#dottore soulmate au

[boundinparchment]

Dream a Little Dream of Me - LII

Celestia had a cruel sense of humor. He knew this, even before his days as a student. But to be given a soulmate? Now, when he openly blasphemed against the cursed island in the sky? He would outlive you and the dreadful fated bond that haunted your shared dreams. There was little point in this. He could at least put a Vision to good use. People were nothing but disappointments. He had no use for you. Until you pulled the bow across your instrument and awoke a part of him long buried by self-hatred and arrogance. Soulmate AU; Il Dottore/Female reader w/ established personality and backstory. Slow burn. Lore and world speculation and interpretation within; follows canon story where possible. Fic is rated explicit; MDNI. Mind the tags. Chapter on AO3 here.

You walked barefoot across spongy, moist moss, enveloped in luxurious, dense flora.  Trees soared overhead, their trunks so thick it would take at least three people’s arm span to encircle just a single one.  Dusk birds let out call after all and the branches above jostled as squirrels and other animals darted through the heights.  The sun’s light was muted by the thick canopy, trickling through in long shafts where the layer was thinnest.

The air was heavy and sweat beaded across your forehead and at the back of your neck.

Despite lacking a compass and a map, you knew where you were going.  Nothing here looked familiar; it didn’t matter.

You came to a stream, the water gurgling quietly over the rocks as it ran towards its point of gravity.  Frogs chirped to one another in the twilight.  The surface shimmered where the sun managed to slip in.  Beneath your feet, tiny salamanders scampered through the soft silt.

Everywhere you looked teemed with sound, with life.

You dug your toes into the thick mud after stepping into the stream.  The water was cool around your ankles and clear as crystal.  You looked across the water when a tug pulled at your feet, silently urging you to the other side.  This stream rivaled even the narrower parts of Fontaine’s islands where the lake was thinnest; it was far wider than it looked at first glance.

It was pretty here but you couldn’t stay forever.  Not when the sun was already beginning to set.

Your feet parted from the mud with a wet sucking squish as you stepped forward and cautiously worked to find proper footing before putting your weight down again.  As you went, the mud seemed to realize it no longer had a hold on you and every step became harder.  Thankfully, you weren’t wearing shoes; you would have lost them by now.

Halfway across, the water up to your knees, you pulled and tried to shift your weight forward to no avail.  No matter how hard you tried, what way you moved, you couldn’t lift your leg again.  You frowned.  You weren’t sinking; that ruled out quick sand.  But you were now stuck in the middle of the stream and the sun was getting lower.

Would your steps be easier if you went back the way you came?  Maybe you could find a different way across that had a proper path.  Looking this way and that, you spotted no stones poking above the water as the stream stretched out in either direction.  Going back wouldn’t get you home, now would it?

Home.

Was that where you were going?

The tug from earlier crept up your ankles and sat low in your belly, still urging you onward as it curled up with other sensations that threatened to overwhelm you.  You needed to get across.

You wiggled your foot, loosening the mud and making the foothold wider.  With a little extra effort, your foot popped free and you were able to take another step.  You did the same with your other leg, every step growing easier as you worked your way to the other bank, silt clinging between your toes. 

On your last step, you overestimated the force and propelled yourself forward.  Instead of meeting the cool, wet ground, however, you immediately hit something hard, warm, and capable of sound.

“You could have made a bridge, you know."

Your hands searched and found that you hadn’t run into a wall at all but rather a person.  Their shirt was soft and their muscles were flexed from your impact and relaxed under your touch.  Your legs were precariously arranged, their thigh pressed against almost against you.  Every point where your bodies touched burned and yet soothed you like spring water.

“Or did you forget how to influence your dreams, rooh 'albi?”

Startled, you pulled away, just enough to get a look at the stranger’s face.  Zandik stared down at you, red eyes gleaming and a knowing smile on his lips.

“It worked,” you whispered, eyes wide as your hands traced the planes of his chest and reached for his shoulders.  “You’re…we’re…”

You took his face between your hands, tracing the familiar shape of his jaw and cheeks.  Emboldened, you pushed his hair back from his face and found the texture was the same as it was when you were awake.  Enhanced, even.

Zandik shook his head slightly and you pulled your hand away from his hair.  He took your wrist in his hand gently and guided it back to his cheek but not before pressing his warm lips to your palm.

The sun was lower still, the rays of light at the mercy of the canopy overhead again from its position.  But at this angle, Zandik’s eyes caught the sun and you swore you never saw more brilliant gems.  Certainly not in Fontaine.  And it was all yours to admire. 

Around you, the frogs continued, and the birds sang to one another.  The sounds never stopped but all that surrounded you was the wildlife.

“It’s quiet now,” you whispered.  “There was always wind before…it carried voices, echoes.”

“The Segments.  It was never possible to be separated from them before,” Zandik replied without missing a beat.

You nodded, recalling that they did always sound like him, even if you never clearly caught the words they spoke.

“There’s still much to study and take note of,” he continued.  “I don’t recall the environments being this vivid, for one, nor do I recall experiencing such a tangible draw to you before.  I have a perfectly fine sense of direction.  Perhaps that’s the magnetic draw others mentioned in their accounts…it’s quite distracting when one is attempting to understand their environment…”

“I felt that too,” you replied, keenly aware of how hot you felt and the demanding, burning ache that rooted itself in your very being.  You resisted the urge to buck your hips.

Zandik drank in your expression and gave a low chuckle before dipping his head down to meet yours.

“As pleasurable as that would be, it’s best to save that until we fully understand what changed,” he murmured.

So many questions came to mind but one stood out further from the rest.

His lips met yours with a familiar certainty.  The fiery desire burned low, stoking embers while keeping the sweeping flames at bay and something deep inside you finally settled.  When you finally parted, your mind was clear.

“Then what shall we do first, mon rêve?”

The next time you saw the sun, it was streaming through wide open windows, glaringly bright.  At first, it felt accusatory, demanding why you were still in bed when its warmth was here to draw you out instead.  Dust motes caught your eye and curiously, you stuck out a hand to change their course.  They danced around your fingers, the tiny particles floating elsewhere, but they did not gravitate to you as they had before.

Static, still.

Silence had crawled into the bedroom and muffled all noise.

And yet the notes were never louder.

You turned your head slowly and shifted your legs, only to find that Zandik was next to you, intertwined with you.  His arms held you in the same fashion you fell asleep in (he would bemoan that later, you were sure, when his shoulder was not quite right), his breathing even.  As soon as your head settled, his eyes flickered open and the excitement of multiple successes was palpable on every breath he took.  Instead of either of you throwing back the covers, however, you shifted and found a more comfortable position, pressed against one another, noses brushing.

“If I do not record this now, I fear I will lose it.”

His mouth was dry but he was still far from incentivized to leave you.  New-found energy hummed through him and manifested itself in his fingers finding yours, tracing every callous and every knuckle.  You could not bring yourself look away from his eyes unless it was to press your lips to his forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and lips.  Every touch was a different texture, a different rhythm to the syncopation that only the two of you seemed to understand. 

Your free hand traced notes across his arm and collarbone, humming all the while.  Zandik seemed to relax ever so slightly beneath your hands, tilting his head as you put note in front of another, his own musings falling into rhythm with your notes.

Neither of you acknowledged parting nor leaving the bed; it was not so much a conscious decision as it was a drifting of relieving touches.

Air was easier to breathe and you finally realized the color of the couches in the other room as you took up your cello.  Zandik was immediate in his search for paper and a pen, reaching for his notes to solidify the process that brought you both here, to this state of existence.

Notes flowed at a steady, even pace, and you only broke away from your bow long enough to draft.  You felt as if you were putting yourself into the very ink you laid upon the paper, the very sounds you brought to life.

You had no concept of time.  When you finally wrote Fin at the bottom of your last page, Zandik peered out from the bedroom, papers in hand and delight dancing across his face.

Time was irrelevant in such things, in such moments.

For once, you never felt more alive.

[becstxr]

'Princess... Darling... Sweetheart... Lovely... Angel... Babygirl...'

Petnames... that was something the two had common apart from both being Fatui Harbingers and highly unhinged that is. But the two each had a set, both had only three names they would use for you. Dottore would use Darling Lovely and Babygirl whilst Pantalone would use Princess Sweetheart and Angel. To others when they hear those simple names and the person they are reserved for, they will most likely die within the hour, you where reserved for them, and them alone. You were their soulmate as they where eachother's, anyone who laid there filthy eyes on you would have them cut out and be used for experiments, whilst their family's and familiars would lose their jobs and bank up a great debt.

[liansh3ng]

Can someone help me find this one soulmate au dottore x reader? Basically they soulmates and the reader is now 18 but dottore is annoyed because he just got a soulmate right after a lot of years of suffering from not having one when he was a child. His segments kept pestering to find us. So like I'm at the part where reader is going to sheznaya secretly I think because reader is in fontain and fontain is on the brink of war with sheznaya I think. Someone tag me to the post or send me the link in dms or comments!! I wanna know what happens next🙁

[dottores]

HELIOTROPES

pairing: dottore x fem!reader & segments

summary: the gods were sick and twisted. for five hundred years, he believed he was fated to be alone. he had long accepted it—embraced it, even. that is, until a midwinter night when that elusive red thread finally appeared on his finger. but as much as he wants to ignore it, the pull of a soulmate simply cannot be ignored.

genre: soulmate au, canon compliant for the most part, forbidden love, slow burn.

warnings: fem!reader, age gap, lots of worldbuilding for snezhnaya & the fatui & fontaine, dottore is his own warning, angst and romance, none others that i can think of off the top of my head. each chapter will have its own warnings, it is self-ship coded, and i will take liberty with dottore’s known lore.

status: incomplete. updates sporadic, at least monthly.

taglist: 50/50 (CLOSED. if you would like to be on it, still comment here—i’m going to periodically go through and remove people who don’t interact, and then i’ll add you)

notes: sigh i wanted to give my beluved a little series. this is something i’ll be working on in my free time for fun, so updates will be sporadic, i was gonna post the reincarnation fic butttt that one is a little too dear to my heart ALL SEGMENTS THAT SHOW UP IN THIS SERIES ARE MINE ‼️ i created them, do not take them to use for yourself.

00. THE SEGMENTS

01. MIDWINTER

02. JOY

03. THE COLOR PURPLE

04. THE FAMILY JEWELS

05. AN INEXORABLE DEATH

06. RISE OF A KING, FALL OF A QUEEN

07. A WARM WELCOME

08. THE DOCTOR

09. THE TIES THAT BIND

10. GENESIS

11. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

12. SPIT IN MY FACE

13. ALEA IACTA EST

… TBA

SIDE STORIES

THREE TIMES THE SEGMENTS MET YOU WITHOUT REALIZING IT,  AND ONE TIME THEY DID.

rbs appreciated!

[minzart]

For the x readers and dottore lovers

THIS FIC "Dream a little dream of me" ao3/tumblr by @boundinparchment

STRONGLY RECOMEND

My beloved

The art is from Omega's final scene. It's hauting. It's beautiful. READER'S PERSSONALITY IS 11/10( well written trauma bônus) and soulmate au that is spot on in my taste. Juni's writting is just incredible overall as well

[worriedvision]

Newer Masterlist!

Alhaitham:

scribe reader where they have different work ethics

Walking in on him crying

Alhaitham shows attraction to you, but it’s miscommunicated (Part 1) (Part 2)

‘Could he make you feel as good as I could?’

Fun while it lasted (Part 1) (Part 2)

Breach

Pretending to be his lover

Childe:

You steal his delusion

Cyno:

Dating him (Part 1)

He breaks up with you for ‘your safety’ (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Dottore tricks you (Part 1)

Diluc:

He breaks your heart on your anniversary

Gorou:

He betrays the reader (The not so cracky one)

Not so blissful ignorance (Part 4)

Heizou:

Catching a criminal (soulmate au)

He’s seduced by a menacing fairy (male reader)

Kaeya:

Breakup blackmail

Nilou:

The last dance (hanahaki fic)

Tighnari:

Aranara raised reader - him being a father figure (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Pov: he shaves (crackfic)

Your casual lover grows distant to a study buddy of his (Part 1) (Part 2 [coming soon])

He gets hurt in his relationship with someone else

His first love (Part 1) (Part 2) (Ending 1) (Ending 2)

Committed to the forest (Part 1) (Part 2) (Ending 1) (Ending 2)

Housing a visitor [ongoing] (Part 1 smut, don’t read if you’re a minor) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Out of his league (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4 [coming soon])

Keeping him calm

‘Did I just say that out loud?’ (Part 1) (Part 2)

Carving

nsfw headcanons (minors don’t read)

Having to comfort himself due to noises

Reader is Dottores Sibling (Part 1)

A stolen sweater

An open Marriage (Part 1) (Part 2 [coming soon])

Hunting the turned

He experiences a nightmare

Xiao:

You aren’t real, but you are real to him

Poly fics with Cyno and Tighnari:

Walking in on  them (nsfw)

Poly fic with Gorou and Heizou:

They fight over reader

Multiple characters:

Your social battery runs out - Alhaitham, Tighnari, Cyno

You temporarily become a whopperflower/seelie - Albedo, Kazuha, Ningguang

[fatuismooches]

muzzle anon here- thx for HURTING ME SO MUCH :D !!! that dottore fic is 'THE' dottore fic for me now, I will read it over and over and over again, it was an amazing experience. AND I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT

Since you wrote how the raven and sparrow's destinies are intertwined. I was thinking of a reincarnation (modern) au? Idk if you would be interested but I just keep thinking of doctor zandik and fragile reader

Kinda would be ironic if zandik is still experimenting on people to find a cure for reader

Or maybe this time they are actually healthy and happy together?

Oh maybe one day Zandik remembers his past life? How he lost reader? How they both ahem went to the other side haha like the whole "you are as beautiful as the day I lost you" thing

They can also met at an university (like how they met at akademiya) it is giving soulmate vibes but hear me out. When they first see each other, they instantly know each other, they don't know how but there is just this bittersweet feeling. Both are questioning why do they feel this desire to hug each other like they have been apart for so long

(I still cant over the death of the segments, Omega, and the end tho. Beta is my fav segment but ZANDY? GONE? NOO and then Omega also? Considering how reader told Dottore they still loved him, maybe Omega thought reader hated him while dying- Like in the end he thought about how he lost the love of reader. How much he messed up? Ouch .)

Actually wait segments didnt die (delulu talk)

Dottore: it was a prank.

Reader: wha-

Segments: *was just about to celebrate their birthday but now feel guilty they just caused a borderline panic attack*

YESSS GRRRR- Imagine if thousands and thousands of years have passed and Teyvat is unrecognizable from what it once was. Elemental energy, Visions, what makes Teyvat, Teyvat, are no more, and the world is completely modernized. Since Celestia is gone as well, the eternal punishment handed to you and Dottore is finished and you two can finally be reincarnated, and perhaps this time fate may give you a happy ending.

Modern Doctor Zandik and fragile reader... your illness is so mysterious that no medicine or treatment seems to be able to cure it, no one knows what's going on with you despite all the medical advances, you get sent from doctor to doctor, clinic to hospital in hopes of a miracle but nothing... But Dottore, he is widely renowned as one of the best doctors in Teyvat, despite his... attitude. Now obviously you could never dream of affording the money to see him but, it just so happens he hears of your case and takes an interest in you... Now, he never expected to get attached to anyone, much less his patient but, it seems that history repeats itself... (unethical doctor part 2)

Happy and healthy reader... and having an instant connection with Zandik!! Oh my gosh yes. Zandik would be the most confused and annoyed because he had never felt a connection with anyone his whole life, he's always been the one by himself. He tries to ignore it, ignore the building feeling in his chest, but as fate would have it, he finds himself bumping into you far more frequently than he'd like. You've had enough of his pretty man constantly invading your mind, so you approach him one day and it all begins from there. (I imagine if he ever dreamed of his past life with you, it'd teach him not to take you for granted. Especially if it was after a fight with you or something.)

I imagine Omega didn't regret his actions, but he still deeply lamented his relationship with you - he missed whenever you'd barge in and lavish him with your affection, how you'd freely rant to him, how you loved him. All were replaced with stone coldness. But perhaps, this is the price of selfishness, one that he had to pay.

😭😭 Segments pranking you... they feel quite guilty but at the same time, it's really nice to think you care about them so much.

[linkemon]

Masterlist (Over Teyvat headcanons/English)

I want to let you know that English is not my first language so any corrections on my mistakes are welcomed. I mainly write in Polish. You can check that language versions of my works here on Masterlist.

If you want to help in any way in the translation process, let me know, I will gladly take a helping hand.

Please, don’t repost. Likes an reblogs are appreciated ^^

Last update: 18.02.2024

Status 41/41 translated

First meeting 1

Venti, Zhongli, Ei

First meeting 2

Scaramouche, Arataki Itto, Kaedehara Kazuha, Lisa Minci

First meeting 3

Childe, Thoma, Diluc Ragnvindr, Beidou

Youtuber AU 1

Xiao, Kamisato Ayato, Kaeya Alberich, Xiangling

Youtuber AU 2

Chongyun, Yun Jin, Yanfei

School AU 1

Bennett, Xingqiu, Jean Gunnhildr, Klee

Showing affection 1

Diluc Ragnvindr, Childe, Razor, Yae Miko

Showing affection 2

Venti, Zhongli, Gorou, Barbara Pegg

Boysband AU (4nemo) 1

Xiao, Kaedehara Kazuha, Venti, Aether

Boysband AU (4ggravate) 2

Kaveh, Cyno, Alhaitham, Tighnari

Yandere AU 1

Albedo, Zhongli, Kokomi

Voice line 1

Shikanoin Heizou, Diona Kätzlein, Kamisato Ayato, Amber, Xinyan

Voice line 2

Arataki Itto, Yelan, Kujo Sara, Qiqi, Shenhe, Kuki Shinobu

Voice line 3

Mika Schmidt, Dori Sangemah Bay, Faruzan, Collei, Bennett

Confession 1

Kamisato Ayato, Kaedehara Kazuha, Sucrose

Confession 2

Tighnari, Alhaitham, Dehya

Sibling 1

Naganohara Yoimiya, Xingqiu, Keqing, Sayu

Fatui 1

La Signora, Pantalone, Tartaglia, Il Dottore

Summertime Odyssey Event 1

Kaedehara Kazuha, Mona, Xinyan, Fischl

Soldier, Poet, King

Ei, Venti, Zhongli

Soulmate AU 1

Tomo, Eula, Lumine

Hogwarts AU 1

Kamisato Ayato, Naganohara Yoimiya, Albedo, Hu Tao

Musical AU 1

Yun Jin, Childe, Chongyun and others

Valentine's Day 2023 1

Shikanoin Heizou, Wanderer, Ningguang

Valentine's Day 2023 2

Tighnari, Lisa Minci, Yaoyao

Quarrel 1

Lyney, Lynette, Freminet, Navia

Maid/Butler 1

Arataki Itto, Clorinde, Layla, Kamisato Ayaka

Polish headcanons 1

Venti, Zhongli, Diluc, Heizou, Thoma, Kirara, Baizhu, Qiqi, Childe, Scaramouche

Would you still love me/like me if...? 1

Baizhu, Wriothesley, Nahida, Nilou

Manhwa tropes 1

Alhaitham, Pantalone, Zhongli, Kirara

[zhongrin]

SHIP your moots + assign them a trope :))))

hehe hehehehehhehehe-

some of these aren'r even "tropes" but leaVE ME ALONE-

ps. this one is pure sfw, the n.sfw ones will be on a separate post!

pps. i just realized that i have so many moots help hskdjskjd if i missed you pls hit me-

@seelestia / ayato -> forbidden love (noble!ayato and peasant!lia)

@abyssmal-skies / al haitham / diluc -> yandere love triangle

@watatsumiis / gorou -> puppy love (get it? it's funny because gorou's a dog hybrid and there's also the term puppy love so- *is shot*)

@silkjade / al haitham -> "i hate you" "i hate you more" *proceeds to make out*

@kurikurikurisu / al haitham -> slow burn

@haithanist / al haitham -> academic rivals who are secretly lovers

@haithamuse / al haitham -> enemies to lovers

@dawndelion-winery / al haitham -> pining but in denial. everyone within ten meters radius gets secondhand embarrassment

@dustofthedailylife / zhongli -> soulmates finding each other

@ainescribe / zhongli -> greek gods au

@queen-belial / capitano -> power couple being badasses, sitting back and watching the world burn

@the-travelling-witch / childe -> domestic everyday life skit of a smart-but-chaotic witch wife and a lovesick-but-equally-chaotic harbinger husband (and their neighbors, the feral simp wife and zen husband)

@mydiluc / diluc -> those adorable romcom office romance kdrama type that makes you giggle and kick your feet

@genshinparty / zhongli -> the most teeth rotting, toe curling, diabetes inducing...... meet-cute in a tea shop

@j0succ / diluc -> soggy man pining over the flame of his life

@foxic / scaramouche -> childhood sweethearts

@astrxlis / tighnari -> everyone knows they're a couple... except themselves

@merzkihstuff / scaramouche -> from "sharing one bed" to "sharing the rest of each other's life in each other's arms"

@leftdestiny-posts / dottore -> pure sweetheart who can't and won't hurt a fly (shiro) and crazy looking mf who could and will kill and dissect you (dottore)

@thesparklingwriter / zhongli -> domestic married couple's day to day life

@thelost-in-time / xiao -> star-crossed lovers with happy ending

@kazuily / kazuha -> local coffee shop barista and his favored regular customer

@why-am-i-here-someone-save-me / osial -> forgotten god and his one devoted follower yeah that series is stuck in my head luci i am so sorry-

@lukerycyja / zhongli -> "zhongli watch this." "dearest no-"

[whoistartaglia]

snezhnaya

childe

your next door neighbor

university au part two

proposal headcanons

he gives you his sweatshirt

you crash a wedding together

texting your boyfriend "we need to talk" as a prank

how they ask you out

driving headcanons

soulmate au

how he acts in a haunted house

halloween activities

partner who doesn't believe in marriage

ice skating headcanons

how he asks you to be his valentines

how he finds out your ring size part two

silent treatment

you "borrow" his credit card part two

napping headcanons

in sickness and in health

food fight

genshin men as types of influencers

dottore

university au part three

in sickness and in health

[boundinparchment]

Dream a Little Dream of Me - XXXVII

Celestia has a cruel sense of humor. He’s always known this, ever since his days as a student. But a soulmate? Really? Dottore/Female Reader Soulmate AU. Lore speculation, interpretations, etc. AO3

He hated how your hand felt in his.  Your fingers seemed to fit so well together and your bare hand against his covered palm was no different than it had been in any dream except for the heated reality of it all.  

Talking to you was one thing.  Touching you to make a point was another.

Touching you for no reason at all other than emotional support or to reassure himself that he was awake were concepts he never put any thought to.  

It was as if once he’d pushed your hair back, removed your Akasha and made you tangible, he couldn’t imagine not being drawn to you.  Like the first time he saw the Ruin Golems and discovered the Schwanenritter who piloted them, you, too, were another part of the universe that he could not pull his attention away from.  Just when everything was beginning to make sense, when he was finally understanding how to fit this bond to suit his purposes, his body reacted as if you were the strongest substance and he could never get enough of it.

Curiosity jolted through his mind as the two of you stood there on the beach; any other time he might have considered this to be a dream if not for the pressure from your fingers, as though he were your anchor to keep you grounded.  The only steady thing about him was the insatiable need to tear down the sky and false stars with it.  

You were a liability to that goal, an embodiment of everything that ever…

And yet, too, you were the perfect opportunity to get a first-hand account of what it meant to know someone as well as one knew themselves.  Better yet, Omega had presented a challenge that he couldn’t ignore: putting a new concept into practice and a need to help fix the otherwise impossible.

Your instrument, now nothing more than splinters of wood, was a better place to start than your psyche.

Every direction his mind turned, there you were.

He’d read account after account of soulmates finally coming across one another and he’d studied magnetism thoroughly to the point of absolute boredom.  From a conceptual standpoint, the analogy some used made sense; drawn to each other like two magnets, always pulled back to one another regardless of circumstance.

You were, still, a stranger to him in the waking world, he reminded himself.  Words were one thing: actions were another.  Speaking of you coming with him to Snezhnaya and all that it entailed was easy.  Any speculation was always easy.  He should have been more plain with you.  Perhaps then, you would be scared, or at least hesitant in what embracing this, even in part, would mean for someone so emotionally in-tune.

Emotionally…ah, perhaps that was the key for you.  After all, it had only been after you’d awoken that you manifested your weapon and actually attempted to fight back.  

Without an outlet, perhaps this would be a little easier.

In the back of his mind, deep within the Segment network, he could hear the constant whispering amongst his other selves.  He had grown used to it over the centuries.  It was filtered out just like the inane droning from his useless professors as a student and the ridiculous whining from the nobility who positioned themselves against the better interest of the people they served.  The hive mind was, at times, louder than usual, but it was always manageable.

“I know what needs to be done, Prime.  Do you?”

The words echoed in his mind, through his body; if one were not in tune with the other occupants as he was, such words could have passed for his own thoughts.

“My plan requires both of us.  And her.”

“Oh, collaborative efforts, Omega?  That’s a first.”

“You cannot return to Snezhnaya.  Not yet.  Not until I have the Gnoses in hand.”

“You make demands of me, do you?  After everything you’ve done?”

“It is beneficial for her to see the work you do.  The level at which you, all of us, operate.  This does not impact the larger plan.  In fact, it fits quite well.”

Not unlike your hand in his, he briefly considered, before shoving the thought to the far reaches of his mind, away from the network.

“You will have everything you require, Prime.  I am nothing if not efficient.”

Omega’s voice died down, became part of the chatter again, and Dottore shifted his focus, this time to the wood in your other hand.  He’d examined it thoroughly and his mind was already filled with ideas that made his fingers itch even more.  

These were thoughts best suited to paper and pen; he only hoped he retained these sensations long enough to get them down.

For he could not bear the idea of never feeling your notes pour over him again, eliciting sensations he had long forgotten.

You could not stay on the beach forever, not with patrolling guards and not when you were unlikely to return to the hotel.  Zandik shattered the silence as he let go of your hand and returned his mask to his face.

“If you are done here, I still have other matters to attend to in Sumeru before we can properly leave for Snezhnaya.  In fact, I wish to observe something with you.”

He had seen the look you wore a thousand times before, when grief and hopelessness sat and curled onto itself and made a home in one’s heart.  Despite your bravado, your willingness to put thoughts into words, your mind was heavier than you let on.  Cellos were hardly rare, although he conceded that yours, perhaps, was of a quality no longer in circulation.  Nonetheless, instruments were merely tools.  They could be replaced, enhanced, their new counterpart better than the original.  He could understand the sense of violation but truly, it was just wood, metal, and other resources.

Perhaps your grief might be useful after all, he mused as you replaced your footwear and muttered to yourself about the pervasiveness of sand.  If he never felt the grains against his skin again, it would be too soon.  He hated this place, be it the jungle or the desert, and a tiny part of him yearned for the vast wasteland of snow and ice.  At least ice melted.

“Where—?” you asked, tucking the remnant of your instrument into your pack before standing.

“You’ll see.  Clear your mind and come here, in front of me.”

Zandik held out his hand, palm up, revealing the blue fabric of his gloves, and once again tried to rid his mind of how he wished he didn’t enjoy the sensation.  The gloves helped but only just.  

When you didn’t step closer, either out of respect or fear (not that he cared), he pulled a little and held you against him, disgusted that his own heart continued to fail him as it skipped as he inhaled your shampoo.  Leyline travel didn’t work with a mere clasping of hands.  It would be easy to lose you in the veins of the world and as amusing as that could be, it was not the purpose he sought.  You were warm against him, in his arms, and he found himself wishing he had not abandoned his coat and endured the awful humidity.  One more layer between you both wouldn’t have gone amiss; your palm against his chest burned like nothing he ever felt before.

“Close your eyes.  Don’t open them again until I say,” he commanded.

You inhaled, closed your eyes, and then exhaled.

He reached for the closest pulsing vein and dove, keeping you tight against him, into the tide of the world.

________________________________

You were falling, falling, somehow heavy and light all at once.

But you never met the ground.

The only tangible thing you could sense were the arms around you, stronger, firmer than his form gave him the appearance of.  None of the dreams, even the ones where you pushed what boundaries you could and the ones with Omega, made your pulse jump and your mouth go dry.  You’d never been this close to someone in a long time, not in a way that didn’t demand something from you, and certainly not with the one fated to be yours.  Through the tang of sweat (unavoidable, given the weather), you could make out notes of sandalwood and mint, and the unique smell of something a little more singed.

Notes danced in your head and you tried to keep them at bay: whatever was happening, he’d asked you to clear your head for a reason.  It could be muddled later, you urged, pushing away the urge to tap your fingers against his chest in rhythm.

Warmth left you as soon as the falling sensation stopped and you felt the sticky air replace his arms, embracing you in the humidity again.

You opened your eyes to find a hulking metal structure, larger even than anything you saw back home.  The hand alone was the size of a decent townhouse and the arm was easily the length of an entire factory.  It looked exactly like the Ruin Golem from one of the last dreams you had, one of the remaining ones with startling clarity that was never touched.  

Briefly, your thumb and pointer finger rubbed together, remembering Zandik’s hair beneath your fingertips.  You’d never actually felt it, of course, but it looked soft.

Moonlight kissed its frame and bathed the machine in a cool glow; you swore, for a moment, that the central focal point (an eye?) glowed for the briefest of seconds.  

Your fingers tapped a rhythm that pulsed inside of you as easily as your own heart against the strap of your bag, slung over one shoulder.  The mere act ripped open the wound as you immediately recalled that there was no way to expand on it, not easily.  And certainly not in a productive fashion.  Some used their voice but you were better with your hands, weaving notes rather than breathing life into them.

“What’s so important about this mountain?” you asked.  “Why couldn’t you observe what you wanted to at the beach?” 

“There’s another Geo user I know who would typically kill the ones responsible for breaking his belongings,” Zandik replied, a few steps ahead of you already, gesturing as he went as if he were in a lecture hall.  “Granted, Delusions are quite different in how they draw power, but regardless, your current emotional state would be a good place to start in this endeavor.”

You exhaled softly and followed him up the path, further into the mountain and the valley it housed.  When he was on a tangent like this, his calm and calculated demeanor fell to the side and it was impossible to get him to stop, you well knew.  You’d slept in one morning precisely because he’d been so excited to share a new development that the entire dream was spent with the explanation of the concept itself and a summary of the experiments (although you wish he’d spared you some of the more gruesome details).

He had an idea.

Ideas were pervasive.

And it wasn’t as though you had anything better to do.

Zandik stopped abruptly and you caught up to him, stepping over to his right to get a glimpse of what he was looking at.  A cluster of what appeared to be mushrooms of different colors and shapes mulled about.  You saw a few of them in passing on your way through Sumeru but had never encountered them up-close.  Elemental beings, you guessed, similar to slimes but with a more defined shape?

“Let us try something.  The Fungi here are mostly harmless, save some elemental reactions.  Pretend they’re the ones who destroyed your cello.  Much like you mistook me for Omega.”

“I’m sorry?”

He wanted you to harm them?  You looked at him, incredulous.  You weren’t exactly proud at having lunged at him, claymore first, when you awoke and realized everything you dreamed had been a lie.  

Zandik only crossed his arms and cocked his head as he lifted a hand and waved it, as though dismissing you.

“Humor me.  The catharsis might prove more helpful than you’d expect.”

Exhaustion gnawed at your bones.  The last two days had been packed and now you were left feeling hollow, numb, with nothing but a plan in word only.  Sleep, however, had yet to desire to sink its claws into you; even if you were remotely close to a bed, you doubted you would even rest.

What else was there?

“Alright,” you said, dropping your bag at your feet.  “But don’t be surprised if nothing comes of it.”

“We’ll see.”

Your stomach lurched at the sound of your name and you hated how well your name sounded across his tongue.  Now wasn’t the time to think about that.

The grip of your claymore came easily, as simple as thinking about it, and you felt  the weight of your weapon almost immediately.  It was your second-oldest friend, its edges maintained to sharp points and devoid of any nicks.  Ideally, you would have warmed up a little and gotten your arm muscles used to the weight distribution, but doing so would, no doubt, alert the Fungi almost immediately.  

You focused on a single Fungi, a purple one that spun in place and seemed to charge its own Electro, and swung.  The strike was unbalanced and awkward as you stumbled forward with the weight rather than distributing it properly.  You missed the second time and landed a blow with a third swing, forcing yourself to follow through as your felt the blade meet the spongy flesh.  Adjusting your grip, both hands tight, you delivered a heavy strike and the mushroom fell limp, sparks fizzling.  

Muscles ached for a reprieve and your lungs burned, your body unused to such strenuous blows.  You’d never really had to fight before, not properly, and you certainly never figured out how to preserve your stamina.  

A flash of blue and something squishy slammed into you and staggered, falling backwards.  A mushroom that resembled a bubble bounced around in satisfaction and waved to its comrades.  You pulled yourself to your feet.  No, you wouldn’t let yourself be knocked on your ass by a mushroom, of all things.  Bad enough you’d left your homeland to find something worthwhile; worse still to have your instrument—your one true companion—destroyed and left with no recourse but to resign; nevermind the fact that your mind was muddled and your memories played with as though it were a ball of yarn beneath a cat’s paw.

Nothing has gone your way and you were sick of it.

You promised yourself things would be better.  They had to be.  Because if they weren’t, then—

Golden energy engulfed you and your claymore, changing the blade into what, at first, appeared to be glass.  It was accompanied by a floating blade that appeared much the same, clear and shimmering, orbiting you as though you were a sun, blade pointed to the ground.  Your eyes glossed over the claymore in your hand and noticed that it refracted light as much as it let light through; the blade was not smooth but made up of a thousand little facets.  It looked almost crystalline…

You swung the blade and expected it to shatter but it retained its appearance, your attack full of Geo energy.  Another strike, this time one-handed, your body making the choice rather than your mind.  It killed your wrist but you waved your other arm, now free, and the floating blade crashed down, breaking as it went, and scattering tiny crystals everywhere, knocking the Fungi back.

The smallest laugh escaped you as you delivered blow after blow, your claymore soon returning to normal.  Here, too, there was a rhythm to be found, your claymore slicing the air no different than any other note you pulled from your strings.  Rather than your strength, you could feel the pulsing of something else far beneath your feet, urging you forward and lending you power.  By the end, some Fungi defeated and others having retreated, you stabbed your claymore into the moist ground and leaned on the crossguard, panting.

Polishing it and sharpening it were going to be a pain later but you couldn’t stand on your own any longer.  And you weren’t about to collapse again.  Especially in front of him.

Muted applause, the sound of leather slapping against leather, cracked through the chorus of frogs and evening birds.  You looked up as Zandik approached, shoulders back and a pleased grin across his lips.

“Satisfied, Zandik?” you asked, pushing hair out of your face.

“We’ll start another trial after you’ve rested.  I would very much like to know what substance encases your blade.  It must be durable enough to withstand several strikes and there are only a few materials that could do so.  The clarity was quite brilliant, almost as though it were made of diamond.  Not to mention it appears as though you can control and direct the construct you summon…have you ever summoned Geo power before?” he asked.

“No.  My Vision has always been a bit more of an accessory than a tool.  I…never really bothered to understand it.  People didn’t necessarily respect my craft but they respected my Vision.  I didn’t need it beyond that…”

Zandik clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Such complacency.  You would never stop rehearsing and practicing your instrument and yet you never longed to figure out what power resided with you.”

As if you had the time, you wanted to counter.  It wasn’t as if you had the ability to spread out everything you wished to do among different branches of yourself.  Besides, your interests and yearning laid with the intangible, not the weapon you leaned against.

“I am, however, thrilled that your power is much closer to the surface; it should be easier to summon from now on.  Celestia’s prying eyes are a nuisance but we might as well make them useful,” Zandik amended.  “Gather your things.  I think that’s enough for one night.  Or morning, rather.”

You hadn’t noticed, and although you knew you hadn’t been fighting all that long, it was closer to dawn than you originally expected.  The once inky sky was beginning to fade into a warm orange-pink, cresting over the distant landscape to push away the moon.  As you waved your claymore away and retrieved your bag, the light glinted off of the glass eye of the Ruin Golem and began to reveal its rusted exterior, worn by elements and time.

In the dream you recalled, it didn’t look so worn.  Here and there, in the joints, you had spotted signs of aging, but the massive construct was, upon further inspection and better lighting, far older than you originally expected.

Such thoughts vanished as soon as you took his outstretched hand and let yourself be pulled close before sinking into the void again.

[intothegenshinworld]

To celebrate 1k followers on this blog, I’ll be hosting a temporary event.

This event is all about soulmates! ♡ Below, you'll see a list containing colours that correspond to a specific soulmate AU. When participating in this event you'll be able to send an ask containing both a GENSHIN CHARACTER of your choice + A COLOUR from the list below. So you'll be choosing who your soulmate is (the character chosen), and the specific AU you're in! (the colour from the list)

With your own unique combination sent in, I'll be able to write a drabble!

Rules are u.t.c.!! Read before you request!

EVENT STATUS: OPEN CLOSED!!!

Red ❥ the red string of fate

Orange ❥ you can hear the song that’s stuck in your soulmate’s head and vice versa

Yellow ❥ whatever you write/draw on your skin shows up on your soulmate’s and vice versa

Green ❥ the voice inside your head is your soulmate's

Blue ❥ you share your dreams with your soulmate

Indigo ❥ the first sentence you'll hear from your soulmate is tattooed onto your wrist, on the other wrist are the last words you'll hear from them

Violet ❥ any wounds/bruises you get shows up on your soulmate’s body as well, and vice versa

Pink ❥ one of your eyes is the same colour of your soulmate’s

White ❥ on your wrist you have a countdown. When it hits 0 you’ll meet your soulmate

Black ❥ everything is in black and white until you meet your soulmate

EXTRA*

Gold ❥ You and your soulmate are academic rivals. ➟ The two of you have been rivals for a while, competing with each other from a distance to see who can get the perfect reports written and the better grades. You have no idea what your rival looks like. You only know them from the messaging board and the grading papers that show the top 50 students. But one day you meet, and when it happens you realise that they’re your soulmate. Out of spite you decide to go against fate.

(*Only able to request with the following characters; Albedo, Al Haitham, Dottore, Lisa)

Rules:

You can request these prompts ONLY during the duration of the event. 

There is a limit per request to ONE character with ONE colour! If you put multiple characters/colours your request WON’T be answered! 

You can add your own flare to the prompts, but don’t make it too specific or long! (ex. ‘’Hello, I hope you’re doing well, and congrats on 1k!  For the event I wanted to request Red with Diluc, but could you write it in modern AU? Maybe Diluc as a barista at your local coffee shop? Thank you!!’’)

[actiniumwrites]

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑬, 𝑨𝑺 𝑺𝑬𝑻 𝑰𝑵 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑵𝑬✩

𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒖𝒎'𝒔 2.5𝒌 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 !!

status: closed! ✩ event masterlist

note: thank you so much for 2.5k followers! i am very grateful for the love and support you guys have shown for my writing this past year, it means so so much to me. so thanks to everyone who’s new and those who have stuck around. i can’t wait to see how this blog continues to grow <3

interested in participating in the event? more details are below the cut!

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵𝑻 ✩

for this event, i will be celebrating by writing pieces based on different au’s! we all love the canonverse for genshin, but it’s nice to see our favorite characters in different universes. so, by combining the meanings of crystals as prompts + different au’s, i’ll be writing short stories based on your submissions! note that for some of the crystals i used the opposite meaning so there would be angst and fluff prompts available!

𝑻𝑶 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑷𝑨𝑻𝑬 ✩

send an ask (can be on anon!) with your selected character + au + crystal(s)

you can send choose up to 3 crystals, but only one au and only one character!

i will only be writing for the same character/au up to two or three times, so everything will be on a first come, first serve basis. if you’re unsure about your character or au being available, you can include a backup in your ask.

please be sure to check the rules before sending an ask! any asks sent pertaining to the event that do not follow the rules will not be written. i also have the right to refuse any request. if i get a lot of requests for this event, it’s likely i won’t be able to write all of them, but i’ll try to get through as many as i can.

sample ask: “hi, act! for your event, can i request wriothesley + actor au + selenite, garnet, and angelite?”

𝑨𝑼'𝑺: choose one!

note: once an au is crossed out, it cannot be selected again. i will allow up to two or three uses of the same au before it cannot be picked again.

artist

actor

bookstore

coffee shop

college

florist

detectives

photographers

royalty

soulmate

time travel

tattoo artist

𝑪𝑹𝒀𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑺 : choose up to three!

amber - sickness

amethyst - betrayal

angelite - confessions

black diamond - mistrust

citrine - warmth and comfort

clear quartz - healing from hurt

emerald - loneliness

fluorite - clarity

garnet - self consciousness

hematite - protection

howlite - surrender

jade - gentleness

lapis lazuli - nobility

lepidolite - stress

moonstone - new beginnings

peridot - compassion

rose quartz - pure love

ruby - weakness

sapphire - clouded vision

selenite - hope

serpentine - mystery

sodalite - miscommunication

topaz - forgiveness

tourmaline - sadness

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺: choose one!

note: characters will be crossed off after being taken. the same character can only be written twice :)

men: albedo, diluc, kaeya, venti, xiao, zhongli, baizhu, scaramouche, ayato, heizou, kazuha, itto, thoma, alhaitham, cyno, tighnari, kaveh, dottore, neuvillette, lyney, wriothesley, childe, and dainsleif

women: mona, beidou, yelan, ningguang, hu tao, ayaka, kujou sara, kokomi, nilou, dehya, clorinde, and arlecchino

credits: genshin character art is all official art and belongs to hoyoverse (but i altered the coloring over them!). the moon/stars dividers and animated orange dividers are from @/cafekitsune !

[mothmanperson]

||giving them their first stick and poke||

childe , zhongli, kaeya, venti, pantalone, dottore, scaramouche, xiao, thoma, ayato, itto, gorou, aether, kazuha, diluc, heizou, cyno, tighnari x gn! reader (separately)

cw: stick and pokes, modern au

platonic, bc i am a sucker for platonic soulmate type beats

please do not do stick and pokes without the proper precautions and safety measures, stay safe

the afternoon was hot, and while your window curtains had been closed to keep out the sun, still the blarinf heat of the summer day didn't spare the two of you.

your friend had come over for the 6 time i a row, and while it was only wednesday the time had been filled with good laughs and dumb shit the two of you always seemed to get yourself into, no matter how responsible the other was.

right now you were both just laying down on your bed, music was blasting through a speaker and cold energy on your bedside table.

he was sitting on the floor his back to your bed and his head laying on the mattress next to yours, you were laying on your back.

you constantly had the urge to laugh, being upsidedown did that to you, besides the fact zhat your friend always seemed to make you laugh, even if he didn't try to.

your eyes wandered in boredom until they landed on a silver make-up case, and you had an idea.

"can i make you a stick and poke?"

starts whining the soon you unpack the sterilized needle, asking if 'its going to hurt bad' and if he really 'can't hold your hand'. saying stiff like he's going to pass out but actually isn't scared at all and rather excited. he's only saying those things to tease

childe, kaeya, venti, heizou, tighnari, itto

is really calm and comforting, always reassures you that it "doesn't hurt" and that "you're doing great", all in all super awsome to poke at with your inky needle(even if it doesn't turn out to well.

zhongli, pantalone, diluc, aether, thoma, kazuha

silently watches you just- staring either at you or the poking motion you do with your hand. while he doesn't say anything, he also doesn't give you the feeling of dojng it wrong, or hurting him. your used to his endless staring.

xiao, kazuha, tighnari, dottore, cyno, scaramouche

says he isn't nervous at all but is actually really fucking shaking, crying- shitting tears- no but really, if you wouldn't have to use both of your hand, he would take it and crush it out of fear

itto, thoma

tells unfunny jokes to distract himself from the pain

cyno, childe, aether, itto

pretends you forced him, but adores it actually, wanted to get one since he knew you bought one (your parents unknowing of this)

scaramouche, ayato, tighnari, dottore, xiao,

[dottores]

HELIOTROPES

pairing: dottore x fem!reader & segments

summary: the gods were sick and twisted. for five hundred years, he believed he was fated to be alone. he had long accepted it—embraced it, even. that is, until a midwinter night when that elusive red thread finally appeared on his finger. but as much as he wants to ignore it, the pull of a soulmate simply cannot be ignored.

genre: soulmate au, canon compliant for the most part.

warnings: fem!reader, worldbuilding for snezhnaya & fatui & fontaine, reader not in the best mental state (esp in first scene).

notes: FINALLY!!! its unedited so bear with me, i dont rlly have time to go through and edit + i've been sick as hell for two weeks straight now. but i hope u guys enjoy!!!

ALEA IACTA EST

You were trapped. 

You didn’t know what sort of witchcraft Pantalone used but you couldn’t leave his wing. You thought you might be going crazy, it took two days of making excuses for you to realize that something was severely wrong, and another three for the anxieties to start embedding in your head. You had your first panic attack in years on the sixth day, and now on the seventh, you were sitting in the small library alone—there was a book in your lap, but the words were swimming off the pages and your head was spinning. 

How was this what he wanted? 

You couldn’t understand how either of you were benefiting from this. He wasn’t getting whatever knowledge he wanted from you and you weren’t getting what you needed to know. You were just stuck here, alone and lost. Not even Pantalone was around for the past few days because he went to finalize a business deal in a Mondstadt port town, he should be coming back soon but even when he did, you knew he wouldn’t spare you much attention. 

How was this what he wanted? You wondered if it was supposed to be some sick sort of torture, wear down your mental fortitude so you’d be more apt to answer the questions he wanted. If that was the case, he would be severely disappointed when you spat in his face the next time he dared to make an appearance. Another part of you wondered if this was just how it would be—he would keep you locked up and alone so he didn’t have to deal with you but he also didn’t have to fear you running off and putting yourself in danger.

The more you thought about it, the more you convinced yourself of both options, and the more you hated your own soulmate. 

Seven days. It had been seven days of being trapped in this place with only Pantalone to occasionally talk to and of the few times he spoke to you, the majority were just of him going on a vicious rant about how the Tianquan of Liyue kept sidelining his proposals and how the wineries of Mondstadt were icing him out of the wine market with Liyue’s merchants. He claimed it was all some big conspiracy against him because there was no reason they should be blatantly disregarding his letters, all of his proposals were mostly targeted for their profit, which the Regrator thought was blasphemous in itself—the Jester apparently cared more for building relationships with the administrative and economic sectors of each of the nations than Pantalone’s dignity as a businessman. You, evidently, did not give him the outraged reaction he wanted and he hadn’t come back to speak with you since, leaving for his meeting across the nation without a word. 

Now you were alone, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching you—and you knew it was not Dottore. 

You exhaled as you tried to focus again on the book laying on your lap but your head throbbed and you were forced to avert your gaze back to the ceiling, trying to quell the pain through sheer willpower alone. The Regrator’s library was filled to the brim, but with nothing that would be of use to you trying to figure out how they had trapped you in this sector. Books on economics, the aristocratic families of Snezhnaya, the history of the northern lands and all of the old traditions and folklore that noble children were brought up learning, undoubtedly so he could fine tune that mask of his, pretending that he had always been one of them in order to shear more money from them.

A part of you wanted to warn him that the more he tried to fake it, the more they would ridicule him, but you didn’t want to be totally isolated again as soon as he came back so you figured you’d just let him figure it out himself. 

Regardless, even with the massive amount of books that stacked his library’s walls, not a single one could help you in figuring out this spell. You’d never seen magics like this before—it was not elemental based, it was psyche-based. Every time you got down the hall, to the eighth window from your room to the right, your head started feeling light and dizzy, you felt sick and nauseous and were forced to turn back lest you put yourself in a very, very vulnerable position in a place where you could not afford any vulnerability. 

As nervous as it made you, at first, you found amusement in it. You were irritated and scared, yes, but more than that, you knew that Dottore could feel everything you did. So, you made it your mission to stay right at that eighth window for as long as you possibly could, just because you knew that you were racking your soulmate with that same nausea and dizziness and light-headedness that you were experiencing. 

Now, the amusement was gone and you were just scared. You were scared that you would be trapped here forever, never again to see your mother and your half-siblings and your grandfather. You were scared that you’d disappoint your father, that you wouldn’t be able to succeed in your mission and he would never be able to rest peacefully without justice having been exacted. And as much as you hated him, you were scared that you would never see him again either, that he would just leave you here to rot, live out the rest of your miserable existence confined to a single hall with books that you would rather burn than read. 

You hated that you felt so attached to him already—that even though the thought of him filled you with vile rage and agony, your body still ached for his touch, your eyes still longed for the sight of him walking through the dark doors of the library, and your bond still screamed for you to somehow end this war between the two of you so it could find peace. 

Even if peace negotiations were in your hands, you would still stubbornly throw them out the window, but they weren’t because he continued to completely deny you his presence. You were at his mercy, only when he decided, would a white flag be lifted. 

“Excuse me.”

You stiffened, an unwelcome chill ran down your spine as you looked over your shoulder to where an unfamiliar figure was standing in the doorframe of the library. With golden blonde curls and green eyes, no more than a decade older than you, you thought that the man might’ve been handsome were it not for that there was a dark gleam behind his eyes that reminded you a lot of your step-father, one that promised danger and deceit. 

He smiled and even though his teeth were not sharpened, somehow they looked more like knives than Theta’s did. “You’re the aristocrat from Fontaine that the Regrator took in, no?” 

“I am,” you said. Your voice was hoarse from days without speaking, you cleared your throat, closing the book and placing it down on the couch next to you just in case the man tried to take a seat there with you. “And you are?”

He wasn’t as unfamiliar as you originally believed. You recognized him from the event, standing with the rest of the Harbingers—immediately, you were on edge, trying to figure out what he wanted from you. He came closer to you and you bit the words that tempted to fly from your mouth as he picked up the book you had placed as a deterrent to take a seat on the couch right next to you, too close for comfort. You could feel his thigh brushing yours as he looked to the side to watch you, eyes tracing over your body once before settling on your face.

“Brighella,” he greeted, holding a hand out to you. “Tenth of the Fatui Harbingers, delighted to make your acquaintance.”

You placed your hand in his, albeit reluctantly, watching raptly as he lifted your hand up to his lips, kissing your knuckles gently before letting go. His lips were soft and pleasant against your fingers yet it still made your skin crawl. You drew your hand back into your lap immediately, waiting for him to explain what he wanted.

“I was just curious,” he said, answering the unspoken question. “The Regrator is a very proud man, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, he never responds well to help. It came as a shock to hear that he was taking in an aristocrat from Fontaine as an advisor.”

He was lying—about what, you weren’t sure, but you knew somewhere in that statement of his that there was a lie, and though you had no way of confirming it, you suspected that it had to do with his initial claim: that he was simply curious. 

“He intends to expand the Northland Bank into Fontaine City,” was all you replied with, a thin smile painting your lips. “Even someone as proud and intelligent as him is not capable of such a feat alone, the Court of Fontaine is notoriously anti-Snezhnaya.”

“Yes, so I’ve heard.” Brighella waved off your words and relaxed into the chair next to you, eyes disarmingly beseeching as he watched your reactions. “But we have our own operatives in Fontaine City, I was surprised that he didn’t just come to me for information, rather insulting, actually.”

He laid the information in front of you like meat to seduce a starving beast, all the while he lurked behind the bushes and waited for you to lunge at it so he could drive his blade across your neck as an execution. You didn’t respond, maybe for a second longer than you should have, but the sudden information had thrown you off guard. 

It was him. 

The words rang resounding through your head, Brighella was the one running the Fatui’s operations in Fontaine. Why had he told you? What did he expect to gain from this? There was something you were missing still, but after a week of forced isolation and no progress in your mission, this was like a feast handed to you on a silver platter.

“Perhaps your operatives are just not capable enough for such a scheme,” you said dryly, but your voice sounded vacant even to your own ears, it was clear that you were focused on something else. 

Brighella raised a hand to his chest as if he’d been wounded by your words. “Oh, but the Knave and I had trained so many of them personally,” he sighed. “What use am I to this organization if my colleagues won’t even rely on me or my agents to deliver when necessary?” 

It was a rhetorical question but you didn’t know what to make of it, or of him. Faux-mourning tainted his tone as he spoke, a regretful expression on his face as he turned his eyes up to the ceiling above. 

What was he trying to gain from this? You asked yourself again, more desperately this time. His lips, still tilted up as they’d been this whole conversation, had a bit more of triumph in them than they’d had before and you knew that somewhere you had slipped up, revealing something you shouldn’t have. But you rewound the conversation in your head over and over and over again and you couldn’t quite place where you had. You’d been careful with your words, nothing to set off alarm bells—your cover with the Regrator’s expansion in Fontaine was true, but you were just not being quite as helpful as he would like you to be, and Pantalone was very clear in his opinions on their Fontaine plants and their inadequacy. 

It had to have been your tone, the emptiness in your response to his reveal about his subordinates in Fontaine. It gave away your interest, and you could play it off as if it was just a general interest in how they’d infiltrated Fontaine, but if your stepfather truly was his agent, then he would know very well who you were and your ulterior reasons for being here—or he would at least now have confirmation. 

Pantalone had told you that Pulcinella, Brighella and Tartaglia would be the three Harbingers who would be the least of your worries, but you thought that the Friar was much more dangerous than he made himself out to be. 

How were you supposed to proceed? You tested words on the tip of your tongue but you could not figure out what to say—if you were suddenly interested in him, he would know it was only because of the information he revealed, but if you were cold and distant, you risked him not returning and you needed more information one way or another, even if it meant consorting with a man that made your hair stand on end. 

You didn’t get the chance to speak up again though, as your lips parted to speak, Brighella rose to his feet.

“I should get going. I’d prefer not to draw the ire of my fellow Harbingers, but it was a pleasure talking to you,” he murmured, a small smile and eyes turned upward as he nodded his head down in acknowledgement. “I’ll stop by again soon, it’s cruel of the Regrator and the Doctor to leave you alone the way they have.”

Two days later, the Friar returned. 

You’d spent the two days alone reeling and trying to understand where you had gone wrong and how you could compensate for it. You needed a plan of action, and a fast and efficient one at that. Freezing him out would be stupid, as much as it might be the most comforting course of action, but you also couldn’t just suddenly be trying to get closer to him because he would realize something was up.

You weren’t stupid. If he had truly just been curious about you, he would have come much sooner than he did. He waited because he wanted you to be worn down and utterly alone, so you would latch onto him like he was a buoy in the raging sea. Unfortunately for him, you were far too used to being alone. As agonizing as a week of isolation was, it was not near enough to make you that desperate. 

But he had information you wanted desperately, so you wanted to let him think whatever plan he was concocting was working in hopes that he might reveal more to gain your trust and dependency. You thought it would be a slow and arduous process, not to mention agonizing, but considering neither Pantalone nor Dottore have come to see you in over a week now, you figured you had nothing better to do anyway and this was your best shot at getting what you wanted… and maybe, if you ended up being successful with this, you could free yourself too but you thought that was far less likely.

At the very least, it might force Dottore into action if he thought you were starting to get close with Brighella.

But that was a long shot anyway. Brighella was a type of beast that you were unfamiliar with. He kind of reminded you of some of the crueler members of Fontaine’s aristocracy, the ones who found entertainment in setting up trials that they knew would lead to one terrible sentencing, all the while smiling to the defendants face, but even then they were nothing like this. He was a wolf that portrayed himself as a sheep in the truest sense of the proverb and you just didn’t know what he was capable of, or what he wanted, and that was what scared you most—you didn’t like it when you didn’t know what someone’s intentions were with you.

Your stepfather was easy, all he wanted was more power in Fontaine, evidently to report back to the Fatui for a promotion—you and your father were obstacles in obtaining said power, so he removed your father from being able to influence your mother and you were certain that if you had stayed in Fontaine City, he would have gone after you too.

Dottore was somewhat frank in his intentions with you: he wanted you out of his life so that you couldn’t affect his research but he was keeping you here because he wanted information from you… and a part of you was certain that he was keeping you here also because it prevented you from going out and getting yourself hurt or killed, and that scared you because you didn’t know just how long he planned to keep you isolated here. Or if he ever even planned to release you.

Pantalone had been upfront with you: he wanted a way to get the Northland Bank into Fontaine, you had offered your help in exchange for assistance with removing your stepfather from the courts but you had no intention of giving him any help until he had pulled through on his end. And even then, you had never specified how much help you would give him—you were not going to give the Fatui more of a foothold than they already had. 

Not after what they did to your father. 

Brighella was an unknown. He had come to you with a goal two days ago, and whatever that goal had been, he had achieved it. You still couldn’t figure what it was, even after days of recounting your conversation to figure it out, and that unnerved you more than anything. 

“You actually came back,” you said quietly, eyes flickering up to where Brighella had entered the library. He brought something with him, you couldn’t quite tell what it was but it smelled good, and familiar. 

“I promised, didn’t I?” Brighella replied, amused. He came around the couch to sit next to you. He sat closer this time. 

“It’s been two days, I was beginning to doubt.”

“Yes, well, the Regrator grew a bit suspicious when he saw me coming from the direction of his wing, the last thing I needed was to draw his ire. The Doctor already has it out for me even when I do no wrong.” Brighella sounded aggrieved as he spoke but your ears rang loudly at his words. 

“The Regrator already returned from his meeting in Mondstadt?” you asked, keeping your voice free of all tightness but when Brighella only shot you a confused look, one that did not appear to be feigned in the slightest. “Ah, I see.”

There was no meeting in Mondstadt. 

You wondered if it was by Dottore’s will or his own that he had lied and left you here in isolation. You thought it would be easier to believe it was Dottore’s, you had already made him out to be your villain, but you knew better than to assume that. Dottore was obstinate and prideful, yes, but Pantalone was the one who had clawed his way from the bottom tiers of society to the very top, his manipulation would know no bounds—he knew that you were already struggling with Dottore’s refusal to acknowledge you, and he probably thought that his disappearance, after entertaining you for a few days, would put you over the edge.

Jaw tight and trying your best to keep your emotions off of your face lest Brighella take advantage of your distressed realization, you forced yourself to turn your attention back to the Harbinger.

“Here,” Brighella said, passing the covered dish over to you. “Tartiflette, I figure you must be missing home. I hear tartiflette has been rather popular amongst the aristocrats lately.”

I hear. 

Bitterly, you wanted to ask just how he managed to hear that but you refrained. Instead, you glanced down at the dish—it was covered with foil but it smelled good, just like the one you and Sylvie used to get from Cafe Lucerne before your father passed away.

You wondered if it was poisoned, or laced with something, you didn’t exactly put it past Brighella. Even if there were ulterior motives behind him bringing you the dish, it was thoughtful nonetheless. So instead of voicing your suspicions or refusing the dish, you took into your lap, letting the warmth of the bottom of the plate and the familiar scent sink in.

“Thank you.”

Brighella looked pleased, green eyes glittering. “You’re welcome.”

The two of you sat in silence for a moment, and you listened to the way the wind rattled the glass nearby. It was getting late already, you could see the moon rising over the trees in the distance. Nine days now with no word from Dottore at all. You were sure he was probably keeping the segments away from you too because you hadn’t seen a single one since that night.

After a few moments of silence, Brighella asked, “He told you that he had a meeting in Mondstadt?” 

You didn’t respond, you supposed that was answer enough because he let out a heavy sigh. 

“The Regrator does love his underhanded tactics.”

“And you don’t?” you couldn’t help but press, eyeing him curiously.

“I do.” At least he didn’t bother hiding it, shooting you a deceptively friendly smile as he relaxed back into the chair. “But it’s different, my underhanded tactics are for the greater good.”

“Many men have claimed to do terrible things for the greater good,” you murmured. “What makes you different?” 

Your subordinate killed my father, you were saying, tell me how that was for the greater good?

Brighella watched you for a second and then said, “Perhaps you’re right, but I’d like to believe otherwise.”

You hummed, looking away but you could feel that he was still looking at you and it was making you feel antsy, like a cornered animal. 

Finally, Brighella spoke up again. This time, his voice was far more quiet, as if he didn’t want someone listening in. “I wish we had more time to talk instead of rushing straight to business, but I fear that I’m testing many boundaries and patiences by coming to visit you and I’d like for you to understand why I am.” Curiously, your eyes focused onto him, he was still staring at you, watching your reactions. “The Regrator cannot give you what you want. He has no power in Fontaine, nor jurisdiction over any of the subordinates there, that is why he’s coming to you and trying to get your assistance. He does not want to use me as an intermediary for his business.”

There it was. You raised your chin a bit in surprise as Brighella’s words reached your ears and his motives became clearer. You didn’t doubt that there were other ulterior ones that he was keeping to himself, but this one was enough for you to get some clarity on the situation: Brighella and Pantalone were playing a game of chess for Fontaine, and both thought that you would be the piece that would win them the game. 

You realized, slowly, that you might just have a bit more power than you realized, and that Pantalone had been trying to keep you ignorant to it. 

It also gave you more insight on the Fatui itself, and more specifically, the relationship between the Harbingers. You had a feeling that the camaraderie shown during the event was just a show but you hadn’t thought the rivalry ran so deep as to having Harbingers competing for power through using outside sources. 

You wondered if Brighella realized just how much he had revealed to you. From the steady look in his eyes as he watched you, he very much did. You wondered then why, because it had to be something beyond just trying to get you to not help Pantalone—unless he was that desperate to keep Fontaine in his grasp. But you had a feeling that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you finally responded with, pointedly meeting his eyes. 

He was studying you carefully and finally, he nodded, rising to his feet. “It’s alright. I’ll come back soon and give you some time to think. Just remember, what the Regrator promised you is not something he is able to give at this point and time. He’s making you think that you are the one dependent on him but without your cooperation, he doesn’t have a foothold in Fontaine, which is what he desperately wants.”

You didn’t respond as he walked out of the room, but before he stepped through the door, he turned to look at you one last time, “Enjoy the tartiflette—perhaps next time, I’ll bring you an even grander gift.”

You were not in the library the next time Brighella came to visit. You were lounging in your room preparing for bed when the knock came at your door. For a second, just a second, you might’ve hoped that it was Dottore, finally ending the war between the two of you—but as you called for the person to come in, and a head of curly blonde hair and green eyes peeked from around the door, the bit of hope that had sprung up withered in an instant. 

“May I?” Brighella asked, motioning for him to come into your room.

How improper, you thought to yourself, trying to force away the heat that rose to your cheeks. But you needed to keep talking to him, milk him for all that he knew before you made a decision about what you were going to do. 

“Of course,” you responded with, watching him carefully as he slipped into the room and made his way over to where you were sitting. He sat on the window nook next to where you were sitting at your vanity, leaning back on his hands as he studied you carefully. 

“Have you thought about my proposal yet?” Brighella murmured, his eyes were intense as he watched you, you could barely even hold his gaze and you had never had trouble holding anyone’s gaze before. 

You had. Of course, you had. With the newfound knowledge of Pantalone’s inability to actually get you what you want without you giving him what he wanted first, everything changed. Your whole position in this situation changed. You were still a prisoner, naturally, but you were a prisoner with power right now. You had two different Harbingers vying to acquire your support. It could change in a second, you knew that, you couldn’t get ahead of yourself, but you couldn’t just disregard the opportunity this presented.

You also could not take everything Brighella said at face value. 

You remembered the look in his eyes when you first met him, the skeevy one that reminded you of your stepfather and all of the other men and women in your life who had done terrible, terrible things without remorse. 

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” you replied instead, and Brighella sighed, disappointed but not surprised.

“Ah, I see,” Brighella said. “I haven’t quite gained your trust yet—well, perhaps this will change that.”

From his pocket, Brighella pulled out a piece of parchment, sealed with a wax Fatui insignia. He held it out to you and you reached out cautiously, taking it into your hands and turning it over to view the blank back of the parchment. You had no way of knowing the contents of it without breaking the wax seal, you looked up at Brighella, questioningly. He looked pleased, a small smile teasing at his lips. 

“This is a letter I have addressed to a particular subordinate of mine stationed down in Fontaine,” Brighella explained, leaning his chin on his hand, elbow propped up on his knee as he watched you. You could only barely bite back the sharp intake of breath as you looked down at the parchment again. “Yes, yes, I know, you don’t know what I’m talking about. But hypothetically, if you did, I was willing to gift you one of two options.”

“What are these hypothetical options?” you asked, your knuckles just a bit too tight around the parchment to pass it off as normal.

“You can keep that letter, and we can work together as partners. I can work with the Knave to set up a mission with the Jester and the Tsaritsa to have you head back to Fontaine, where you can use the letter as evidence to put said subordinate on trial before the Hydro Archon and Chief Justice,” Brighella said, your throat felt tight and swollen, your lips on the verge of trembling. 

Everything you wanted, but there had to be a catch. You knew better. For all you knew, the contents of the letter was empty, he could let you go down to Fontaine only to make you look like a fool when you presented the letter as evidence. 

“The second option?” you asked, proud that your voice remained steady and void of the turbulent emotions rushing through you.

“I will send it south and summon him back to Snezhnaya. You can exact your own justice here.”

What was the catch?

There had to be a catch, but you couldn’t for the life of you figure it out. You knew it was something more than just preventing Pantalone from stepping into his territory but Brighella was impossible to read and far more unpredictable than you expected. You were baffled that he would go to this length to try to get you to trust him. 

“You can hold onto the letter until you’ve made your decision, I-”

“My, my,” a familiar, smooth voice drawled. “What is this?”

At once, your blood ran cold as you looked up to see a familiar figure standing in your doorframe, violet eyes cold and cruel as he stared at where you were sitting with Brighella. Brighella only smiled thinly, mocking, as he looked at Pantalone and said: “Regrator, I hope you don’t mind me spending time with your new advisor, she’s quite the lovely little thing. I’m rather fond of her.”

“Is that meant to mean much?” Pantalone asked dryly, the smile on his lips tightening at the corners and you braced yourself for whatever he was about to say. “You’re fond of everything with two legs that will open for you.”

Your face felt hot, fingers tightening around the parchment as his words registered. Two legs that will open? 

How dare he?

Who does he think he is?

The barrage of livid questions battered your head, begging to be let loose but you bit your tongue, sharpening it as you instead responded with: “How crude, I know you had an unfortunate upbringing but I thought you’d learned better by now than to speak every vile word that crosses through that repulsive mind of yours.”

Next to you, Brighella hid his smile behind his hand and you at least felt a little validated even as Pantalone’s eyes bore down into you, you could see the promise for bloodshed barely veiled beneath his calm expression. 

“I’ll take my leave.” Brighella rose to his feet and to your horror, he leaned in close to you, taking both of your hands in his and you wanted to pull away, ask him what the hell he was thinking, but the words died on your tongue as he took the parchment from your hand before Pantalone could catch sight of it, subtly letting it drop to the floor before using his foot to slip it beneath the bed. His lips flickered upward. “Think about what I said. I’ll come by again.”

“No, you will not,” Pantalone interjected coolly. “I believe I have mentioned before that you are not welcome in my wing of the palace, Friar.”

“Then I will send one of my subordinates to fetch her to bring her to mine.” Brighella waved off the comment. “It’s no bother.”

He directed a faux-smile toward Pantalone as he slipped past the other Harbinger and left the room, leaving you alone with him. Pantalone stared after Brighella for a moment before turning his attention on you. 

You raised your chin and asked sweetly, “How did your business deal down in Mondstadt fare?” knowing damn well that there was no business deal down in Mondstadt.

He very clearly understood what you were getting at, the sweet smile on his lips just as fake as your tone as he said, “Very well.”

“I’m sure.”

The mockery in his eyes slowly slipped away the longer he stared at you—he wanted to say something, that was for sure, but he either didn’t know how to say it or he couldn’t, and you had a distinct feeling that Pantalone spoke more than he breathed so finding a way to say it was not the problem, he felt that he couldn’t. 

“The Friar is not to be trusted,” he finally decided. 

“There is not a single soul within this palace that is to be trusted,” you countered icily. 

He smiled, but the smile did not meet his eyes. “Fair enough.” 

There was a quiet tone to his voice, you wondered if any of Brighella’s statements held any truth to them, if he was worried that you would side with the Tenth instead of him, and he would lose his shot at expanding the Northland Bank into Fontaine. 

Something wicked swam in his eyes as his gaze cast over where you were sitting once more, voice more scathing now. “I do wonder how the Doctor will feel about your newfound relationship with the Friar,” and you realized that the Regrator did not fret over anything. And if he was backed into a corner like a wounded animal, he would lash out ten times as deadly. 

He was threatening to tell Dottore if you did not speak to his liking, if you did not dismiss Brighella’s option. 

Your eyes widened, just a bit—you knew there was nothing wrong with what you’d been talking about with the Friar. Dottore knew that you were here for one thing, and one thing alone: obtaining the evidence to convict your stepfather of your father’s murder. But you had a feeling that Pantalone would be spiteful and describe what he had walked in on as not what really happened, he’d put it in the worst light possible and blow the slim chance you had for Dottore ever showing up…

Or, it would finally force him into action. 

It was a risky gamble—one that you weren’t sure if you should take. Dottore was prideful and stubborn and you didn’t know how far it extended. It could blow up in your face, or it could finally get you what you wanted: the upperhand. 

You had never been a gambling woman before, but ever since you got to Snezhnaya, you were being put into situations forcing you to change and adapt just so you could survive, so you could bring justice to your father.

You didn’t think you liked the person who you were becoming, but you didn’t think you had a choice.

You smiled at Pantalone, but the smile was as empty as you felt. 

“I don’t particularly care what the Doctor feels concerning my relationship with Brighella. Tell him whatever you please, do pass on my regards to the younger segments though.”

“I must say your soulmate truly is a little spitfire, she has proven it time and time again.”

Dottore sighed as he looked up from his vial, heavy eyes focusing on Pantalone as the man slunk into his labs as if he owned them. His smile was tight and his eyes were not in the typical upturn they usually turned up whenever he was amused—whatever you had said to him had severely pissed him off, it nearly made his own lips twitch upward, wondering what exactly you had said to get under his skin so badly. 

“And what did she say this time?” Dottore drawled, not even bothering to feign curiosity, placing the vial back down on the burner as he looked up at Pantalone, whose eye twitched at the question. 

“It’s about time you stop playing this game with her, Doctor.” Was all Pantalone said in response, observing a failed, burnt test subject disdainfully, poking at it with a long, gloved finger before drawing his gaze back up to Dottore. 

“And here I thought you were playing the same game,” Dottore dismissed, although he would beg to differ that it was not a game, but the last thing he wanted was to get into a battle of semantics with Pantalone. “Was that not why you’ve been loitering around my labs this past week?”

“Yes, I was,” Pantalone agreed, but there was an edge to his voice that made Dottore suspicious, “and it backfired. A certain snake rose from the grasses to take advantage.”

“Hm?” Dottore tilted his head to the side, red eyes narrowing as Pantalone’s words registered.

“Now is not the time for your stubbornness, Doctor,” the banker warned. “Continue to disregard her and she will turn to someone else… or I suppose, she already has. I caught her acting rather intimately with the Friar in her quarters just before I came here.”

Dottore’s lips flattened and his eyes went cold, Pantalone caught the physical reaction, eyebrows shooting upward, mockingly. But Pantalone could only see the physical reaction, he could not feel how Dottore’s blood somehow felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time, he could not see how his vision tunneled and he could not hear how his ears were ringing. 

Intimately?

There it was again—that prideful and possessive feeling rearing its ugly head. You were his, only by fate and by chance, but you were his nonetheless, even if he was loathe to admit it. He ignored the hypocrisy of his thoughts, you were his and yet he had ignored you for over a week? He was laying claim to you after all of his denial and anger?

He had been doing what was right, separating himself from you to prevent the bond from getting any stronger. He wasn’t playing the same game that Pantalone was, isolating you to try to make you more malleable to his requests when he finally came back around; Dottore did not play games, not with anyone, much less with you. 

But was he okay with you turning your attention elsewhere with his absence?

No. No, he was not. The thought filled him with an emotion he hadn’t felt in over four hundred years, not since his years as a Fatui recruit before he’d learned to separate himself from his emotions.

“She asked for me to pass on my regards to the younger segments.” Pantalone smiled as he spoke, knowing that the words were bound to set Dottore off even more because how dare you send your regards to the children as you let another man into your quarters. “I’ll be heading to my office now. I have some paperwork to finish filling out. Do think on what I said, I expected a branch of the Northland Bank in Fontaine to come out of this arrangement. If it does not, you will have to make up for it.”

“Your expectations are not my responsibility,” Dottore said, voice clipped and icy and far more strained than he meant for it to be. 

Pantalone only let out a huff of laughter as he spun on his heel, shooting Dottore one last long look that had Dottore’s body begging for violence as a response. Nearly twenty years of him being forced into a corner because of you, and it was only getting worse.

“It is in this situation,” he said as he made his way out of the lab as quickly as he had come, leaving Dottore there alone with raging thoughts and turbulent emotions. 

The Friar. 

Brighella. 

Lip curled up in a type of rage he hadn’t felt in a long, long time, he finished putting his equipment away and reached for his mask, intent on heading to your quarters himself to understand just what was going on between you and the Tenth. 

It was the first time you’d been in Snezhnaya where there hadn’t been a storm battering the night. Once the Regrator had left you to your business, and you were finally able to finish getting ready for bed, you curled up at the window nook to look outside, where the air was still bitter and cold but the harsh winds had subsided and the moon was reflecting prettily over the frozen lake north of the palace. 

It looked calm and peaceful—you thought there was a beauty to Snezhnaya that was unique. The Hydro Archon and her acolytes liked to frame the nation as one big frozen wasteland but the more time you spent there, the more you realized that it was just not true. It was frozen, yes, but there were towering trees and massive lakes, the snow sparkled beneath the sun and moon in a way you’d never seen before.

You pressed the pad of your finger against the glass, a longing feeling sweeping over you as your eyes focused on the line of trees on the opposite side of the frozen lake. You thought that this might be your chance—the storms had subsided, you could make a break for it, but you knew deep down that the lack of storm was a deception you couldn’t afford to fall for. Just because the winds had died and the snow and ice had stopped falling, it didn’t mean that it was safe enough to travel through. You would still freeze. Perhaps if you had a pyro vision, it would be different but your hydro vision would do nothing to protect you against the cold.

You sighed, laying your forehead against the window and letting the chilly feeling spread through you, a stark contrast from the warmth of the fireplace emanating throughout your room. 

You wondered if you made a mistake. You had antagonized Pantalone, and he had likely antagonized Dottore on your behalf. It had felt good in the moment—a sharp jab that relieved some of the heavy pressure that isolation had put on you, but now the pressure was back and worse than before. 

You were not wondering. You knew it had been a mistake. 

Even if Brighella had been telling the truth and you held more power than Pantalone was leading you to believe, you couldn’t afford to isolate yourself from the option he presented. Dottore clearly trusted him enough to trust him with you, which you thought was about the biggest show of trust anyone could get from the Second.

And neither of them trusted Brighella. 

Your pride and anger had gotten the best of you—they had gotten the best of you when you had thought you had been in control. You laid everything out logically, convinced yourself that the option Brighella posed was just as appealing as Pantalone, forgetting that at the very least, Dottore and Pantalone were known threats to you. That yes, Pantalone wanted to use you and Dottore wanted nothing to do with you, but neither of them would risk your safety. Brighella was an unknown, just a charming and manipulative one that knew precisely when and how to strike.

You weren’t cut out for this. You let your eyes slide shut as you tried to force away the tears building in them. Frustration, anger, desperation, they were all becoming too much for you to handle. You didn’t know what to do. If Brighella was telling the truth, he really was the key to getting what you want, but you couldn’t trust him, you didn’t know what his motives were. Behind the pretty eyes and glittering smile was a snake with venomous fangs that could clamp down at any moment. 

You thought the courts of Fontaine had prepared you for this but the Snezhnayan court and the heart of the Fatui was a beast that you were not equipped to deal with. The courts of Fontaine were a beast, you would never think otherwise, but you’d been foolish enough to let yourself believe that they were similar enough to Snezhnaya’s that you’d be able to handle it. 

In Fontaine, your name had power and words were as sharp and lethal as daggers—as long as you put on a pretty mask and an entertaining performance, you would survive, but the aristocrats and observers of justice would eat alive anyone who could not put on a convincing and beguiling show.

In Snezhnaya, your name meant nothing and the only coat of protection you could place over yourself was Dottore’s position in the Fatui, and his forced bond to you. Your mask was shattering the longer you were stuck in the cold, and the entertaining performances you were so adept at putting on were becoming more pathetic than anything else. Danger lurked around every corner, not even just those who wanted to kill you as a means to weaken the Doctor, but also those who hated you for the country you come from. You had seen the way one of the Harbingers had looked at you during the event, and having even one Harbinger against you meant that you had hundreds of subordinates out for your throat to try to gain her approval. 

You were well beyond your depth. A vast ocean all around you and the currents were dragging you under, water filling your lungs as you tried to thrash your way back to the surface but there was an anchor chained to your ankle that you simply couldn’t fight against. 

You took in a deep, shuddered breath. You thought back to the old prophecy, the one that whispered that one day Fontaine and all of its citizens would be washed away by the rising waters, drowned by that which is supposed to protect them, finding their eternal rest in the sands until they became one with the sea. 

Sometimes you wondered if it was a literal or metaphorical fate, you had always taken it as literal and dismissed it as an old wives’ tale, but now you were questioning everything you held as true: you felt like you were drowning, your identity dissolving as the water closed in around you, and you felt helpless to it, just like how the ancient prophecy threatened.

Finally, you raised your head and looked back outside, eyes widening when you caught sight of a figure standing in the frame of your door through the reflection of the window, tall and imposing. You hadn’t even heard the door open. Even with the mask, you could feel the coldness behind his gaze. 

He only spoke one word:

“Come.”

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[harmonysanreads]

ONESHOTS AND DRABBLES

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ venti

❝ Hiraeth ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ diluc

❝ Diluc With A Sleepy Darling ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ yelan

❝ Prize and Possession ❞ +ningguang

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ ningguang

❝ Tangled ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ shikanoin heizou

❝ Submission ❞

❝ Escape Room Brainrot ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ yae miko

❝ The Fox and The Rabbit ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ alhaitham

❝ Waxing Remorse, Waning Candlelight ❞

❝ Flickering Candlelight ❞

❝ Delirium ❞

❝ Desire, Denial, Demise ❞

❝ Apricate ❞

❝ Yandere Vampire Alhaitham Masterlist ❞

❝ Happy Birthday, 11.02.24 ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ cyno

❝ Hide and Seek ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ candace

❝ Saccharine ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ kaveh

❝ Thoughts ❞

❝ Case Study : Two Shards of Glass ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ lyney

❝ Idée Fixe ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ neuvillette

❝ Jeux de Vagues ❞

「 case studies done before fontaine release are marked with ⋆」

❝ Case Study : The Impartial Iudex ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : The Wave and the Sandcastle ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : Home Resides In Him ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : What Can't Money Buy? ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : Harbinger vs Neuvillette ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : Dearest Ballerina ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : Fascination ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : Pertinacity ❞ ⋆

❝ Case Study : Compliments and Misunderstandings ❞

❝ Case Study : Pleaser and Pleased ❞

❝ Case Study : Restless Mind ❞ +alhaitham

❝ Case Study : On the Art of Marking ❞

❝ Case Study : On the Art of Courting ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ furina

❝ Thoughts ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ the harbingers

❝ A Funerary Smile ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ arlecchino

❝ Pantomime Of The Night ❞

↬:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ dainsleif

❝ Reconteur ❞

HEADCANNONS AND SCENARIOS

❝ Petty Envy ❞

- ➴ ➵ ➶ al haitham, kamisato ayato, raiden shogun (ei), scaramouche

❝ Pressed Periwinkles ❞

- ➷ ➸ ➹ scaramouche, venti, zhongli, raiden shogun (ei), yae miko, yelan, al haitham, kamisato ayato

❝ After A Nightmare ❞

- ➴ ➵ ➶ venti, aether, kazuha, xiao, heizou

❝ The Graceful and The Greedy ❞

- ➷ ➸ ➹ scaramouche, xiao

❝ Two Lunatics Make Perfect ❞

- ➷ ➸ ➹ il dottore, columbina, sandrone, arlecchino, scaramouche, pantalone

❝ Pre-Release Fontaine Crumbs ❞

- ➴ ➵ ➶ lyney, lynette, arlecchino, wriothesley, clorinde, neuvillette

❝ First Sign Of Affection ❞

- ➴ ➵ ➶ al haitham, neuvillette, scaramouche, furina

AU/CONCEPTS

❝ Soulmate au Concept ❞

☆ al haitham, cyno

❝Reincarnation au Concept ❞

☆ raiden shogun, scaramouche

❝The Sumeru Love Hexagon ❞

☆ kaveh, alhaitham, cyno, tighnari, wanderer

❝Yandere Vampire Alhaitham Concept ❞

❝ Corrupted Alhaitham Concepts ❞

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