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captaincryolicious · 2 years

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City Lights

➳ Alhaitham x gn!reader

➳ Oneshot ; 3k

➳ Kinda comfort? ; Reader has insomnia

Alhaitham has a little surprise in store for you when he finds you out on the streets of Sumeru City at night. [22.10.2022]

Zep's Note ; This is written while I couldn't sleep so I'm sorry for any mistakes and stuff that maybe doesn't make sense,, I'm so tired but I HAD to write for this man, I'm down horrendously ㅠㅠ.

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You weren’t sure what it was that kept the peaceful cradle of slumber from finding you nearly every night. It was as if it evaded you deliberately, the obstacles something as mundane as sleep had to take in order to reach you simply too big. Every night you were left to toss and turn in your bed. You were weary, head empty and your eyes stinging with sheer tiredness. But sleep didn’t come. Instead you were left wide awake, staring at the ceiling as you desperately waited for slumber to take you away.

But it wouldn’t happen, you knew all too well.

It was as if you were left to suffer when other people found peace in the night. You were deprived of said serenity, and wondered why in Teyvat you couldn’t just sleep. Every night seemed to be there to fight the same endless battle, one that you were bound to lose, anyway. So why did you continue to indulge in this everlasting brawl with slumber? There was no victory, or so it seemed.

You heaved out another sigh, the nth of tonight. Laced with sheer annoyance, it came out more as a growl and less as a puff of air that simply escaped your lips. You turned around, kicking off the duvet that covered your restless body. You’ve had more than enough. Every night you lay awake; it was unfair. You didn’t feel like being stuck in your bed any longer, for you felt like a prisoner, confined and smothered. So you got up, swinging your legs over the edge of the mattress until your feet touched the cold ground.

No plan, no destination. You didn’t care to check the time. You simply got dressed, taking only the necessities such as your keys, before heading out of your room. The wooden floorboards creaked under your tentative footsteps, but fortunately there was no one in the house who could be awoken by the sound. You lived alone, the residence would be vacant as soon as you walked out of the front door. Since summer had passed, and the nights had grown significantly colder, you grabbed a coat and shrugged it on. After slipping on a pair of shoes, you deemed yourself ready, flicking off the light and stepping into the darkness of the night. The door shut behind you with a thud and a click.

You were outside, with only one goal in mind; tiring yourself out. Of course you were well aware of the fact that going outside was more likely to have the opposite effect, for the crisp air would chase away the few crumbs or slumber in your being until you were wide awake again. But exhaustion had to catch up with you eventually. Maybe if you just kept walking around until the morning would come by, you’d grow so physically tired that you’d finally be able to collapse onto your bed and pass out. It sounded nice.

Every night you just lay awake, wondering thoroughly why you still bothered to climb into your bed. Hah, as if you carried with you any expectations of falling asleep when you cuddled up under your blankets. The thought made you smile bitterly.

More and more often, you spent your nights under the sapphire blanket that was the midnight sky. Being out in the open was many times better than being suffocated by your own perpetual frustration.

Plus, Sumeru City was night after midnight. Quiescent and serene, the empty streets filled with naught but silence. No merchants promoting their goods avidly, no children playing, no people talking. Only a few Eremite members of the Corps of Thirty stood guard here and there across the city, but they regarded you with a quick nod and didn’t bother you. It was nice to roam around the city like this, and you came out at night often to seek peace. The wind rustled the leaves that swayed on their branches, animals that dwelled the night scurried around in nooks and crannies, startled by your footsteps. Sometimes the rustling in the bushes made you a little uneasy, but you pushed away the feeling. Nothing but a few animals who went out at night, just like you.

You felt better now that you were on the streets. More free, less frustrated. You breathed in and out, relishing in the crisp air. You noticed how you weren’t feeling at all tired, yet the signs of exhaustion were so clear. Half of your footsteps weren’t as coordinated as you ambled over the pavement. You felt groggy, your head sometimes spinning as you swayed a few steps left or right unwillingly – like a drunkard, except that you drank nothing at all. Occasionally you would see things from the corners of your eyes, movements that were nothing but hallucinations that came forth from your sleep deprived state. It was so clear that your mind was begging for sleep but you couldn’t provide. Not yet.

“Y/N? What a peculiar hour to be out in town.”

There was wonder and amusement in the familiar voice that greeted you. Lowering your pace, you turned around slowly in order not to trigger another wave of dizziness. You had recognized the voice, but your dazed mind needed to see the face it belonged to before a look of recognition crossed your features.

“Alhaitham,” you greeted back, failing to hide the surprise you felt upon finding the Akademiya’s Scribe behind you. “What are you doing here?”

“I had some business to attend to,” was all he explained.

You nodded. His answer was quite secretive, lacking any details. You had expected no less from Alhaitham, for secretive was one of the adjectives that described him best. Hence you didn’t pry, and simply offered the man a tired smile.

“I see.”

“May I ask what you are doing here?” Alhaitham inquired, his turquoise eyes searching your face as if he could find the answer there. It was probably true; the permanent bags under your eyes would inform him of your insomnia right away.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately,” you sighed. “So I often go out at night because I don't know what else to do.”

You used your hand to cover up a massive yawn that stretched your jaw. You were growing tired, finally, but now that you ran into Alhaitham, you suddenly had yet another reason to linger outside just a little longer.

“And you roam the streets until you feel tired enough to fall asleep?” the man guessed. “Are you aware that Sumeru City isn’t exactly the safest place to be at night?”

“Why?” you asked. “It’s guarded by the Eremites.”

Alhaitham remained silent, but the look that crossed his face painted a thousand words. You figured he wasn’t too fond of the desert dwellers and dropped the subject.

“It just looks pretty at night,” you mused. “It brings some peace to my pestered mind and it helps me grow drowsy enough to catch some sleep when the morning rolls around. Usually.”

The tall male hummed, as if he just thought of something.

“If you like Sumeru City that much, I might be able to show you something you haven’t seen before.”

Your curiosity was piqued. You lightly tilted your head to the side, eager to find out what he was talking about. Even though you were pretty exhausted, and possibly able to fall asleep if you were to try now, you refused to miss out on the opportunity this night suddenly bestowed upon you.

“Well, show me,” you said eagerly.

“It’s a bit of a walk,” Alhaitham warned you. “You look like you can barely stand straight.”

“I’m fine,” you reassured him. Dizzy, but fine.

“Good,” he commented. “Let’s go then.”

He briskly started walking, and you followed after him. He took you through the streets of the city you lived in. While you admired what you saw around you, he walked silently and resolutely and you sometimes struggled to keep up. No one spoke a word. A part of you was dying to talk to him, but you wouldn’t know what to say. Alhaitham was such an enigma, seemingly so far out of reach. You were surprised that you even had him in your orbit.

The man led you up the paved walkways that sloped upward alongside the giant tree in the center of the city. The gentle upward slope tired you, but you persevered out of sheer curiosity. Where was he taking you? Your legs protested as you went higher, but it was as if a magnetic force pulled you after him. He had to slow down significantly and the look on his face when he glanced over his shoulder to look at you gave away that he expected you to fall asleep any moment.

Despite your utter exhaustion, you eventually caught on to where you were going. The familiar pathway guided you to the grand academy of Sumeru. Your tired eyes widened.

“But the Akademiya grounds are prohibited at night,” you pointed out, coming to an abrupt halt. You gazed at Alhaitham questioningly.

“Not when I’m with you,” the Scribe replied. “I’m allowed to come and go as I please, and since I took you here, so are you.”

That made so much sense.

You nodded and followed the male again. It was strange to see the Akademiya so abandoned. Usually these pathways were crowded with students and scholars and the whole area just felt hollow without them. If it wasn’t for Alhaitham walking ahead of you, you would’ve gotten the chills. Still, you gazed around curiously. How often did you have the chance to roam here at night? It was a first for you. The tall building climbed higher and higher, tall and intimidating yet still beautiful in the dark. Even now, far past midnight, there was still light behind some of the windows. You weren’t at all surprised that even at this hour some people were still studying. It was Sumeru after all, the nation of wisdom. The people here were going far to gain more knowledge; pulling an all-nighter was merely one of the milder things they were willing to do.

“Archons, where are you taking me?” you murmured.

“You will see,” came the simple reply. “We’ll be there shortly.”

You climbed higher, and at some point you were dragging your feet. Continuous yawns pestered you, and the magnetic force that initially had pulled you swiftly after him had worn off. You had to take every step by yourself now, and you were starting to regret coming along. Just what was it that Alhaitham wanted to show you? Why did you have to cross the forbidden Akademiya grounds in order to get there? Curiosity was the only fire that fueled you to push onward.

“Look at me.” Alhaitham spoke as soon as you reached one of the upper balconies. You obliged, your bleary eyes resting upon his stoic face.

“And now I want you to slowly turn around.”

You did, turning on your feet ever so slowly. Afore you stretched out a wide panorama view on Sumeru City, under the vast and cloudy night sky. Your draw dropped in utter awe, for the sight was beautiful as it unfolded like a still canvas painting. It portrayed the empty town from a bird’s eye view, the darkness that blanketed the streets littered with stars that were the streetlights. Faint moonlight, peeking through the deck of clouds, brought a calm hue to the scenery, painting the rooftops a pale white as they reflected the illumination from the celestial body. It was a sight so tranquil, and the final bits of frustration left your being.

“This is…” was all you managed to bring out. You were rendered speechless, and it wasn’t only because you were dead tired.

Alhaitham came to stand next to you, his hands finding the intricate balustrade between you and the mighty long fall. His face was relaxed, free of the stoic mask he perpetually put on. He looked younger, more open, as his turquoise eyes gazed out over the city below. For a moment, you couldn’t keep your gaze off him, and he either didn’t notice or he deliberately ignored it. You pursed your lips to stop a smile from forming. Alhaitham was handsome, you quietly admitted to yourself, and the beautiful scenery ahead of you barely had anything on him.

“I wanted to take you here and show you the view,” he bluntly admitted. “I often come here when something is bothering me.”

He looked at you, and that was your cue to look away. Your heart skipped a beat, and suddenly you found yourself having a lot of questions. Why did he take you here, when it was basically his special place? Why was he so willing to spend these nightly hours with you? And the most prominent question of all, what was it between you and Alhaitham?

Strangers that ran into each other too often to be considered strangers. Still, you weren’t much more than that. You barely knew anything about him, just like he knew next to nothing about you. But somehow, you ended up in each other’s orbit, spinning around one another and unable to leave. This night was a prime example of how it always went. You found each other by mere coincidence, only to be rendered unable to simply walk away. So often did you end up together, but never before had it been in the vulnerable hour of the night.

It enhanced the air of mystery that hung around him, and the secretive man only looked more attractive. There was something about him that lured you in. Would it be the same for him? You couldn’t tell. His demeanor never gave away anything.

“So this is like your special place,” you guessed after staring in silence for a while. “It’s so peaceful up here. You surely know how to make the best of your authority to come up here at night.”

“Hm, I wouldn’t go as far as calling it special, but go ahead if that’s what you deem fit for this place,” Alhaitham commented.

“I would come up here a lot, if only I was allowed to be here,” you mumbled. “It’s the perfect spot to wind down on nights where insomnia takes the best of me.”

“I can take you here more often,” the Scribe offered, his tone as even as always. “If you don’t mind my company, of course. If you rather spend your nights in solitude, I’ll let you.”

“No, it’s fine,” you quickly urged. “I would love to.”

Alhaitham hummed, tearing his gaze away from the scenery to narrow his eyes at you.

“Now tell me, Y/N. Aren’t you tired?”

“Exhausted,” you tiredly smiled. “And you?”

“You shouldn’t be concerned about that,” the male dismissed. “Let’s get you back to your house. You look like you can pass out any moment.”

Honestly, you felt that way, too. Your knees felt wobbly, your sight blurred over more than once and the strange hallucinations hadn’t ceased – they just didn’t bother you anymore now that the Akademiya’s Scribe was with you. But you knew he was right. Your nightly expedition had served its purpose and you were more than ready to go to sleep. You’ve spent a couple of hours outside in the night, and especially the last hour or-so you spent on the upper balcony awakened bits and pieces of slumber within you.

Finally.

“But what if I’m concerned about that?” you countered.

“That’s a wasted worry,” Alhaitham concluded. “Let’s go.”

His hand landed on the small of your back to urge you to walk gently, and you would’ve freaked out by the sudden gesture if you hadn’t been so dead tired. Fortunately for you, the darkness did well in hiding the blush that flushed your cheeks, but you let it happen. Who were you to complain? Even though your entire body felt heavy, his gentle urge made you feel like you were afloat for a few steps.

But the rest of the way down was tedious, and you felt ashamed of yourself as you nearly tripped over your own feet multiple times. Alhaitham was patient, matching his pace to the way you ambled over the paved streets. Was it only patience that slowed him down, or was he tired as well? He had to be, right? It was after midnight for him just as much. Though he didn’t show any signs of fatigue as he walked a little ahead of you. Alhaitham was, once again, a mystery to you.

He walked you all the way back to your house. To you, it was a miracle how you even managed to get there in your tired daze. But you did it, feeling all too relieved now that you were in the vicinity of your bed.

“Catch some sleep,” Alhaitham said. “You look dead.”

“Gee, thanks,” you yawned. “You, too.”

The male quirked a brow, and you quickly corrected yourself.

“Go rest, I mean,” you brought out. “You don’t look dead.”

“Of course I don’t,” he agreed. “Goodnight, Y/N. Until next time.”

The male offered you a curt nod before he turned around and walked away from you. You watched his back for a moment, considering to call after him to bid him goodnight as well. But you knew your neighbors wouldn’t quite appreciate that, so you remained quiet, taking the key from your pocket and unlocking your front door. Oh, as much as you liked your nightly expedition with Alhaitham, you were glad to finally be home. You stumbled inside, shrugging off your coat and slipping out of your shoes before you wandered into your bedroom.

Utterly tired out as you were, you collapsed onto your bed and buried yourself on your duvet. Your mind slowly went still, shutting down until only a pair of turquoise eyes occupied your mental images. You smiled, silently thanking Alhaitham for the pleasant night he had brought you.

And then you finally fell asleep.

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