#favonius messenger

[neskastree]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENNY

[randomrandomalright]

The pigeon taunts me…

[yaeggravate]

THEORY: KAEYA IS HALF-SEELIE

Back by unpopular demand: Seelie Kaeya theory.

I have already talked about this before, many, many times, but I wanted to gather all my jumbled thoughts from the past few months into one proper post along with some new revelations that further support the theory.

I just want to clarify first that I don't like abandoning the narrative in favor of a theory. I wouldn't be constantly trying to push for this if I wasn't at least 80% sure.

Kaeya is my favorite character in the whole game, but I am well aware of the limitations being put on his character…

…Unless 5-star Kaeya comes through for us, that is.

Apologies for the long read but I had to make it as thorough as possible, you understand.

INDEX

1. Seelie = Angels 2. Connections to Seelie and the Jinn 3. Midsummer Night's Dream 4. Nicole Reeyn 5. Visual Similarities and Characteristics 6. Perinheri

SEELIE = ANGELS

Seelie are equated to angels in the game. The floating eyeball versions are even modeled after a type of sea slug called Sea Angels. In case you need more evidence than that:

Nabu Malikata is a Seelie survivor. Her last name Malikata can be derived from malayikata ملائكة which means angels/messengers in Arabic.

The Jinn were created from Nabu Malikata's blood, they are referred to as the "descendants of Seelie" in the world quest "The Falcon's Hunt".

Seelie were heavenly envoys who would deliver messages from Celestia to humans. Nabu Malikata even refers to them as the "fallen envoys of heaven", after they were cast down.

So, if you ever happen to spot the phrase "heavenly/divine envoys", they are actually referring to the Seelie.

As for what they may have looked like, the Mural Room in Dragonspine features a depiction of an envoy with wings and what looks like horns or a crown on its head. Translated from Latin, the text next to it is as follows:

Fidelis angeli iuvant The angels help the faithful

Seelie are guides who reward humans with treasure after they lead them back to their Seelie courts. Simply put, they are returning a favor. Who else do we know of who is obsessed with favors?

ANGELS GEORG

The Seelie Kaeya has a bunch of notable connections to angels, the more you start to look for them the more you notice.

According to Kaeya's character story A List, he owns a book called The Adventures of Angelos, in which he keeps a list of names. Angelos, of course, means angel.

Between the pages of "The Adventures of Angelos," you find a list of names written on a sheet of official Knights of Favonius letterhead paper.

Kaeya's favorite haunt is Angel's Share. The logo for Angel's Share is two angels drinking from a wine glass. Angel's Share was established by Dawn Winery, where Kaeya was left at for unknown reasons. According to Diluc's character story, Crepus told him the following:

"The world would never turn its back on the faithful."

This is reminiscent of the mural in Dragonspine: "The angels help the faithful."

Furthermore, the teacups used to represent the mage Nicole can be found in Dawn Winery. Nicole is known as the "guide who never gets lost" and there is one teacup missing in the trailer. We'll get back to that piece of porcelain later.

It's possible that Dawn Winery had some dealings with the Seelie or that it was established by them. Remember Crepus owned a Delusion which means he must have had ties to the Fatui. We know of one character who is both Seelie and Fatui: Columbina.

Columbina is most likely a Seelie since the decorations in her hair match perfectly with the decoration on the Seelie courts. The character of Columbina is also known as a fairy-like dancer; fairies is what the Seelie are in popular culture… (More on that later.)

In the third volume of the book Drunkard's Tale, a lone wolf meets a Seelie survivor who is singing in an unfamiliar language. This Seelie is speculated to be Columbina. The Seelie is adressed as Maiden with the same characters in Chinese as Columbina's other title Damselette.

少女 = Damselette / Maiden

Curiously enough, this particular volume of the book can be found in Dawn Winery.

Kaeya's favorite drink is Death After Noon. This is based on the real drink "Death in the Afternoon", which famously contains absinthe. In the Book of Revelation, Apsinthion, or Wormwood, is the name of an angel or star who fell to earth.

The Abyss Mages chant in Enochian which is the language of the angels. They use this language when they regenerate their shields and to control the Hilichurls. The Abyss Order mostly consists of former Khaenri'ahns.

When Kaeya spots the Abyss Mage back in the Temple of the Wolf, it speaks to him in Enochian. They even added a subtitle to highlight its importance.

Kaeya: There's no way hilichurls organized an ambush like this themselves — not with their limited mental capacity… (A Hydro Abyss Mage reveals itself) Kaeya: Thus YOU were behind this. Hydro Abyss Mage: Gohus, Chiso Vonph.

Kaeya claims he's blessed with certain linguistic powers when the Paimon asks him how he gathered information about the Abyss Twin.

Paimon: What exactly did you have to do to find this out!? Kaeya: Heh… Let's just say I'm blessed with certain linguistic powers.

In the manga, it was implied Kaeya was able to read an unfamiliar script that not even Lisa, the Akademiya's best student in two hundred years, could understand.

We don't know where Kaeya lived beforehand but he might have lived in the Dark Sea. The Dark Sea is not a literal sea but any place outside of the rule of the Seven. Think Enkanomiya and possibly Khaenri'ah.

Kaeya: But, as you can see, this is but a deserted land. Based on previous experience, I decided that it would be best to wait for contact.

In the Midsummer Island event, Kaeya says he's been stranded on an island before, and in typical Kaeya fashion does not elaborate. (This might be connected to the Nameless Island, which Kaeya visited on his birthday.) Venti alludes Kaeya might have come from the Dark Sea, by the poem he gives him:

Venti: "Majestic waves cresting, surf roaring its tale, none but the ocean to hear as I sing." Venti: "The stars in my eyes as I chart toward the horizon, that into one day, from the endless dome of night I shall spring."

Palaces of the Seelie can be found in one particular ruin of the Dark Sea: Drunkard's Tale, where the Seelie maiden was situated. (AKA Columbina)

This wasteland is said to be a land beyond the dominion of the deities, inhabited only by the grotesque ghostly remains of fallen gods, where the former palaces of the Seelie now stand empty.

Kaeya's constellation is a peacock. Peacocks have countless eyes just like how angels are popularly depicted. In Renaissance art, angels are even portrayed with peacock wings.

The description of Kaeya's friendship namecard implies he has many Augen. 👁

Perhaps they were being literal.

The Jinn In his hangout, Kaeya gifts the Traveler a lamp said to have housed a powerful Jinni. As said before Jinn are descendants of the Seelie.

The people turned against each other, and the Jinn scattered across the lands… Broken souls became fuel to a titanic machine, and the mindless descendants of the Seelie were degraded into slaves of infinite power…

In comparison to other companion gifts, who are connected to their item in some way, Kaeya's gift stands out as an outlier… unless it is a surprise tool that can help us understand him later.

He is also familiar with the tale of the Shepard and the Magic Bottle, although he changes the ending of the story as he recounts it to Klee. This book is about a Jinni who gets freed from a bottle...

Kaeya owns a lucky coin that can allegedly do anything he wishes from it. He then goes on to say there's a pre-existing arrangement between them. Perhaps this coin has a Jinni fragment inside of it similar to Benben.

That would be the simple explanation… but nothing is ever simple with Kaeya.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

Now onto the most damning piece of evidence. Kaeya himself is based on the changeling baby from Midsummer Night's Dream. Oberon is the Fairy King, whose name is the French derivative of Alberich.

This checks out as Oberon was also an important figure from the Merovingian Dynasty that included names such as Chlothar and Caribert.

Titania is the Fairy Queen, who adopted her scion's baby after she died in childbirth. This baby was the son of an Indian king, in other words, an Indian prince.

In today's popular culture, Titania is the Queen of the Summer Court, also known as the Seelie Court.

Most literature, folklore, and pop-culture interpretations of faerie depict Titania as the actual leader of the Seelie Fey, she often rules the Summer Court.

Princess Fischl is also connected to this play, as she had created a Sommernachtgarten, or Summer Night Garden, that now lies in ruins in the domain Midsummer Courtyard.

Suddenly Kaeya and Fischl being featured in the Midsummer Island events start to make sense. I wouldn't be surprised if Fischl showed up again in this year's summer event.

How Kaeya and Princess Fischl are connected is still unclear but the possibility of them being related keeps growing. Whatever the case, the Indian prince's (adoptive) mom being a Seelie Queen is pretty straightforward.

"But isn't he adopted? That means he isn't a Seelie!" Yes, but remember Oberon, Titania's husband, is Alberich who Kaeya IS related to.

It's hard to tell what direction they're going in, but I have no doubt Kaeya is half-something, because the other character he is based on is Hagen, who is always half-Human, with the other part being either dwarf or elf.

With all the angel/Seelie/Jinn connections, I think we can guess what Kaeya's other half is.

Before I forget: Oberon and Titania fought over the child; Oberon wanted the boy to become a knight, his henchman, but Titania refused as she felt obligated to raise him in his mother's stead…

Another fun thing I discovered is that the title of the trailer Winter Night's Lazzo is a reference to Midsummer Night's Dream as well.

An explanation for this could be that aside from the aforementioned Seelie, there exist a darker counterpart, the Unseelie, which has its roots in Scottish folklore.

The most common courts from traditional legends are the Seelie or Summer Court, and the Unseelie or Winter Court.

In popular culture, the Unseelie Court is the Winter Court ruled by the Queen of Air and Darkness: the sister of Titania. This Winter Queen seems to be unnamed but I've found some call her Mab, another reference to one of Shakespeare's plays.

Did you know they probably named Snezhnaya after the fairy tale of the Snow Queen, which is Snezhnaya Koroleva in Russian? Snow Queen, Winter Queen, Tsaritsa... The shoe fits 🤷🏽‍♀️

In Genshin, there is no mention of any Unseelie yet, but if the Seelie are like angels, then the Unseelie might be the equivalent of fallen angels or demons. Well, we shall see how that plays out.

Back to Titania, she was a fairy who adopted her friend's son after she passed away. Is there is a character who could fulfill this role for Kaeya, acting as some kind of guardian angel?

NICOLE REEYN

Nicole is a witch of the Hexenzirkel, known as Mage "N". She is a powerful prophet capable of divining the fate of the world.

She is also a teacup.

Alice says Nicole is the guide who never gets lost and that she is obsessed with guiding people. That's literally Seelie 101!

Alice: The "guide who will never get lost" is N, otherwise known as Nicole. You may have not encountered her yet, but she is a truly extraordinary woman who has made this world's direction and order her subject of study. Alice: Some of you may be fortunate enough to have already heard her voice. Like a prophetess, she will only speak to guide people toward the truth when a change has occurred in the world. Alice: She has a tendency to… suddenly speak in someone's mind without any warning.

The witch pictured on this slide from the Hexenzirkel teaser is most likely Nicole since it immediately cuts to her teacups.

She is blowing away wind similar to depictions of wind deities. The accompanying subtitle even is "sometimes, we all need to vent our troubles to the wind". This could mean Nicole is some kind of air spirit…or a Seelie, who were once "faster than a storm" according to the Aranara.

Perhaps she's a Seelie, or a descendant of the Seelie, similar to the Jinn. In the Danish opera Holger Danske, Titania is the Queen of the Sylphs, who are air spirits. We don't have Sylphs mentioned verbatim in the game yet, aside from Venti being an air spirit.

Kaeya conveniently has several references to the wind.

He is dubbed the Frostwind Swordsman, his outfit is called Icy Featherflight, his OTHER outfit is Sailwind Shadow, his sixth constellation is Glacial Whirlwind, and he has a passive that decreases stamina consumption…

Noelle even describes him as someone who comes and goes with the wind.

As mentioned in the previous section, Kaeya was stranded on a deserted island, this might be referring to the Nameless Island, which, according to an old blog post on the official CN website, Kaeya visited on his birthday. Where this island came from is unclear but it is shrouded in mist and invisible on the map.

The Nameless Island has a sun-or moondial associated with the God of Time. The weathered transcription is as follows:

Ravaged Carving: "Stories brought on the wind will bloom into legends in due time."

You can also hear this faint voice speaking when you do the quest related to the island:

Faint Voice: "An ancient tale comes whisked in the wind…" Faint Voice: "In time, it will grow and sprout once again…"

In the same blog post, Kaeya says the following:

我还有很多故事…还有很多时间。 I have plenty of stories… and plenty of time.

😮‍💨

When Kaeya casts his burst you even see him pull the wind towards himself, towards that eight-pointed star.

Furthermore, he came to Mondstadt during a LATE SUMMER NIGHT'S STORM, contradicting the fact that there hasn't been a single storm in Mondstadt since Venti gave them his protection.

Kaeya's Character Story "If Master Crepus hadn't taken me in, I doubt I'd have made it through the storm that night."

Vind: Since Lord Barbatos began protecting Mondstadt, we have not seen a single storm, and the watchtowers have slowly fallen into disrepair.

He probably wasn't lying about this since Varka could have easily fact-checked this with Diluc or Dawn Winery.

Perhaps Nicole was responsible for this odd contradiction if she was the one who guided Kaeya and his father to Dawn Winery. Maybe she became a giant wind turbine, who even knows anymore.

"But why would a witch go through all this trouble for just one guy?" If Titania took care of her friend's baby after she died, then maybe Nicole was friends with Kaeya's mom and decided to offer her protection.

Or perhaps they were sisters. There is after all a teacup from the same teaset missing from the trailer.

Let's just get this out of the way first: No, Nicole is not Diluc's mom, the pattern on the teacups can be found within the architecture of Dawn Winery, which means she's either the founder or an ancestor of Crepus or both. Angel's Share is named as such for a reason.

Diluc does not possess any huge Seelie/fairy/angel/witch connections other than Angel's Share so I don't think she's related to him. Kaeya on the other hand 🤷🏽‍♀️

I am not going to say anything about the possibility of Nicole being Kaeya's mom, but I will say that Nicole's name means "Victory of the people", while the first character in Kaeya's name means victory as well.

Nicole = from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) +‎ λαός (laós, “people”). Kaeya = 凯亚, 凯 = music of triumph; paean; triumph; victory

And please don't forget the poor missing teacup next to Nicole's, it is no doubt going to be important.

Anyway, Kaeya does have some serious connections to Princess Fischl, with hints at him being a Prince continuing to persist, so he's definitely not some random guy. Whether he's aware of this or not is debatable.

He's called "our last hope", by his father, which like everything pertaining to Kaeya, is never explained. However, the Aranara Aranaga describes hope as a dream that never dissipates… A Midsummer Night's Dream if you will 😉

Aranaga: There are dreams because there is memory. Memory is nourished, so there is life. So, it can grow, the thing to repel Marana (forbidden knowledge). Traveler: I'm guessing you mean "hope"? Aranaga: Yeah, right you are, Golden Nara (Traveler). The thing that flows, cannot be seen, cannot be touched… Hope. Like the wind… But it never dissipates, like a dream.

Nabu Malikata Nicole has some fascinating similarities with Nabu Malikata that I will briefly list here:

Nabu Malikata last name can mean angels but it can also mean queen. Nicole Reeyn's last name is derived from reine which also means queen.

"Nabu" means prophet in Akkadian and she was able to predict her own death, Nicole is a prophetess too.

After Nabu Malikata disappeared, Deshret dreamed of her feeling her way through a crystalline maze. The inside of Irminsul is a crystalline maze. Nicole is part of the Hexenzirkel who travel to the Irminsul to study it.

Nabu Malikata is the Mistress of the Orchard and Wine, Nicole has ties to Dawn Winery, a wine orchard.

Nabu Malikata is also a dream-mother, capable of giving humans dreams. According to Furina's character blurb, Nicole left a fabel inside someone's dream.

I can't say they're the same person but this is one of those things that will keep haunting you once you uncover it. And now they will haunt you.

BREATH OF THE FEYWILD

This is the fun part where I list similarities between Kaeya and the Seelie, from his design to his personality.

Visual Design As you know, Kaeya has a giant wing on his back with three feathers. (Funnily enough the pattern on the outer border is the same as the sun- or moondial on the Nameless Island 😑)

No one else has wings on their outfit other than Paimon and Skirk who has a tiny one on her back. Seelie courts have a little wing emblem and that angel in the Dragonspine Mural has a stylized wing.

Kaeya has one eye and wears a fluffy boa, same as the Seelie husks we see floating around. Though Kaeya doesn't have two horns, the peacock on his namecard does have two little feathers on its head.

Seelie and their beauty keep being equated to moonlight… Kaeya is canonically called good-looking in-game, and has unexplained lightstreaks in his hair.

He also ordered a Moonlit Alley in his hangout (with Venti present) and gifted the Traveler a Moon Pie for his most recent birthday😒. Surely of no importance whatsoever.

Personality I am basing this on the known Seelie we have in the game: Nabu Malikata, Columbina, and Angelica (from the book Perinheri).

First of, Seelie were guides of humanity, and taught them wisdom and language.

Arama: A Seelie? In the ancient stories, Seelies were a great race with wisdom and beauty beyond the pale of this earth. They traveled with Nara (humans) and taught Nara languages and the philosophy of nature.

… In his teapot dialogue, Kaeya offers to put together a guide for the Traveler when they ask for his wisdom.

Traveler: Can I rely on your words of wisdom in the future? Kaeya: I'm at your service. In fact… would you like me to compile a guide for you…? Kaeya: It would contain all kinds of practical knowledge for at home and on the road, including the techniques I have developed for communicating with people from all walks of life. I'd like to share it all with you.

Kaeya acts as a teacher for Klee giving her advice on how to dodge the authorities (Jean) and whatnot.

Speaking of dodging, as stated previously, Seelie were said to be faster than a storm, and Kaeya has a passive called Hidden Strength that decreases stamina consumption. He's actually one of the fastest running characters-gameplay wise.

The loading screen description for Seelie says the following;

Now you see them, now you don't.

Finally an explanation for Kaeya's ability to teleport in his normal attacks. It's just as Noelle said, he comes and goes with the wind.

In Scottish folklore Seelie will ask humans for help and give them a reward in return. In his Story Quest, Kaeya does the same, asking the Traveler for help and gifting them a sword for their efforts. Yes, it was a trap but he did do all of that, and in his Story Quest no less! Story Quests are designed as a glimpse into the character's life….

Wait a minute, he led them into a trap. Where have I heard that before?

Angelica! The woman from the book Perinheri is very obviously an angel (HER NAME LITERALLY GIVES IT AWAY) and thus potentially a Seelie, or at least someone belonging to the angel hierarchy.

Angelica led Hleobrant on with promises and then led him into a trap, not unlike what Nabu Malikata did to Deshret. She knew she was going to die and used his feelings for her to make sure she would never be forgotten.

Furthermore, if a Seelie is insulted they will exact revenge on those who wronged them.

Diluc: Yes… about Kaeya… Diluc: I should have known he would see this as the perfect opportunity to get back at me.

Dude pulled up the Wikipedia page on Seelie 😭😭😭.

Another thing about Kaeya is that he will collect the fears and sensitivities of people as material to tease them about. …In the Harbingers trailer, Columbina teases Dottore about his age, knowing full well he's sensitive about it.

Columbina: I must say, you're looking very young today, Doctor Dottore: You know very well that I do not take that as a compliment

Wanderer describes Columbina as someone who is eerily unbothered and unfazed in every situation.

About Damselette Let me ask: what should you do if you were to encounter a "damsel" who is oblivious and innocent at any given time, and unconcerned and unfeeling in any given situation? If it were me, I could at least challenge her to a fight. But if it were you… with your conscience, I would stay away from her.

In his character story, Kaeya is described as having a cavalier attitude which in that context means, "showing arrogant or offhand disregard; dismissive", since he put the lives of his men in danger by triggering a Ruin Guard 😂. They hate to see a whimsical guy winning.

Character Story 5 Sinister thoughts flashed through Kaeya's mind, and he simply smirked: "This world is truly… fascinating."

You can also see this in Crepus's famous death scene where he was standing in the back smirking Just according to keikaku.

According to Scara, Columbina appears to be oblivious, though whether she's feigning or not remains to be seen. Kaeya has his own fair share of moments where he pretends to be in the dark.

Think the opposite of Furina who pretended to know everything.

He even acted like a "damsel" in need of help right of the bat in his Story Quest.

Kaeya: This is bad… Such a hassle… What am I going to do… Traveler: What's wrong, Kaeya? You don't usually lose your chill. Kaeya: Oh, thank the Thousand Winds! (Traveler), your arrival must be the grace of the gods! Kaeya: If I may ask — envoy sent by the Anemo God to save this mere mortal — could you spare a moment?

(Would be very fun if Columbina and Kaeya know each other from the dark recesses that is Kaeya's childhood and Kaeya is mimicking her behavior like some kind of mentee.)

Both Nabu Malikata and Columbina do not seem to possess human emotions which makes sense since they operate on a higher level than humans. Does make you wonder if Kaeya's occasionally strange behavior is a result of him being half-Seelie.

While not exactly a personality trait, Kaeya repeats some of Nicole's sayings which I thought was interesting.

Nicole: History does not change easily, but human hearts can. Kaeya: History always repeats itself. Kaeya: Anyway, that's exactly why actors need to wake up and realize they don't have to follow the script. There's nothing to stop them from following their gut and making it up as they go along.

As for why Kaeya would know this: find out in 2026 😂 (😭)

Venti Since fairies and air spirits are another potential branch of Kaeya's family tree we can consult the most prominent air spirit in the game: Venti.

Kaeya and Venti have a lot in common, personality wise. Both like alcohol, are mischievous, and have a very mellow attitude.

They also tend to disappear when we need lore the most.

This is very stereotypical of how fairies are portrayed. Down to their love of wine and penchant to pull pranks.

Is Venti some kind of Seelie? Well, he does have wings, and he was a single thread of the thousand winds which represent freedom… Freedom, just like Angelica.

Play within a play In Midsummer Night's Dream, the fairies toy with the humans like dolls. It's their meddling that causes all the mishaps in the play. They even call Oberon the King of Shadows, with shadows referring to the fairies as well as being Elizabethan slang for actors.

[…] even within this fictional world [Shakespeare] has created, the human characters are still treated as plot devices, pawns to be manipulated and directed across the play by the faeries.

If you've read the manga, you know where this is going.

If not:

“All the world's a stage, and all the people merely players – Kaeya Alberich”

–William Shakespeare

Kaeya has more instances where he treats people like they are fulfilling a role: in his outfit description he talks about the bandit and the knight as roles they have to fulfill. When he first meets the Traveler, he applauds like he just witnessed a performance. In Diluc's Story Quest, he breaks the fourth wall by mentioning the chapter of the Story Quest he's in.

Paimon: Kaeya!? Where did you come from? Kaeya: I just picked a good spot to quietly sit and watch the show. Paimon: Whaaa… You've been here this whole time!?

BECAUSE HE COMES AND GOES LIKE THE WIND KEEP UP PAIMON

And after Crepus's death he ponders on the roles he should have played: that of a son and that of a brother.

Very normal behavior…FOR A SEELIE.

You see, Deshret and Nabu Malikata created a City for the Jinn, called the City of Amphitheaters… where they had theaters 😮‍💨

Altar of Mirages The Jinn once used this place as a free theater and a paradise without sorrow or care.

Princess Fischl also introduced theater to the paradise of the Immernachtreich where her people would dedicate plays to her. (Don't underestimate how connected she is to all this!)

PERINHERI

In case you're unaware, a new book released in patch 4.5 called Perinheri has given us new Khaenri'ah lore. I'll only mention the bits relevant to the theory but it's definitely worth reading if you haven't already.

In the story, a woman named Angelica visits the "Kingdom" as a supposed Princess from some defeated nation. Angelica declares she will marry the greatest knight of the Kingdom and lists several names, one of which is Alberich, leader of half of the knights.

But that's not the interesting part.

Angelica leads Hleobrant outside the Kingdom's borders which causes him to transform into a beast. This is because he is cursed: his ancestors forsook their gods when they came to live at the Kingdom.

Angelica, however, bears no such curses as she explains:

The witch, Angelica, explained thus: "Hleobrant is the descendant of those who forsook their god and came to the Kingdom. This is why the Kingdom's obstinately pure-blooded aristocracy persists. This is the price of betraying your own god. As for you, Perinheri, you are one who drifted there. Thus, you bear no such curse. You may not have the nobility to shoulder a world, but you too have your own destiny. And as for me? I betrayed no one, not for a moment, until my god died, so I too bear this curse not. But you now see who I truly am, yes?"

Look. I don't think I need to spell this out but Angelica is an angel, her name is even explained to mean "one who is as a divine emissary", which, as we established before, are Seelie. Kaeya even has that stupid book The Adventures of Angelos which is obviously a hint towards whatever the fuck he is.

Angelos, Angelica…. Need I say more? 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

She also conveniently disappears at the end BECAUSE SHE COMES AND GOES LIKE THE WIND

Anyway, this could explain why Kaeya isn't cursed, his mother was a Seelie who never forsook her god. We don't know what the bloodline of Khaenri'ahns consists of… so I can't confidently say they are all descendants of angels. Kaeya definitely is though. You're still a Seelie and that's FINAL.

Otherwise I don't know how else you could explain all of the above.

If he's not a Seelie/angel or a descendant of one, then the only explanation I can think of is that he was blessed by one and is under their protection. Perhaps he was even raised by a bunch of them like the Indian prince from Shakespeare's play.

Maybe in some kind of Sommernachtgarten ☀️🌺

Or a Winter Palace 👸🏼❄️

Frost Prince, Sun Prince, Seelie Prince, whatever Kaeya might be, I will keep updating this post as we go along for the sake of the five people reading this 🫡.

It's like Shakespeare always said, it's Kaeya's world and we're all just living in it.

[underfaller]

Chapter 12: λ (pt. 1)

Pairing: dottore x angel!reader Summary: You are a Heavenly Messenger from Celestia that’s been captured by a mysterious Doctor CW: smut Word count: 5k A/N: My birthday is on Monday, but I celebrated today. I had a lot of fun. I'm very grateful for my loved ones.

“Leave it to Pierro to take advantage of my near death experience,” Dottore shakes his head incredulously. “How callous. Giving me an assignment after I explicitly expressed that I did not want to take it.” 

After the fiasco in Dragonspine, Dottore concluded that it would be best to leave for Liyue. It wouldn’t be logical for them to stay in Mondstadt after they’d assaulted such a high ranking member of the Knights of Favonius. Even if it was Albedo that started their altercation, those simpleton Knights would surely take the alchemist's side. It was simply too much of a headache for Dottore to deal with, especially since he now had to worry about finding more Abyssal samples when the only known portal to the Abyss refused to let them back in. 

….So he'd also sent a letter to Pierro sheepishly recounting the events and the status of their mission. At first, he’d thought against it, knowing that the Jester would give him an earful. However, it’s better to report such things before Pierro inevitably finds out. 

At least Dottore will not have to hear such scoldings in person. 

The Jester replied with surprising calmness-- Perhaps he’s used to Dottore’s uncanny ability to cause chaos wherever the scholar went. Dottore was relieved that he got off so easily-- until he read the last paragraph.

Since you are in Liyue already, I have a task for you…

The two of you walk through the bustling streets of Liyue. The tall houses and shops overshadow you with their jade-colored rooftops. A slight breeze spreads yellow leaves across the pavilion. Though it’s still quite early in the morning, both vendors and customers alike go to and fro, ready to start another day of commerce. The salty smell of the port is still poignant in the city streets. Lanterns and vibrantly colored umbrellas hang from the eaves of some buildings, swaying lazily with the seabreeze. 

Dottore clenches the thick letter in his hand. As you two cross a small, insecting bridge and enter the business district of the city, he becomes more agitated. 

Curse you, Pierro. I told you that I am not a diplomat.

“It’s absurd, really. How he thinks he can-” 

Dottore suddenly turns towards you. You’ve been strangely quiet all this time. He notices that you’re reading as you walk, grasping his coat tightly, using him as a guide in order not to bump into your surroundings. 

“Are you even listening to me? Or am I speaking to a brick wall?” Dottore snaps.

No answer. 

Dottore narrows his eyes before abruptly stopping in his tracks. 

“Oof!” 

You inevitably walk into his tall frame, stumbling a little. Dottore takes pleasure in the little noise of surprise you make. You straighten up, looking at him with slight confusion. He taps your nose, teasingly.  

“I do not like being ignored, dear.” 

You sigh before closing your book with a loud snap. You glare at Dottore, your feathers ruffled with irritation. 

“I am listening. However, you have complained multiple times about the same things. It will not change your predicament,” You explain before waving your hand in dismissal of his annoyance. “You should feel fortunate. At least your superior isn't too angry at the mayhem you've created in Mondstadt.” 

“He shouldn't be. It was hardly my fault,” Dottore protests, folding his arms indignantly.  

“Tch. Ok, Doctor.” 

Dottore cocks his head slightly as he watches you for just a moment. He wonders if you blamed him.

He wonders if you’ve lost any sliver of respect for him. 

Especially after he’d almost drowned. 

Dottore has been thinking of the experience quite a bit. He certainly isn’t one to be caught in such a predicament. He’s a Harbinger, after all. A scholar and probably the smartest man alive in Teyvat. He did not lose. Yet, there he’d been; soaking wet, lungs filled with icy water, in the arms of his teary eyed assistant who couldn’t stop crying as he awkwardly consoled her. Dottore bit his lip. He despises himself for allowing such an event to happen. He hates being blindsided. He hates showing weakness. He hates how this stood as a stark reminder that he is still, despite everything, human. 

And most importantly, Dottore hates that he showed all that in front of you. 

You, who’d saved his life, did you hate him for being so weak? 

He probably will never know the answer. You did not speak of what you did for him. You preferred such things to be kept in the past-- And he did too. 

“What does the Jester want you to do, anyways?” 

Your voice breaks Dottore from his thoughts. Dottore gestures towards the letter in his hand. 

“I am to speak to Liyue's financial director, Zhang Baihu. Liyue is the heart of Teyvat's commerce and the birthplace of Mora,” Dottore shrugs. “The Fatui want to tap into such resources with a business alliance between them and Snezhnaya.” 

You smirk. 

“Heh. Is the Tsaritsa cutting the Fatui’s allowance?” 

Dottore gives a wry chuckle. 

“More like the Tsaritsa has no Mora to give us,” Dottore scoffs. “Her war against Celestia has put a strain on an already struggling economy. So, naturally, she calls upon her favorite children to take care of her.” 

By the way, when did I become such an obedient dog obeying these menial orders?

How unbecoming. 

"You certainly do not seem pleased to speak to the financial director. Let me guess, another bridge previously burned?"

"I'm not meant for stuffy, bureaucratic matters like this,” Dottore rolls his eyes. “Talk is cheap. I can't respect someone who only gets what he wants with his sweet tongue. I'm more of a man of action."

"Yet, despite what you claim you always have a lot to say though, Doctor," You joke, a small smile crawling on your lips. 

You have been smiling much more, lately. 

"Do you dislike my voice that much?" Dottore raises an eyebrow. 

"I tolerate it,” You reply. You laugh before noticing his slight downward gaze. “Don’t act so sullen. Even with your mask on, I know you are sulking. I don’t complain too much, do I?” 

“I am not ‘sulking’. You give your words too much power.” 

You grin before pointing towards a large case of stone stairs that lead to the port. From here, you can see a group of men setting up a large stage. Vendors are setting up stalls with colorful, painted screens behind them. Banners and lanterns have started to dot the once empty pier. 

“What are they preparing for?” You ask curiously. 

“Lantern Rite Festival. Liyue’s largest cultural event,” Dottore explains. “They celebrate it for the first full moon of the year.”

That wondrous glint of curiosity and excitement flickers across your widened eyes.  

“Oh! Can we visit the festival?” You plead. "Please, Doctor?"

Dottore shakes his head.

"I apologize, my dear. We aren’t meant to stay here much longer. We’ll probably depart before such festivities begin.” 

“Oh.”

You avert your eyes, a small hint of sadness apparent on your face. Dottore can tell you are disappointed. He sighs before ruffling your hair as he always did. 

“...But if we are still here, then… perhaps," He says, shortly. “But do not hold me to those words.”

You look at Dottore, your smile returning. 

“Ok, doctor!” 

Why is it so difficult to not give in to you? 

As Dottore leads you up the lavish steps in front of a luxurious looking door, he turns toward you. 

“This will only take a moment. You do not have to speak. I’ll handle this.” 

You nod.

“Understood.” 

You both enter and are greeted by a large, open area with a large, Cuihua wood desk in the middle. There, a secretary sits, busily working. She wears a slim dress in light lilac with flowers embroidered on it. When she sees Dottore, she immediately stands up, brushing herself off and coming around the front of the desk.

“Oh, Lord Harbinger. Hello.” The secretary bows deeply. “The Financial Director is expecting you. Please follow me.” 

Dottore raises an eyebrow. He didn’t know that his arrival would be anticipated. He takes your hand as you both follow the secretary down a hall adorned with paintings and expensive trinkets. He can't help but feel slight disdain for the gaudy opulence of this building. It is as if its owner cared more about the price of things than their use. The secretary stops in front of a large door before knocking once. From behind it, Dottore notices a faint melody of someone playing the violin. 

“Enter.” 

The secretary hurriedly opens the door, politely gesturing him in. Dottore steps inside the Director’s office. It is as lavishly decorated as the exterior of the room. A large painting on the wall depicts a large, white tiger. Atop the long desk in the middle of the room is a small scale with multiple pieces of Mora on each plate along with a few, neatly piled scrolls. Behind that, is a large window overlooking a bright, Liyue landscape. 

A tall man stands in front of the window. He wears a long, black garment with red lining. His long, dark hair is pinned with various pure gold accessories. He doesn’t seem to notice his guests as he continues to masterfully play the violin in his hand, his back turned towards the window. 

The secretary bows once again.

“Sir. The Harbinger from Snezhnaya is here.” 

It’s then that the music stops. The Financial Director of Liyue turns towards Dottore then to his secretary. 

“Thank you. Now please leave us.” 

His glasses are attached to a thin, gold chain that dangles daintily at the sides of his sharp face. He looks at Dottore as he sets down the instrument delicately upon his desk, nodding towards it. 

"Tchaikovsky. His only concerto for the violin. Such a shame, don't you think?" 

"Truly, though I am surprised a man from Liyue would know a Snezhnayan composer."

The Director smiles. The gesture certainly does not meet his eyes. 

"I know lots about Snezhnaya. But we weren't here to compare our homeland's music. Come, sit. Let's talk business, shall we?" He outstretches a black, gloved hand. "I am Zhang Baihu, Liyue's Financial Director."

Dottore firmly shakes the Director's hand. 

"Il Dottore, second Fatui Harbinger. And this is Y/N, my assistant," He motions towards you before gazing once more at the Director. "I am quite curious. How did you know of our arrival?"

Baihu glances at Dottore, his eyes enigmatic. 

"There are ears on the other side of the wall," He answers slyly. 

How pretentious. 

I dislike him already.

Dottore sits in one of the leather chairs in front of the Director. You are beside him, though because of how long the table is, there is some distance between you two. That smug grin never leaves Baihu's face even as he sits in front of the Doctor, steepling his gloves fingers as he leans forward. 

"I'm almost impressed by your superior's proposition." Baihu muses. “Such boldness for one so desperate.”

Dottore clenches his fists tightly in his lap. He opens his mouth, however, before he can even speak, Baihu continues. 

"Liyue has kept its wealth contained to its own borders since Morax bestowed the power of Mora minting to us. Giving the Fatui their own financial branch in Liyue would be a bit blasphemous towards the god, no?" 

What do the gods care what we do with their creations?

Dottore laughs, crossing his legs as he rests his chin on his hand. 

"The gods may have created a universal currency, but it is us mortals who finalized its financial establishment on our own. Making decisions solely based on faith sounds counterintuitive."

Baihu hums in agreement.

"I suppose you are correct. Even still, opening such facets to the Fatui gives nothing of fair value to Liyue," Baihu plays with the scale on the wooden surface. One of the scales tilt drastically as his index finger lays on it. 

"And least of all…to me. If I were to approve this, I would most certainly fall from the public's eye."

"I didn’t think you’d cared so much of what the common man thought of you."

"Please. A man's reputation is everything in this field." 

Reputation? What a frivolous thing to care about.

Though… he wasn’t one to talk about caring about frivolous things now. 

Dottore leans back in his chair. 

"Well, Mr. Zhang, I can assure you that approving our proposal would be beneficial to your reputation--Especially with Liyue's recent changes in government."

"Ah yes. Your little puppet candidate that's now on the Qixing Committee. Of course you’d bring him up,” Baihu chuckles softly, pushing his glasses up his tall nose. “Tell me, how much did you bribe him with? Please don't tell me it's because of him that you're on your knees at my doorstep."

"Ah, bribery,” Dottore waves away such accusations. “The Fatui would never resort to such methods. Despite the rumors, our methods are clear cut...Just like a Qixing investigation upon the beloved financial director’s many distasteful dealings would be."

Dottore’s words drawl at that last sentence. Baihu's eyes flicker with annoyance, his glasses glinting dangerously. 

"If you are trying to threaten me, it will not work. Many before you have attempted such folly…" Baihu chuckles. "And it did not end well for them."

Dottore clicks his tongue. 

"Tut, tut. I'm merely stating facts. Unless you see the truth as a threat."

Baihu purses his lips, before sighing and standing up, sauntering around the corner of the desk. 

"The truth is what does in power deem fit. It's all subjective," He notes. "Though, I'd rather not face the ire of the Qixing Committee. Not yet." 

It's then that Baihu pauses, standing right next to you. A dark smile passes his lips. 

"Your assistant is very beautiful,” He gazes down at you. “Y/N, is it?" 

You nod. Baihu takes your hand, pressing it up to his lips as he lightly kisses it. 

"A pleasure to meet you, my dear." 

My dear?

Dottore stiffens seeing the financial director towering over you with hungry eyes. He has the sudden urge to push Baihu away from you or perhaps something much more drastic. Instead, Dottore stays in his seat, tightly gripping the armrest as he intently watches the director. 

Careful now. Don't lose your cool for someone as insignificant as this. 

Or something as insignificant as this.

Baihu's hand grazes the back of your wings as he takes in your figure. You look uncomfortable, shifting in your seat as this stranger dotes on you. 

"And look at your wings! I've never seen anything like them. Truly magnificent!" Baihu praises. “Tell me, Harbinger, where did you get such a fine individual?” 

Dottore clears his throat loudly. 

"Mr. Zhang. Perhaps we should get back to our discussion."

Baihu gazes at Dottore, a smirk curling on his mischievous face. 

"I can assure you this is part of our business, Harbinger."

"And how is fawning over my assistant "business"?" Dottore asks. His voice is low. Dangerously low. 

Baihu lets out an amused laugh. 

"Because I am a man of earthly pleasures. And as such, I'd be more inclined to accept the Fatui's proposal if you pleased me. Or in particular, your assistant did." 

Baihu caresses your face, using the top of his index finger to tilt your head up at him, still smirking at Dottore. 

Dottore is grateful for his mask because he is furious. The Doctor takes a deep breath-- he’s so close to turning this cocky banker into a puddle of visceral and blood. 

Someone of my caliber should be above emotions like jealousy, but…

"How unprofessional. Are all you businessmen so distasteful? My assistant is not a bartering chip,” Dottore chides through clenched teeth. 

"Oh? Why not?" Baihu responds smugly. "Can you not let your dear assistant go for just one night? Not even for what your superior wants?"

Baihu shakes his head in mock disappointment. 

“Come now, Harbinger. Be reasonable. It's simply a basic quid pro quo, hm?"

With that, Baihu grabs your chin, pressing his lips against your cheek. Your eyes widen with a mix of shock and disgust as you instantly try to push Baihu off. 

… But I’m going to make this man pay. 

Dottore jumps up, reacting before he even completely processed what just happened. Logic, calculation, and the state of this meeting are thrown out the window as he quickly pushes himself between you and Baihu, sharp teeth bared as he glares at the delighted director. 

He’s livid. 

"Don't. Touch. Her." 

"Oh! How adorable!" Baihu utters. He leans in Dottore's ear, whispering. "Why are you so upset? Do what you're told. Run to your Fatui master like an obedient little dog and let me have some fun."

He’s seeing red. 

Dottore instantly grabs the financial director by the collar of his silk garment, pushing Baihu roughly into the table with a loud crash. You jump to your feet. Dottore’s face is twisted in fury as he pins the man to the desk, ready to strike. Baihu laughs aloud. His glasses are lopsided as he stares gleefully at Dottore with lilac eyes. 

“Haha! Was that all it took to get you to lose your composure? How hilariously easy!"

He’s going to kill this man. 

"You insolent bastard," Dottore growls, his voice nearly trembling with rage. "Don’t play games with me, inconsequential worm--" 

Dottore feels a hard tug on the back of his coat. He turns to see you, your face impossible to read. 

"Stop, Doctor," You state, quietly. 

“But-” 

“He isn't worth it.”

You're right. 

He completely lost control. He hasn't felt this angry since the Akademiya. 

Dottore glares at Baihu one last time before reluctantly releasing him and stepping back. He turns to you. You give him a weak smile.

How many times would you witness his defeat? 

Dottore straightens his coat, shaking his head once more before turning back towards Baihu. 

“I apologize for my...outburst. Perhaps we can meet again under more calm conditions.”

“I don’t think we need to discuss things further, Harbinger,” He folds his arms. “You can leave my office now.” 

He’s triumphant. He knows he’s won. 

Without another word, Dottore grabs your hand, more or less dragging you out of Baihu’s office. He storms through the hallway, past the confused secretary and back into the bright, Liyue pavilion. It’s only then that he explodes once again, his rage spilling into his words. 

“Pathetic, stupid worm! Who does he think he is?” Dottore fumes. “Touching you. Disrespecting me. All the things he said…” 

Dottore shoves his hair back away from his mask. He grabs your face, his hands pressing against your cheeks. 

“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you did he? If he did, I shall march back in there and kill him instantly.” 

You shake your head. You look unnerved. He lets you go. Your hand rubs the spot where Baihu kissed you. You look back at your hand with disgust. 

“I can still feel his lips. How revolting.” 

Dottore begins to see red again. His jealousy bubbling just above the surface as he thinks of Baihu touching you. His hand grips yours even tighter as you make your way back to the inn. For a second, Dottore considers keeping you in the lab from now on. A pretty little bird in a cage. Never seen by another man's eyes. No one would ever have the chance to do such things to you. 

How dare he. You’re mine. My assistant, not his. 

His possessiveness over you surprises even himself. 

He may have even been angrier about what happened to you than you were. 

Dottore is absolutely silent the rest of the walk, sulking and stewing in defeat. You don’t say a word, your head downcast as you trot beside him. It’s only once you arrive at the inn does Dottore start again. 

“I swear I will cut his kidney out and sell it back to him,” Dottore mutters as you both enter your quarters.

“What will you do? He’ll never approve of your proposal now,” You say, laying on your bed, your face turned towards the decorated ceiling. 

“Killing him is always an option,” Dottore grumbles, flopping beside you. 

“A dead man cannot accept a deal.” 

“I will think of something,” Dottore sighs. 

“I know you will.” 

Suddenly, Dottore rolls over. He hovers over you, his arms caging you within his frame. His hidden eyes search yours as you gaze back at him. 

“How dare he touch you. How dare he kiss you,” Dottore mutters. 

You narrow your eyes. 

“Have you always been this jealous? I've never seen you so emotional about, well, anything .” 

I am above human weakness and emotion. I create, I build...and then watch it all burn. 

And yet. 

“This isn't emotional,” Dottore utters. “This is simply making sure my things stay mine.”

With that, Dottore crashes his lips against yours. Your astonishment is muted by his tongue as he roughly pushes it between your parted lips. You don’t fight him. Instead, closing your eyes and leaning into his kiss. 

Good. 

He breaks away from you, letting you catch your breath for just a moment before straddling you as he tilts your head, kissing and suckling your jawline as he moves down to your neck. 

“You’re becoming distracted, Doctor,” You whisper. 

“Tch. Did you think I would simply leave you after what he did?” Dottore states, his words reverberating into the crook of your neck. “No… I’m going to reclaim what’s mine.” 

Before you can give a snarky response, Dottore sinks his sharp teeth into the soft skin. 

“Ah!” 

You cry out, whether in shock or pain or both-- it doesn’t matter.  You struggle meekly, your wings fluttering against the sheets. Dottore pins your wrists over your head with his free hand as he continues. The faint, metallic taste of blood soon trickles onto his taste buds as he breaks skin. 

Delicious. 

Was your blood always this sweet?

You whimper softly, tears involuntarily pricking your eyes from the pain. When he notices them, he instantly laps them up, savoring the saltiness. 

“Don’t cry, my little birdie,” Dottore simpers. “You know you enjoy this.” 

He’s correct. He swears he hears you softly moan more than once.

Dottore’s hand travels down towards your lower regions, up your long skirt. He presses a finger against your underwear. 

“You’re so wet already. Do you actually like the pain I inflict upon you?” 

“Mm..Ngnh…” 

He takes that as a yes. 

Dottore slips his hand into the fabric, playing with your clit, running his index against the slick of your opening. He presses his finger deep into your cunt, curling his finger as he does. He notices your back arch as he does so and smiles. It isn’t before long that he inserts another finger, pumping them rhythmically in and out of your hole as it becomes more and more wet from his stimulation. You press yourself into his palm, your legs quivering against him. 

You try to turn your head, but his other hand keeps you in place, letting Dottore continue the assault on your bare shoulder. Your moans grow louder. His biting, his fingers, the pain and pleasure-- you soon orgasm against his index and middle finger. Dottore chuckles softly. 

“Yes, my dear. Just like that.” 

My dear. 

Dottore sits up, wiping his mouth. The faintest stain of your blood is still on his lips. He looks down, admiring his handiwork. Small bites and bruises line your neck and shoulder. 

“Now there is no question who you belong to,” Dottore gives a toothy grin under his mask. “How does it feel to be so clearly marked by me?” 

You peer at him through half-lidded eyes. You do not answer his question. A light pink tints your cheeks as your chest rapidly rises and falls. You slowly sit up, but he pushes you back down again. 

“Nuh, uh, uh, little birdie,” Dottore gently scolds you. “I didn’t say we were done, yet.” 

Dottore slips off your clothing. Your blouse, your skirt, your undergarments. Soon, you’re completely naked against the cream sheets. Dottore undoes his belt, slipping his hardened cock from his dress pants. He positions himself in front of your wet entrance. Normally, he’d want to tease you. To make you beg for him. But right now, that doesn’t matter. He’s chasing his own pleasures. He’s licking his own wounds. 

He’s finding comfort in your body. 

Dottore pushes into you. Your slick walls envelop him and he groans, his noises of pleasure intermingling with yours. He starts slow, but soon becomes impatient, thrusting into you rapidly. Your face is completely flushed now. You wrap your arms around his neck, trying to gain some support against his harsh movements. Your moans against his skin make him even harder. He grins slightly. 

“See how much you love being mine?” Dottore asks. “How pitiful, falling in love with someone like me.”

He knows his words are a farce-perhaps a twisted projection- but saying such things are oddly comforting to one who consistently denies comfort. 

That's quite alright though-- it's easier to keep you controlled this way.” 

Easier to reassure myself that you will not be swayed by another.

You attempt a sully look, however, it’s impossible to look threatening in this position. 

“You think too highly of yourself, Doctor,” You manage to say. “And even if you were correct, you would never know.”

He laughs. 

“Me, not knowing something? I highly doubt it.” 

Dottore lifts your left leg, resting it on his shoulder. This new position lets him push even deeper than before. You cry out as his hips snap into you. You clench the sheets, moaning loudly. You’re saying his name. Moaning it. Yelling it. 

Yes, repeat my name. Let everyone know you belong to me. 

He can feel your walls tighten, sucking him in as you near your second orgasm. He’s close too, a familiar pressure building inside him as he climaxes. 

You cum at nearly the exact same time. Dottore thrusts one last time into you, spilling thick, white ropes of semen into your womb that mixes with your own fluids. He pulls out, panting as the lightheadedness slowly dissipates from his skull. Dottore stands back up, adjusting himself. You’re still naked, curled atop the bed, a slight tremble occasionally courses through you as you recover from your last orgasm. 

What a sight to behold. 

Your wings cover your body as you curl into an even tighter ball, no doubt about to fall asleep. 

Dottore watches as your breathing slows and when he’s certain you’ve lost consciousness, he sits beside you, watching you sleep. Tentatively, he lays beside you, studying you, taking your image in like you’re a research study he’s never read before. 

He slowly reaches his hand out, brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face. He furrows his brow as that familiar pounding in his chest returns. 

Oh why, why, why does this feeling return each time he sees you. 

Anaxiphilia. The act of falling in love with one you know you shouldn't be with. He'd always been enraptured with the forbidden, with the taboo, what he was told he could not have. 

Was it really any surprise that he'd fallen for his own trap? 

Perhaps in that silly experiment, it'd always been him that was the subject, not you. 

I've made a grievous error. 

An unprecedented miscalculation. 

Perhaps the biggest one in my career thus far. 

And I only have myself to blame. 

Dottore rolls on his back, staring at the ceiling in disarray. He bites back a frustrated groan. He clutches his chest as if he was having a heart attack. He’d prefer that. He’d prefer to have his heart crushed a thousand times than realize something so humiliating and agonizing. 

“Calculating and intelligent as you are, you are still human.”

He’d run from the fact for weeks. He’d denied it every step of the way. He wanted to delude himself, telling his lovesick mind that he was above such feelings. That he wasn't human enough to feel this. But as his heart flutters once more as he stares into your unconscious face and the desire to embrace your sleeping frame embeds itself in his mind, Dottore realizes that he knew this painstaking truth all along. After all, it didn’t take a genius to realize what he’s feeling. 

I've fallen for her. 

I who am destined to be a god in this mortal world-- How could this happen? 

Dottore stares back at the ceiling. He grits his teeth. He'll never admit a mistake on his part. Not before. Not now. 

So no one can ever know. 

Least of all, you. 

A small knock at the door. Dottore strides to it, opening the door to reveal a Fatui agent who bows. 

“We’ve gathered some interesting intel of Director Zhang’s activities for tonight,” The agent states as she hands him a file. 

Dottore pulls one of the papers out, examining it carefully. He smirks. 

How interesting. 

He nods towards the agent. 

“You’re dismissed.” 

Dottore closes the door once again. As Dottore prepares to leave, he gazes at you once again. 

No. He wouldn’t wake you. He could handle this himself. 

He wouldn’t let you near that Baihu again. 

Dottore approaches you, taking off his mask and letting his long hair spill out. He presses the hard material against your face before kissing you once, right where Baihu had. He lets his lips linger for just a moment longer before straightening up and readjusting his mask. He starts to say something, but stops himself. 

You open your eyes a little, sleepily murmuring. 

“What was that?” 

Dottore shakes his head. 

“Nothing. Sleep well.” 

You do as you're told. 

Perhaps he uttered three very different words in another timeline. But here, they will never be spoken. Because even still, he couldn't. He couldn't ever admit it. He wouldn’t. 

After all, those who hate themselves like he did can't possibly love.

Past chapters here

[ddarker-dreams]

dumb concept #3333333333 of the day—

there’s a little-known fact within the upper echelons of the knights of favonius. 

this fact, by some rough estimates, could be attributed to an upward slope in mondstadt’s overall well-being. great care is being taken to preserve this hopeful trend. hence the hush-hush nature surrounding the well-kept secret. 

and that is, if you’re the one to go and ask, albedo completes the job substantially faster than if one of his cohorts were to make the request. 

it was a bold hypothesis by lisa that kicked things off. while the chief alchemist would never be caught lazing off, he completed his work assigned by the knights at a different rate compared to his passion projects. this might be acceptable, but it isn’t ideal. there are so many concerns that only he could have the answer to that demanded his expertise, yet considering the current rate of things, a lot was bound to pile up. that’s when the librarian noticed something most peculiar in an offhanded conversation with you. 

you shared that in what was more of a joke than anything, you asked albedo if he could make a substance that when applied on an object, made it defy gravity. a day later he appeared at your doorstep with a beaker filled with the physics bending liquid. meanwhile, it’d been weeks since the reconnaissance team sent him a botany sample to analyze... and yet, your silly request took top priority. 

in true scientific method fashion, lisa set out to prove (or disprove) her hypothesis. she relayed a request from the knights to you. asked you to approach albedo with it, while using quote, “endearing words and open body language”, whatever that means. you did as you were bid. 

and, wouldn’t you know it, the man finished the assignment in record time. 

lisa realized this was a valuable (and beyond amusing) find. her hypothesis proven correct, she approached the acting grandmaster jean with her findings. while jean initially felt reluctant to take advantage of albedo’s fondness for you, she couldn’t deny that the results were astonishing. soon enough, you became an unofficial messenger for the knights. it didn’t make much sense to you, but when it’s jean personally coming and asking for a favor, you see no reason to refuse. 

albedo is pretty much onto the scheme at this point, but what’s he going to do? say no when you so kindly approach him and express your sincere awe at the most basic alchemic tricks? no. he doesn’t think so. 

under your (accidental) watch, mondstadt has never been this safe and healthy. they’re thinking about giving you the nickname the knight of light...

[nyxthejinx]

Hello! Can I request a husband!diluc headcanon where in GN reader is was a former researcher in sumeru, who recently left because they got infected with Eleazar. Can you make a headcanon of what diluc would do and stuff?

𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝

A/N hello anon! It took me some time but here ya go :)) I quite enjoyed this prompt, thank you for asking <3 ALSO as soon as I finish with these requests I'll open my 100 followers event, stay tuned!

𝐓𝐖: Tiny bits of angst (mostly fluff for once, dw), reader is obviously sick, but nothing detailed, ONE swear word. Just a strange amount of love from someone who lives for angst.

𝐅𝐭.: Diluc - GN!Reader

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 988

𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨: Take Me by the Hand - Flamingos in the Tree

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐜 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, but both of your jobs make it feel like a long distance relationship. Yes he's busy with the winery, but you? As a researcher you need to be in Sumeru all the time.

And he's really fine with it. Maybe just a little worried for your safety, since he can't be physically there for you. But he knows you're strong and can handle yourself, even with something as risky as research for Eleazar.

One of your friends was sick, how could you not offer your knowledge and help finding a way to heal them? Plus it isn't even transmissible via skin to skin contact. You'd be more than fine.

Until somehow it caught you too.

Headcanons under the cut!

You updated him on your research regularly, but never went into details, so the first thing he does is to consult Lisa, and after learning more about it he'll insist you go back to Sumeru.

They probably have better treatments, and Lisa told him the forest alleviates the symptoms. It'd be better if you stayed there.

He'd even suspend the entire activity at the winery to move with you. Diluc wants to hold your hand through the journey to recovery.

Because you will recover. 

He's lost so many people in the past, he can't lose the love of his life too :(

But between difficult political affairs and nostalgia for your hometown, you choose to stay in Mondstadt, and in the end Diluc just sticks by your side, no matter what.

No one has ever seen the uncrowned king of Mond take a day off. Hence they're tempted to call a doctor when he leaves everything that implies outdoor activities in Charles' hands. He stays in his office, or just always in the next room so all you have to do is shout in case of need.

Checks up on you regularly and asks the maids to bring you snacks and drinks. If he’s free he’ll come over himself and help you take your mind off from the research. Diluc doesn’t like chit chat, but entertains the most silly conversations as he peppers your skin with fleeting, tender kisses.

Don’t overwork yourself cause he will carry you to bed himself, like a sack of potatoes :) It happened so many times he started to think you liked his frustrated, pouty face.

He asks help from the Knights of Favonius without batting an eye, if needed. You heard me right. 

The early stages of the illness aren’t all that atrocious, and yet he doesn’t feel safe knowing that you’re working all on your own. He requests Albedo and Sucrose’s assistance, much to Jean’s shock and pleasure. 

No grudge is more important than you <33

He also makes sure everything you need from Sumeru gets delivered in perfect condition, just like he entrusts his best messengers with your updates about the research. The exchange between you and your friends at the Akademiya has to be swift, and the Nilotpala Lotus of the highest quality.  

Feeling cold because of the numbness? Diluc is the perfect cuddly heater. It doesn’t matter what he’s doing, he drops it all and rests with you. He’ll trace the sore skin and massage it with uttermost delicacy, the hands he uses to brandish his claymore the gentlest they’ve ever been.

Accompanies you for a walk in Mond’s outskirts from time to time. Sun and fresh air can only help your condition. And you won’t have to worry about monsters and wild animals, he’s your personal bodyguard <3

If the weather is particularly good you can even stop for a picnic right under the tree in Windrise, where Barbatos’ statue partially soothes your pain. He’ll bring the finest wine/grape juice and bask in your relaxing presence after all those years of tribulation. Because despite your tough conditions he doesn’t feel as helpless as a few years ago, when his life seemingly reached a dead end.

However, as it gets worse, Diluc kinda forces you to go back to Sumeru. Not permanently, just a week a month so that the forest can mitigate the effects. 

Don’t worry, it feels everything but an obligation. You both go downtown and take a stroll in the bazaar, try new food, spices, brands of tea. Well, he tries new experiences, you guide him and have the time of your life watching your husband struggle with the spiciest meal he’s ever had.

He buys everything you eye for more than two seconds, the price irrelevant compared to the joy in your tired eyes. And when you ask him what he wants, the words leave his mouth immediately: “For you to be happy and in health.”

*author screaming at her own creation*

AhEM.

Piggyback ride at the first sign of exhaustion you give. We all know Diluc isn’t one for PDA, he likes his intimacy behind closed doors, but he couldn’t care less about the nasty glares he gets. No more walking around for you. He even drapes his coat around your shoulders <3

May or may not take advantage of the situation and drag you to a doctor for a check up, but only if they’re friends with you. According to what you’ve told him, not everyone deserves trust here. Cue for Tighnari, Cyno and Alhaitham to break havoc in your tent.

NOW I’m a drama queen, I live for angst, but I’d cry if something happened after all this fluff, so we’ll just say that a cure was found. 

Your smart ass solved a problem that has been going on for archons know how long, it’s mandatory that the Akademiya gives you some sort of Nobel right?

Diluc is SO relieved and proud. He hugs you tight, kisses you in a soft yet deep way that melts your heart. His stoic facade crumbles and he can only smile, genuine, unfiltered. 

Utterly in love with you and your strength. 

*Giggles and smiles at the screen like an idiot*

DON'T copy/repost my work. REBLOG instead! ©nyxthejinx

[worriedvision]

An unexpected yet welcome introduction - Diluc

Okay so this is a day late whoopsie daisy! Gender neutral reader, for once this is actually gonna be fluff.

You were successful in becoming one of the messengers for Liyue. In short, you were assigned Mondstadt due to you being too inexperienced to safely navigate Inazuma. Making your way to Mondstadt was really uneventful, in all honesty.

"Hey there!" You cheerfully say to a man with fiery red hair, who had clearly been taking a morning stroll into town. He seems to short circuit before looking in your direction. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

The man nods, humming in agreement.

"Yes, it is." He states.

After a moment of silence, you smile to yourself as you gain enough courage to test out your socialising skills.

"So, this is my first day in Mondstadt." You begin, the man listening intently. "Could you tell me where the Favonius headquarters is?" Seeing the mans eyes darken momentarily, you stop your question, worried you've offended him. "It's just that I have to inform the acting headmaster of a situation in Liyue." You clear up, hoping you could mend this bridge.

"Oh, sure. If you'd like, I can walk you there." The man states.

"Ah, I don't want to eat up too much of your time. If you could point me in the right direction, that would be lovely!" You say, smiling warmly at the man.

The man points up at a building, you following his finger before he bids you farewell. You wave stupidly, an equally as stupid looking smile on your face before you realise you're supposed to be representing Liyue today.

--

An uneventful letter opening and a discussion about a problem that still hadn't been resolved with treasure hoarders, you're excused by Jean. You bow respectfully, taking your leave as Jean opens the door for you before you look down at the letter you had to deliver to the Angels Share. The envelope was specifically addressed to a Diluc Ragnivindr. After asking a Cavalry Captain about where to find the man, he gives a knowing smirk you don't question before he insists on walking down with you. After all, it was only fair you were treated with respect.

Opening the door, you approach the counter, the Cavalry Captain walking up the stairs.

"Excuse me, Im looking to give this to a" you look down at your envelope momentarily before meeting the bartender's eyes. "Diluc Ragnivindr."

The bartender seems to look at you in confusion.

"Uhh, I hate to tell you this but he's specifically told me to refuse any proposals he may receive." The man explains. Noting your confusion, the man let's out an 'oh' before continuing.

"What's this letter for?" The man asks.

"All I can tell you is it's from Liyue." You state matter of factly. Truthfully, you knew the letter was concerning the ever growing popularity for Dandelion wine.

The bartender looks behind you as the door opens, and he nods towards the person who just entered.

"There's your guy." He states.

Turning around, you find yourself mortified to find out the man you were having small talk with was the man you had to be professional with today. You feel yourself going warm from embarrassment, to which Diluc can't help but let a crack of a smile out before he introduces himself properly.

"I'm _, a messenger fro-"

"From Liyue." Diluc finishes your sentence. "Yes, I was made aware of you a few days ago."

"I want to apologise for how I spoke to you this morning." You begin to laugh nervously. "If I knew who you were, I would have been much more respectful."

Diluc shakes his head, stopping you from continuing to apologise.

"Don't worry." Diluc sighs out, you nodding before handing him the letter.

"The dawn winery will be a more appropriate place to discuss business matters. Follow me."

As you walk you, you hear some light chuckling from the upper level. You don't think too much of it, but Diluc sends a glare at the source before he begins to guide you to the next location.

[unboundwanderers]

@gunnhildred || PUZZLE LOCKED || JEAN & LOONEY

MONDSTADT has always been a cultural hotspot for the arts. At least, that's always what he thought when he'd wandered around- especially during The Windblume festival. When he was last here. When THE TARDIS had arrived underneath the statue of Barbatos, he'd suddenly felt this looming heartache in his chest- this pang of guilt and heartache. Even though he was in TEYVAT's past- knowing its future was beginning to have a weight on him that was causing the sunshine in him to be snuffed out... slowly. That's why he was ready to leave as soon as he'd seen where he'd landed... Except... his trained eyes... began to pick things up.

PAPER WEIGHTS? Collectibles? Strange... He saw these small ... puzzle cube-sized paperweights. He wanted to ask questions, more than he could... but... He moved to stroke his chin. Everyone's got them, even the Knights of Favonius. He needed to examine them further, so... it seemed as if he was staying in Favonius for longer than he anticipated. He locked up the Police Box and headed for The Favonious HQ. Today his outfit was pretty casual. Light Blue Denim jacket, fingerless leather gloves, black pants, and high-top sneakers, over a pale gold T-Shirt with his messenger bag strewn across. He didn't want to just storm into the HQ, so... like Explorer Extraordinaire he was, he crept outside the back window and pointed his SONIC SCREWDRIVER at the window. A quick buzz let him creep in and climb inside...

WAS THIS SOMEONE'S OFFICE? Seemed like it. He moved to sit in their chair, noting that they too had the paperweight. He picked it up and immediately tried scanning it with His Sonic Screwdriver... and when the readings couldn't identify the elements of the cube, he let out a tiny little "Interesting..." He muttered, propping his feet up on the desk and examining the cube further. He reached into his messenger bag, sliding a pair of glasses out of it to further examine the glasses. Even when he heard the door creak open, he seemed to be more interested in the cube than in whoever was entering their own office.

"What do you think these are, these cubes? I mean-- I've never seen anything like it-- which is a big testament, on the account that I have seen--" He snickered, "A lot."

[icantbelieveitsnotmeta]

Weapons (Bows)

THANK BARSIBATO IT’S ALMOST OVER!

FOR THE LAST DAMNED TIME, included in this list is all of the 3-star and 4-star bows in Genshin Impact (because 5-star weapons are for people with money) except for weapons obtained via Gnostic Hymn/Battle Pass or purchased with Starglitter.

Weapons in which the blueprints are obtained (or are simply obtained as-is) via World Quests (ex. the Aranara quest line), obtained via forging only, and event weapons will be in italics. All other weapons are either obtained via wishing or overworld activities such as opening chests.

I will clarify which weapons are blueprints, obtained from quests, and which are event weapons. If they are available, I will also link guides to said quests.

Percentage and Flat stats apply to these to. (if you didn’t read the artifact stat guide, Flat always adds a set amount, Percentage adds a portion of a preexisting stat)

These stats are lvl90 and the abilities are R1

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Messenger

Base ATK: 448

Substat: CRIT DMG 31.2%

Ability: Archer's Message

Charged Attack hits on weak spots deal an additional 100% ATK DMG as CRIT DMG. Can only occur once every 10s

** **

Raven Bow

Base ATK: 448

Substat: Elemental Mastery 94

Ability: Bane of Flame and Water

Increases DMG against opponents affected by Hydro or Pyro by 12%.

** **

Recurve Bow

Base ATK: 354

Substat: HP 46.9%

Ability: Cull the Weak

Defeating an opponent restores 8% HP

** **

Sharpshooter's Oath

Base ATK: 401

Substat: CRIT DMG 46.9%

Ability: Precise

Increases DMG against weak spots by 24%

** **

Slingshot

Base ATK: 354

Substat: CRIT Rate 31.2%

Ability: Slingshot

If a Normal or Charged Attack hits a target within 0.3s of being fired, increases DMG by 36%. Otherwise, decreases DMG by 10%

** **

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alley Hunter

Base ATK: 565

Substat: ATK 27.6%

Ability: Oppidan Ambush

While the character equipped with this weapon is in the party but not on the field, their DMG increases by 2% every second up to a max of 20%. When the character is on the field for more than 4s, the aforementioned DMG buff decreases by 4% per second until it reaches 0%

** **

Compound Bow (obtained via forging)

Base ATK: 454

Substat: Physical DMG Bonus 69.0% (heh nice)

Ability: Infusion Arrow

Normal Attack and Charged Attack hits increase ATK by 4% and Normal ATK SPD by 1.2% for 6s. Max 4 stacks. Can only occur once every 0.3s

** **

End of the Line (obtained from the Sumeru Fishing Association)

Base ATK: 510

Substat: Energy Recharge 45.9%

Ability: Net Snapper

Triggers the Flowrider effect after using an Elemental Skill, dealing 80% ATK as AoE DMG upon hitting an opponent with an attack. Flowrider will be removed after 15s or after causing 3 instances of AoE DMG. Only 1 instance of AoE DMG can be caused every 2s in this way. Flowrider can be triggered once every 12s.

** **

Fading Twilight (obtained from the Perilous Trail event in the 2.7 patch)

Base ATK: 565

Substat: Energy Recharge 30.6%

Ability: Radiance of the Deeps

Has three states, Evengleam, Afterglow, and Dawnblaze, which increase DMG dealt by 6%/10%/14% respectively. When attacks hit opponents, this weapon will switch to the next state. This weapon can change states once every 7s. The character equipping this weapon can still trigger the state switch while not on the field.

** **

Favonius Warbow

Base ATK: 454

Substat: Energy Recharge 61.3%

Ability: Windfall

CRIT hits have a 60% chance to generate a small amount of Elemental Particles, which will regenerate 6 Energy for the character. Can only occur once every 12s.

** **

Hamayumi (blueprint is obtained from a guy named Takashi in Inazuma after collecting and giving him Mysterious Conches for seven days)

Base ATK: 454

Substat: ATK 55.1%

Ability: Full Draw

Increases Normal Attack DMG by 16% and Charged Attack DMG by 12%. When the equipping character's Energy reaches 100%, this effect is increased by 100%

** **

King's Squire (obtained after completing the Aranyaka questline. After completing the quest, go to Sumeru’s Tree of Dreams and there will be an Aranara selling the blueprint)

Base ATK: 454

Substat: ATK 55.1%

Ability: Labyrinth Lord's Instruction

Obtain the Teachings of the Forest effect when unleashing Elemental Skills and Bursts, increasing Elemental Mastery by 60 for 12s. This effect will be removed when switching characters. When the Teachings of the Forest effect ends or is removed, it will deal 100% of ATK as DMG to 1 nearby opponent. The Teachings of the Forest effect can be triggered once every 20s.

** **

Mitternachts Waltz

Base ATK: 510

Substat: Physical DMG Bonus 51.7%

Ability: Evernight Duet

Normal Attack hits on opponents increase Elemental Skill DMG by 20% for 5s. Elemental Skill hits on opponents increase Normal Attack DMG by 20% for 5s.

** **

Mouun's Moon

Base ATK: 565

Substat: ATK 27.6%

Ability: Watatsumi Wavewalker

For every point of the entire party's combined maximum Energy capacity, the Elemental Burst DMG of the character equipping this weapon is increased by 0.12%. A maximum of 40% increased Elemental Burst DMG can be achieved this way.

** **

Predator (god i hate version exclusives so fucking much) (obtainable via PlayStation to those who logged into Genshin Impact during the 2.1 or 2.2 patches) (Note that it’s ability will not work on other platforms such as mobile and PC)

Base ATK: 510

Substat: ATK 41.3%

Ability: Strong Strike

Dealing Cryo DMG to opponents increases this character's Normal and Charged Attack DMG by 10% for 6s. This effect can have a maximum of 2 stacks.

Additionally, when Aloy equips Predator, ATK is increased by 66.

** **

Prototype Crescent (obtainable via forging)

Base ATK: 510

Substat: ATK 41.3%

Ability: Unreturning

Charged Attack hits on weak points increase Movement SPD by 10% and ATK by 36% for 10s.

** **

Rust

Base ATK: 510

Substat: ATK 41.3%

Ability: Rapid Firing

Increases Normal Attack DMG by 40% but decreases Charged Attack DMG by 10%.

** **

Sacrificial Bow

Base ATK: 565

Substat: Energy Recharge 30.6%

Ability: Composed

After dealing damage to an opponent with an Elemental Skill, the skill has a 40% chance to end its own CD. Can only occur once every 30s

** **

The Stringless

Base ATK: 510

Substat: Elemental Mastery 165

Ability: Arrowless Song

Increases Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst DMG by 24%. 

** **

Windblume Ode (obtainable from the Invitation of Windblume event in the 1.4 patch)

Base ATK: 510

Substat: Elemental Mastery 165

Ability: Windblume Wish

After using an Elemental Skill, receive a boon from the ancient wish of the Windblume, increasing ATK by 16% for 6s

** **

[kyogre-blue]

Ooh someone put to words why I felt that Liyue's archon quest really dropped the ball after Mondstadt's, thank you! My sister was appalled when I thought Kequing was the same person as Ganyu when she appeared for the first time haha, I went "oh purple-haired messenger lady" and didn't realize they were different people until I met Ganyu again for the glaze lillies and realized the dissonance in her values vs Kequing's lol

But about Mondstadt's archon quest—my perspective was colored by the fact that I read all the Mondstadt books before finishing it, but still—iirc doesn't Venti explicitly tell us that Dvalin *isn't* mad about the temples or the lack of worship, but that when he came back to Mondstadt he was met with rejection because people didn't recognize him? Just how much he sacrificed defending them from Durin must have twisted the knife even deeper... This draws parallels to the time he first descended to the world and he couldn't understand people and the people didn't understand him so they reacted with violence and anger, until he finally met Barbatos who saw him for his beauty instead (breeze amidst the forest vol. 1). And well, the time in the archon quest isn't the first time that Stormterror had attacked—he and the knights have clashed multiple times and animosity grew (breeze amidst the forest vol. 2 citation) to the point that revealing that he's the East Wind NOW would be dropping a political hot potato and put the Knights of Favonius in a lose-lose between killing one of their gods or looking like their people's safety didn't matter to them.

Plus, Venti specifically stating that Dvalin doesn't have to listen to him made perfect sense to me because, in the past, Venti DID command Dvalin - in battle against Durin, 500 years ago. The fallout of which has obviously caused Dvalin an unimaginable amount of pain and is basically why Dvalin and by extension Mond were in such dire straits in the present. Venti must have felt so guilty... that reminds me, they actually made this point a lot more explicit in the closed beta! The meaning is a lot clearer there than in the final version, imho - In the beta, as Venti is falling, still awake, Dvalin goes: "speak...summon me, command me, and thou shalt be saved—" but Venti instead smiles, relieved. "You have finally returned, Dvalin" and blacks out. When he wakes up on Dvalin's back, Venti tells Dvalin "I never summoned you because I never wanted to order you again." the AGAIN is key here, I believe.

You're right that 'freedom when commanded by an Archon is really not freedom at all' came a little out of left field though. The context probably was about how Venti commanding Dvalin to save him would mean nothing, while Dvalin Choosing to save everyone, by himself, despite everything, means a whole lot. And maybe about how Dvalin willingly tying himself back to Mond isn't what Venti wishes for him, but it's not his place to tell Dvalin what causes are worth committing himself to? Maybe? I'll have to think a bit more on that, bc Venti does seem to support people committing to service as long as it makes them happy. Hm.

Sorry if this is incoherent and hard to read rip I typed it in my phone and I can't see the whole ask at once in my tiny screen lmfao. Also I was surfing posts about the Genshin storyline and saw yours, which I was nodding along with, then I went to your tumblr and realised "Wait, that's the author of those amazing khr fics I read ages ago!!!!!" So I Kinda Got Overexcited fjkjdh

Mmmm I vaguely recall that Venti might have said that, but again, it isn't conveyed properly, which defeats the entire point.

One off-hand mention isn't enough for the motivations at the core of your storyline's central character. We needed something more like Jean sitting us down and explaining painfully how Dvalin showed up out of the blue one day, how the people panicked, how no one realized who he was until it was too, etc. This should be at least three sentences with sad music in the background, is what I'm saying. Like, an actual scene of this. This is what I mean when I say Mond feels like it's missing half of its scenes, to help transition between what we did get.

Similarly, I don't count the books toward the actual storyline. Very few people read those. I only read them on the wiki, not even in the game. The game doesn't even think you're reading them, since Liyue Act 4 literally told us nothing that wasn't already in the books, because they knew most players don't know this stuff and had to be caught up on all that. Beta content is obviously even less countable, since it's just straight up not canon anymore, since they chose to cut it.

(The beta stuff is interesting though! Wonder why they'd cut something so meaningful.)

In general, Mond and especially Liyue suffer from a ton of the setting and situation being just... vague.

We're not explicitly told what the actual conflict between the Qixing and the adepti is. We're not told what the adepti actually plan to do. We're not told what the Qixing are even doing behind the scenes. It's all discussed in total generalities, when the specifics would have massive implications for all the characters involved. In Mond, it's somewhat less noticeable because, at the end of the day, Dvalin is not being rational or acting as he normally would, so the situational details aren't too important. But in Liyue, the situation IS the plot, so.... yeah.

As much as I hate it, I will say that the new writers are better at convey this stuff, for whatever reason. I just finished Inazuma act 1 again, and it's noticeable how much they walk you through the situation in Inazuma, compared to Liyue's vagueness.

(Not to say that it's all good or even enjoyable, the Ritou errands were just annoying and the NPCs are a cancer, plus the emotional and character writing is a mess, especially in the other acts. Hilariously, it even comes back to bite them later because they try to sweep under the rug the situation they set up so painstakingly.)

I feel like those KHR fics are my real legacy, and I'm happy with that. Those were good days, hehe.

[thornyboi]

I did another one

Kyuusaki wakes up under his tree as usual, his stolen goods inside the black messenger bag next to him. He stands up, gets his stuff and goes to Mondstat. He’s a well know criminal at this point, though he takes any posters of him for himself. He walks up to a restaurant and quickly takes the food. He runs as fast as he can. He bumps into a certain tone-deaf bard. Kyuusaki looks between Venti and the cavalry captain, Kaeya, who’s currently chasing him. He picks up Venti and begins running towards the church.

“Huh?”

“You’re coming with me, tone-deaf bard”

Venti chuckles and decides to go with it. He has nothing better to do after all. Kyuusaki quickly opens the doors of the church and runs inside. He hides himself and Venti inside a music closet under some tarp. Kyuusaki puts his hand over his mouth and the other over Venti’s. The guards look inside but don’t see them since they’re underneath the tarp. Once Kyuusaki is sure they’re gone he takes his hand off Venti’s mouth. Kyuusaki bursts out in laughter.

“Thank Barbatos you didn’t yell for help! I mean, I wouldn’t have done anything bad to you, Venti, but still”

Venti smiles. Barbra hears the laughter coming from the closet and opens it.

“Kyuusaki? I thought I told you to stay out of the church! I don’t mind helping the Knights of Favonius with finding the most wanted criminal in Mondstat…”

“Barbra, both you and I know I would just go to Liyue or Inazuma”

“I suppose that’s true…well, at least help clean up this mess. And it seems that you have a friend with you, they can help too”

Venti sighs. Kyuusaki helps picks him up and brings him out of the closet, placing him onto the floor. Barbra tells them what to do before leaving. After they finish cleaning Kyuusaki wraps his arm around Venti tiredly.

“Wanna grab a drink?”

It’s like he had said the magic words.

“Sounds fun!”

Venti and Kyuusaki walk into Angel’s Share. Diluc was working behind the counter today.

“Heyyyyyyyy, Diluc!”

“Good evening, Kyuusaki and…Venti.” He sighs. “I hope you can both pay for your drinks?”

“I’m paying, Diluc”

“Hmm…okay”

Kyuusaki sits at the counter and stretches.

“Damn Knights…” Diluc turns to him.

“What did you do this time?”

“Heheh, nothing, Diluc” Diluc sighs. Kyuusaki turns to Venti. “Come on Venti! I’ll pay for whatever you want! I am a millionaire after all!”

“Really?!” Venti looks at him surprised.

“Not through the right means” Diluc interjects.

“I-“

“You can’t deny that, Kyuusaki”

“…I suppose that’s true” Kyuusaki sighs. He wraps his arm around Venti. “I’ll pay for you, though. Okay, Diluc. I would like two bottles of Dandelion Wine please!”

“Are you sure, Kyuu?” Kyuusaki scoffs.

“Diluc, you’re on thin ice still. You’re not allowed to call me that”

“And why is that again?”

“You ratted me out!”

“Kyuusaki, I was trying to help you. We both know that you were going to get caught that time! I mean, trying to steal an archon’s-“

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence” Kyuusaki’s voice is cold, serious.

“…Kyuusaki” Diluc sighs.

“Now, please hand me a bottle of Dandelion wine” Diluc hands him one. He immediately downs the bottle. “Another one!” Venti looks at him, surprised. Could a human actually drink the fast? Once Diluc hands him another bottle, Kyuusaki downs it. After a few more bottles Kyuusaki is tiredly arguing with Diluc about giving him more to drink.

“Kyuusaki, you know how you get when you’re this drunk. You’re gonna do something stupid…I’m not helping you home again” Diluc looks over at Venti, who isn’t as drunk as usual. Mainly just staring at the two as they argue. Diluc sighs and turns around to get some drinks for another patron. Kyuusaki takes this opportunity to gently pull on Dilucs long red hair. Diluc turns to face the very, very drunk Kyuusaki.

“If I’m not aloud to call you Kyuu, you can’t touch my hair” Diluc smiles softly. Kyuusaki sits down. He stretches.

“I should be going home” his words are slurred. Diluc shakes his head.

“Kyuusaki, you’re not going home alone. Venti, are you sober enough to help him home?”

Venti nods. He picks up Kyuusaki.

“Ventiiiiiiiiiiiiii” Kyuusaki yawns. Diluc looks over at them.

“By the way, Venti, once Kyuusaki falls asleep, nothing can wake him up. Don’t even try” Venti nods and leaves. He hums a tune as he walks. Kyuusaki is clinging to Venti’s shirt, trying to warm up. Venti brings Kyuusaki to his favorite tree. He sits down on the trunk and holds Kyuusaki gently in his arms. He hums a small tune as he cuddles Kyuusaki.

Genshin OC

[whiteswarm]

MOBILE FRIENDLY VERSES

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS VERSE

Canon verse:

Same plot, only that she’s half Vastaya and she fights the Frostguard and Lissandra

Skin verses

Cosmic Verse tagged as Comet Rider (cosmic verse)

Legends say that the Star Dragons’ first creations had a life on their own, taking physical form and swearing to protect the Cosmos from any threat, they called themselves “Celestials”.

One of them, was born from a Comet: she was the fastest, she roamed the cosmos back and forth to report her Queen all the attacks from their enemies, the Dark Star acolytes and the Void beasts.

Queen Ashe’s forces were able to predict their attack and defend planets, until one day, the Dark Star’s highest general managed to track the Traveler, there was a terrible fight, which resulted in the Dark Star consuming her, before she vanished in the black hole, she destroyed her physical form, allowing what was left of her comet self to shoot herself out of the darkness’ maw.

In the process, some of her icy body got lost in millions of tiny shards, which became the many meteors we can see across the sky, and the main body lost another piece, bigger and brighter. It immediately took form of a young girl, who referred to the Comet as Mother.

They were soon found by Ashe’s forces and together they sent back the Dark Star acolyte to the darkness he belonged to, aided by the new Celestial ability to command the meteors.

They had a new Traveler, a messenger, an explorer and a warrior.

Spirit Blossom tagged as Spirit of Tenacity (spirit blossom verse)

Born from the love between a Mortal and the Spirit of Frost, Artica happily grew up between two worlds, waiting for her father to join them at the end of his mortal life so they would be together forever. However, the father's spirit was deceived and taken by Thresh. Artica's mother, furious, declared war on the wicked Spirit of Obsession and decided to chase him all over the realm to get her lover back.

Artica, worried she would lose her mother too, decided to follow her. Thresh is not someone easily persuaded, and a clash between Spirits would be of great damage, especially for a nature tied Spirit...

She's lost her father, she would not lose her mother as well. That's her nature as Spirit of Tenacity

AUs:

Modern AU tagged as: apple girl (modern au)

Everyone calls her Arty, and she lives in a little town in the scottish countryside and helps her family with their little grocery store specialized in apple products

Genshin Impact Verse tagged as: papilio borealis (genshin au)

Artica is the daughter of a farmer from Monstadt and a Cryo Cicin Mage from Shnezaya who deserted her homeland and changed her identity to be with the man she loved and have a family with him. Unfortunately, the Fatui weren't known for their kindness. Therefore, as soon as they were tracked down, they sent assassins to kill her and take the child away to raise her in Shnezaya as one of them.

When the Knights of Favonius, alarmed by the screams and fighting noises in the middle of the night, arrived in Springvale, they saw a blast of combined Cryo and Anemo energy erupt from a little girl, the assassins driven away by such strength. She was crying while holding an Anemo Vision in her hands and her mother’s faithful Cicins. All four had tried in vain to defend her and the child's father.

Artica was entrusted to her uncle and aunt until she came of age, when she decided to serve Monstadt and protect it from the Fatui's schemes and anyone who threatened her homeland.

She uses her sword in combat and she knows how to master the elemental Cryo energy of the Cicins alongside her Anemo Vision.

[hanniejji]

KAEYA AND DILUC HAVING A LITTLE SISTER

[ diluc x little sister!reader ] [ kaeya x little sister!reader ]

anon: can you make hcs of being both kaeya’s and diluc’s little sister?

notes: i didn't know whether you want me to write separately or generally being their sister but i did both neways hehe | m.list

warnings: fem reader

KAEYA

the more affectionate brother!

pampers you and smothers you as if you're a little kid lmao

he's the chill bro who teases you just because he can

why do i get the feeling that he'd order you around when he's lazy with the "im older than you" excuse

more relaxed and carefree around you

encourages you to do things that you want to try and is always around to support you despite his busy schedule at work gjsjf

accompanies you when you go shopping or want to try a new place

trains you sometimes and shows you the more fun and easy ways to fight a bitch

would invite you to join the knights of favonius but diluc says no lmao

kaeya sneaks you a drink or two because diluc thinks you're too young for anything alcoholic

always has lunch with you and diluc if possible when he has the time

"so, is that the lucky guy that you like?"

"what? no!"

"young lady, i know a liar when i see one. so, what's he like?"

gets you involved when he messes with diluc because diluc can't get mad at you fbskfh

genuinely glad that you didn't try to cut him off after what happened when you were younger, he almost lost diluc, he didn't want to lose you too

DILUC

he might not accompany you in your outings, but he's always around if you ever need a break from kaeya's annoying ass lmao

gives the best advices and helps you when you need it

he might not be able to guide you when it comes to emotional things, but he gives the best hugs so that doesn't matter

he's more strict and serious in training you when it comes to fighting, mainly because he's scared that if he or kaeya doesn't teach you how to defend yourself properly, you might get hurt

he doesn't want to lose another family

scolds kaeya a lot every time the latter drags you to dangerous things

if you visit him in the tavern, he'd teach you a few things in bartending if you're interested uwu

but no alcohol for you young lady

"but im old enough?"

"not unless i say so"

can't get mad when kaeya does something wrong because you're usually involved lmaofbwid

"stop hanging out with kaeya, you're starting to sound like him"

if he sees you interested in something, he immediately buys you things related to it or asks you if you want to sign up for a lesson or training gksjfi

definitely does not want you to get involve in his nightly routine

but you're aware, of course, he can't exactly lie to you either

"it's dangerous and i don't want you to get hurt because of me"

glad that you're still around to keep him and kaeya intact won't admit that though, because if you weren't, he for sure does not know how to get on with life without his only family

GENERAL

how are you still sane? these two will drive you crazy with how many times they fight over who's the better brother

when they were younger, they'd baby you and smother you with love because you're the only female in the family ekfjso

im sorry reader but you're going to have to be matured and strong-willed enough to stop them from fighting each other

you're probably the only reason they're still talking to each other

you're also their messenger

"tell your sorry excuse of a brother to pay his bills in the tavern or im not serving him anything"

"tell our dear brother that he shouldn't make me pay, i'm family after all!"

"i wanna go home"

archons forbid if anything happens to you, that will only be the time they ever agree to something

"did you find out where this guy lives?"

"you don't have to ask, ive known since this morning"

like your brothers, especially diluc other nobles try to ask for your hand in marriage but all of them are rejected lmao

both are protective of you

kaeya's a little more relaxed than diluc tho

"you let her go? on her own? have you gone mad?!"

"she's old enough to go on her own, she's not a kid anymore"

brother diluc and brother kaeya? more like mother diluc and father kaeya—

if you're ever upset, they team up to make you forget whatever made you sad

you're Spoiled™

both have heart eyes for you when you achieve something you've been working hard on or just genuinely happy

you may or may not have the power it takes to rebuild their connection, but if you try, they might put their past behind them to be a family once again :')

[kalopsia-stars]

Gray

second part (?) of Communication

warning(s): self-aware characters, spoilers for albedo's backstory (if you squint--like really squint)

Albedo feels he knows the environment of Dragonspine like the back of his hand. He can tell when an avalanche is going to happen just mere seconds before they do, can trace clusters of starsilver with minimum clues, and knows what kind of mobs would appear in certain places. He's a researcher and the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius.

He tells himself that this kind of stuff should be second nature to him now.

What isn't second nature for him is when you appear. How to avoid you, if he could. And most importantly, how he should properly interact with you.

He finds that “Admin’s” messenger annoying. The sudden reminder of those internal pains makes him flinch, messing up the painting he was in the middle of.

“The color is ruined now,” Albedo grimaces at the dark gray color he’s made, disliking how it intruded on what was supposed to be a white flower petal. He glances to his reference, sitting in a small vase so that the wind from outside his camp doesn’t move it. “Though, perhaps…”

"It might have been better if I had taken a break to begin with. Once the paint has dried, it will be easier to fix as well." He looks out to the entrance of his camp and walks over to his pot to start a fire underneath.

Even though knowing Dragonspine should be like knowing the back of his hand, there isn’t much to remember about one’s backhand, meaning many will often forget what they looked like to begin with.

Albedo knows that not everything goes well on the icy slopes of the accursed mountain.

He’s been wrong before about his predictions and has missed out on many experiment opportunities because he thought there would have been an avalanche in his path.

He remembers the times when traces he thought led to starsilver really just led to dense rock.

Sometimes when he thinks one thing about a mob’s preferred area on Dragonspine, a completely different one shows up.

Despite the cloudy atmosphere of Dragonspine, the rays of the sun still manage to shine through, revealing that night is beginning to fall as the sky’s hue darkens from pink. Albedo takes a stick from nearby to poke at the fire under the pot, absentmindedly watching as the flames grow.

Like a step-by-step process, he digs through his items while the water begins boiling. Taking simple ingredients to make a quick soup, he prepares them properly before putting them in to begin cooking.

While waiting for his impromptu dinner, he looks back out to the snow-covered environment of Dragonspine once more.

He finds the color white to be one of comfort, despite it belonging to the cold snow that layers on top of the mountain. It's the color of chalk, a substance he is familiar with.

"In some places that I've traveled to, I've noticed how white is usually tied to purity and such. Even here in Teyvat, I learned that Inazuma has the same meaning for it." He recalls the traveler telling him during one of his visits to Dragonspine. "Though, it's hard not to see why. It's untainted--it's a strong and pure looking color."

Albedo unconsciously nods at the flashback, agreeing with the now not-present Aether. Though the snow covers the mountain, Albedo finds it hard to ignore the gray atmosphere that overwhelms the color of white.

Albedo remembers the time he met someone who had a proper education in art, telling him the meaning of colors.

"Gray is a diplomatic color. Many agree that it is the balance of black and white, making it a neutral color. But it gives off a gloomy emotion like a foggy day at what is usually a sunny and bright beach--mysterious, even."

The presence of that being reminds him of gray.

A disturbance in his life's purity, yet the mysterious balance that he has been trying to find. Yes, new experiments are interesting; they offer a form of mystery on their own. But this...

This is all new.

This isn't something that he knows he can contain to some extent if anything were to go wrong. This isn't like his experiments. He thinks of you as that foggy day: mysterious and unclear. Is he afraid? Is he excited? His emotions have become gray as well.

"Albedo!" A voice calls.

His head whips around to the view of a familiar golden blur, arm up to wave hello. Besides the approaching figure is the just as recognizable pixie floating just above his right shoulder.

"Aether," He can't help but smile at a friendly face.

"How did it go?"

[exfoxforfrogs]

----------------------

Help to blame

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diluc x favonius assistant gn!reader (platonic or romantic, you decide :P)

Warnings: bit of angst, argument (solution - part 2 here)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diluc is a hard working man, always have been. His days consist of more work than sleep, which honestly has a lot of people worried. No matter how gently Barbara instruct him or how Kaeya jokes about it, the red head would listen to no one but himself. There is one kind of work he would rather forget about - anything that has to do with the Knights of Favonius. And now he has more than three months of work piled up neatly in stacks. He knew it would come bite him back, but he kept putting it off for so long and he can only continue doing so if he wishes Jean to take matters into her own hands. Diluc would very much wish to avoid that, the acting grand master has enough work as is. With a deep sigh he moved the stacks on his table and began chipping away at it. Which, at his pace meant getting half of it ready in a week.

Which also means extra work for you, the Favonius assistant. You became an expected visitor at the winery as you transfered documents back and forth, compare and confirm on each one with Diluc. You held much respect for him, saw how much he did and because of that, you didn't mind the extra hours you had to put in. Proudness was all you felt at the end of these long days, glad that you could take some work off of his shoulders. Maybe you were alone in this feeling tho.

- Yn, I appreciate the help, but I dont need you babying me - Diluc stood straight, hands behind his back, as composed as he could be, but what he said told otherwise. You stopped stacking the papers you held, movements suddenly stopped while you looked up into his tired eyes with shock. And maybe a bit of hurt.

- ... babying? - did you really hear that right? As you searched his face for an answer, you found only an irritated twich of his eye and a stern look.

- You've been more usual here than clients the past days, much more than it is needed for buisness. I don't think bringing gifts has to do anything with...

- You think im here to take care of you? - you didn't let him finish. Is he really this blind? - Im Jean's assistant! The paperwork you send to the Favonius office goes threw me! I thought itd be faster if I bring and take the papers myself. Not my fault that *someone* decided to have a marathon of submitting three months of material in a week. But I'll have the messengers take care of it than, so I stop being such a big pebble in your boot - you angrily slammed the papers on the table twice and showed them in your bag while muttering - Fuck me for trying to get work done and trying to be nice while at it.

Before he could answer you turned on your heel and left without goodbye. Diluc was shocked beyond belief. He never heared you angry. Annoyed sure, when he would refuse to take a break just for two bites, but angry - it twisted his heart the wrong way. He couldn't even be mad at you about it, it really wasn't your fault that all his stress found you to blame. Honestly, with all the fruits and baked goods you brought over you've been a life saver - while it was an extra interruption from the maids to bring it in, he has eaten better than usually when he gets into work this deep.

As he quietly stood in front of his desk, deflating more and more by the minute, Adeline gently knocked on his door and came in without waiting for an answer. She put a plate of neatly cut sunsettias and apples on the desk than quickly excused herself with a light bow. Diluc could only stare at them in the cavalcade of his self blame, but he was sure of one thing - he needs to find time to apologize.

[lynnthefrenchtoast]

🌱prince kaeya of khaenriah

ships: kaebedo

ill beta read this later -lynn🌱

prince Kaeya of Khaenriah is an enigma. his people know he exists. they know his face and his hair and his four-pointed diamond pupils. but they don't see him. they know he's somewhere, out there, but there is no news channel pinpointing his whereabouts.

if you want a chat with prince Kaeya of Khaenriah, you need either a string of luck or to scower the world.

albedo has a string of luck.

the first time they meet is at a Knights of Favonius meeting. imagine his suprise when through the door walks his unseen prince, with that same face and hair and four-pointed diamons pupils. imagine his even bigger suprise when the humans welcome him as the "Cavalry Captain."

they share a glance.

"Kaeya Alberich."

I know who you are.

"Albedo Kreideprinz, Chief Alchemist of the Knights." He resists the urge to end the sentence with ', Your Majesty' but it feels wrong speaking so casually to royalty.

"Pleasure to meet you."

--🌱

The second time they meet Albedo is unsure whether Kaeya sought him out or it was pure coincidence.

"I'm here to deliver a letter."

It feels wrong for the prince to be his messenger, and not the other way around.

He checks his left, his right, behind him, in front of him.

Coast is clear. He bows.

"Your Majesty."

"Rise," Kaeya says, "never did I think I'd find a Khaenrian as a coworker. Thank you for not totally blowing my cover."

Albedo furrows his brows, "It's hardly anything to be thanked for, Your Majesty."

"You can stop with the Your Majesty."

Albedo nods. Finally now, he can really process it all. His prince. His face. His hair. His.. his eyes, especially- he's even more of a wonder in person.

"Are you done oogling?"

He freezes, "I wasn't oogling."

"Talking back to royalty now?"

"..My sincerest apologies."

Kaeya nearly snorts with laughter.

"To a great companionship, Bedo." he extends his hand.

"To a great companionship," Albedo swallows the 'Your Majesty', "..Kaeya."

They shake hands.

--🌱

Crushing on idols, and actors, and singers is one thing. Crushing on your prince is another.

But Albedo cannot help it! After that meeting, Kaeya continues playing delivery boy. They prate, and jabber, and argue until time is long gone. There are moments where Kaeya gets too close, Kaeya's nose scrunches, Kaeya makes a comment on his hair- and Albedo forgets this is royalty he's speaking to.

Oh, how unfair it is. That the prettiest person he's ever met, who is good with words and relentless with flirting be a prince. And how unfair that that prince is also sometimes kind, and quiet, and perfect.

--🌱

"It's so late, Kaeya. Please don't tell me you intend to trek all the way down a snowy mountain and back to Mondstadt at midnight."

Kaeya smiles, hair covered in snow, letter in hand.

Jean should really stop letting him be a delivery boy.

That night, as both of them share a bed, Kaeya tells him;

"When I become king, I have to reside in Khaenriah."

Albedo listens.

"When that happens, what will you do?"

He frowns, "What will I do? Why should that be any of your concern?"

"Is it so bad I want a friend's opinion? You're the only one I can confide in about this after all."

He freezes. Kaeya does too.

"..We are friends, right?"

His heart skips.

"I'd like that."

"Alright then."

They stay in a momentarily silence. In fact, Albedo thinks he may have already drifted asleep when he says this.

"..I'd write you letters. Lots. And then I'd visit you and bring them all with me. As thanks for your delivery services all this time."

He thinks Kaeya is asleep until he hears a faint chuckle.

"Goodnight, Kaeya."

" 'Night, 'Bedo."

--🌱

Kaeya meeting Klee may well be too much for Albedo's heart. His sister adores him, and he can't blame her- so does he.

"I love your sister," Kaeya tells him when she has long fallen asleep, "reminds me of my own."

"You have a sister?"

"A brother, he has a pyro vision as well."

Huh. "Curious. I don't recall Khaenriah's throne ever having another heir."

Kaeya smirks brazenly, "It's Diluc."

Albedo chokes.

--🌱

Kaeya tells his childhood tales about Diluc with so much fondness, so unlike himself. The love and care for his brother is injected in every stifled smile and passive insult.

But when the topic of their current relationship is brought up, Kaeya's face falls every single time.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kaeya smiles. But it is a fake one. Maybe Albedo would've been fooled before, but he spends much too much time oogling at Kaeya to be fooled now.

"Okay," he decides some secrets are better not prodded at. The thankful smile Kaeya gives him js worth it. He oogles at that one too.

--🌱

Kaeya comes to his quarters again past midnight with a letter in hand. If you want to come see me, just do it. There's no need for such excuses.

Albedo decides not to say that aloud.

Kaeya sprawls across Albedo's bed like it's his own. He's slept here so many times Albedo honestly thinks it might be.

His stomach churns at the idea.

"I have wine," Albedo says idly, and Kaeya jumps at the notion. He can't help but smile, Kaeya really can be so childish when not constantly behind a facade, "Pink bottle in the second drawer. Label on the bottom."

He hears the sound of Kaeya chugging. He turns to have some of his own. Drinking from the same bottle is.. unpreffered, but when it's Kaeya it's alright.

He freezes and his heart drops.

"Kaeya. I told you to read the label on the bottom."

"..The heart?"

Albedo sighs, "Yes. What you have just drank is a love potion."

Kaeya blinks once, twice, "And here I thought you simply doodled a heart for me."

He tries not to blush at that.

"Are you ok? You might come across a faint dissociative feeling as a side effect. I don't think you'll be throwing yourself at me, but that depends on how you usually respond to love.

Also, before you get any more unconscious, would you mind if I studied this?"

Kaeya looks at him, "You can't study me. I don't feel any different."

Albedo raises an eyebrow, "Huh, strange. It worked perfectly on Timeaus."

Kaeya smiles at him.

"Dense as ever, 'Bedo."

He understands then.

--🌱

The actual confession falls from lips after one too many sips of wine.

Of course. Curse Kaeya. Ever unromantic.

"You come to my lab not only after midnight but also drunk," Albedo looks at his prince like a problematic toddler.

"Delivery." Kaeya smiles. And Albedo pouts.

Archons, are you that adamant on not admitting you just want to see me?

He lets Kaeya in anyway.

It's when Kaeya is in bed, eyes half-closed and Albedo about to crawl in when it happens.

" 'Bedo," he says, his voice soft and grounding, "you know already. So hurry and do something about it."

"Know what?"

Kaeya opens his eyes, displeasure seeping into his expression, "That I love you. Too much. I don't know why or how it happened but I can't stop it."

Albedo realizes that ever since the love potion, Kaeya has been waiting for an answer. And Albedo has kept him waiting.

Well I'm sorry- I didn't think that counted as a confesion!?

"For how long?"

Kaeya groans, "Give me an answer first."

"Hm," Albedo ponders, "you're a pain. You come sleep in a bed that isn't yours like it belongs to you. You steal my liquor. You're annoyingly secretive and vague about certain things."

"Ouch. You didn't have to be that harsh." Kaeya rolls his eyes, slumping into the bed.

"I love you too."

That reaction is priceless.

"And you say I'm the dense one. I thought it pretty obvious. After all," Albedo finally lays on the bed nexy to him, "unlike you, I don't bed every pretty person I meet."

The look of offense is quickly replaced by more shock when their lips meet. Finally, finally. Finally.

"Is this okay?" Albedo finds himself asking, a smile stuck on his lips.

"I don't know. You tell me."

He giggles.

Maybe it isn't. Maybe this is a bad idea.

But they're immortals, they have all the time in the world. It depends on how long they're willing to wait.

"Forever," Albedo whispers aloud. Yes, he'll wait forever for Kaeya- who is looking at him confused right now so he pressed another kiss to his lips.

If it isn't okay now, I'll wait for you until it is. No matter how long it takes, I swear you my loyalty,

Albedo stifles the 'Your Majesty'

Kaeya.