#and it’s the first time Kaeya sees Diluc look so EXPRESSIVE— he’s frowning and raising his eyebrows and mouthing words and all this

[voidscreamns]

./

[myballsyourballs]

so i see that requests are openn!! my first time requesting so please correct me if i said anything wrongjehd, i want one loonng fic (if u can obv) abt reader ranting to kaeya because she is rlly close to him (and she is dating diluc btw no romantic feelings between kaeya and reader) abt how she feels like she isn't good enough or at diluc's level and thinks it's unfair for diluc for her to stick with him and diluc overhears everything and they go back to dawn winery and have a long angsty chat and comforts reader. THATS IT IDK IF IM MAKING SENSE, you can totally ignore this if you don't want to write it ofc <3

far from perfection

diluc x fem! reader

genre: angst/fluff imagine

notes: sorry this wasn't very angsty- im not in a very angsty mood rn</3

synopsis: reader is a little insecure about her relationship with diluc. she confides in kaeya, and diluc overhears.

masterlist | make a request

“Kaeya?”

“Hey,” the man in question pauses in his writing, glancing up at you with a smile. Kaeya resumes his paperwork for a brief moment, before ending the sentence he was writing with a flamboyant underline. “What’s up?” He kicks his feet onto the desk, crossing his legs at the ankles.

You sigh, slumping into the chair opposite him. “I feel like shit."

Kaeya raises a gloved hand to cover his growing smirk. "I can see that."

You frown, glaring at the cavalry captain. "I'm serious."

"Got it," Kaeya murmurs, expression switching to amused into something sincere. "What happened? Trouble in paradise?"

At the sight of your now melancholic-like expression, he sighs gently. Guess he hit the nail on the head. "What'd he do this time?"

"What?" your face morphs into confusion for a moment. It's such a foreign, alien idea that Diluc could have ever done something to upset you. "No, nothing. Diluc is perfect..."

You trail off.

Kaeya stares expectantly.

"Well that-- that's sort of the problem. Diluc is... too perfect."

The man in front of you raises his eyebrows sarcastically, looking at you like you just read the entirety of the Gliding Manual aloud and he was forced to listen. "I really don't want to hear you yammer on about how much you like Diluc. Spare me, please."

You groan, "That's not it." Your hands drag down your face, your slight irritation verging on exasperation. Kaeya gives good advice, but it’s hard to actually get that advice when he never stops talking.

"Then what is 'it'?"

"I'm not good enough for him. He's so amazing and I'm just... me."

Kaeya's eyes flicker with realisation before he moves into disbelief. "Seriously? Diluc is mediocre at best. You, on the other hand, are great. I'm very picky with those I associate with. You being one of my closest friends is not something to take lightly."

"Friends isn't even close to partners," you mutter, eyes downcast. "You're missing the point. I'm not good enough for him. That's fact, and I don't know how I should deal with it."

"How? How are you not good enough for him?" Kaeya asks, merely confused at this point. He couldn't really fathom how you could see yourself like that.

“He’s so out of my league— I mean, he’s the owner of this incredible winery, he makes up more than half of Mondstadt’s entire alcohol industry, owns a tavern, he can bartend, he’s the wealthiest guy in this region, he’s selfless, kind and sweet and— and not to mention — he’s a literal hero!” you furrowed your brows, voice cracking near the end of your little spiel. “I don’t— how do I even come close to living up to that?”

Kaeya looks mildly surprised, albeit slightly sad. “You don’t have to. You’re his lover. And—”

“But I shouldn’t be!” you shake your head, eyes watering in frustration. He didn't get it. “Diluc is perfect! And I couldn’t be farther from that…”

Kaeya sighs. You hear the floorboards creak as he moves to sit next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Now, I have no idea what got these thoughts in your head, but they’re irrelevant. Diluc is really not that perfect—”

“Yes, he is. It’s completely unfair to Diluc for me to stick with him,” you mumble, throat dry. “I’m not good enough.”

“Hey, now,” Kaeya chastises. “I, for one, think you’re fantastic. Diluc, as… mediocre of a brother he is, makes some good choices. And one of them was choosing you to be his partner,” he pauses, letting the words sink in before beginning to speak again.

“Not to mention, Diluc is his own person with his own free-will. You don’t get to decide whether he wants you or not, he does. And he’d be an idiot not to want you. Given he’s still in a relationship with you, I guarantee a lack of want isn’t the case.”

That gets you thinking. Whilst on some degree, Kaeya is making sense — everyone makes mistakes. Diluc, as perfect as he is, isn’t exempt from that. A slip in judgement, or simply not thinking things through could've caused this situation. A situation that, in Diluc’s mind, could be one that he thinks he’s trapped in. Breaking up with you could hurt his relationship with Kaeya even more, given the two of you are friends. This then makes him trapped, in a sense. Right?

You settle into a somber silence, Kaeya's hand rubbing gentle circles on your back.

"I really..." don't think that's true. Not like you were gonna say that, though. Kaeya was already dealing with a lot already -- you interrupting his time to do paperwork just so you could rant was enough.

"You really...?"

"I... ah, thank you. I really wanna thank you. You're a good friend, Kaeya."

The cavalry captain smiles, "Of course I am. I'm the best."

You chuckle, looking away. A beat passes. "I should head back, shouldn't I?"

Kaeya hums, nodding his head gently. "Probably," He moves from his spot next to you and settles back into his desk chair, sighing. Blue hair sways as he hangs his head back, eyes sliding shut.

Taking that as your cue to leave, you stand, plastering on a bright smile. "Thanks again, Kaeya.”

Kaeya’s eyes meet yours for a beat, narrowing in suspicion at your sudden change in mood. "…Anytime."

The atmosphere feels odd when you walk into the Dawn Winery.

“Diluc?” you call.

“Was that true?”

His voice responds. You look towards him. He’s got his back towards you, leaning casually on a chair with his arms crossed. His shoulders are still.

Diluc seems solemn. He still won’t face you.

“Was wha—”

“Do you really believe that? That you’re such a burden to me?” He turns his head to face you slightly.

Your body stills. You almost wait for him to clarify if he overheard your conversation with Kaeya, but it's a clear guarantee that he has. Diluc’s eyes are looking everywhere but at yours.

“Oh. That. Uh,” your lip trembles slightly, “Yeah, I do think that. B—But it’s not your fault! And, you know, it’s alright if you want to break up with—”

“How could you say that?” Diluc whispers. His eyes finally meet yours. It’s a startling sight; eyes red-rimmed and brows furrowed with such emotion. Diluc never loses his cool. Not even in front of you. “You mean everything to me. You could never be a problem, nor a burden to me. I am… not all that perfect. Not as much as you make me out to be. Don’t compare yourself to the likes of me,” he pauses, contemplative. His brows knit together further, fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides. He chuckles dryly, “You’ll only disappoint yourself.”

"You are perfect, though. It's--"

"No, I'm not. That’s delusional.”

You flinch back.

“No, that’s not what I—” he rubs a hand on his temple, “That’s exactly what I mean. Sometimes I say the wrong thing, or make the wrong choice. My money and wealth doesn’t make me better. I’m still… me. Nobody’s perfect. Especially not me.”

“But… that—”

“There’s no use trying to disagree. I am not perfect. Neither are you. Nor anyone else.”

You purse your lips, avoiding his eyes. You can hear his heavy boots approaching you, his clothing rustling and buckles clinking.

“…You don’t get it, Diluc.”

He hums, “Enlighten me, then. What don’t I get?”

“I’m not good enough for you. You deserve someone better,” you sigh, “You might not be perfect, but in my mind, and everyone else’s, you are damn near close. I’m not worth it. I’m probably one of the worst picks for you and you don’t even know it--”

“--I do know that you’re one of the best picks for me. And I think that I, as an independent adult man, would know what’s good for me. I know what I want,” Diluc pauses, grabbing your hands with glove-clad fingers, “and I want you. No one else. Just you.”

You pursed your lips. "Surely--"

"No. There are no exceptions, no 'but's, no nothing. I want you," he clenches his jaw, "only you."

"...You aren't staying with me just to keep on good terms with Kaeya, right?"

"What? No," Diluc sighs again, exasperated. He goes silent for a bit -- as if considering what to say that will convince you. "A baby is able to cry when they want food, or reach out when they want affection. If a baby can figure out what they want, why can't I?"

"Diluc, that isn't the same at all--"

"[Y/N]. It doesn't matter. Stop arguing with me. You will not win."

"Yeah, but a baby--"

"[Y/N]."

"--doesn't have complex desires like--"

"[Y/N]."

"Okay, fine."

[sleep-deprivedracoon]

When they get a tooth removed – Drugged AF HC’s

Note - Your genshin man just had to get his tooth removed. Drugged and out of his mind, he shows a side of him that you have never seen before.

I think I went a little too goofy in this part. No regrets though.

Characters - Venti, Kaeya, Diluc, Zhongli, Albedo, Childe, Xiao, Itto, Thoma, Ayato, Gorou, Kazuha

Warnings- Drugged state, inappropriate language, fluff, slight smut

Part 2:  Albedo, Zhongli, Xiao (Not a human…shhh) x f!reader

Part 1 can be found here.

ALBEDO

How did a homunculus manage to get his tooth infected? Thanks to Albedo’s experiments on himself, a combination of a rare strain of microorganisms with his alchemy caused Albedo to get a toothache. Upon inspection, Alice had determined that the synthetic human actually managed to infect himself. She helped him with a concoction to numb the pain as he planned on removing it himself. He asked you to record all your observations once he consumed the numbing medication. The removal of the tooth was a success, but the effects of the numbing medication were…. Questionable.

“Albedo…? What are you looking for?” You look at your man who was turning his lab upside down in search of something.

“My … tails…” He mumbled.

“Your tails?” You raise an eyebrow. Sure, he wasn’t biologically human but you were pretty sure that he didn’t mention anything about him having tails.

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I want them… so bad.”

“Bedo… you don’t have a tail…” You approach your boyfriend and place an arm on his shoulder.

“Not my tail.” He frowns. His expression mirrored that of Klee’s whenever she was forbidden to go fish blasting. “Pickled lizard tails!!”

“The what now…!?” You look at him like he is crazy. “You know what, never mind the what... but why do you need them?”

“Because.. they taste so good…” He sighed dreamily. You swore that you could see some drool slip out of the corners of his mouth.

“Ew.” You grimaced at the thought of eating it but you knew that Albedo had an eccentric taste when it came to food. I mean, the man likes eating giant spiders for god knows what reason. “I think I saw them near Sucrose’s belongings.” You rummage around Sucrose’s stuff and find a jar of shriveled lizard tails in a liquid.

“MINE!” Albedo snatches the jar from you and smirks impishly. “Although, since you’ve been so nice to me and I love you, I can share a few with you.”

“You love me?” Your eyes widen. This was the first time he had said that to you. He was a man of few words after all. Your heart felt all kinds of fuzzy. Before you could respond, Albedo opens the jar.

“Hm. Why are you surprised?” He pulls a tail out and offers one to you. “You want some?”

“Uh… no thanks. I am going to go check some stuff near the frost-bearing tree.” You grab a bag and rush out. You did not want to see him feast on it.

“Ohhhh…. Bring me some spiders if you find any!” You hear him behind you. You run away as fast as you could, still ruminating about his nonchalant confession. Once the effects of the medication fades, you were curious to see how he would respond. After all, he asked you to take notes of your observations., didn’t he?

ZHONGLI

Thanks to his boss, Zhongli’s tooth was chipped in a weird manner. Hu Tao had accidentally smacked him in the face while exorcising a ghost. Because of the way it was chipped, the tooth had to be removed. Sure, it would grow back because Zhongli aka Morax aka The Geo Archon recovered very fast. But removing the tooth was not going to be an easy task which is why Madam Peng took over. Once the tooth was removed, the herbal tea given to him had numbing properties that made him act differently.

Your composed, knowledgeable, and dignified man was now crying on the floor of your shared space.

“Rex? What’s wrong?” You looked around to see if something was amiss. You see a broken teacup with tea spilled all over the floor. You bend down to pick the broken shards up.

“The tea… It’s gone…” You hear him sob.

“Darling, it’s alright. It’s just tea. We can make some more.” You try to reassure him. All this time, you had never seen him cry.

“It’s not just tea.” He looked at you like you had just stabbed him in the heart. “It is centuries of culture being passed down. The tea was a fine blend of fresh leaves from Pu-Erh with Qinxing flower essence. It was a cup full of healing and warmth. ”

Of course, even in his drugged state, he had to be a know it all. You try to stifle a smile. Once you pick all the shards up, you throw them away and mop the floor. Zhongli was still mourning the loss of his tea, although he had stopped crying.

You brew him some fresh tea as he is lost in thought, dozing in and out of consciousness. You were glad that he was getting some rest while the tea brewed. Quick brews were never his favorite. Once the tea is ready, you pour them into two cups and take it to him. The smell of the brew wakes him up.

“Tea?” He smiles radiantly as he rubs his eyes.

“Yes, tea.” You hand him the cup. “Please be careful with it, darling.”

He holds the cup with the utmost care, smelling the tea to savor it. “Oh sweet thing, what would I do with you?”

You assumed that he was talking to his tea and slowly take a sip from your cup. Before you could savor the tea, he plants a quick kiss on your lip.

“What was that for?” You swallow the remnants of your sip.

“As much as I love the tea that you make, I must admit… it tastes better when it is from your lips.”

XIAO

How does a Yaksha end up with a tooth being removed? The tooth enamel was degrading to a point where the tooth was getting infected. He blamed it on karmic retribution while you had a strong feeling that it had to do with all the snow that he was eating on your three-month mission in Dragonspine. Zhongli was more than kind enough to assist Xiao with his problem. Since no one knew how he would respond to pain, the removal happened away from the Inn and at Jueyun Karst. The process went smoothly thanks to Zhongli’s medicines. The medicine left Xiao woozy and he was a little more paranoid than usual. Deciding that using his powers to travel would be risky, the two of you take a walk back to the Inn.

As you walked through Liyue, Xiao kept you close. He held your hand tightly, keeping his eyes peeled for danger. Even at the slightest disturbances, he flinched and had his polearm drawn.

“Xiao, my love. Everything is fine. You are worrying too much.” You squeeze his fingers to reassure him. “And even if something did happen, you know I can take care of some demons.”

“It is not the demons… It is… it is..” He looks around to make sure no one is listening to you.

“It’s alright. There’s nothing here now. You can relax.” You smile.

“You don’t understand… He’s coming for us…” Xiao whispers.

“Who is?” You whisper back.

“The dumpling monster.” Xiao looked pale.

“The…. What now?” You were confused.

“Shh…” He places a finger on your lips. “He comes after those who hate dumplings.”

“So… let me get this straight. You’re saying, there’s a monster out there who is coming after people who do not like dumplings?” You say that slowly so that he realizes how ridiculous it sounds.

“Yes. I heard the cook in the Inn say that there’s a monster of a dumpling that turns even a dumpling-hating person to appreciate it. Tch. Disgusting.” You see him shake the disgust off him like a cat.

You laugh hysterically, confusing the poor man.

“Oh…. My… God…” You rub the tears from your eyes and catch your breath. “Xiao! That’s not what it means. It just means that the dumpling is so good that people enjoy it. There’s no monster.” You hug him as you continue to laugh.

“No monster… So … I don’t have to eat dumplings?” You feel him relax in your embrace.

You let go of him as you continue to laugh. “Of course not, you big dummy!” You see his face had turned into a shade of pink.

“Stupid humans and their phrases.” He crosses his arms.

“Hahaha… Dumpling monster.” You shake your head at him. He flicks his hand, summoning a gust of strong wind that pushes you into a small pond nearby.

“You’re annoying.” He grumbles. “We’re never talking about this again.”

“Meanie.” You stick your tongue out as you get out of the pond. You hold his hand again as the two of you continue to walk. “No matter what kind of monster it is, Xiao, I will protect you.”

He squeezes your hand gently as he mumbles. “Shut up.”

[monocaelia]

tending to their wounds

they cannot evade death. but with you around, they're invincible.

feat. albedo, childe, diluc, kaeya, kazuha, xiao

genre : headcanons, fluff, angst [for xiao and kazuha], hurt/comfort

warnings : blood and injury. death mention. minor cursing.

❀ albedo

it's to no one's surprise that albedo isn't human, meaning he doesn't have the same bodily functions as the others in mondstadt do. his body cannot bleed nor can he feel much pain. that's not to say he can't at all, but a simple prick from a piece of shattered flask can't really do the young alchemist any harm.

flasks breaking or nicking himself while conducting his own research never really phased the alchemist. despite the warnings his assistant gave him about laboratory safety, he didn't need to heed them if the injuries didn't apply to him, did he?

it's safe to say that the chief alchemist is... perplexed to say the least at seeing you worry over him. he wasn't expecting you to come rushing through his laboratory door when you heard the sound of falling glass and nearly climbed over all of his equipment to come to his aid.

"really, you shouldn't have to worry," his gentle voice reassures you, but his attempts to calm you down are futile. instead, albedo is met with your furrowed brows in concentration and your fingers brushing against his as you inspect his invisible wounds.

"yeah well, maybe if you were more careful in your laboratory i wouldn't be here worrying over you, would i?" albedo sighs at your response and decides to let you do as you please to his 'injuries.'

the alchemist's teal eyes follow your movements as you reach for the bandages in the first aid kit and begin to wrap them around his finger tips. he doesn't miss the way your tongue pokes out from between your lips as you concentrate on the task in front of you.

despite not needing to worry much about him, albedo finds it endearing that you care so much about his wellbeing. how much you care about him, how often you check up on him and make sure he never overworks himself. you truly are a caring individual, a ray of warm sunshine in his life.

you meet albedo's gaze when your name leaves his lips, eyes filled with curiosity at what he could possibly want.

"thank you for tending to me." he thanks you with tender smile on his face, his spare hand gently ruffling your hair. the flustered expression on your face is hard to miss, especially when you quickly duck your head down and away from the alchemist.

you stutter out that 'this is nothing!' and continue on wrapping albedo's faux injuries. though, the alchemist finds the way your hands shake as they brush against his skin adorable.

❀ childe

childe is a war criminal, in case you missed it. it's not uncommon to find the young man fighting an entire hoard of enemies by himself. the thrill of battle never seems to be enough for him, as he constantly seeks anything that could satiate his need for exhilaration.

finding scars or fresh injuries on the harbinger is the usual for you, regardless of whether or not they're shallow wounds or deep gashes that gush blood and stain your poor floor. not that childe minds anyways, he sees his battle scars as medals of the many fights he has won and wears them with pride.

but, despite being one of the fatui harbingers and an absolute beast on the battlefield, that doesn't stop you from worrying about his wellbeing.

your brows furrow in concern at the sight of childe in front of you; body worn from using his foul legacy form one too many times in succession and injuries sustained from his earlier fight. he shouldn't have protected you, really you could have protected yourself. and yet...

"you're going to ruin yourself if you keep going into your other form all the time, you know." childe laughs weakly at your lecturing; that's all he can do right now anyways. you catch your lip in between your teeth as you rub a cooling ointment on the harbinger's body. "this isn't funny. you can't just die. then no one would be the eleventh harbinger and you-"

"i would leave you alone?" childe smiles when you send him a glare. his rough hand finds yours, squeezing it lightly in reassurance. there's not a chance in the world that he would succumb to death just yet. childe is still young, and there are many others that he hasn't had the pleasure of fighting against.

and he sure as abyss can’t pass away without saying how he truly feels about you.

you grumble to the snezhnayan that you could've handled it all alone, that you didn't need him to go all berserk on the ruin guards that had surrounded you earlier. instead, childe laughs and places a weak hand on your forearm. "i know, but that was the perfect time to show you just how well i can fight. maybe then, you'll finally accept my feelings."

a white lie, really. even though childe knows that you could've handled it yourself, he acted on instinct back then. the thought of you being harmed in any way sends a chill down the harbinger's spine. he wouldn't forgive himself if he reacted a second too late and you ended up hurt as a consequence.

what's the point of harboring the power of the abyss if he couldn't protect the ones he loved.

you roll your eyes at his answer, choosing to quietly resume cleaning up childe's wounds in hopes that he doesn't say anything more embarrassing. as your fingers brush against the snezhnayan's freckled skin, you don't miss the way he leans towards your touch and the happy hum rumbling from his chest.

❀ diluc

the darknight hero is not one to lose his battles, let alone allow any of his enemies lay a finger on him. trained by the knights and his own father, diluc's fighting style is difficult to intercept and finding a weak spot in his defense is futile. even if his sword is too slow, his fists will be glad to meet those that oppose him.

that isn't to say he doesn't get hurt every now and then. you've caught him with bandages wrapped around his hand, blood soaked gauze around his torso. as long as the job was done, diluc didn't mind the wounds he received in battle.

he isn't used to others tending to his wounds, as nobody really knows he's the darknight hero and protects mondstadt in the middle of the night. so when you catch him in the act of cleaning his wounds and offer to help, he kind of freezes up.

diluc wants to decline your offer, sure that he could finish this up by himself. and besides, he doesn't want to burden you with his consequences so late at night. but he knows you would keep bugging him and complain later that he didn't "love you" or whatever dramatic act you'd be committing in the near future.

it's hard to look at you when you're so close to the red haired vigilante. granted, diluc has always been pretty close with you, seeing as the two of you grew up together and shared most of your memories with one another (and kaeya).

but being physically close to you... is another story. your fingers lightly touching his skin, your face so close to his as you inspect other wounds on his body, your hands roaming the expanse of his chest to remove his shirt in case it hid any other injuries you could have missed.

diluc's hands twitch when you inch even closer to him. if he wanted to, it would take one swift movement to have his lips on yours. one swift movement to hold you in his arms and feel the way your skin melts into his.

but the vigilante has self-control and would rather die than make you uncomfortable.

diluc releases a shaky breath when you finally move away from his body, though it's only a brief moment of respite since you immediately move back into your previous position after grabbing more bandages. absolutely perfect for the poor vigilante.

he clears his throat when your hands slide down his arms to reassure the pressure is enough to keep his wounds from reopening and bleeding out. it is then that you realize what you've been doing to the poor red haired man and how close you've been to him and his body.

"oh? what could you possibly be thinking about, mr. ragnvindr?" you tease, raising an eyebrow and sending diluc a playful smile. you fail to suppress your laughter when he scrunches up his face and turns his face away from you, his ears burning a wonderful shade of bright pink.

"i think it's time for you to leave." shocked, you try and apologize and get him to let you stay a little bit more. the night is still young, and he still has more injuries to be looked at! but diluc pays you no mind.

not like he'd have the heart to actually kick you out of his room anyways.

❀ kaeya

the captain of the calvary isn't one to fight, always looking for people to do his dirty work so he doesn't have to. why bother exerting more energy than you already have when you can make others do it for you? it's more fun that way, anyways.

that doesn't mean kaeya is incapable of fighting. if needed to, the blue haired captain would gladly point his sword at the enemy to keep them at bay or spar a fellow knight. scratches and shallow scrapes are what you mostly see from him.

you aren't expecting to be called into the knights of favonius headquarters and be greeted by the calvary captain battered up and bruised in the infirmary.

"you're squeezing me too hard," kaeya comments nonchalantly, as if he isn't bleeding to death on the bed right now. "you'll cut off circulation in my arm if you keep doing that." you shoot him a glare, but the blue haired captain only laughs at you. you tighten the bandage on his arm.

you refuse to get tangled up in anymore of kaeya's antics. it's all his fault you've aged ten years because of him and his stupid actions and refusing to ask for help despite the mission being bigger than anyone could handle. alone at least. it's not like you don't trust him, but a little extra help isn't bad to have.

your frown deepens when your eyes flit up to stare at the blood soaked shirt covering kaeya's chest. you order him to take it off so you can inspect his injury, which was a mistake on your part.

"oh? shouldn't you ask me on a date first before being this forward?" kaeya's laughter rings around the infirmary seeing your deadpan expression at his joke. maybe you should just leave, just leave this stupid man to bleed to death on this infirmary bed. maybe then you would finally be at peace.

"well. maybe i would have asked you on a date if you weren't so stupid to take this dumb mission alone. you could have died, asshole." kaeya only hums in response, which pisses you off even more. it's like he didn't have a care in the world.

in the midst of your grumblings and cleaning of kaeya's wounds, you miss the tender look he gives you; warm and gentle. the captain finds it nice to have someone care for someone like him after so long.

it wasn’t his fault he wanted to do this alone. well, it was, but it’s hard for kaeya to rely on others and be vulnerable to those around him despite how long he’s known them. his walls are built high, refusing to let anybody in in case he accidentally hurts them in the future.

he wonders if you'd miss him if he disappeared one day, but the way your brows furrow in concern at seeing how bad the gash in his chest confirms his answer.

kaeya’s endearing, warm smile is replaced with the usual smug smirk when you look up to meet his gaze. one day, he hopes he’ll be able to let his walls down around you.

"you know, you're really cute when you worry over me. maybe i should get injured more often." the look of shock at kaeya's comment is evident on your flustered face and it takes everything in him to not laugh and open up his wounds again.

❀ kazuha

kazuha isn't one to easily get injured, well at least seriously injured. he was raised by a prestigious family, trained in the arts of the kaedehara clan. with the help of his prior knowledge of fighting and his keen senses, it's hard to one-up the young man to the point of injury.

that isn't to say he has never sustained any injuries. there have been one too many times that the inazuman traveller has shown up at your door with a couple of scrapes and an apologetic smile on his face.

so, it's a surprise when you find kazuha at your doorstep severely injured and clutching something in his burned hand.

it's quiet between the two of you as your eyes scan kazuha's body for any more injuries and your hands quickly move to tend to his right hand. the skin is burnt, bleeding, and his fingers shake from the injuries it sustained.

you whisper an apology to the inazuman when you gently clean the wounded skin with a warm cloth. he doesn't flinch, dazed eyes still staring off in front of you. it makes you wonder what kazuha went through to be injured this badly. though, seeing as the only serious injury was his right hand, you assumed it wasn't from a fight.

"kazuha... what happened to you?" your words are gentle, afraid your voice would scare the inazuman traveller in front of you. kazuha doesn't respond and instead tightens the grip he has on your hand that's bandaging him. his hand is shaking, and you don't realize he's crying until you feel the wet teardrops on your skin.

ruby eyes glazed with tears meet your own when your eyes flick up to confirm that he was indeed crying.

"tomo..." the crack in his voice shatters your heart and you find yourself pulling kazuha into your arms. his own circle around you and his hands grip onto the back of your shirt as he buries his face into your shoulder.

kazuha's body shakes as he sobs at the loss of his friend. he must have held it in until he got to the safety of your home. you were always his safe haven; coming over so you could tend his light wounds and provide a roof over his head if he was passing by your village.

and yet all you can do now is hold him until the storm inside his heart passes by.

❀ xiao

being in pain or having many injuries litter the expanse of his skin isn't unusual for xiao. he's an adeptus whose sole purpose is to serve rex lapis and protect the citizens of liyue, even if it meant throwing his life away.

even then, sustaining larger, more painful wounds didn't make the adeptus bat an eye. despite how horrible it sounds, xiao is used to it all and takes each hit and laceration that comes his way without blinking an eye.

when karmic debt constantly takes a toll against your health and death is the only solution to reaching true peace, it's hard to care about the state of your own wellbeing.

so imagine xiao's surprise when he shows up at the wangshu inn battered and bruised from dealing with a hoard of monsters and seeing you standing in the yaksha's usual spot, waiting for him with a frown etched into your face.

nimble fingers work deftly against xiao's body, quickly cleaning up the lacerations on the adeptus' chest and the scrapes that cover his arms. xiao releases a hiss from the sting of the medicine and you apologize under your breath.

"i knew you would end up like this." your words come out harsher than you intend to. the adeptus doesn't respond. as long as he was the only casualty to come out of this, as long as the innocent lives of liyuens were protected, as long as you were safe behind the walls of the wangshuu inn, it didn't matter how badly his body was injured.

"i just... i just wished you weren't so careless, xiao." the way your voice breaks doesn't go unheard by the yaksha. his eyes snap forward, but your head is tilted down as your shaky fingers worked their way around xiao's torso. "you're always fighting as if no one cared if you died or disappeared one day."

xiao doesn't get it. he doesn't understand why you care about him so much. a being fated to suffer until his dying days are over, one cursed with karmic debt and forced to carry the burdens of the innocent lives he took in his past.

no one should care about him. a monster with blood on his hands.

but here you are, shedding tears for an adeptus who didn't deserve it. the sole yaksha who is fated to succumb to the sweet embrace of death at any given moment.

and yet, despite knowing he doesn't deserve your gentle touch brushing over his wounds, the young adeptus lifts your face with a gloved finger and brushes away the tears that flow down your cheeks. he longs to continue holding you, to feel your skin against his. you're his temporary solace from the karmic debt that hangs over his heart.

an apology slips past xiao's lips, and you cry harder, calling him 'stupid' for almost dying out there. you bury yourself in his chest and he hugs you, afraid that if he let go, you would be nothing but a dream.

[bumbleklee]

trying to induce labor

masterlist | 1k prompt masterlist | pregnancy series

pairings: diluc, kaeya, childe and zhongli x female!reader (separate)

warnings: pregnancy (so close to baby)

diluc

As the days drew closer, you were getting more and more anxious to get the twins out of you. Not only was your belly huge with both babies, it was causing you a lot of pain. Fed up from another sleepless night of twisting and turning, you put your sneakers on first thing in the morning and waddled to the front door.

“Where are you off to?” Diluc asked, raising his eyes from the paperwork he was completing at the dining room table.

“Your children have overstayed their welcome.” You grabbed a jacket and slipped it over your arms, letting the front hang open since you were too big to zipper it. “I’m going to do laps around The Winery.”

Diluc was by your side now, “Is that safe?”

“Walking in the most effective way to induce labor,” You told him, “But if you’re worried, you can join me.”

Your husband slipped his own sneakers on instantly.

Diluc held your hand as you walked the property line of The Winery. Your feet began aching right away but you pushed through, needing to at least try this method of inducing labor. The thought about meeting your babies finally gave you a rush of adrenaline and you walked for thirty minutes before your body began showing restraint.

When you stopped to lean against a nearby tree, Diluc was in front of you with a concerned look on your face. You rubbed your belly and tried to catch your breath, feeling sweat drip down your forehead.

“Is it happening?” He asked, a hint of excitement rubbing off on his tone.

You shook your head, “I just need a break.”

Diluc held back the frown trying to creep on his face. Like you, he just wanted to meet the twins as well. “Can you make it back to the house?”

You glanced up to look at the house. It wasn’t too far, just past the vineyard, but your throbbing back was a good enough reminder for you to take it easy. “I’m afraid I’m going to fall,” You admitted sheepishly, “Maybe we should just stay here for a while.”

“Nonsense,” Diluc said. Before you could recognize what was going on, Diluc had lifted you off your feet and was carrying you bridal style. Upon seeing your bewildered expression at lifting both you and your babies, Diluc continued. “I’ve been working out for a reason.”

kaeya

Kaeya couldn’t cook. He tried, he really did, but time after time dinner ended with take out. So when you suggested trying spicy foods to help induce labor, Kaeya knew this would be a job for someone else.

You watched intently as Noelle leaned over the stove in your kitchen. The smell of spices and flavorful armonas filled your house and your stomach rumbled everytime a waft came near you. Her eyes glanced between the open cookbook beside her and the boiling pot of something on a burner.

“Sit, sit,” Noelle instructed poliety, “Dinner’s almost ready.” You made Kaeya set the table as you and your husband sat down. Noelle finished up in the kitchen before she brought over a serving bowl and placed it in the middle of the table.

“What is it?” Kaeya asked. He peered over the bowl and, like yours, his stomach growled in anticipation. “It smells great.”

“It's a spicy stew but I added some extra Jieyun Chili peppers. Barbara gave me the recipe.” Noelle smiled sweetly and poured some of the stew in Kaeya and yours’ bowls before serving herself. When Kaeya opted out in cooking your spicy dish, he immediately ran to Noelle who had no problem serving you dinner.

Kaeya thanked Noelle before digging into his meal. You hesitantly watched Kaeya, knowing how he couldn’t handle spicy food, and almost burst out laughing when he almost spit the stew back into his bowl.

His tongue hung out of his mouth, “I think that could kill someone.”

Noelle giggled at his comment and tasted the stew herself, beaming at the taste. Unlike your husband, she didn’t seem to have an issue with the heat level. Kaeya shook his head at you in disbelief.

“Now I’m nervous,” You said, half jokingly and half serious. You poked your fork into a piece of beef and placed the food in your mouth. Instantly, your mouth lit up in a fire. You held back a cough as you chewed the food. Kaeya stared at you in disbelief, watching your eyes water from the spices.

Kaeya rubbed your bicep as you grabbed another forkful of the stew. “If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will,” You said, “There’s no way I’m going to have taste buds after this.”

childe

When Childe comes home one day, he doesn’t see you resting on the couch like usual. He follows the light down the hall and finds you in the middle of the floor in the bedroom, your body stretched in a weird position.

One of your arms was standing high in the air and the other was low to the ground, causing the top half of your body to be vertical. You were taking mediated breaths and counting slowly before you switched sides.

“What are you doing?”

Without opening your eyes, you responded to your boyfriend. “I’m doing yoga,” You said flatly, “It’s time for Nikolai to come out.”

“Oh,” Childe takes a seat on the edge of the bed. “Is he?”

“He won’t move an inch.”

Childe smiles to himself. Any day now your son would be arriving and he could feel the excitement radiating off your body. He was three days overdue, preferring to stay in the comfort of your womb, but you were ready for him.

“I’m surprised,” Childe continues, “I thought you wanted to wait for him to come on his own.”

You stood up straight and opened your eyes slowly, placing your hands on your back to try and crane out any kinks with your knuckles. “I was,” You started, “But I changed my mind. I want to hold him so badly.”

Your boyfriend smiles again, this time at you. He agrees with you but decides not to say anything, knowing inducing labor was your decision and your decision only. Childe stands up and comes near you, “Let me help.”

With the help of your boyfriend, you get on the ground and prop a knee up. Childe holds your hips as you shakily lift the other leg into the air and extend it straight. He reminds you he has a solid hold on you so you lift your opposite arm, replicating the action.

“This is hard,” You complain, wanting to put your leg down already.

“You got this,” Childe grins, “Do it for Nikolai.”

zhongli

“Archons, it’s cold out.”

“Perfect.”

Zhongli’s eyes watched you intently as you stood at the edge of the dock at Liyue Harbor. You were bundled in several layers and your hands rested on your large baby bump. There were even some premature snowflakes floating down from the sky and resting on your nose.

You never thought you would be someone to induce labor but when a week had passed past your due date, you knew you should at least try. You tried the common methods first (eating spicy foods, walking, doing yoga, etc.) and when none of them worked, you and Zhongli decided to look up some old wivestales in books. The easiest one to try was extreme cold, since it was already January.

“Can you feel anything?” Your husband asked, readjusting the hat over your ears for the tenth time that hour.

You shook your head, “Not really.”

Zhongli caught a snowflake on his finger and rubbed it off on your cheek. You giggled and leaned into his warm side. When you spoke, your breath turned into visible puffs of air. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were the Cryo Archon.”

“Oh, hush,” You playfully said, rolling your eyes. “Do you want to meet Jia or not?”

He reached forward to take one of your hands in his. He squeezed your fingers, instantly warming them up, “Of course I do. I just don’t want us to freeze before we can.”

a/n: sorry zhongli got the short end of the stick again </3

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Digital Heart

Foul Legacy Childe x Reader Gender Neutral (no pronouns mentioned) Angst Warnings: Falling, fighting, minor injuries, nausea, breathlessness 

In which Genshin is an interactive RPG accessed through an immersive headset, and you find yourself pushed to play it by your friends.

~ * ~

It started with a game.

For thirty days and thirty nights, your friends have been pleading for you to play it. Genshin Impact it was called, an free immersive open-world RPG with hundreds of weapons, characters, and power ups. Accessible through a specialized headset that tracked movement, it had only been a month since the freely downloadable game’s release and it was already a success, garnering praise from the customizable main character and the interactive playstyle. Play it. Your friends beg. You’ll love it. We can play together. 

You refuse at first. The game might be free, but the headset isn’t, and you need to save that money to pay for food and clothes. Alongside your financial state was your schedule, a long list of work and chores that left little time to play games with constant updates like Genshin, so you told your friends- politely, as that’s how you were raised- that it’d have to wait. They agreed, quietly.

Then the next day, they ask again. You make an excuse- too much work. They agree, again.

The second day, asking. You’re too tired, you say. Of course, they respond.

Everyday, the same question. The same request, the same demand. It wears on you, amused exasperation drawing a sigh from you everytime you open your notifications.

Play it.

You can’t.

Play it.

You don’t have time.

Play it.

You need to focus!

Play it.

…

…Alright.

Finally, you cave. You create an account, a headset en route to your house. You clear an area in your house so you don’t accidentally hit anything. The headset arrives, and you insert the batteries, said to last up to an entire day playing nonstop, a stage you dearly hope you never reach. You pull it down over your head, cringing at the thought of your hair getting so mussed, and switch it on. A long and potentially worrying warning flashes before your eyes and you blink, not used to the in-depth cameras yet, as the screen goes white.

Welcome to Genshin Impact! Please name your character… appears, and you subsequently slip down the rabbit hole.

It’s fun, you find. Your friends were right, you did like Genshin Impact, although you thank your lucky stars that you weren’t as attached as some players were, as you still had work and life to attend to. The combat and story were enjoyable, and the characters were funny and diverse in personality and playstyles. The main character, who was also your customizable avatar, was quite literally you, the story explained, a traveler from distant lands who fell face first into Teyvat by mistake and tragedy. Of course you still haven’t gotten entirely used to the whole immersion thing, and sometimes shuddered under the eerily real programming of the NPCs and characters, but that was nigh unnoticeable when focusing on fighting monsters. Your deep love for exploration and discovery surfaces, and you take as long as you want exploring every inch of the wonderfully modelled map as you follow the main story, or “Archon Quests”. You calm the great dragon Dvalin and bid your friends at Mondstadt- Kaeya, Amber, Lisa, Diluc, Jean, and Venti- goodbye, Liyue sprawling out before you in wooded forests and cloud-covered mountains. A mysterious man runs across you at the Inn, the immortal Adeptus Xiao, although you would’ve thought he was quite young due to his short stature, and you encounter Zhongli in the Harbor, along with Lady Ningguang and her subordinates, Keqing and Ganyu. A member of the malicious-seeming Fatui also greets you and introduces himself as Childe, a name you don’t trust for a second, yet find yourself getting strangely attached too. The story progresses with you at Zhongli and Ningguang’s sides, the suspicion being pointed more and more to the Fatui, and you find yourself staring up at the elegant pillars of the Golden House, the mora mint building.

You gulp. You know this is where Childe’s boss battle takes place, and you’re not sure if your team is prepared, even if you stocked up on food right before leaving the Harbor. Inhaling a deep breath, you shove the enormous front doors open, and a cutscene pulls your fear tight against your throat. Everyone’s suspicions were right- he was here to steal the Geo Archon’s gnosis, and you have to stop him. 

Easier said than done. The cutscene of your face shows a determined, fierce expression, instead of the nervous one you had in real life, and you almost laugh. You dearly hope your characters are strong enough, and step into the arena.

Phases One and Two are relatively short, as you quickly learn to avoid using Childe’s respective elements of his Vision and Delusion while his shield is up. The battle is fun and fast-paced, and you feel a thrill in your bones as you dodge another attack before swinging your sword in retaliation. Childe stumbles, and Phase Two ends with a cutscene. The corpse of Rex Lapis, something you considered a bit gruesome, is discovered to have no gnosis, and you can feel the raw anger in the Harbinger’s voice as the air crackles and hisses. A horrible, blinding light shines, and Childe is gone.

At least, human Childe is gone. In his place floats a monstrous version of himself, nearly 14 feet tall and complete with horns and armor, and your mouth drops open slightly as you gaze at him wide eyed. But your focus is violently shifted when the floor cracks and turns to dust, sending you tumbling down into the belly of the Golden House. You land with an unceremonial thump, thankful that the creators hadn’t been cruel enough to make you feel the damage you took in-game.

And Phase Three, the final phase of Harbinger Tartaglia, commences.

He has considerably more health, and his attacks can range from irritating to deadly, you just barely dodging the falling Hydro arrows that would’ve slaughtered your current character. Of course, it doesn’t help that you’re sneaking glances at your attacker every few minutes. Your mind wanders to the lore as you shield yourself from violet lightning. Does this transformation hurt? Where does it come from? Why does it look like a moth? Maybe one day you’ll get answers. 

Despite the raised difficulty, Phase Three also ends rather quickly. Your characters, it seems, were overleveled. The remainder of the Archon Quest passes, Childe reappearing once at the end, and it’s over. The screen blips off as you log out and place the headset on a table before laying on your bed and using the last few hours before bed to contemplate what you’ve just seen.

The next days quickly fall into routine. After completing all your work, you’d take an hour or two to play Genshin, leveling up your characters even more and going through various quests, Childe’s included. You see his transformation, dubbed the Foul Legacy form, again, and almost swoon before stopping and giving yourself a harsh scolding. You fulfill requests and tasks for various people around Teyvat, or at least the parts of Teyvat you can access, and improve your skills and stats. You have a talent for dodging, you find, and use it to your advantage while fighting.

And every Monday, when the clock resets, you re-enter Golden House to battle with Childe and claim your just rewards.

Of course you could do it everyday, but a squirming, guilty feeling in your gut stops you, making you feel like you’re hurting him, no matter how many times you try to tell yourself that he’s simply a video game character, a program in an electronic system.

This thought makes you a bit sad, you think.

The fights are getting easier, something you credit to your rising stars of characters, and you stand before the Ley Line Blossom quicker and quicker each time, something you expect to be no different today.

Phases One and Two are just the same as you take advantage of Vaporize and Overload, drowning out Childe’s pre-programmed sounds of pain with your own abilities. The battle pauses, and you’re transported to the same chamber underground, with its fiery walls and glittering arches, as the fight resumes. With the same attacks and characters, it’s becoming a tad dull, and you frown, wondering if you should try to get another character soon.

You’re lost in your thoughts when you slip and fall.

This you feel in the real world, having landed hard on your back and knocked the air out of your lungs. For a few moments you struggle to breathe, and Childe takes the opportunity to appear right over you, his spear flashing purple. You swear internally, bracing yourself as he readies his weapon.

But the strike never comes. You inhale desperately, oxygen finally flowing into your chest, and open your eyes. The graphics of your game are gray and fuzzy around the edges, framing Childe as he slowly puts his spear down and, to your amazement and slight terror, jerkily reaches towards you. Voice clips play overhead, pieced together to make not words, but a static-interspersed whining sound, much like a concerned beast. Your eyes widen, and Childe stops, withdrawing slightly almost as if he’s worried that you’re afraid, and you whisper his name once, as a tentative question.

Then with crackle and a ping, your game crashes and everything goes black.

You gasp and rip off the headset, chest heaving as you struggle to comprehend what just happened. You’re shaking, nervous and fearful, but curiosity runs strong through your veins. Your finger slides towards the On button, and you press it and slip the device back on.

You’re standing outside, the doors of the Golden House closed as if the battle never happened. The guards surrounding it look ordinary, occasionally repeating phrases you’ve heard and ignored countless times. Glancing around and trying to squash the nauseous bubbling feeling in your gut, you push the doors open again.

It’s different this time. Instead of being in the upper room, you fall a short distance into the Third Phase Chamber, your shoes clicking on the tiled floor. Childe floats in the center, his back to you, and you take a tentative step forward. He turns and looks you dead in the eyes, before flinging his spear to the side and rushing towards you on his feet, kneeling to your height. Instinctively, you jump away as he sits on the ground before you, letting out joyful chirps and trills, sounds you didn’t even know he could make. You approach him, sword held loosely in your hand as an extra precaution, and he tilts his head and coos as you cautiously sit with him. Your hands are trembling as you try to understand that this is real, he is real, all of this is happening.

And if it’s not, then it’s some damn good programming.

Questions start to fill your mind, one after another, and you ask him, responses coming as a nod or a headshake.

Is this real?

Yes.

Or programming?

No.

Could you always do this?

No.

Just today?

No.

Over a period of time. Yes.

How…?

The final question hangs in the air, and he shrugs slightly, then points at you. You did this. You woke him up, made him feel pain, sorrow, and happiness, all stemming from you, his love for you. From the minute the Archon Quests let you meet, he was vaguely curious, the most emotion he’s ever felt in his cold, empty programming since before. And when the code broke, he adored you, not like Childe viciously adored battle, but a soft adoration, one with all his digital heart could muster. You smile, and he purrs at what a wonderful smile it is.

Something flickers in the corner of your eye. Then another. And another. You turn and squint, then gasp as your surroundings begin to dissolve into colorful squares, the game taunting you as it glitches and lags. You and Childe leap to your feet, only to watch helplessly as the world crumbles away. You look down at your hands and see them beginning to break apart into pixels. Childe reaches out to hug you, to hold you close, but his hand passes right through you, a sickening reminder of how unreal he is. He wails in anguish as you both try to grasp each other, only to shatter more, the pixels covering your screen like rain on a windowpane.

Your game crashes for a second time, the only sound a desperate whimper that soon fades into an electronic squealing.

It takes a week to fix your device, the tech people saying that it was “overloaded”. Finally the repairs are finished, and you’re back at the Golden House, the doors already ajar. You slip into the room, expecting either a battle or, hopefully, someone to greet you.

But the room is empty. No one, human nor monster, stands in the center. Instead there is one lonely Ley Line Blossom, waiting, the final gift from an impossible love. 

[genshin-impact-imagines]

✨Surprising Diluc, Kaeya, Zhongli, Xiao & Beidou with a hug!✨

I found this idea cute for my favs! Enjoy~

Diluc

My man was peacefully walking back to Dawn Winery when he suddenly heard footsteps running towards him

He immediately thought that someone was about to attack him, he quickly turned around to see you, he let out a big sigh

He knew what you’re about to do

Diluc had a deadpan expression, yet his heart was beating like crazy

He finds you and your antics adorable but he’d ever admit it to you!

So he opened his arms wide and braced himself for your impact

“Diluc!” You happily yelled as you jump up, wrapping your legs and arms around him

Diluc quickly caught you, holding you tighly in his embrace

“I love you so much!” You said, attacking his face with kisses

Diluc’s face was as red as his hair at your actions

He doesn’t mind in privacy you showing him affection like this, but out in public where anyone could see you two

He was malfunctioning.

“Y/n, I love you too but c-”

Before Diluc could finish his sentence, you jumped off him and playfully ran away from him

Diluc: 🧍

He watched as you ran away, before he started running after you

I hope you can run fast, he surely can

Once he easily caught you, he gave you a passionate kiss before walking away like nothing happened, leaving you flustered instead

Uno reverse

Kaeya

Pls this man would just tease you to no end

He absolutely loves it when you hug him like this

Kaeya was on his way to see his favourite person you obviously

When he heard the familiar sound of footsteps running towards him

He knew it was you, but as I said, he loves to tease

So he just kept on walking like he had no clue in the world you were running behind him

You frowned slightly as he kept walking, feeling sus of him

“Kaeya!” You yelled, hoping he heard you

But nope, he still showed no sign of him hearing you

Pls Kaeya just hug us already

Finally, he stopped and tuned around, a loving smile on his face as he opened his arms wide for you

You grinned and jumped on him, wrapping your legs around his waist, while you cup his face with your hands

“I love you!” You said, attacking him with kisses all over his neck and face

Honestly I feel like he’d just let you do this but since he has a reputation to hold he cannot

Before he could say ‘I love you’ back, you had already jumped off him and ran away

“Hey y/n, wait!” He yelled, before he started running after you

When he caught you, he lifted you up and twirled you around, causing you to squeal

“Come now, let’s go back to the headquarters where we can be alone” He said, still holding you as he walked

Y’all cuddled as he attacked you with kisses

Zhongli

Confused baby

Honestly the first time you did this to him he was baffled

Zhongli was taking a stroll around Liyue Harbor, admiring the sunset

That was until he heard someone running towards him

At first he ignored it because he genuinely thought it was either kids playing or someone else unlike Kaeya

Until he heard his name

When he turned around and saw you, he raised his eyebrows in amusement, wondering what you’re up to now

When you opened your arms widely, he frowned a bit and did the same too

“Zhongli, I love you!” You yelled, as you jumped on him

He wasn’t prepared for your embrace and you both ended up on the floor

But that didn’t stop you from clinging onto him while giving him kisses

Zhongli didn’t know how to react, bby was so confused

He was about to say something but you suddenly got up and ran off, leaving your poor not intentional man on the floor

He got up and went after you, on the outside he looked cool, calm and collected. But in the inside he was dazed

When he finally reached you, you didn’t run far since you were just playing, he wrapped his arms around you tighly

“My love, are you feeling well?” He asked

You giggled at him, snuggling into his warm embrace

“I’m doing better now” You mumbled into his chest

He did eventually say “I love you” back when you explained to him why you hugged him in such manner. Once explained he doesn’t mind if you do it often

Xiao

Confused baby pt.2

Honestly why do I feel like he’d just step to the side as you jump, making you fall on the floor

But seriously, he thought something had happened to you the first time you ran and jumped on him

He went into protective mode, ready to attack anything that dare harm you

But when you started kissing him and showing him affection, he just,,, froze

Xiao was patiently waiting for you since your commissions were finished for the day

As he was waiting he heard footsteps running towards him

He immediately went into attack mode only to see you goofily running towards him

Xiao bby pls you’re safe jsjsbbs

He looked at you confused, why were you running towards him like that? Was there a ruin guardian after you again?

Honestly fuck them things tho

“Xiao, open your arms wide!” You yelled, nearing closer to him

He did what you asked, baby trusts you a lot

When you jumped on him, wrapping your limbs around him, he quickly composed himself as to not fall

“I love you so much!” You yelled, attacking his face with kisses

You tried to wiggle out of his arms but he doesn’t let you run away, he holds you tightly in his arms. “Is everything ok? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, I promise. Just wanted to say I love you, that’s all” You beam at him

Xiao says quiet for a minute, trying to process everything that’s happening

“You had me worried about you, I thought you were in danger. Give me a warning next time” He scolds.

“But I,, love you too. You must be tired, let’s go rest together”

Pls hes too precious

Beidou

Ugh my strong queen

Beidou will always catch you no matter what

And I hc that she can catch everyone no matter size or height!

Beidou was on her way back to her ship, excited to see you after hours of being apart from each other

You spotted her walking in the distance, and started running to her like an excited puppy

“Beidou!” You yelled, hoping she heard you

And of course she did, she stopped in her tracks and turned around to see you

He let out a hearty chuckle before opening her arms out wide

Oh how much she loves you

Pls she has a soft side dont @ me

As you jumped on her, she quickly caught you before kissing your face

You’ve done this many many times to her, she decided to kiss you for once

“I love you” You giggled, enjoying her affection

“I love you to- oh they’re running off” She contently sighed

She did run after you, once she caught you, she tighly hugged you

“If you’re going to confess your love to me at least let me confess back” She joked

You looked at her and smiled. “Go on, you have my attention”

She rolled her eyes playfully before giving you a passionate kiss. “I love you y/n, so much”

You both ended up walking back to the ship holding hands, enjoying each other’s presence

Pls I am so gay for her, can you tell shshhabs

My sfw request are open!

Taglist: @senkuwu-chan

[aetherarf]

So as my first request, if possible and you feel comfortable, I would like to ask for something with diluc, kaeya ​​and childe with a fem reader who had an abusive father. I don't care how he was abusive, you can choose which one favors you best. And with that, I would like to know how the characters would react by discovering this or how they would deal with the traumas and the reader's fear. Anyways, whatever you think is best 💓

Hello! Also I think I'll go with somewhat different one's each time... ( Diluc gets the short end of the stick again ). Also... I will admit, unless I tackle gender-based topics, I write men and women Readers the same...? You can easily read it as GN but I'll probably just default to GN terms since men and women both suffer from abuse and Gender is a complicated thing that doesn't fit into these writings. [Sorry if I disappoint!]

Edit: forgot to put a summary oopsie

[[ WARNING: ANGST, ABUSE MENTION, RAPE MENTION ]]

[[ Summary: You loved him, you loved him with your whole heart... but no matter your love, you had to eventually tell him what broke you, and caused you to act this way

Total Word Count: 1'880

Childe Word Count: 544

Diluc Word Count: 734

Kaeya Word Count: 602 ]]

Childe

Childe considered himself a pretty affectionate guy--He liked innocent wrestling, tickle-fights, and if he had his way, he'd have his hand on you every second of the day, on your hip, around your shoulders, holding your hand, or even just having your pinkies intertwined was enough.

However, you flinched. Every time he ever tried to make a motion towards you, you flinched, and i you didn't flinch, your eyes widened in shock.

You would apologize, and he tried to dismiss it, It's okay, you didn't do anything. I'm sorry for scaring you.

And he left it at that. But, you were sitting next to him, and he yawned, trying to casually wrap an arm around you, but as soon as he touched your shoulders, you yelped, flinching and staring at his offending arm in shock... and then, slowly, you took deep breaths.

"I'm sorry," you said, exhausted, "I didn't mean to jump."

Childe put his hand on his lap... and he frowned.

"You didn't do anything wrong... but... can I ask... why you flinch from me?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a little, "Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but... I guess after seeing it so much, I wonder if I've been hurting you on accident, or... if you just don't trust me. I don't like... feeling bad all the time."

You shook your head, grabbing his hand--you were always better when you initiated it, rather than him, "You-Of course not. You've never hurt me, you're always good... it's just..."

Childe looked at you, expectantly, "Just...?"

"... I-I got hit a lot, in the past. I... don't think I've gotten over it. But-you didn't do anything, it was just... him."

Childe's face... darkened. His eyes--they seemed almost empty as he stared for a moment, his hand slowly shifting to grab yours, firm but gentle.

"Who hit you...?" He asked, completely serious... dark.

"It-Childe, you're scaring me."

He blinked once-twice, and that horrific expression disappeared, back to his sweet, charming, slightly-dumb self.

"I'm sorry, snowbird. But-Who hurt you? What happened?"

You hesitated... you'd have to tell him eventually, and there would never be a more perfect time than this.

"My-my father. He... He was a very angry individual. Any slight irritation, and..."

Childe, slowly, lifted your hand to his mouth to press a gentle kiss upon the back.

"You don't have to keep talking if it's too hard," he said, with a smile, "I get it... But-It must be hard to live like that, right?"

You nodded, "It's... awful," you admitted, "I hate it. I don't like feeling scared of you... Even if... No, wait..."

"I get it," he reassured, even if he didn't hide his pained expression well. "I'm a Harbinger... I can get you the best consoling and therapy that money can buy... I can't help you, i mean, talking me me won't help that much, but... Would you do that for me? I can set it all up, I promise... I just need you to go."

You stared.

"Will you go with me, the first time?"

He hesitated.

"Well, I probably won't talk much, since I want it to be about you, but... I'll go. I'll make sure no one as much as lays a hand on you ever again."

Diluc

You and Diluc got along well. You both enjoyed cuddling, but sometimes you slept back-to-back, not from any sort of lack of intimacy, but you just didn't want to cuddle.

You liked to cook together, Diluc oftentimes taking the lead. When he was alone, in the safety of your home, he was quite soft spoken, never raising his voice, and he was gentle whenever he touched you--He truly was a gentleman to his core.

But as you both lie in bed, Diluc reading a book as he furiously squinted at it, you reminded of his worsening vision, you sighed softly.

"Diluc," you said, and he lifted his head, surprised, before he looked down at you. He didn't say anything, just waiting for you to speak.

"... Are you disappointed? With me? With us?" You asked, months and months of fear finally coming out--you couldn't even be upset, or sob, or fuss, you just felt tired.

"What?" He asked, staring at you for a moment. "No. I'm happy. Are you... Disappointed?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper, barely able to hold in his fear.

You pushed yourself up, "No, no, I just... You know what people do when they're together."

Diluc stared at you blankly, waiting a response. After a few second too long, "Oh," he said, "... Do you think I don't love you?" He asked,

"No, no, I meant-sex. I just... We've never done it. Are you... Disappointed?" You asked. He shook his head,

"No. I have you, I don't need sex."

You were quiet for a moment.

"You don't want to... Have sex with me?" You asked--you didn't know whether to be pleased, to know he loved you so dearly that he didn't care for that, or to be insulted.

"I..." He took a deep breath, "I don't want to have sex with anyone or anything, really. If you wanted to, I could... Come to terms with the idea. It's not you, I just... Sex doesn't... Appeal."

You sighed... Were you relieved? You still felt an agonizing pain in your chest. "I get it--and... I guess not, I'm happy with us." You said, smiling as you looked over his face... He, however wasn't smiling.

"You're lying," he said, stating it so plainly that it sounded like a fact, "You brought this up because it was upsetting you."

While lying, you put your arm over your eyes... focusing on breathing, as to not sound choked up--strained.

"I just... I don't know. I was-I was scared you'd ask."

He set everything off to the side, and instead laid down beside you, gathering you up in his arms as he held you close--his hand gently running up and down your back.

"Are you afraid of sex?" He asked... "... If it makes you feel better, I am too."

You looked up at him, staring for a moment.

"I... I was raped," you said, without realizing, "By... my father. He-He was... drunk. It happened... more than once. I don't think he ever remembered, he was-he was so good to me when he was sober, but..."

You hid into his chest, hiding from the world.

"I'm scared," you whined, softly, "I'm tired of waiting for it to happen... with you."

Diluc pressed a kiss atop your head, "... I would never do that, and I don't drink." There was a long moment of silence, "... You have told me about your pain, and... I believe it's only right I tell you of mine. I... Have a similar story," his voice was shaking, as he was struggling to even think... or to talk.

"It was not by my father, he was a good man... But-I... had a friend. Someone I... once cared for. I was drugged, and..."

He swallowed thickly.

"I was aware. I could feel everything, but I could not control my body. I... I understand why you are afraid. I think, I'm afraid too."

You held him close.

"I don't want us to be afraid anymore."

You could only nod at that, closing your eyes as he held you--But, somehow, despite all this fear, you felt so safe in his arms.

"Do you think... we should talk to someone? A professional?" He asked, "I... I never told anyone, but... It... Might be good. For both of us."

"I think so, too." You pressed a kiss over his heart, "Can we go to bed, though, like this?"

"Of course, my blossom."

Kaeya

Kaeya considered himself pretty keen--He noticed how you would, oftentimes, try to desperately explain and justify doing anything. You were minding your own business, reading? You'd try and justify it, "I just... had a hard day. It's not anything bad, I promise."

And he's usually reply with that signature smile, "You could be reading porn and I wouldn't mind, you know."

You laughed it off, but there was an edge of fear in your voice.

Fear.

You were always afraid, and he wanted to fix that. So, he took a day off, just to prepare everything. Some nice candles, a good dinner, some fine wine... And when you came home, he hugged you, held you delicately like you were made of glass. You had a lovely dinner together, with sweet smiles and gentle kisses...

Until the two of you sat together, and Kaeya, lightly, rested his hand on your leg.

"I... Figure you're in a decently-good mood, right?"

You were, it was nice... but you were terrified about what he was going to ask.

"I wanted to you about something... why are you so... scared around me? I don't mind what you do, you can read what you want and do what you want, you don't need my approval for anything... except maybe sleeping with others, but..." He sighed, "Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?" He grabbed your hand, holding it with both of his own, "I want to make this right, I don't want you to be afraid of me."

...

How could you respond?

"I'm not afraid of you, I'm... just afraid. Old habits die hard, I guess," you laugh, but it's broken and forced--Kaeya does not laugh.

"Why?" He asked, voice low, "Are... is something threatening you? Blackmailing you? If you just tell me, I can fix it. I have my ways."

"No, it's... not blackmail." You tried to think of how to word it.

"If I may guess," he said, "Has someone... hurt you in the past?"

As you looked at him, eyes wide and vulnerable... he knew he hit the nail in the head.

Suddenly, you poured it all out.

How, everytime you did anything, even just looked at someone for too long, how he would yell at you, punish you for anything you did. Reading a book for your studies, he would threaten to burn it, you desperately having to convince him of its innocuous nature, hiding anything you wanted to keep safe.

How he'd scream for hours at a time, until his voice was hoarse and you were terrified he'd make good on his promises that you'd die by his hand.

As you spoke, Kaeya had only stopped looking at you for a single moment, to grab a box of tissues to set upon your lap, "Go on," he said, when you hesitated.

And, now you leaned against his shoulder, slumping... weak and exhausted. He, slowly, wrapped his arms around you, letting your head fall to his chest as he squeezed you close.

"I... I'm sorry. I truly am sorry, love,"

For a moment, he was quiet.

"I don't know how to help, but... I know someone you can talk to. Help you... Get through it. Therapy."

You lifted your head, looking at him with glassy eyes.

"Will you come with me?"

He hesitated.

"He's safe... But I'll go with you a few times until you can trust them, okay?"

You, weakly, nodded. "Okay."

"For now... Do you want to go to bed?"

Weakly, you smiled, "Only if you keep me safe from my nightmares."

Kaeya smiled back-"I'll do the best I can."

[ddarker-dreams]

Yan Diluc, Childe, Kaeya & Zhongli / Darling Saying “I hate you.”

Warnings: Suggestive themes and typical unhealthy yandere behavior. Note: sometimes in life we just gotta suffer,

Diluc had told himself that this was for your own good.

That’s what gave him the ability to rest at night -- while holding the knowledge of all the freedoms he’s taken from you -- that you are safe. There’s air in your lungs, healthy color to your cheeks, and life shining brightly in your eyes. It’d be selfish to ask for anything more, he would reason. This is good enough, is what he’d think, not fully sure if he believed the creed himself. 

Now he knows those words were but a lie to cover a gaping wound in his heart.

He gazes at you now, his hand reaching out, only to stop when you flinch away. The reality that he tried so desperately to push down has risen to the surface, your turmoil not easily ignored. Diluc needs to remain steadfast as he considers hesitation an insult. Certainly, he is low for holding you here against your will, but it’d be that much worse if he started questioning himself. 

“I know,” is the strained answer he arrives at. You hear the pain in his voice, how the words were all but pried from him. “I’ve always known.” 

“Then why?” You plead, exasperation pushing you past the limit. His head is hung low for once, unable to meet your scrutinizing gaze, instead taking an acute interest in the wooden floorboard beneath his feet. 

It brings him back to his childhood, like a kid being scolded for an illogical grievance against their sibling. Your question strikes deep and close to the heart. His answer comes fast, almost robotic, as if he’s practiced it in the mirror countless times.

“For your safety.”

And so you won’t leave like everyone else has.

Exchanging thinly veiled antagonism behind the guise of banter has always thrilled Childe. This game the two of you play, he wouldn’t change it for the world, deriving too much satisfaction in your flustered reactions. Every day is spent thinking about when he’ll get to see you next, what words might bring out the cutest expressions. 

The manner you deliver the line is frigid and he can’t help but be reminded of  Snezhnaya’s climate. For a fleeting moment, it stings, like snowflakes against bare skin. If there’s anything Childe excels at, it’s warding off the cold. He laughs, once, twice, face illuminated with uncanny elation. 

You watch in disbelief as he treats your honest admission as nothing but a joke. There’s nothing you can think to say to describe the frustration that grows in the depths of your soul, Childe’s response encapsulating exactly why you said it in the first place. Half of you considers leaving him where he stands, but you know better, he’d follow after you relentlessly. A Fatui Harbinger’s ability to spot and track their prey cannot be understated.

When his laughter starts to settle down, he speaks. “So the truth comes out, hm?” 

Childe stalks towards you, sporting a wolf-like grin that sends shivers down your spine, every step you take back not enough to increase the space between you two. Eventually, your back hits the wall. Childe takes advantage of your lack of escape, taking your chin in his hand and placing his arm by your head. At that moment, it’s impossible to ignore the looming height difference, though he leans down to look at you closer.

“Hate me all you want,” he hums, his voice dipping lower with each syllable. “But I’m not going anywhere, ever, so keep that in mind. And who knows?”

Childe winks at you.

“Maybe I have a thing for being degraded.”

To be looked at with suspicion is nothing new to Kaeya. Everyone has their own reasons for doing so, whether it be to his cunning nature creating suspicion, or his country of origin. Though, he admits, your reasoning is far more personal than that. After all, his schemes have sent you into a whirlwind of misfortune. 

Kaeya moves back, observing how your chest rises and falls with each labored breath, the way you refuse to look him in the eye. He’s quietly grateful that your former entangled position didn’t grant you the ability to see his face, as shock undoubtedly must’ve crossed over it. Moment’s later, he’s collected, in control of every twitch and crease of his expression. 

“Hm, while I never excelled in my linguistics tutoring, I think I’m familiar enough with the word hate to draw a different conclusion,” Kaeya nods to your discarded clothes on the floor, to which you flush even brighter than before. “Is that what you’d call this? You were throwing yourself at me just a few seconds ago, y’know.” 

He’s getting under your skin on purpose. You know this, seeing the trap he’s laid out without even trying to hide it, yet still fall for it to defend yourself.

“Where else am I supposed to go, when no one even looks me in the eye anymore?” You challenge, wiping the saliva from your lips with the back of your hand. Kaeya hums, considering your inquiry, fingers rubbing circles into your skin as he does so. The contact makes your mind hazy, being deprived of physical contact having done a toll on you. To come to him for comfort is a blow to your pride.

“Your hand could’ve always helped with that, but you still chose mine.” Kaeya smiles, ducking down to press open-mouthed kisses against your neck. You decide not to honor him with any further response. It feeds into his ego and that’s the last thing you want, so you close your eyes and sigh. 

He pauses for a brief moment, not willing to let it go. “Not that I’m complaining, of course. I’ll always find a way to make time for you.” 

Zhongli places his cup of tea down onto the table, outward reaction schooled and giving nothing away. It’s a pathetic, last-ditch attempt to earn an emotional response, even you know this. From how he whispers archaic prose into your ear about his love and adoration for you, you were expecting at least... something. A frown, furrowed eyebrows, pain in his amber eyes. Anything. 

His visage remains unchanging. You drum your fingers against the table, narrowing your eyes and jutting your bottom lip out. It took you weeks to work up the courage to tell him this! Indignation and embarrassment blossom inside your chest, threatening to suffocate you. Any other time he’s talkative, but for some reason, he’s decided to take some vow of silence now. 

You perk up expectantly when he clears his throat. 

“It was never in the terms of our contract for you to have positive feelings towards me,” Zhongli decides, raising the cup to his lips and blowing. “Though, if I might add, I would personally like it if you did.” 

Maybe it would’ve been better if he stayed silent after all. There’s no validation to be found in his taciturn response, no substance to appease your burning frustration. The word contract sticks out like a sore thumb. Petty as it might be to continue this exchange, you feel vindicated enough to do just that.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the correct term would be marriage, not contract.”

“Are the two not one and the same? You’ve pledged yourself eternally to be my significant other, in the same way a contract binds two parties together.” Zhongli watches how you slide down into your seat dejectedly. Attempting to start an argument with Zhongli was akin to yelling at a brick wall, you decide.

“Don’t act so proud of yourself for swindling my parents into believing you’re an upstanding person.” 

His lips quirk up for the briefest of moments.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the term would be negotiating, not swindling.” 

You leave him to eat his breakfast alone. 

[favoniuscodex]

forever, forgotten

prompt: The two of you realize that you don’t work as well as you originally think. characters: zhongli/gn!reader, diluc/gn!reader, childe/gn!reader word count: 2.2k warnings: brief injury description, putting in stitches is described, emotional cheating (but not physical or overt), pain and angst a/n: rev up those fryers, because i am sure hungry for some angst! i love pain. i really do. it’s where i feel my writing thrives. but i apologize for making reader an ass in some of these. oops. it’s only human nature :) no beta reader btw, pls send in an ask if you see any errors so i can fix them!

CHILDE/TARTAGLIA

childe has always been one to thrive in the heat of battle, while you’ve been one to thrive literally anywhere else than a fight.

your relationship is kept on the downlow, both because you don’t want the attention of dating a fatui harbinger and childe doesn’t want you getting caught in the crossfire of any battles of his.

why date a man if you can’t be involved in what he loves the most?

he arrives at your doorstep, a sheepish, tired smile on his face, one hand clutching his opposite arm, trying to tamp the blood that seeps into the grey fabric of his clothing.

you meet his gaze with an equally tired one. the sun has yet to rise and you are no longer surprised by your lover’s impromptu visits at your doorstep, nor his condition.

he only shows up when he needs something, after all.

you usher him in without a word and he sits at your dining table, quiet as you stitch up his wounds.

you’re not a nurse. you shouldn’t be so good at piercing a needle through someone’s skin. the thought of it unsettles you a bit, but you withhold these thoughts from the harbinger before you, who always desires to run a sharp blade of water through the necks of his enemies.

the silence between the two of you isn’t tense. rather, the air is dull and laced with fatigue. you know the man before you will fall asleep wordlessly on your couch soon before you navigate to your bedroom and slump over on your mattress. you’ll leave for work in the morning, leaving him to dream away on the couch. by the time you arrive home, he’ll be gone without a trace, except for the stack of mora he leaves on your kitchen table.

your relationship is no more than transactional at this point, but at least those who are paid for the night feel the warm touch of another.

however, tartaglia throws a wrench in your typical night plans. he decides to speak.

“there’s a new guy where you work,” he speaks, lifting his eyes from the needle in your hands to meet yours. “you get along well.” the words of the harbinger are embittered, laced with a childish petulance. but rather than assuage his fears, you furrow your brows and lift the needle up, before puncturing the skin with it once more.

“you sent people to watch me,” you scoff. it doesn’t exit your lips as a question, but rather a statement of ire. childe huffs in response.

“do you wish for me to leave you unguarded?” he says, irritation lacing his tone. nonetheless, he shakes his head slightly, ruffling his brunette hair. “whatever. Coworker.”

“what about him?” you respond, finishing his stitches and scooting your chair backwards to give him space. you finally make eye contact and realize that within his azure eyes, jealousy lies. “he’s a coworker.”

exhaustion is getting to the both of you. childe takes note of your dull-eyed look, a far cry from how you once looked at him. your lips rest in a slight frown and dark circles rest underneath your eyes. you look absolutely exhausted. nonetheless, he pushes onward.

“you two spend quite a bit of time together,” tartaglia remarks.

“if you have someone following me around all the time, then you know i’m not cheating,” you respond, folding your arms and narrowing your eyes at him.

“i know. but maybe it would be easier if you did,” his words soften and reveal a subtle pain behind what he’s saying, but in your fatigued state, the meaning is unclear.

“what the hell does that even mean?” you ask, forcing your voice to stay level. you’re tired, which means you’re more likely to be irritated, but you stay steady. whoever raises their voice first loses the argument, in your eyes.

“maybe it would be better if you were with someone you still loved,” childe finally confesses, yet another layer of defensiveness stripped from his voice, revealing his nerves. you glance up from where you had absentmindedly fixated your gaze on your thighs -- when had you done that? -- and look into his eyes to see the flames of jealousy being overwhelmed with an ocean of sadness. the harbinger had always loved the sea.

“don’t say that,” you murmur. “don’t do this to yourself, tartaglia.”

“ajax,” he whispers, correcting you. you know if he speaks louder, the ocean within his eyes will seep out. “and if you feel that way, then say it.”

“say what?” you ask, rubbing a hand across your eyes.

“say you love me,” ajax whispers. his face is flushed red as he struggles to contain the melancholy emotions he’s tried so hard to lock away.

you go quiet. at one point, you would have screamed the words from the top of the highest liyuean mountains, but now, a lump in your throat prevents them from exiting your mouth to reassure your lover, if you’re even allowed to call him that.

a bitter smile spreads across his face, his eyes growing red. “thank you,” he says, his tone saturated with emotional agony.

you watch him leave. your past screams at you to reach out to him, to beg him to stay, but you watch him collect his things and exit your house silently. as tartaglia closes your front door softly behind him, not bothering to look back at you, you let out a shaky sigh and curl up on your couch.

your head finds itself upon the throw pillow that his blood had leaked onto, but you’re too tired to care. instead, you lie on your side, wondering about what could’ve been before falling into a dreamless sleep.

DILUC

you’re a people person while he’s a lone wolf, a commoner while he was always destined to be a societal elite. in comparison with the man significant enough to receive a gift from the gods, you are nothing.

but he always made you feel differently. he would hold you close on winter nights, whispering sweet nothings into your ear as you fell asleep to his heartbeat. but that’s all they were -- nothings.

you saw how he looked at her -- a liyuean diplomat. you had asked him about her before.

“she’s just someone from the past,” diluc had stated, not making eye contact and brushing away your words, an uncharacteristic move for the man who would once recite ballads of your beauty whenever you had expressed an insecurity. “nobody to worry about.” he

but as they leaned in close to each other, whispering to each other as diluc tended the bar, her resting her elbows on the counter, you realized that their relationship had never been platonic and you were a fool to believe they didn’t have a history together.

you stayed positive until the calvary captain noticed your sad looks towards the bar. he simply murmured a few words to you that would confirm your fears.

you didn’t want to play if you were always going to be second place to a woman who showed up every blue moon.

maybe that’s her appeal, you thought to yourself. she’s here infrequently enough that he’s smitten with her. she leaves before she can become mundane, exits the scene before his memories of her can sour.

but the days roll by and you find yourself becoming more and more embittered. diluc stays out late, saying work is keeping him. kaeya tells you otherwise. for a man who has no reason to be involved, you owe your dignity to kaeya for intervening and telling you the truth.

but diluc doesn’t cheat. he just smiles at her. they’re friends, that’s all. but jealousy is the devil’s mistress and you lay in bed with her in your heart as she pries her fingers into your love and rips it apart at the seams.

the liyuean woman leaves. upon her departure, your love for the red-haired man exits the stage as well, leaving behind a neglected husk of a relationship.

diluc smiles at you, none the wiser, approaching you after you finish your shift one evening. this is the first time you’ve spoken in three weeks and he doesn’t even seem to notice.

upon seeing his lips curl upwards at your appearance, the fragments of your heart shatter into dust, for you realize that the way he looked at the liyuean diplomat will never compare to the look he gives you.

he invites you over to his place, saying he misses your company. what is there to miss? you’ve been here all along, watching, waiting, agonizing over him, and yet he acts like he wasn’t the one that caused the two of you to be apart.

“i don’t think it’s the best idea for us to keep being together in such a manner,” you respond as you grab your bag, not making eye contact. “we wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

diluc watches you leave, stunned by your response. “wait,” he calls out to you, making you turn around. “did i do something wrong?”

“no,” you lie, plastering a fake, soft smile on your face. “i just think i did. it’s nothing you did, i just… don’t think i can keep doing a relationship right now.”

“you’re breaking up with me?” diluc asks, dumbfounded. “here? Now?”

“yes,” you respond, praying your voice doesn’t crack and revealing your sadness. “i’ve found someone else to put first.” myself, you think. you watch as diluc attempts a stoic expression, but you can see the sadness in his eyes.

as the winds of mondstadt swirl around the two of you, blowing the dusty ashes of your heart that had been burnt away by the redhead with the pyro vision into uncharted territories, you can only manage a weak, apologetic smile at seeing him go through the grief you had gone through only a week prior, when you had finally determined that you needed to break up with him.

“i’ll see you around,” you say, before brushing past him and heading home, for once, alone.

ZHONGLI

the two of you sip your tea quietly as zhongli relishes in your company, pleased to see you after you had returned from an adventuring commission.

“i’m glad you returned to liyue harbor safely,” zhongli confesses. his words, much like his actions, are predictable.

you love zhongli, you really do, but after spending two years with him as his lover, you realize that maybe he’s not the one for you.

the geo archon is reliable, loyal, and honest. he’s considerate and kind. you had no reason not to take him as a lover -- he’s the perfect gentleman with a well-paying job. staying with him would provide love and stability.

but, you realized you made a mistake not long after accepting his romantic confession. zhongli was lovely, but he failed to ignite the spark in your heart that most lovers did. he was predictable, too predictable in your case. the geo archon, after millenia of war, anguish, and disconnect from the human race, decided the best life to live as a human was one of routine and peace.

you envied him. you truly did. his happiness was rooted in the status quo, the idea of nothing in his simple life changing. you longed for adventure, for excitement, never having been one to stay in a place for too long.

just as you knew when it was time to move cities, you knew it was time to move on past this relationship in your heart. your love for zhongli had fallen platonic. you were only clinging onto the familiarity zhongli provided as he had not given you a reason to leave.

but maybe zhongli himself was your reason to leave. after all of his service to liyue, he deserves someone who loves him with his whole heart. despite your consistent completion of adventurer’s guild duties, this is one commission that you cannot complete. no matter how hard you wish to, you cannot bring yourself to love the geo archon with your whole heart.

therefore, you realize, you must let him go.

you’re a coward, though. a person who can slay a stonehide lawachurl alone, who has countless battle scars from the most fearsome of challenges, is unable to look their lover in his patient amber eyes and tell them how they feel, for they do not wish to acknowledge the pain they will bring to their gentle lover who would, truly, move mountains for them.

so you write a letter while he’s at work, detailing your sorrows and how you wish for him to find happiness. you’re a coward, you scream at yourself as tears roll down your face, staining the parchment your pen shakily moves across. he deserves better.

he deserves better, which is why you leave the letter in an envelope for him on the table, the ring that normally rests on your left hand on top of it. by the time he reads it, you’ll be on a boat to inazuma, free from the consequences of your heartbreak and your actions.

you never quite forgive yourself for leaving the geo archon behind.

[suddencolds]

Untrustworthy | Genshin Impact

This is a 3k word commission for anon! (I admittedly wrote over the commissioned word count).

Thank you so much for commissioning me and for your kind message ����This fic was surprisingly very challenging to write, so I’m sorry for the wait; I hope you enjoy! 

Requested prompt: 

I want Diluc completely miserable with a cold. As much mess as you're ok with. Still trying to function. Until Kaeya can't stand watching anymore and inserts himself as caregiver.

—

It’s subtle at first. Diluc turns away from making a drink to cough tightly into an elbow. Diluc’s gaze pulls uneven as he ducks forward with a barely stifled sneeze into a handkerchief he’s been keeping in his coat pocket. Diluc—when he thinks no one is watching—leans a bit too heavily against the countertop, bracing himself with one arm, and lifts the other hand to massage his temples. as if he’s attempting to drive away a headache that he’s had all afternoon.

It would be unnoticeable, except Kaeya pays more attention than people give him credit for. It would be unnoticeable, except Kaeya is aware that a cold has been making its rounds through the Knights, many of which frequent the tavern—one severe enough to prompt Jean to actually take a sick day, for once, one that seems especially severe this winter and—judging by the absences in his ranks this last week—difficult to avoid.

Diluc doesn’t fall ill often, Kaeya knows. Even now he barely looks unwell, save for the faint flush of his cheeks, the exhaustion disrupting his usually-perfect posture, the sneezes that he keeps stifling into almost-silence.

Either he’s at the start of his cold—before it’s had a chance to get really bad—or he’s putting in an inordinate amount of effort to hide it.

Kaeya suspects it might be both.

“Master Diluc,” he says, when Diluc conveniently stops by one of the tables next to him with drinks. “When does your shift end?”

Diluc’s shoulders stiffen, though he doesn’t turn around to address Kaeya properly. “Three hours from now.” he says, frowning. “if you intend to involve me in one of your late-night arrangements…”

“Oh? Not this time,“ Kaeya says. He lifts his wine to take a sip. “Even if I were, I think perhaps I would have reconsidered.”

“And why is that?”

Diluc says it flatly—unaffectedly—but he only has the luxury of keeping up that act for a few seconds before he’s ducking into his shoulder with a perfectly silenced stifle. It’s such a seamless performance, neatly contained and expertly quiet—really, Kaeya deems himself unworthy.

“Bless you,” he says, though Diluc scoffs, swipes the empty glasses from the table he’s serving, and starts off toward his usual spot behind the counter. “I do hope you are not falling ill, master Diluc.”

Diluc sets the glasses down on the countertop, diligently averting his glance. “I’m fine.”

“Is that so?” At Diluc’s silence, he presses on. “Perhaps you should close up early, just in case. You look like you could use some rest.”

“No need,” Diluc says. “It’s just— “Hiih… hiIIH-nGK-t! Hiih… HIiIH…-!!.... hiIIh-GKt!” The sneezes snap him forward, his shoulders trembling with the motion. He straightens with an almost imperceptible shiver. “—just dust, snf. Perhaps the Knights would be more efficient if you put more time into work instead of investigating less…” Diluc looks to him at last, his jaw tightly set. “...pressing matters.”

“Ah.” Kaeya laughs. “So eager to get rid of me?”

“Your concern is unnecessary. I already intend to close up earlier than usual.”

That’s surprising, to say the least—Diluc usually never cancels plans to suit himself. “So you really aren’t feeling well,” Kaeya says, suddenly worried. If it’s so bad that even Diluc is closing up early...

He must not be doing a good job keeping the concern off his face, because Diluc just scoffs dismissively, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s not that.” He coughs softly into his raised elbow. “I have somewhere to be.”

“Hmm, to think you said no late night excursions...”

“There’s a banquet tomorrow that I’m expected to attend.”

And yet he won't be closing up for another few hours. And yet he’s here, with the start of a cold, looking exhausted and unwell, and still—for reasons Kaeya can’t fathom—he intends to work late into the night and then spend the entire day tomorrow at some pretentious social event. Kaeya knows that having to entertain strangers is exhausting to Diluc even on regular occasions. He also knows that whatever Diluc is coming down with is unlikely to resolve itself in just a night’s rest.

“For the winery?” he asks. “My, such impressive dedication to the business… surely you can send Elzer on your behalf?”

Diluc’s shoulders tense in a way that suggests that he is as reluctant about attending as Kaeya expected. “I can’t. The host requested my presence.”

“At the very least,” Kaeya says, “You should close up a bit earlier.” He glances over his shoulder to peer through the first floor windows. It’s dark outside—too dark to come to any conclusions, but earlier today, the sky had been too heavy, the air prickling with humidity, the clouds overhead sprawling and dark. “It wouldn’t do you any good to get caught up in the rain.”

“The rain is of no consequence to me,” Diluc says, in the kind of tone that suggests that he doesn’t intend to close up early at all.

“Even with a cold?” “I don’t have a cold.”

Kaeya shrugs.  “Well, if you’re certain.” He pushes his mug forward so that it rests on the countertop, right within Diluc’s reach, and counts the mora out beside it. “Goodnight, Diluc.”

He turns on his heels. Years ago, he might’ve stayed longer. He might’ve insisted for Diluc to take care of himself and not left his side until he had.

But it’s been years. Diluc left, and Kaeya tried to muster up the pieces of himself that had existed independent of him—he’d taught himself how to lie, tricked himself into believing that the person he’d trusted most hadn’t left him—and now even though Diluc is back, sometimes it feels as if Kaeya barely knows him at all.

If Diluc won’t take care of himself, then that’s his prerogative. It’s stopped being Kaeya’s problem a long time ago.

—

Kaeya has every intention of leaving Diluc alone.

That is, until he’s at the Knights’ headquarters, listening in on a conversation that he doesn’t quite mean to eavesdrop on but hasn’t gone out of his way not to avoid.

“He keeps taking our work,” one of the Knights says. “It’s awful. Last time we spent all our time finding this one domain—Fatui territory, alright? We had a whole expedition team ready to scout out the domain the next day. Then the next day, we get there and the place is abandoned. Everything’s been scorched. Must’ve been a pyro user.” “How do you know it was him?”

“Trust me, you’d know. How many pyro visions are there in Teyvat? It’s like the legends say. He doesn’t leave any room unturned. He’s more thorough than a team of our men put together.”

“Gentlemen,” Kaeya says loudly, smiling when they startle and turn to look at him in synchronicity. “What are you talking about?”

“The Darknight Hero,” one of the knights offers haltingly. “Last night he took down one of the Fatui strongholds we were planning to deal with. Talk about an annoyance, huh?”

“Oh? How heroic. It seems he lives up to his title,” Kaeya says. His mind is reeling. Diluc? But last night, Diluc had been working late. He’d gone home right after, hadn’t he? It wouldn’t make sense for him to be out last night. Unless, of course...

He would really, really like to believe that Diluc’s self-preservation instincts are better than that.

“I’ve been saying,” says another knight. “We were supposed to be scouting out the area right now. Chances are, there will be nothing left there that’s of any use to us.”

“Seeing as we have nothing to do today,” the first knight says, his expression hardening, “maybe we can conduct a search party for the Darknight Hero instead. See what he has to say about withholding information from the Knights.”

“Let’s not be too hasty here,” Kaeya cuts in, before the other Knights have a chance to offer their assent. “It’s unlikely that the Darknight Hero would be out during the day, isn’t it? Rest assured, I’ll make sure that it’s looked into. In the meantime, have you asked the Acting Grandmaster for a new assignment?”

The knight in question falters. “No, but…”

Kaeya smiles pointedly at him—the kind of vicious smile that, around knights and strangers alike, never fails to intimidate. “Then perhaps you should get to it, don’t you think?”

He waits until he’s sure they’ll be busy with something else. Maybe they’re mistaken. Maybe Diluc had gone to scout out the area on some previous occasion, and the Knights are only now paying witness to his usual efficiency.

Or maybe Diluc has forgone a night of rest in lieu of playing hero to Mondstadt in the pouring rain. And now he’s at a banquet somewhere, with a miserable cold that he’s most likely intent on telling himself he doesn’t have.

It’s been awhile since Kaeya’s been to a banquet. He misses the alcohol, the music, the extravagant decorations. It’s easy enough to tell himself that that’s the reason why he’s going.

—

It’s not difficult to get in. Kaeya is well-acquainted with having to sweet talk his way into lowering someone’s defenses.

Inside the banquet hall, it’s crowded. It is as pretentious a setup as it gets—visitors wearing suits and ballroom gowns, walls adorned with streamers and gold plaques, tables laid out with refreshments of all sorts. The building it’s being held in has at least two floors and too many side rooms to count.

He spots Diluc from across the room—red hair is rare enough that he’s not easy to miss. Diluc is currently engaging in conversation with someone Kaeya hasn’t seen before.

It’s likely that Diluc has found the person who explicitly requested his presence—probably someone with a business deal that he thinks warrants a personal talk with the owner of Dawn Winery. If Kaeya interrupts Diluc while he’s negotiating some sort of once-in-a-lifetime deal, Diluc will never let him live it down. So instead, he grabs a drink as an excuse to get closer and stands a few tables away to listen in.

Up close, Diluc’s cold is practically impossible to miss. His clothes look freshly ironed, but his hair is still damp at the tips—he’s changed into dry clothes, then, but his wet hair seems to only confirm the hypothesis that he was, in fact, scouting out domains last night in the rain instead of getting a wink of sleep. Diluc has always been pale, but now there’s a flush high on his cheeks that Kaeya thinks could only be a result of an impending fever. He is standing with his arms crossed—a last attempt to keep warm, perhaps—with a handkerchief gripped loosely in one hand. Faint shivers break the line of his shoulders.

Kaeya feels a pang in his chest. Diluc looks…

Kaeya watches as Diluc twists away with a soft apology and a wrenching sneeze that snaps him forward at the waist.

...miserable.

“That was merely my expectation,” the man says. “Crepus and I were business partners, do you know that? You don’t seem like the type of person who would choose this profession. I am sure your priorities lie elsewhere.”

Diluc clears his throat. “I have no qualms against upholding the family business.” His voice—though usually smooth and mellifluous—has taken on a rough edge to it, as if from overuse.

“Of course, I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise,” the man says. “I am sure you’re aware of your options, no? You could make a fortune selling off the winery if you so desired.”

“If you are...” Diluc starts, though his sentence is punctuated by a soft, desperate gasp, and he turns away just in time, ducking into his handkerchief. “hiIh…. Hiih… hiih’GKt—CHhiiew! Snf-!” His eyes stay shut in anticipation, the grip tightening around the handkerchief as his shoulders jerk with another sharp intake of breath.  “Hiih… Hiiih… Iiih’DZsshh-iu! haAHH’iIKTch-iIIew!” he sniffles wetly, barely suppressing a violent shiver.

“If you are here to gauge whether or not I intend to sell the winery, I can assure you that I do not,” he says, quieter than usual.

“Ah, of course, just a question.” The man leans forward, lowers his voice. “Truthfully, I am more interested in a partnership. It’s come to my attention that you have an excess of wine sitting in the winery’s cellars. If you can get me the amount of Dandelion Wine I need at a discounted price, I can sell it down in Liyue for a profit.”

“I have no interest in expanding the business any further,” Diluc says. “The excess will sell out easily in the spring when demand rises for Windblume.”

“I urge you to give it some consideration. Dandelion Wine is a specialty to Mondstadt. Think about the profitability of expanding to somewhere where dandelions are hard to come by,“ the man says. “You could stand to double or even triple the prices per bottle. I am only asking to take a fraction of your stock, see? Ten percent would be enough.”

He says it as if ten percent isn’t anything substantial, but Kaeya can’t help but think that there’s something wrong here—both with the presentation of the offer and with its suddenness. From here, Diluc’s expression is unreadable—it betrays only slight discomfort when he turns to the side, muffling harsh, forceful coughs into his suit sleeve, and murmurs a reflexive apology. No hesitation—not the slightest hint of wariness—even though the Diluc Kaeya remembers wouldn’t agree to raising prices so drastically without good reason.

“I can handle all transportation and deliver the profits to you in a few months,” the man presses on, interpreting Diluc’s untelling silence as interest. “My associates have done research on the market in Liyue and where it would be best to sell. You wouldn’t have to do anything differently from your end. All that I ask is for you to trust me with the first shipment and compensate me fairly after I handle the marketing and transportation.”

Diluc sniffles. “Forgive me,” he says, bracing himself with one hand against the table behind him as he ducks forward violently into a raised arm.  “hiIh’nGKT-chhiEW! HIih… I do n-not… hhH… Hiih-! hiIH’iiikT-CHhiew! Sdf-! Ugh… hiIIH’NGKT-CHhiew!” He leans slightly into his side, and though the gesture is well-disguised, Kaeya can tell just how much he’s bracing his weight on the table. It’s concerning, to say the least. Is he really too tired to stand upright? “...I do not expect to give out so much wine without a proper assessment of the risk. If you believe the model to be profitable, you are free to… t-to… hh-! to purchase…. hiIH… haAA’iiKTT-CHh!-u! hiIh’iiiTSSHhh’uh! snf-!” The congestion in his voice is evident in all of his consonants, and his gaze flickers down to his handkerchief in unspoken desperation, though Kaeya suspects he’s too polite to blow his nose in front of a business partner.

“...You are free to purchase wine at the same rate as I offer other corporate partners. I cannot - coughcough - I cannot offer such a large first-time shipment for free based on only an assumption that it will be successful.”

Kaeya can see the exact moment the smugness drops off of the man’s face. His eyes harden at Diluc’s hesitation, his practiced smile shifting into the approximation of a sneer.

“An assumption? You don’t trust my ability to see the operation through to the end?” He says, still in the same polite, haughty tone of his. “As a long-time associate of your father, I would have thought I would have earned your trust as well. Unless, of course, you simply don’t agree with Crepus’s assessments?”

Kaeya can see the way Diluc’s jaw tightens at the query. He clears his throat softly, though the brief wince that follows suggests that the action is far from painless.  

“His vision for the company is - snf - very important to me,” he says simply.

The man waves a flippant hand. “Or perhaps once he left, you decided you knew better? I mean, you have grown up so much, so I’m sure you feel more than capable of handling his affairs, regardless of whether or not you’re doing it his way. I don’t blame you.”

As the man turns around to pour himself a drink, Kaeya sees a flash of blue and gold tucked into his suit pocket. It takes him another moment to realize what it is.

A Fatui sergeant’s insignia—for identification purposes, or just a habit, likely.

This man isn’t a business partner of Crepus’s at all.

Now, the man wheels around, holding one drink in each hand. Alcohol, clearly—though it sparkles, faintly red. “Ah, well. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but your decisions are understandable. A friend of mine has been working on a drink that mixes certain Liyuen specialties and Dandelion Wine—would you give it a try?”

“I don’t drink,” Diluc says haltingly.

“Just a sip wouldn’t hurt,” the man says, raising an eyebrow. “If you are anything like Crepus, you must have developed quite the refined taste when it comes to wine. Perhaps you could speak for the quality?”

“I’m sorry,” Diluc says quietly. “I am… Hiih… f-feeling… hH…. hiIih’iIKT-chHIew! Sdf!... slightly under the weather.” Kaeya blinks at him, disbelieving. Such an outright admission is practically unheard of, when it comes to Diluc—but then again, it’s a convenient excuse, and Kaeya is not under the impression that he really knows him. Diluc lifts a hand to his face, sniffling hard. “I’m afraid I would not be able to taste it.”

“You state the obvious,” the man drawls, and Diluc’s shoulders hunch slightly as he turns his face away, his cheeks reddening slightly. “Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I recommended this drink. It’s made with Jueyun chilis. Should be good for clearing up a cold.”

“Is that so?” Diluc says, still frowning.

“Perhaps you could speak to its efficacy?”

Slowly—hesitantly—Diluc lifts the glass. The man watches him like a hawk—too eagerly, if anything. Kaeya presumes that he either wants Diluc poisoned or too intoxicated not to be swayed, and hauling home a Diluc who can’t hold his own sounds like more than he’s signed up for, so now would be a good time to interfere. Diluc can be mad at him later.

Kaeya, for all he’s attempted over the years, has plenty of practice making his entrances as obnoxiously showy as possible.

“My, my,” he says, striding in with a drink in hand to settle right next to Diluc. “The esteemed owner of the Dawn Winery.” Just for the way Diluc grimaces at the title, his eyebrows furrowing, he decides this intervention has been worth it. “And… who’s this?”

Diluc veers away from Kaeya to stifle—a soft, near-silent stifle that must be exhausting to suppress.

“A business partner,” the man answers through gritted teeth.

“Must be a busy job,” Kaeya says, snatching Diluc’s drink out of his hand and setting it down on the table behind him. “Given, of course, that you have two.” He takes an efficient step forward and swipes the insignia out of the so-called business partner’s pocket.

“I do wonder why the Fatui would be so interested in the Dawn Winery,” he says calmly, ignoring the man’s indignant yelp of protest. He turns the insignia over in his hands, contemplative. “Did you really think the owner of the largest wine business in Mondstadt would be so easy to scam?”

The sergeant swears. “You asshole—!”

Kaeya reaches for the sword tucked into his belt. He knows it wouldn’t be a fair fight, seeing that the man seems very much unarmed, but it’s as good as anything as a threat. “I don’t suppose you’ll try this again?” he says. “I can’t claim to be the best swordsman in Mondstadt—that title goes to the previous cavalry captain, but maybe tonight I can come in second.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh? Do you want to find out if I am?”

“No,” the agent says. “I wasn’t finished having my conversation.”

“Well, what a shame.” Kaeya doesn’t wait for him to think of a response. He takes Diluc’s arm and turns abruptly to haul Diluc towards the exit.

Diluc goes along easily enough. It’s only when they get outside that the frustration—from watching Diluc push himself, stubbornly, to this extent—boils over.

“Diluc,” he says, turning on his heels. “Really? After a late night shift at the tavern, your first thought was to forgo rest to spend all night scouting out a Fatui domain? In the rain, for that matter?”

Diluc turns away, his expression unchanging. “That’s not worth mentioning.”

“Perhaps you’d claim that attending a banquet directly afterwards is not worth mentioning, either? Your hair’s still wet. And that encounter with the Fatui sergeant—what’s gotten into you? Since when have you been so careless?”

He’s almost certain Diluc can hear the unspoken accusation behind it. This isn’t like you. Diluc is hasty—he has a tendency to overestimate himself and involve himself in situations he knows will be dangerous—but he isn’t careless.

“—I knew he wasn’t one of Crepus’s associates.” Diluc explains, with a soft, liquid sniffle. He turns away, lifting an arm to his face. “I would’ve - hhihH-!! - snf, I would’ve recognized him if he were, sdf.” his eyes drift shut; he buries his face into his suit sleeve, sniffling. “Crepus made it a point to… hiIh…-! hIIIh… to introduce him to everyone he - HIiIIih… sdf-!! ...Everyone he worked closely with.”

“Is that so?” Kaeya says, but it’s not enough. “Then why did you entertain him?”

Diluc is quiet for a moment. When Kaeya looks over, it’s to a dazed, bleary expression before he ducks harshly into his raised elbow with a forceful, “hiIh’nNGKT-chHIEw! hiIH’IITCHh-chhUU!! Snf-!”

He doesn’t lift his elbow from his face. “I w-wanted… snf-! more -  hiIh-!...information,” he says. “If I were to know more about what he was planning, it would make it easier for me to find any fraudulent - hiIih-!! Snf-! - transactions in the company’s history if I knew what to - hIih-hiIh’iIKTch-IIiu! Excuse me… snf-! -to look for.”

“Bless you. There are better ways to do that,” Kaeya says. “No need to do it when you’re evidently unwell.”

Diluc peeks out from behind his arm, which he still hasn’t lowered from his face. His face is flushed up to his ears—easy enough to dismiss as fever, though Kaeya knows that’s not all there is to it.

Diluc has always been embarrassed about admitting weakness. Kaeya sighs, fishes through his own pockets for a spare handkerchief.

“I have to say, Diluc,” he says, holding out the handkerchief — which Diluc accepts hurriedly, turning away to clean up whatever mess he’s made of his sleeve - “My weekends would be much less eventful -”

“hiiihh’GKTTt-CHh’yyew! snf-!”

“- if I could trust you to look after yourself,” Kaeya finishes, raising an eyebrow. “Bless you, by the way.”

“I know my limits,” Diluc says.

Kaeya huffs a sigh. “But you don’t honor them, do you?”

Diluc frowns, looking away. “I would have been fine if you hadn’t showed up.”

Kaeya stares at him. It’s half in disbelief, half in exasperation—but Diluc has always been like this, hasn’t he? Insistent on his own self-sufficiency. Hesitant to admit he might, in any way, be infallible.

I would’ve been fine.

“You always are,” he says finally, with a smile that he doesn’t mean.

If Diluc so diligently insists on refusing his help, perhaps Kaeya should take a hint. Mondstadt is a half hour away—less, if he hurries. He quickens his pace. It’s fortunate, he thinks, that the rain stopped early this morning, after—

Diluc grabs his arm.

Kaeya wheels around, suddenly worried that Diluc might be feeling much worse than he’d let on, but Diluc’s expression betrays nothing as he lowers his hand to his side.

“Thank you,” he says—a soft, private admission.

Kaeya clears his throat, waves a dismissive hand. “I assure you, I have plenty more handkerchiefs.”

“No,” Diluc says quietly, looking away. “Not just for that.”

[aine-ayase]

I haven't been online in a while🧍🏻‍♀️

hey shawty, i haven't been doing well so imma project :) Hope to anyone who's reading this has a good day though! and happy pride month

You were laying on your bed reading a book to entertain yourself. The Male lead kissed the knuckles of the Female Lead and a small smile grew on your face at the cute scene before frowning, as the feeling settles in you.

It frustrates you to no end, you just wanted to read. Read! and this depressive episode is keeping you away from doing anything normal this past week.

Your eyes dull as you continue reading, as the next supposedly sweet scene takes place and all you can feel is numbness.

Kaeya walked in the room to see you reading as usual and gave you a small peck on the lips before taking off the extra layer of his clothes and laying beside you. His arms wrapped around your waist. You closed your book ,putting it on the night stand before reciprocating the hug.

He would notice immediately that something gone wrong but he won't ask. He would wait for you to tell him, for now he would cuddle with you until you both fall asleep.

Diluc took off his coat and took a shower before heading to bed, today was a long day at the tavern and he couldn't wait to see your smile.

He noticed immediately. You didn't give him the usual smile whenever he entered the room even when you're distracted with your book, you would always acknowledge his presence with a hum or a nod but you did neither of those.

He would ask what's bothering you but respects your privacy if you don't want to tell him. He would order the maids to prepare your favorite food and sweets or offer you to play with his hair or his eagle.

Xiao raised his eyebrow when he saw your expression changed in a small amount of time. Mortals are really odd.

He would just stare at you before deciding to ask what's wrong. If you tell him he would just furrow his brows, he really doesn't understand humans and you really can't explain the feeling well. He would just offer you half of his almond tofu. Be grateful for that.

Albedo would be too busy the sudden change of your mood and when he gets back home, he would be too tired from all of the sleepless nights he endured for his expirament.

He does notice the unusual quietness of the house, even if Klee's asleep you would usually be the one who greets him first and it was still early so you wouldn't be asleep.

When he asks you what's wrong and you would just blankly stare at him, he feels... uncomfortable. Is this how people feel when he looks at them? Is this how you feel?

If you tell him, he would try to cheer you up the next day. Bringing you to Spring vale woth klee on a picnic or just showering you with affection.

[uuujeewriting]

may I request HCs for Albedo, Childe, Kaeya, Diluc and Xiao realizing their fem!darling is a yandere? like how would they feel and react?? ( i hope u don't make it too angst :(( ) - if u don't feel comfortable wrting this, i am deeply apologize, feel free to ignore this :<

stop it [albedo, childe, kaeya, diluc, xiao]

they find out their darling is a yandere! how will they fight to fix them?

tw: UNHEALTHY/TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, gore, violence, cuss words, manipulative behavior, obsessive and possessive behavior, murder

albedo x fem! reader, childe x fem! reader, kaeya x fem! reader, diluc x fem! reader, xiao x fem! reader

a/n: just a note that this behavior should not be romanticized and should not be followed! i believe that the boys would not condone this behavior either. sorry that this took a while nonnie! hope this is to your liking.

i would like to clarify that if any of these scenarios/hc's of mine are similar to other writers' works, it is unintentional and i apologize

not proof read

albedo

it came to him when he started picking up on your possessive behavior

he first found it quite unusual, how defensive you were when people–even his own students–pointed out how much you hogged the man to yourself

it was no secret you loved him, albeit maybe you did a little too much 

for the first few days of this repetitive behavior of yours, he didn’t seem to take it too seriously, he even indulges your fantasies when he found the time to do so

calling him yours alone and how everyone wouldn't matter, just as his queen said

how foolish of him to feed into this obsessive mindset of yours, he now knows

the kreideprinz was a fearless man, never submitting even to the most nerve-wracking of consequences

you should earn an award for making him tremble

face to face with your gruesome figure, albedo hesitates to move

finally, you break the tension

“what’s wrong, my love? is something bothering you?” you ask, taking a step forward

“stay back. don’t you dare touch me- i-..” he grows speechless

you slowly retreated to your space, pouting

“is it this corpse? i’m sorry, but she was getting in the way! always asking about your whereabouts and such, truly a burden-”

“sucrose was my assistant! why the hell wouldn’t she ask about me?!” his heart rate quickened, the blond has never experienced this much terror in his life

you grew silent, taking in the chief alchemist’s words

he feels his heart drop to his feet when he sees you smile slowly

“well, there’s nothing we can do about it now, hm?” you hug albedo after throwing the bat you used to bash open your victim’s skull, tainted with putrid crimson 

you laugh and bury your head in his chest but you notice droplets of water falling to your scalp

you look up at your quivering love and he stares back at you

“i’ll fix you, i’ll do whatever it takes to change those despicable temptations of yours and i’ll get you back, y/n.”

childe

childe was naturally clingy, never letting you out of his sight for more than two minutes. as a result, he didn't pick up on the subtle signs of your toxic behavior

what made him question this was your unreasonably foul attitude towards his family

one night, you and him visited his siblings in snezhnaya to have dinner

he was jubilant to say the least, the love of his life will finaly get the chance to meet the people he loved just as much as her!

"why are you so excited to see your siblings?" your question left him dumbfounded

did you not want to see them?

"well, y/n my dear, if there was anything i loved nore than you; it would be my beloved family!" he chuckles

when you reach his house, he's so excited that he misses how your eyes darken when he knocks at the door

"big brother! you're here!" teucer jumps in joy and hugs his sibling, the brother in question hugs back lovingly

how you hated it, make it end already

"teucer! i've missed you, too. how are sister tonia and the others?" childe smiles

was your presence suddenly not the most important thing anymore to him?

oh no, you're not going to let this happen

you cough and childe looks back at you, apologizing

"sorry, babe. come inside, i'll introduce you to the others." he takes your hand and guides you indoors to the living room

at the sight of their dear big brother, the group of siblings raced and laced their arms around him one way or another

childe laughs and attempts to stretch to hug all of then at the same time, only being able to circle two of his siblings

you felt inadequate again, damn siblings.

as childe introduces you to his family as his girlfriend, you didn't bother to mask your dislike for them

this concerns your beloved to the highest caliber

dinner rolls around and uncharacteristically, you offer to help out with preparing the food

childe was reluctant but overall, he couldn't deny a chance for you to finally change your views on atleast one of his siblings

"thank you for allowing me to help, tonia." you smile, feigningly to clarify

"it's no problem, i should be thanking you for insisting." she laughs and leaves the food on the counter to grab a condiment placed on the opposite side of the kitchen

quickly and silently, you scan the premises for what you needed

you find a container of rubbing alcohol in a compartment

grinning, you took it and spilled half the container into the water jug to be served

discarding of the half-empty bottle and putting the jug's lid back on, tonia returns and continues preparing the food

perfect.

when the food and tampered water was served, you replaced childe's glass of water swiftly

one of the siblings drinks the water and after a few minutes, he excuses himself while coughing

tonia was next and then teucer, childe was going insane and growing more and more concerned

finally having enough, he checks the food and once he smells the strong scent of alcohol in the jug of water, his eyes widen

he turns to you, his heart sinking at your triumphant expression

"y/n, how could you?!" he furrows his eyebrows, what happened to his beloved?

"they were taking you away from me. what was i supposed to do?" you raise an eyebrow

he clenches his fist. when he hears his siblings suffering, he heaves heavily

"we'll talk about this later and i swear to the gods i will change your attitude."

kaeya

kaeya is perceptive, he may have picked up on your despicable views earlier than the rest

how? don't question, it's his responsibility to take care of you

he does nothing at first, finding your obsessive behavior harmless at the present time

however, he draws the line after one particular event

"haha, well- if it weren't for how you sneaked through headquarter grounds, i wouldn't have had to waste my time tracking you down." he peers sarcastically at rosaria, he latter scoffing

"it's none of my business what you find suspicious." she sips on the wine she was holding

kaeya lets out a 'tch' and looks away, clearly upset

he arrives home to you cooking supper, his arms snaking around your waist

you smile, "bad day?" you ask, you know how he gets when he's dim and gloomy

"not particularly, but just had some trouble with sister rosaria."

what?

"what about her?" your grip on the ladle tightens

"nothing, it's really not a big deal." he palms your hand, kissing your neck

"oh, alright. if you say so, love." you state, but he should've watched what he says

you had your mind set and there was no stopping you

around 2-3 am you sneaked out of your shared home with the captain.

grabbing a cloak and satchel which incased your belongings, you head out into the streets

'where could that damn nun be at this time of night?'

you ponder for a good few minutes until-

bingo; clearing camps.

sneaking past the knights is rather easy, distract them with a rabbit and all is good

pulling the hood of the cloak lower to hide your face, you speed into the wilderness in search of rosaria

you find the preoccupied nun vanquishing a camp of hilichurls around the whispering woods, too busy to notice your presence

opening your satchel, you take your mask and secure it to your face

time to go through with the plan you'd devised.

"huh-?" rosaria hadn't reacted fast enough and you managed to tackle her to the ground after the last hilichurl was disposed of

she chokes on your hold and attempts to shove you off, only for her attempt to whiff

grabbing the polearm she had in her dominant hand, you twirl it and use it to replace your hand on her throat, choking her with ger own weapon

"w-who in t-the world..?" rosaria glares and struggles to keep herself conscious

you smirked, putting more pressure on the polearm

she grows more and more panicked, you bask in her expression of utter helplessness

she should have known better than to mess with you

to mess with kaeya

this is what she gets

you are going to have your way

yes, almost there-

"not quite, fiend."

suddenly, you get pulled back by the hood and you gasp in shock

rosaria recovers quickly and stands up, snatching back her weapon from your distracted figure

"though i hate to admit it, you sure can be a helpful comrade, cavalry captain." the nun scoffs

your blood went cold

"now who in the seven nations might this rodent be?" kaeya frowns, you attempt to struggle from his grip but to no avail

he takes off your disguise and you purse your lips

"..y/n?" rosaria questions, much more confused than your lover

"i had a feeling." kaeya remarks, surprising both you and the nun

"kaeya, you understand right? she upset you, she made you go through all that work just for you to find out it was some shady bitch roaming around the fucking city!" the two wince at your vulgar language, clearly not having any of it

"what's done is done." rosaria states and goes ahead to return to mond

kaeya lets you go and crosses his arms, disappointed in you

"you should know better, y/n. i'll have you know that although i love you dearly, this behavior of yours is not what i want from you." he reprimands you and you furrow your brows

"it's just me showing my love for you, i don't see what's wrong."

your statement makes the knight sigh

this is going to be a long night for the both of you

diluc

diluc wouldn't be too busy to spend time with you, but he'd be too busy to take notice of your toxicity

you lived in the manor, because of this, you had access to everything in the site

and when i say everything, i mean everything

yes, he trusted you too much and that's his downfall

not his, but rather a maid's

you were aware of his darknight hero duties and he made sure that you did, kissing you goodbye before leaving to rinse the land of roaming dangers

one night in particular, a certain head maid had made you quite envious

offering diluc a glass of grape juice, fixing his collar before he goes on about his daily stroll, even daring to clean his shared bedroom with you! my, how audacious she is.

after giving you a tender kiss, your lover heads out into the night and leaves you with the maids, giving you the opportunity to continue on your devious ways

calling adelinde into the garden, she comes along with the items you requested

two towels, a fork and a plate

of course she questioned it but who was she to deny her master's sweetheart?

with shaking limbs, she made her way towards the garden

"ah, finally. you're here," you make your way towards adelinde and she gulps

"i-i have the items you requested, miss y/n," she hands you the three objects that will serve a huge purpose tonight

"thank you," you smile at her as she attempts to smile and bow respectfully

"if that is all, i shall take my leave." she retreats into the manor

or atleast, she thoughts she was going to

quickly, you roll the towel and gag adelinde with it, tying the towel together and stabbing it to her nape with the fork with brute force

she screams for a split second and you smile, quickly bashing her head with the plate.

looking down at your doing, you grin impossibly wide

"miss y/n, why couldn't you have simply knocked her out first as to avoid her creating a rather loud shriek?" elzer sighed

"i wanted to hear her in agony, is that odd?" you raise an eyebrow at the chairman

he shakes his head, "no, not at all, master."

the next day, diluc is faced with a rather odd feeling of dread

as he finds adelinde, ironically, nowhere to be found, he immediately asks elzer which in turn is sworn to secrecy by you

it completely drove him mad, and you tried to take his mind off the maid yet he only pushed you aside

this angered you to the core

"what–is that maid more important than me now, after all this work i've done for you?!" you yelled at him and he huffs in annoyance

"what do you mean work?!" he yells back

"what could you have possibly done for me-" "i got rid of that bitch!"

he freezes, what did you just say?

you, there's no way. you aren't serious right? he must've misheard you, there's no fucking possibility that his head maid was de-

"she's gone. i made sure of it."

diluc feels a boiling sensation in his stomach and he takes your wrist to drag you to the outside of his office

"y/n, you better tell me where she is or i swear to barbatos i'm going to-"

he stops himself. what was he going to do? the same thing you had just done?

you smile at his realization, circling him

"see? you were just about to be hypocritical there, love." you chuckle

diluc gritted his teeth and steadies himself

he's going to teach you a lesson one way or another, but never in his life will he come to commit the crime you'd done

xiao

the adeptus neither cared nor disliked the things you do for him, however, when you stepped out of line one day, he began to watch over you like a hawk

it was when the traveler, lumine, visited your adeptus lover

you were excited to see xiao, you had two plates of almond tofu in hand and was stepping up the staira to the balcony

you hummed a little tune to yourself

"first hilichurl got sick, second hilichurl took care, third hilichurl gathers medicine, fourth hilichurl prepares-"

you halt your singing when you hear laughter

laughter from a woman, huffs from a man

an adeptus

your adeptus

"xiao, thanks for meeting up with me today, i really appreciate it." lumine smiles at the yaksha, "we would've been at a loss if it weren't for you."

frowning, you step back and watch them from behind the opening of the balcony

"i am in no need of your reassurance, puny mortal. it was a necessity for rex lapis' sake, do not take it any other way." he says, although the flush of his face was an obvious indicator that he also cared for his friend

"yeah, whatever you say xiao." paimon laughed and lumine soon after

fuck. you felt something break on your foot.

xiao and the traveler snapped their heads to your direction–

only to find nothing there

"i'll go check on it," lumine offers and xiao simply nods, finishing the tofu she brought for him

the blonde traveller walks to the scene and sees a plate of almond tofu in bits and pieces

"eh?... what's all this?" she questions

she crouches down to observe the scene

her fault.

"AH-!" lumine tumbles down the stairs with you on top of her

not giving her time to react, you punch her in the face repeatedly

"don't-" smack in the face

"try-" punch up her chin

"to-" bash her head on the floor

"take-" punch to the left

"him!" punch to the right

verr goldet and paimon cries for you to stop, the former prying you off the bruised blonde

xiao hears the commotion and sees the traveller's nose bleeding and your figure heaving on the ground, fists clenched

if verr goldet hadn't pulled you away, you would've killed the girl

xiao huffs and shakes visibly

"what is all this?" he angrily mumbles, "care to explain yourself, y/n?"

"xiao-" you begin to cry, "why would you spend time with her? i'm hurt of course!"

"you intend to tell me you're the only one i can talk to?" he raises his tone

"yes!" you whimper

unbelievable

"..verr goldet, bring the traveller to a healer, y/n, come with me." he holds a stoic expression

he was beyond angry

following him to the balcony, he keeps a distance from you, about three steps away.

finally coming to a stop, he faces you.

"i don't know what got onto you, but we're going to solve this," he crosses his arms, "right here, right now."

[monocaelia]

the kisses they give

sometimes a kiss is all you need to know that they love you.

feat. childe, diluc, kaeya, kazuha, and xiao

genre : headcanons. fluff. slight angst for xiao.

note : a pick-me-up cause these past few weeks have not been nice to me TT i hope everyone's weeks have been good though! lots of love <3

❀ childe

to childe, giving affection is like breathing. he loves showering those he holds close to his heart with love or gifts or whatever he deems necessary to show that they mean the world to him. and kissing is no exception.

considering cheek kissing is a common greeting in sneznhaya (russia) and he grew up in a family where he was heavily doted on and spoiled by his elder siblings and parents, childe has absolutely no problem kissing the people he loves as a greeting or as his form of affection.

which is why cheek kissing or showering your face in kisses is the harbinger's go-to when it comes to loving you.

childe's kisses are filled with love and pure affection reserved for you, as if you needed him or anyone to tell you that directly. you would be able to tell from the way his slightly chapped lips peck the skin all around your face and from the way his eyes of ocean blue nearly twinkle when they focus on you.

due to his duties of working with the fatui and being stationed anywhere in teyvat, childe hardly gets any time to spend with you. so he treasures the moments shared with you during his time off.

the door to your home would slam open with a loud thunk and his hurried footsteps would get closer and closer to you before you're swept into his arms, your laughter intermingling with his as the ginger spins you around the room. it's not long before the spinning stops and your vision is obscured by orange tufts as the cheeky sneznhayan plants kisses all over your face.

no amount of protests will stop him until he's gotten his fair share of loving from you. and even if you do manage to wiggle your way out of his arms, childe would see that as a competition to see who was quicker; you getting away or the harbinger and his hungry lips. [spoiler alert: it's him and his hungry lips, to no one's surprise]

mornings on his days off aren't any better. usually they start off quiet with the golden morning rays seeping through the curtains of your shared room and the faint chirps of the morning doves outside.

but it always ends up in a fit of giggles and smooches when the sneznhayan is in need of your attention once more and decides to kiss you awake. despite your light protests for the man trapping you in his arms so he can kiss you again and again, it's not like you ever want him to stop kissing you.

each kiss that finds its way onto your face [and occasionally your lips] is proof that childe, your sweet ajax, is absolutely enamored with you and you wouldn't have it any other way.

❀ diluc

despite how diluc is around his brother, the young master of dawn winery is not one to shield his heart from those close to him. diluc is just not as affectionate as others are in a relationship, so don't expect him to shower you in kisses when he gets home or scream at the top of his lungs how much he loves you, though it would be a funny sight to see.

instead, he shows his love through his actions. shielding you from the rain with his coat, bringing you closer to him when you both have something to do in dragonspine so you won't get cold, ensuring that you get enough sleep while he stays up to keep watch of the team. it's subtle, but enough to tell you he cares.

kisses on your knuckles are what diluc would give you due to the polite and gentle nature of the kisses.

diluc would kiss your knuckles as a polite greeting, as he was raised to have respectful manners. when he first did it to you, you were quite flustered at seeing the vigilante bow before you and gently plant his lips on the curves of your knuckles.

however, now he gives them to you in more intimate situations. like after you've cleaned him up after a rather rough evening patrolling the grounds of mondstadt. diluc had come home to you in a disheveled state; ponytail messed up, dirt coating his clothing and face, porcelain skin covered in scrapes and bruises. luckily, nothing horrible on the surface.

you're shocked at the state he's in and quickly clean him up. you don't say a word to him however, in fear that he already had gone through enough and you scolding him would just add more to the weight on his shoulders. your fingers brush against diluc's skin and he leans towards your touch, the gentle and caring nature tending to his heart.

he kisses your knuckles, lips warm and soft, as a thank you for taking care of him and as a silent way of showing you how much you mean to him. you're the only one he trusts to see him this injured and the only one he's comfortable enough to let his walls come crumbling down.

diluc kisses your knuckles as a gentle reminder that he is devoted to you and only you. he finds you one night standing alone on his balcony, eyes glued to the vast orchards of grapes that surrounded the winery. it's hard to hide what you're thinking of from the attentive eyes of the vigilante beside you.

when you tell him your concerns that he should marry someone with more influence than you, diluc's brows furrow and his frown deepens. you are the one he loves, and he could care less about the winery or his business. he hesitates when you shy away from his touch, but you quickly find his hand again to hold.

the thick wall that shields diluc's heart crumbles when he's around you, and nothing proves his loyalty and true feelings more than his gentle kisses along your knuckles.

❀ kaeya

a playful and cheeky person, kaeya is someone who makes you want more and more of him. from his mischievous smile to the way your name melts off of his tongue. you can't help but miss his presence when he leaves for a mission and misses a night at the bar with you.

it's hard to miss the smirk that grows on kaeya's face when he catches word of you ever missing him. and it's even more difficult to avoid him as the calvary captain needs to tease you about it and shows up at your work or at your door to bring up the news to you, much to your dismay.

kaeya gives you brief, yet enticing kisses at the corner of your mouth to not only tease you with the idea of wanting more from him, but also because he absolutely loves to fluster you.

the calvary captain kisses you goodbye one night while dropping you off at home after a night drinking at angel's share. you weren't expecting it at all, but maybe you should have once you saw the playful glint in your companion's eye and the cheeky grin growing wider each second you stepped closer and closer to your door.

it's a quick kiss, short yet long enough to feel how soft kaeya's lips were against your skin and how good he smelled from the brief proximity. dazed, you can only stare at the captain with your jaw slack as he chuckled and closed your mouth for you so you wouldn't "catch flies."

kaeya's kisses are even more dangerous when he has an excuse to kiss you. while catching lunch at angel's share one afternoon, his eye catches a piece of your sandwich at the corner of your mouth while you're telling him a wild story about how the traveller killed all of timmie's pigeons one day as a bet.

you don't even have time to react as kaeya's cold hand grabs a hold of your chin and presses his lips against the corner of your mouth, successfully grabbing the grain from your face. the familiar scent of his fruity cologne fills your senses and it takes everything in you to not pull the calvary captain in.

there's a knowing smile on his face when he pulls away and sees your expression. his tongue pokes out from his lips as he licks it clean, smile growing when your eyes flit down to watch his movements.

it's hard to judge kaeya's true intentions when his kisses are so brief and you barely miss them, but everyone around the two of you can see the way the captain's gaze always lingers on you when you're storming away from his teasing lips.

❀ kazuha

polite and yet, always the romantic, kazuha isn't a stranger to showing or receiving affection. although he's reserved and grew up surrounded by nobility, affection is nothing the inazuman traveller strays far from.

fleeting and soft touches are what kazuha is fond of, his fingers always brushing against yours when you walk beside him or linking your pinkies together when you sleep after you've had a nightmare.

inner wrist kisses are ideal for someone like kazuha to give; intimate yet delicate, private enough where only you can see and feel the love he gives you through the simple kiss.

kazuha kisses you on the wrist in the intimate moments shared with one another on the crux. it's always when the two of you are alone and admiring the night sky and the sound of the waves gently brushing up against the side of the boat. the rest of the crew is either sleeping or drinking with the captain on the other side of the boat.

you brush his bangs aside, fingers lingering on the side of his face as you admire the beauty that the inazuman traveller holds.

he always catches you off guard by complimenting you in the most poetic ways. "the stars pale in comparison to you, my love." or "every time i look at you, my heart flutters as if carried by the sea breeze. you alone make the stars dance as if they are rejoicing that you were born into this world, the most beautiful and the pride of the universe."

his laughter floats in the air, as if twinkling like wind chimes dancing in the wind, seeing your flustered reaction to his words and he presses a quick kiss to the inner wrist of the hand that remained by his face. truly, you are the most mesmerizing being to ever grace teyvat.

kazuha's kisses are gentle against the skin of your wrist when he wakes to sound of your gentle humming. he had fallen asleep while resting with you underneath the shade of a thundersakura tree, though it's hard to blame him when your fingers are delicately brushing through his white strands of hair.

his heart swells seeing you so at ease beside him, with your ethereal smile and the way the sun seeping through the branches of the tree illuminated you like the god you were. celestia above must be so jealous of your divinity, but they could never have you so long as he was here to love you.

kazuha wishes there were more words to describe how much he loves you, but no words could ever describe how enamored he feels when you simply gaze his way. so kazuha kisses one of your wrists in hopes of showing you the devotion he has for you.

❀ xiao

xiao isn't one for affection. he doesn't seem the appeal to it: how mortals like the enjoy the feeling of another's hand in theirs or how they find peace with the feeling of another pair of lips on their own confused the poor adeptus.

not like he found any need for it anyways. being affectionate to the one you love was a mortal tradition and what did xiao know about being a mortal. more so, did he even deserve to be loved the way mortals loved one another?

xiao finds it terrifying to love you, a mortal that could easily succumb to the aftermath of his karmic debt. this debt was his own burden to carry and you don't deserve to love a corrupted being like him, someone who only brings despair and destruction to anyone who crosses his path, innocent or not.

forehead kisses are the only kisses xiao allows himself to give you.

they're intimate enough to communicate his feelings for you without saying a word, yet simple enough so that he doesn't overwhelm himself with your presence.

they're to bid you farewell before he leaves for one of his missions as the sole adeptus of liyue. xiao does not know how long he'll be gone, or even if he'd return to your warm embrace. and so, his featherlight kisses are pressed to your forehead before he disappears without a trace, leaving you to worry about his safety on the deck of the wangshu inn.

xiao gives you forehead kisses as an apology for being the one you love. anyone else could have given you a better love than he ever could, could even promise you a future together and grow old with you.

you deserve someone who could openly love you and show you off to those around them, someone who didn't have a high chance of never coming home. all the adeptus has done for you was give you the crystalflies whose light reminded him so much of the stars that inhabited your eyes and the slightly crinkled qingxin flower he picked up on the way back to you.

xiao wonders why you're so happy when he brings you those small gifts when someone else could be giving you gifts of a grander scale.

and yet he's also thankful for you for finding love in someone like him, for showing him the gentleness and compassion the adeptus seldom received in his lifetime. the pain surrounding his heart ebbs away every time you smile at him, like the warm spring sun melting away the frigid winter ice.

one day, xiao would be brave enough to kiss you the way you kiss him, to indulge in all of the different ways he could properly show you just how much you meant to him. but for now, his lips against your forehead is enough.

[bumbleklee]

the first week

masterlist | 1k prompt masterlist | baby series

pairings: diluc, kaeya, childe and zhongli x female!reader (separate)

warnings: babies

before i officially start the series: if you would like to be on a tag list for this series please let me know! i didn't make one for the pregnancy series because it slipped my mind but i noticed a lot of the same people returning lol. secondly, quite a few people have sent me family/baby requests but instead of making them totally separate parts, im just going to add them into this series! so if you get a tag from me, your request is in the prompt somewhere (ex: @dragontamereg​ for khanreiah eyes) ♡( ◡‿◡ ) enjoy

diluc

If you thought one baby was difficult, try two.

And it didn’t help that you were still exhausted from the birth. Diluc felt like he was going into overdrive between tending to you and his new children. The first week felt like a never ending cycle of feeding, changing, bathing and sleeping.

Neither of you tried to be in a bad mood, but the sleepless nights and fatigue were catching up faster than you anticipated.

You had just laid down when Clara started to whine in the bassinet next to your bed. Her cries woke up Isaac and soon both babies were fussy. Your eyes pried open and you leaned over to rock the bassinet, shushing the newborn.

Diluc groaned next to you and sat up. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was frizzy and messy from not being able to shower in a few days.

“Can you calm Isaac down?” You asked tiredly, lifting Clara up and bringing her over to the bed.

“Why can’t you? I thought we said we would take turns,” He grumbled, though he was already getting out of bed and walking to the other side. You rolled your eyes and rocked Clara in your arms, brushing your finger against her soft tuft of hair.

“Because this isn’t something we can take turns at, Diluc,” You snapped back.

He sighed and climbed back into bed, Isaac now in his arms. The room was silent except for the occasional whines and noises from the babies. You had come to the conclusion that they just liked to wake you up for fun.

After a while, you turned your head to the side and melted at the scene. Isaac was laying on top of Diluc’s chest and they had both fallen asleep. Diluc’s mouth hung open and the baby snuggled into his warmth. You reached over to brush a lock of hair out of Diluc’s face, “My boys,” You said quietly.

At your touch, Diluc jolted awake. He was careful not to disturb Isaac, “Did I fall asleep?”

“You did,” You said, the ghost of a smile on your face. You put both babies back into their respective bassinets and Diluc lifted the blanket so you could slide next to him. “I don’t want to argue.”

“Me either,” Diluc agreed, wrapping his arms around you, “It’s just the first week. I’m sure it’ll get much easier.”

kaeya

To say Kaeya was attached to your daughter was an understatement. When you weren’t feeding her, Kaeya was tending to her. He held her close to him every chance he got, even offering to change and bathe her so you could sleep.

And he was so, so gentle with her. He didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much. You had gotten into the habit of just watching Kaeya. You didn’t know if you were ever going to have another child one day, so you treasured these moments like diamonds.

“Kaeya? The shower’s open,” You called out, twisting water out of your hair and wrapping a towel around yourself. When you didn’t get an answer, you raised an eyebrow. You changed into clean clothes and poked your head into the hallway to see the light to the nursery was on. “Kae?”

You poked your head into the nursery and stopped in the doorway, a smile creeping onto your tired face.

Calla laid on the changing table with Kaeya hovering above her. She barely kicked her feet, something she was just learning to do, and Kaeya struggled to get her legs into her onesie. “Come on, Princess,” He pleaded, tickling the bottom of her feet. Calla made a noise and Kaeya took the opportunity to dress her finally.

Once he lifted her up, he noticed you standing in the doorway. “Very cute,” You said softly, teasing Kaeya. Your husband smiled proudly.

“How was your shower?” He asked, looking for a pacifier to give to Calla.

“It was nice. You can take one now if you want,” You said. Kaeya looked down at Calla and hesitated. “I promise she’ll be here when you get out.”

You took Calla from Kaeya and brought her into your bedroom. After feeding her, you held her in your arms and she stared at you with wide eyes. Like Kaeya, she had his unique star pupil. Neither of you knew that was something that could be passed down but Kaeya was beyond shocked that it was. He wished she didn’t have it, saying something about how it didn’t represent her, but you liked it.

Calla yawned and you laid her beside you in the bassinet, rocking it before she fell asleep. Kaeya joined you in bed a little while later and rubbed his face against your shoulder, “I’ll grab her the next time she wakes up.”

“How did I get stuck with someone so wonderful?” You asked, throwing your head back. Kaeya shrugged and kissed your forehead before snuggling close to you. His eyes never left the bassinet.

childe

You didn’t know what to expect during the first week of Nikolai’s life but it definitely wasn’t a shower of gifts from your boyfriend. It seemed that everyday you woke up, there was something new on the bedside table.

“Childe, what are these for?” You finally asked after unboxing a designer dress that in no way would fit you now.

Your boyfriend poked his head into the bedroom, a coffee mug in one hand and Nikolai snuggled securely in his other arm. “Just some thank you presents,” He said casually, as if he wasn’t dropping thousands of mora with each gift.

“For what?”

Childe smiled softly and came into the bedroom, putting down his mug and climbing onto the next next to you. “For giving me this little guy,” He said quietly, “I’ll be eternally grateful.”

Your cheeks grew warm, “You helped too, you know.”

“I didn’t have to go through nine months of pregnancy and hours of labor, though.” Childe caressed Nikolai’s cheek and the baby’s eyes fluttered closed. “Do you think he knows we’re his parents yet?”

You stopped examining the dress to peer at your boyfriend, “Of course he does. You’re his father.”

“Yeah, but, you have a better bond with him. I’m just on the outside.”

You sighed and reached out to hold your hand over Childe’s, “He knows you just as well as he knows me, Ajax. You’ve been in his life as much as I have and you’ve been singing to him, talking to him and loving him. He adores you.”

Your words made Childe smile softly. Nikolai stirred in his sleep and Childe adjusted him in his arms. He was so small, so delicate, and Childe would never let anything or anyone harm him.

You snuggled back into the covers, exhausted from being a new mother, and Childe didn’t leave your side. “Thank you for the gifts,” You mumbled, your face half squished in a pillow.

“Oh, they aren’t done just yet.”

zhongli

Because of your traumatic experience in labor, Zhongli was being extra precautious with you. He didn’t like when you left the bed, even to use the restroom or grab the baby, and would much rather bring Jia to you when it came time to feed her.

The help was nice for the first few days since you were exhausted and sore but as time went on, you became ansty to just be a mother. It wasn’t like Zhongli was holding you back on purpose - he was just horrified that you weren’t yet healed from your traumatic experience and something could happen while you were up and about.

So when Zhongli ran to the store and left you home alone with Jia sleeping in the bassinet, you took this as your opportunity. Gently waking up the sleeping baby, you lifted your daughter into your arms. She snuggled into your warm embrace and slowly, and somehow calmly, woke up.

You bathed Jia yourself for the first time since she was born and afterwards, carried her to the nursery to change her into warm pajamas. For the first time all week, you were starting to feel like a mother.

“Why are you up?”

A voice broke you out of your trance and you looked up to see Zhongli standing in the doorway. He wasn’t mad, just worried, and his voice expressed that.

“You can’t hold me hostage in bed forever,” You said, picking Jia up and resting her securely in your arms.

“But what if it’s too early for you to do strenuous activity?” He questioned, frowning a bit.

You rolled your eyes, “Taking care of my daughter isn't a strenuous activity.” You stepped closer to Zhongli so you could reach a hand up and cup the side of his face, “Besides, I’m feeling much better.”

Zhongli leaned into your touch, “You’ll tell me if you need a break, right?”

“Of course I will.”

You made your way to the loveseat in the corner of the nursery and you sat down in it, enjoying the change of scenery from the bedroom for once. Zhongli’s eyes softened at the sight of you with the baby and he went to leave the room. Before he stepped out, he turned his head over his shoulder and said, “I’m proud of you.”

[rheawritessometimes]

Let’s Fall in Love for the Night

{ Kaeya x Reader }

{ Summary } Kaeya keeps you company for the night. A songfic based loosely on Let’s Fall in Love for the Night by FINNEAS.

{ Warnings } Yelling, Alcohol, Intoxication, Kissing, Mild Physical Intimacy, Possible Mild Angst, Swearing, Overuse of Commas.

{ Notes } Can be read as reader being gender neutral, some parts suggest them being a bit feminine, I think it’s just one detail, but just to be safe. Reader is implied to be shorter than Kaeya because this was self indulgent and I forget not everyone is short like me. Kaeya doesn’t wear an eyepatch and both eyes are functional. He said there was nothing wrong with his eye and Kaeya would never lie. Reader also briefly talks about something a little nerdy. Hot by Confetti is also mentioned in this fic, I recommend listening to that and Let’s Fall in Love for the Night, for a better idea of the vibes and also because they’re good songs. The lyrics written in don’t follow the song exactly, I just put them in where I felt they fit. This has not been beta read and it’s my first time ever writing a fanfiction so it’s not very good. Feel free to send me feedback, I’d really like tips on improvement. Seriously, I have no idea what I’m doing. Please let me know if there is anything that should be added to the warnings. Masterlist

{ Word Count } 4,117

It has been a few years now since you’ve gotten to know the Ragnvindr brothers. You had spent a lot of time together with the both of them, more so before the fallout between them. Things had become tense since then, but the friendship you had with each of them was maintained, if a little different now. Now you mostly spent time with the brothers separately, going out with Kaeya and staying in with Diluc. Every once in a while they were able to tolerate each other and you could all hang out for a little while, but it never seemed to last.

It had become somewhat of a tradition for you to go to the club Diluc worked at when he was bartending. The majority of the time, Kaeya would accompany you since Diluc usually worked later into the night than you liked to stay out. It was routine for Kaeya to take you home in Diluc’s stead, not to mention Kaeya could keep a better eye on you than his brother was able to while he was working. In this way, you could still hang out with both of them. Sort of.

Most nights Diluc worked the bar, you were there keeping him company and carrying light-hearted conversation through the night. It was no secret to Kaeya, or anyone who had seen you and Diluc together for that matter, that you had feelings for each other. With the way you got along with Diluc and how you spent most of your time together, Kaeya sensed it was only a matter of time before one of you confessed and made things official.

Kaeya had spent many nights observing you and Diluc in his peripheral, wanting to give you two some space without losing track of you. All those nights and not once had he heard Diluc shout at you like he was now, the menacing tone in his voice. As a matter of fact, he’d never witnessed Diluc yell at you at all. Even with the volume of his shouts, making out Diluc’s words was impossible for Kaeya given the mixture of music and conversation in the club. It didn’t matter to him what was being said anyway.

The way your eyes widened at the outburst and you stepped back away from the bar had Kaeya rising out of his seat. In a few quick strides, he was at your side and leaning over to place his nearly empty glass on the bar. With the intent of driving you home at the end of the night in mind, he’d avoided anything alcoholic, despite his appreciation for such beverages.

He felt you looking up at him once you realized his presence, but his gaze was fixed firmly on Diluc. Still, he threw an arm casually around your shoulder in a subtly protective gesture that caused the redhead to bristle. Kaeya took your lack of negative reaction as a sign of acceptance of the contact.

Kaeya wore a charming smile, but his icy eyes were narrowed at his brother, who fixed him with a withering glare in return. He smirked internally at having so easily gotten under Diluc’s skin. After a short beat passed with neither of the men saying anything, Kaeya looked down at you with a soft expression, eyes suddenly seeming much warmer. Kind of like how he always felt so much warmer around you.

“It’s getting late, darling. Want me to take you home?” he asked with a gentle tone, despite you two having arrived not long ago. He had noticed your eyes were glassy with unshed tears, his heart clenched at the sight, and he wanted to give Diluc a solid punch in the jaw for upsetting you. Asking you to leave was a sure way to piss Diluc off, so that would have to do for now. Ever since you had gotten closer with the man he seemed insistent on keeping you away from Kaeya as much as possible. He hardly tolerated Kaeya even bringing you to the club, even though you only went to spend time with Diluc.

I’m the boy that your boy hoped that you would avoid                            Don’t waste your eyes on jealous guys, fuck that noise.

“Don’t you dare leave with him,” Diluc growled out before you responded, not seeming to care if his raised voice drew the attention of the other patrons at this point. Kaeya could feel you tense under his arm and he clenched his jaw, restraining himself from giving in to his desire to break Diluc’s jaw. Well, maybe breaking it was a little much. A nice bruise would do.

“Yeah, I’m ready to go. Thanks, Kaeya,” you said, voice quiet with a nearly undetectable tremble. You looked up to him and gave a soft smile, but Kaeya would wager by the tension in your expression that the gesture was because you couldn’t bear to look at Diluc. As the angered man opened his mouth to speak, Kaeya turned on his heel and used his grip on your shoulder to quickly sweep you away from the bar and out of the club. He didn’t think you would want to listen to anything else Diluc had to say tonight.

As the cool night air greeted you both, Kaeya pulled you tighter into his side as a gesture of comfort. He cast his glance down to you while you made your way towards his car, but your gaze was focused straight ahead. Your eyes were still glassy, but it didn’t look like you had shed any tears, and your hands were fidgeting slightly, which made him frown.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” he asked gently once you were both inside the vehicle, brows drawn together with concern. At the shake of your head, he simply nodded in understanding. Kaeya hadn’t expected you to want to talk about it, certainly not so soon, but it seemed right to ask just in case.

As soon as the car was cruising comfortably down the road, Kaeya saw you lean forward to mess with the radio. The corners of his mouth quirked upwards at this subtle sign you were feeling a little better. He remained mostly focused on the road and the drive to your house continued without any conversation between you two. It was a comfortable quiet that Kaeya hoped would soothe you.

I like to push my luck                                                                                        So take my hand, let’s take a drive.

“Why don’t we keep driving around for a bit?” he asked after a few minutes, noticing you still had a troubled frown etched on your face as you neared your home. He imagined you were still thinking about what had happened between you and Diluc and he hated the thought of just dropping you off at home and leaving you alone like this.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Kaeya made an effort to keep to roads he knew didn’t see much traffic. He stuck to the scenic route, long winding roads with a view that you could just look out the window and enjoy the sunset. It wasn’t long before he found himself enjoying this quiet time with you despite no words being exchanged.

It seemed that you enjoyed the time too, at least Kaeya thought you looked a lot more at peace by your expression. He decided it was best to begin heading towards your house since you seemed to be in better spirits, not to mention the strange guilt he felt over keeping you around too long. It felt like he was betraying both you and Diluc, in a way.

Once he had parked in your driveway, Kaeya looked over to examine your condition. You still seemed to be fidgeting with your sleeve and he only noticed he’d been staring harder than he meant, entranced by you, when you paused standing in the ajar door of his car, looking down at him.

“Um, do you... do you want to stay for a while?” you asked meekly, rubbing the back of your neck.

“It’s just, I’m feeling a little,” you couldn’t explain your emotions to him, “Well, it’s been a while since we’ve spent some time together, just the two of us. I’ve, I’ve kind of missed it. And I kind of ruined your night out... Or, if you want to go home that’s fine, obviously-”

Kaeya cut you off with a light-hearted laugh, unbuckling his seatbelt. The rush of happiness he felt after hearing you wanted him to stay had him turning his head to hide his smile from you, certain he was grinning like a fool. Despite the way his heart surged, in his mind he knew better than to think you wanted anything more than comfort.

Let’s fall in love for the night                                                                         And forget in the mornin’.

“Darling, you didn’t ruin anything. How could I possibly pass up the opportunity to spend some time with you? It sounds like a far better way to spend my night, anyways,” he replied with a grin as he climbed out of the car. He came around to take your hand in his, leading you to the door. He was still smiling at you once you had both made your way inside.

Kaeya let go of your hand when you started to pull away and head towards the kitchen. He didn’t follow you, comfortable enough to head into your living room instead. It had been quite a while since he’d been over, but not much had changed in that time. Standing in the living room, Kaeya still felt a strong sense of you from the home as he looked around.

Hearing the wooden floorboards creak softly, Kaeya looked over to see you making your way into the living room. He smiled at the two bottles and a wine glass in your hands. One was a bottle of his favorite dandelion wine and the other was a cheap vodka. He could distinctly recall you saying you kept the vodka around because it gets the job done quickly, as you had put it. Keeping wine in your home was new to him, though. You never seemed to care for it very much in the past.

Unless you kept it here for him?

His smile fell a little as he shook the thought from his head, it was nothing more than wishful thinking. Kaeya scolded himself internally, he knew better than to hope for feelings from you. Even after the outburst tonight, you’d be back to Diluc in the morning. Kaeya knew that. You must have just developed a taste for it.

“Oh, does someone feel like partying?” he asked with a playful laugh.

“Well, I still feel bad you missed out on having some fun at the club tonight,” you said with a sheepish smile, proffering him the bottle of wine and glass. He noticed the lack of a glass for yourself and couldn’t help but think drinking straight from the bottle was more your style anyway.

“I always have fun when I’m with you,” he told you earnestly, “But I won’t say no to some good wine.” The way you laughed at his response had his heart skipping a beat as he took your offerings. He couldn’t help but smile in return.

Opening the bottle, he poured himself a generous glass of the dandelion wine, taking a moment to appreciate the aroma. When he looked back up to you after setting the bottle down, he observed you scrolling on your phone.

“What kind of music do you want to listen to?” you asked, not looking at him as you opened the appropriate app on your phone. He noticed the Bluetooth radio sitting on the side table next to the couch light up.

Play me a song that you like

“Put on whatever you want,” he answered, listening to you hum with indecision as he took a sip from the glass in his hand. Delicious.

You had picked your favorite playlist, letting it play quietly in the background while you caught up with Kaeya, who was leaning back into the couch and sipping on his wine. He wondered how long it had been since you guys just talked like this.

I love it when you talk that nerdy shit,                                                        We’re in our twenties talking thirties shit.

“Hey, did you know recombinant fusant yeasts are being studied to improve the flavor of cider while simultaneously lowering the alcohol content?” you asked absently as you looked at his glass of wine.

“Oh? I didn’t know that, maybe Diluc would know more,” he responded, not wanting to mention that he wasn’t entirely sure what you were saying. Diluc was the one who knew about alcohol, Kaeya just enjoyed it.

“Yeah, I was watching a documentary about it,” you continued, too busy recounting the details to notice Kaeya staring at you. He didn’t need to understand, he was more than happy to just listen to you talk. It wasn’t that he wasn’t paying attention, but you didn’t really explain the concepts he’d never even heard of.

It wasn’t long before the two of you were suitably drunk and lost deep in pleasant conversation. Things had become a bit derailed, moving on to far less complicated topics. It felt so easy, no doubt thanks to all the time you had spent getting familiar with one another in the past.

“Last weekend, Venti got so drunk he called me panicking over,” you paused to laugh some, “locking himself inside his car. He’s crying to me that he can’t get his door open and is sobbing to me about how he can’t afford to fix his window if he has to break it to get out. He was crying so loud about how he just wanted to get his jacket that he couldn’t even hear most of what I said trying to convince him not to break the windows. It took me thirty minutes to get him to calm down enough so that I could explain to him that he could unlock the car door from the inside. He suddenly goes real quiet and I hear a click and the door opening before he’s crying again about he’s so relieved I saved his life.”

Your laughter from telling the story was infectious and Kaeya thought it had been an awfully long time since he laughed so much. He couldn’t help but think he had been smiling an awful lot tonight, even before he was drunk.

“Wait, shh, I love this one,” you said suddenly, standing up and turning the volume of your radio up. His laughter was silenced and his heart sped up when you grabbed both his hands to pull him up with you. Once he was on his feet and his thoughts became a little more focused, he found you beginning to sway to the beat. You looked at him with such an expectant expression that he couldn’t deny you. Kaeya joined in, moving easily to the music as he roughly mimicked your style.

You can bet I’ll know every line.

Your eyes widened slightly when the first lyrics came and Kaeya began singing along with a casual ease. There was no way you were good for his heart, he found himself thinking with the way you had his heart skipping a beat when your eyes lit up and crinkle at the corners as you smiled in response to him knowing the song. When you joined in singing with him, he was sure you were no good for his heart.

Let’s fall in love for the night                                                                         And forget in the mornin’.

For a moment he closed his eyes, wishing he could spend forever in this moment with you. He was in love with your smile, the way you danced, the way you sang, he couldn’t think of anything he didn’t love. His heart ached at the knowledge it would be gone in the morning. Here you were dancing and singing with him, but once you sobered up your heart would be back with Diluc.

You won’t stay with me I know,

“Oh baby, take a look at me, Oh baby, do you like what you see? Oh baby, take a look at me, 'Cause I'm the hottest motherfucker that you've ever seen,” Kaeya sang, winking at you as he danced sexily.

He noticed at this that your voice no longer joined his, causing him to pause for a moment to scan your expression. You were still smiling at him in a way that had him all too aware of his heart pounding in his chest. Kaeya wasn’t sure he had ever felt like this before.

“It’s like this song was written with you in mind,” you laughed, taking both his hands and bringing them up to your face to brush a kiss against his knuckles. Such a simple action had all rational thought leaving his head in an instant, it helped that he was drunk too. He pulled you closer by your hands before dropping them to cup your cheeks in his hands and bring your lips to his.

But you can have your way with me until you go.

Your eager return of his kiss had his heart nearly pounding out of his chest, he was sure he would be going into cardiac arrest shortly. Worth it. He leaned into it, quick to match your energy and rhythm. Kaeya felt your hands on his chest and mindlessly allowed you to walk him back until the back of his legs hit your couch. The kiss broke as he fell back onto the cushions but as he opened his eyes he found you right there with him, now straddling his lap and reaching up to pull his face back to yours. His hands found your waist as you kissed him again, and despite the nagging feeling of this being wrong in the back of his mind, he found himself powerless to resist you.

And before your kisses turn to bruises, I’m a warning

Kaeya didn’t stop you when your lips moved down to kiss his jaw, trailing slowly down to his neck. All he could do was let his head fall back on the couch and sigh when you started to suck a bruise into the exposed skin. He knew he should stop you but this was what he had wanted so badly for so long. Not to mention his thoughts felt like they were passing in slow motion, head fuzzy from the combination of alcohol and you.

Let’s fall in love for the night                                                                         And forget in the mornin’.

Surely it was okay to indulge just once, especially when you would probably forget in the morning anyways.

When you pulled away and looked him in the eyes your face was flushed, more than he remembered it being just a few moments ago. He brought his head back up to look at you, gaze dropping to your lips for a moment, grip on your hips tightening almost imperceptibly. Your brows were furrowed and your expression was nervous as you gripped his shirt gently.

“Um, will you stay the night?” you asked, looking away from him shyly. He was about to turn you down but you hastily continued, “Not for anything else! I mean just to sleep! You, um, I don’t want… You were drinking and I don’t want you to drive home. If, uh, anything happened I don’t think I could ever forgive myself and-”

I know better than to call you mine.

“Hey, easy. I’ll stay,” he soothed, gently rubbing your sides, unable to deny you. He could have called a ride, but he wanted to stay with you. He convinced himself in his head that he could be gone before you woke up and leave you a text. Surely you’d forget about all of this in the morning. Even if you didn’t, surely you’d act like it never happened and be back to Diluc.

You nodded, smiling softly at him, “Thanks.”

It wasn’t very long after that Kaeya found himself in your room getting ready for bed. Initially, he had insisted on sleeping on the couch at first but you were so goddamn stubborn and he was so goddamn weak for you. Plus, you two had slept in the same bed before. Sure it was when you were still kids and hadn’t just been making out, but certainly this was the same. He wondered if you knew just how much you had him wrapped around your finger.

He sat on the edge of the bed lost in his thoughts, looking up when he heard you coming back in from the bathroom dressed in an oversized T-shirt and shorts. You had offered to find something more comfortable for him to wear but he assured you he was fine wearing what he had on. He couldn’t imagine you possibly having anything that would fit him, anyway.

You turned off the ceiling light on your way in but the soft glow of a bedside lamp still illuminated your figure. Kaeya found himself staring at you as you crawled into the bed on the side opposite him and was silently thankful that the dim lighting probably concealed his intense gaze.

“If you’re uncomfortable I can put some pillows between us,” you hesitantly offered once you had settled in your place. “But I promise I have no plan to jump you in the middle of the night.”

Your addition had Kaeya laughing softly, shaking his head, “No, it’s alright. I don’t think I would mind, either.” He winked at you, causing you to laugh too.

“Goodnight, Kaeya,” you said softly, leaning over to turn off the bedside lamp.

“Goodnight, love.”

It wasn’t long before Kaeya was beginning to drift off, the remnants of the alcohol in his system dragging him down. He was on the edge of unconsciousness when a sudden awareness swept through him. He found you had made your way into his arms and he could distinctly feel the weight of your head resting on his chest. He was gently stroking your hair and, now that he was somewhat conscious, praying that the pounding of his heart didn’t wake you up.

Let’s fall in love for the night                                                                         And forget in the mornin’.

Just for tonight, I’ll be gone before you wake up, he told himself as an excuse to allow himself to indulge. Just for tonight.

Kaeya woke up to a pounding headache, groaning lightly as he reluctantly opened his eyes. He found himself not in his room and with you sleeping in his arms. He stared down at you, unable to help himself, as he absently wondered what was going on. Oh, right. The memories of last night were quick to come back and they made his heart ache now that he had to let you go.

He began slowly trying to move you off him, being as cautious as possible to avoid waking you. Kaeya was just sliding out of bed thinking he had been successful when your eyes fluttered open, landing on him almost immediately. Your expression changed to one of thought and confusion, a frown crossing your face and Kaeya could only assume you were trying to remember last night.

“Good morning sleeping beauty. Want me to get you some water?” he was quick to ask, hoping to distract you from your thoughts. He offered you a charming smile, hoping all was forgotten so you didn’t regret anything.

“Kaeya, about last night...” Fuck. His heart sank at the words, the smile he had been wearing quickly disappearing, “I’m really sor-”

I know better than to ever call you mine.

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it, we were drunk. It was an accident,” he cut you off with a smile even he could tell wasn’t convincing. His heart couldn’t take hearing you tell him you regretted it, worse if you didn’t want to see him again.

“No, wait, no it- I mean… Well, um, I really shouldn’t have kissed you like that, especially without saying anything. But, I- Well I don’t really… want to call it a mistake,” your cheeks were bright red as you stammered, unable to look Kaeya in the eyes, instead keeping your head bowed to stare down at the sheets. Kaeya was silently thankful you weren’t looking at him because he didn’t think his surprised expression was a very good look for him.

“For a while, well, I really like you Kaeya. And I know we were drunk and I don’t expect you to feel the same, it just felt weird not to tell you after… that. And it’s okay that you don’t like me and I’d really like to still be friends but if you don’t want-”

Kaeya cut off your nervous babbling by gently holding your cheeks between his hands, making you look at him. The blush spread across your face deepened in color as you stared up in silence. The heat consuming you would only get more intense with his next words.

“I’m in love with you.”