning to the funeral parlor, leaving you at the stall that’s selling the beautiful and luxurious mooncakes you’ve been admiring.

The vendor’s eyes light up before handing you two boxes of mooncakes, informing you that the Tianquan bought two boxes of mooncakes for you after seeing you admire them. Your heart nearly drops into the pit of your stomach after hearing that. It’s not like you appreciate that Ningguang bought you two boxes of luxurious mooncakes! You didn’t know Ningguang was also present at the market until it was too late for you to thank the Tianquan. 

“I’ll have to thank her later when I see her. Hopefully, she’ll stop by the house when she’s free.” But that’s wishful thinking because Ningguang is the busiest woman in Teyvat, and who knows if you’ll run into her. When you turn to walk away, you nearly bump into the woman in question. Ningguang crosses her arms over her chest, gazing at the luxurious boxes in your hands with a pleased look.

“I see you have gotten the mooncakes you desired,” Ningguang comments.

A big smile stretches across your face. “Ningguang! Thank the Archons, you’re still here! I was hoping to see you to thank you for buying me these mooncakes. You didn’t need to buy me the mooncakes. The Mid-Autumn Festival isn’t until two months from now, and I’m sure Shen would still have them in stock by the time the holiday rolls around,” you say, smiling at the white-beige-haired woman. 

Ningguang chuckles, shaking her head. “While that is true, I need to remind you that there are limited quantities of luxurious mooncakes. Shen informed me that the ones you had your eyes on were low in stock,” she explains. 

Your eyes widen. “They are?! I wasn’t aware of that at all,” you mutter, looking over at Shen. 

“Have you eaten today?” Ningguang suddenly asks, her eyes staring into your soul. The more Ningguang continues to look at you, the more you feel flustered under her gaze. You shake your head wordlessly.

A small smile graces her face. “I see. Would you like to accompany me to the Liuli Pavilion for lunch? I heard you’re going to be having dessert with Lady Furina in Fontaine after your trip to Liyue, and wanted to have lunch with you before you set off on your journey to another nation.” 

You nearly drop the mooncakes in shock. Ningguang, the busiest woman in Teyvat, wants to have lunch with you? As far as you know, Ningguang is always at the Jade Chamber because that is her home and her place of work. 

Of course, you did not decline her offer because who in their right mind would turn down Ningguang’s offer? Certainly not you, that’s for sure! Both you and Ningguang have a private sitting area, away from the other guests in the restaurant.

While Ningguang is elegantly dining, you barely touch the food on your plate. You did take a few bites here and there, but you didn’t eat a lot, and fortunately, you and Ningguang ordered enough food for both of you. 

Ningguang dabs her lips with the cloth napkin before gazing at you curiously. “Are you not feeling well?” She asks.

“Don’t worry about me, Ningguang. I’m feeling fine, but I’m taking it easy after what happened last night.” You reply. 

You’re not entirely sure if Ningguang was present during yesterday’s fiasco. You’re glad that none of the girls witnessed your vomiting because that would be very humiliating. It’s already embarrassing when you collapse and nearly die, but you’re alive just to be able to think about that embarrassing moment over and over at 3 AM before you fall asleep. 

Lunch went well with Ningguang! Aside from your changing the conversation every time Ningguang tries to ask you about the day before today, lunch is pleasant overall, and the tea that Ningguang had ordered for both of you tastes delicious and soothing. It certainly helps with the dull tummy ache you’ve been experiencing.

When you arrive at Fontaine, you automatically start searching for Furina. She said she was going to meet up with you at Hotel Debord, but when you arrived at the agreed destination, Furina wasn’t alone. 

“Furina and Mavuika! Will you be joining us for dessert today?” You ask, looking at the Pyro Archon. Furina doesn’t look too pleased, but she does have a fake smile plastered on her face, trying to play it off that everything is fine. 

Mavuika smiles, draping her arm over your shoulder before brushing her fiery red hair off her shoulders. “Of course, I am! I was here on a business trip, and our paths happened to cross! We were catching up, and well, here we are!” Mavuika answers.

Furina nods, trying her best to keep the smile on her face. Furina isn’t against the idea of people joining you and her on your date hangout, but what she is against is people joining last minute, hence why Furina isn’t fond of the idea of Lumine and Paimon tagging along. 

“Furina?”

What’s next? More people are going to join you, Furina and Mavuika?

“Furinaaaa?”

Archons, this day was supposed to be perfect! Just you and Furina and no one else tagging along and ruining the moment between you two! 

“Furina!”

Furina jumps, her eyes wide as she looks around the hotel in a frenzy, searching for whoever’s calling out to her. Furina feels a gentle hand covering her hand. Her eyes dart down to see your hand grasping hers. Furina gulps and looks to see you (along with Mavuika) gazing at her worriedly. 

Heat rushes to her cheeks as she sits up straight in her seat, snatching her hand out from underneath yours in the process. “Ah, yes? I apologize, I got distracted by the array of dessert options on the menu!” Furina announces, waving the menu to show you and Mavuika.

“Are you okay?” You whisper to the former Hydro Archon.

Furina smiles and nods in response before proceeding to look at the menu with feigned interest. When it’s time to order something to eat, Furina’s the one who orders for everyone at the table. Once the waiter walks away, you get up from your seat to excuse yourself.

Furina quickly grabs your hand out of sheer panic, fearing you’re leaving way before the desserts arrive. “Don’t go!”

You stare at Furina with wide eyes. “Furina, I’m going to the restroom! I’ll be back, I promise.” You smile at the frazzled (ex) Hydro Archon. “You and Mavuika can continue the conversation you two were having before I arrived, and I will be right back!” You pat Furina’s head before walking to the nearest restroom.

When you leave to go to the restroom, a thousand questions run through Furina’s head. Mavuika talks about the state of Natlan and how Aether and Lumine helped her save her nation. Without the two blonde twins, who knows what would’ve happened to the Pyro nation? Furina tries her best to be a great listener; she really does! But how can she focus on what Mavuika is saying when she sees you talking to Emilie?! What is she doing here at Hotel Debord?!

“It’s nice seeing you again, Emilie!” You say, bidding her farewell.

Emilie waves at you before parting ways, walking to who knows where. Why’s Emilie at the hotel and talking to you!? You sit back in your seat between Furina and Mavuika. You open your mouth to speak, but Furina beats you to it.

Furina rests her elbows on the table, gazing at you intensely. “I saw you talking with Emilie! What were you two talking about?” Furina asks, smiling at you.

“Emilie offered to make me a custom perfume because I mentioned it to her a while back, but never got to talk about it again. We had a brief chat about it, but I’ll have to stop by her place for a full consultation!” You reply, nodding.

The hangout with both Mavuika and Furina is even more awkward than you thought it would be. You know Furina wants to have dessert with you at Hotel Debord with no one else tagging along, but you wonder why it’s different with Mavuika. The entire time, it’s mostly you trying to carry the conversation with Mavuika and Furina. Mavuika is very attentive, wanting you to try the desserts that are new on the menu—ones that make her taste buds sing. While discussing the topic of desserts, Furnia gladly takes over the conversation to give lists of what she recommends and where to find the best macarons.

Watching Furina and Mavuika converse with each other makes you happy after noticing small signs—technically, it wasn’t a small sign, it was kind of obvious that Furina wasn’t too happy—of Furina not being too ecstatic about having an additional person at the dessert hangout. While Furina and Mavuika are talking, you happily eat your dessert. 

“I wonder if the mooncake Ningguang bought for me is going to taste as amazing as these desserts. I can’t wait to go home and try them out myself!” You subconsciously look over at the luxurious boxes of mooncakes in the empty seat across from you.

“Oh? Lady Ningguang bought you those luxurious mooncakes?” Furina asks, peeking over the dessert tower to stare at the fancy boxes.

Mavuika smiles, tucking her hair behind her ear. “How generous of Lady Ningguang. I have a meeting with her tomorrow regarding Natlan and Liyue’s economic trades,” Mavuika murmurs, taking a bite of her Petit Gateau Debord.

Oh, shit, did you say that out loud? You nod in response to Furina’s question. Furina hums, tapping on her cheek before waving down the waiter. She whispers to the waiter, making sure you and Mavuika don’t hear a single thing. 

After the waiter walks away, Furina tells you not to worry about what she whispered to the waiter before finishing her dessert. Despite finishing everything that you three have ordered, you three continue to sit at the table in silence. 

A large meal with Ningguang, accompanied by desserts with Furina and Mavuika, is rapidly catching up to you. You lean back in your seat and take a deep breath. Your stomach feels like it’s about to explode if you move slightly. 

Furina sighs happily. “Whoo! I am stuffed!” She says, patting her tummy, and turns to look at you and Mavuika.

“The dessert was delicious. Thank you for inviting me to join you and [Y/N] for dessert,” Mavuika says, smiling at the former Hydro Archon. “I’m happy to be able to join you two.”

It takes a lot of convincing from Furina and Mavuika for you to finally step out of Hotel Debord. You want to sit down and maybe take a nap somewhere, but Mavuika urges you to take a nap at home rather than somewhere public because you also have luxurious mooncakes with you.

You hug the boxes to your chest, huffing and puffing with every step you take because, well, you ate a lot today, and the boxes of mooncakes are surprisingly heavier than you thought they would be. It did have some weight to it, but it feels even heavier now that your tummy is full of delicious Liyuen dishes and Fontainian desserts. 

“[Y/N]!” You hear a familiar voice call out to you as the sounds of rapid footsteps approach where you, Furina, and Mavuika are standing.

You turn to see Chiori running up to you, looking perkier than usual. You smile at the Inazuman woman and wave at her despite your hands being full. 

Chiori stops before you, popping her hands on her hips, looking proud. She briefly greets Furina and Mavuika before turning to you, her cheeks flushed from running. “Just the person I wanted to see!”

You stare at Chiori owlishly. “You were looking for me?”

Chiori nods. “I heard from Charlotte that you were going to be in Fontaine today with Lady Furina. I was hoping to run into you before you left, and thankfully I did!” Chiori smiles. “Anyway, I wanted to inform you that your custom clothes are completed and will be shipped out to you by the end of the day! However, I can give you the clothes now if that’s what you prefer!”

Your eyes widen, and your mouth is agape. Oh, Archons, has time flown by that fast? The last time you placed your order for customized clothing was two months ago. Since it’s close to the end of the day, and you have nothing else to do, it wouldn’t hurt to have Chiori give you your order now rather than shipping it out to your abode. 

You nod. “Since I’m here already, might as well give me my order and I’ll take it home with me,” you say, earning a wide smile from Chiori.

“Great! Let’s go to Chioriya Boutique for your clothes!” Chiori says happily, grabbing onto your wrist and pulling you in the direction of her boutique, leaving Mavuika and Furina behind.

Furina watches Chiori drag you away from her, her mouth agape with bafflement. Mavuika reaches to pull Furina to follow along, but the former Hydro Archon pulls her hand out of Mavuika’s grasp, lightly batting her hands away.

Furina huffs. “This day isn’t turning out how I hoped it would,” Furina mutters and chases after you and Chiori.

Chiori takes the mooncakes from your hand and places them on the counter, and grabs your hand to usher you to where your clothes are waiting. You let out an audible gasp in awe at the clothes on the mannequins. The intricate designs and the silhouettes of your custom-made clothes are breathtaking! Not only that, but the fabrics feel divine to the touch, and it’s perfect!

You turn to Chiori, eyes bright. “Chiori, I can’t thank you enough! Thank you so much! Everything looks amazing all thanks to you.” You whisper in awe, pulling her into a hug.

Chiori’s eyes widen, and she quickly recovers, wrapping her arms around you. “It’s my pleasure, [Y/N].”

The bells at the entrance of the boutique chime, making you and Chiori pull away from the hug. Furina is panting at the door, her hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath. Behind her stands Mavuika, who looks around the boutique with interest. 

“Furina! Look how beautiful the clothes turned out!” You say, gesturing to the mannequins.

Furina walks closer to where the mannequins stand and begins inspecting them while stroking her chin. “I’m not surprised the clothes turned out beautiful. After all, you did have a professional craft and sewed them for you,” Furina murmurs, looking at Chiori with approval. 

Chiori smiles, brushing a stray hair away from her face. “Let me get them packed up for you,” Chiori says.

You help Chiori pack your order into boxes—well, that’s what you initially thought she was going to do, but instead, she brings out Chioriya Boutique shopping bags. The shopping bag is made of premium paper and luxurious fabrics (the handle of the bag). Chiori places each article of clothing in a plastic bag to prevent the clothes from getting dirty while returning to your abode. 

“There! The clothes are ready to go home with you!” Chiori says, turning to you with her hands propped on her hips.

You bowed to Chiori. “Thank you so much, Chiori.”

Chiori laughs shyly, her cheeks turning bright pink. “There’s no need to thank me, [Y/N].”

The clock on the wall chimes, letting you and everyone know that it’s getting late. As you step out of Chioriya Boutique, you see Clorinde standing there. You stop in your tracks, adjusting the shopping bags on your arms and the boxes of mooncakes in your hands.

“Clorinde? What are you doing out here? It’s late,” you murmur, walking towards the Champion Duelist.

Clorinde raises her eyebrows at you, looking at every box and bag on your person. “I’m here to escort you back to your abode.”

Clorinde is going to escort you back to your abode? That’s sweet of her, but she doesn’t need to do that at all. Just when you’re about to reply, Clorinde takes the boxes of mooncakes from your hands along with the Chioriya Boutique shopping bags. 

“It’s okay, Clorinde! I got it!” You try to protest, but she quickly moves out of the way, preventing you from grabbing the boxes and bags from her. 

Furina, Mavuika, and Chiori step out of the boutique to see the Champion Duelist with your belongings. Clorinde nods to the three women, “I will be taking it from here, ladies. May the three of you have a good night.” Clorinde then gestures for you to follow her.

On your way back to your abode, it’s silent between you and Clorinde. You try to strike up a conversation with Clorinde, but she’s not much of a conversationalist, and that’s fine with you because you’re not much of one either. The majority of the walk to your abode is in silence, and that gives you the chance to admire the scenery around you. 

When you and Clorinde approach the front door of your abode, you stop in your tracks when you see a fairly large box waiting for you. You approach the box, looking at the white label. The package is from Hotel Debord.

At first, you were confused about when you last placed an order with Hotel Debord, but then it dawned on you. “No…She did not…” You trail off before quickly unlocking the door to your house. “You can put the things on the table. I’m going to attempt to carry whatever is in this box into the house.” You instruct Clorinde.

You move out of the way for Clorinde, staring at the box. You squat and grab the box, testing the weight. It’s not too heavy, but it’s certainly not as light as the boxes of mooncakes, either. How long has this box been sitting outside your house?

“Do you need help with that?” Clorinde asks, now standing at the entrance of your abode.

You nod. “Yes, please.”

You and Clorinde carry the box into your house, putting it on the dining table. Clorinde cuts the tape on the box and opens it, revealing luxurious desserts. You’ve never seen these desserts before, heck, you don’t think they sell these types of desserts at Hotel Debord! They could, and the ones shipped to you are a fancier version of the desserts you, Furina, and Mavuika ate today. 

A small white piece of paper catches Clorinde’s attention. She grabs the paper and skims through it—it’s a small letter written by Furina. You take the desserts out of the box, glancing over at Clorinde.

“What’s that?”

Clorinde hands you the paper wordlessly before helping you take the desserts out of the box. Surprisingly, the desserts didn’t smear onto the box. However, some of the desserts are big, and Clorinde needs to be careful when she takes them out of the box. While you read the letter written by Furina, you can’t help but feel Clorinde’s eyes burn into your skull.

“Oh, Furina. She’s so sweet,” you murmur, placing the card on the table.

Clorinde crosses her arms over her chest. “You somehow crawled your way into people’s hearts and made it your home.”

Heat rushes to your cheeks, making its way up to the tips of your ears. You know what Clorinde is implying, and you don’t know how to process that thought. You can’t use, “Oh, they care about me a lot because we’re great friends!” as an excuse for your overthinking mind. You don’t know what to do or how to grasp the severity of the situation. 

Shit, you’re not used to people having feelings for you. Even if someone did have a crush on you, you wouldn’t be aware of it until years later. Heck, you like them back, but you don’t know how it’ll work out when some people are more possessive than others. 

“You’re overthinking it.”

You snap out of your thoughts to see Clorinde staring at you, now standing a little bit closer than where she was standing earlier. You let out a sigh, rubbing your temples. “I’m going to deal with this tomorrow because it’s getting late and I need time to process everything. You can stay for the night if you’d like, Clorinde.”

Clorinde nods, a small smile gracing her face. You went to put the desserts into the fridge to distract yourself from dying internally. Dear Archons, how are you going to process everything without short-circuiting? Surely in another universe, this will be easier, right?

Note: No, I will not be continuing this fic because I don't really like how it turned out. Do I plan on writing anymore Genshin Women x isekai'd!Reader? Not really. Unless a thousand people demand more, I will do it. Other than that, this is the first and final fic for Genshin women x isekai'd!reader fics. Oh, and the reader is still gender neutral in this fic. There's no specific gender for the reader. Anyway, to all my new and returning readers, keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr), Ko-Fi (Genshinluvr/Aaliah_exo), and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist: No taglist for this update. Will make a new taglist in the future.

Read more of my works on my Grand Masterlist, which contains every masterlist I have created! | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories there, too, but who knows? You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like as a way to show support! ^^

[roseapov]

[roseapov]

This whole Nod Krai teaser is just so wow, everyone looks amazing and stunning and and and !!!!

I need help I can't go forward and write new works when I have some of my works already drafted or planned and not written yet, and as long as they won't be completed I can't move on and start writing anything else.

Does anyone know how to break that pattern so I can move between unfinished works and start new works while I had others planned already?? Please 🙏

[roseapov]

Having the overwhelming urge to write that it just shakes you to the very bone and then not writing anything at all has to be considered a new lethal curse, smh.

[roseapov]

I want to write so many things at once and it's so overwhelming, the numbers of the ideas that I have and I'm still doing nothing with them, it's driving me crazy..

I know it won't be that intense once I actually start writing them out but that first step of sitting down and preparing to write is always the hardest one

I haven't written in so long and I feel like my skills have gotten rusty, even tho they weren't anything exceptional at all.

Anyway, I'm getting slammed by inspiration and new ideas from all the sides and I'll need to write them out soon or else I'll go crazy, same with my old promised works, I feel like I can't move on onto the new things as long as I'm so in the back with all of my previous works...

Ehhh, looks like I'm in for a ride, I hope I'll be able to somehow get back into my writing shape again and that I'll be able to write often and consistently (that's just wishful thinking)

[roseapov]

2070 years!!

Julius Ceasar has been dead for 2064 slutty, slutty years

[roseapov]

Happy Birthday to me!

It's already my 2nd Birthday on this app and I'm just so shocked by how fast the time flies and how I created this account in 2023???

This was a day like any other and yet I'm one year older... It's kind of baffling on what to do with a day like that, a special day and yet it acts like any other💖

Anyway, since I'm a proud gacha game player I decided to just gamble a little in my games and I got a lot of 5*'s!

With a special mention to Aglaea whom I got today and who will now forever be seen as obtained on my bday🎉💖💖

[roseapov]

Hmmm vague sort of batfam & fem(?) reader idea in broad strokes and probably incorrect lore and characterization.

Thinking of titling it something like “my brother’s father” or “my brother’s brothers” or “my brother’s father (and brothers and sisters and family and-)”

It’s a little something like this:

You are the first born child of Jack and Janet Drake and you are 3 years old when they tell you you’re going to have a little brother. He’s small and round and so very tiny when you first meet him. You barely process anything your parents tell you beyond the fact that his name is Timothy Jackson Drake. You’re an older sibling now and you’re ecstatic about it even if your parents mumble about how you’re a mistake and Tim isn’t.

(Things feel a little familiar though… just maybe…)

Anyways! You take classes (which are really just lessons from your parents) on how to be all prim and proper for Gotham high society while your little brother is snoozing as a little baby. At some point you debut in some gala and meet Bruce Wayne in passing who is… something. Ditzy. A little charming but quite bizarre. You think there’s supposed to be something else but, ah, you can’t remember what.

Tim gets bigger and so do you. By the time he turns 3, you’re certain you’ve carried him around more than your parents have. It seems wrong, somehow. But, Tim’s shaping up to be a little genius and you’re thrilled when he toddles after you more than he does to your parents. He gets a similar schedule and classes and eventually he debuts in high society as well.

There are rumours beginning to circulate that something is lurking in the shadows of Gotham City…

Haly’s circus comes to town. It’s a family trip to go and see them. The flying Graysons are amazing and wonderful and you and Tim get to talk and take a photo with the Graysons and see a quadruple somersault and-

The Graysons go splat. Falling to the ground like birdies shot out of the sky. Your parents do not usher you and Tim out fast enough to avoid seeing the aftermath of the disaster. As you leave, you catch a glimpse of Bruce Wayne, watching, with a sad look of resignation lingering on his face.

Things are quieter after that. Your parents begin to leave to go on long archaeological adventures and you’re left in the care of a rotating cast of babysitters who never stay long. They leave you with a mostly empty manor, unrestricted internet access, their contact information, and a black credit card.

Something more concrete about what has been running around Gotham and taking down criminals begins to take form. The Batman. Or just Batman maybe. Some nights you can see a light shining against the cloudy Gotham backdrop, a signal to him. Tim seems super interested in this Batman so you gather up newspaper clippings and take photographs of the signal when you can.

Every now and then your parents drop back in to socialize with high society Gothamites and bring you and Tim to galas to be cooed at but otherwise, they’re “too busy” for the two of you. Phone calls barely last a few minutes. Celebrations are missed on the regular. You think that it’s only going to get worse.

You continue to glance at Bruce Wayne and his new charge, Dick Grayson, at galas. They’re a riot from what you can see from the parties and news tabloids. Despite the short amount of time Dick Grayson has been with Bruce Wayne, you can tell Wayne cares deeply for him. They’re... fascinating.

Robin debuts by Batman’s side in traffic light colours, scaly shorts and a whole array of acrobatic moves and witty comebacks. Tim is enamoured by the dynamic duo and you think you might be too.

Your parents stop sending babysitters because “you’re old enough to take care of yourself and Tim, aren’t you dear?” which- Wow. Just, wow. You are ten years old. This is not your responsibility. You suck it up and pretend like you're making them proud by being "mature" and "responsible".

You go grocery shopping. You find recipes and learn to cook. You clean the dishes and pull up a stool so Tim can watch how to do it properly as well. A housekeeper drops by every now and then but the two of you don't talk to them.

Sometimes you think about calling the Waynes who are just next door and asking Mr. Pennyworth what you should do. You never do but you see him around when grocery shopping at times which makes you long to ask all the more.

You watch your parent’s company emails with increasing interest. School is dreadfully slow and there's nothing better to do. Your parents have mentioned once or twice at galas and during lessons that they hope you’ll inherit the company one day.

You still remember the lessons they teach you. Who to speak to. How to determine their worth. Whether you should climb atop them, crush them beneath your heel, or hold their hand and stand by their side. Those days you feel like your mother. Sharp as broken glass. Waiting to press against someone unsuspecting.

On Tim’s birthday, he asks to go out and see Batman and Robin. It was inevitable in hindsight. You give him a camera, a safety lesson, dress him up in clothes to blend in and head out with him. You’re absolutely sure if you said no, he would sneak out anyways.

And thus begins Tim’s (and yours by proxy) illustrious career as a stalker.

To sum up your thoughts, Batman and Robin are amazing. Sort of up close and sort of personal (a few rooftops away), you and Tim take plenty of photos and jot down notes on them every couple nights when you’re sure there’s nothing important for school the next day. It’s exhilarating.

On a night both you and Tim aren't out, Robin does a quadruple somersault. Tim, who had taken to coding and hacking, gets security footage of the night. The gears start cranking in your head.

Another few nights stalking out the duo. Another few nights that bring you closer and closer to Wayne manor.

Tim shakes you awake one night, hovering over you, saying it’s something important. You blearily sit upright and ruffle his hair out of habit.

“Dick Grayson is Robin,” he says with absolute confidence that you could be proud of.

“Dick Grayson is Robin...” you echo and with dawning horror, you say at the same time as Tim, “and Bruce Wayne is Batman.”

And you lean back into your bed, let the gears click into place, and pass out.

In retrospect, that made a lot of sense. Both about Batman and you. But wow. The Drakes f*cked up real bad. You are not supposed to exist. One very private breakdown later because "Oh no, Tim is going to become Robin and a Wayne and he's so f*cking stupid sometimes-"

You're taking things very well.

Newfound (old-recovered?) knowledge aside, you still have to go to school, make sure Tim is doing okay, and continue stalking Batman and Robin. You and Tim have even figured out their patrol schedule recently so really, it's not like much has changed.

The next little while goes by in rapid succession.

Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, debuts. Robin and Batman get into some kind of argument. Batman goes without Robin for a while and Nightwing debuts in Bludhaven. Jason Todd is adopted by Bruce Wayne. A new Robin flies.

You see him in school at times as a mere passerby in a different age cohort and Tim who’s in a lower grade sees him even less often as Jason Todd. As Robin 2 though, you’re seeing him almost every single night. He’s different than Dick Grayson was, obviously, more cuss words and less acrobatics, but still Robin. The light to Batman’s shadows. Magic.

He catches the two of you on a rooftop once. It’s still early in the night and you’re rooting around in your bag for the extra memory card when you hear Tim squeak and something thump on the rooftop.

“It’s a bit late to be out right now, isn’t it?” he asks.

You find the memory card and slot it into your camera. “Late night photography.”

Robin doesn’t look impressed but hey, you’re not the one going out late at night to fight crime.

Tim, who is tucked by your side glances up at you. You nod and nudge him forward.

“Robin!” he calls out. “Can I get a hug?”

Well, you know Robin. You know Jason Todd. He won’t deny your little brother a hug. So as the two of them step forward, you raise the camera and take a picture. You smile as you look at the developed photo later at home. One for you, one for Tim, and one for the Waynes if it ever comes to pass.

Some nights you let Robin spot you and Tim. The three of you chat and get some food before he's pulled away by crime. You make him promise not to dig into the two of you. He agrees.

Things are quiet for a while or as quiet as Gotham ever gets. You wait for the other shoe to drop. Something bad is going to happen soon. You can’t exactly recall what or when but you know something and-

Robin- Jason Todd dies. Barbara Gordon is paralyzed. The Joker is still alive, still having the last laugh at the end of it all. You hate it. You hate him.

Tim throws himself into some kind of frenzy to hide the pain just as Bruce Wayne loses himself in his grief. Batman does not kill but he comes very close in this time. The hospital records climb. You bring more and more medical supplies because if you don’t interfere these people, often petty criminals, are going to die before the police ever arrives.

"Batman is going to kill himself if this continues," Tim tells you.

"And what," you say because you think you know how this is going to play out, "do you want to do about this?"

The answer, it turns out, is to find Dick Grayson. In true Tim Drake fashion, he stalks him (or rather, he stalks Starfire), hacks into a database or two, and finds his address in Bludhaven. You probably shouldn't have encouraged this kind of behaviour but ehhhhhhh... it's fine.

Since you aren't inclined to allow Tim to head to Bludhaven on public transportation alone, you go with him. You can imagine it's quite a sight when Dick Grayson opens the door to two teenagers who tell him that they know who he is and that "Batman needs a Robin".

It's a very awkward car ride back to Gotham with too many questions like "Where are your parents?" and "What do you mean they're halfway across the world?" and "How old are you?".

He won't return as Robin. You didn't expect he would. Despite that though, he allows you and Tim into the Wayne manor where the two of you meet Mr. Pennyworth officially. He's cool and probably not paid enough in your opinion.

Dick Grayson shows the way to the Batcave as Tim explains what the two of you know. Dick Grayson leaves as Nightwing, not Robin like Tim wanted him to be. The three of you wait and wait until all communication with Batman and Nightwing have disappeared.

"I'm going to become Robin," Tim declares. “It’ll only be for a short while. Until Batman recovers or someone else becomes Robin.”

“Right,” you say dryly. “Just a short while.”

And that, perhaps, seals his fate. You allow Tim to go out as Robin just this once with Mr. Pennyworth as you navigate the Batcave and prepare everything in the medbay and start monitoring comms. If there's anything you know about vigilantes, it's that they always end up injured at the end of the night.

You have a plan though for the future. A very stupid plan perhaps but a plan nevertheless.

You’re going to be Robin too. Not always (vigilante night life isn’t really all that appealing to you) but lord knows you can’t trust Tim to not go out and do things even when injured.

At the end of the night, Batman, Nightwing, Mr. Pennyworth and Tim return to the Batcave where you are sitting disapprovingly on the chair by the batcomputer.

“This is…?” Batman’s voice is low and as harsh as gravel.

“(Y/n) Drake,” you answer sharply, feeling remarkably like your mother in some ways. “Let’s discuss how things are going to go with Robin, shall we?”

It’s your first real introduction to Batman and at the moment, you aren’t impressed but at the very least, you know he will do his best not to allow Tim to die. Tim will be Robin and eventually, Bruce’s son. But not now. You will not allow this Batman to be Tim’s father (not that you think he wants to right now) when he’s still mourning the loss of Jason Todd.

In many ways, Tim’s transition from stalking to fighting is easy. The Drake manor was never somewhere the two of you spend too long at anyways between school, nighttime photography and staking out at Barbara’s library to do work so heading over to the Waynes for training whenever there was time was easy. It’s just like another extracurricular to be picked up.

Tim trains and you convince Bruce Wayne to let you follow the same routine. He caves easily. So, so, easily.

But besides that, when your parents return briefly from a trip, you convince them to let you meddle with their company more for a little variety in your life more than anything else. You’re pretty sure the company is on track to going right under which- oof, that’s what happens when you’re off at random archaeological digs and don’t participate in the important decision making.

Although Tim is not yet allowed to be Robin yet, Bruce Wayne still goes out as Batman, still solves cases, still has not processed the grief. Taking care of him, you find, is very much so like taking care of another child. Replace his coffee with decaf, cross your arms disappointingly and drag him away from the batcomputer, double down and sic Mr. Pennyworth on him, make sure he’s staying hydrated-

The list goes on and on. More than a few times, you catch Tim repeating your actions which is cute and gives you hope that maybe he’ll also take care of himself when the time comes.

Mr. Pennyworth is great, as usual. He makes snacks when you and Tim come over, cooks meals you’ve never tried to make before, and teaches you about guns. Having him around is, perhaps, the first time in a long time you have had responsibility lifted off your shoulders.

Barbara Gordon is every bit as strong and fiery as you recall from the times you have seen her in the distance. She is also very much so enjoying having Tim be her little protege in tech. You come around from time to time to see if there’s anything new but hm… timeline is farther in the past than “back then”. Some things that are outdated to the you of before are still brand new here which means some of your previous knowledge isn’t particularly helpful.

Oh well. It’ll catch up eventually.

Dick Grayson’s presence in the manor is spotty. It always feels like he's going to try and corner you about you and Tim's living situation which a. is none of his business right now and b. you have it under control.

It's fine to leave Tim to him because Tim is super happy to be hanging out with him (the first Robin!!) and Grayson is doing that weird sort of "I want to be a good brother to new Robin because I wasn't good to Jason at the start and I want to be better this time-"

Whatever. Misplaced guilt complex aside, Grayson still gets into arguments with Bruce Wayne about a myriad of things so he never stays too long at the manor. You work real hard to make sure Tim doesn't overhear those arguments.

Man, you hope they get it together soon.

The pro of having a new set of adults in your life is that now you can off load things to them like picking Tim up from school when you have other extracurriculars.

You, texting Dick Grayson: hey, can you pick up Tim today?

You, texting Alfred Pennyworth: hi Mr. Pennyworth. can you pick Tim up from school today? Thank you!

You, texting Bruce Wayne: Pick up Tim up from school. Do not be late.

Things are going pretty well in your opinion. The two of you train with Mr. Pennyworth, then Batman, then Nightwing. Tim bonds with the members of the Batfamily, you remain ever so slightly distant but still involved and things are going pretty well.

Then, you get an urgent phone call.

Janet Drake died and Jack Drake has fallen into a coma.

It’s as though the world stops when you find out. You… you didn’t know this happened. Sure you assumed something must have happened for Tim to be adopted but you… you hadn’t thought it would be this soon.

You tell Tim.

You plan a funeral.

You become the teenage CEO of Drake Industries.

The world continues on.

Tim officially becomes Robin which you suppose is the start of a new era. You give him a very lengthy talk about it and tell him to let you know if he plans on staying nights over at the Wayne manor when you're busy with company work.

He's old enough to be responsible for himself, right? You always kind of see him with the rose-tinted glasses that comes with raising him basically most his life.

Tim goes out every few nights as Robin and gets more and more involved with Batman's vigilantism and the various cases in Gotham. You spend countless hours on work and school and try your best to help out in the Batcave when you have the time. It's rough the first couple weeks but you trust in Oracle, in Nightwing, in Mr. Pennyworth and in Batman to keep Tim alive.

And then, of course, Tim gets injured.

"You don't need to coddle me," he complains when you block him from the entrance of the Batcave.

"Right, Mr. three broken ribs and a stab wound." You stare at him, unimpressed. "Go rest up, I'll fill in for you."

He startles. "Wha-? What do you mean fill in- Hey!"

You hand him off to Mr. Pennyworth, shut your laptop, head down, and get suited up. Batman, who is sitting by the batcomputer, impressively does not flinch when you approach but you can tell he's hesitant and maybe a little shocked? You aren't as good at reading him when he's Batman as Tim is, unfortunately.

You roll your eyes regardless.

"Why do you think I asked to be trained alongside Tim? Let's go."

Your own first run as Robin is fascinating. Dangerous? Yes. Exhilarating? Also yes. No one notices that you're not actually Robin 3 which is a little annoying because yeah, Tim hit his growth spurt and is steadily climbing in height but you're still taller than him!

That aside, you know being Robin isn't sustainable for you. Definitely only a backup plan so you let Tim keep the reins on that. Jim Gordon is pretty cool though.

At some point, Batman brings Tim up to meet the Justice League. A couple weeks later, so do you. Almost everyone thinks you and Tim are the same Robin. Neither you nor Batman correct them.

You think Bruce Wayne is starting to feel better when you catch him giving those sad little orphan eyes to Tim when he isn’t looking. The grief has ebbed. The cruelty faded. It’s not enough for you to be satisfied.

“Go to therapy Mr. Wayne,” you say. “Tim will not be a replacement for Jason Todd.”

And- yeah, you’re being a little mean because you know that isn’t the way it actually is. Despite that, he still flinches at your words.

"You should also make it mandatory for all heroes at the Justice League by the way," you add.

“I don’t need-“

“Liar. You obviously do. If you’re worried about the whole secret identity thing, find a way around it, especially if the Justice League is going to be getting it as well.”

He sighs quietly and turns away.

“By the way,” you call out as he walks away with increasing speed, “if you don’t find a solution within the next three months, I will make a solution.”

He walks faster.

“You can count it as a threat!”

Less than three weeks later, he goes to therapy. It also becomes mandatory for every hero. Every single one. He also, very awkwardly, offers his help with running Drake Industries if you ever need it. You count it as a win.

The days continue on. You rework Drake Industries to an acceptable standard, spend countless hours at meetings and stare longingly at the coffee shops you pass by. There are always cases upon cases to work on.

Jack Drake awakens from his coma. Your life is thrown into chaos once more.

He’s a bit different now, probably because of the whole near death thing, and he’s weirdly more interested in “being a family” now. You scoff a little at his attempts. You’re old enough and remember enough that the neglect and unwilling role of a “parent” you’ve been put through is enough to make you disillusioned with fixing this family. You’re not cruel- he’s not a terrible father but he’s 10 years too late to be making an attempt now.

You snub him for company work. Tim snubs him for vigilante work. With nothing else to do, Jack Drake turns to dating a younger woman. You hire a housekeeper, Mrs. Mac, to help care for him. It’s just the way things are.

Spoiler appears in Gotham. She and Tim have this kind of... thing going on you think. Tim also has this thing going on with another girl or something. You don't really want to know but you give both of them a sex ed talk anyways. You read over her case, whatever is going on with Cluemaster, and leave it up to Batman and Robin.

On one of your stints as Robin, you pick up one Cassandra Cain.

You vaguely remember something about her being officially brought into the Batfamily before Batman got lost in time but you aren't really too clear on the when that happened. Was it supposed to be now? Whatever, it's probably fine. It takes quite a bit to coax her over (hmmm she seems more partial when you’re Robin compared to Tim so you were working overtime for a bit as Tim took on a different case) but eventually it works.

Regardless, it's a pretty terrible case. A child (nevermind she's around the same age as you) assassin brought up to be a weapon by David Cain and Lady Shiva. Doesn’t understand any language other than body language. Wants to become the next Batgirl (?)

Well, at least Bruce Wayne might be happy to have a daughter. Barbara is too old and has a good father. Spoiler hasn’t “officially” revealed her civilian identity and probably isn’t willing to be actually adopted. And well, the less that’s said about you the better.

Tim joins a group of teenage superheroes. You meet them too and there isn’t much to say but they’re nice and figured out you weren't Robin-Robin pretty quickly. You think you may have given them a heart attack though when they realized you were an imposter.

A bit later, a few months maybe, as you’re sitting in the Batcave, working on a case Nightwing asked for help on, Tim stumbles back into the Batcave with a slightly dead look on his face.

"Don't let me become evil gun Batman."

“?”

“Just… please.”

Did he meet an alternate universe version of himself or something? That’s a thing that happens often enough in DC right.

“Sure, okay, don’t let Tim become evil gun Batman. I’ll write that down.”

At least he seems relieved at your promise even if you don’t really understand what being “evil gun Batman” would entail.

“Oh and don’t become Batman just in general. Or like Bruce Wayne, okay?”

Batman offers to train Spoiler officially. Therapy must be doing something good to Batman because he asked you first if he should tell her Robin's identity before beginning training instead of just doing it. You call him a f*cking idiot and that settles that.

Stephanie Brown and Tim begin dating for real. It's um... a bit tumultuous. But, they have their little identity reveal and you get to meet her as yourself finally so, yay?

And of course, all good things must come to an end. This time it’s Jack catching Tim sneaking back home as Robin.

You’re away at a company meeting when it happens and by the time you get home, the dust has already settled and a deal has been made. Secrecy in exchange for giving up Robin. This won’t last, of course, but it’s better than other alternatives you suppose.

In the meantime, Stephanie Brown becomes the fourth Robin.

Her stint as Robin was very short if you remembered correctly. Months of training, something about disobeying orders and a gang fight. Also something about dying…? You keep an eye on the situation as Tim goes off to school for real for the next while.

Sure enough, Batman fires her and she sneaks out to deal with the criminal underworld. Thankfully, you've asked Oracle to keep an eye out on that so the moment she leaves, you're able to head out as well. You tell Mr. Pennyworth you’re going on a “ride”, half-suit up (can't also be Robin here!), borrow the Batmobile keys and rush off according to Oracle’s instructions.

It's chaos which is to be expected really. The entire time you're driving, you're cursing Batman out under your breath.

"F*cking Batman... can't keep a Robin to save a life." You turn a corner. "And here I thought therapy would make him better at communication."

Truly a Sisyphean task to make the Robins believe they aren't inadequate. You hope that by the time Tim goes back to being Robin, Batman will pull his head out of his ass.

Anyways, you head to where Robin is being held, crash through a couple of things and hit Black Mask with the Batmobile. Whoops, you think you decelerated enough to not break everything in his body. You get out of the car, toss Robin into the backseat and drive off to see Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

“What- can you… even drive???” Robin 4 asks as she bleeds heavily on the nice leather seats of the Batmobile.

"Don’t worry about it, I got my driver's license ages ago." You wave around the card as you break several traffic rules at once.

Eventually, you arrive at Dr. Thompkin’s clinic where she is able to be treated. While you linger beside the Robin as she is being treated, Dr. Thompkins apparently found it fitting enough to air out all of her concerns regarding child vigilantes and Batman to you. You really don't think you should be the one she should be telling this to.

Towards the end of the treatment, Batman shows up in the shadows, like always. Speak of the devil and he shall appear and all that.

"So, you've heard her thoughts," you say because you don't doubt he'll have heard everything already despite only showing up now. "Make yourself clear. Speak before you do something irreparable to each other."

With that, you usher both him and the doctor outside to speak properly. On the operating table, Stephanie Brown breathes, her chest falling and rising slowly and steadily. You end up falling asleep in the clinic.

In the aftermath, Stephanie Brown pauses vigilante activities to recover and Tim returns to being Robin. You and Jack Drake have an enlightening conversation about that but that's a story for another time. Oh, also, Stephanie Brown and Tim break up. It happens. At least it seems to be a mutual agreement.

Things enter equilibrium once again. You graduate high school, enrol in university part time, and immediately throw yourself full time into Drake Industries which has grown into a powerhouse you’re very proud of.

Stephanie Brown goes back to being Spoiler. Cassandra Cain goes out as Batgirl. Barbara Gordon is Oracle. Dick Grayson continues on as Nightwing. Tim is Robin and Bruce Wayne is Batman. Everything is steady for another little while.

However, the Joker is becoming a problem. You've observed enough of the happenings in Gotham to understand which things you can categorize as "threats" or "things that can be handled". The League of Assassins? Fine, handleable. Important for other things later on. The Court of Owls? Fine, you're working on purging some things that the others aren't aware of.

But the Joker? There are enough birdies in the Batfamily now that you're starting to worry.

So, what should you do?

You plot. You plan. Everyone is busy enough with cases (crime never stops in Gotham after all) that you're relatively undisturbed. It should be fine, you think. Harley had broken up with the Joker ages ago, you don't have qualms about killing, and you don't have to follow the "no killing" rule since you're not really part of the Batfamily. Besides, it's not like you're doing this as Robin.

A week later, you put your plans into action.

In truth, it's so easy you’re almost disappointed. All that planning just for tonight. You’re well aware of how swamped everyone will be with numerous rogues coming out to play. But the Joker will be preoccupied, hidden beneath the chaos he would normally thrive in.

Luring him out is simple. Killing him even more so. You like a little bit of poetic justice so a crowbar is the way to go.

The bats may not be able to kill the Joker for thematic reasons but you can.

The Joker laughs and laughs at nothing at all. He doesn’t know who you are. You think you almost crack a smile when you’re finished, his head bashed open and blood splattered against the floor. You wipe out the body, all the evidence and head back to the cafe to complete your alibi.

Midway through your fifth meeting of the night, you remember, “hey isn’t Jason Todd supposed to come back to life and get mad at Batman for not killing the Joker?”

You’ve encountered the League of Assassins in passing as “Robin”, made vague comments in Talia Al Ghul’s direction about “hidden parentage” and about how "the League is dangerous for children isn't it?" but you realize you’ve never really dug about Jason Todd. Well, um, it’s probably fine. You’re pretty sure you’re way too late to help him now with the whole revival thing anyways.

You go to bed at sunrise and rest with a weight lifted off your shoulders.

The very next day, Red Hood appears in Gotham City.

Talk about timing, huh? You're almost impressed.

Well, the good thing about all of this is that his appearance is enough to take attention off of the fact that no one's seen the Joker in a while. Relatively quickly, Red Hood takes over Crime Alley and starts messing around with the gangs and Black Mask. You end up hearing about the 8 heads in a duffle bag soon after.

As he "cleanses" Crime Alley and you work on providing help through Drake Industries to the residents undergoing this period of unrest, Gotham begins to shift uneasily. The Joker is gone, people whisper. He hasn't appeared for far too long.

Despite being stretched thin, the Bats still investigate. Mortal enemy privileges, you suppose, but you're well aware that they won't find anything.

Nightwing and Batman are the ones who conduct your "investigation", unsurprisingly. When they show up, you stop typing up company emails and sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, covering your bases, I know," you say before they begin. "Let's get on with it."

The meeting ends with "indeterminable". You may or may not have killed the Joker and while it's possible you could have, you also might not have. Schrodinger's killer if you will. You shrug and decide it's fine if they don't think you're totally innocent. Being around a family of detectives is just like that sometimes.

Soon after, Red Hood's movements sort of... halt for a bit. You think it might be because you wrecked all his plans by killing the Joker which oops, sorry, ruined his dramatic return and all that. He still clashes with the others and leaves hints dangling above their heads (you would know, you check the reports in the Batcave) but it's quite subdued.

Eventually, Bruce Wayne finds out Jason Todd's coffin is empty. Despite figuring out that Red Hood is Jason Todd, he doesn't tell anyone.

Because it's "dangerous" right now and "his safety is compromised", Tim gets grounded at Titans Tower. This is the first time your little brother has ever been grounded which is objectively, hilarious.

So, obviously, you "take a break" and go visit Titans Tower.

You're semi-suited up and masked (again, can't have two Robins here) to meet the Titans as kind-of yourself for the first time. They're, understandably, pretty shocked that you're meeting them not as Robin.

Anyways, since Tim is grounded and can't go out on patrol, he's stuck working on cases in the Tower. Looking over evidence, deciphering messages, etc, etc. He complains to you the entire time. Despite all this time, he's still the same as ever. Still your little brother. Still Tim.

Eventually when night falls, you usher him to bed with a promise to "take care of whatever is unfinished". Red Hood is coming tonight. You know he is.

In the dead of night, you wander and wait.

You arrive at the Hall of Fallen Titans. Jason Todd, in his Robin costume, stands before you.

The lights flicker.

"Jason," you tilt your head and let your footsteps echo. "You should come home."

Darkness descends.

Despite being a solid head shorter than him and nowhere near as built like a fridge as he is, you're absolutely certain that he won't attack. You're just "not-Robin" enough for him to pick up on the fact that something is wrong. You’re fairly certain he thinks you and Tim are the same person though.

Sure enough, when the brightness comes forth yet again, he has vanished.

You smile even as the alerts finally start going off.

The next day, Tim, who found out that Red Hood broke in while he was sleeping, gets kind of mad at you.

"What do you mean he was here?! Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I had it handled. Besides, it's just Jason."

"What? That's not the point!"

"It's fine," you insist. "Besides, you were so sleep deprived that it wouldn't make a different if you were awake or not."

Everyone knows it's Jason at this point in the aftermath by the way. It wasn't hard to piece together.

The Joker is officially declared "missing" but everyone knows that he's dead. You don't get accused of killing him again so you consider it a win. You do vaguely remember something in the comics about a whole separate confrontation with Red Hood, Batman and the Joker that didn't end well but um, you ruined those plans as well so you aren't really sure what's going to happen now.

Things vaguely simmer down afterwards. Red Hood is still active, of course, as well as the Bats and Birds but it's a smidgen more awkward, you think. You don't go out as Robin in this time but since everyone is still working overtime, you spend more time at the Wayne Manor then you normally would.

One morning, Jason Todd shows up at breakfast without a single word in advance.

Just waltzes through the front door and into the dining room where you’re seated, reading over a report from last night. He’s dressed like the exact same as usual just without the Red Hood mask. Seeing him up close now, he really only vaguely resembles the Robin you stalked in the past.

“Good morning,” you greet, just loud enough for Mr. Pennyworth to hear in the kitchen.

Jason remains silent for a few moments before responding. “… yeah. Good morning.”

As Mr. Pennyworth steps out, you slip away into the kitchen. You hear exclamations of joy and disbelief as you flip the eggs in the pan so they don't burn.

Tim shows up next, groggily wandering into the kitchen where you've prepared a cup of coffee. Once he's awake enough, he blinks at the scene in the living room. You watch with great interest as Tim drops his coffee mug that would have nearly shattered had you not caught it.

"That-? Jason Todd???"

"Yup." You nod and crack another egg into the pan. "Go out and say hi."

Dick Grayson walks in next and also freezes dramatically. You think he's started crying as he wraps his little brother in a hug. You nudge Tim out the kitchen as Bruce Wayne shows up. By the way, Cass and Steph are having a sleepover at Barbara's place so they aren't here.

Anyways, as that dramatic reunion is happening and you catch Jason Todd do a double take at Tim and you, you finish up the rest of breakfast and begin plating. And well, this is a good moment to remember so you snap a picture while you're at it.

*elden ring style title card*: family reunited

Whatever moral code issues they have can be dealt with later.

So, that was a whole thing. Hurrah for communication, you're very pleased that all that got resolved. Jason Todd isn't going to stop being Red Hood but they're worked something out that you don't care to be privy to. It's not perfect but it's something.

You have a couple of conversations when you cross paths. Apparently he remembered enough of you and Tim stalking him. You're kind of surprised. When the topic of Titans Tower comes up, you clarify that you were the Robin he saw there.

Apparently he did think something weird was going on back there. Good to know.

Things go badly again when Captain Boomerang breaks into the Drake manor the one night you're home. He and Jack Drake kill each other and you get injured in the scuffle. Dana Drake (the lady your father married at some point), suffers a mental breakdown and gets sent to a mental hospital in Bludhaven.

Yikes.

This is a really bad time. A really, really, bad time.

People filter in and out of your hospital room as you recover. You're like, mostly fine, you think. You'll be good after some bedrest. Anyways, you spend most of your time in the hospital planning for Jack Drake's funeral as Tim effectively bans you from doing work.

The funeral isn't really too different from Janet's. They were alright parents. Neither you or Tim are as broken up about their deaths as others think you should be. It's complicated.

However, this brings about the next issue. You and Tim are orphans now. Although you're an adult (barely), Tim is still a minor which means someone has to be listed as his legal guardian. He made up a fake uncle or something in the comics, right? But, since you exist, wouldn't you just be listed as his legal guardian now?

"Bruce offered to adopt me," Tim tells you one day as you're organizing the Drake manor.

"Oh, congrats?"

"I'm not sure if I want to be adopted though."

"You don't have to give him an answer right away." You shrug. "Think about it."

You do know that he does enjoy being at the Wayne manor for reasons other than vigilante business. He fits in well with the family and your mandated therapy for vigilantes and heroes has been good for everyone. You've been around enough to decide that Bruce would be a good enough dad.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" You blink. "What about me?"

"Are you going to let Bruce adopt you too?"

What.

"Why would he adopt me?"

Tim looks back at you in confusion. "Why wouldn't he adopt you?"

"I'm an adult?"

"Adults can still be adopted if there is a mutual agreement between parties."

"I'm not part of your vigilante party."

"I think he wishes we all weren't."

"I don't think they would all want me around?"

You were pretty sure the others thought of you as a weirdo who barged into their home to keep watch on Tim. You're mainly around because you're Tim's sibling and while they've bonded well with him, you're a whole different story.

Isn't it weird to also have someone who's just "Tim (little brother coded)'s sibling" also become their sibling?

Despite it though, Tim looks at you, aghast.

"Wait, we're getting off topic, this is about your adoption. No one's even offered to adopt me or anything-"

"No, we're continuing on this topic-"

It ends in a mild argument, really. Not seeing eye to eye and all that. Apparently though, the interactions between the two of you have frosted over enough that everyone starts commenting on it. Luckily (or unluckily depending on who you ask), the ice that formed gets broken by an unexpected variable.

Damian Al Ghul shows up at the doorstep of the Wayne manor.

You're the one who opens the door since everyone is preoccupied. Of course, you recognize him instantly. He really does resemble Talia and Bruce. Still, this is... a bit early isn't it? He's like, a literal child.

He greets you by your full name, hands over a stack of papers (which were DNA tests and a letter from Talia) and introduces himself.

"Okay," you sigh. "Come in. I'll call Bruce and he'll do his own DNA test just to be certain. Mr. Pennyworth can make you something to eat if you'd like."

Damian lifts his head dismissively. You can already tell he's going to be a brat but he's young enough that it's still cute. After calling Bruce who rushes back, doing DNA test and confirming that "yeah this is real", Damian is brought into the fold.

Man. The number of assassins and people trained by assassins in this household is rising yet again. You decide to firmly leave the matter of Damian to Bruce. His child, his problem. While he has a breakdown about this, you push him off to talk about it in therapy and start working with Alfred to get everything for Damian in order.

Damian doesn’t settle easily in the Wayne manor. He’s prickly, self centered and very proud of his parentage and training. You'd know. He's already gone on his spiel about "the blood son" and "becoming Robin" and all that.

Tim, who has temporarily stopped being mad at you because there's a new variable, is skittish.

"What if they give him Robin?" he confides in you.

"They won't," you say. "He isn't even allowed in the cave yet. Plus, the title is yours right now, if they do give it away, I'll deal with it."

"Family" dinner rolls around. Jason is here, surprisingly. Apparently he and Damian knew each other from the League. So naturally, Jason is his favourite sibling (or rather the only one he acknowledges).

You had planned to grab a plate and sneak off into your room to finish reading the quarterly budget reports but Alfred got a hold of you first so you’re stuck at the dinner table as Damian argues for why he should be allowed to become Robin.

“Damian,” you interrupt midway through the same argument you’ve heard several hundred times, “you haven’t even hit double digits yet. You’re far too young to be going out at Robin at the moment. Besides, you haven’t been properly trained as Robin nor are you aware of the rules. You’re unfamiliar with Gotham, patrol routes, the rogues and far more than you may imagine. There is more to being Batman’s partner than just whatever you’ve learned at the League. Although you may be ahead in terms of physical abilities, you lack the experience.”

You take a deep breath. “In addition, you have yet to balance the public attention that comes from being Bruce Wayne’s child. Your civilian life must be sorted out before any vigilante activities may occur."

You've been around Wayne Enterprises. His PR team is in a constant state of being on fire.

“Fine.” Damian scoffs but settles petulantly in his seat. "I suppose not all of you are incompetent. You are as well spoken as Mother described."

Talia Al Ghul? Talking about you? Can’t be anything good. You decide to ignore it and continue stuffing food into your mouth.

Damian gets enrolled in school. It’s going to be a little awful and he’ll hate it but it’s necessary. You make a goal to motivate him. If he gets good marks, he’ll be allowed into the Batcave. It’s an acceptable trade off.

Surprisingly, for normal issues regarding school, Damian starts going to Tim for advice. It's a good thing you think? They snipe at each other (very sibling coded) but there aren't any murder attempts yet.

Damian gets less prickly. He likes art. He likes animals. He'll reluctantly play along during Galas and let the old people try to pinch his cheeks and coo at him. It’s an improvement.

The topic of Tim’s potential adoption hasn’t come up again. When Jack Drake was in a coma, the two of you were technically placed under Bruce's care (or Alfred's rather) but everything right now is kind of still up in the air. Maybe if you ignore it long enough it won't exist.

The days churn on.

You check your calendar.

Meeting with Talia Al Ghul tomorrow at 3 PM.

At least she went through the Drake Industry protocols to book a meeting, you think optimistically. And at least it's not Ra's Al Ghul. It's been pretty quiet on that end actually, you would've been worried if Talia didn't show up soon.

You're still not sure why she booked a meeting with you and not Bruce though.

The meeting occurs in your office at the main Drake Industries building. There's a lot of small talk. A lot of skirting around topics. It's the same as every other time you've spoken to Talia. The two of you discuss Damian for a bit.

And then Tim breaks into your office. Actually, it's more like Tim and Damian and Bruce (all of whom are in civilian form) but you digress. Talia and Damian (and Bruce) exchange words (you've already said he seems to be doing well but this is probably better for them) before she decides it's time to go.

"You know how to book another meeting," you say as you wave her off. "I will let you know how it goes with Linda from accounting."

She nods in a suitably appreciative way that reminds you of your mother, "Of course."

You answer some questions about how many times this has happened before shooing everyone else out of your office so you can do work.

Later, at night, Damian approaches you.

"You were always her favourite of Father's other children."

"Favourite?" You look away from your laptop and fight the urge to grimace. Tim is Ra’s Al Ghul’s favourite so you aren’t really sure what being Talia’s favourite could mean. But most importantly… "What do you mean of Bruce's other children?

"Are you not Father's ward?"

"No? I've never been adopted by Bruce."

"Yet Grayson and the others refer to Drake as their brother."

"That's Tim. You don't see them calling me their sibling, do you?"

"Hm."

As he turns and walks away with a contemplative expression, you can't help but feel as though you had picked the wrong dialogue option.

The fic sort of set up like a 5+1 thing (five times Bruce is not your father and one time he is/five times the bats are not your family and one time they are).

Roughly, part one would start to the end of Dick Grayson as Robin. Part two is Jason up until Tim's first night as Robin. Part three is training to Stephanie's end as Robin. Part four is killing Joker to Jack Drake’s funeral. Five is post-funeral until the end.

And then of course, there's the plus 1. It's mostly set up as like an outsider POV, observing you from the perspective of others. Despite your narration indicating that you're "not that close" to the Batfamily since you aren't a full-time vigilante, that's not really true.

Your POV focuses a lot more on "plot events" and your work dealing with Drake Industries but there's a whole bunch of things outside of that where you're just hanging out. You go shopping with everyone, you bake cookies with Alfred, you teach Cass language, you take Tim to skateboarding competitions, you give everyone Christmas presents, you do so so much outside of what you consider “really important”.

Despite what you think, you’re a really good sibling actually and you have gotten close with everyone in the Batfamily. If only you could see it. Of course, it doesn’t really kick in how you think of yourself as an outsider until the whole adoption thing. Did all that time spent together not get through your head?

Some part of it might be the rough start when you and Tim first became involved. Your relationship with everyone is… complicated. More than complicated.

You spent hundreds of days and weeks bringing Bruce back from the brink after Jason’s death. You dealt with the brunt of the damage he caused in the time just to make things easier on everyone else. It’s not an exaggeration to say you remade Bruce, remade Batman, in the image you wanted. It’s a complicated dynamic. He concedes to you often, too often for the two of you to really hold a normal parent-child relationship in any sense.

His reflection on his interactions with you and Tim are also super complicated, especially since when Tim first got involved as Robin, Bruce was stewing in grief and really did not want the two of you to be around. He does appreciate you but winning your appreciation afterwards is difficult.

You've also spent a lot of time when you first met Dick to basically plaster in his face "even if you're mad at each other, Bruce still cares about you and you should come back to the manor sometimes". Although you encouraged Tim to hang out with Dick, you never really sought him out that often on your own. You always seem a little confused when he spends time with you, as though you're an obligation to him.

Jason's memories of you and Tim from before his death are spotty at best. He remembers vague feelings. Giving Tim a hug. 2 figures running along the shadows of rooftops. Hiding along the edge of the room at galas to avoid people and finding you and Tim there as well. It's enough that it's impacted his time at the League and his feelings after his dip in the Lazarus Pit.

Much of his anger was directed towards Batman more than it was towards the new Robin. Especially after recalling some of the bits and pieces of who the Drakes are. Talia's "favouritism" towards you may have helped a bit.

It's only really after he kind of rejoins the Batfam and you and Tim chat with him does everyone realize how far your stalking went in those early days. The two of you had alluded to following Batman and Robin around in the past but Jason really brings to light the amount the two of you knew before you and Tim actually got involved. It's a... conversation for sure.

You've spent much of your life basically raising Tim, you’re almost equally his parent as you are his sibling despite only being three years older than him. And well-

Across the multiverse, Tim finds that there are hundreds of thousands of constants.

You are not one of them.

He has met many alternate selves, enough that there are protocols for when it happens. There is always Batman. There are superheros. There is Tim Drake.

There is no (Y/n) Drake.

He has not come across a single universe where you exist. None except for his. It's a difficult truth to swallow.

In those glimpses of other worlds, he sees how different things could have been, how many things have fallen apart without you. How fundamental you are to everything.

But he knows you. He knows you better than anyone else so he isn't surprised when Damian says that you do not believe yourself to be part of the family.

The rest of the +1 segment is sort of your induction into the Batfamily for real and everyone making is very clear that they do view you as family (an effort spearheaded by Damian who snitched to everyone). You stop repressing a bit and admit to it eventually. The adoption topic comes up again where you're like "it's going to be a PR nightmare" and everyone's like "it's fine dw about that".

I think towards the end, both you and Tim decide that you're both okay with being Bruce's wards but don't want to really be adopted-adopted. Some stuff after that would probably be passing on the Robin mantle to Damian, Tim becoming Red Robin and maybe a Duke cameo towards the end as well.

Some additional notes:

There are some other dynamics with you and the other characters in the +1 section but uhh i haven't decided what kind of dynamic. There would be more slice of life stuff in +1 segment though.

Tim did not go to boarding school because Jack and Janet decided you could take care of him well enough. In addition, the Drakes moved to become neighbours with the Wayne early because baby you stared at the Wayne manor often.

Your relationship with Jack and Janet is complicated. Very complicated. You resent them a bit more than Tim might just due to the whole being parentified thing.

There's more gala shenanigans early fic w/ Dick and Jason before you and Tim get officially involved with the Batfamily. Like passing candy around, hiding from other rich people, etc.

Tim was Robin every single Halloween since Robin debuted. You helped him update the costume every time.

You go to Tim’s parent teacher interviews. It’s only a little awkward when the teacher in question was one of your previous teachers. No one goes to your parent teacher interviews.

Anyone who has had a crush on Tim or been in a relationship with him has gone through the very Bisexual experience of also having a crush on you. It's a rite of passage really.

You’ve accidentally Pavlov-ed Bruce. Kind of. He tends to straighten whenever he hears your voice. It's a remnant of when you were essentially nagging him all day while Tim was training to be Robin. You haven’t noticed but everyone else has.

Actually, everyone has an automatic response to when you scold them. It's kind of the same as when Alfred scolds them.

You are Tim's favourite sibling. No competition.

You might also be Cass's favourite. She was very sad to find out you didn't consider yourself family.

Tim figured out you killed the Joker at some point and you know that he knows. He hasn't told anyone and covered up any remaining evidence that helped him piece it together.

You've spoken with Jason about if he wants to legally come back to life and enroll in university. He does come back to life legally eventually but hasn't enrolled in anything yet.

Everything about the Joker is still kind of up in the air but you admit to Jason that you killed him at some point.

It is well known that there's normal Robin 3 and scary Robin 3 (you). There's a bunch of theories about why Robin 3 is scary sometimes but most chalk it up to occasional mental breaks from dealing with Batman during that specific time period where Batman was terrible.

Although Tim is probably the best detective in the family, everyone knows that you "just know things" sometimes. They've come to just not question it when you say certain things must be done.

There's a bunch of background company plot stuff while you're working on Drake Industries. Like beefing with Lex Luthor and other billionaires, running your charity events, trying to fill out the spaces where Wayne Enterprises hasn't been focusing on and so on.

Even after Jack Drake awakens from his coma, Drake Industries is still really your company. He doesn't involve himself with it.

the main Gotham job prospects aren't great. It's either working for a company run by a teenage CEO, a company run by a billionaire playboy or becoming a henchman.

You get kidnapped often enough that you've gotten to know the goons and henchmen. You've also convinced them to unionize.

Again, despite your whole thing about "not really being that close with the batfam", there are traces of you everywhere. The medbay organization system? Yours. The fact that everyone in the Justice League is mandated to go to therapy? Your work. A good chunk of the emergency codes? Also yours.

You and Alfred have an ongoing back and forth of: "Mr. Pennyworth", "Just Alfred, Master (Y/n)", "Please, just (Y/n)"

You have your own room in the Wayne manor. So does Steph.

You lowkey micromanaged everything in the early days of Tim becoming Robin. If anyone were to ask you, you'd say it was a necessity. You still kind of micromanage everyone's schedule to make sure they all get a sufficient amount of sleep.

The rogues who are aware of the whole Bruce Wayne is Batman thing break into your office at Drake Industries pretty often. You'll get them all to book their meetings officially eventually.

When you go out as Robin, you try to swing around Crime Alley since it's what Jason used to do.

The Justice League does eventually become aware of the fact that you and Tim are indeed different people posing as the same Robin. Superman and Wonder Woman were already aware prior to it being officially revealed.

You respect Alfred a lot but you also think he lets Bruce get away with a lot and that he isn't harsh enough sometimes.

The majority of the time, you're on comms with Barbara while the others are on patrol. When you're busy with other things, you work on it in the Batcave in case an emergency pops up.

Damian goes to you for help about what to do at galas and such events since you've been at that game the longest out of all the batkids.

You don't know much about what happens when the others meet alternate universe selves. Everyone tends to stay quiet about it. You always think "surely it's not that bad is it?".

Spin off idea: 5 times other people thought you were Tim and one time people thought Tim was you. Featuring: Teen Titans, the Justice League, Jason Todd, Batman, the rogue gallery and the various employees of Drake Industries and Wayne Enterprises.

A couple of au ideas: 1. you get sick and Tim calls the Waynes. Early adoption stuff; 2. you catch Jason digging out of his grave and is like “shit okay guess I’m doing this now”; 3. You become an intern at Wayne Enterprises a bit before Jason dies. You get stuck there even after your internship is after.

So, yeah. Isekai with incomplete knowledge. Family Drama. Unreliable narrators. That's the fic concept I'm probably never going to write.

[roseapov]

The Assistant

Jing Yuan x GN!Reader

Tw: stalking, death mentions, poisoning, framing for crimes, slavery, injustice, corruption of the judicial system, power imbalance, abuse of power, conspiracy and betrayal, yandere themes

Spoilers to the Luofu/Xianzhou main story

Povtober 2023, Day 23 [Masterlist]

A personal assistant who got sent over to the Luofu as a "get-well" gift between the Generals, that's who you are, or more like what you are.

Does it sound cliche? Does it feel dehumanizing? Being gifted over between others.. That's the fate of the closest workers between the generals in the alliance.

The strictly confidential informations the assistants are prior to are forever bounding and disposing of those who couldn't take the pression are but everyday matters. You knew what you were signing up for with this salary, hadn't you?

After the incident in the Ambrosial Arbor, the seat of Divine Foresight on the Luofu was a mess, even with Fu Xuan acting as a temporary General and Qingzu doing their best to handle all of the chaotic matters, one couldn't help but see how unruly it truly was.

The bedridden man was sentenced to rest in his private residency and could only lay in bed and watch as everything unfolded, seemingly not worried at all, but not everyone were completely sure the Jing Yuan would really stay in bed, and that's where you come in.

Send to yet another Xianzhou ship this month, this time to take care of the recovering male. The main focus of your job became entertaining the Dozing off General, preventing him from, at best - leaving the bed and at worst - leaving his house.

And soon you found out that this man really liked to tease you. Loved it even, much to your frustration.

Here you were running from one corner to another, with exactly: numerous herbal and fruit teas, a bunch of immortal delights, starchess boards, medicine, tons of snacks, books, some scrolls etc.

But the worst part was, when you thought that he would finally be still, when you closed your eyes, even for a brief rest, the man had already dissapeared, giving you yet another headache.

For a man supposed to be in bed-rest he certainly likes to run around..

You ran in your shoes, their sound reverberating through the whole mansion, looking for a place where the man could be in all the while praying to the Great Arbiter for the days to pass quickly so you could come back to your ususal more mundane duties. More preferably with another general..

Taking care of Jing Yuan is in fact way more lethal than it seems.. If even a hair were about to fall off of his head while under your care.. A shiver had went up your spine at the mere thought of the consequences that would await you, making you run even more faster.

...

The clouds were high on the sky, moving slowly without any rush, the sun was shining nicely and the little breeze was dancing along on the skin.

Long gone were the days where the General has been strictly forbidden from leaving his bed, now that the doctors had started allowing him to move freely within the range of his home.

This was also your most unideal situation. The piercing gaze of Jing Yuan was a force to be reckoned with, even when bedridden but now with him constantly on his feet, it subjected you to way more of his unnerving stares. Look, it's not that staring at you is an uncommon occurence, it's just that the way he seem to see right through you with that unwavering focus!

Every time you looked back, you could see either nothing at all or Jing Yuan doing some mudane things. That really made you think that you were just hallucinating and everything was fine, and it really was.

Until one day, he had asked you to make him a dinner. Which has never happened before, with him asking the cook to prepare the meals all of the previous times. Even the chef himself has seemed surprised, but then for a fraction of a second you could see a "so it is the time" look in his eyes.

You hadn't got any reason to refuse, too tired and not in the mood for arguments after endless hours of running after his whims, you swiftly started preparing the meal without a word. In the middle of the preparations one maid asked you for assistance, which you quickly agreed to after all, helping eachother always pays off, right?

The task was quickly finished and with heartfelt gratitude from the woman you came back to the kitchen, where you finished the meal in literal minutes, and went ahead to prepare the table.

The general is getting better and soon I'll be able to come back, you thought with cheerfullnes, no more feeling uneasy with the General presence and no more additional duties except your usual paperwork.

After you finished all of the preparations and finally went to search for the man, you were surprisingly unable to find him. After hearing a sudden thump sound behind you, as you wanted to turn around all you saw was darkness and then as you were falling out of conciousness you heard some faded voices of the other staff personel.

...

"No, I didn't! I had no idea it was there!"

After waking up you found youself inside the Luofu's Court room. Futile were your tries at defending yourself, all of the evidence was pointing towards you. But what evidence? You truly hadn't done anything!

Sadly the Judges weren't as merciful and the presented evidence indeed was all pointing against you. Worst situation ever, you thought as you silently cursed the mansion personel under your breath and to think you were going out of your way to be kind to them.

Taking the chance to poison the Luofu's General? How could you! - The crowd seemed to scream, their judging snickers and stares piercing through you like the most precise daggers.

No one believed your try at defence, no one also was listening to you explaining the truth - that you were framed, and yet everything fell onto the deaf ears.

But if Jing Yuan has ineed been poisoned then why is he standing in the corner of the room?! Are you the only one seeing him?! As you started to process the thought the verdict has already been set in stone. Your sentence was...

Becoming Jing Yuan's slave?! But that shouldn't happen?! If they believed that you tried to hurt him, why would you ever be allowed to be close with your almost victim! Has the Judges lost their minds?!

Why not death? Was that not the only end for those who betray the trust of their position? Of your position? Being an assistant for Generals is not a piece of cake for Aeon's sake! Besides weren't slaves and slavery frowned upon on the Luofu? Why this out of all the sentences?

The side spectators, the witnesses had also became shaken up to their core! A person trying to murder their leader will get scot off free and be close to him?! Do you want to give them another chance?! Have you lost your mind!?

As the main Judge has started to hit the gavel, the furious crowd has started to dispersed with time, spewing rumors and conspiracy theories along their way out. Looks like the press will be having a field day today..

But only two people were aware of the true nature of that verdict, one had a smug smile, watching with intent eyes from the corner while the other got a pouch filled to the brim. And only a gist of people knowing the truth about the evidence, a secret to be kept forever.

All for the sake of the Luofu! All for the sake of the General..!

Looks like you won't be assigned to anyone else ever again..

[roseapov]

The Assistant

Jing Yuan x GN!Reader

Tw: stalking, death mentions, poisoning, framing for crimes, slavery, injustice, corruption of the judicial system, power imbalance, abuse of power, conspiracy and betrayal, yandere themes

Spoilers to the Luofu/Xianzhou main story

Povtober 2023, Day 23 [Masterlist]

A personal assistant who got sent over to the Luofu as a "get-well" gift between the Generals, that's who you are, or more like what you are.

Does it sound cliche? Does it feel dehumanizing? Being gifted over between others.. That's the fate of the closest workers between the generals in the alliance.

The strictly confidential informations the assistants are prior to are forever bounding and disposing of those who couldn't take the pression are but everyday matters. You knew what you were signing up for with this salary, hadn't you?

After the incident in the Ambrosial Arbor, the seat of Divine Foresight on the Luofu was a mess, even with Fu Xuan acting as a temporary General and Qingzu doing their best to handle all of the chaotic matters, one couldn't help but see how unruly it truly was.

The bedridden man was sentenced to rest in his private residency and could only lay in bed and watch as everything unfolded, seemingly not worried at all, but not everyone were completely sure the Jing Yuan would really stay in bed, and that's where you come in.

Send to yet another Xianzhou ship this month, this time to take care of the recovering male. The main focus of your job became entertaining the Dozing off General, preventing him from, at best - leaving the bed and at worst - leaving his house.

And soon you found out that this man really liked to tease you. Loved it even, much to your frustration.

Here you were running from one corner to another, with exactly: numerous herbal and fruit teas, a bunch of immortal delights, starchess boards, medicine, tons of snacks, books, some scrolls etc.

But the worst part was, when you thought that he would finally be still, when you closed your eyes, even for a brief rest, the man had already dissapeared, giving you yet another headache.

For a man supposed to be in bed-rest he certainly likes to run around..

You ran in your shoes, their sound reverberating through the whole mansion, looking for a place where the man could be in all the while praying to the Great Arbiter for the days to pass quickly so you could come back to your ususal more mundane duties. More preferably with another general..

Taking care of Jing Yuan is in fact way more lethal than it seems.. If even a hair were about to fall off of his head while under your care.. A shiver had went up your spine at the mere thought of the consequences that would await you, making you run even more faster.

...

The clouds were high on the sky, moving slowly without any rush, the sun was shining nicely and the little breeze was dancing along on the skin.

Long gone were the days where the General has been strictly forbidden from leaving his bed, now that the doctors had started allowing him to move freely within the range of his home.

This was also your most unideal situation. The piercing gaze of Jing Yuan was a force to be reckoned with, even when bedridden but now with him constantly on his feet, it subjected you to way more of his unnerving stares. Look, it's not that staring at you is an uncommon occurence, it's just that the way he seem to see right through you with that unwavering focus!

Every time you looked back, you could see either nothing at all or Jing Yuan doing some mudane things. That really made you think that you were just hallucinating and everything was fine, and it really was.

Until one day, he had asked you to make him a dinner. Which has never happened before, with him asking the cook to prepare the meals all of the previous times. Even the chef himself has seemed surprised, but then for a fraction of a second you could see a "so it is the time" look in his eyes.

You hadn't got any reason to refuse, too tired and not in the mood for arguments after endless hours of running after his whims, you swiftly started preparing the meal without a word. In the middle of the preparations one maid asked you for assistance, which you quickly agreed to after all, helping eachother always pays off, right?

The task was quickly finished and with heartfelt gratitude from the woman you came back to the kitchen, where you finished the meal in literal minutes, and went ahead to prepare the table.

The general is getting better and soon I'll be able to come back, you thought with cheerfullnes, no more feeling uneasy with the General presence and no more additional duties except your usual paperwork.

After you finished all of the preparations and finally went to search for the man, you were surprisingly unable to find him. After hearing a sudden thump sound behind you, as you wanted to turn around all you saw was darkness and then as you were falling out of conciousness you heard some faded voices of the other staff personel.

...

"No, I didn't! I had no idea it was there!"

After waking up you found youself inside the Luofu's Court room. Futile were your tries at defending yourself, all of the evidence was pointing towards you. But what evidence? You truly hadn't done anything!

Sadly the Judges weren't as merciful and the presented evidence indeed was all pointing against you. Worst situation ever, you thought as you silently cursed the mansion personel under your breath and to think you were going out of your way to be kind to them.

Taking the chance to poison the Luofu's General? How could you! - The crowd seemed to scream, their judging snickers and stares piercing through you like the most precise daggers.

No one believed your try at defence, no one also was listening to you explaining the truth - that you were framed, and yet everything fell onto the deaf ears.

But if Jing Yuan has ineed been poisoned then why is he standing in the corner of the room?! Are you the only one seeing him?! As you started to process the thought the verdict has already been set in stone. Your sentence was...

Becoming Jing Yuan's slave?! But that shouldn't happen?! If they believed that you tried to hurt him, why would you ever be allowed to be close with your almost victim! Has the Judges lost their minds?!

Why not death? Was that not the only end for those who betray the trust of their position? Of your position? Being an assistant for Generals is not a piece of cake for Aeon's sake! Besides weren't slaves and slavery frowned upon on the Luofu? Why this out of all the sentences?

The side spectators, the witnesses had also became shaken up to their core! A person trying to murder their leader will get scot off free and be close to him?! Do you want to give them another chance?! Have you lost your mind!?

As the main Judge has started to hit the gavel, the furious crowd has started to dispersed with time, spewing rumors and conspiracy theories along their way out. Looks like the press will be having a field day today..

But only two people were aware of the true nature of that verdict, one had a smug smile, watching with intent eyes from the corner while the other got a pouch filled to the brim. And only a gist of people knowing the truth about the evidence, a secret to be kept forever.

All for the sake of the Luofu! All for the sake of the General..!

Looks like you won't be assigned to anyone else ever again..

[roseapov]

Honkai Star Rail: [Masterlist]

Series & AU's

Herta Space Station & Genius Society

IPC & The Intelligensia Guild

Jarilo VI & Xianzhou Alliance

Penacony & Amphoreus

Astral Express & Stellaron Hunters

Aeons & Other Factions

[roseapov]

Aeons & Others: [Masterlist]

Series & AU's

Nanook:

None

Yaoshi:

None

Others:

Black Swan:

None

Argenti:

None

[roseapov]

Astral Express & Stellaron Hunters: [Masterlist]

Series & AU's

Christmas Special 2023

Stelle:

None

Caelus:

None

March 7th:

None

Dan Heng: (Dan Feng link)

Childhood taint, Povtober 2023

Himeko:

Companion, Povtober 2023

Welt Yang:

Drawing, Povtober 2023

Kafka:

None

Blade:

None

Silver Wolf:

None

[roseapov]

Penacony & Amphoreus: [Masterlist]

Series & AU's

Sunday:

None

Robin:

None

Phainon:

None

Mydei:

None

[roseapov]

Jarilo VI & Xianzhou Alliance: [Masterlist]

Series & AU's

Christmas Special 2023

Bronya:

Adopted, Povtober 2023

Seele:

None

Natasha:

None

Gepard:

None

Christmas Special 2023

Jing Yuan:

None

Dan Feng: (Dan Heng link)

None

Feixiao:

None

Jiaoqiu:

None