#genshin section

[natsuyuki-w]

Serenitea Shop | Sparkling Berry Juice

Kaveh x gn!reader

Modern AU

Serenitea shop >

You took a quick glance at the entrance, and when you saw the boy you were waiting for, placed a trembling hand to your chest as if that gesture would help curb your racing heartbeats. - Argh, I can't believe I'm going to do this... Do I look decent?" asked to your friend as you checked your reflection in the nearby window.

Hair soft and combed, but with obvious messy clumps from the bike ride. Clothes, well chosen and polished, but with the other hand wrinkling them out of nervousness. And finally, an accompanying shy smile. "Gorgeous" he could only think, but he would've not allowed himself to make such embarrassing comments at that exact moment. To avoid stammering, the blond boy nodded with conviction, not taking his eyes off you. Nervousness, jealousy, and embarrassment poured into that strong grip around his cup. The incoming gossip about your weekend had been one stab after another for Kaveh.

- There it goes...- You sighed heavily, turned around and gave your friend one last big smile. He hugged you tightly, and when he saw that gray hair out of the corner of his eye, he knew it was time to remove himself from the scene.

—-

You held your breath for a moment and then took the courage to answer the call - Hello? - There was a clear break in your voice. - It's me, Kaveh. Are you home now? - Street noises soundtracked his somewhat labored voice. A whole day had passed without hearing from you; you should have expected that he would provide. - Ah... yes. Sorry you didn't say goodbye before you left, you were in a bit of a hurry. - You chuckled about it, the knot in your throat getting more and more annoying. - I’m on my way to see you. - stated conclusively. - Ah... really... and how come? Don't you have anything else to do? Surely better than wasting your time with me. - And hopped a little sob. - I want to see you. We're friends, right? And we are because I like spending time with you. - He answered firmly again. - W-well,... But are you sure? V-it's all right you know. And then s-s I'm a little tired I don't want to bore you… -

- And you? - interrupted you - Do you want me to come, or would you rather be alone? - he asked. This time the tone was much calmer and accommodating compared to the previous answers. - I don't want to ... be alone. - - I’m coming - *Ding dong

The call cut off, and you heard your father greeting someone and calling your name from downstairs. - Kaveh is here! - With great effort, you managed to tell him to let him in without sounding completely distressed. You had been sick to your stomach all day, but the tears didn't seem to want to come out.

Light footsteps approached, and you saw him standing still in front of the front door. - May I? - he asked to be sure, and you answered with a nod of assent. - Go ahead and close it, thank you. - - He stepped in, and as he approached, his curious eyes wandered involuntarily, his architect's eye ever watchful.

You curled in on yourself even more and motioned for him to sit on your bed, and too immersed in your thoughts, you missed the gradual increase of saturation on his cheeks with each step he took toward you.

Before he could open his mouth, you began a casual conversation, "How was school?" "What did you have for lunch?" "Such a nice weather today..." And he decided to humor you for a while.

A good 10 minutes passed, and he was the one who interrupted you this time by laying a hand on your crossed arms clasped to your body. - You choose when you want to talk about it, but I suggest you do it. If not with me, call someone who makes you comfortable, but let it out. - And like the violent return of water in a dried-up river, you burst into a cascade of tears. From curling like a ball, you soon found yourself clinging to Kaveh in a natural search for comfort that your friend was willing to offer.

Crying and silent support had succeeded in brightening your mind clouded by too many emotions. You were ready to vent your embarrassment and confront your love's disappointment.

With more awareness of what was happening around you, you were struck by a deep sense of guilt. You had shamelessly crumpled the poor blond between tears and hugs as if he were a handkerchief.

You dragged him to the ground floor of the building, where the family café, Serenitea, was located, and hurried to prepare a snack to offer him. You approached the table where he was seated, and instead of joining in, you proposed: - What do you say we head to your house? I want to tell you everything but it's a little crowded here. - You looked at the clock - ... and also getting late; you still have to go to school tomorrow, right? - He nodded and proposed to stop by Vanarana. 

The large greenhouse was one of the most beautiful places to visit in Teyvat. It was not easy to find. One had to walk down narrow side streets, but once they reached the heart of that suburban neighborhood, the small square had been completely transformed and made into a huge covered garden, full of lush plants and colorful flowers. - There seems to be no one there tonight. - You commented. - Come on, let's sit down. - and pulled him along by tugging lightly on his arm. - Enjoy. - he smiled at you, but with an undertone of impatience after setting one of the metal and glass tables with your dinner. - Thank you Kaveh. - you suddenly extended your hand to take his. The contact was electric, and his cheeks tinged pink. - P-for what? You're the one who prepared - - Hahaha I'm not talking about the dinner. Thank you for everything. - you told him sincerely, your eyes still flushed and shiny but revitalized after the short laugh.

He squeezed your fingers lightly and smiled in turn. - Look,... I've been holding back insults from all afternoon about that soulless oak log... - and you burst out laughing again; the disappointment of the morning was easing, and so you began to explain without letting go of his hold.

- Um… I don't seem to have updated you much on Saturday night.... - - No, but if Cyno gossiped the truth,... I don't want to know the details. - He commented putting an even flustered pout than before. - I guess he told the true, so... -

You tried to summarize by dribbling out the most intimate details as much as possible. - I thought he was into it in short, but today he slapped me without remorse, telling me how he did it just to please me or something. - -S0,... he used you and then JUST... - he was furious, to say the least, but when you moved your hand to his cheek, he immediately blanched the anger. - It’s okay, at least now I know it would not work out. - and your smile widened even more - And from this situation, I just confirmed how lucky I am to have you Kaveh, and many friends to support me on these shitty days. - You giggled. Before you could see how red he had turned, he squeezed you tightly and murmured in your ear - Well, remember that, because I'm not going anywhere. -

Something in your brain clicked, and soon your cheeks were dyed like his.

[lionbearfox]

highly underrated sumeru moment imo

[huachengslastbraincell]

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

An example of queercoding in Alhaitham and Kaveh's relationship: Madam Faruzan edition

Due to the rules in place for game development in China, the possibility for queer confirmation within Genshin Impact is denied, which therefore renders the usage of characters alluding to the potential romantic connection between two same-sex characters as impossible. However, the same insinuation can be made by omitting specific language which strictly conveys romantic sentiments, such as ‘couple’. Instead, the idea of secrecy or something unmentionable can be drawn upon as indicators, as this draws parallels to the taboo of homosexuality practiced within certain cultures and media forms, which the real world audience can identify.  

For example, Alhaitham and Kaveh as secret housemates. This can be used to convey an idea of ‘taboo’ as Kaveh desires to protect his reputation by concealing his shame of having to live with Alhaitham. In-game, the context here is that Kaveh wants to uphold his reputation of a successful architect, but within Alhaitham’s Story Quest, upon the player’s discovery of Kaveh living with Alhaitham, this context is omitted for some time. This prompts Paimon to question what exactly Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship is, with Kaveh denying that the two used to be friends but are not anymore: “I wouldn’t say ‘friends’ exactly”.

This tactic of double entendre can be seen again in A Parade of Providence when Paimon almost reveals Kaveh’s living situation to Faruzan.

Faruzan’s can be observed to resort to a thinking pose, in comparison with Layla, when Alhaitham is mentioned in relation to Kaveh wanting to buy property, as Paimon almost ‘outs’ the truth, that Kaveh resides with Alhaitham.

She then seemingly dwells upon the subject, as she returns to it after Kaveh requests for a change of topic later in the conversation. Here, Faruzan follows up on whether Kaveh lives alone, which he fails to deny. 

Here, it can be seen that she has already began associating Kaveh and Alhaitham, possibly speculating that the two live together. When Kaveh fails to supply an answer, therefore not denying her theory, she explicitly ties the two together, and asks if the two are “hiding” something.  

This question evokes a physical reaction from Kaveh, as he denies this question out of fear of being revealed, with Paimon opting to leave in order to cover her role in revealing Kaveh’s predicament.  

A deliberate potentiality has been created here in regard to what Faruzan has inferred, as her phrasing of “are you two hiding something from me?” is non-specific. Rather than asking: “are you two living together?”, she asks a question which holds multiple connotations. Due to the ambiguity of her meaning, her question can be observed as a non-explicit version of the: “are you two a couple?” question.

On the surface, this question is a reference to their situation as roommates, however, her phrasing is non-specific, and hints to another cause for “hiding” something. For Faruzan, Kaveh’s blatant evasion of the topic and dismissal of Alhaitham’s name, could easily be inferred as “hiding” a romantic connection – which is something that the player, too, can pick up on from her gesture of suspicion, her inquisitive questioning, and her excitement when piecing together the clues. The ambiguity of her question generates multiple meanings as to why she has surmised the two could be “hiding”.  

This overt secrecy in Kaveh’s living with Alhaitham, another man, prompts the player to generate associations between this in-game secrecy and real world queer shame. In this, there is an implication of the need for Kaveh to confirm the status of his relationship between him and Alhaitham. Not only does this scene connotate an ‘outing’, in which a queer character has their queerness forcibly revealed to a heteronormative audience, but this creates a sense of secrecy, which, again, can be interpreted by the player as ‘taboo’.  

Kaveh does not want to tell anyone of his living situation out of preserving his stellar reputation, however, Faruzan is missing this context. She relates Alhaitham and Kaveh together in the phrasing “you two”, coupling them together in a secret that they “hid[e]”. The player understands this as indicating to their living situation, however, this creates a separate context which Faruzan has interpreted and that, we, as the audience are not privy to, but can interpret based on her allusions to cohabitation between two men being a secret.

Whilst this is not explicitly romantic within Genshin’s world of nameless sexuality, Faruzan’s ambiguous questioning here draws parallels between real world understanding of sexuality and the connotations of queerness which stems from two men living together in secret. 

(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)

[seabirdtxt]

Event batch 3

all three of these were requested by the lovely @littlemistermedly 😊

🩵 Check out my other event requests! 🩵

"The ways that they love you" Spinoff of Glitch!AU but can be read as standalone. fluff and smut. everyone involved in this is AFAB yes even the puppets, he/him still used for all three of them though 1. Kabukimono | pillowfort building / frottage, clothed sex 2. Wanderer | falling asleep in class / sub!Wanderer, toy usage. reader wears a strap 3. Scaramouche | PWP, oral (reader receiving), brat!Scara for like 2 seconds

🔞 18+ below the cut!🔞 By clicking "Read More" you acknowledge the above tags/warnings and agree that you are both over 18 and accept responsibility for your own media consumption.

----- ⚘ -----

Kabukimono: Man on the Moon

The sweet puppet holds you gently, sitting with your back leaning against his front as the both of you are squished together by a mountain of pillows and blankets that were generously provided to you against your other roommates’ wills. The pillow fort you’d constructed with the pilfered cushions hide you and Kabukimono from the rest of the world, fitting you both into a little bubble of quiet intimacy.

His chest thrums with the vibrations of his voice box as he hums a little song in your ear, gently smoothing his hands up and down your arms and shoulders. 

As his song comes to an end, he wraps his arms around you and rests his chin on your head, sighing contentedly.

“That was a nice song, Kabu,” you tell him, putting your hands over his. “Where did you learn that?” 

“It’s a nursery rhyme that the aunties in Tatarasuna taught me when I watched the village children!” He smiles gently, chest warming as he closes his eyes and purrs at the memory. “I don’t remember the words anymore, but the tune always makes me feel better.” 

“Aww,” you coo, reaching up and running your fingers through his hair. “That’s so cute, Kabu! You must’ve been the favourite of all the aunties.” 

“I- I wouldn’t go that far…” You can feel Kabukimono’s temperature rise again as he fights off the flustered expression he makes. You tilt your head back and look at him, catching a glimpse of his shaky smile. 

“I’m sure you had mobs of aunties offering you their sons’ and daughters’ hands in marriage,” you grin, poking his cheek as he pointedly looks away, covering his mouth with his hand. “Am I wrong? You’re so pretty, I just know everybody wanted a piece of this.” 

“Stop it! Now you’re just teasing me.”

You wriggle around so that you’re facing him, pressing down into his rumbling chest with your entire body. It’s a shame the puppet bodies don’t blush in the same way as humans, because you’re sure he would be beet red right now.

You lean in close and squish your cheek against his, nuzzling into the soft hair that frames his face. You begin to hum, doing your best to imitate the song, a little bit off-key and not quite as confident as Kabukimono’s version, but recognizable all the same. Kabu drops his hand from his face and his smile widens, a touch of softness easing the corners of his eyes.

“That was perfect,” he says to you quietly. “Just the same as I remember.”

 ---

“Okay, so, I read about this one in a book,” Kabukimono tells you, and you can’t help but be endeared by his excited nervousness. You and he have mostly undressed by this point, only left in your underwear, your other clothes long since discarded as you’d indulged Kabukimono’s growing curiosity. 

You let him manipulate you as he takes your legs and parts them, settling in the space between and pauses, eyes darting back and forth in a way that tells you he’s searching his memory for the next step.

“We can just keep doing what we usually do,” you tell him, using your heel to knock against his lower back. “It doesn’t have to be complicated or anything.”

“But I want to try other things!” Kabukimono protests. “How else am I supposed to expand on existing knowledge?”

“Okay, we’ll do it your way,” you let him manipulate you again, this time moving so he’s partially straddling you, slotting your legs together. Suddenly, you have a feeling you know where he’s taking this.

He drops his clothed crotch onto yours unceremoniously, face scrunched in concentration. For a second nothing happens, and he looks like he’s about to be incredibly disappointed, so you take a bit of initiative and cant your hips just a tad.

Kabu freezes and a cut-off squeak escapes his mouth as you grind your clit against his. You do it again, and his eyebrows climb into his bangs. 

“Oh!” He exclaims, rolling his own hips experimentally. A grin of delight comes over him as he comes to the realization.

You’re unprepared for how quickly he takes to it, bending toward you to roll your clothed cunts together, and you sink further into the pile of cushions from the force of it.

“This is great,” he gasps, wonder playing on his face. You laugh breathlessly and reach up to stroke his cheek with your thumb. “Ah- I can’t believe how good this feels, how good you feel.”

You briefly lament the distance between the two of you due to this position, wishing you could wrap him in your arms and eat his pleasure whole. He’s purring so loud that you can feel the vibration of it where your bodies connect. 

It doesn’t surprise you too much that Kabu comes first, his thighs tensing around yours as he soaks through both layers of underwear between you. He whines and bites back a sob as he continues to grind against you, overstimulating himself as he chases your peak. 

The wet friction of the cloth and the sight of him biting his lip to stifle the rest of his noises is what does it for you. You tumble headlong into your orgasm, and you feel him give a valiant twitch against you again.

You give in to your desires and pull him down into your embrace, and he follows along gladly. He collapses onto you, causing you both to exhale with the impact, and wraps his arms around your torso. He buries his face in your shoulder as you bring one hand up to stroke his hair.

“Is that what you were hoping for?” You ask him, your heartbeat racing as you come down from your high. He nods against you, cheerfully sucking a mark into your neck.

“Mhm,” he agrees wordlessly, and after a minute or so he props himself up on his elbows, his body never leaving yours. You hook your ankles over his, holding him in place.

He looks down at you, considering. “So there’s this other thing I read about…”

----- ⚘ -----

Wanderer: Pick up the receiver, I'll make you a believer

The lecture is so indescribably boring that you’ve begun doodling all over your notes, filling every empty space with little cats and plants and stick figures with swords.

Beside you, Wanderer rests his head in one hand, elbow resting on the desk, his other hand lazily flipping his pen. He watches you out of the corner of his eye, holding back a snort as your eyelids and your own slowly begin to droop. He glances around quickly, ensuring nobody else is looking in this direction, then reaches out to you with his mind.

It takes no effort at all to impress the subtle thought of taking a nap into your tired brain. Within moments, you’ve begun to slump over, eyes closed and breathing softly.

 Wanderer’s arm reaches around you and pulls you just enough so that you are leaning on him as you sleep. With his other hand, he takes your pen and puts it aside before it can leak all over your notes. Curiously, he peeks at your drawings.

Wanderer doesn’t laugh, but it’s a near thing. There's stick figures of himself, Kabukimono, and Scaramouche in little scratchy renditions of the trio’s daily mishaps. He didn’t realize Scaramouche ended up the most unfortunate of the three of them, having been the butt of the joke most often.

Taking his own pen, Wanderer decides to add a bit of embellishment to some of the doodles. Satisfied with his work, he sits back and listens to the rest of the lecture.

You wake up an hour later thanks to the cacophony of the lecture hall as students pack up their belongings, announcing the end of the lesson. You push off of your temporary pillow with a half-coherent noise, feeling the indent his clothes made on your cheek.

You grab your own notebook, intending to put it away as well, when you notice the new addition to your drawings, and you laugh loud enough to scare yourself fully awake.

Wanderer had drawn giant cartoon dicks onto your stick figures of him. 

“What,” Wanderer says, smirk audible in his voice. “You don’t like it? I think it suits me.” 

“You are SO lucky this wasn’t the notebook that we have to hand in to the professor,” you wag your finger at him playfully. “Do you know how much work it would be to recopy all of my notes into a fresh book?”

“Maybe don’t fall asleep somewhere where I can draw in it, then,” Wanderer counters, slinging his book bag over his shoulder. He takes your hand as you finish packing your own bag, and you begin the journey home together.

“Thanks for letting me nap, by the way,” you smile gratefully at him, swinging your clasped hands between you.

“No problem, you can just pay me back later,” Wanderer shrugs. You squint at him suspiciously.

“How do you want me to pay you back?” you ask, already not liking where this is going.

Wanderer’s smirk widens at your predictable reaction. “How about you top, tonight?”

“Nooo!” You wail in despair, dropping his hand like it’s on fire. You stomp ahead, and you can hear Wanderer’s cackles behind you. “This is why I never ask you for anything!”

“Come on, you always make me top, though,” Wanderer needles you in a sing-song voice as he jogs to catch up.

“You do that out of your own choice, bossy!”

 “Can’t you do it for one night?” He asks, giving you puppy eyes that you definitely don’t melt at.

“But I wanna be lazy…” You pout and cross your arms, denying him from taking your hand again. Instead, he puts his hands into the pockets of his shorts and nudges you with his shoulder.

“Should’ve thought of that before you took a nap,” he states simply. “Since you’re sooo well rested, now, I guess you have more energy than I do. Especially since I took all the lecture notes for today, and maybe I’ll share them with you if I’m in a good mood.”

You don’t drop your pout, but you do lean into him as the pair of you walk. 

“Fine, I guess,” you relent with a sigh, not really as disappointed as you’re pretending to be. “Can I use the purple toy?”

“Sure,” Wanderer leans over and gives you a quick peck to your cheek. “Whatever you want, babe.”

---

Whatever your hang ups with topping, it’s all worth it to see Wanderer shaking and moaning under you so prettily. With his elbows braced against the table, head resting on his forearms, the view of his toned back flexing with every movement you make against his sweet spot is incredible.

You run your fingertips over the fabric of your strap where it connects with the purple toy you chose, marveling at just how wet it is. You push into Wanderer again, grinding your own clit against the back of the textured material.

“Maybe you’re right,” you pant, smug as you pound into his greedy hole. “I should top you more often, this is awesome. Who knew you could get this loud?” 

Wanderer makes a valiant attempt to look over his shoulder and scowl at you, but another snap of your hips has him swallowing whatever snarky remark he was about to make at your expense. Another loud whine pulls from his throat, and he bites his own arm to stifle the rest.

You have no idea how many times you’ve made him cum, though you count at least twice based on the growing puddle beneath you. Maybe three. (Very, very distantly, you hope you don’t slip on the wet floor. You’re not sure you could take the embarrassment.)

Another full-body shudder runs through him, and one arm reaches behind himself to grab at your fingers where they’re holding his waist in a grip that would bruise if he were able to. With an airy laugh you bat his hand away. 

“What’s wrong? You asked for this.” You remind him, using both hands to pull him backward onto your toy. You hum lowly as the movement causes the base to rub against you, urging you closer to your own orgasm. 

“Ugh, if I’d known-” he cuts himself off with a reedy cry. You take pity on him, allowing him to slump onto the table. You press into him one more time, remaining still as he fights the overstimulation, twitching around the toy buried inside. “ Ah- if I’d known you’d be this into it, I would've made you do it a lot more.” 

“Sorry, did you say more?” Your smile turns devious as you pull out, to his weak protests, and push back in slowly, building your rhythm again. The squelching noises leave absolutely nothing to the imagination, if anyone were to walk by your room right now.

Wanderer thinks he might be in for a long night.

----- ⚘ -----

Scaramouche: Moment’s Silence

Out of the three of them, you would've expected Scaramouche to be the least tactile. As it turns out, you couldn’t be more wrong. He just doesn’t show it well. Or nicely.

During the day, and in front of anyone else, he remains the grouchy, taciturn puppet you’ve come to know and love. However, when the lights dim and everyone retreats to their respective rooms, his clingier side comes out to bother you.

Which is why you’ve been here for the past thirty minutes, splayed out on your back in the middle of your bed, trying to read one of the many books in your inventory, with the Balladeer on his stomach between your legs doing his utmost to distract you from getting into the plot.

Another jolt of pleasure shakes your concentration, and you lift the book to give a halfhearted glare at Scaramouche, who’s tongue still flicks lazily against you.

“Do you mind?” You huff, nudging him with your leg, to which he responds by grabbing your knee and pushing it back down roughly. “H- hey! If you’re not going to get on with it, can you at least let me finish reading?”

“Shut up,” Scaramouche snaps at you, baring his teeth irritably. “This isn’t about you.”

Despite his harsh demeanor, the next swipe of his tongue is heavy and languid, dragging up the cleft of your sex. You gasp and arch under his touch, and he takes advantage of the moment to slide his hands beneath your back, holding your hips to his face.

“I would say- ah- that you’re eager to please,” you tease him, reaching down to stroke his hair, fingers curling in his indigo locks. “But you always look like- hah- like you have a gun being held to your head when you do this.”

In retaliation, he gives a harsh suck to your swollen clit, quickly followed by him turning his head away (you have to hold back a whine at the loss of stimulation) to bite into the meat of your inner thigh. 

“Ouch! Why?!”

The glare Scaramouche gives you could freeze a hot spring.

 “In what universe would I do something like this if I didn’t want to?” He demands, pulling one of his hands out from beneath you to pinch your sensitive nub, rolling it between his pointer and thumb as you fight and fail to snap your legs closed around his head. 

Without waiting for a response, two of his fingers breach your entrance and slowly spread apart, baring your soft insides to his scrutiny. 

“Why shouldn’t I take advantage of everything you present to me?” He asks, tone reverent as he leans back down and his tongue delves into your cunt. You shiver at the feeling of him licking every slick crevasse, the noises that reach your ears causing you to flush with embarrassment. 

He groans into your skin as he feels you clench around his tongue, the vibrations causing you to squeal and thrash in his grasp. The sheets beneath you are positively soaked with your fluids and his saliva. He twists his fingers inside you just so, and you drop your book with a choked gasp. 

“You taste amazing, I can’t believe you think I don’t want this,” he mutters, his hot breath tickling the insides of your thighs. Your hand in his hair tightens, and you’re not sure if you’re pulling him closer or pushing him away.

“I… I…” 

Your lack of response seems to amuse him and he chuckles against your wet hole. He gently takes his fingers out and uses his slick-damp hand to hook behind your knee and push it up, opening you more to him.

“Such a good boy. Are you close?” He looks up at you through his lashes, licking a heavy stripe from your hole to your clit, sucking the twitching bud between his lips teasingly. “Cum for me, pretty boy. Show me how well I did.”

You’re unable to formulate words as he pushes you over the precipice, throwing your arms over your face as you cry out, hips jerking against his clever tongue. Never once have his eyes left your trembling form.

You’re panting like you’ve just run a marathon, still spasming with the aftershocks, when you feel Scaramouche crawling up the length of your body. You watch through your post-orgasm haze as he licks the mess from his lips and hand. 

“Is that it?” He teases, caging your head with his arms as he leans down, breathing into your space. “I thought you wanted me to ‘get on with it’.”

Your brain is still in the process of rebooting, and he laughs mockingly at your fucked out expression. Your head falls back as you try to catch your breath, and you feel more than see him as he shucks his own shorts off, grabbing the headboard with both hands as he straddles your shoulders.

“Come on, where’s your manners?” He croons, voice hitching as your eyes finally come into focus, greeted by the sight of his own slick, fluttering hole. “I think you know how to say ‘thank you’.”

No need to be told twice. Your hands come up to hold his waist, thumbs rubbing circles into the divots at his hips. You watch with rapture as his expression changes as you slowly pull him down to your mouth.

[elatedfool]

food play, cunnilingus, navia x fem!reader, nsfw

girlfriend!navia who bites into a macaron and feed it to you (sort of like the pocky challenge).

at first it's just a playful gesture, but as soon as her lips touched yours, it turns into a full-blown making out session.

and it leads to navia topping a small amount of whip cream on your tummy and licking it directly off of you, before slowly trailing her lips down to your crotch, planting light kisses across your skin.

oh and she'd giggle into your slick pussy when you whimper, then proceeds to tease you even more by giving a kiss to your clit. the president of spina di rosula really, really loves hearing your desperate moans. it makes her happy knowing she's the one who can get those noises out of your pretty lips.

"you taste sweeter than any other desserts i have ever tasted, love."

[shima-draws]

God gives his toughest battles (being at work DESPERATELY wanting nothing more than to be at home playing the new Genshin Fontaine update) to his bravest soldiers (me)

[cor-lapis]

Maybe I'm just a sucker for mystery/detective stories in general but Fontaine's archon quest was GOOD

[banjomelodies]

Aw MAN tiktok mischaracterizes Scaramouche so much. Specifically as Wanderer (I sometimes see it with Scaramouche too).

(TW as I do mention abusive topics)

I've genuinely seen people go full force on the "oh, Wanderer would bully my whole team. Wanderer would be so mean! Wanderer—" and it's just. NO? Wanderer is a significantly mellowed out Scaramouche. If anything he wouldn't entirely give a damn about anyone he works with as long as they aren't ridiculously insufferable or take personal offense to what he calls brutal honesty. Instead of him literally physically harming or abusing the people who annoy him (like he would as the Balladeer), he just says a snarky comment. Like, I'm sorry, I don't think he's going to beat up your Freminet, or Mika.

Scaramouche is the type who would snap on one of them, especially since as the Balladeer, he saw little to no worth in humans (i mean come on, he turned on his two fatui agents in an instant when they said one thing that angered him. He was also implied a lot of the time to be an insufferable Harbinger). Wanderer is not the same. Wanderer probably still has a deep-rooted disdain, yes, it'd be hard to fully overcome something he believed in for so many decades, but he's well past taking his frustrations out on other people like that. He's literally trying to AMEND the horrific actions he's done. He wouldn't add more to it. Not to mention, he likely has a promise made to Nahida, who was willing to help him, to try his best to grow and change as a person, even if he doesn't think he can.

Now talking about Scaramouche in general, people amp up Scaramouches more toxic traits by twenty notches. Scaramouche is a toxic person. I will fully admit that. When I consider how lower Fatui agents act around him, he's definitely an awful person. But on the same hand, I don't think he'd be the sort who'd be abusive in romantic encounters. You're telling me, this man who was desperate for love and admiration and acceptance, would be beating and killing anyone who even dates him? Personally, I don't think so. I feel like he'd unintentionally be a bad partner. Perhaps saying things he shouldn't, or being distant, as he hasn't experienced anything positive or real since he was the Kabukimono. The Harbingers are all fake to eachother, so it's not like he's really used to having to be fully himself with another person. But I don't think he'd beat or maim his partners.

Maybe I'm blinded by my adoration for this character, but, I just don't get how some people look at him and go "Yeah that man would absolutely BEAT that traumatized teenager standing next to him for breathing the wrong way."

[dragonciphering]

[natsuyuki-w]

Serenitea Shop | Boreal Watch

Kaedehara Kazuha x gn!reader

Modern AU

Serenitea shop >

Sitting in your place with Xingqiu, both waited for the lecturer to finish preparing the material for the class. Taking the ceramic cup with two hands and, bringing it to your mouth, cast a fleeting glance at your crush.

"Mint,... And Valberries," inhaled the boy dreamily. - Aye! Kazuha? Heyyyy...Hey! - woke him up with loud snaps of fingers in front of his face. - Hmm? - The albino boy asked some more on the other side. - You had such a boiled fish face. - affirmed the girl. She never missed a chance to poke at her dreamy friend, or anyone for that matter. - Sometimes even the most unstoppable samurai can give in to the challenges in his path. - he told her with a fond smile. Don't give me that bullshit! When have I ever found you tired? I don't know how that's possible, but I'm sure you were having one of your usual overthinking. -

Not exactly, it was true however not tiredness was the cause of his distraction. It had been a while since the boy had felt that way. Tightness in his chest, butterflies in his stomach, red cheeks, and his nose always guiding him to the same person... Yes, nose! The classmate with the lingering scent of cafeteria, made his head spin. Unfortunately, literature was the only class they had in common and whenever he wanted to talk to them he was either held up by someone else, running, or busy with the lecturer.

His morals prevented him from going to investigate (stalk) their person, as opposed to what his friends would have him do. So to avoid indelicate approaches, he was keeping his cool and the matter to himself.

Little did he know, he had definitely overestimated his discretion and underestimated his neighbor's watchful eye. - Yes! They have my blessing. - said Beidou smugly, who nodded with her arms crossed to her chest and rested her back on the classroom bench. - Blessing? - the Japanese boy asked confused. But she was already turning her head toward the teacher whispering to him her last words: - Serenitea shop, tomorrow at 10:00. -

That she would ask him to attend such a place made him puzzled, to say the least. The friend's style was more like an old drunkard than a hipster. But he decided to leave the time running and appreciated the offer of good company. 

When class was over you ran off to take the shopping you had done on the way and prepare for an evening with Venti of heavy drinking and emotional support. - See you guys tomorrow, if you want to join me I am at Angel's Share, it should be karaoke night after one last fleeting glance at your classmate you left.

—

You woke up early to help your parents. A small group of survivors from the previous evening had decided to pay you a visit and camped out to scrounge up your father's hospitality.

Between welcoming and informing customers it was 10 o’clock. - Welcome to Serenitea shop. - You said in a kind voice to the newly arrived family. - Is there room? - the lady asked uncertainly. The two brats held back from dashing toward the counter laden with sweets. - Yes, absolutely. It doesn't look like it but there is plenty of space! - - Ah well then with permission - replied the woman. - I’ll inform you though that we're having the art showcase today so we're all in a bit of a tizzy. - You giggled, handing a flyer from the stack into your arms. - It's going to be fun. You are free to simply attend or you can participate. Just let me know and I'll put you on the list. -

Despite the children's enthusiasm the mother politely declined the offer and was shown to the first available table. - Good morning welcome... To the Serenitea shop. - What you did not expect was to find yourself face-to-face with your crush. - You looked at each other in disbelief for a few moments but he recomposed himself after a short time to greet you. "HE SAID MY NAME HE KNOWS I EXIST??????" You screamed internally. - Now I understand... It seems that only driven by storms could our paths cross. - He thought aloud.

- I don't know what you said, but it sounded great... Do you want to participate? - You handed him the flyer. - I'm sure your haiku will be much appreciated. I know I like to hear your voic...POETRY, I meant poetry. - You straightened up as red as his eyes. - No, r-r-really, you are amazing. Your lyrics are immersive,... It's like they capture the five senses and you have an endless archive of metaphors. N-It's not just because I like your voice...I mean yes....but you're so good…- You were really fangirling, and in trying to explain yourself you had only made things worse, someone had to bury you in shame.

Looking up again, he was smiling mysteriously, but a blush had appeared on his face as well. - How could I deny, after these heartfelt compliments from the person who moved my texts in recent times. - And took the paper from your hands, carefully touching them. Before your brain could reactivate itself to dive into the matter, Kazuha's phone rang and she nodded in apology.

- Is that him? - sneaked Venti, making you jump. - Who? - You replied playing dumb. - Your heart-shaped eyes can be seen from down the hall. You don't fool me, darling. - He replied with a closed-eye smile. - Don’t. Do. Nothing. - You threatened him by clenching your teeth. - Whaaat~? - he said innocently, encircling your shoulders. - You're already doing a great job on your own. - And he pinched your still pink cheeks.

The Japanese boy turned around, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. - W-was everything all right Kazuha? - You asked uncertainly. - It would appear that my outing has taken a lonely path, my friend Beidou kindly informed me of her impending retirement.- - You can stay with m... I mean no. I have to work, however, if you want my friends would welcome you. They are total idiots but at least nice.- You told him in one breath - Sometimes. - You concluded, looking at Venti. - I’ll make you think again right away. - Venti said, turning on his heels toward the coffee counter and sticking his tongue out at you. You heard your interlocutor chuckle, crystalline, soft but not shy. Stop throbbing stupid little heart. - You two are very close. - He commented. - I love him dearly, we are like siblings,... He even makes me mad like a brother. - You murmured through greeted teeth and Kazuha gave you that wonderful laugh again.

- Here I am! Well, now come inside - ran the boy with the blue pigtails to push you both in. - What are you doing? - You looked toward your father and he threw you an okay with tears in his eyes. - What did you say to him? - Inquisitively you glared at your friend. - Only that I set you up on a date with your secret love. - He said nonchalantly. And at that moment you realized that the push had brought you arm in arm with Kazuha, who had obviously heard everything. - HAHAHA I-I don't know what he's talking about,... I mean obviously, you're very nice...But I mean that would be stupid of me.... We don't know each other and... Here I'm sorry,... Y-you can go since Beidou's not here,…-

- How does the art showcasing work? - he stopped Venti, and asked looking you straight in the eye with a sweet smile, the tips of his ears a little pink. - You are enrolled! - exclaimed the other leading him to the box in the corner. It was next to your table, and the little German boy dragged you to sit in the nearest possible spot.

Kazuha sat down and took a deep breath bringing his hand to his chin. Then he brought his lips close to the microphone and recited a single Haiku.

- Sweet scent In the air suspended, Whispers of tea. -

Brief, yet time seemed to dilate. You had never received the attention of such an intense gaze. Then the boy got up and came and sat down next to you. You hadn't understood much, none had understood much but a cheer went up anyway and the loud Bum Bum in your chest perhaps signaled that something had happened. - W-what would you like? - You asked him about to order at the counter. - He reached out his hand and gently pulled your arm back to you. - Then with a low voice in your ear, responded: - You, Cu-tea -.

[gierosajie]

Idea: dead lore characters becoming playable through leyline shenanigans similar to the Hidden Strife event and their voicelines are either directed at someone else or are said by a present character that knew them

Imagine the about sections in Vennessa's voicelines being told by Venti, or things about Crepus told by Diluc and Kaeya, Guizhong's being super long because of both Zhongli and Cloud Retainer, etc.

[mintjeru]

magnet; cover art for the kavetham playlist i recently made

open for better quality | no reposts | ID under the cut

[Image description: A digital drawing of Kaveh and Alhaitham based on the poses used in the Vocaloid song, "Magnet." Kaveh and Alhaitham face each other and stare into each other's eyes. Kaveh slings an arm around Alhaitham's shoulder. Alhaitham's headphones have red and black butterfly wings attached. Kaveh wears red headphones styled like Alhaitham's, and his have teal and black butterfly wings attached.]

[h4msanta]

The super cool @kanonavi and I created an incredibly detailed Genshin Orchestra AU! There is so much that can be said about it, but here’s the trombone section for now!

Wriothesley is a bit of an old and jaded criminal justice major who has been at this university for way too long. Yanfei is a law major and Hu Tao is a mortuary science major, and they both still have hope and joy in their eyes :)

Wriothesley becomes one of the girlies after showcasing his dry wit in rehearsal, and Sigewinne is very happy that he now has friends who get him to do activities. Hu Tao and Yanfei don't have a car and Wriothesley does, so he is quickly roped into driving them to rehearsals, and then to get groceries, and then to go shopping... and then be weird in the Taco Bell drive thru at 11:30pm

They take him to get boba for the first time and he likes it! Now they show up late almost every week because they're getting fun drinks :D

While you're here, go look at my friend's art of the oboe section!

[chilapis]

As a result of being burdened by knowledge, and an indulgent inability to remain silent, I would like to discuss scent notes and perfumes that I associate with Childe in consideration of his nature and nurture. I’ll also likely be redoing the post in which I compared him to garnets (x) tomorrow; this is because that post was genuinely intended to be a skeleton and there are many details that were overlooked, both in regards to him and the stone itself, which feels like injustice twofold. Anywho, let’s begin.

For the purposes of this, I’ll first be tackling the elephant in the room. The official Tartaglia perfume, which was formulated by Primaniacs in collaboration with MiHoyo. I do not care for this perfume, I disagree with half of its the associations, and I will personally be disregarding it here onwards because I’m not legally prohibited from doing so.

It should be noted that aside from the “Tartaglia” name and face slapped onto this scent, it also mentions its association with the hydro element; I do not think it would be unreasonable to believe that this perfume can be seen to extend to the hydro element as a whole rather than be exclusive to him. This is the interpretation I choose to utilise.

I will however state my (reluctant) agreement with few of the associated notes mentioned. Namely, Tonka Beans; Bergamot and Orange flower (mentioned together as they will be tackled in one go); Cumin and Nutmeg, and Agarwood.

Tonka Beans make sense on several grounds; firstly, they’re actually one of the most common ingredients in masculine brews (see: Giorgio Armani Black Code; Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille; Givenchy Givenchy Play Intense). Tonka creates a beautiful and comforting warmth in the scent; it’s quite similar to vanilla, but much… smokier, one may say. You’ll notice that a lot of the ingredient I focus on will have much to do with warmth. Historically, the seeds would be dried and soaked in rum for a certain amount of time in order to extract the scent, though artificial substitutes exist to offer the same result now.

Bergamot and Orange Flower are both citrus notes, though the former offers a much stronger one in comparison to the citrusy-floral amalgam that the latter offers. The reason I agree with these is that citrus notes are seen as quite common in aquatic scents as they recall the freshness of the sea breeze (see: Armani Giorgio Acqua Di Gio; Royall Lyme of Bermuda Royall Yacht; Czech & Speake Ausonia).

Cumin and Nutmeg are both spices, so one can imagine that they lead to a warm, comforting, and, well, spicy, scent. Remember how I said only a short while ago that warmth will be a prominent focus of mine? Exactly. No matter where he travels to, no matter where he goes, I’m quite certain he’d like a scent that reminds him of home; considering perfume etiquette requires one to wear fragrance according to the weather and occasion, I imagine warmer scents will be much more reminiscent of the contrasting, overbearing cold conditions that his nation offers.

Agarwood (the wood of Gods) — often interchangeable with oud in the fragrance world, despite both different— is such a deliciously warm and spicy note as well; it can be a bit overwhelming for some if it is found to be too heavy in a scent (which is quite common and rather easy to manage) but it can provide such a delicious base if handled right.

With these justifications done, I will now begin to write the notes that I personally associate with him.

I simply cannot deny the association of musk; another one of the most common notes found in perfumes. It’s warm, it’s soft and heavenly, it’s delicious. It is often seen as bringing a more primal, instinctual, and almost animalistic mood to the fragrance. This comes as no surprise considering it was historically obtained from male musk deers’ glands, even if we are now able to enjoy this scent artificially as well due to modern development and discoveries.

Speaking of animal origins and perfumes, did you know that whale vomit was traditionally a rather popular ingredient in perfumes? Ambergris is a substance that comes from the digestive system of sperm whales; it smells quite foul when fresh, as one would reasonably expect. It smells like faeces, actually. Again, as one would reasonably expect. However, it… becomes pleasant after drying down? Warm, musky. Ambrein is then extracted from the ambergris to be used in brews; rather, it is the quantity of of this alcohol that dictates the quality of the ambergris. It is still used, however due to issues with both cost and access it has been replaced with a synthetic counterpart for the most part, with notable exceptions. It also has a history of being used an aphrodisiac? But so has musk, so, such usage is quite common with animal-origin ingredients and notes, but I digress. It was just a fact I find somewhat curious.

Leather is a big one as well. Do I have much explanation for this? No. Leather scents can come in a wide variety, from smooth, cozy, suave and sensual, to rough, primal, smoky, and beastly. It mostly depends on what ingredients are being used and which notes are being aimed to replicate; the fragrance house of Memo, Paris is extraordinary at replicating different types of leather scents; they’re arguably my favourite when it comes to scents, actually. But either way, there is a kick to it; a spicy, warm, and intense presence that you cannot deny.

I would like to give special mention to saffron, tobacco, rum, gin, bourbon, amber (especially amber), vanilla, cardamom and other spices for bringing a similar warmth and comfort to their scents that I’m absolutely certain would suit him very well. Also vetiver, because it brings a woody delight to any fragrance it embraces.

Now comes the discussion of perfumes; arguably what I’m most excited for and the main reason that I wished to write this.

First off the list is Ocean Leather, by Memo, Paris.

Now, the official site claims it to comprise of Vetiver, Nutmeg, Cedar, Mandarin oil, Sage, and a leather accord. It also has basil and elemi, so I’m certain you can imagine how all of this together with the mandarin oil would offer you a truly citrusy, aquatic scent, combined the comfort of leather, nutmeg, vetiver and cedar. This, along with the gorgeous whale artwork, makes this almost perfect for him. Almost.

This is the only one in the list that I haven’t smelt myself (because somehow, much to my dismay, no stores seem to be carrying it) however, I’ve heard a lot of people review it to be more of a… clean scent? Which I feel doesn’t suit Ajax at all.

For the record, fragrances are often divided as being either clean scents, or dirty scents. Clean scents are those that are not overwhelming, these are scents containing light, refreshing notes. You should expect something like citrus-heavy, something that’s very suited to spring with light, fresh floral notes. Something you’d smell in a professional setting, in an office perhaps. It’s a mild, timid scent. And I do not think it suits Ajax in any sense of the way, whether you take into account his domestic life or his professional life.

Dirty scents are warm, musky; they’re heavy, they’re entrancing, they’re so deeply connected to the Earth. They feel like browns and reds, like clay. No matter which face of him you choose to assign a scent to, it’ll likely fall under this. Imagine the sweet and gentle atmosphere at home, where he and his siblings huddle together as he cherry-picks the details of the sights he witnessed adventures, ensuring to leave out all the parts unfit for the children to hear. Do you imagine him to smell like a bouquet? Or do you imagine him to smell like home itself? A smoky sweetness that shares the depth of the abyss as it mixes with his body’s chemistry?

Or, imagine him in the battlefield; would this man smell like spring? Or would he smell like a mix of iron, sweat, musk and leather? There you have your answer.

So I’m not all too sure about this fragrance simply because I don’t have a personal reference to go off of, and everyone that I know in real life, as well as every online forum I seem to run into, calls it very light. I even saw someone refer to it as an office-scent? He is not wearing a damn office scent. However, if the citrusy notes are at balance with the leather and nutmeg and it’s offering a conflicting, fresh yet potently warm fragrance? That suits him perfectly.

The second fragrance I’d like to discuss is Royall Yacht by Royall Lyme of Bermuda.

It is another aquatic fragrance and my goodness am I in love. It perfectly balances that need for aquatic accords through citrus and that need for warmth through the warmer notes. It has vetiver, lemon, cedar, musk, and amber (along with a few floral notes but they’re not the focus). Although reading off of the notes, one might imagine this to not be so strong in its aquatic mood due to the citrus being so limited, but reviews will prove otherwise. Most people state that it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of the lulling sea breeze as one sets sail. This does come with its own issue however, and that is the fact that this house in general (Royall) is not… particularly known or admired for the longevity of their fragrances. What I’m saying is that their fragrances don’t last very long at all. I say this from personal experience (due to owning a few fragrances) as well as online observation; perhaps an hour or two at most and then they are as good as gone, and that is if you’re not partaking in any strenuous activities that might make you break out in a sweat. I imagine this wouldn’t even last ten minutes on him, so I don’t, quite see a point in its purchase or wear for such an active man.

The third I’d like to discuss is Opus XIV Royal Tobacco, by Amouage.

The notes are within the picture above: we’re seeing cardamom, musk, vetiver, agarwood, osmanthus, tobacco, licorice, benzoin, bergamot: I’m sure that you can tell that we’ve left the aquatic scent category by now. Though bergamot is present to give a citrusy feel, it’ll most just heighten the intensity of the other notes rather than offer its own unique mood. It’ll be a very dark, carnal, spicy scent with a lot of depth and smokiness to it; perhaps not suited for Ajax, a gentle family-man, but certainly fitting for the 11th Harbinger. I adore the longevity of Amouage fragrances, they’re known for their gorgeous bottles and their interesting ingredient and note selection, and this perfume is no exception.

It is such a mouthwateringly delicious scent, I cannot stress this enough. Also, the handle is made to recall the image of a Khanjar in one’s mind; Khanjars are traditional Middle Eastern and South Asian blades in the shape, usually worn by men on the hip. They’re crafted in the shape of a ‘J’ and their handles are made from a variety of materials, including but not limited to bone (especially camel bone), gold, and silver.

My last and most important association is that of Iberian Leather, by Memo, Paris.

This is such a beautiful winter fragrance; I actually got it not too long ago but I have been so deeply in love with it. It lacks aquatic accords but it has a spiciness that can handle his duality. This fragrance can provide that intimidating, overwhelming, animatic atmosphere but it can also surround one with that comforting, cozy urge to huddle in. I call it a winter fragrance because it is just that heavy and warm; although I’m personally not one to follow the etiquette of limiting scents to seasons as I prefer heavier scents all year round, people have noted this to be perfect for winter use both in real life/personal expedience, and in online discussion. Its notes include cedarwood, vetiver, agarwood, oakmoss, amber, musk, vanilla, osmanthus, cinnamon, bergamot, clove, saffron, sandalwood, and a few flower notes as well. So you’re once again getting that wooziness and that spice but you’re not getting the sweet and tender darkness of tobacco and licorice. It’s still intense and it’s still deeply layered in its scent profile but it’s not dark. It’s something that’ll suit him no matter the situation he is in or who he has in his company, and this is arguably one of the best scents to douse your winter coat in because it is so, comforting, so warm, so cozy. It is so earthen and natural. It feels like sitting next to a bonfire on a cold night. It feels like him. Not to mention, the longevity of this (or, the whole house, rather) is very impressive; you can apply it in the morning and it’ll still very much be on you when you sleep, even if barely. No matter how hot it is outside, how much you’ve been sweating, it will be on you, so help you god.

I would also like to give special mention to a few other perfumes that were close but fell short, such as Russian Leather Memo Paris; Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio; Giorgio Armani Black Code; Flåm Memo Paris; Vancleef & Arpels Ambré Imperial; Vancleef & Arpels Tonka Imperial, and more.

With all associations and justifications stated, I’d like to conclude this post by also mentioning what he smells like? A lot of people forget to take into consideration that no fragrance smells the same on everyone; it has a lot to do with your body chemistry (& natural body odour) as well as what you’re doing throughout the day. For example, on some people, floral notes tend to be more prominent, while on others, vanilla or more gourmand notes might appear more prominent instead. Although I can’t speculate much on which notes would be more prominent on him (vanilla; I want to say vanilla) I do feel like he’d smell like a mix of his chosen fragrance and iron. I feel like from being in battle all day, the scent would become… even more him, due to constantly mixing with his own sweat and body odour throughout the day, which then further combines with the unmistakably metallic scent of blood if business requires more extreme measures,

I will say however I imagine his fatui fur-collar cloak to smell like the most comforting thing in the world. I’ve noticed this to be quite common in winter clothing somehow, especially when you wear it quite commonly. One does not realise (and does not care, really) whether they have applied anything on it already and just about on their normal routine, spraying it over and over until it just… seemingly sets in, creating a scent so unique to the wearer because it now smells like them and the fragrance combined. It smells like home, it smells like all the memories of your past winters that you spent with those who love you. It smells like solace and relief and a happy ending and I think he deserves that bittersweet comfort of domestic nostalgia.

[laviethepooh]

summary. when you’re burnt out, alhaitham is there for you, even though he’s just your roommate.

ft. alhaitham x y/n (no kaveh this time </3)

cw. modern!au, (optional: gifted kid) burnout

wc. 1.8k

notes. burnout sucks especially when you love academic validation :(( senioritis is coming for me soon and i’m trying to stay as motivated as possible to do work but even with college application results coming out well (i’m not letting digital footprint ruin anything for me but hey only 1 rejection and a deferral) i can feel that i’m losing energy to work on school. anyway  a mid story for a mid feeling :((

on a tuesday night at 2am after a long day of work, alhaitham walked past your bedroom door. although it was dark, he could tell that your desk lamp was still on by the faint glow that shone from under the door. you had spent the past several days up this late working on some sort of project. 

you looked miserable these days. your eyes were puffing, signifying that you had been crying recently and the bags under your eyes were so deep that he was certain that you had gotten an aggregate of an hour of sleep that week. during the rare times that you shared a meal together, you barely spoke and barely ate.

although school in general was a struggle, your major was significantly more demanding than the others. it wasn’t uncommon for you to stay up late working on an essay or finishing other homework, but this past week had been killing you and he could clearly tell.

however, he didn’t feel like it was his place to be saying anything to you. sure, you probably saw him more than your friends, especially since you were his roommate, but that didn’t mean the two of you were extremely close. other than the occasional grocery run together and conversations in the living room, you never spent much time together outside of the house.

but that night as he walked past your room, he heard sniffling. he paused, lifting his headphones to check if he heard correctly.

“i’m so tired of everything,” he heard you say from beyond the door, muffled by your sleeves.

he pursed his lips as he considered what he should do. on a normal day, he would have ignored it and gone to sleep since it was none of his business, but this time something was pulling on him to interfere, even if it was rude.

he took in a deep breath and knocked on your bedroom door.

“hey, are you in there?”

he heard nothing but silence on the other side of the door. then he heard some shuffling and the door clicked open.

as expected, you looked terrible. your eyes and cheeks were wet with tears and your nose was runny. your clothes and hair were disheveled and from beyond you, he could see several empty cups of coffee strewn all over your desk indicating that you were running on nothing but caffeine. your floor was covered in papers and pencils as if you had thrown them at the ground, perhaps out of a fit of anger.

“sorry, i must look like a mess right now,” you said, your voice thick, “but did you need something?”

haitham’s heart dropped after hearing your voice. he had never been so concerned for an almost stranger crying, but the tears threatening to spill over and the way your lips quivered slightly made him want to comfort you.

“i guess it would be stupid of me to ask if you’re alright.”

you gave him a small smile before looking at the ground. “it’s the thought that counts. but i’m sure you already know the answer. i know it’s a pigsty in here, but would you like to come inside?”

“if you don’t mind,” he responded as he stepped inside. besides there being a lot of stuff thrown around, it wasn’t nearly as bad as you made it out to be.

you ushered him onto the end of your bed and you sat beside him before letting out a long sigh.

“when did you start working today?” he turned to look at you.

you thought for a moment. “i woke up at around 6 this morning.”

“and went to sleep when?”

you went silent.

“i’m concerned for you. this isn’t healthy.”

“i know that, haitham. if i could, i would be sleeping from 9 to 6 everyday.”

he was confused. you were more than capable of finishing your work quickly and he had seen it done before. it was strange that you were even spending so much time on a project that he knew others had already finished a while ago.

“i’m just,” you started, “losing all my motivation. i don’t feel like doing anything. but the tuition is what’s preventing me from just dropping out entirely.”

you flopped onto the bed and covered your face.

“i don’t know what’s wrong with me. i used to love doing projects and writing essays for classes. but all of a sudden i just can’t do it anymore. i’m so tired.”

it was silent for a short moment as haitham considered what he should do. he knew that he was supposed to comfort someone in this kind of situation, but he didn’t want to cross a boundary that wasn’t meant to be crossed between roommates. despite this, he wanted to hold you in his arms in a way that wouldn’t be done between just roommates, even if it would make things awkward later.

he gently grabbed you and pulled you up so that you were in his arms. when he noticed that you were shaking from your sobs, he instinctively tightened his arms around you and stroked your head softly. you weren’t pushing him away, so he assumed he was making the right decision by doing this. with no comforting words to say, this was the most he could do for you.

after a long time, you finally pulled away from him, wiping your tears away.

“‘m sorry you had to see that,” you apologized although alhaitham was more sorry that he couldn’t do anything to help you. “i think that the lack of sleep has put my emotions into whack.”

he shook his head profusely. “i remember a friend of mine once saying that it’s important to release any kind of emotion you have.”

alhaitham followed your eyes as you stared up at the ceiling. “i’m not sure what it is. i feel like i’m such a disappointment. my grades are slipping at an exponential rate and i feel like i’ll never be able to catch up to them.”

he thought for a moment about what he could say to you. you got this and you’re doing great felt shallow and were probably very inconsiderate responses, even if he believed in them. asking you to take a break would be fruitless and telling you that your grades weren’t as important as your health would obviously not get through to you.

“do you want me to make you some food?”

you looked at his face for the first time in a while. it seemed that his offering was something that interested you. “what kind of food?”

“just some comfort food that my grandmother used to make for me. i could make some for you if you’d like? i’m not as good of a chef as she was, but i can replicate it pretty well.”

“well, i am actually kinda hungry,” you thought to yourself out loud. “i’d like to try your cooking! do you want me to help with anything?”

he shook his head in response. “just sit on the couch and try to relax. we can go back to your project after we eat, but take a break for the time being. i’ll help you with getting inspiration.”

you looked at him with wide eyes as you followed him out of the room and sat on the couch as he instructed.

“hey, why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden, though?” he heard you ask while he was getting some of the spices from the cabinet.

he paused mid-movement, hand frozen in the air. why was he being so nice to you? he knew he wasn’t a heartless person by nature, but he wasn’t very caring either, especially to someone who was just his roommate. he thought about your crying face and felt a literal pang in his heart. he didn’t even feel this way towards his friends (not that he had many).

“i’d rather see your face smiling than crying,” he finally responded simply.

you went quiet for a moment as if to try to take in what he said. “thank you. i don’t have many people i can turn to whenever i’m going through, i dunno, burnout or whatever. you were the first person who listened to me in a while.” he then heard you mumble something else afterwards.

“what was that? i didn’t catch the last part,” he said as he leaned around the corner to look into the living room.

you pursed your lips as if you didn’t want to say anything, but your eyes looked like they wanted to say it. you urged him to come closer and he set down the onion powder to sit next to you. you urged him again and he leaned in so that you could whisper into his ear.

“i said, it feels extra special since it’s you,” you said in a hushed voice before covering your face.

alhaitham froze again and started to feel heat creep up his neck and face. what a strange reaction to just nine words. however, you also seemed to be reacting similarly as you looked like you were about to die of embarrassment.

“you don’t have to reciprocate those feelings or anything,” you clarified. “it’s more than enough that you listened to me today and had to deal with everything.”

“but what if i do reciprocate those feelings?”

“what?”

“i said, what if i do reciprocate those feelings?”

you looked at alhaitham strangely. “well, i guess that would mean, uh, one of us asks each other out on a date or something. i don’t really know.”

“then would you like to have a dinner date with me right now?” he offered. his face was still very warm, but he was smirking regardless of it.

“wait.” you held up your hands in front of you. “wait, wait, wait. are you saying that you like me?”

he didn’t say anything but his expression remained the same.

“oh. well then, i guess i would like to go on a dinner date with you.”

alhaitham broke out into a smile. he never expected a confession would come out of a night like this. “we can go on a date after you go to sleep though. i wouldn’t want you falling asleep while eating dinner.” and he went back into the kitchen to put the finished dish into a bowl.

“hey haitham?”

he turned to look at you again. “yes?”

“thanks again.”

“anything for you.”