Tragic Outcomes 2
Pairings: Xiao x fem!Reader x Zhongli
Summary: Ever since the incident, Zhongli has offered to take care of you while you heal from your injuries. You had endless nightmares and night terrors that prevented you from sleeping. Just when you thought that your torment was over, it seems like someone didn't want it to end.
Note: Hello, this is my mega late update because it's around 3 AM where I'm at and I am finally done with typing this story out! I had sociology midterms this week and everything has been hectic lately, so, I apologize for the late updates. I do have another midterm coming up along with an interview, so, I hope to get something posted that week as well! Hopefully not too late like this one. Yes, I made Lumine the bad guy for the plot. We know it was going to happen after what has happened in part one. know this gets really annoying because I post it in every single one of my posts, but to my new readers or returning readers, please understand that I post on AO3 as well, so, if you have an AO3 and see a work similar to this, it’s me (Aaliah_exo on AO3). I don’t post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).
Warnings: Emotional cheating (on reader's end), Lumine is a homewrecker and is possessive, attempt of murder
Word Count: 8.8k
Tragic Outcome Chapters: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]
A sharp pain shot through you as you flew into the cement wall; you crumbled to the ground, shaking from the pain. Blood drips down your face as you struggle to get up from the floor. Your heart was punching your ribcage, making you wince at the feeling. A chorus of laughter echos in your head, making you tremble. The dirt and dry grass crunching beneath the person’s footsteps as they approached you.
“For someone who holds a vision, you sure are weak.” The Fatui cryogunner legionnaire cackles as the Fatui electrohammer vanguard grabs you by the collar of your shirt and slams you against the wall. You grunted in pain as you felt the electrohammer vanguard grab onto your jaws tightly with his left hand.
“Aw, you seem like you’re in a lot of excruciating pain.” The Fatui pyroslinger bracer coos in a mocking tone; he lets out a laugh before pressing the barrel of his gun up against your temple. “I can end all of your sufferings by pulling the trigger if you’d like.” He smirks at you.
Gathering up the courage, you gathered saliva in your mouth and spat at the electrohammer vanguard’s face. Blood continues to cascade down your face, wincing in pain when the electrohammer vanguard tightens his grip around your jaws. The Fatui electrohammer vanguard’s face pinches up in disgust, wiping your saliva off of his face with his right hand.
“You’re going to regret that.” He growls, tightening his grip around your jaws further. You screeched in pain when he tightened his grip; you felt nothing but excruciating pain when your jaws snapped. The pain was endless as you continued to let out a blood-curdling scream, praying for Morax to just end your suffering already.
“[Y/N]!”
You continue to scream as the electrohammer vanguard tightens his hands around your jaws even more. If your jaw wasn’t broken before, it sure is now. You can taste your blood as it fills up your mouth. Blood drips from the corner of your mouth, the Fatui skirmisher’s laughter echos in your head.
“[Y/N]!”
Your eye snaps open; you look around the dark bedroom with panic. Zhongli was hovering above you, his hands caressing your face. His eyebrows were furrowing with worry. Your chest was heaving with every breath you took; your heart continued to race against your ribcage. Zhongli helps you sit up as tears pool in your eye. Ever since the incident, you have been experiencing constant night terrors. The nightmares would be about you reliving your torture. The night terrors wouldn’t stop, no matter how often you’ve gone to therapy for it.
Zhongli pulls you into his arms and onto his lap, holding onto you gently. “You’re okay. You’re safe with me.” Zhongli whispers.
You bury your face into his shirt; your tears stain his white silk shirt. You held onto his shirt tightly, clinging onto the former archon. The dark bedroom was filled with soft sniffles and small whimpers every now and then. No matter how tired you felt, you could never get proper sleep due to the night terrors. It’s gotten to the point where you would pass out from exhaustion, and Zhongli would find you passed out on the floor in the middle of the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, or the front yard.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Zhongli whispers, his lips gently brushing your earlobes. You shook your head and buried your face further into his chest. “You’re safe with me. They can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let them hurt you anymore.” He murmurs, gently rubbing your back.
“What if they do, Zhongli?” You whisper, “What if they came back to finish me off?” You pulled away from his chest, looking up at Zhongli with fear in your eyes. Tears began to make their way down your cheek as you swallowed the lump in your throat.
Zhongli gently cups your face in his hands, wiping the tears away. “I won’t let them put their hands on you. Never again.” He shakes his head, a deep frown appearing on his face. “Childe won’t let them put their hands on you ever again, neither will I,” Zhongli states, pressing a gentle kiss on your forehead.
You nod your head hesitantly before laying against Zhongli’s chest, closing your eyes as you snuggle up against him. You held onto his silk shirt tightly in your fist, afraid of letting him go. Zhongli wrapped both of his arms around your waist and reached over to grab the blanket from behind you before draping it over your body. After a while, Zhongli feels you become limp in his arms as your breath evens out. You had finally drifted off to sleep; Zhongli just hopes that you’ll be able to get some sleep without any night terrors. But ever since the incident had happened, you were having endless night terrors.
Zhongli can hear soft snores coming from you; a small smile appears on Zhongli’s face as he leans over to get a good look at your sleeping face. You looked so cute when you were sleeping. The way you’re curled up against Zhongli’s chest makes him feel warm and soft on the inside. He brushes your hair away from your face before kissing the top of your head. Zhongli leaned his head back against the wooden headboard and closed his eyes, feeling himself drift off to sleep. Zhongli opens his eyes and looks around the dark bedroom, narrowing his eyes.
“I know you’re there,” Zhongli spoke up softly, carefully trying not to wake you up. “Quite frankly, I know that you’ve stood outside the bedroom window every night to watch over [Y/N].” Zhongli feels you tighten your grip around his waist, still fast asleep.
“She’s been having night terrors endlessly.” He combs his fingers through your hair, “It has gotten to the point where she doesn’t want to sleep at all, fearing that she will dream of the horrors over and over again.” A small whimper escapes from your lips. Zhongli pulls you closer to his body and begins to whisper comforting words into your ears, hoping that it will calm you down as you’re in deep slumber.
“You’re safe with me, [Y/N]. No one can hurt you anymore.” Zhongli whispers; the soft whimpering is then replaced with a soft snore. Zhongli smiles and kisses the top of your head once more, “That’s my girl.” Zhongli smiles, continuing to comb his fingers through your hair.
Outside of the bedroom window stood Xiao. Hearing Zhongli’s quiet comforting words, your whimpers, and your cries made Xiao’s heart clench in his chest.
Ever since you have been released from Bubu Pharmacy, with the approval from Baizhu and the doctors from Sumeru and Fontaine, you have been staying over at Zhongli’s place. Due to the extent of your injuries, Zhongli has offered to care for you as you were slowly healing from the tragic incident with the Fatui Skirmishers. Even though you didn’t want to burden Zhongli, Zhongli and Childe insisted that you weren’t a burden at all.
“You should stay with Zhongli! After all, the trip back to Wangshu Inn is quite far, and you’re still healing.” Childe says, brushing a stray hair away from your face. “I also don’t want you to run into that awful adepti,” Childe mutters under his breath. While you didn’t hear Childe’s side comment, Zhongli did.
Zhongli clears his throat before speaking up, “What Childe is trying to say is that it’s dangerous to be walking back to Wangshu Inn on your own. You can stay at my place as you’re healing from your traumatic injuries.” Zhongli says, giving you a small smile. “After all, you have to go to Baizhu for a weekly check-up,” Zhongli adds.
“Alright then, but I don’t want to burden the two of you.” You frowned.
Childe groans and throws his head back dramatically, rubbing his face with his gloved hand, and sighs softly. “[Y/N], you will never be a burden to us!” Childe whines, gently throwing his arms around your shoulders. “Whoever calls you a burden, let me know, and I’ll handle them for you,” Childe whispers into your ears, kissing the top of your head.
“Wait, if I’m staying with Zhongli and he offered to take me under his wings and care for me, is Hu Tao okay with this?” You ask, looking up at Zhongli.
“Director Hu is okay with it as long as I show up to work when my help is needed. If she does need my assistance, I will bring you along with me, or Childe can watch you for the time being.” Zhongli answers. Childe nods his head happily with a smile on his face.
While it was nice of Zhongli to offer to care for you and have you stay at his place while you healed, Xiao was not happy about it when he heard the news from Paimon and the twins. Xiao was sitting on the wooden railing of Wangshu Inn when Aether and Lumine approached him with almond tofu in their hands. Aether offers Xiao the almond tofu as Lumine sits down beside Xiao. The twins talked about their commissions in Liyue Harbor and how Aether was forced to play as the pirate, despite wanting to be the good guy.
“I wanted to be the good guy for once, but Little Meng said I’ll be the good guy next time. It never happens! I’m always the bad guy somehow!” Aether groused, crossing his arms over his chest with a slight pout on his face. Lumine giggles and takes a small look over at Xiao to look at his reaction, but Xiao continues to eat his almond tofu. Lumine frowns and looks over at the horizon, her hands itching to grab Xiao’s hand.
“Oh! We also saw [Y/N] and Mister Zhongli walking around Liyue Harbor together! It seems like they’re very close together!” Paimon says, twirling in the air. Xiao stops chewing on his almond tofu and looks at Paimon quizzically. You were out of Baizhu’s care already? How long has it been since the tragic incident?
“Paimon thinks that Mister Zhongli and [Y/N] are dating! They look really cute together!” Paimon gushes, a big smile appears on Paimon’s face. Aether and Lumine glance over at one another, then at Xiao. Xiao swallows the almond tofu and places the plate down beside him.
“You saw them together today?” Xiao asks, clearing his throat, trying to act like the thought of you being seen with Zhongli didn’t bother him at all. Ever since the incident and witnessing how Zhongli looks at you, Xiao has been wary of leaving you alone with Zhongli. But since the twins and Paimon spotted you in the Harbor with Zhongli, looking quite close with one another, Xiao felt his heart clench in his chest. Paimon nods her head at Xiao’s question, not noticing that her comment was putting him in a bad mood.
“Yeah, they were walking around Liyue Harbor together. Because [Y/N] is still healing from her injuries, Mister Zhongli has been guiding [Y/N] around the Harbor.” Aether replies, watching the adepti closely. After Xiao has gotten back from visiting you at Bubu Pharmacy, Xiao has been acting off recently.
Lumine laughs nervously while Aether covers Paimon’s mouth, preventing her from mentioning other things about you and Zhongli. “You know, Xiao! I made you the almond tofu! I know how you like your almond tofu.” Lumine says, leaning close to Xiao with a shy smile on her face. Xiao hums, not in the mood to talk. He crossed his arms over his chest and got up from his spot. Before Aether, Lumine and Paimon could process what was going on; Xiao disappears in a puff of smoke.
Aether looks over at Lumine in disbelief, “Lumine! Were you trying to make a move on Xiao!?”
Lumine rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest with a huff. “I know he has feelings for me too, Aether! I’m not the only one that’s making moves on someone!” Aether looks at Lumine in disbelief before scoffing, rolling his eyes.
“Xiao has a girlfriend, Lumine. I never knew that you were a homewrecker.” Aether got up from his spot and hopped off of the wooden railing of Wangshu Inn. “Flirting and getting close with another girl’s boyfriend? I never knew you’d stoop so low, Lumine.” He shakes his head in disapproval.
“As if they’ll last any longer together.” Lumine snickers, hopping from her spot while dusting the dirt off her skirt. “[Y/N]’s going to choose Mister Zhongli over Xiao; I just know it.” She turns towards Aether and Paimon. “And do you know who is Xiao going to run to after [Y/N] chooses Mister Zhongli? Me, obviously.” Lumine brushes her blonde hair off her shoulders with a small smirk on her face as she bats her eyelashes.
Aether and Paimon frown at Lumine as she struts off; both Aether and Paimon look over at one another in disbelief; they were too stunned to say anything. Aether and Paimon have never seen Lumine so determined to make Xiao hers, especially when Xiao is already in a relationship with someone else that wasn’t Lumine. Although the relationship is strained at the moment, but Aether was not comfortable with the thought of Lumine and Xiao being together after something tragic had happened to you because of them.
Ever since Paimon told Xiao about how the three of them have spotted you in Liyue Harbor with Zhongli, Xiao has been on edge. While doing his duty to protect Liyue, Xiao would stop by Zhongli’s house at night to make sure you were safe and okay (how did Xiao know that you were staying with Zhongli? He may or may not have followed after you and Zhongli). And that you were not getting intimate with Zhongli. Although there are times when Xiao wouldn’t be standing outside the bedroom window to watch over you to make sure you were okay, other times his Karmic debt was so bad that he didn’t want to be near anyone as he was suffering.
Some nights, he would hear you let out a blood-curdling scream in your sleep. Xiao felt his heart tear in his chest at the sounds of your pained screams and cries. The pained screams and cries that he was supposed to put an end to, but instead, it was Zhongli that was comforting you. His arms around your fragile body, wiping away your tears, whispering comforting words into your ears as you whimper softly into his chest.
“You’re safe with me, [Y/N]. Everything will be okay.” Xiao hears, his heart drops to the pit of his stomach as a lump starts to form in his throat. He peeks into the window; he can hear his heart tear to pieces at the sight of Zhongli caressing your face in his hands, wiping your tears away with the tip of his thumb.
Xiao was the one that was supposed to wipe your tears away. Xiao was the one that was supposed to be comforting you after you had woken up from a nightmare. Xiao was the one that was supposed to be whispering comforting words into your ears as you buried your face into his chest, holding onto his shirt tightly for comfort. Xiao was supposed to be in Zhongli’s spot, but instead, he’s standing outside of Zhongli’s house, watching another man— the man he looks up to, comfort his girlfriend. The girl he failed to protect, the girl who was horribly injured because of him. Xiao clenches his jaws at the sight of you lying in Zhongli’s arms before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Xiao would be lying if he said that he didn’t want to break into Zhongli’s house and be by your side as you were sleeping. He missed the days when you slept peacefully in his arms, ignorant to the dangers lurking in the darkness. You looked so peaceful, and you weren’t traumatized then. But now, you had endless night terrors that would make you wake up in cold sweat or wake up screaming bloody murder. Xiao wanted to get rid of your night terrors, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to do so because he was the reason why you ended up in this situation. You can only see out of one eye; you’re still healing from other traumatic injuries that could have taken your life away. All of the injuries that you’ve gotten were because of him!
Xiao chose to help out Aether and Lumine with their commissions and left you all on your own. You wanted him to help you out with your commission so that you could spend at least one day with him before he went back to hang out with the twins. Xiao ignored your calls and cries when you were on the brink of death. The sound of you screaming his name with fear and anguish were endless echoes in his head; it haunts him every day.
If he had appeared before you in such situations, you wouldn’t have sustained such injuries. If Xiao had accompanied you on your commissions, you wouldn’t need to rely on others to care for your injuries, nor would you need extensive surgeries to prevent you from dying. If Xiao hadn’t chosen the twins over you, you wouldn’t be having constant night terrors to the point where you would refuse to sleep. If Xiao could turn back time, he would do it in a heartbeat. But fate was not on Xiao’s side—when was fate ever on his side?
Now here you guys are; you would be sleeping in Zhongli’s arms, occasionally tensing in Zhongli’s arms due to your night terrors while Xiao would be outside the bedroom window. Listening to your cries and whimpers as Zhongli tries to comfort you. It was a vicious cycle. As much as Xiao wanted to appear in the room to comfort you, he didn’t know if you would like to see him. Heck, Xiao doesn’t even know if Zhongli would want to see him either. Xiao knows for sure that Childe would be very unhappy if he were to see Xiao in your presence. Childe didn’t approve of your relationship with Xiao at the beginning of your relationship; now Xiao knows for sure that Childe hates his guts. Childe makes it known and very obvious that he hates Xiao’s guts. Xiao was pretty sure that you hated him too, especially since the argument the two of you had when Xiao first visited you at Bubu Pharmacy.
Xiao hates the thought of you being so close with Zhongli, the man that looks at you as if you’re his whole world. Xiao has never seen Zhongli look at anyone like how he looks at you whenever you’re around. Xiao lets out a shaky breath before disappearing into the night with a puff of smoke. Even though you and Xiao are far from one another, Xiao refuses to have Zhongli get so close to you.
You were roused from your sleep when the sun shined in your face, blinding you. You scrunched your face up and grumbled, burying your face into your pillow, and hugged the pillow tightly. Weirdly enough, the pillow was a bit harder than you thought. Subconsciously, you lightly squeeze the pillow. You hear a low chuckle as the pillow beneath your head bounces lightly. Your eye snaps open, and you look up at the supposed pillow. Zhongli was looking down at you with an amused look on his face. You feel your face heat up as you quickly sit up on Zhongli’s lap, face burning from embarrassment. You just groped Zhongli’s back. At least it wasn’t his ass; that would’ve been way worse.
“How long was I asleep?” You ask, looking away from Zhongli shyly.
Zhongli smiles, “You slept for the entire night. Thankfully, you didn’t wake up from a night terror after you’ve fallen asleep.” Zhongli replies. You leaned over to get the eyepatch on the nightstand and begin putting it on. Ever since you chose to remove the eye that no longer works, wearing an eyepatch felt a little bit strange. To be really honest, seeing out of one eye was even more complicated than you thought it would be.
You smiled shyly, “It’s all thanks to you, Zhongli.” You fumbled with the drawstring on his pajama pants. “I was able to get some sleep because you make me feel safe.” Your face starts to turn red. “I feel safe when I’m with you, and I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me.” Zhongli gently grips your chin and tilt your head up. You look up at Zhongli meekly as the both of you stare into each other's eyes (eye?).
“I’ll do anything for you, [Y/N]. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe at all times.” Zhongli whispers, his thumb brushing your bottom lip. “I will make sure that nothing shall harm a single hair on your head.” You couldn’t help but look down at Zhongli’s lips, then back up at Zhongli’s eyes. Zhongli has not taken his eyes off you one bit; he watched you look down at his lips then back at his eyes, clearly in a trance.
“Zhongli—” You were cut off by the sound of knocking coming from the bedroom door. Both you and Zhongli look over at the door, only to see Childe peek his head into the bedroom with a bright smile on his face.
“Knock knock! Good morning, lovebirds!” Childe chirps, walking into the bedroom with a cheeky smile on his face. “I stopped by with some breakfast! Something delicious for the both of you! Mainly for [Y/N] because she did get the wires removed from her jaws yesterday.” Childe claps his hands happily.
“How generous of you, Childe,” Zhongli says; you smile and nod your head. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get into my house?” Zhongli raises his eyebrow at the ginger Fatui Harbinger.
Childe laughed nervously and held up the housekey in the air. “I may or may not have duplicated the housekey. I did the same with [Y/N]’s room at Wangshu Inn.” Childe says. You blinked at Childe, not sure how to respond to Childe’s explanation. “It’s a little bit creepy, but I did it for a good reason!” Childe argues, pouting dramatically.
“A little bit creepy?” You ask, looking at him skeptically.
“Okay! Fine, it’s really creepy! The breakfast is getting cold on the dining table! Get your lazy butts off the bed and go eat, or else it’ll be cold by the time you get to the table!” Childe whines. You sighed softly and got off of Zhongli.
“At least let me get ready for the day.” You limped over to the bathroom and closed the door behind you.
Even though you broke your leg, Doctor Baizhu and the doctors of Sumeru and Fontaine have you come into Bubu Pharmacy to get your weekly check-ups. The check-ups consisted of the three of them healing your broken bones gradually. While letting you heal naturally seemed like a good idea, you begged them to heal you much faster because you didn’t want Zhongli or Childe to look after you constantly. Even though you appreciate their offer to help you heal, you couldn’t help but feel guilty for doing so because you feel like you’re taking them away from their important duties. Whether it’s Childe’s Fatui business or Zhongli’s job at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, you didn’t want them to miss important things at work so that they could take care of you.
While your leg is still healing, it was definitely not in the same condition as it was when you first came out of surgery. You could say the same for your other broken bones; they’re not in the worst state as it was last time, but it’s healing. You stared into the mirror and hesitantly took off your eyepatch and gazed into the mirror. You didn’t look like yourself anymore. You didn’t feel like you were looking at your own reflection; it was like you were looking at a stranger instead.
You reached up and touched the scar, wincing in pain when your fingers brushed over the spot. Yeah, maybe it wasn’t the best to touch a scar from a recent surgery. Perhaps you can talk to Doctor Baizhu and the two doctors from Sumeru and Fontaine on healing the scar much faster.
While you’re in the bathroom getting ready, Childe nudges at Zhongli with a suggestive look on his face as he wiggles his eyebrow with a smirk on his face.
“How was your cuddle with [Y/N]?” Childe asks innocently; Zhongli rolls his eyes, stands up from the bed, and walks over to his closet to get ready for the day. “I saw how the two of you were cozying up with one another.” Childe sings, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Childe, I was comforting [Y/N] from her night terrors last night, and we both fell asleep,” Zhongli says simply, opening the closet door to pick out his usual attire.
Childe furrows his eyebrows in confusion at Zhongli’s comment, “Night terrors?” Childe asks, leaning against the dresser. “She has night terrors?” Zhongli nods his head with a soft sigh.
“Ever since she has been released from Bubu Pharmacy, [Y/N] has been plagued with nightmares of the time the Fatui Skirmishers attacked her.” Zhongli closed the dresser’s door with a sigh. “[Y/N] would be whimpering, crying, sometimes even screaming in her sleep.” Zhongli sighs softly and runs his hands through his hair.
“This all started because of the incident, correct?” Childe asks, clenching his jaws. Zhongli nods his head, “That’s correct.”
Childe scoffs and shakes his head, “I’m going to kill that fucking adepti.” Childe mutters, his hands clenching into a fist. Zhongli shoots Childe a warning glare; before Zhongli could say anything, you walked out of the bathroom.
“Who’s going to kill who?” Childe and Zhongli look over at where you’re standing. You yawned and plopped face down on the bed, still exhausted from lack of sleep. If only you could fall asleep without any issues, that would be amazing.
Childe lets out a fake laugh and scratches the back of his neck, “Just talking about how I’m going to kill the trainees if they cause any trouble!” Childe replies. You reached up and grabbed a pillow before hugging it against your chest. “You’re not going to go and eat breakfast?” Childe asks, sitting down beside you.
You sighed softly, “I do want to eat, but I’m so exhausted.” You whispered, snuggling up against the pillow. “I can pass out asleep right now if I wanted to, but that wouldn’t last long at all.” You sat up on the bed with a huff and tossed the pillow back to where it was previously.
“Have you thought about asking Doctor Baizhu to prescribe you some medication to help you sleep?” Childe asks, brushing your messy hair with his fingers. You shook your head with a frown.
“Even if I did ask him to prescribe some medication for me, the nightmares will still plague me.” You laugh sarcastically. “It’s endless, and it just won’t stop, no matter how much I wanted it to.” You rubbed your eye tiredly.
Childe huffs, “Yeah, I’m definitely going to kill him.” He crosses his arms over his chest with a deep frown on his face. Too tired to say anything, you plopped back on the bed and closed your eyes. “But you should get something to eat! It’s not good to skip out on meals, you know.” Childe scolds you, gently poking the side of your head.
You cracked your eye opened and glared at him, “I know that, Childe. I don’t think I have the energy to get up and eat, though. I’m too tired, and I just want to sleep in all day and do nothing at all!” You grabbed the blanket and tossed it over your head.
“Oh, no, no, no! Get your butt out of bed, missy! We are going to have you eat some breakfast and enjoy the sunlight in Liyue Harbor!” Childe clicks his tongue. He got up from the bed, threw the blanket off your head, and lifted you up in his arms. You groaned and lightly slapped his shoulder as he carried you out of the bedroom.
Childe gently puts you down on the chair and grabs a fork and spoon to feed you. You stared at him, unamused as he poked your lips with the spoon. “Eat!” Childe says, probing your lip with the spoon full of scrambled eggs. You huffed and opened your mouth, letting Childe feed you scrambled eggs.
You chewed the scrambled eggs and swallowed it before speaking up, “You know I can feed myself, right? I did have a broken arm, but I have another functioning arm.” You said, waving your uninjured arm around. You hear Zhongli chuckle from the kitchen as he prepares to make some tea to drink.
Childe grins cheekily, “I know that! But I know how stubborn you are when you’re sleepy, so I’ll be feeding you until you finish everything on this plate!” Childe says as you roll your eyes.
Sighing in defeat, you nod your head. “Alright, if it makes you happy.” You said reluctantly. Childe grins in victory before continuing to feed you breakfast.
Soon enough, you found yourself sprawled out on the couch with a full stomach. Childe fed you so much food that you felt like you were going to burst. Childe rubs your head affectionately and sits down above your head, lifting your head to make you rest your head on his lap. “Now, what do you think about taking a stroll in Liyue Harbor?” Childe queried; you groaned and covered your face with your hands. “How about later after my nap?” You ask.
“What about your night terrors?” Childe asks; you deflate at the mention of your night terrors. “Or nightmares, whichever is the correct one,” Childe adds, stroking his chin with his thumb and index finger. Right. The only thing that was preventing you from getting any proper sleep was your night terrors and nightmares. Quite frankly, you’re having both. One night, you’d wake up screaming and crying from the nightmare. Other nights, you’d wake up to Zhongli shaking you to wake up while you were still dazed from your slumber, not knowing why he woke you up.
You sighed in defeat and sat up on the couch, “Yeah, let’s go for a walk in Liyue Harbor instead.” You gave Childe and Zhongli a weak smile. “Even though I feel like a zombie.” You muttered, stretching your arms in the air with a yawn.
You’d expect to be out on a walk for around two hours, but it ended earlier than you expected. Mainly because you have an appointment with Baizhu, and Childe completely forgot about it (so did you), and Zhongli had to remind the two of you about the check-up. Long story short, the check-up went well! Baizhu says that you’re healing perfectly fine, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, and he even put numbing cream on your eyelid because you complained to him that the scar on your eyelid was hurting. After that, Baizhu prescribes you some pain medication before sending you off on your merry way, with Zhongli and Childe following behind you.
“I wish I could ask for some sleep medication, but it won’t stop the nightmares.” You sighed, crossing your arms over your chest. “I would kill for some sleep right now.” You rubbed your eye tiredly.
“Hey, I could kill something too!” Childe shrugs his shoulder with a smirk. You glared at Childe and gently elbowed him with a frown on your face. You already knew what Childe was implying by the look on his face, and apparently, so did Zhongli.
Zhongli shook his head with a sigh, “I am hoping that you are talking about your business for the Fatui.” He crosses his arms over his chest. Childe looks away from Zhongli’s scrutinizing gaze with a whistle; he sways to the side slightly, feigning innocence.
Before Childe could say anything, the three of you heard someone calling Zhongli from afar. Zhongli and Childe turn around, only to see Aether, Paimon, and Lumine approaching the three of you. Your heart drops to your chest as you look away from the approaching trio, feeling your heart thump against your chest. Xiao wasn’t with them, right? It’s not like you don’t want to see him at all; it’s just that you didn’t want him to see you in this condition even though he has seen you in the worst state possible.
“Hey, [Y/N]! Glad to see you out of Doctor Baizhu’s care!” Aether chirps, approaching you with Paimon following behind. You gave Aether a fake smile and waved at them as they got closer to you. “How are you feeling?” Aether asks softly.
“O-Oh, I’m feeling okay! Definitely better than before, that’s for sure.” You said, subconsciously rubbing your arm as you avoided eye contact with him. “I actually just got out of my check-up with Doctor Baizhu.” You said, looking over at Bubu Pharmacy.
Paimon sighs in relief, “That’s good to hear! We have been worried about you! Especially Xiao!” Paimon exclaims; you look at Paimon in shock. You hear Childe scoff loudly with an eye-roll at the sound of Xiao’s name.
“You look exhausted,” Lumine commented, approaching you, Aether, and Paimon. You couldn’t help but tense at the sight of Lumine. The last time you heard of Lumine, Childe was telling you about how cozy your boyfriend and Lumine were with one another when he saw them. Lumine, the girl that your boyfriend has been showing affection to. Lumine, the girl that Xiao is willing to help out in a heartbeat if she were to ask for his assistance. Lumine, the girl that Xiao wouldn’t hesitate to be at her side if she were to call for him. You’ll never be like Lumine. You’re not strong like Lumine or pretty like Lumine. Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach.
“Lumine! That’s rude!” Aether hissed, lightly hitting her arms with a glare. Lumine ignores Aether’s scolding and continues to eye you from head to toe, sizing you. You couldn’t help but feel insecure under her gaze. You knew she didn’t like you because you were with Xiao, and she’s not.
She tilts her head to the side, “I’m glad to see you all better! You made Xiao very worried!” Her bottom lip juts out slightly. You couldn’t help but feel like she was subtly mocking you with the way she expressed her concerns. “I wanted to know why you wanted another man to care for you instead of your boyfriend.” Lumine crosses her arms over her chest. Her eyebrows narrow as she keeps her gaze on you.
You cleared your throat, “Zhongli offered to care for me while my injuries healed. I have weekly check-ups with Doctor Baizhu, and both Zhongli and Childe think that it’s best for me to remain in the city.” You explained, feeling beads of sweat form on the back of your neck. “While I did want to return to Wangshu Inn, Childe and Zhongli say that it’s too dangerous for me to head back to the Inn on my own.” You add.
Lumine giggles softly, “Aw! That’s so sweet of them! But you are a vision holder, aren’t you? How could you, a vision holder, be so weak?” Lumine asks; you frowned deeply at her rhetorical question.
“That’s enough, Lumine!” Aether scowls, pulling her back by her arms. Your shoulders slump down, insecurity and doubt start to gnaw at you. Lumine rolls her eyes and pulls her arms away from Aether’s grasp with a huff of breath.
“Don’t listen to Lumine, [Y/N]! You just received your vision not too long ago! You’re still new to this!” Paimon panics as she catches the sight of forming tears in your eyes.
Zhongli wraps his arms around you and starts pulling you away from Paimon and the twins. “I believe that’s enough. Aether, Paimon, Lumine, good day.” Zhongli says, giving the trio a stiff nod before guiding you away from them. Before you can walk passed the group, Lumine grabs you by the injured arm and whispers into your ears.
“Even though he is your boyfriend, he will be mine at the end of the day whether you like it or not.” Lumine hissed. You yanked your arms out of her grasp before walking off with Zhongli and Childe in tow. You were upset that Childe and Zhongli didn’t say anything when Lumine was saying such things to make you feel doubtful about your relationship with Xiao and your overall skill as a vision holder.
Other than dating Xiao, you didn’t know what caused Lumine to harbor such hate towards you. You hardly interact with the blonde girl and her brother. Quite frankly, you find it pathetic if her only valid reason to hate you was because of your relationship with Xiao. It was pretty embarrassing, really. Now that Lumine has claimed that she and Xiao would be with one another at the end of the day, it makes you even warier at the thought of Xiao and Lumine being alone with one another. What is she up to, and what stunt is she willing to pull to have Xiao all to herself?
“You know, the option still stands,” Childe speaks up, breaking the silence. You turn to Childe, looking at him in confusion. “I can kill someone or maybe even two people if you’d like for me to do so,” Childe suggests.
You shook your head, “Childe, don’t do it. It’s not worth the time or effort.” You whispered, swallowing the lump in your throat as you tried to keep your tears from falling. Which you clearly failed, tears slowly glide down your cheeks. You looked away from Childe and Zhongli, wiping your tears away shakily. “Maybe it’s best for me to end my relationship with Xiao. After all, they do want each other, and Xiao seems to care about Lumine more than he ever cared about me.” You whisper as tears continue to roll down your cheeks endlessly.
Zhongli wipes your tears away and pulls you into his arms, whispering comforting words into your ears as Childe was in the background, debating if he should go against your words and kill someone or listen to your wishes. Seeing how upset you are, Childe sighs in defeat and chooses to listen to your desires instead, even though his hands are itching to shed some blood.
The next few days were rough on you. Not only were you constantly terrorized by your nightmares and night terrors, but the words that Lumine has said to you continuously echoed in your head. You couldn’t get the image of Xiao and Lumine holding hands and being lovey-dovey with one another out of your head. Childe and Zhongli tried their best to get your mind off of it, while it did work for a little bit, these thoughts would return to you at night.
These thoughts kept terrorizing you. You hardly ate, barely slept, and did not want to get out of bed. All you wanted to do was to sleep all day and get some peace for once. Zhongli was not happy, and neither was Childe. Instead of taking his anger out on Lumine and Xiao, Childe took his anger out on those who failed to pay their debts to the Fatui. Zhongli remained by your side, refusing to leave until you ate something, and he made sure that you didn’t skip out on any showers because he knew how much you loved your showers. It was a way for you to relieve your stress and take your mind off of things for thirty minutes.
You were laying in bed, blanket up to your chin, tears staining the pillow beneath you. Zhongli was lying right beside you, gently stroking the side of your head. Occasionally, he would wipe the tears away if they were to make their way down your flushed cheeks. He gently pulls you into his arms; you immediately wrap your arms around his waist and press your face up against his chest.
“It’s okay to cry, don’t bottle it all up,” Zhongli murmurs, pressing his lips on your forehead. He stroked the back of your head gently and closed his eyes, wrapping the blanket around you tighter. Your bottom lips trembled, your face pinched up before being buried against his chest. You clutched onto his shirt tightly, afraid of letting go. You didn’t want to cry anymore; you’re tired of crying over your nightmares, Xiao and Lumine being together, and you being left in the dust.
You sniffed, hugging Zhongli’s waist tighter. “I don’t want to cry anymore, it makes me feel really tired, and I can’t get any sleep because nightmares are constantly terrorizing me.” You whined, clumsily sitting up on the bed while wiping your tears away. You turned towards Zhongli as he sat up on the bed, pulling you into his arms. Your head was tucked underneath his chin as your arms snaked around his slim torso, resting against his muscular chest. “Zhongli?” You whisper softly.
“Yes, [Y/N]?” Zhongli murmurs; you look up at Zhongli as he gazes down at you, wiping a stray tear away from your jaw.
You let you a shaky breath, “Can you help me forget all of the bad things?” Zhongli looks at you quizzically, not understanding what you were requesting for him to do.
“And how do I make you forget all of the bad things?” Zhongli whispers, brushing your hair away from your face.
What Zhongli expected was for you to mention a short get-away vacation to Mondstadt or to Qingce Village. What Zhongli did not expect you to say was, “Give me amnesia.” Zhongli stared at you in shock while you were staring at him expectantly.
Zhongli shakes his head rapidly, “No. There is no way I am going to give you amnesia.” Zhongli replies; you pouted at his immediate rejection.
“Why not!?” You whine; Zhongli sighs in response.
“I do not wish to harm a hair on your head, [Y/N],” Zhongli says, gently pressing his thumb on your bottom lip with a small chuckle. “I do not plan on harming you either. Whether you like it or not.” Zhongli adds, biting back a smile when you stare at him owlishly.
“So that’s a no?” You ask; Zhongli laughs and nods his head.
“Indeed, that is a no,” Zhongli says; you groaned and plopped back on the bed with a dramatic pout on your face. Zhongli stared at you in amusement as you grumbled under your breath, pulling the blanket up to your chin with a huff.
Zhongli lies beside you, “Do you want to know why I said no?” You looked over at him and nodded your head in response. “Amnesia is where you lose almost all of your memories. The good and the bad memories. Plus, I don’t want you to forget about me.” Zhongli says, gently combing his fingers through your hair.
“I’ll never forget about you, Zhongli.” You whisper, gently caressing his face in your hand with a tiny smile on your face. “Never in a million years.” You added, scooting closer to Zhongli and wrapping your arms around his waist.
Finally, for once, you have fallen asleep in Zhongli’s arms. You did not have any nightmare or night terror for the first time that night. Not a single whimper, cry, or scream came from you. You peacefully slept throughout the entire night in Zhongli’s arms, safe and sound.
Xiao was getting tired of Lumine following him around like a lost puppy, leaving lingering touches and giving him a lovestruck stare. As much as Xiao liked Lumine, he was getting tired of having her call for him and ask for his assistance. Yes, Xiao didn’t mind helping Lumine and Aether out with their commissions, but it has gotten to the point where Lumine would call him whenever she’s feeling bored or lonely. Xiao did not have the time for silly games; he was responsible for protecting Liyue from danger. With Lumine constantly calling out his name, it was getting in the way of his job.
Sighing in frustration, Xiao turns towards Lumine with a glare. “Lumine, I do not have the time for your silly games right now.” He crosses his arms over his chest. Lumine pouts and mimics his action by crossing her arms over her chest as well.
“Well, you’ve been so busy that I didn’t get to see you at all this week!” Lumine says, giving Xiao the puppy dog eyes. “Is it bad for me to want to see you?” Lumine asks, leaning close to Xiao. Xiao backs up and raises an eyebrow at Lumine.
Aether sighs and runs his hands through his blond hair, shaking his head in disbelief. “Lumine, leave Xiao alone! Clearly, Xiao is not interested in you! Can’t you take a hint? You’re like those annoying dendro slimes.” Aether grumbles, ignoring the glare that Lumine shot in his direction.
“Stay out of it, Aether!” Lumine scowls, her hands clenched into a fist. Oh, how Lumine is so tempted to hit her brother in front of the adepti. But she held herself back from doing so, only because she didn’t want to look bad in front of Xiao.
Lumine grabs Xiao by the wrist and pulls him up towards the balcony where he usually stands, leaving Aether and Paimon behind. Lumine leans against the wooden railing and lets out a wistful sigh; Xiao stands five feet away from Lumine with his arms over his chest. Xiao was not in the mood to deal with whatever Lumine was trying to do, so Xiao turned around and started leaving, but Lumine caught him by the wrist.
“Please don’t leave, Xiao!” Lumine begs, moving to stand in front of him with a frown on her face. Xiao closed his eyes and exhaled slowly; he could feel his patience wear thin as he slowly opened his eyes and stared at Lumine.
Rolling his eyes, he pulls his arm out of Lumine’s grasp. “I do not have the time for whatever you dragged me here for. I have important duties to attend to; I don’t have all day.” Xiao states.
“I like you!” Lumine blurts out, Xiao’s eyes widen slightly at Lumine’s sudden confession. “I like you so much, Xiao! I’ve had feelings for you ever since you saved Aether and me from falling from the Jade Chamber!” She walks towards Xiao; Xiao starts to walk backward as Lumine continues to walk towards him. “I was going to confess to you, but then I found out that you had a girlfriend.” Lumine frowns, feeling her heart drop to her chest.
Lumine now has Xiao cornered against the wall of Wangshu Inn, her hands caging him against the wall. Xiao did not show any emotions on his face, much to Lumine’s disappointment. “Why would you stay with someone like her? You don’t even care about her!” Lumine demands, glaring at Xiao. “I am more capable than [Y/N]! She doesn’t even know how to use her vision! She’s weak and pathetic!” The words dripped with venom as she clenched her fist tightly.
Xiao pushes Lumine away from him and sends a glare her way, “Don’t you dare speak about [Y/N] that way!” Xiao growls. Before Lumine could say anything, Xiao disappears in a puff of smoke.
Lumine collapsed to the ground, hitting her fist on the wooden floor, and growls in frustration and anger. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up, her chest heaving with every breath she took. “If I can’t have you, then no one can.” Lumine spat, getting up from the floor before stomping down the stairs of Wangshu Inn, ignoring the looks she was receiving from the visitors.
“It’s nice to see Wangshu Inn again. It’s been a while since I’ve been here.” Lumine glances over towards the direction where the voice came from. You and Zhongli walked side-by-side, admiring the sky, content with each other’s presence. Lumine clenches her jaws, and her sword immediately appears in her hands as she slowly makes her way towards your direction.
“Do you wish you stay at Wangshu Inn?” Zhongli asks, looking down at you curiously. You shrugged your shoulders in response.
“Even though I miss Wangshu Inn, I prefer to stay with you. I feel safe whenever I’m near you.” You gave him a shy smile, feeling your cheeks heating up. Zhongli smiles, feeling the apples of his cheeks grow warm at your response. Right when Zhongli opened his mouth to say something, the two of you heard rapid footsteps approaching you two. You looked up and saw Lumine charging towards you with her sword pointed at you, the sun reflecting off the blade. You gasped when Zhongli quickly yanks you into his arms, immediately putting up a shield around you. Lumine growls and tries to cut through Zhongli’s shield. You stared at Lumine in horror as she continued to attack the shield with her sword.
“Lumine! What is the meaning of this!?” Zhongli hollers, glaring at the blonde girl in front of you. She ignores Zhongli and continues hitting her fist against the shield; she raises the sword up in the air and tries to stab it repeatedly. It was evident that she was aiming for you and not Zhongli. After all, she is holding a grudge against you for being in a relationship with Xiao. Were you and Xiao even a couple at this point? Quite honestly, you weren’t so sure anymore.
“I’m going to kill you! He’s mine! He’s not yours anymore! Stay away from him!” Lumine screeches, punching and clawing the shield around you and Zhongli. Aether rushes to the scene and tackles Lumine down to the ground, pinning her to the dirt ground while yelling at Lumine.
“Xiao!” Aether screams; you press yourself close to Zhongli, trembling in fear. Xiao appears in front of Aether, looking at Aether, annoyed with his arms crossed over his chest.
“What is it? I do not have time for your petty games.” Xiao says, rolling his eyes. Lumine thrashes underneath Aether’s legs, growling with anger.
“My sister tried to kill [Y/N]!” Aether grunts, grabbing onto Lumine’s arms tightly to prevent her from escaping his hold. Xiao glares at Lumine and looks behind him, only to see you shaking in Zhongli’s arms. Xiao sighs in relief when he sees that you are safe and okay and shielded from Lumine’s attack.
“How pitiful.” Xiao spits, his polearm appearing out of thin air.
Aether and Lumine were thrashing around one another. Lumine tried to escape from Aether’s hold while Aether tried his best to restrain Lumine. Xiao walked away from Aether and Lumine and approached you and Zhongli. Zhongli’s shield disappears; you let out a shaky breath and look at Lumine cautiously.
“[Y/N], are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Xiao asks, eyes scanning your body for any injuries that might have occurred.
“I’m okay, Xiao.” You whispered, giving him a weak smile. Xiao sighs in relief and gives you a faint smile, lightly ruffling your hair. You laughed softly and grabbed his hands gently. Xiao interlocks his fingers with yours as Zhongli drapes his arms around your shoulders with a small chuckle. You opened your mouth to say something, only to be cut off by the sound of Lumine screaming in frustration. You look up to see Lumine’s sword flying towards your face. The blade narrowly missed your face by a few centimeters, slicing your cheek. You gasped when you felt the sharp blade cut your cheek, blood pouring from the wound as the sword clattered loudly on the ground behind you.
“Oh, you fucked up big time, Lumine.” Aether whispers.
Xiao appears in front of the twins in a wisp of smoke, the blade of his polearm pointed at Lumine’s face. Zhongli’s amber eyes were glowing as he held you close to his chest, his left hand pressing your head against his chest.
“Never put your hands on [Y/N].” Xiao glowers, his hands clenched around the polearm so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “If you want to suffer the consequences, be our guest.”
Note: I'm just going to end it here because I don't plan on having Zhongli or Xiao hurt Lumine for attempting to kill the reader. I had multiple ending ideas for this, but I chose this one because it's less painful. And I want Xiao to feel some kind of small happiness, even though he's the reason why the reader is in that condition. Anyway, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!
Taglist for my overall stories: @xxkatsusjinsux, @plumpkie, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @skyelightwood, @mikiwylds
Taglist Google Forms [here], Masterlist [here]
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→ Imagine: Critical Hit! You’ve been critically injured, how will they react, and more importantly, will you survive?
✦ Characters: Kaeya, Itto, and of course Y/N!
✦ Possible Triggers: Angst, Blood, Mentions of grief and death.
✦I live for angst my friends >:) I’ll write more fluff soon though to ease the pain <3
✦Part 2 will be linked here when done, it will likely have Diluc, Albedo, and Childe!
✦Kaeya
You were a capable, quick witted knight so when you had asked Kaeya to join his squadron, he didn’t hesitate to allow you to join his ranks. Blending nicely with your peers, it had been a smooth transition into a strong section of the knights.
There was only one tiny problem, you were quick to jump into dangerous situations if you thought that Kaeya needed your help. When asked why you did this, you always answered something about loyalty and that you’d do the same for anyone else, but it was clear that you were literally putting your life at risk for a man who hadn’t returned your advances yet.
Truly, Kaeya had planned to talk to you about this, to warn you about your behavior. To look at your sweet, determined eyes and explained that he’s easily able to hold his own in battle and that you didn’t need to go to such lengths to protect him, but that chance never seemed to come up yet. Perhaps he had avoided it? He had to admit, it was always a bit cute to but in the heat of a battle and hear frantic footsteps followed by a shout, “Just wait on me Kaeya, I’ll help you!”
Yet, those thoughts were the last thing on his mind right now, his frame leaned against the bar of Angel's Share, a wonderfully crafted ale in front of him. While he was supposed to be reporting for duty right now, he knew that nobody would complain if he was an hour or so late. He lifted the glass, taking a few sips and was about the order another before the door to the tavern was slammed open, the wooden hinges creaking a bit.
“Sir!” An obviously distressed knight was out of breath as he approached the Cavalry Captain, “we’ve been looking for you for ages!” he spoke in a frantic tone, causing Kaeya to immediately put his drink down and place more than enough Mora on the bar to cover his tab.
“Am I that important suddenly?” he tried to muse over their worries, but the lower-ranked knight was quick to continue. “We were worried because we got a ransom letter demanding mora for your return from captivity.” Well, obviously Kaeya wasn't in captivity.
Kaeya couldn’t help but shrug a little, seeming to not understand why this was such a big deal until he seemed to connect the dots, “Archons, [Y/N] went didn’t she?”
All it took was a breathless nod from the knight for Kaeya to spring into action.
Whenever you heard the news you couldn’t believe it, Kaeya had always talked about how strong he was! But somehow he had been captured and taken as leverage by the Fatui? Your ears didn’t want to believe what they were being told, but the letter in front of you and your pounding heart didn’t want to leave anything up to fate.
That's why, whenever Jean desperately tried to smooth over your worries and compel you to stay within headquarters, you were quick to turn around and leave. It's not that you didn't respect her, you really did, but you cared for Kaeya more and if you were the only one going to save him then, so be it.
The fight had been going on for far too long now, you were tired beyond belief, you had originally tried talking to them like a diplomat but whenever you didn't offer any mora words fell upon deaf ears. Really, you did enjoy a good fight, but you weren't sure if this would be considered one.
A mirror maiden was enjoying trapping you within her ice while an electrohammer vanguard and a pyroslinger bracer seemed to take turns inflicting you with their designated elements. To be honest, it hurt like living hell, and with each step you took, it felt like your body was burning.
They refused to tell you where Kaeya was, possibly if your judgment was better you would've abandoned the personal rescue mission. Yet, in the back of your mind, you thought about Kaeya getting the same treatment as you, and that thought alone was enough to allow you to block their relentless attacks.
"Where is he!? Just tell me please!" You parried successfully as you asked, but there was a falter in your steps for a moment, stumbling back against the dirt some of it kicking up into your eyes. The larger vanguard took this opportunity, landing a critical hit on you and the hammer sending pulses of electricity through your veins as your body fell to the ground.
Your eyelids were fluttering violently and it felt like you didn't have much control of your body, you didn't know why you felt warm and wet but you did as your body lay on the dirt. You were desperate to push yourself up but you couldn't muster the strength.
The scuffling of feet and desperate yelling were causing your ears to ring, forcing your eyes to open you looked through the haze at Kaeya himself defeating them rather quickly, though it seems he sustained injuries as well.
You thought you had only closed your eyes for a moment, but when you opened them again, his face was in front of yours, an icy orb gazing worriedly at you. "Kaeya," your voice was barely above a whisper, and whenever you spoke it hurt something inside your chest.
"I'm..I'm so glad you're safe," this single sentence caused tears to flow from Kaeya as he overlooked your body, he was desperately trying to mend your wounds but he was only trained on fighting, not healing. "Stop talking! Barbara, Jean, and some other knights should be here soon, they can help you better than me!"
His words were desperate as he clung to your hand, sneakily having a finger kept on your wrist to feel your fleeting pulse. He was scared, the guilt coursing through his veins leaving him almost numb in his brain as he stared at the near corpse of you on the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry [Y/N]."
You gave him a weak smile, shaking your head though the pain seemed unbearable as you did, "You have nothing to be sorry for, love," you gave a small sigh as your eyes seemed to focus on the background before closing. Kaeya's heart racing, he shook your shoulders, desperately calling your name over and over.
When Barbara and Jean arrived Kaeya was inconsolable, his words spitting at them like venom.
"What do you mean you can't do anything? Jean, help her!"
Jean sighed softly, placing a hand on Kaeya's shoulder, "Kaeya, she's already dead."
✦Itto
It was no lie that there were tensions between people and oni, stereotypes were strong and some people just refused to let go of prejudice. Whenever you first were open about your relationship, people had openly asked you why and if he had coerced you in some way which you had taken great offense to.
You tried desperately to convince them that Itto was actually a great man who treated you better than most humans had, but there was still a belief that in some way you had been forced into this relationship.
Itto honestly didn't seem to care much, he simply laughed off most things, but if anyone were to ever say anything to insult you it was like they had committed the worst crime in the universe.
Somehow, you hadn't noticed the growingly dark intentions behind some of the human's words, saying that they didn't want 'half-breeds' within their world in the coming future thanks to you.
This is what had led to your current situation, taken from your home in the middle of the night, being tied up, and brought to a hidden chasm in the depts of Inazuma.
Your neighbors had watched as you were dragged from your home, kicking and screaming. They couldn't help but feel sympathetic to your struggles, their love had too be questioned, albeit not to this extent. This is why, whenever they made their way to Itto, they were quick to explain the situation to the man who loved you.
"They what?!" his voice was booming, his hair was standing on ends with stress as he looked at the two humans in front of him, confused as to why they didn't help you but he didn't bother to ask. "Where is she?"
Your struggles were harsh and as you were dragged down, you bit at the hand of your captors, causing them to yelp before retailing with a harsh slap against your previously untainted cheek.
"We wouldn't have to do this if you didn't get involved with him," they chided as you were momentarily freed from the ropes that had kept you imprisoned. "Stop struggling," a burly man grasped your arm as he forced you towards a wooden totem in the corner of the room.
"Then don't do this!" your confusion about the situation only caused your struggles to be more frantic as you desperately tried to free yourself from his grasp.
As you were tied to the pole, your mind was running wild with scenarios, your anxiety growing with each passing second. That's why, whenever your captors approached you with cans of fire starter and a match you were horrified, "No, no, do not do this please," you begged them as they poured the stinking liquid over you and the pole.
They didn't say anything, simply believing that they were doing the right thing as they lit the match and then evacuated immediately, knowing that if the fire didn't kill you then the smoke certainly would.
Screams of agony were echoing from the cave entrance as your captors disappeared into the night. Your clothes were getting charred along with the heat emitting towards your skin at a rapid pace. Once the fire started to creep along your skin, you couldn't help but continuously cry out, your tears doing nothing to ease the flames as they ate away at your skin.
Itto was sprinting into the cave, your screaming only quickening his pace. The smoke was thick and he could smell burning flesh, whenever he reached the opening he saw the wall of fire that surrounded you. Self-preservation wasn't a word in his dictionary as he made his way to you, sprinting and jumping through the flames before grabbing your now slumped-over frame.
"[Y/N]?" He slapped lightly at your face, realizing that you had probably passed out from the pain, he was quick to pick you up, "C'mon, I've gotta get you outta here," he knew you couldn't hear him, but he was desperate to provide any comfort to you. Coughing from the thick smoke and sprinting out of the cave, not caring about the burns that now were all over his exposed skin.
He was quick to rush you back into town into your parent's home where they had been waiting, you were still out cold and your pulse was fleeting as he examined where your clothes had melted into your skin. He was scared to touch you, to hurt you in any way, but for now, you were alive and in front of him.
Your parents were frantic with trying to contact the right people and by some stroke of luck, Kokomi was within the area and could provide her services.
Throughout the night, both she and Itto provided intensive care to you, multiple times you were on the brink of death and they had to desperately pull you back off the ledge. Once stabilized, you would regain consciousness and whimper in pain, trying desperately to speak but from inhaling the spoke it burnt to talk, simply only being able to say Itto's name.
He would shush you softly, pushing back the hair from your face and offering water that Kokomi had nearly sprinted, tripping over herself to get.
"I'm here hun, I made it in time."
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