#at least the pronouns wouldn't sting as much after that

[romaritimeharbor]

AURORA. — Arlecchino's child has never seen the aurora in Snezhnaya before.

— trigger & content warnings. none applicable!

— pairings & notes. fluff. arlecchino & reader. reader is a member of the house of the hearth, is at least around 15 but is otherwise ambiguous in age, and is implied to be arlecchino's chosen successor. reader is gender neutral (they/them pronouns used). arlecchino is suggested to be taller than the reader by quite a bit. 0.8k words.

— author's thoughts. arlecchino my beloved RAHHH she is literally the best fatui harbinger imo. i love you arle no. 4 of the fatui harbingers 🗣🗣❗️❗️❗️ i am surprised by the lack of platonic arlecchino fics!??!?! she is literally called father guys please /lh

       "Father..."

       Shadowing under the Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers during one of her trips to Snezhnaya was, no doubt, nervewracking and tiring despite them never needing to do anything other than follow her around; Arlecchino simply wouldn't allow some of her coworkers to even look in their direction, let alone try to speak to them. Some, like Tartaglia, however, were momentarily permitted to; Childe had talked their ear off while Arlecchino was occupied with the Regrator and the Rooster, though they could only wordlessly nod in response to the never-ending chatter about his siblings. 'You should come by sometime,' he had said. 'You kids from the Hearth are a good lot, and my family would be more than happy to have visitors.'

       Nevertheless, really, they hadn't done much at all... but perhaps the anxiety of dipping their toes into their Harbinger's responsibilities—the ones that they may very well inherit one day—was a valid enough reason to be so mentally tired.

       Standing close behind her, listening to her speak with her coworkers (it was quite amusing to see the glare and scowl fixed on her face when she needed to speak to the Doctor—she never looked at them or any of their siblings like that—though the sheer terror his presence induced was enough to drown that amusement out), seeing the details of her responsibilities that others could not...

       They were certain that they must've said a mere one or two words during the whole visit—a "Yes, Father" or a "No, Father," directed at none other than their Harbinger and her alone.

       Exhaustion and cold seeped into their bones, but nonetheless, they had stopped trailing after her and stared up in wonderment.

       Arlecchino stopped shortly after they did, turning back to them. "What is it?"

       Colors danced freely in the nighttime Snezhnayan sky. Despite the chill permeating their flesh (they were reminded that they probably should have dressed a bit more warmly, but they weren't familiar with the Motherland, and therefore didn't anticipate how cold the night would get), they felt no compulsion to rush.

       "Look. The aurora," they murmured, eyes wide with awe and wonder.

       The Knave's heels clicked on the tiled terrace at the front of the Winter Palace as she paced back over to them, following their gaze upwards. "Have you never seen it before?"

       "No. I... I've never been to Snezhnaya before now," they admitted, "so I have never seen the aurora. I've heard about it, but—"

       "I understand. It is more magnificent than even the most vivid descriptions."

       Suddenly, the heavy weight of the Knave's coat fell onto their shoulders. They gingerly clasped the edges, pulling it closer to their body as to fend off the biting chill in the air. Lavender and a vague twinge of smoke filled their lungs. To some, it may have been an unpleasant combination—perhaps others would find the smoke too stinging and bitter or the lavender too sickening, as some do. To them, however, it was simply... Father's scent. It was hard to dislike when the person they associated it with was so important to their life.

       It was equally hard to feel cold with her coat draped over their body.

       Father's particular scent made a comforting warmth stir in their chest—perhaps she was not really their Father, but it was times such as this that made them feel that she was—and her coat ensured that their exterior did not freeze.

       In fact, it was quite impossible to feel cold now.

       "...Let us stay for a while longer, then," she mused, one of her hands finding its place on their upper back. "The aurora is a sight to behold, and there are no urgent matters to attend to at home."

       Momentarily, their gaze broke away from the sky and shifted to the Harbinger instead. Though they did appreciate the gesture of giving them her coat... "Won't you get cold, Father?"

       Their concern was not unwarranted, but indeed unecessary.

       "Worry not," the Fourth replied smoothly, reaching over to adjust the coat somewhat; it was too big for them and threatened to slip off of their body if their already gentle hold were to loosen even slightly. Arlecchino absently mused to herself about how utterly unintimidating they were, drowning in the fluff of her coat and head just barely able to peek out from the top. It was cute, though she dared not say admit such a thing out loud. "I have long since grown used to this weather. You have not."

       'You need that coat far more than I do.'

       That was what she wanted to say, or rather what she was implying; she would speak her mind if she so truly desired to or felt the need to. They'd grown quite used to her enigmatic nature and quite skilled in reading between the lines, picking apart her words at the seams to uncover what she truly meant to say.

       Suddenly, under the flickering purples, greens, and blues of the night sky, it was no longer cold.

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[sunflowerdaisybee]

Nap Time | Karl X Reader

Summary: You fall asleep while waiting for Karl

Genre: Fluff 

Pronouns: They/Them/None

[A/n]: my requests are open :] <3

"Fuck!" You hadn't meant to cure so loudly but that fall hurt. You were simply riding your longboard through the park when you hit a rock and were sent tumbling.

"Dammit." Thankfully you didn't fall too badly and had only managed to collect a few scrapes and scratches on your knees and palms. There wasn't any bleeding but the stinging of all your injuries was certainly annoying.

Standing up and brushing yourself off you looked around to see if anyone had noticed your spill. Thankfully it looked as though you were the only one in the park.

You grabbed your board from where it lay only a few feet away and started to head home. Your knees were much too sore for you to ride back so you choose to walk, you lived rather close anyways.

Entering and setting your board down you did your best to be as quiet as possible. Your boyfriend was streaming only a few doors away from where you currently were and you didn't want to interrupt him.

Flipping the switch for the bathroom you walked in and turned on the faucet. Cleaning your scuffed palms was easy, they only needed to be rinsed off. It was your knees that were gonna be hell.

Settling yourself on the toilet with a damp rag you got to work on your knees. Over they were an easy clean it was just the obnoxious road rash that made your work difficult.

Though once you had cleaned and bandaged your knees you were able to clean up your mess and in the bathroom and head out into the living room. You wanted to check over your board to make sure there was no serious damage done, it was your second most dearest thing. Your boyfriend being the first.

A quick once-over of your board ensured that there was no serious damage, just the usual dirt on the wheels and a scuff from when you once crashed into a fence.

Setting your board back into place you kick off your shoes and head into the living room. After a fumble like that, you wanted nothing more than to kick back and relax, especially since Karl wouldn't be finished with his stream for a little while longer.

Turning on the tv and settling into the couch you prepared to wait out the rest of the stream, normally you would've watched his stream but you were tired, and rewatching a tv show that you've seen at least 12 times sounded better.

With your show playing and you snuggled up on the couch, it was only a matter of time before sleep overtook you. With you now dozing on the sofa, time passed by at record speed.

Taking a moment to breathe after shutting off his stream, Karl thought about what you were up to. From what he could hear echoing out of the living room, you were binge-watching tv episodes. With one final check that everything was turned off and shut down, Karl got up and headed towards the living room.

What he expected to see was your stunning self sat atop the sofa, watching tv and possibly munching on a snack. What he found though was you sound asleep on the couch with the tv left running as background noise.

Torn between letting you nap and waking you up so the two of you could hang out, Karl decided it was best to simply take some cute photos of you and let you rest. So with phone in hand, Karl snapped a few photos, some of just you and some with him in it as well. One of those were totally gonna be his new lock screen.

With his heart, and photo gallery, full, Karl settled into the armchair beside the sofa. He would've preferred to snuggle up with you on the couch but then he risked waking you up, which he was trying not to do. Though he would take advantage of the fact that you're asleep to catch up on a favorite show of his.

Though the second he picked up the remote and closed out of your show you spoke up.

"I was watching that." Your voice was a bit of a spook for him, as he was sure you were fast asleep.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were sleeping."

"I was but woke up when I heard you walk in." Sitting up you looked in his direction and sleepily smiled.

"Wait you were awake the whole time? So when I-" His shock was what cut him off but you finished the sentence regardless.

"Yes, I was awake when you took those photos. Now c'mere I wanna cuddle." Grabby hands were all it took for him to come bounding over to you, immediately cuddling up with your frame.

"I love you, goofball."

"Love you too."