#hoping the long dark would make me less of a hoarder

[fenithephoenix]

Never knew how lucky I was to play games like Pokemon Scarlet and BOTW/TOTK, being able to just fuck around and find out and frolick freely while having 1. Instant teleportation, 2. An excellent navigation system, and 3. NO WEIGHT LIMITS TO WHAT I CAN CARRY

Now my inner hoarder is suffering in The Long Dark, shedding tears as I drop scrap metal I picked up on my travels because WHAT IF I NEED IT LATER

[imtrashraccoon]

Dragon Au Headcanons?

if you have anything at the moment.

I wrote out bullet points days ago but kept forgetting to actually expand on them... Oh well, here's some little things I thought of, as well as, a few things you sent me. :3 (I should mention that this is all in regards to their dragon forms and not the gaster blaster/humanoid ones.)

The Dark Fortress: Dragon AU Headcanons

They're essentially immortal in the sense that they only grow stronger with age and they aren't affected by most physical ailments. It is technically possible to kill them but their scales make them nigh invulnerable to most weapons so anyone who tries will need the aid of magic. Fortunately for them, mages tend to be rather squishy.

All of them like being pet or groomed, but only by their mortal friend and they all react differently to the idea with some being more open to it than others.

Donovan will only let you touch him when no one else is around and even then, you better not make a big deal out of it. He's a big powerful dragon and you're a puny little mortal; he's letting you live so you better be grateful. Just don't stop halfway through or you'll have a grumpy dragon on your hands.

Dirk loves getting attention, nearly as much as he loves causing mayhem, and you'd be lucky to get him to sit still for ten minutes. He doesn't care if others are around, if anything he'll gloat that you're giving him attention instead, just don't be too affectionate or he might become more unpredictable than usual.

Maul seems like he could care less if you touch him or not and he'll often let you do whatever, so long as you don't approach him from the right side (his blind spot) first. Truthfully, he really likes your attention but as he's a dragon of few words, so you'll have to figure it out through body language.

Reven is in-between. He mostly keeps to himself so you'll have to go out of your way to give him attention. He definitely ignored you at first, hoping you'll get bored and leave, but when you don't, he realizes that he actually really likes the attention.

All dragons have the compulsion to create and protect hordes and these boys are no exception.

Naturally, Donovan has the largest horde although his is mostly books and gold. He's very particular about where everything goes and will get upset if anyone moves or destroys anything.

Dirk mostly collects sharp things, particularly if they're shiny. Although, this isn't limited to weapons as evident by all the cutlery littering his den.

Before being cursed, Maul already had a bit of a problem with the thought of food scarcity and he actively preserved any food he could. Now, his instincts have been magnified and he regularly goes out of his way to hunt and steal any food he can find.

Reven wasn't much of a hoarder before, unless you count him keeping track of all the murders he perpetuated. Now, he likes to collect soft things like scarves, blankets, flags, etc. It would actually be kind of sweet if these weren't collected from the victims of raids he regularly goes on.

You'd think that being a super powerful dragon is all that, right?

Well that's what Donovan thinks anyways, although sometimes he does find himself missing his tendrils or wishing he could read a book without accidentally tearing the pages.

Dirk loves his new form, however he can't exactly pull any partners with how large he is now.

Maul has possibly the hardest time adapting out of all of the boys since he's even more clumsy than before.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, Reven could care less, especially since he can kill things easier in this form.

They actually really like when you tag along for adventures, although don't get any ideas of becoming a dragon rider anytime soon.

Donovan will smack you over the head with his wing if you ever bring up the idea of saddling him.

Dirk may not mind too much as he's hard to keep up with even on the ground, but don't let the others know.

Maul welcomes the idea since you can watch out for threats and he knows exactly where you are at any given time.

Reven doesn't like the idea either but he'll give in after he realizes that it isn't very safe to ride him without a saddle.

Each of them have their own way of fighting although some of their techniques have been simplified now that they're massive creatures.

Donovan prefers to use his tails to send foes flying in close combat but otherwise uses his breath weapon or magic.

Dirk almost exclusively uses a special blade he fitted to the tip of his tail, although his bite packs a mean poison too.

Maul prefers the simple approach of throwing his weight around and he makes good use of his claws, teeth, horns, and even wings.

Reven actually switches up his fighting style, opting to use his breath weapon and magic rather than getting up close to enemies.

As dragons, they enjoy being worshipped or admired to some degree.

Donovan already desired to rule over the whole world and this desire was only heightened. He demands respect from everyone - be they human, monster, or beast alike.

Dirk revels in the idea of being revered. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be a good ruler at all as he has no experience and his ego would be his own downfall.

Maul can't deny that it's appealing when people admire and respect him. Although, the poor guy doesn't want to actually rule over anyone and his trauma would likely hinder his ability to do so.

Reven definitely gets a power trip whenever people fall on their face and beg him for mercy. He also has no interest in ruling as he'd sooner slaughter anyone stupid enough to stick around when he's raiding a village.

They each have scars; some that carried over from their old forms and some new ones.

Donovan has poc marks on his wings as the corruption didn't mesh well with his dragon form at first and his right eye is still covered by said corruption.

Dirk mostly has new scars from weapon strikes, thanks to him preferring to get up and close in a fight, but his warped soul is still the same.

Maul actually had his scars carry over, as evidenced by his right horn being broken and being blind in the same eye.

Reven hasn't sustained any obvious new scars but you wouldn't really be able to tell if he even has any in the first place since he tries to conceal them with his hood and wings.

[comfort-questing]

20. knife wound

..."As annoying as the Lawrences are," Kaeya said, "I must say I didn't expect them to send an assassin sneaking around so soon after their last... debacle." He sheathed the sword at his side with a small ringing clash, gloved hand still resting on the hilt.

"We don't know it was the Lawrences." Jean sat back against the wall, her legs too unsteady despite her best hopes. She'd make it to a chair eventually, but right now it seemed an excessive task.

Kaeya snorted, reaching out with one foot to tap the moaning and bewildered crook currently lying on the floor, his velvet jacket rumpled and askew. "Who else hires assassins in impeccable formalwear? Certainly the Treasure Hoarders can't afford them."

"That's a compelling argument." Then, "Do you think there are any more?"

This was the risk of staying up late alone in her office, working. At least Kaeya had been there and heard the sounds of stealthy entry before she did. She'd been nodding off, shamefully, and that in itself was half the reason for her hammering heart and dry mouth. If Kaeya hadn't -

"You tie up that one," Kaeya said, and put his hands on the windowsill. His scramble out the open pane was less graceful than she'd expected of him, but still not bad for someone climbing through a window at two in the morning.

Kaeya was back by the time she'd scrabbled a few loops of the curtain-ties over the intruder's wrists and bent elbows, kicking the dropped dagger even further out of the way. There was blood splashed along the blade, which Jean squinted at in momentary confusion, but Kaeya's return startled her away from the thought of it.

"Nobody outside. Anyone in the building's likely had the brains to clear out, although one never knows." Kaeya prodded the assassin again, none too gently. "Anything you're interested in sharing with us, good sir?"

"Go jump in the Abyss," the man muttered into the carpet. The frost crystals were beginning to melt off his clothes now.

"A fine suggestion but impractical for the current situation." Kaeya turned back, eyes narrowed, towards Jean. "Are you all right, Grandmaster?"

"Yes. I'm fine." It had been hardly a fight - she'd startled awake and out of her chair just in time to see Kaeya and the assassin locked in momentary combat in the doorway, and the man go sprawling an instant later. "He wasn't anywhere near me even. Are you - "

Kaeya nodded curtly. "And Klee's back at the house for the night."

"Yes. Yes, thankfully." Then, because Kaeya hadn't actually let her finish, "I asked are you all right, Cavalry Captain?"

For a moment Kaeya faltered, his mouth opening and closing, then, "Oh, I'm fine. Here - come with me while we search the building, I shan't leave you alone."

She took his hand, but marked the sudden tightness in his face as she stood up with his help. He was guarding his left side ever so slightly with his other arm, turning away into the shadow as he caught her watching him.

"Kaeya."

He flinched as she reached for him, an instinctive sort of reaction, and sighed as she pulled her hand back, the fingertips crimson-doused.

"You're hurt. Sit down. Stop - being like this." Tactless, maybe, but in the cold small hours of the night after an assassination attempt she didn't have the words she'd use in daytime.

Kaeya's mouth was tight. "Not until I know it's safe."

He stood still just long enough for the wash of her Vision's pale green light to wreathe him momentarily, then pulled away. "We've still got to deal with this one, don't forget."

"Jump in the Abyss," said the assassin again, his inventiveness having given out. Maybe the late hour was getting to him as well, thought Jean, and irrationally had to stifle a laugh.

Later - after they'd checked the Knights' headquarters and summoned help from two of the on-duty night patrol around the city - after they'd seen the assassin locked up for daylight in the hopes that a long cold night would loosen his tongue - after the dark stain down the side of Kaeya's blue jacket had spread and grown longer in every pool of lamplight they'd passed under - Jean caught him by the shoulder and forced him down on one of the long stone benches outside the building.

"No more excuses," she said sternly. "I won't let you bleed out because you're trying to be helpful, do you understand?"

The moonlight took all the color out of Kaeya's face, leaving his tan skin gray. There was sweat on his forehead under the dark fringe of his hair. "You don't need to trouble yourself, Grandmaster."

Jean sighed. "Do you think Diluc's working at the Angel's Share tonight? I could go ask him for help if you won't listen to me."

With a despairing sigh of his own Kaeya slumped forward, aiming for elbows to his knees but missing and landing half onto Jean's lap instead. He made an attempt to scramble back upright, but yelped and flinched at the motion, biting his lip.

Jean helped him up to lean against her shoulder, fumbling at the fastenings of his jacket. The knife cut along his ribs wasn't deep, but there was enough blood to have turned his shirt red all the way down to the hem. She summoned up her Vision's power again, and the breath of dandelion breeze surrounded both of them for an instant, like the ghost of springtime in the cold night.

"If I let you go like this, will you bandage yourself up to let the healing take effect?" She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure what she'd do if he disagreed. "And get some rest, for the love of winds."

Kaeya chuckled. There was a bit more color in his face now. "Only if you go get some rest too. By which I do not mean sleeping in the library stacks with Lisa."

"All right. I - I suppose."

With an effort, Kaeya stood, grinning as he fastened up his jacket again. "And I'm walking you home first."

She supposed she'd have to settle for that bargain, and trust him for the rest of it.

[canoncorps]

Jaune makes things right. Ao3

He had finally done it. After nearly two years of training under Kyle Rayner and the other Corps leaders, Jaune had become the second White Lantern in this universe or any other. Most of the Emotional Spectrum came easy to him. He had already been a Green Lantern, he was naturally Compassionate, his Hope kept his spirit intact throughout the war with Salem, he had conquered his own Fears many times over, he was no stranger to Rage, be it directed at himself or those who had wronged him, and he had begun his training to become the White Lantern out of Love. The Love he still held for her even after all this time. How long had it been since he lost her? Five years, just about.

What had held him back was Avarice. His greed didn’t extend beyond his sole desire to become the White Lantern, which was in some way selfless. He had trained long and hard with Larfleeze, many sleepless nights spent with the hoarder until he had finally wanted it hard enough, until he had finally ignited one of the millions of rings piled high in the Orange beast’s lair.

Then the White Light enveloped him. Baptizing him in its rays. Jaune was one of the most powerful beings in the universe now.

And that was less than thirty minutes go.

Now he sat in Forever Fall, the only place he could think of to go. The only place that made doing what he was about to seem right.

Jaune had everything left of her laid out in front of him. Her sash he has taken to wearing about his waist, his armor he had imbued with her’s, and Crocea Mors, reforged with what was left of Miló and Akoúo.

Jaune crossed his legs and focused. On everything he still had of her. Her fiery hair, every time she had believed in him, the strawberry taste of her lips the last time he ever saw her. And some of the things that had gotten farther away. Her laugh, her smile, her voice.

Jaune’s ring merely sparked with the Light of Life.

It wasn’t enough!

He focused harder. Every time she had looked at him with all the adoration her heart could muster, and every time he never noticed. Every time she corrected him on his footwork or to keep his shield up. Every time she had bested him in practice and told him he was getting better. Her uncertainty when she asked him about destiny, her distress when he answered wrong. The way he could see her heart break when she had sent him away, before she marched to her death. And every other little thing, every perfect imperfection that he realized how dearly he loved after it was all too late.

Jaune’s ring enveloped Forever Fall in its light. Pain speared through his brain, as if the universe itself were trying to make him lose focus.

But he refused.

Sweat grew on his forehead as the Light of Life grew evermore and washed over all of Remnant. Jaune became vaguely aware of an explosion on his finger when the light faded and he saw a crumpled mass of red hair and flesh on the forest floor. Jaune’s Will had done enough for one day, and he let himself go.

It was evening when he finally came to, the sun bathing Forever Fall in its brilliant orange rays, the forest becoming a small paradise. Jaune’s head throbbed, but he paid it no heed. Sitting up, his eyes only scanned over the shattered remains of five Power Rings and two intact ones.

Scrambling over to her prone form, Jaune scooped up the two remaining rings before he knelt down next to her, naked as the day she was born. Jaune gently took her form in his arms and cradled her body. A lesser man’s eyes would have flicked below her neck, even for a moment, but Jaune could only see her face, sleeping serenely and just as beautiful as the day he lost her.

His eyes watered as he cradled her and touched his cheek to hers.

“Pyrrha…” he choked out.

Pyrrha stirred, eyes slowly blinking open, readjusting to the light after so long in the dark.

“Jaune?” she asked.

“It’s me! I’m here!” he sobbed into her shoulder.

He had done it. They were together once more.

“What happened? The last thing I remember… I was fighting Cinder.”

“That was five years ago. You died, Pyr,” Jaune told her through his tears.

“I don’t… I don’t understand,” she muttered sleepily.

“You don’t have to,” Jaune assured her, “I’ve missed you so much. We all have.”

Pyrrha looked into Jaune’s face and even while every muscle in her body screamed against the action, she lifted her hand up to caress her beloved’s face.

“I guess… you saved me this time?” Pyrrha questioned.

“I always hoped I would, at least once,” Jaune said before leaning down and brushing his lips against hers in a chaste kiss.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Jaune and Pyrrha had married as soon as Pyrrha’s situation was explained in an understandable and very untrue manner and she was declared legally alive again. It was a small and quiet ceremony in front of a waterfall in Mistral, Ren and Nora being the only ones to witness it.

The coming weeks after their honeymoon, Jaune had begun training Pyrrha with the surviving Star Sapphire Power Ring, which was an odd change of pace. Jaune’s Green Lantern Power Ring had also survived the destruction of his White Lantern Power Ring. Now was the first time Jaune had taken Pyrrha into space. After a few hours of orbiting Remnant, Jaune asked, “Do you wanna see my favorite place in the whole universe? Well, second favorite, after any place you’re at.”

Pyrrha giggled and said, “Lead the way, Fearless Leader.”

Taking his wife’s hand, Jaune opened a space warp and pulled her inside. A few disorienting moments later, the newlyweds found themselves floating before a nebula. Blue and purple gases coming together to form a beautiful cosmic mass.

“Oh, Jaune, it’s beautiful,” Pyrrha gasped.

“At the risk of sounding trite, it’s nothing compared to you,” Jaune said as he wrapped his right arm around Pyrrha’s waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

Pyrrha placed her hand upon his face and Jaune grabbed her forearm with his free hand.

The two stayed that way for as long as they could, until they separated for the air their rings provided.

“I can’t believe I survived all this time without you,” Jaune whispered.

“I can. You’ve always been stronger than you knew,” Pyrrha said with a smile.

Jaune smiled and quickly leaned in to peck her lips again.

The two floated together in silence for a few minutes, simply appreciating the beauty of the universe until Pyrrha took a deep breath and said, “Jaune, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” He asked.

Gently taking Jaune’s hand and placing it on her belly, Pyrrha was hardly able to contain her joy as she saw his eyes widen and said, “I’m pregnant.”

[blzzrdstryr]

By proxy

Platonic yandere!Kaeya & child!gn!reader

Wordcount: 2195

A.N.: My first time writing platonic yanderes, hope you'll enjoy.

It's an impulsive decision for the most part - taking you, that is.

Kaeya trudges through the Wolfendom forest, a couple of his underlings, Addler and Otto, following behind as they trail a group of treasure hoarders. Criminal gang must have known that knights are on their tail, there's no other explanation for their sudden fleeing, leaving an already broken camp behind and taking only the most valuable possessions.

It's raining and he silently curses, even if this will give him advantage in battle, but archons, it's so cold. Huge droplets fall on the ground with a resounding sound, drenching everything and turning the forest landscape deep into nigh impassable terrain. Mud clings to their feet, slowing the group down, as the Sun starts to set. Sky turns all shades of purple and red, dimming light throwing the last rays over the Mondstadt as the darkness settles, yet Kaeya and his group still carry forward through the palisade of tall trees.

“Sir”, Otto carefully starts: “It seems that criminals are already several miles away from us”.

Kaeya nods for the knight to continue, already knowing that it will be an ask to stop - the weather is hellish and the rain is one of the heaviest Kaeya has ever had to experience.

“With how strong this rainfall is, the gang's traces will be gone in under an hour”

"All the more reasons to push on and catch them then", Alberich replies, paying zero attention to Adler's slight trembling or Otto's teeth chattering. The group continues on their path through descending darkness, their footsteps hasting despite the clinging and growing fatigue.

Suddenly, as the knights make their way around the cliff, a slight whimper is heard. It's human enough to stop the group - maybe some unlucky civilian got in the way of the gang, maybe criminals left their injured one. Kaeya just nods to the pair, as Otto and Adler unsheathe their weapons, wordlessly understanding the gesture.

Cavalry captain takes a step into the forest pit with a raised sword, all sight and ears, light blue vision on his belt shining and flickering both in caution and anticipation. He walks slowly and quietly, like a cat, careful not to step on the leaves and twigs lying around, and then he sees you.

You are a child, all thin and small in the way that the sick are. There are dark circles under your tired eyes, and the scrapes all over your body. You look already dead. He runs up to you, as he sees your figure swaying and knees buckling, saving you from the fall. Your skin burns Kaeya as he carries you back to the knights - it must be fever then. You blink at him several times, saying something, but your voice is too small and weak to make out anything among the droplets falling, and then you stop, eyes rolling back and head lolling to the side. You blacked out.

He thinks about handing your body to either of the knights and then continuing to run after the gang into the knight, but then decides against it - heavy rain must have blurred all the footsteps they left. Adler almost fails. You escape your delirium a couple of times, babbling words about forest and rain and wolves, and Kaeya, despite his focus on the trail ahead, can't help but listen to what you say. It's childish nonsense for the most part, an incomprehensible product of the feverish mind, yet sometimes you say meaningful things - I thought I would die, I got scared of wolf howls, The rain was so cold.

Some small part of him shrinks and aches at these words, a long buried hurt resurfacing once again. Kaeya frowns and huffs as he tries to get rid of the images of the days long gone in his mind - rainy night, hunger, pain, cold, he will die here. His lips quirk and a humorless laugh escapes him - the irony is painful.

He drops you off at the church, concerned Barbara taking you to the hospital and Kaeya, after a brief report to Jean, goes home, his mind still stuck on the memories of days long past. You will be fine, he tells himself, the church has good healers and the orphanage is nearby. Once you get better, you’ll get sent there, where devoted nuns will raise to be another disciple.

You had a look of a deadman - a strange catatonic serenity was radiating off of you, as you looked at the captain with a glazed yet piercing eyes, both seeing him and through him. It’s cold, so cold, yet no one is here. There are hot tears on his face, wet tracks burning his skin. His tummy is empty and aching, cold bites at his limbs, but Kaeya patiently waits for the adult to return. Father said that Kaeya was their last hope, so sure he would never leave him to die, right?

Cavalry captain barely sleeps through the night, memories and inner demons eating him from inside. When he does manage to doze off, a vague picture of darkening forests and howling winds wake him up, a fervent chanting buzzing in his head - Where is his father? Where is his father? Where is his father?.

Kaeya comes to you the next day, as his shift ends, legs heading to the towering church at the top on their own. Barbara leads him to your bed, your unconscious form lying limply. Idol explains your health issues to him - fever, malnutrition, inflammation, common cold and slight poisoning. The scratches you had yesterday were healed, Barbara says, but the rest of the problems can't be easily fixed with a bit of a hydro.

"Then, what medicines do they need?", Kaeya asks, understanding the unspoken words. The Church of Favonius, despite the large funding it receives from the city's treasury, still lacks a lot of resources and materials. People are free to come and get cured, without having a single mora to pay, which means that most of the remedies disappear at an alarming rate - be it some herbal balm for aching joints or a simple linen bandage.

The idol rustles in the hidden pockets of her dress, taking out a pencil and sheet of paper and begins to write, the list grows as Kaeya’s eyebrows get higher and higher. There are dried Liyuen herbs, exotic Sumeru fruits, specially treated Snezhnayan and Fontaine tinctures and medicines.

Kaeya is taken aback for a second by the sheer length of the final list - most of the items will have to be ordered and shipped and despite his salary of the captain allowing such expenses, it’s still strange to spend so much mora - a complete stranger. Captain contemplates just leaving you there - nuns will take care of you, but the hurt resurfaces again and he sees another person lying on the small hospital bed - little him, scared and confused.

He ends up buying all the listed things, and despite his efforts not to, continues to regularly check up on you when he has time. Sometimes, Barbara says, you wake up from your slumber, enough to utter some confused noises and questions, but then you drowse off again, both sickness and medicine pulling you back to sleep.

Kaeya, to his displeasure, never catches you conscious in time, until he comes one evening, expecting to spend the time looking at you sleeping again only to see you half sitting on the bed. Your posture gets straight the second you notice him too, an expression of confusion and fear appearing on your face.

"Hello", Kaeya starts, slowly walking up towards you, keeping his posture small and voice as friendly as possible:"I am that knight who carried you here, remember?", he explains, seeing the further abashment on you face.

You nod at him, prompting him to continue:"So, I just decided to visit you to ask you how you got in the forest and why were you alone"

"Sister Barbara said that you came here almost everyday," you reply, voice absolutely flat and face having no expression. Kaeya looks at you briefly - it’s rare for children to speak in such a cold manner, you must have something on your mind then.

"Yes, I did" , he says in the same friendly tone.

"Just to know why I was in the forest?" , your voice betrays you, a hint of hurt seeping into it. Ah, that’s why you asked.

"Hm, of course no! I also wanted to see you get better" , he smiles at the end, leaning a bit closer to you. You mull over his words, thinking of their sincerity, and then a later second you say, with much less caution and guard up:

"Well I am better now and…" you get silent for a good minute:"I don't remember why I was there. I think it's because of the fever". Your voice becomes strangely controlled again - you lie to Kaeya, you didn’t forget anything. A part of cavalry captain swells and purrs, recognizing himself in you,

"Do you want to live with me?". He asks instead of trying to get the truth out of you. Your eyes shine and a surprised noise comes out of your mouth at his suggestion - something between a squeak and high pitched yelp.

His apartment isn't the best place to bring the child in - there are far too many bottles and not enough food - Kaeya lives off the takeout from the Good hunter and the skewers he grills when missions call him to leave the city walls. Nonetheless, you don’t look too disgusted with his living conditions, so he considers it a win, as he heads for the tiny kitchen to make you a soup.

It turns out a bit burnt in the end - Kaeya added too much wood to the stove, but you still gulp it down, not leaving anything and thank him for the meal. He makes a mental note to buy you a bed - right now you’re sleeping on a small couch, and clothes to change.

You are a quiet child, too fast to apologize for the smallest mistakes and wary of him when he’s in a foul mood - it gives Kaeya an idea why you were in the woods. Your days together flow slowly and steady with Kaeya falling into routine - he wakes up, makes a breakfast for the both of you, you eat it, as you shyly tell him about your newest interest or finding - a drawing, a strange bug, a shiny rock of unusual colour, then he leaves for work, instructing you to go to the neighbours if you have issues, and leaving a premade dinner for you. Then he comes back, now listening to you talking about your day - you were drawing again, or you played with the other kids, or you were running and catching the butterflies, the now dead insects left for him to look at.

It’s a mundane life, something that Kaeya thought will never please him. There is a large pit inside of him - it was growing and festering with years - Khaenri’ah, father, Diluc, Crepus, that fight. It’s ugly and snarling and thoroughly scorched, a part of his soul that keeps him awake and anxious and angry and sad during bad nights. The pit quiets a bit when Kaeya takes care of you - toys, foods, games, the same way he wishes he was treated as a child.

Crepus Ragnvindr was a nice person, he took Kaeya in, clothed and fed and kept him safe for years, yet there was always an invisible line that separated Khaenri'ahn from Diluc - warmer voice, higher expectations, more praise. Kaeya doubts Crepus noticed this truly tiny gap in treatment, Diluc for sure didn’t. Alberich did his best to ignore it, yet he couldn’t, this difference nagged him at the back of his mind, alienating him in the newfound home.

That must be why he does his best to spoil you - it's new toys and furniture and evening walks around the Mondstadt with you on his shoulders. Soon, a new rumour starts to travel around Mondstadt - about a stray being picked up by another stray. Amber seemingly forgives him for the incident with Collei, Jean gives him a raise the same month, for child expenses, she succinctly says, Albedo off handedly mentions Klee and her desire for friendships, even Lisa gives him a couple of fairytale books, warning him what will happen if he will be late to return them beforehand. Diluc doesn't comment on the irony the next time they happen to meet, but he sees some Dawn Winery workers looking after you, when he is busy with Favonius stuff.

Kaeya, for the first time in years, feels truly happy. He has family again - you and him this time and he's willing to smother you with affections. He buys you things he wishes he had, and teaches you the skills he thinks will help you in life - how to fight, how to lie, how to kill someone with words alone.

It's a strange love he has for you - never seeing you as you - but it's genuine and all encompassing. Kaeya doesn't want little him to suffer again.

[genshin-impacted]

lost & found // Diluc x Reader (2/3)

Word Count: ~5.0k

Notes: GN!Reader, Seelie!Reader, Diluc/Reader, includes more Mondstadt people interaction such as Klee, Albedo, and Kaeya, see why I had to split it into 3 parts now

Summary: Despite being a seelie, you and Diluc are inseparable. You aren't sure what you are or why you are here, but you know for certain you want to be wherever Diluc is through every adventure and misadventure. (And throughout it all, you get closer and closer to him.)

Alternatively: The two of you lose and find each other over and over again.

[Part 1] [Part 3]

.

.

You are satisfied with your life as a seelie, being Diluc’s partner in vigilante justice as the Darknight Hero (though when he goes out as the Darknight Hero, you’re usually hiding underneath his coat, all cozied up) and being able to spend your days by his side. Most days you are content without the answers to the questions of your origins or why you are different because Diluc accepts you for what you are regardless, as his radar for trouble and as his trusted companion.

It is only on the days where Diluc does not speak to you, burdened by the emotions of his past, withdrawing into himself at the familiarity of solitude, that you wish you are not what you are. There is very little you can offer in terms of comfort when compared to the warm arms and reassuring kisses of another person, but you make do with what you have.

You nuzzle into the crook of his neck in a semblance of a hug, and, though it takes a few tries to have Diluc understand what you were doing, your light touches to his forehead are the kisses you bestow upon him whenever his spirits are low.

“...Thank you,” he says to you when you lightly brush onto his temple, smiling when you twirl in the air, happy to have him receive your affections with full translation. He chuckles. “Would you like me to do the same for you?”

The squeaks of surprised embarrassment that follows make him laugh, and you imagine if you could speak, you wouldn’t be able to say anything of coherence with how equally flustered and pleased you feel. You don’t want to conflate any of his gestures, but you think that Diluc’s ability to tease you is a testament to how close you have gotten, even though his remarks make you feel giddy.

(If anyone else were in the vicinity they would think to themselves how rare that they see Master Diluc laughing so easily, though this is a thought that would not have crossed your mind considering this is a Diluc you have always seen. He is more youthful, less burdened, when he is near you. Is it because you are a seelie or is it because he is not bound by expectations when you have only known him for who he is?)

His ability to understand you and his unwavering trust in you despite your inability to do many things is something that you cherish. As such, you find ways to help Diluc wherever you can: temporarily swallowing small items to bring to him, being a literal light in the dark, and caring for his well-being wherever you can. The next time Kaeya drops by the tavern, stating something about treasure hoarders, a big expedition, and something about Dragonspine, he drops off a young girl about eight years old who introduces herself as Klee, and you find yourself in a new position as a babysitter.

And you are happy to glow, squeak, and fly in different shapes to make Klee laugh. You would be lying to yourself if her laughter didn’t make you happy, but it’s in addition to the fact that Diluc can finally rely on you. The grateful glances he keeps giving you over the shoulder when he caters to the tavern guests is invigorating. And if the tavern weren’t so well-lit, Klee would be able to see how you glow brighter in response to your emotions.

As perfect as Diluc may be (no, you are not biased), you find that you are surprisingly better at handling Klee. It’s not as though Diluc is completely helpless-- he responds to Klee’s questions just fine, speaking to her more as though she were an adult than a kid. You think Klee likes it for how she eagerly nods despite not understanding what Diluc is saying. It's just, for once, you may have an advantage because you are a seelie, and Klee absolutely adores you simply for existing. It’s a lot easier to entertain and play with her as a glowing ball of light than as a tavern-keeper, but you consider this a win anyways because you can finally help Diluc in a way that matters, considering the look of relief he shoots you when you’re able to distract her.

Your role as a babysitter goes well… until it doesn’t.

"It was nice playing with you, little seelie!" Klee chimes cheerfully. You coo at her, right up till the point she says, "Let's play another time, okay?"

Where are you going? You squeak, flying in front of Klee as she packs up her things. You nervously look at Diluc, hoping he can see you with how you flash your light like a siren, but his back is turned.

Klee only giggles. "Do you want to come with me too? Let's go!" She says, bounding out the door with terrifying timing when everyone's too distracted to stop her. You watch with growing horror as she runs with arms outstretched into the streets of Mondstadt, and you only have a split second to decide to follow after her before losing her completely. (In retrospect, perhaps it would have been better to tell Diluc, considering how little you could do as a seelie, but you forget that at times, especially in moments like these.)

You follow Klee, glancing around nervously for any roaming hilichurl or abyss mage. Miraculously, the two of you don't run into any enemies, though you did urge her to go around the path when you spot a few of them walking toward you. This is out of my pay grade, you think warily, and if you had a heart still, it would be beating rapidly with the self-contained panic every time you narrowly miss a confrontation with an unsavory crowd.

When Klee leads you into Dragonspine, which you now know to be a snowy terrain whose chill is cold enough to make you shiver, you want to cry. Where are you going? You want to ask, Why are we here? You watch as Klee picks a random direction to go in, and you can only follow her, twirling around sources of heat at every opportunity so that she knows where she can stay warm.

Having Diluc here would be nice, you think, as you float next to the orange seelie that radiates warmth much like a campfire. The fires Diluc would light easily if he were here, the warmth he would exude for how hot pyro users run... You think warily that you're going to make him worry again, having disappeared with Klee, but for some reason, you feel reassured that he'll find you again eventually.

It is many minutes traveling in Dragonspine when Klee puts a finger to her lip and asks you, "Do you think you can find my big brother?"

Here you are, following Klee this entire time, only to find out you are both lost. Next time, you think to yourself, as Klee describes her big brother Albedo and you quietly listen, no matter how Diluc looks at you, you don't think you can ever accept being a babysitter ever again.

(When you're attacked by hilichurls, you think of distracting them as Klee runs to safety, but then she throws literal explosives at them to defeat them soundly and you think that at least there is one less thing to worry about.)

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.

.

You let your instinct take the lead this time, as something within you pulls in a certain direction. Asides from the basic investigative skills (footsteps here, disturbed bush there), it is a miracle that you lead Klee to the encampment that Albedo had set up for his experiments in Dragonspine. It's not as though the path was particularly hard to traverse, but it did take some backtracking and maneuvering around Fatui camps (will Diluc end up fighting them looking for you, you wonder). You breathe a sigh of relief when you see Klee leap up to hug the blond, doe-eyed alchemist whose eyes widen at her arrival.

“Kl-Klee? How did you get here?” Albedo stammers, looking over her before landing on you. You simply twirl in the air in greeting, and the alchemist can only blink. (You never realize this, but this is one of the very rare moments Albedo is ever flustered-- courtesy of Klee.)

Klee goes on a long monologue about you as well as the adventure to get here, Albedo nodding in understanding ever so often, when you hear the crunch of snow behind you. Your mood lifts along with your body as you recognize the familiar tuft of red hair against the whitest of snow.

“There you are,” Diluc says, setting down his broadsword. He sounds out-of-breath, most likely weary from the fact the two of you disappeared and from the climb to get to Dragonspine. You glow immediately from his evident relief, and you race to him, nuzzling into his neck in an affectionate hug to which he immediately responds by brushing the back of his gloved hand onto you.

How did you find me again? You ask, easily sitting on the hand Diluc offers you.

“Kaeya told me that Albedo was in Dragonspine,” he explains. “Knowing Klee, this was the first place I thought to go to, and I know you wouldn’t let yourself split off from her.”

You nod sagely, though that line of thought would have made sense to anyone who generally knew Mondstadt geography. You look up at Diluc in confusion when he pets you.

“I would have found you anyway,” he says softly, “even if you weren’t together.” You feel yourself grow warm. “I’ll always find a way to find you.”

(Even in this snow? You wonder, even in this frigid wonderland? Through the driest of deserts and coldest of oceans? And you can imagine that if you had asked him this, he would have said ‘yes,’ though that was just what you hoped.)

You coo softly, flying up to gently press your face to his cheek in a gentle kiss, and the smile that Diluc gives you, you think, should be warm enough to melt even the snow on Dragonspine.

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.

When the wind grows harsh in the changing of times, you find flowers of blue and white hidden amongst the fields of grass. And when Stormterror abandons his domain, you lead Diluc to a red, crystalline teardrop that neither of you can touch without protection. You thank the stars Diluc is not a man to shy away from danger, especially when it pertains to the safety of Mondstadt, because he follows you wherever you lead him-- finding teardrop after teardrop scattered across lands festered with monsters.

(“It’s a well-kept secret, despite the way he acts,” Diluc says, leaning on his propped-up arm by the fireplace. He huffs in laughter when you trill-- my lips are sealed!-- and the two of you would watch the embers slowly die out. )

It has become more and more evident as time goes on that you are more than you appear. Your small size and dedication to following Diluc are already indicative of your unique nature as a seelie. What makes you particularly distinct is your penchant to find things or people that many would consider strange. Even before you found these objects, being able to find the elusive Venti would be indicative enough. You don't know what was so strange of him besides his eternally youthful appearance and talent of disappearing into the wind (you thought that was just what people could do, okay?) until Diluc tells you of his godly origins one late night in the winery.

Your proclivity for the unique is something that does not go unnoticed by Albedo.

“I would greatly appreciate being able to tag along on your next journey. I’m very interested in seeing what you, as a seelie, can do,” Albedo tells you. When you meekly titter in Diluc’s direction, Albedo raises his hands reassuringly. “Ah. Don’t be nervous. It’s quite alright if you don’t lead us to anything. It’s all part of the process. Klee has told me much of what you can do, and I’m simply interested in learning more about you, as special as you are.”

Diluc looks to you, waiting for your response as you float in the air, pondering. You cock your head to the side, and he only shrugs, answering the nonverbal question you shoot at him.

“You’re the guide. It’s up to you,” he says, and that is all you need to look back at Albedo (who has been observing everything thus far with keen eyes) and bob yourself up and down in agreement.

“We can meet at Windrise in one week’s time,” Diluc says to Albedo.

Albedo nods, taking one last look at you before pushing himself off the tavern stool, ending the conversation until next week-- that is if Kaeya were not there.

“You aren’t planning to go on an adventure without me, are you?” He says, and Diluc can only sigh.

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.

The week passes quickly and the four of you (Diluc reluctantly allowing Kaeya to accompany the three of you) meet up at the Statue of the Seven near Windrise. You prove yourself once again when you lead Diluc, Kaeya, and Albedo on an off-trail route to Daudapa Gorge. They all follow you, climbing up the cliffside, until you lead them to an unusual hilichurl of blue hair and a talisman on its mask. To keep with the consistency of your battle-filled wanderlust, the unusual hilichurl starts throwing items-- some of which you can recognize from your previous(?) life and some of which you’ve never even seen before. The barrage of things is incessant until fire, ice, and bursting flowers make him escape into his suitcase, leaving behind strange four-pointed stars that glimmer for a moment before disappearing, much to Albedo’s disappointment.

The silence that follows after the oddest encounter you have ever led Diluc to is deafening. You can’t even bear to turn your body to face Diluc who you know is looking at you with a (fondly) exasperated expression. “Trying to outdo yourself every week, aren’t you?” He asks, and if you could, you know that you would be blushing.

Kaeya makes it a point to make your embarrassment worse, as he often likes doing. (You know Kaeya shows his affection through teasing remarks, but oh, what you wouldn’t do to be able to retort back to him once without Diluc having to come to your rescue.) “Your mini seelie finds a lot of strange things, don’t they?” He says, giving you a cat-nipped smile when you bristle and squeak. “Maybe the seelie thinks you’re strange Diluc. Maybe that’s why it follows you around--”

“Shut up, Kaeya.”

“That’ll cost you, you know.”

You watch the two bicker back and forth in a manner that is now very familiar to you, not noticing the alchemist observing you in the background.

“I’d like to test something if that’s alright with you.” Albedo suddenly says to you. “Nothing painful,” he reassures you, even though you hadn’t said a word. “I’ll simply be asking you to do your best to find Master Diluc to test a theory of mine.”

Why Diluc? You wonder.

“Why me?” Diluc repeats your thoughts. “I didn’t realize we would still be under observation after this one journey.” You think Diluc sounds testy-- in a manner that is unlike whenever Kaeya drops by his tavern and more like when fire abyss mages show up on your path. You are alarmed, unsure why you feel the tension rise despite Albedo’s unbothered demeanor.

And while Diluc would never thank Kaeya for his quick wit and way with words, you definitely would, especially when he jumps into the conversation with an easy lilt to his voice to de-escalate the situation (for once). “A-ha, worried that your time with your precious companion is being encroached upon, Master Diluc?” He teases, “Or perhaps you’re afraid you’ll be separated from your precious seelie?”

“Kaeya--”

“Your relationship with your seelie is unique, just as your seelie and its abilities are unique,” Albedo interjects before Diluc could pull out his greatsword. “I’d like to qualitatively and quantitatively define them, if possible.”  He pauses, addressing you directly. “I thought this would prove fruitful for you as well if you were ever wondering what your... purpose is, as one might say.”

How rare it is to have an opportunity like this just fall into your metaphorical hands, you think. You are interested in knowing more about yourself. It wouldn’t change much about how you want to stay with Diluc, but there is a sense of peace knowing what you can and cannot do. In Albedo, you see a man of science through-and-through (even though he evidently defies the laws of transmutation you learned from a certain anime). He sees things for what they are, always addressing you when he wants to talk to you, and recognizing that you can speak for yourself. In some ways, he is no different from Diluc, who has never demanded you to be more than what you are as his companion.

If you decide to do something, Diluc respects your decision-- which is why he only watches you quietly as you croon in agreement. You glance over at Diluc to wait for his consent as well, and he can only sigh. (You don’t know it, but he cannot say ‘no’ to you.)

“I have one condition.” When Albedo nods, Diluc continues, “We do nothing to put them in danger. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Albedo says immediately, and you almost miss what he says next, as distracted as you are by how Diluc comes closer to you almost protectively. “I’ll converse with you to let you know what you’ll be doing, but there should be no harm done to anyone during this experiment. How does the day after tomorrow sound?”

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.

Diluc heads to Dragonspine without you, for what feels to be the first time in forever. Now that you think about it, has Diluc ever been separated from you the same way you have been separated from him? Even though you’re the seelie, he’s always the one finding you-- have you ever needed to find him?

You want to be able to find Diluc as flawlessly as Diluc can do for you. You want to know, and you especially want Diluc to know that you will always be able to return to him no matter what. Succeeding in this self-given trial of yours will provide definitive proof whether or not you can. With that thought in mind as you float up the slopes of Dragonspine, you think there’s a lot more at stake after all.

You titter nervously when you find Albedo in his camp, and when he spots you, he waves you over as he prepares for the journey with you. “I told your companion to get a headstart,” he says to you. “I won’t know where he’s gone either, so it’s a double-blind experiment. Feel free to use any way you see fit to find him and I’ll follow you.”

You nod dutifully, and when he does nothing else but follow your movement with his eyes, you realize that those were the only instructions you were given. Find Diluc, you think to yourself. Should you start to conjure an image of him in your mind to guide you? That was easy enough to do: half-lidded red eyes that soften when he sees you, red hair you’ve dazed off in more than once, black coat he’s used to shield you from the weather despite your immunity to it, and black boots that are worn to the heel when he follows you.

You are only a few steps away from the camp when you feel a growing panic, for no matter how much you think of Diluc, you don’t feel anything telling you where to go.

When you guide Diluc, even if it’s an impromptu journey, you feel a pull to go somewhere. You’ve once thought it to be your whims but after finding so many other things on purpose and having that same familiar pull, you know that it isn’t just your curiosity guiding you. You conjure up his image, you think of how much you want to find him, and still-- nothing.

How are you going to find him now?

You follow those footsteps, with not much else to go on, and you hope with all your might that perhaps these are the only signs you need to find him. When you reach a snowstorm, your heart falls, only to see that the heat source midst of the snowstorm has been activated. In a place with newly fallen snow and no fireplace, you see a tree with the snow shaken off from its lower branches, and that's when you realize that these are clues that Diluc has left for you.

You look frantically around, following the most likely path he would have taken out, and are met with crossroads. You're tempted to choose a random road and stick with it, but your random choices and the instincts you have been using this entire time are not the same. If you could, you would grunt in frustration, but it comes out as a high-pitched squeal instead (that Albedo takes note of just in case). How were you supposed to-- and then you see footsteps clear as day around the bend of rocks and realize it's Diluc’s.

Does he know, you wonder, that you do not know how to find him? Or did he leave these signs regardless just to make sure you do?

Diluc wants you to find him-- and you find it hard to explain why that means so much to you.

You follow the footsteps, the snow, the branches, and the flames with growing anticipation to see that bright tuft of hair amidst the whitest snow you've ever seen. You're led into an icy opening where heat sources have been activated, and it's hard to contain your excitement when you notice that all of them are activated. You're so close to him; you can feel it.

You rush to the center, hoping to see Diluc-- only to see a gaping chasm where the ice broke, and your heart freezes over.

"Ruin guards," Albedo murmurs, taking note the same time you do that there are various irreparable ruin guards within the hole. If Albedo says anything, if anyone else shows up afterward, you do not notice. The only thing in your mind was the worst-case scenario: Diluc might be hurt, and you didn't know how to find him.

You jet off into the chasm, flying from corner to corner to find him. Every time you see a gleam of red, you desperately hope it is him, but it's just shards of scarlet quartz Diluc must have broken to keep himself warm. Follow it, you think, follow the trail-- quickly!

The path leads to a waterfall where enemies are littered on the ground, including an ice lawachurl right in the river's path. Diluc, you think, following the line of arrows up the snowy hill. You fly up and up and up and as the footsteps fade and you grow colder, you think chillingly that if you were cold, then--

What would you do if he got hurt? What would you do if you could never find him ever again?

No! You think, no, no! Your barely contained composure breaks again with the rising panic. You zip forward, searching for the nearest heat source and praying (to Barbatos, perhaps, or any other god out there that Diluc has yet to tell you-- that he promised to tell you about) that Diluc is there. In the face of your great love for Diluc and the helplessness that comes with it, you have never felt so lost.

Overlooking a tree, you spot an orange seelie-- a heat seelie!-- and speed to it where it slowly looks in your direction. Can you please, you begin desperately, help me find someone? He must have come here before. Red hair, black clothes, big sword? You spot another looking your way and you ask it the same thing. You attract another and you repeat yourself again.

Please, you tell them, I need to find him.

Slowly but steadily, they all look in one direction, and you are off at once. (You forget to say thank-you; you're normally better than that, but you hope the seelies can forgive you just this once.) You fly as fast as you can, begging whoever is listening that the seelies did not mistake someone else for Diluc. And when you see Diluc at the campsite, you finally can breathe again.

Unharmed, his head in a towel to dry off his wet hair, Diluc is fine. You can barely believe what you’re seeing as you numbly float to him, checking him from head to toe for any injuries you can perceive. You don't feel as though you're doing that well of a job though, considering the only thing running through your head that he was safe and what would you have done if he wasn't--

Before you reach him Diluc turns his head to you like clockwork, as if he always knows when you are here. (There are those red eyes again, you think, and wonder if his affection for you will ever run out.)

“Ah, there you are,” he says, almost as frantically as you felt finding him. “I was about to go look for you since you weren't with Albedo." He gives you a smile when you slowly approach him. "I was worried," he says, "I--" He freezes in the middle of his sentence, eyes widening before slowly softening with every passing moment watching you. “Hey,” he says tenderly, raising his hands to cup you close to him. “It’s okay. I’m fine; I’m here.”

If Diluc ever doubted how much you cared for him, he does not have to look any further than the tears that drop down your translucent body, disappearing before they fall off of you. You don’t understand how you can cry, considering what you are (and the lack of tear ducts), but you do anyways, ears drooping as all your worries, concerns, and relief manifest into tears.

I’m so glad you’re okay! Your trills and squeaks are nothing more than hiccups in-between tears. I’m sorry I couldn’t find you earlier!

And Diluc does his best to wipe away the droplets that come from where your eyes would be as he continues to soothe you through them. “You found me,” he says, voice warm like the hands he holds you in. You don't have the strength in you to tell him otherwise when he repeats it to you again and makes you believe it. “You found me.”  

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You spend the next half-hour or so with Sucrose who calms you down a great amount. Her genuine eagerness for alchemy combined with her shy, nervous demeanor is something that endears her to you quickly, especially when she is trying her best to make you feel better by rambling about her latest experiments.

With the worry for Diluc gone, you feel reaffirmed in your relationship with him. You are sad and will be for a while, that you do not have the talent to find Diluc whenever you can, but you are reassured by your determination to do so despite it.

Getting lost and being found again-- it seems as though that’s the cycle the two of you have started together.

“I apologize for causing you distress.” You perk up from your position above the alchemy table when Albedo walks back to you after a brief conversation with Diluc over the bubbling mechanisms on the table.

“Dragonspine is still an unpredictable terrain and I had not taken into consideration that there would be problems using this area as our testing ground,” Albedo says with a twinge of regret. You can understand him well enough to know that he truly did not intend for the day to be so emotional, so you squeak in response and fly in a loop. He looks relieved when you do, and you think for a brief moment that perhaps he isn’t so hard to read after all.

“Though the procedure was… unexpected, I hope you learned more about yourself as I have.” He waits as you eagerly nod in agreement, and you see him briefly hesitate. “...There’s a type of loneliness in being different. I’m sure you know this very well,” he says quietly as you float. “If you wish to learn more about what you are, feel free to visit any time. I will be happy to help.” The smile he gives you is partly fond as it is lonely, and you can only fly up to gently bump your head against his in response. “Until next time then,” he says with a tone of finality. “Perhaps when your companion isn’t so protective over you.” (Which is unlikely, Albedo thinks, but not impossible.)  

Until next time, you say, watching as Albedo walks away into the snowy terrain. You spot Diluc, hands crossed as always as he leans against the darkened bark in a manner that is so reminiscent of the first time you found him. You feel oddly nostalgic as he watches you intently. Then, you do a somersault, and, going full circle, he smiles at you.

“Let’s go home,” he says to you, and you follow him, just as you did in the very beginning when you found him.

(If there is anything that the two of you could conclude at the end of this, it is the confirmed knowledge that the two of you would go till the ends of Teyvat to find each other again.)

--

[temp taglist]

@thetwinkims @loveyoutothestars @ninqat @winterptilopsis @nya-vivi @just-noelle

[glowingbadger]

Can I get a nsfw fic for Diluc where he and reader are vigilantes together? I feel like that would be hot af.

Oh-ho~ what a delightful concept, Friend Anon.

I feel like I've barely had time for fic-style stuff rather than headcanon stuff lately, so forgive me if this is like... idk.. less good xD I hope it's good idk agopwgj

Side note, y'all Genshin people tend to blow up my page every time I post something in this fandom but I get SO few actual requests for it, wtf is up with that

Diluc x GN Reader - vigilantes

NSFW 18+

There aren't many of your typical "dark back alleys" in Mondstadt, but they are there if you go looking for them. If you do, you're sure to make some friends and acquaintances of the sort who also go looking for such tucked away places. And tonight, you're expecting a meeting with a coworker.

You've been tracking a particular Treasure Hoarder for weeks now. He's a cut-throat sort, in that he literally cuts throats, and quite gleefully at that. He's scum, but he's a valuable asset. He's the only Treasure Hoarder idiotic and brave enough to have set foot inside of Mondstadt's walls as of late, and you're not about to lose the opportunity to track him back to his hive. And it shouldn't be too difficult to do so- as long as a certain "Darknight Hero" doesn't decide to step in.

Somehow, you have a feeling he will.

And as you crouch atop the sloping roof of a typical Mondstadt residence, observing your pet rat scurrying through alleyways he clearly doesn't know as well as he ought to by now, you glimpse a familiar flash of red. Moving as quickly as one can with a sword that matches his height while retaining some measure of stealth, Diluc clearly has your subject in his sights. You barely contain a sigh, your brow lowered in flat exasperation.

You'll have to act quickly- Diluc is rapidly closing in on your only source of intel, blade at the ready and eyes devoid of mercy. Never taking your eyes from his dark silhouette in the alley below, you gracefully maneuver from the roof to a nearby balcony banister, then down a railing. Your feet meet the stone pavement silently just as muscles flex and the greatsword hefts into the air above a fiery mane of hair. Without a sound, you draw your own blade and press it firmly to Diluc's throat. He hesitates for just a moment, his surprise causing his footing to waver for the instant you need to tug him back against the wall.

"You-" he hisses with fury in his eyes, "What are you doing?!"

"Keeping you from killing my only lead!" you shout-whisper back to him as the Treasure Hoarder slides around the corner and into the open streets. He's a lost cause now- acting out in the open would draw unacceptable attention to both you and Diluc. For now, the edge of your sword indents his skin, emphasizing the unfortunately seductive sight of his adams apple bobbing as he swallows hard.

"He's a killer." he spits out bitterly.

"Yes," you reply, "And so are all of his friends. And the only way to snuff them all out is to let him live- for now."

His weapon vanishes for the time being, but you know his strength well enough to know that this does not make him 'unarmed.'

"Go join the Knights if you enjoy wasting time so much."

"Oh, perhaps I should," you say, "It was a Knight who gave me the intel to track this target, after all," the playful lilt in your voice guides him to the exact conclusion you want him to reach. What you don't expect is for Diluc to use his considerable strength to spin you back against the wall, jostling your sword from your hand and swapping your positions, with your wrists now pinned to the plaster behind you. You're startled for a moment- but not so much so that you miss the way his eyes scan your body before him.

"It was a strutting peacock that needs its beak removed, more like," he says, his voice low as he looms over you. Your bodies are so close, the space between you seems charged with electricity.

"Is that a touch of jealousy I hear?"

"You're infuriating," he gives this utter non-answer just before his lips reach yours. His kiss is deep and intense from the start, pressing you to the wall as his tongue thrusts into your mouth.

This has always been your favorite way to vent your mutual frustration. There's something about each of you that only the other knows; a part of you both that only the two of you have access to. Those cordoned off sections of your hearts instinctively reach toward one another, binding you and the Darknight Hero together despite all of the myriad ways you find yourselves at odds. Adrenaline and emotion drives your bodies together, and your pulse pounds as his tongue wrestles yours and the warmth of his body catches yours on fire.

You do your best to keep up with Diluc's frenzied need, parted lips working rhythmically against his, yet you can feel the rush of arousal through your body and the fight leaves you almost instantly. In one final act of provocation, you urge your thigh between his, rubbing it gently against the growing heat you feel there. His cock twitches with interest, hardening against the front of his pants. Diluc groans into your kiss, his hands releasing yours to travel down the contours of your sides.

When those strong hands reach your backside, they shamelessly grab at your curves, pulling you firmly against him and encouraging your thighs around his hips. Your feet are barely touching the ground anymore, and you can feel his growing cock grinding into your heat. His impatience is as evident in his touch as it's always been in his fighting style; though, the difference is that now, you're happy to match his pace. Thoroughly trapped between his body and the wall, your hands run across his chest, happily indulging in the plains of muscle beneath conservative clothing.

Then, you nip at his bottom lip, dragging it between your teeth and revelling in the husky groan this pulls from him. His hips sway against you, rubbing the head of his now rock-hard member against you. Quite suddenly, his hands leave your body, then instead, cup both sides of your face. Diluc holds you in place as he kisses you so hard and deep that your legs tremble and you worry your knees may give. And at last, the airy moan you offer him in reply seems to break the last of his restraint.

"Towards the wall," his urgent whisper grazes your skin, and it's all you can do to keep from moaning at the intoxicating, masculine tenor of his voice. Instead, you obey him, turning to the wall, only to feel him pinning you once more from behind. His lips are at your ear, his tongue tracing its curve, until he says softly,

"Truly a shame you can't always be this cooperative."

"I- I'm very cooperative when it gets me what I want..." you half-moan as his lips press heated kisses down the side of your neck. His fevered touch is everywhere, running up your sides to caress your chest, fingers briefly circling your nipples and causing you to arch against him.

"One day I'll make you beg for it." he muses softly, less like any 'dirty talk' you've ever heard, and far more like he's scolding you. Either way, it sends a hot wave of arousal plunging to your core. With a soft whimper, you urge your ass back against him, grinding onto the stiff length of his cock. Tonight won't be the night you beg, but you do need to show him how badly you want him- and he graciously complies.

Diluc's thumbs hook into the hem of your breeches and tug them down over the curve of your ass. Despite his own wants and needs, he does pause to appreciate the sight of you offering yourself to him, lower body exposed and face flushed when you glance over your shoulder at him. A single large hand runs over your backside, cupping and grabbing at it idly, enjoying the sight of your flesh over-filling his grip. Then, with a low hum, his eyes meet yours as he opens the front of his trousers and reveals his thick, twitching manhood to you. It's dark and veined, a powerful, masculine member that practically makes your mouth water- and you can't stifle an eager whine as he positions himself behind you once more.

The warm head of his cock presses to your greedy little hole, and Diluc wastes no time pushing himself steadily into you. With each inch, he splits you open around him, and your body tenses and arches against his strong frame.

"Diluc..!" you gasp out the moment he's buried into you to the base and his tip hits your core. Sometimes you think you'll never truly be accustomed to how fully he fills you.

"Quiet," he whispers harshly, though the way the full length of his cock swells at your cry tells him he quite enjoys hearing you. Yet as his hips begin to move and the veins and contours of his cock grind against your inner walls, it becomes harder and harder to keep your voice down. He feels too incredible, reaches too deep, stretches you out so nicely around him until you fit him perfectly. Your entire body burns, and you cling to the wall in front of you to take some of the strain off of your trembling legs. Before long, you're gasping and panting for him as he bucks into you, the head of his cock dragging against some indescribably wonderful spot each time he thrusts forward.

"You're so... difficult..." he grumbles, and you hear him move, unsure of what he's doing until you feel his gloveless hand sliding fingers into your mouth. Your eyes roll back, your body clenches and squeezes around Diluc's shaft. Perhaps he'd only meant to keep you quiet, but the depravity of being fucked senseless by the most sought-after gentleman in Mondstadt in a back alley while being made to suck on his fingers is simply too erotic to withstand. Your lips and tongue worship those fingers as he pounds you against the wall, railing into your desperate body until the hot, winding knot of pleasure in your gut comes undone in a sudden, mind-numbing rush.

"Nngh- gods...!" even Diluc, with all of his strict self discipline, can't keep from groaning as your climax seizes you. He can feel your body tense and release, feel your inner walls tightening and gripping around him, clinging around his cock like you can't bear to be without it. He draws closer, his hard chest against your back, his head sinking down to the crook of your neck. His thrusts lose their timing, uneven and inelegant as he nears his own release.

You feel the sting of his teeth at your flesh. Diluc silences his own sounds of pleasure, burying his face at your neck and sucking a dark love-bite to your skin. But even this jolt of wonderful pain can't distract you from the way his cock flexes deep within you, swelling and straining out against your tight hole. Then, at last, his breath catches, and his cum begins to shoot out into you. The first impact causes you to whine around his fingers, which he punishes with a harsher bite at your shoulder muscle, even as he continues to fill you. Wild red hair brushes your face as you rally your strength to keep yourself in place for him and he fucks the remainder of his climax into your waiting body. For a moment, he holds within you. You each struggle to regain composure and steady your breathing- no easy feat when his manhood is stubbornly refusing to soften even the slightest bit. Then, with a barely restrained sigh, Diluc eases out of your spent hole.

His hand comes to rest on the wall in front of you, trapping you against his body for a moment longer. You have just enough room to move your hands to tug up your clothing and cover up, and he does the same with his free hand. But before releasing you, he places a lingering kiss to the spot just below where your jawline meets your ear. It's a surprisingly tender spot, and the soft warmth of his lips seems to spread across your skin from that point.

"Be safe getting home." he murmurs, and you find yourself wishing dearly that you could see his expression as he says it. Though, perhaps he fully intends to keep that image from you. Then, he straightens his posture, the cool night air filling the space where his body had warmed you.

"And next time," he adds, having regained his usual business-like tone, "Don't expect me to be so generous if you stand in my way."

[esamastation]

Here's a sneak preview of fic I'm currently working. Working title is Loose Ends and it is post AC 3 and post the original Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters manga and anime. I guess spoilers for both. And Ac Valhalla, a tiny bit.

-

"You know you have to take care of it."

Desmond hesitates, hand stilling over golden threads of probability, glowing in the grey darkness. He hadn't gone over even a fraction of them yet, and there are probably a million things that need taking care of, now that Juno and Minerva aren't here anymore to literally pull the strings, but… he doesn't need to ask which it they're talking about here.

"I will," Desmond says. "...as soon as I find a way in, I will."

Clay scoffs. "You're not looking very hard."

No, he isn't. He'd been distracted by alternate realities, watching Ezio marry Christina and Altaïr enjoy quiet life with Maria and – and there's just a lot of stuff to look at, to see, to be… vaguely jealous of, sure, but –

"You know that time is still passing out there all linear like, right?" Clay points out. "Abstergo is still looking for Isu tech, and anyone with any ancestral memories about it – if they find out that someone figured out how to make the damn things –"

"Juno blurred those genes," Desmond says a little defensively. "They're literally been hidden from me. And everyone else too, so, even if Abstergo knew about them, which they don't –"

"That's not going to work forever and you know it. Minerva's protections already wore down – as soon as Juno dies, and let's hope it won't take her too long, her manipulations will go too. The genes will become visible again – Animus readable. Like a program, restarting backup after shutdown."

Desmond sighs, unable to argue with that. His hand wavers indecisively, and then he lowers it, shaking his head. "I know – I am still looking for a way in. I just don't have any ancestors in the area at that specific time. Do you?"

"Look harder."

Frowning a little, Desmond lets his shoulders sag a bit before shaking his head and looking at the threads of probability instead, where they rise in front of him into a magnificent glowing tree with infinite branches.

Look harder – look where? Into his ancestry? He has, Desmond is so aware of his lineage that it's a bit uncomfortable – had he missed something…?

"Think about it," Clay says, sounding almost bored now. "Juno wouldn't have wanted to give those memories to you, that data, so it's not in your DNA – but you do have some ancestry in the area, don't you? Even if it's the wrong time, you have ancestry everywhere. And this was thousands of years ago, and with your lineage…"

Yeah. Minerva had collected his genes from all over the world, putting Desmond Miles together like a puzzle. He has a wider spread ancestry than the average… so looking for who he isn't related to is almost easier than the opposite. The data must still be there, though. The Isu are hoarders, when it comes to genetic memories – they wouldn't have let something as big as this just die out. So somewhere there is someone with that connection – someone with afoothold in the right time period…

Concentrating, Desmond gathers the threads of his own lineage – and then dismisses them. There would be no connection there, he can't find this information from within. It would be somewhere else, obscured, hidden… He'd looked at some of the lineages in the area, and none of them connected to the right time or location either. It smacks of Minerva's obfuscation, she'd lead the bloodlines elsewhere probably, hiding them in the distance as well as time...

Something tickles at Desmond's fingers, just for a moment – without thinking of it twice, he wraps his hand around the thread and pulls –

– and gets pulled away with it.

-

The lineage has protections in place, it turns out – there's a trap. Pulling on that thread tweaks Desmond's own probabilities, and for a while he finds himself in a maze of chances and statistics, all of them leading him wrong. It's incredible – almost physical, like an endlessly folded space of million overlapping staircases and doors leading into more mazes, leading nowhere. Whoever wove it wasn't an Isu, can't have been – it's way too imaginative.

It takes Desmond a bit of manoeuvring to get through even some of it. Luck is on his side, though, even with tweaked probability – the trap isn't active anymore. A bit like Minerva's protection, the maze is unravelling at the edges, because probability isn't an easy thing to tame and it doesn't like to sit idle. Still fascinating, though – definitely a learning experience. If he could learn to weave likelihoods like this –

"Hello?" echoes a voice in the maze of false possibilities, and Desmond freezes. "Is – is someone there?"

… what are the chances of that?

Turning, Desmond finds himself in a sort of hall, surrounded on all sides by stairs and doors – facing a... short asian man with a partially bleached spiky hair. He looks a bit like a punk, with ripped up vest and studded bracelets – there's a belt around his neck and everything. Kinda goth punk. Huh.

"Uh," Desmond says, stunned. Definitely didn't expect that. "Hi…?"

"Hi," the other man says, frowning. "Who are you – how did you get in here?"

"How did I – how did you get in here?" Desmond asks. Desmond at least has the excuse of being a disembodied bundle of genetic data – he can just do that, now. This guy is… not that. "Do you know what this place is?"

The Asian guy frowns, looking at him and then glancing around. "Do you?"

Swallowing the urge to say asked you first, Desmond looks the guy up and down, and then peers inside. Or tries to – and it clicks.

"Oh shoot, this is yours – we're in your head?" Desmond asks and glances around with new appreciation. It's like a – a load screen, an Animus headspace. "Aw man, I'm sorry, I didn't think you might be aware – I thought this was all automated, I wouldn't have just barged in like this if I thought it was all in someone's head."

The Asian punk blinks with surprise and then relaxes a little. "Oh. Well, if it wasn't intentional – and you're not here to harm anything, I guess it's alright?"

"No, no harm intended," Desmond assures. "Sorry – hi, I'm Desmond. Desmond Miles."

"Mutou Yugi – or Yugi Mutou, I guess. Yugi is my given name. It's… nice to meet you?" the punk says and clears his throat, looking him up and down. "Um, how do you end up in someone's Soul Room accidentally?"

-

Have written 2 chapters currently, aiming for the total of 5 or less.

[teyvattherapist]

Twin Swords - Act ii - Mors Altaris

“It’s Dainsleif!” You inform your companion whose eyes widen as she also connects the dots. Paimon begins to nod in agreement with your conclusion on the Medical Captain’s peculiar contact. Your floating companion rubs her head as she processes the information.

“Why would Dainsleif even be close enough to Captain Ohm to contact him about that? He didn’t react to you telling him you’re the honorary knight.” Paimon pointed out and you furrowed your brows. Yes, indeed, it was odd. How or why were they close enough that Dainsleif sent a possible distress message to the captain?

Before you could open your mouth to respond though, somebody ran into you, sending you to the ground. “Oh? Apologies!” A voice chuckled from above you, Paimon putting her fists on her hips and glaring at the tall man. He held out a hand, and you reached out to take it, eyes narrowing momentarily at the white mask filled with gold cracks that covered his face. “I didn’t see you there, my bad.” He bowed his head politely as he helped you stand straight once more.

“You better be sorry!” Paimon huffed, you waved her off though and she circled the man in question, despite the mask covering his face, his head curiously followed her, looking over one shoulder, then the other to follow her movements. Once more she floated beside you, fists on her hips. Sassy today.

The man rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved hand, head tilting to the left. “Where are my manners? My name is Sulien. Please, allow me to treat you to lunch for my hindrance.” He placed his hand against his chest and Paimon immediately lit up, nodding her head with the sort of enthusiasm only she could muster.

~You Join the Strange Man at Wanwen Bookhouse~

“Whoa look at all these books!” Paimon left your side to go examine one of the many bookshelves. Sulien hummed in agreement as he raised his hand, nodding to the shopkeeper who returned the nod with a smile. The masked man made a beeline for one of the bookshelves, apparently already aware of what he needed. “So when do we get lunch?” Paimon inquired as she floated over to the man, floating beside his shoulder.

Sulien seemed momentarily distracted as he scanned the shelf in front of him. “Hm? Oh. Sorry.” His stoic voice trailed off for a few moments before he grabbed a book off of the shelf. “My roommate says I need to cut down on books. I only need to stop by the smithy after this, then we can go get food, promise.” Sulien tilted his head in apology before he hurried off to the shopkeeper.

(He seems to know a lot about Liyue despite definitely not being from here..)

“Why do you need to see the blacksmith?” Paimon inquired as she followed him, you continued to stand by the railing as you watched them interact with one another. Sulien handed mora over to the shopkeeper, the woman happily taking it with a chipper ‘Thank You!’.

“Oh, my claymore is being repaired.” You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his relatively stoic statement. How does one even break a claymore? Sulien turned for the stairs, his book tucked under his arm. “Come along, I’ll show you where it is. If you are who I think you are, I’m positive you will need his services.” Noticing your hesitant expression at his words he hummed. “The clothing. It is a little obvious.” (Ah that explains that..)

~You Follow Sulien to the Blacksmith~

Sulien gestured with his arm, the playful action almost made you wonder if he was smiling under the cracked mask. “This is Hanfeng’s Ironmongers!” His voice however fell flat, remaining monotone as he spoke. “And this,” Sulien turned towards the blacksmith, “is Master Zhang.” You watch the blacksmith in question stop his work to speak with the masked man.

“I’m sure you’ve been too busy to really look around Liyue Harbour, he’d make a good guide.” Master Zhang nodded to your masked companion who merely put a hand to his chest and bowed his head politely. “Or just Liyue in general, have you brought more ore locations?” The two exchanged a piece of paper. “And your weapon, be careful with it next time. I still don’t know how you managed.”

“Yeah how do you break a sword that big?”

Sulien hummed at Paimon’s question, the claymore dematerialising once he touched it. “I threw it too hard. Thank you.” Sulien once more nodded to the man before he took a step away, arms crossing over his chest as he surveyed the street ahead of him. “Very well, I promised you lunch. Let us go.” Sulien nodded and Paimon giggled in glee, clapping her hands. (How does he plan on eating with the mask on? Will he take it off?) He turned away and you snapped from your thoughts to follow him.

~Head to Xinyue Kiosk~

You very quickly learned he was not going to take off the mask, instead opting to sit aside and read the book he bought from Wanwen. He was quiet, allowing Paimon to make idle chatter with you instead. A small hum escaped him as he flipped the page and you considered your conversational options.

>Doesn’t the mask get annoying?

>Do you ever take the mask off?

Sulien looked up from his book, the soulless eyes of the mask boring into you, but his shoulders remained relaxed. “No.” He responded simply, turning his head back to his book. (Seems like the mask is a sensitive topic.) Sulien flipped to the next page and you looked down at your plate of food.

You cleared your throat and judging by the slight tilt of his head, he was listening to you. As if sensing your intention it was Paimon who spoke up for you. “You don’t look like you’re from Liyue, where are you from?” She questioned, eyes gleaming as she watched the relatively expressionless man ponder the question quietly.

Sulien’s head tilted to the other side and he hummed. (Paimon wonders why he does that so often..) “With how long I have been in Liyue for work, it has become a home to me. It is why Master Zhang recommends me for sightseeing.” Sulien’s chuckle was slight as he answered quietly. “I am afraid I am far less interesting than I seem. Tell me, Traveler, why is it you travel?”

“He/She is looking for his/her sibling!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yeah! We’re looking for this unknown-” You shushed Paimon with a look and she let out a small ‘eek!’ Sulien was once more staring at you, at least, you think so. The mask makes it hard to tell and his body language almost never changes. The entire day spent with him, you were beginning to realise, he’s not once changed his tone of voice or his relaxed stance.

Sulien tilted his head to the side, the action almost robotic with how he went about doing it. You quickly looked back down to your food. Was he judging you? Was he- “I hope you find him/her. To lose one’s kin must be tragic and to lose one’s only kin? Hm.. Devastating.” He closed his book and stood from the chair.

“Are you leaving, Lien?”

Sulien paused, looking away from the two of you for a moment. “Yes, unfortunately I have other matters to attend to. Your meal is already paid for, please enjoy it. I apologise for my abrupt departure.” Sulien looked back to the two of you, pressing his free hand to his chest and bowing his head respectfully. Paimon flailed her arm good bye and he nodded, straightening out and leaving the room.

~Connect with Paimon just outside of Liyue Harbour~

You settled down on one of the rocks overlooking the harbour, the setting sun added to the atmosphere. With everything happening after Mondstadt and the Rite of Descension, the peaceful day you had was welcomed, perhaps even needed. The harbour was gorgeous with the orange and pink sky above, reflecting off of the crystal waters below. But something felt off, something felt wrong.

Paimon seemed to feel it too as she floated around you in a circle, stopping on your left. Before she could say anything though a net flew by, successfully trapping your traveling companion despite her shriek and desperate flailing attempts. Quickly you summoned your sword, moving to push yourself off of the rock and face your attackers. Before you could do so however the familiar sound of a bow string being pulled back graced your ears.

And pain flourished in your sword arm as the arrow found purchase in your shoulder. The force sent you off the rock, sword falling out of your grip. “Capture them!” A voice called and you struggled to crawl for your sword with your good arm. Your fingers brushed the hilt of your sword before your world went dark, a bag pulled over your head.

And then nothing...

~An Undetermined Amount of Time Has Passed~

You struggle against the binds around your wrists despite your injured shoulder, the rope not budging despite your best attempts. You glare when the bag is pulled off of your head, revealing none other than Treasure Hoarders. Of course they’d be behind this, it was them or the Fatui anyway. The one dressed slightly different from the rest bent down, making a point to look you over.

“This is the famed hero of Mondstadt? Really?” The treasure hoarder that seemed to be the leader taunted. You narrowed your eyes up at him, struggling despite the pain. “Oh you won’t be getting out of those any time soon, we made sure of that.” The man stood up, raising his arms above his head to stretch. Nearby you heard Paimon shout from the net she was still trapped in. “We only want one thing, hero. Mora. And a buttload of it.”

“No way!” Paimon cried out from where she was. The treasure hoarder’s snort turned into a full blown laugh as he looked down at you. His laughter quickly died and his eyes narrowed dangerously. (This isn’t good.) A feeling of dread quickly washed over you.

The treasure hoarder crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh I wasn’t asking-”

“Boss!” A panicked shout interrupted their leader and the treasure hoarder in question growled, turning to address the woman who called for him. You followed his gaze and were met with a confusing sight.

“Shall I take care of them, comrade?”

Childe. And.. Sulien? Before Childe could pull out his weapon, Sulien’s claymore appeared in his hand, the man flipping the weapon casually as he stepped forwards. “No, I need to ensure the repairs were done right.” Sulien tilted his head, making a point to look the leader up and down. “Unless, of course, you give us the Traveler.”

Sulien pivoted to the side, one of the potion bottles the treasure hoarders often used flying by him. The leader pulled his own weapon and Sulien merely sighed, adjusting his one handed grip on the large blue and black weapon. “Yes, I didn’t think it would be that easy. Unfortunate.” He brought the claymore up, pointing it directly at the treasure hoarder. “Fruit Tart, please go untie the Traveler, thank you.”

(Why was he so friendly with the Fatui?)

~Sandrone Trial~

The enemies fell with very little effort on the masked man's part. The man's claymore dug into the ground as the last enemy poofed away from the fight. He let out a sigh as he turned back to look at you.

Childe untied the rope around your wrists, freeing you from the binding. The harbinger returned to the masked man's side, his claymore disappearing into light blue crystals. "What are you doing here?!" Paimon questioned, fists on her hips as she floated beside you, focus pointed at Childe who gave her a lazy smile.

The other man adjusted his gloves wordlessly, face directed away from you and your companion. Childe laughed as he looked between you three, hand on his stomach as he let out a couple of laughs much to Paimon's chagrin at being ignored. The man beside him sighed, turning his attention back to you. The soulless eyes of his mask bore into you as you looked him over. (He had seemed so friendly earlier.. But now.. Was that..?)

The harbinger straightened out, clearing his throat. He gestured a gloved hand to his companion beside him. "This is Sandrone, codename Marionette. Number ten of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. He prefers the first name." Childe patted Sandrone's back, earning a soft huff from the man in question. Paimon gasped as he quickly looked to you, as if trying to gauge your reaction to the news. Your eyes focused on the gem on the back of his left glove.

(I should have known.)

"You lied to us!" Paimon accused him to which Childe chuckled as if he were enjoying a show. Sandrone hummed in response, one arm crossing over his chest, the other hand pressing to his chest. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, you.. you.. uhm, puppet!" You looked at Paimon, that was her best nasty nickname in the moment?

Sandrone sighed, bowing his head. "That I did. My intent was not to manipulate, however, when an opportunity arises." He stood straight. Just as before his voice remained stoic. Perhaps his manner of speaking and lack of expressive actions made sense now. "And, while I may have lied. Had we not come, you would still be held up by those Treasure Hoarders." The masked man pointed out. He wasn't wrong.

Before either you or Paimon could respond, Childe turned away. "Remember, Traveler. Not everybody is on your side in this battle of yours. No hard feelings, of course." He gave a small wave over his shoulder. Sandrone once more bowed but hesitated before he turned, looking back at Childe and then to you. Childe stopped, looking back at Sandrone.

"It is merely a business transaction. I do hope you find your sibling. That much was honesty." And with that the harbingers left you and Paimon alone in the darkened clearing. His words stuck with you as you watched them disappear.

(Why did he seem so familiar there? As if I've met him before?)

~Quest Complete~

[inkdrawndreamer]

Get Your Ghost: MoF! Jonathan Crane x Librarian! Reader 2 (gender-neutral)

Told ya I’d do another one.

I’m not 100% on it but overall I’m satisfied with how this part turned out. It’s meant to be the sequel to my previous MoF Jon x reader fic, but it can also be read as a stand-alone story.

Many thanks to @justasimplesinner and @gender-hoarder-xtreme for encouraging me to actually finish these stories. I’m also dedicating this part to @bewarethebadger. Happy belated birthday hon ^_^

To call it a bad day would be an understatement.

 The worst part is that he should have seen it coming: why else would Sherry Squires of all people agree to go out with him if not to tear him down a little more? He had been skeptical at first, but decided to shut down the more logical, more hurt part of his brain because goddamn it, he wanted this. Why couldn't he let a good thing be, just this once?

 He should have known it was too good to be true.

 He does not actually know where he's going at this point. He just wanted to get away from the party. The autumn breeze is brisk, which makes the liquid running down his neck all the more difficult to ignore. He picks the pumpkin guts out of his hair while he walks, flinging another bit onto the sidewalk with each new step. He feels the urge to cry gnawing at the back of his throat, but he forces it down. He can at least keep them from claiming that victory, not that it would be worth much after everything else they put him through.

 Another gust of wind rattles his limbs almost as much as it shakes the trees overhead.

 I'm a coward, he thinks. Just like Ichabod Crane fleeing a bully dressed in a cape and a carved gourd—and the worst part is that he walked right into it.

 He bites his tongue to keep from bursting, but the wind does a significantly better job of distracting him. His clothes were too light to keep out the cold even before he got covered in wet pumpkin shards. Like a moth to a flame, he finds himself searching for the nearest fluorescent light sticking out of the dark. He does not have to search for long.

 He hadn't intended to come to the library, but that is where his feet bring him. It makes sense; in the last few years it has become a safe harbor, full of places to hide and people who would just as soon leave him to his own devices as they would take him in. He never likes coming here after he gets knocked down, but he finds that licking his wounds here is significantly less embarrassing than doing it at home. It helps that the librarians rarely ask questions either. He puts his bandanna back on before going inside.

 The building is dimly lit, and he can't tell if it's for ambience or the result of yet another blown fuse. There are a couple of candles burning behind the front desk, so he is inclined to assume the former. At first, he tries to use the dark to his advantage, hoping to slip into the shadowed portion of the stacks without anyone knowing he is there.

 "Hello." 

 Unfortunately, you spot him right away. "Jon, is that you?"

 So much for being in disguise. He turns around, looking every bit as caught as he feels. He doesn't want to come out of the shadows, but you save him the trouble by getting up to meet him there.

 "I see you're already in the spirit," you say without an ounce of irony. "Nice pirate costume."

 "Thanks." He is so quiet that you can barely tell he's speaking.

 "How was the party? Did you already go?"

 He doesn't answer, but you know the look on his face all too well.

 "Are you okay?" You force yourself not to pry for details.

 He shakes his head.

 "Rough day?"

 He nods. You can't tell if his expression is more angry or wounded. It's going to be one of those nights. The library won't close for another two hours, but the building has been pretty much dead since trick or treating started. A few kids come to the library to get their candy, but most pass it over in favor of the rich neighborhood just down the street. You were honestly disappointed that there were so few people earlier. Decorating the atrium alone had taken you over a week.

 Jon helped make a few of the decorations, which was how you first found out about the party. He couldn't keep his mouth shut for long. The day he told you about it was probably the happiest you have ever seen him. In between cutting out paper bats and stringing up cheesecloth cobwebs, he told you all about Sherry Squires and how amazing it was that she said yes when he asked her out. You were happy for him—of course you were—but something about the situation rubbed you the wrong way. He had mentioned that she used to date the Griggs guy who always gave him hell. It sounded like she had taken part in the bullying too, but you could never be sure, and asking him directly felt like an overstep. Whatever misgivings you had at the time, you decided to keep them to yourself, and considering his current state, you think it would be best to continue doing so. Saying "I told you so" would just be kicking him while he's down.

 For now, you only try to coax him toward the atrium. You can keep an eye on the desk from there, and frankly, you would be shocked if anyone else walked in at this point. Getting Jon to follow you is more difficult than usual, as he insists on sidestepping you every time you look at him. His back is ramrod straight as he sits down, and he keeps his hands in his lap the whole time. You leave just long enough for a trip to the coffee maker, and return with a couple of hot styrofoam cups.

 “I’m sorry to say, but this place will probably stay empty until closing,” you sigh. “Seems like we’ll be the only ones admiring our handiwork here.”

He glances around the adorned ceiling. “It turned out nice.”

 “It really did.” You take a thoughtful sip of your coffee. “Thanks for helping me get everything up. You did a better job in ten minutes than I could have in an hour.”

 He shrugs. “Sometimes being tall comes in handy.”

 “It certainly helped me out. I should bug you to volunteer here more often.”

 You can’t be sure if he starts coughing because of what you said or something else, but you are up and circling him as soon as he starts, patting his back to ease him through it. 

 He flinches away before he regains his breath all the way. “I’m fine!” he says hoarsely.

 It’s only after you take your hand off him that you realize your fingers are sticky. “What’s this?”

 He practically leaps out of his seat, but you steal a look at his back before he can dodge you. 

 “It’s nothing!” he says quickly.

 You move the substance around between your fingers. “Are these seeds?”

 He crosses his arms over his chest, but he does not look at you. “I fell.”

“Okay?” As much as you want to, you know that it’s probably best not to ask. Clearly things didn��t go well at the party, and you don’t want to embarrass him any more. “You can clean up in the break room if you want.”

 He mumbles something under his breath.

 “What?”

 “I said my shirt’s soaked.” He furrows his brow in concentration like he wants to make himself disappear.

 “I have a jacket in my locker.”

 He starts to protest, but you are gone before he can try. With the utmost reluctance, he follows you toward the break room. All you hear is the bathroom door slamming shut behind you to indicate his presence. You take a minute to clear the coins and receipts from your coat pockets before you hand it to him from outside the door. It has always been large on you, so you hope it will at least be long enough to cover him all the way. When he eventually comes out of the bathroom, you see that your sleeves only end about halfway down his forearm. His bandanna is gone and his hair is soaking wet as if he just washed it. Peering over his shoulder, you make a note to yourself to clean up the pumpkin guts in the sink before closing time.

 “Sorry it’s kind of small on you,” you say as you head toward the small kitchen next door. “It’s pretty warm though.”

 He flops down in one of the ratty easy chairs on either side of the room.

 “You want anything to eat? There are some leftovers from the board meeting yesterday.”

 “No thanks.” He picks absentmindedly at the tattered armrest.

 You come out of the kitchen empty-handed. “Well, I have to get back to the desk soon, so you can’t stay back here. You can hang out in the atrium a bit longer if you want.”

 He grumbles something unintelligible. You leave the door open behind you as you go, but he doesn’t budge. The front desk is just as quiet as you left it. The TV behind the desk plays the usual slideshow of photos and program dates. The only sounds in the building are the drawl of the heater and the faint buzz of fluorescent bulbs. You glance at the clock overhead, but there is still more than an hour to go before your shift ends. 

 Between the boredom and Jon pouting, you aren’t sure if you can stand the quiet that long. You spot your forgotten coffee in the atrium and make a beeline for it, nearly bumping into a display on the way there. Looks like your decorations were not the only ones going unappreciated. The cobweb-laden dvd rack is still completely full, and it gives you an idea.

 “Hey Susan!” You don’t see your boss nearby, but she doesn’t wait long to appear. “You mind if I put a horror movie on up at the front?”

 She shoots you a questioning look. “I know this time of night can get boring, but we can’t get too comfortable in case somebody else comes in.”

 You try not to roll your eyes. “We’ve had maybe three patrons in the last two hours and there is literally only one now. Please?” You clutch the nearest dvd case to your chest hopefully. “It would help everyone stay awake.”

 She lets out a resigned sigh. “Okay, but whatever you pick has to be pg-13 or below. In case any kids show up.”

 “Unless you’ve been hoarding king-size snickers in your office, I think we’ll be fine.” It’s a small victory, but you can’t help being excited. You make an enthusiastic dive toward the dvd rack and begin scrounging for something decent. There isn’t much, truth be told. Most of what you find is either too gory to show or flat-out bad.

 “What on earth are you doing?” Jon’s voice is a pleasant surprise, even if it’s sudden presence makes you jolt.

 “Looking for a pg-13 horror movie that isn’t also painful to watch.”

 “Doesn’t sound that hard.”

 “We don’t have many oldies, and the ones we do have aren’t even good enough for a laugh, much less a scare.”

 You can feel him rolling his eyes before he actually stoops down beside you. “I’ve seen most of the horror you have here, and I guarantee that’s not true.”

 “You find something then, if you’re such a pro.”

 His knuckles snap like tree branches when he cracks them. “Fine then, move over.”

 You don’t appreciate being shoved aside, but he already has a few cases in hand before you can say a word. He fans them out in front of you like a hand of playing cards. “Pick one,” he says with the most bored expression you’ve ever seen.

 A familiar title catches your eye. “The Blob? I’ve seen this one before. Not bad, but it’s pretty gory.”

 “No, you saw the remake.” He lets out an indignant little huff. “This is the original.”

 “Is it any good?”

 “Not really, but it’s fun, and the special effects are horrible.”

 “Sold.” You swipe the case from his hands and motion for him to follow you to the front desk. The song that plays over the title card is surprisingly jaunty. Despite his blank expression, you can hear Jon humming along with the title track. You don’t remember much about the version of the movie you watched before, but the cheap sets and props still manage to take you aback. Jon’s eyes don’t stray from the screen except to shoot you an inquisitive look.

 He notes your furrow and he frowns. “You don’t like it?”

 “I’m mostly just stumped trying to figure out how old this lead character is supposed to be.”

 “Seventeen, I believe.”

 Your eyebrow goes up. “Bullshit. That guy’s not a day under thirty.”

 He nods. “I know. Somehow that part is less believable than the alien blob is.”

 “Yeah, you weren’t kidding about how bad the special effects are.”

 “So you don’t like it?”

 “Oh no, it’s great, but it’s also terrible.” He snickers under his breath at that, and you can’t help cracking a smile. “If you have any other awful finds like these, do tell.”

 For the first time that night, a smirk overtakes his lips. “Maybe a few.”

 Neither of you can’t help poking fun at it as you watch. The movie is bad, but it’s the most fun you’ve had all evening. Hearing Jon laugh and yell at the characters is refreshing after a long shift. It’s a far cry from how upset he was when he first came in. You get so invested that you almost miss the closing announcements. There are about twenty minutes left, but you reluctantly stop the film so you can clean your station before closing. You’re disappointed that you don’t get to watch the rest of it with Jon, but the last thing you need is to get reprimanded by your boss at the end of the night. 

 Jon is the only patron left by the time the library finally closes. He leaves with his wet shirt bundled in a plastic bag. You almost forgot he was wearing your jacket, but when he tries to give it back, you refuse.

 “I’m not going to catch a cold just waiting for the bus to show up.” He starts to shrug it off, but you grab the lapels and pull it back up over his shoulders. 

 “I can handle the ride home without it,” you tell him with a leer. He doesn’t say another word about it.

 His bus is supposed to show up any minute now, so you figure you might as well wait with him. You watch him rock back and forth on his heels. “Thanks for letting me stay,” he mutters.

 “Of course, I like when you come by,” you say. “Sorry we couldn’t finish the movie.”

 He only shrugs. “I’ve seen it a few times already. But I’ll come back if you want to see the end of it.”

 “Probably not while I’m on shift. But if you ever wanted to hang out sometime.”

 His voice is so quiet you can barely hear him. “I’d like that.”

 You smile as the bus pulls up. “Great, it’s a date then.”

 “Wait, what?” His voice shoots up an octave, and you have to resist the urge to laugh.

 You pull him into a one-armed hug as the bus doors swing open, burying his face in the crook of your shoulder momentarily. “One more thing.”

 He is beet red as he pulls away, clutching his bag to his torso. You stick a hand in your pocket and pull out a fistful of candy.

 “Since we didn’t get many trick-or-treaters, I figured nobody would mind if I snagged some.” He is silent as you drop the candy into his open bag. You turn away as the bus pulls up, still smiling his way. “Happy Halloween Jon.”

[misskittysmagicportal]

can i request something to do with the thing about vincent having tics while giving oral or just vincent giving oral general i love the way you write things

I Think We're Alone Now

(Vincent Rhodes x Fem!Reader)

Warnings: language, talk of mental health, fem!receiving oral

A/N: With the pandemic keeping you and Vincent apart, he was glad that being alone didn't mean being lonely.

Vincent Rhodes didn't tic as bad or as much in his thirties. He wasn't cured. He didn't take medicine that made them magically go away. He took meds for his anxiety, and the “cure” was still going to therapy with Dr Rose. He didn't go daily or weekly or even monthly anymore. He managed every other month. Sometimes, perhaps, every three to four months. Yet it took twenty-five to finally accept a cliche: Tourette's wasn't Vincent, Vincent simply HAD Tourette's.

Don't worry though, cunt is still his favorite word.

Vincent also did all the things he told Marie he wanted to do. He finished school and went to college online. He found himself rather good at computers and a job that required the bare minimum of human interaction. His Tourette's was under control, but his social anxiety never seemed to be. We digress!

He had a job, and a place to call home that wasn't a treatment facility or a hoarder’s house bogged down by sadness and alcoholism. Vincent didn't find it shameful that his father bought him a condo. He and his roommate had an agreement to pay utilities and work on the re-election campaign.

Vincent finally had a dog. A dog he had to fight for because his roommate had.. Rituals. Rituals that also weren't as bad as they used to be thanks to the same therapy and right medication. Just like you can't get rid of Tourette's, Vincent couldn't get rid of Alex either. That was his first, and really only, friend. As tumultuous as they started out, if you survive a road trip with two neurodivergents, you're pretty much bonded for life. Alex was sometimes more work than their dog.

Vincent and Alex did things in their late twenties and early thirties they never thought they'd do. They went out. They dated around. They had awkward sex and one night stands that the two of them could finally laugh about. Vincent could hide, or save his tics from popping up during his dates. He could even manage to hold them off when he had sex. He was relaxed and focused on the woman beneath or above him.

But then he would spasm, or twist and pop his mouth. He would unintentionally squeal or swear, call her names or flip her off. Instead of understanding Vincent, or talking to him, whoever the girl of the moment was would leave and never come back. Fuck her, Vincent would think. I can't help that I have Tourette’s; she can help being an asshole.

-----

There could not have been a worse time in anyone’s life for you to meet quite possibly the single hottest guy in your neighborhood. At least, you thought he was in your neighborhood. You kept running into each other at various stores to the point you found yourself quoting an old movie from college.

“Are you stalking me?” You boldly questioned him one afternoon as he pondered Mcintosh versus Fiji apples. “Because that would be super.”

The man jumped. Then to your shock, he spasmed almost violently. His neck twisted to the left as his hand held on to his chin and yelled out, “Brown haired cunt! Grass licking big tits.”

You laughed. It wasn't malicious or in jest. You were nervous and stunned. Still you replied, “Normally a guy has to date me for a while before he calls me a cunt. Now as for grass licking? That was only once, but I was high and we were playing truth or dare.”

He stared at you, mouth agape. A violent spasm rocked his body again like an aftershock. It caused him to excessively blow a dark curl back from his forehead several times before his body relaxed and he appeared to sink in on himself. Embarrassed. A pink hue spread along his cheeks and angled jaw as he gazed at the apples again with large green eyes.

“You ok? I wouldn't say I've got big tits. They're more like medium sized. Unless you were talking about the melons.” You held up two cantaloupe in front of your chest. “I’m y/n”

Again with the mouth open staring. Then he came to, “Vincent. I've never had someone react to Arthur that way.”

“I'm from New York. That was a Saturday night in the village. Who’s Arthur?” You looked around. “Are you being held hostage? Scream cunt for yes. Vagina for no.”

Vincent laughed. It was almost a giggle that you weren't sure was a laugh or his thing. “Arthur is my Tourette's. He's the clown who shits in between my thoughts. My tics. You scared the piss out of him.”

“You named your Tourette's? You can't do that, they never go away once you name them.”

Vincent rolled his eyes, “ DAMMIT! I'll take away his bowl of food and dog bed too. Maybe I'll finally be cured!”

You didn't want him to think you felt something was wrong with him. “Mostly with all of this, I meant I keep seeing you around. Thought I'd say hi.”

“How about we exchange phone numbers, and you can say hello more often?” Vincent cocked an eyebrow.

“Bold of you to assume calling me a cunt is flirting! But you got it out of the way now instead of down the line. Give me your phone.”

He obliged and you put your number in. As you handed it back you joked, “Should've told me you had a much sexier friend.” You indicated Alex on the phone’s wallpaper.

“He's gay.”

“Damn! Lucky for men. Anyways, I work most days. Don't know how long with everything happening out there. Call me sometime?”

Vincent twitched and wolf whistled. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, but promised he would nonetheless. But then pandemic happened, so all you had for the next six months was your phone

-----

You met Alex and learned his rituals and empathized with his panic to follow or abide by heath guidance. His OCD aggravated by everything going on. Vincent couldn't even go for a run without his friend completely freaking out, so he just didn't. Their balcony was it for fresh air.

You took tours of each other's apartments. Had dinners and breakfasts together. Shared what books you were reading and watched movies together. Vincent teased you about your fat, lazy cat and you did likewise over his ten pound shih tzu. Although, you admitted, it was because she got to share a bed with him.

Somehow in month 5 you were roped into a three way phone call with his dad. Senator Rhodes and Vincent seemed to have an easy relationship, but you were filled in later that it was anything but for a very long time. So you turned the tables one night, and introduced him to your entire family.

Forgetting about his Tourette's, because you had really grown used to it all. To the tics, the whistles and excessive use of the word cunt (Pandemic drinking game, Vincent’s idea) that his biggest episode since you met stunned not only you but your clan. Vincent had buried his face, you were terrified of your mistake. But you got it from somewhere.

“Sure you ain't from Brooklyn, kid?!” Thank Christ for meathead brothers.

“This is dating right?” Vincent asked after their dinner. “Pandemic, COVID, for now dating. Even though,” he paused to twist his neck, “One of my coworkers has uh, dick appointments all the time?” He snapped a finger several times and shouted something about a whore and syphilis.

“Hey! Tell Arthur to fuck off. Sexual liberation. She's not a whore, she's in her twenties!” Vincent laughed. “Are you nervous about something? Usually the bedtime part of our phone calls are the least tic-ish.”

“Wanna have sex?” He was straightforward.

“Right now? Facetime sex?” You scrunch your nose but more to be cute than creeped out.

“Here. Alex is asleep. Come over? We've been isolated for months.”

“God, I love you.”

“What?” Vincent laughed. “Are you sure about that?”

“I'll be there in twenty minutes.”

-----

Vincent opened the door and implored you to take your shoes off at the door. You expected nothing less as you complied and followed him in the stillness of the apartment to his bedroom.

The moment the door was shut, Vincent was on you before you could even adjust to the dark. Only street lamps from the neighborhood below showed through as his mouth consumed yours.

Your tongues at war with each other as the two of you scrambled to undress. Your lips broke apart long enough to throw shirts over heads and step out of flannel pants or yoga pants. Then they crashed together again as Vincent let his hands splay out the length of your back and shoulders.

Your one hand ensnared by his messy hair. The other under the waistband of his boxers and over his ass. You drew his body to yours to melt into. His erection strained and throbbed against your hip as you hungrily pushed your tongue as far inside him as you could.

The both of you eager like teenagers shot with adrenaline. Anxious and hoping Alex caught you as Vincent twitched and his shoulders shrugged up to his ears. His fingers fumbled with your bra made worse by his tics. Tics that frustrated only him; you reached and undid it for him. Your breasts were free for him to look at.

Vincent attempted to choke back his words but failed. “Tit fucker,” a sour look on his face as his eye involuntarily clamped shut, “huge nipples.” He swallowed his lips, mortified.

“Hey!! They make up for yours being the tiniest nipples I have EVER seen on a dude.” You took Vincent’s hand. “We can slow down if you want. I don't know what's up, do you tic like this every time you have sex?”

The two of you laid side by side on his bed, hands traced over inches of bare skin. Vincent was silent for a while as he let his fingers trail over you, his lips not far behind.

“I don't. I'm usually too focused. The last time I loved someone, it fell apart immediately. It's making me anxious.”

You held his head to your body with a tenderness. “I loved you first, didn't I?”

His mouth made its way amongst your breasts as he gently laid you on your back. His lips warm on your stomach and hips that he exposed by tugging your panties down over your knees and off. Vincent laid down between them and almost nuzzled his nose in your soft pubic hair before his tongue dove inside of you.

Your hips rocketed up into his mouth as you grabbed the back of Vincent's head. He licked and sucked on your sex. Small tics caused him to push his tongue and lips in further than before. They closed in on your clit. His tongue attacked it with a lapping motion that you could only bend to, helpless.

Vincent was insatiable, his mouth in a frenzy. Your fingers caught up in the sheets as the sensation of his mouth on your clit spread along your body. Now your words were a shock as they came screaming out into the quiet of the bedroom.

“Tongue fuck me! Faster!”

Instead Vincent looked up at you with a grin, “I see Arthur came to visit.”

Tag: @robertsheehanownsmyass @slutforrobbiebro @super-unpredictable98 @magic-multicolored-miracle @sean-falco @elliethesuperfruitlover @bisexualnathanyoung @bwritesstuff @firstpersonnarrator @rob-private

[voidcat]

— take me home

Characters: Dazai Osamu/gn!reader (+agency members)

Genre & wc: fluff — 1.9k

a/n: happy Valentine’s Day!!! Normally I was gonna make this one big thing but my writing style for all this so far and “the second part” don’t carry the same vibe. (Also it was getting v long) Anyways, enjoy. I still suck at naming fics. — part 2 !!

“You could feel the bomb going off and suddenly-“ Doctor Yosano stops looking at the clock, “Oh it’s been that long already? I shouldn’t keep you waiting for any longer” she motions with her hand to you with a smile.

“It’s alright, I enjoy hearing your stories.” You smile back. “If it’s alright with you and no new cases show up, would you like the finish the story tomorrow at my place? Maybe over a cup of tea or a glass of wine?”

The glint in her eyes tell you the answer long before. “Only if the infamous pastries Ranpo cannot get enough of are there!” Yosano says with enthusiasm and all you can do is nod and share the excitement.

As she proceeds to get her coat and bag, you decide to wait until you hear someone else speak up.

“I thought you didn’t like to have people over?” Atsushi asks standing behind you with a stack of papers and files.

Eyes closed, you hum “True, true… But I make an exception for some, dear. Where did you think we baked all those for Kyouka?”

Stopping for a second to recall that day Atsushi scratches his head. The moment of realization comes to him fast, apparent from the sudden change of expression and the wide smile on his face “Oh! You’re-“

“I thought you didn’t allow anyone in the kitchen!” Ranpo exclaims rather loudly, slamming the newspaper he was reading moments ago onto his table.

Tilting back and forth from where you’re standing and occasionally looking for Yosano to come back, you turn to where his voice came from. “That rule only applies to you, I’m afraid. No matter what an amazing detective you are, cooking and baking simply aren’t your forte.” With one hand in the air as if offering the plainest of truths, you say.

“However you’re still my most trusted taster, so please don’t make that face?” You finish with an apologetic smile and hearing a low rumble coming from him, you let out a breath thinking you’re off the hook.

You thought wrong.

As Yosano’s heels clank against the surface, you can feel a persistent gaze on your back, already sensing what’s to come next. Before you can make an attempt to the door however, Dazai announces your name, in a whine no less, coming a little too closer than you expected right behind your ear.

Slowly turning back to see his smug face, right in your personal space just as you guessed, you refrain from rolling your eyes. “What was it Dazai? Is something the matter?”

Coming all the way from wherever he was previously , he couldn’t be here now for anything other than to bother you. You just hoped Yosano would show up and drag you away before your patience was tested again.

Raising his arm and resting the back of his hand against his forehead, eyes closed and mouth open, as if a he were a character straight out of a tragedia, Dazai opts for the dramatic route. “Yes! I’ve just been informed of horrifying news!”

“Which is?..” you leave the statement unfinished, already knowing what’s to come.

“That you never invited me over to your house! And we’ve been friends for the longest time! What our live have come to, have we driven so far away from ea-“

“Enough with the antics Dazai, we’re busy, can’t you see?” Your savior, Yosano cuts in putting a hand over your shoulder. Turning to look at her, you mouth a ‘thank you.’, and you think she has never looked as beautiful as she does in this moment now, with the golden sun behind her setting, the lights illuminating her face, making her look like those heroes painted to be immortalized.

As you step out, you hear Yosano stop and say: “And for the record, I’ve known them the longest.”

The day spent with Yosano goes better than you could accept. By the end your face hurts from laughing, your stomach full from all the food and drinks you’ve consumed, times flies away like a plane and by the time Yosano makes way to the door, it’s dark and you’re both dragging your feet.

Despite the enjoyable day off, Dazai’s recent behavior starts to make you question if it was worth inviting her over so publicly.

At any chance he gets, he tries to get you to give away something about your location, who has been over before and how many times, what type of hosts you prefer and ‘oh maybe we never got the chance because of our schedules, you should invite me over some time’, ‘don’t be so shy, we’re friends after all! Oh is it your place you’re ashamed of? Worry not, I won’t judge!’, ‘hey are you free on a Thursday night?’s met with ‘No, I don’t want you over.’, ‘Yes, I have a very good reasoning.’ And almost a slip up of a ‘I’m free- Oh wait, I have a date with Sergio, sorry no can do!’.

For each cheeky smile he offers, you give back a grunt or a snarl, one time almost yelling right in front of the director and another time you stomp out of the office in fury while Atsushi watches in horror.

Fifth time of your hiding in the café and you find yourself wishing for a crisis to surface, the carefree Dazai to be replaced by the serious and logical man that manages to impress you no matter how hard the case, counter measure after counter measure, even if he takes reckless risks once in a while.

Inhaling the sweet smell of your tea before taking a sip, your wish seems to have come true partially, from the set of steps approaching you in a determined yet unrushed pace.

Taking a long sip, savoring the taste and the warmth of it, you slowly place the cup down and open your eyes to see Dazai standing in his neutral and calm state.

The two of you stay like that for a while, like a photograph, the café empty and the mixed smells of coffee and tea lingering in the air, not quite looking at one another but not dozed off either.

When he opens his mouth, it doesn’t feel like the moment has been broken, not even a clearing of throat or a quite mumbling under his breath beforehand, yet his voice flows along the smells despite the absurdity of the topic of conversation.

But you beat him to it. “If you’re going to be standing for so long, you might as well sit down.”

He settles down as you reach for your cup again.

“So, how are things with Sergio?” He says the name with a hint of hostility.

It takes everything in you not to spit out your tea laughing. “Sergio is a street cat I take care of.”

Composure and crossed arms off, Dazai’s eyes widen. “But- you said that-“ “A date with Sergio, yes, for his yearly check up at the vet.” You finish for him.

“That was just an excuse to get you to stop bothering me.” You add.

“Fair enough, I deserved that.” He chuckles “but you did mention you had a very good reasoning for not inviting me over. I know I pestered you enough about that…” he trails off, reaching for your hand with his. “And yet, would you be so kind to tell me why?” he asks, eyes locked into yours.

“My cat doesn’t like you.”

And this, you think, is the exact moment the atmosphere is ruined, the photograph ripped apart in the middle.

Dazai just stares at you, still holding your hand.

Blinking few times, rather unimpressed, you notice a waitress by the counter, probably there to rearrange something.

“Alright, I’ll be off now if that’s all!” You say a bit too cheerfully, pull your hand before Dazai can do anything, pay and leave as soon as you can.

Dazai just blinks, hands still in the air, stays frozen like that until Kunikida drags him back to work.

Bad decision after bad decision seems to follow you wherever you go because after that interaction at the café, it gets worse.

You thought Dazai was like a fruit fly before? It gets more irritating than an army of them. And on top of that, Kunikida scolds you to undo whatever you’ve done on Dazai, his already poor work ethics now on the floor, getting on Kunikida’s nerves and yours.

Hearing your name spreads terror in you now, the second your ears catch the familiar tone of Dazai’s voice, you fleet for your life.

Coming clean and explaining your statement from earlier would be the logical way to end this but fate disagrees as it laughs you in the face.

“Why wouldn’t your cat like me? I didn’t even step foot into your place before!”

“Hey Dazai, remember the day you wouldn’t get off my back? Trying to embrace at any chance and I gave up in the middle of the day at one point?” Resting his hand under his chin to think, as if his face doesn’t make it obvious he remembers the day crystal clear, he lets out a “hmm…”

With a snap of fingers and a “Ah! I remember now! You were so comfortable, I almost fell asleep.” He grins.

With a shake of your hand, trying to dismiss the memory of how he basically trapped you to the couch, you cough and continue. “That evening, when I got home, my clothes must have reeked of your smell.” He nods, good, so far he seems to follow. “My cat just sniffed the air once and stayed in the living room until I washed those clothes and took a bath.”

Hands resting on his hips, he keeps nodding and humming in understanding. “I see…”

You let out a breath, thank god it’s over.

“Nope! Still makes no sense.” Hs exclaims suddenly, turns away and leaves. You just stare at his back, now it’s your turn to blink in ‘unbelievable, is this real?’

The loud chatter and pestering doesn’t stop however and with each word, it gets more ridiculous.

“Is your cat perhaps jealous of me? That you secretly love me and they don’t want competition?”

“The cat is just another excuse, isn’t it! Admit it, you have a secret! It must be something you’re afraid I won’t like.”

“Is it Chuuya? Did you take pity and let him rent a room?”

“I don’t even know a Chuuya…”

“Maybe a weird collection…” he gasps and says your name. “Are you a hoarder? Is that why you won’t let me in? I told you already, I would never judge your lifestyle!”

“Dazai, please stop-“

“No, no, I got it this time. It’s a shrine of me! Isn’t it? Your face tells it all, it is a shrine! Ah, I must say I’m flattered, if not a little scared now.”

If anger could set a fire, you think Kunikida would be arrested of arson right now. You just rest your head in your palm, trying to ignore Dazai’s ongoing nonsense.

“Is there really a-“ Kenji begins a question as Ranpo ends it with a firm “Nope!”

Getting up from your place at last, you grab Dazai by his coat and drag him out.

“There is No shrine, no other human, no hoarding or weird collections. It’s just me and my cat who scrunches his nose when I bring home a file that sat in your desk all day!”

Before giving him a chance to reply, you walk away.

The next day, and many other days to follow, goes uneventful, Dazai’s never ending bickering about your house seems to have reached a stop. Everyone, especially Kunikida, enjoys the newly achieved peace of going back to normal. You hope this marks the end of this whole nonsense, and that the Dazai everyone knows with a little mix of annoying and impressively serious has returned back to his sense of regular.

Tags: @atsumusdomain @celosiiaa @ywanfen

[suddencolds]

Unreliable | Genshin Impact

Another G/ensh/in snzfic w Diluc and Kaeya! ft. Kaeya coming down w/ a fever and doing work with the knights instead of taking it easy and... misunderstandings.

—

Like always, it starts small—a headache he barely notices, the sort of fatigue he’s sure he can sleep off, a prickling sort of coldness that has him wishing he’d grabbed an extra jacket on the way out. That's what Kaeya thinks, at least, until he’s standing out in the courtyard after the knights have retired for the night. It’s freezing out, he realizes. Perhaps he should be concerned. He finds himself wondering if such a dip in temperature is reasonable for Mondstadt in the middle of spring, then finds himself wondering if it’s really just the weather that’s out of the ordinary.

Either way, he tells himself it’s nothing a good night’s sleep can’t fix.

When he wakes up the next morning, though, he’s disproportionally exhausted, and the headache hasn’t gotten any better. He’s cold, too, which is new. It’s not as if his room is colder than usual, and even with his cryo vision, he’s been enviably impervious to cold temperatures all his life, with few exceptions.

He sits a little longer than usual at the kitchen table, makes himself tea, and cradles the mug close to him, shivering. It’s nothing worth canceling for, he’s sure. He’ll get their usual work done efficiently—work with the knights is always more tedious than it is difficult, but it’s not like he can't rush through it. Then he’ll unwind at the tavern tonight, drink enough to shake this annoying chill that’s settling deep in his bones, and then sleep it off.

The walk to headquarters feels longer and more taxing than usual. The route’s familiar enough that he doesn’t have to think about it, so he lets his mind wander instead. He’s really only half-paying attention to where he’s going.

The first sneeze, predictably, catches him off guard. He barely has time to duck into the crook of his elbow.

“hihH.. hiih’IESCHHuu!”

Kaeya stumbles, narrowly avoids bumping into someone, and opens his mouth to apologize. When he looks up, though, the apology dies in his throat.

“Oh,” he says, sniffling. “It’s you. Morning, Diluc.”

Diluc is staring at him, looking a little stunned. “...Good morning,” he says finally.

Kaeya steps neatly to the side and turns to keep walking. Unfortunately, he only gets a few steps away when his breath is hitching again, and he’s lifting his forearm to his face as his eyes squeeze shut.

“hh!... hiiHH’ESCHH’uu!”

From behind him, Diluc says, “Are you getting sick?”

It sounds less like a question than an accusation. Kaeya sighs, his shoulders stilling. Of course, leave it to Diluc to see right through him. He turns around. “Aw, Diluc,” he says. The grin comes easily, as it always does. “Are you worried about me?”

It doesn't have the desired effect of ending the conversation immediately. Diluc just stares back at him, looking… annoyed. And something else.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Would it make a difference if I was?”

“Of course.” As if it’s a fact. “The Knights won’t want you there if you’re sick, I’m sure.”

“Oh?” Kaeya smirks at him, crossing his arms in hopes of suppressing a not-so-subtle shiver. He should really get moving—at least walking warms him up a little, but standing out here in the cold is only serving to exacerbate his headache. “Since when have you been concerned about what goes on with the Knights?”

Diluc’s jaw clenches. “I’m not.”

“Okay, then if it’s not them,” Kaeya says, “since when have you been concerned about me?”

He’s being deliberately difficult, he knows. Diluc’s silence, in response, is expected. Kaeya laughs through the tightness in his chest. Of course, after all this time, Kaeya’s left caring for someone who’s already cut him out of his life—tale as old as time. He should really get better at picking his attachments. “Sorry, I’ll stop asking questions we both know the answer to.”

Diluc just frowns at him. He’s still watching with Kaeya with the same intensity, so when Kaeya feels his breath catch, he thinks it’s only logical for him to turn away, if only so that Diluc doesn’t have to watch his expression twist as—

“hIIH’ESCHh’uu! hhH!... hHEHh’DSCHhH’u! Ngh…”

The sneezes are forceful enough that when he straightens, still sniffling, he feels the exhaustion settle. It takes everything in him not to let his shoulders slump.

“It would be an inconvenience to everyone involved if you overextended yourself fighting,” Diluc says finally.

Kaeya shrugs a shoulder, “I know my limits.”

“If you wanted to take the day off, I could easily pick up where you left off.”

“Please, there’s no need.”

Diluc scoffs, crossing his arms. “Considering what the knights get done usually, I doubt I would notice myself putting in any extra work at all.”

That startles a genuine laugh out of him. “So eager to steal the show? I assure you, I’m—f-fine… hh!” Talk about bad timing. The sharp gasp leaves him too preoccupied to see Diluc’s expression. “hhH.. hIIh’ESSChh’u!” He shivers, almost reflexively. He must not be making a good case for himself, standing here letting Diluc see him with what must be a burgeoning head cold. Diluc’s offer is tempting, too—if he sticks around for too long, he might actually be persuaded into accepting, and that wouldn’t be good for either of them. “I’ve worked through worse.” “I realize. That’s not the point.”

“Your concern is misplaced. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get moving. Jean will have my head if I get there late. I’m sure you’ll understand.” Kaeya lifts a hand to wave and starts off again. Diluc doesn’t call for him this time, and he doesn’t look back.

—

“You never know when to give up, do you?” Kaeya says.

He sidesteps as one of the treasure hoarders shoots a beam of electricity at him. He can hear crackle as it bounces off the stone wall behind him. “This would go much faster if you’d just tell me where you’ve hidden the documents.” One of the treasure hoarders makes a mistake of stepping in range—Kaeya swings his sword, quick and cutting, and knocks him to the ground. Another one of the treasure hoarders shoves him backwards. This time Kaeya has to fight to keep the grimace off his face. Treasure hoarders are barely a threat; their strength comes in the fact that they travel together, and it’s distracting to counter attacks from all sides. But on their own they’re weak; usually, an attack like this wouldn’t make him lose his balance.

Today, he’s unsteady on his feet and he stumbles a little. Another treasure hoarder takes the opening to slam into his ribs with a shovel. His back hits the stone wall behind him, hard enough to bruise.

“Fat chance. I’d watch my tongue if I were you,” one of the treasure hoarders says. “It’s six against one, and you're not at your best.”

Kaeya grits his teeth, coughing, and sends a steam of cryo back before the same treasure hoarder can shove him back again. “Nice trick. I wonder when you’re going to learn that shovels aren’t great as weapons.”

The use of magic takes more out of him than it should, and he blinks past sudden dizziness. He and Amber split up twenty minutes ago, which isn’t uncommon for them. It’s not as if there’s anything in the temple they can’t face alone, and they cover more ground this way. The rest of the knights are off chasing off a new influx of hilichurls just on the outskirts of town. Though, this temple goes deeper than he’d expected; he’s starting to regret making the call not to bring any of them with him.

One of the treasure hoarders lunges for him. Kaeya parries with his sword, steps quickly to the right so he can block another hit. He barely notices when one of the bow wielders from the side hits him in the shoulder with a cryo-infused shot. The ice spreads immediately, cold enough to burn, and he grits his teeth, suppressing a shiver as he catches his breath.

He’s off today. This fight should already be over. His head is swimming, and the coldness is making him need to—

“heEh’ISSHhh’uu! hhD’DSCHhh-uu!” He covers by reflex, which is a waste of motion that leaves him scrambling to reposition himself to evade another hit. The magic thrumming under his fingertips is a welcome relief. It’s about time. He darts forward with his sword, summoning enough cryo magic to send icicles careening around his waist—the opening they leave him is small, but it’s enough—and brings his sword down hard.

Thankfully, most of it is muscle memory, even though he’s tired, and with the ice around him dealing damage to anyone who gets too close, the rest of the fight is easy. When the last treasure hoarder crumples to the ground, Kaeya slumps backwards to lean against the wall, still shaky, and shuts his eyes for a second. He reminds himself to breathe. He’s no idea how close he is to done with clearing the temple. He’s been at it for hours now, and his head is aching, and there are no windows nearby to let him know how dark it’s gotten outside.

His cryo is getting less reliable, too—a consequence of his exhaustion, he thinks. He’s not sure how much more he can push himself.

For a moment, he contemplates finding Amber. He thinks he can backtrack far enough to find the hallway where they’d split paths. But then again, he’d been the one who had insisted he could handle this on his own.

A slip of paper catches his attention. One of the treasure hoarders must have dropped it while they were fighting. Kaeya picks it up, dusting it off a little.

He recognizes, faintly, what must be the layout of the temple. If he’s not mistaken, there’s a room marked that’s just a few hallways down from here. He perks up. It saves him time looking. He pockets the map. This will be fast, he tells himself. Just a couple more fights, and then they’ll have all that they came for.

He’s shivering again, even though he isn’t sweating, which is probably a bad sign. He lifts an arm, buries his head into the crook of his arm as his breath hitches again.

“hHh’DSCHh’hh! snf… Hhh… hiHh’ESCCh’uu!”

The sound echoes faintly off of the stone walls. He’s freezing. The cryo shot has worn off by now, but still, he can’t shake the chill that’s worked his way into his muscles. Maybe this is more than just a cold after all.

It doesn’t matter, though. It will all be worth it soon. He can handle another room of treasure hoarders.

—

When he gets to the room marked on the map, though, he finds—to his dismay—that it’s not full of treasure hoarders.

Instead, at the center of the room are three cryo abyss mages, convening for some sort of ritual. Kaeya curses to himself. He needs to find Amber to break their shields—his cryo magic is going to have no effect on them, and physical attacks are always painstakingly slow at breaking elemental shields. Three abyss mages would be a challenge on a good day, and today isn’t a good day.

He’s already turning to make his escape when one of them teleports next to him. He can feel the chill of the ice shield for its proximity to him. The other two follow suit, blinking into existence just an arm’s length away. He can hear their laughter, even if their language is foreign to him.

Shit. “Amber?” He calls. But she isn’t nearby—she must not be, otherwise he would’ve heard her.

He lifts his sword. Their mages’s shields are hard, as always. His arms protest with the effort. Now that they’ve seen him, it’s not going to be easy for him to make an escape, so he thinks he’ll have to see it through.

Except for the fact that his head’s pounding, and he’s shivering hard. Having the cryo shields so close to him isn’t helping, and his whole body feels sluggish and slow. Exhaustion weighs heavy on him as he backs away, narrowly avoiding another cryo hit. Amber’s baron bunny would be really helpful right now, but Amber isn’t here.

If he can stall long enough to get them to teleport somewhere else, long enough to let him make an escape—

One of the mages sends a flash of magic towards him. This time, stepping out of the way gets him hit by a spell from one of the other mages. It knocks him backwards off his feet. He lands hard, and though he has a hand out, it barely lessens the impact. When he opens his eyes, his vision is swimming. He sees another one raise its staff to cast, and swallows against the sharp pang of panic. Maybe if they’re merciful, they’ll leave him here and go back to their ritual, or maybe—

The next thing he registers is startling warmth. His first thought is that maybe Amber’s found him after all, but when he looks up, he sees a familiar phoenix, its wings searing, slicing through the ice shields so cleanly that it looks like they’re made up of air. Beside it is a man with fiery red hair, looking with every inch of him pissed off.

He almost laughs with the relief.

“Diluc?”

Kaeya’s already grabbing his sword, but before he can get fully to his feet, Diluc says, “Don’t even think about getting up.”

Kaeya finds he’s too tired to protest, so he sits back down. Diluc handles the abyss mages swiftly. They are never a threat once their shields are broken anyway. Kaeya watches him, a little blearily, from the ground.

“Your timing is very impressive,” he says, when Diluc is done. Diluc sheathes his claymore, stopping to stand just out of reach.

“Your choices are not,” Diluc retorts. “I thought you said you knew your limits.”

“I do.”

“If you did, you wouldn’t have gotten cornered.”

“Ah,” Kaeya says, smiling softly. “Just because I know my limits doesn't mean I honor them. Someone would’ve found me eventually.” His breath hitches again, and he ducks his head, cupping a hand over his mouth—

“hiIH’ESCHHh’uu!”

It’s very vocal and scrapes embarrassingly at his throat. He coughs, lowering his hand. His voice is starting to sound rough.

“I can handle it from here,” he says, wincing as he shifts. “You don’t have to stay.”

Diluc sucks in a breath. When Kaeya looks up, he’s surprised to find that Diluc’s hands are clenched at his sides. “Have you ever considered that this is selfish?” Diluc says. “You throw yourself into danger without any regard for the consequences. Have you ever thought about what kind of trouble that poses for others?”

Kaeya shrugs. “Funny. I don’t remember asking for your help. It wouldn’t have been your burden if you’d stayed out of it. The Knights would’ve found me.”

“There is no one else around,” Diluc says.

Kaeya waves a hand dismissively. “Amber is here somewhere.” “She doesn’t know you’re in danger. I’m sure she expects that you’re fine, given that I suspect that that’s what you told her.” He seems to take Kaeya’s silence as confirmation. “Are you dishonest to yourself? Or do you only lie to others?”

“What’s it to you, anyway?” Kaeya says, narrowing his eye. Now that he’s not in the middle of a fight, his exhaustion is starting to catch up with him. He doesn’t want to be having this conversation with Diluc right now. “If worse came to worst, the Knights would be perfectly fine without me.” He smiles, resting his chin on his hand. “You were, weren’t you?”

He expects Diluc to say something equally bitter in response, but Diluc just stares at him, expressionless except for how his eyes widen just a fraction. If Kaeya didn’t know better, he’d think that Diluc almost looks…

...hurt. Kaeya startles at it. It feels like an expression he’s not supposed to see. It makes him want to take it back—reassure Diluc that it hadn’t been what he’d meant to say—except what about he’d just said had been inaccurate, really? He opens his mouth to speak, but then his body beats him to it—

“hiiH’GKkt!-…” He can feel his eyes watering. Normally he’s not uneasy about sneezing, but the fact that Diluc’s watching right now makes him a little self-conscious—they’re in the middle of argument right now, for fuck’s sake. He presses the back of his hand to his face, his shoulders trembling. “hhHh… hIIH’NGKkt! hhH… hHh!... hh... hiIH’ESCChh’uu!”

Diluc sighs, the tension slipping from his shoulders as he crosses his arms. When he speaks, his voice is quiet. “Are you injured?”

Kaeya blinks. It’s not the question he expects.

“Not really,” he answers honestly. There’s a bruise on his ribs where the treasure hoarder had hit him earlier, and his arm is bleeding a little from the spell. Diluc sounds so uncharacteristically concerned that Kaeya musters a smile. “Thanks to you. I’ve been saved by Mondstadt’s own Darknight Hero—heh, I suppose I should be honored.”

Diluc rolls his eyes. “It’s a stupid title.” He heads over to the edge of the room, looking through the crates that have been pushed up against the wall. “Are these documents important to you?”

“They’re what we came for,” Kaeya says. “Just toss them to me, I’ll handle them. I’m going to find outrider Amber. You don’t have to stay.” He moves to stand, keeping a hand on the wall for balance, and shuts his eyes against a wave of dizziness. Diluc, who’s crossed the room while he’s been speaking, catches his arm to steady him.

“You'll head home straight after?” Diluc says as he lets go, though there’s an edge to his voice that implies that Kaeya doesn’t have a choice.

“Well, technically I’ll report to headquarters first to drop off the documents. But after that, yes.”

Diluc nods once. “Go home and get some rest. You need it.” He hands off the documents, standing straighter, and heads toward the door.

“Wait, Diluc,” Kaeya says hastily. He folds the documents and slips them into his pocket. “Thanks. For finding me.”

Diluc stares back at him for a moment. Then he sighs, his eyebrows unfurrowing, and shakes his head. “You can thank me by making sure it doesn’t happen again,” he says, and continues walking.

[genshin-djinn]

Genshin Impact Chapter 1 Act 3: A Reaction.

Chapter 1 Act 3 is what took my experience with this game from “good game” to “masterpiece”.

THIS POST CONTAINS MANY, MANY SPOILERS FOR GENSHIN IMPACT CHAPTER 1: ACT 3

Genshin Impact has some problems— actually, it has a shit ton of problems. But during the fight against hordes of Fatui, with the Adepti channeling their abilities through my gang, flying through them as Oz, decimating them with Diluc— I just thought, this is the best time I’ve had in a mobile game in my life.

This game might not be perfect now— it’s only a quarter of the way done if we’re counting Karenri’ah. But it will be a fucking masterpiece once it’s all out. If this is the level of quality we’re getting for our archon quests, this game is going to be an amazing time on story alone.

KEQING

I love Keqing with all my heart. If she were alive today she would be a socialist here to topple the ruling 1%. When ningguang asked Aether who they trusted more, her or Keqing, I hit the Keqing button as fast as possible.

I think one of my favorite things about Keqing is that she’s so completely honest, which is unusual for a Liyue politician. If she doesn’t like something, she’ll speak out against it. If she thinks something else should be happening, she’ll make it happen. She can probably be deceitful at times, but in general she’s straightforwards in that she wants a government for the people and by the people.

I can’t wait for her story quest!

NINGGUANG

pretty.... voice pretty....

Ningguang is cool. Her JP voice is very pretty, like she could do ASMR videos online or smth. One thing I decidedly did not like about Ningguang is how her personality just ???? flips? In the middle of the quest, for no reason other than “because plot”.

It’s established that Ningguang cares about two things more than anything— the Jade palace and Mora. Why, then, would she destroy the Jade palace for the sake of Liyue? I get that she’s a good person at heart at all, but I want to see more of her indecision, her brain saying “mora” and her heart saying “Liyue”. The way she just flips on a dime isn’t really strange but it does contradict with her preexisting characterization.

Childe’s Boss Fight!

The section of this quest from Childe’s fight to the Adepti + Qixing battle is just nonstop adrenaline.

Childe is IMO a lot more fun than Dvalin (sorry Dvalin). I’m at WL5 and have a tendency to play fast and loose with important mechanics like.... dodging, for example.... and Childe’s Mask Electro form ended up destroying my team. I killed him with Guoba because everyone else besides Xiangling was dead. I

Another thing I really enjoy about Childe’s boss fight is that in the irrationalities of Childe as a character, it actually makes sense. Genshin is decent at making weekly bosses logical excursions— Andrius wants you to get stronger, Dvalin’s weekly fight is ~~all a dream~~; but tbh sometimes the weekly bosses don’t make sense. Andrius wants to train us, not murder us! How does dvalin, a dream slash memory that doesn’t exist, manage to knock someone out?

Childe as a weekly boss actually makes perfect sense. He’s an adrenaline junkie addicted to the thrill of fighting people— to put this in modern AU terms, he’s the guy who’s first in line to ride the rollercoaster that failed all of its health and safety checks. Childe wants to befriend the Traveler entirely because they’re stronger than him, so that he can fight them over and over again until he’s the strongest. Of course, this will never happen, because the Traveler is the MC and therefore is stronger than all others. However, in this way Childe being a repeatable boss makes 100% perfect sense— he actually wants to fight the Traveler again and again and again.

The one question I have about Childe is how in the living feck are the Fatui letting him join the Traveler and fight for them *against the Fatui*??? I think this might be touched on in Childe’s Story quest, which I’ll do in a bit, but like????? They let him keep his delusion and just walk over to Aether like “aight fam I’m on your team now”? How?

Jade Chamber/ Guizhong Ballista vs Sea Monster Fight!!

Basically, all my charged adrenaline from nearly dying to Childe just came to a head in this one huge fantastic fight.

And Xiao :)

I absolutely loved seeing the Adepti and the Qixing work together. This fight was probably my favorite fight in the whole game— the music was amazing (soundtrack where), the graphics were so nice, the adepti were so feckin cool, using everyone’s abilities was n I ce. My adrenaline was reaching its highest point at this fight and it was just perfect. It was just so fecking fun after days of WL5 pain, having to pop like five ultimates to kill one hillichurl, to be able to just demolish swathes of enemies with Fischl and Diluc, run around like a madman thanks to Xiao, have infinite health idr who did that for me but bless them, just absolutely destroy.

Ever since I hit WL5 I haven’t been able to really just go insane during a fight and stop caring about HP/ when to use skills/ dodging and this have me that opportunity.

Zhongli’s Deal

*punches Zhongli across the room with the power of being the player character* I love this man so much.

Zhongli Zhongli Zhongli Zhongli Zhongli. I AM VERY ANGRY AT HOW THE PLOT RESOLVED HIS STORYLINE. But it also makes a lot of sense. And I think, for once, Zhongli should be allowed to be selfish.

Because choosing to leave Liyue was a bit selfish. He’s leaving the country that adores him, loves him, gives him shit for free; to its own devices and then to a completely unknown fate once the new Geo Archon becomes god and takes over. But he made a frankly fantastic plan and can now leave the country, for now, in peace.

I was absolutely delighted to see Zhongli in Morax form. Making deals with La Signora, being a complete and utter puppet master who set this entire situation up and played Childe like a kazoo; but just like his dear friend Venti, I think Zhongli is happier when he’s just Zhongli, the eccentric mortal. He seems so much happier and so much more relaxed when he’s forgetting about mora and eating dinner with Aether and Paimon. Rex Lapis might have just put Liyue through the wringer, but he can now put down his 3000- year long reign and just be the happy, eccentric Zhongli.

Zhongli’s little bit of insecurity over being a “bourgeois parasite” makes perfect sense now— he doesn’t want to be seen as Morax, a superfluous god who’s using his name to get whatever he wants from the humans he watches over.

But also the part of my brain that feeds off lore nEEDS to KNOW what Zhongli got from Tsaritsa. What could be worth a gnosis? His own happiness isn’t enough— Tsaritsa is likely going to use his gnosis to try and destroy Liyue. What could be worth that?

My main thought would be either “someone’s protection” or “another gnosis”, but I don’t think the latter is possible. The former could be possible but doesn’t really make sense either— a) whose protection is worth putting an entire country, much less the world, in danger and b) the Fatui are out to kill everyone who isn’t Fatui, so they won’t agree to spare a major player in the war to come like that. Brain go brrr.

I’m very hyped for Zhongli’s story quest, which I think is coming with his banner on Dec 1, when Childe’s banner ends. I really hope that Zhongli visits Mondstadt and chills with Venti for a while, but anything with this guy would be fine lol.

LORE

We got a lot of lore this update and I am delighted by it.

Firstly, we get a tiny hint of how Visions are bestowed— “if a person shows true strength of will at a desperate and fateful moment in their life, the gods will look upon them with favor.” Vague but more than we had before.

Next we got some neat lore about Inazuma— firstly, that it’s led by a god named Baal and secondly that it steals everyone’s visions. I’m very hyped to visit because guess what fam aether doesn’t have a vision.

Final Thoughts

In case you can’t tell from my insane ramblings, I loved Chapter 1 Act 3 and I absolutely cannot wait to play through Childe’s story quest and Chapter 2 and beyond.

The Prologue in Mondstadt set the stage for Genshin. We started out in a fantasy environment with a fantasy tale of an immortal bard and a dragon. Mondstadt was an excellent introduction to the world of Genshin.

And now? We’re starting to build on that. Chapter 1 brings us another story of another god and their relationship with the country they watch over. Liyue is much less of a traditional fantasy setting and takes the darkness we saw in Mondstadt— a friendship ruined by manipulation and suffering— and build on it. Now we don’t just see the Fatui more often but we also see more of the Treasure Hoarders and the way both groups kidnap and experiment on humans.

Mond started to introduce us to the Fatui, but Liyue is where they really start bringing continuous plot relevance. Inversely, we saw much more of the Abyss Order in Mondstadt than we did in Liyue. I’m extremely disappointed we didn’t see any more of the Princess this chapter, but it makes sense given that Chapter 1 was really more about the Fatui than the Abyss Order.

All I’m trying to say is the Liyue arc was an excellent continuation to the stage Mondstadt’s arc set. Now, we’re on to the world of the Eternal Shogun, Baal! I’m really excited to meet new characters and experience new stories of Inazuma, but I hope we’ll continue to see Mondstadt and Liyue in the future. Mondstadt is likely going to be the most “boring” of the countries we experience, cuz it’s just so classically fantasy- themed, but it will always be the first country we explored in this world.

After Inazuma (if I had to take a shot in the dark, inazuma’s arc will take from December 23 to maybe March or April) we’ll go to Sumeru, which I am really extremely hyped for because it sounds extremely different from Mond and Liyue and we’ll meet Cyno and possibly even Collei! (just me extrapolating lol). I can’t wait to see where Genshin Impact goes story- wise, because its first major update has brought so much to the table.

.

[blzzrdstryr]

Moth into flame. Yandere!Kaeya x gn!reader

Wordcount: 4k

A.N: It’s very self-indulgent, but I had this idea for 2 weeks now and needed to get it out. I’ve never written fanfiction and I am not a native speaker, so bear with me.

CW: Violence, unhealthy relationship

For as long as you know Kaeya, he feels different from other people. Odd in the way that empty alleyways and dark rooms are odd, a sense of barely concealed danger lurking underneath the layers of charm and friendliness. You always felt his darker nature, but never questioned it before - you are an adventurer after all, the danger is your thrill.

He must have known that you aren’t particularly repulsed by this side of him, as his friendly facade morphed into something darker right in front of you for a couple of times. You doubt a liar and an actor as skilled as he is would make such amateurish mistakes.

No, he can’t be ignorant about how his more ominous part is what makes your veins sing from the strange mix of fascination and fear. That must be why he kept flashing his less amiable side, enticing you further in his grasp, and you gladly took step after step in the carefully crafted trap he prepared just for you.

How could you not? Kaeya is charming and dangerous, like wildfire  and you are nothing but a moth, too blinded by his light to stop and just think.

And now, seeing an irrefutable, but faux proof of the crimes you didn’t commit in his hands, you feel it - how searing his casual coldness can be. Right now, Kaeya Alberich is no human in your heart, he is a small piece of abyss that made its way out of Khaenri’ahn ruins to drag you down the cosmic darkness, where you possibly truly belong.

***

Kaeya both loves and hates your first meeting and he avoids reminiscing about it. It sounds strange, right?

Back then he was still a part of Ragnvindr household and Diluc treated him like a brother, and maybe that is a small part of a reason why he feels such aversion to recalling it - those memories are tinted both by fond nostalgia and bitter loss, enough to make him itch for a bottle in his hand.

Both Kaeya and you were green rookies - a knight fresh from training and a beginner adventurer, accidentally teaming up against a gang of treasure hoarders. It all ended up with both of you victorious, but injured. Kaeya helped you to walk back to Monstadt as one of the criminal's bolts wounded your leg, enough to make you wince from pain at every step.

In the middle of the trail he suddenly grew bored from your barely suppressed pained expressions and soft pants, no matter how cute they were to him, and decided to carry you, just like the groom would carry his  bride. He quipped and joked about it, as he made his way to the city's general direction, and you laughed and made some witty remarks in return.

At the moment he didn't think too much of it - you were another adventurer in his eyes back then, a cute, but insignificant passerby in his life and he was just playing a role of gallant knight in shiny armor. Give it a week or two and he would forget your face and your name.

But he didn't.

Just as you were approaching city gates, a miracle happened - red vision materialized right in your hands. You clutched it tightly to the chest, a bright smile appearing on your face. You turned your head to Kaeya, and he could have swore you were using your newly acquired Pyro on him.

How else could he feel so warm inside all of a sudden?

He couldn't help but recall your smile for weeks after that.

***

Your second meeting happened when you were returning to Mondstadt after your first long expedition. Shortly after the word of your Pyro vision reached Cyrus' ears, he was dead set on sending you to Dragonspine to help other adventurers. You were hesitant at first, but then your natural thirst for thrill combined with a hefty pay he promised won over you, and here you were - carrying several stacks of starsilver, absolutely exhausted and frozen to the very bones walking back to Mondstadt.

To say that you were unprepared would be an understatement of the year - even with pyro vision the cold seemed absolutely unbearable and to make matters worse you almost had a run in with a frostarm lawachurl. To avoid hopeless fight, you had to hide behind the tall snowdrift, almost submerging your body in it, as you both admired and dreaded the ice cladden giant.

Nonetheless, you acquired all of the starsilver the adventure guild needed, and now you trekked through the forest as the sun started to set.

Straining your eyes to see through the heavy rain and approaching darkness you saw it - a bright red smudge against the dark tree bark and unmistakable scent of blood. Such stark contrasts were enough to shake off the tiredness. You slowly made your way to the source of the stench, both fearing and anticipating what may reveal itself to your curious eyes.

There was a silhouette of an injured man that started to slowly morph into a vaguely familiar figure as you got closer. Seeing that there was no threat, you threw your ore to the ground and ran to the unconscious person. It was that knight who helped you to defeat treasure hoarders, Kaeya.

He looked horrible - his normally rich bronze skin now looked ashen and grey from the bloodloss, the face that radiated smugness seemed as if it already belonged on the corpse, the blue vest that he was wearing dyed almost completely in purple from the bloodloss, but the most horrible thing was a shallow but wide gash on his chest.

Not wasting any second, you pulled out your trusty dagger, and sliced the vest to inspect the wound. As you pulled obstructing cloth away you noticed another detail - small burns, surrounding the gash, as if someone slashed Kaeya with something hot enough to scorch, but not hot enough to close the wound and most unexpectedly, faintly glowing blue orb. A cryo vision.

You sat on your knees to put his vision in your pocket and clean his wounds. It still bled, as you frantically searched for a way to close it your eyes fell on the small burns around the wound and suddenly a crazy idea popped up in your head.

With shaking hands you used a piece of sliced vest to muffle him and prevent Kaeya from accidentally biting his tongue off, and then you took the dagger again heating it up. You heard about cauterization from older adventurers, but hoped that you wouldn’t resort to using it.

Kaeya’s pained groans were muffled by the makeshift gag, yet it wasn’t enough to wake him. After you made sure that his bleeding stopped, you removed your outerwear and wrapped Kaeya up. You cursed, as you hoisted a heavier body on your back, an exhaustion you have forgotten moments ago hitting you with a renewed strength.

The path to the Mondstadt with a new burden on your back now felt ten times longer. Even if you two were barely an acquaintance, a cold coil of fear for Kaeya's life still set in the pit of your stomach, and it seemed that no amount of fire would make you feel warm again.

***

Waking up in the infirmary was one of the biggest surprises in Kaeya’s life.

There were times when he was sure of his imminent death - an abandoned shivering child all alone in the forest, a stranger in the strange land, a prince of nothing with the weight of the whole dying kingdom left on his shoulders; a rainy night reeking of death and loss, grief and fury burning him just as much as incandescent claymore, rapidly growing pool of bright red blood, just as red as a…

Kaeya was okay with dying - it would be a nice ending to his story. The dead saviour of an already dead nation, an outlander casted out from the only semblance of home he had. He liked the irony.

He could have asked for help right after the duel, calling out that person’s name, he knew that that person wouldn’t leave him if he was dying, but the possibility of seeing hatred in those eyes was too much for him. The second a fiery blade cut through his flesh was when Kaeya decided to die.

And honestly, he couldn't continue to live once he confirmed what kind of a monster he is - the first thing he felt when he saw Crepus Rangvindr, a person who took him in, kept him fed, warm, safe and clothed all these years, a person who loved him more than his own father did, slowly disintegrating under the strain of delusion Kaeya felt no sadness. No, a relief, as if he was freed of a tiresome burden came instead.

Kaeya was disgusted and horrified for even experiencing such feelings in the first place, but he also couldn't do anything with it - for the last few years he was torn apart between Mondstadt and his homeland, and Crepus’ death should have solved his internal dilemma, driving the final nail in the coffin.

Sometimes he felt as if he was no person at all, just an abyssal creature that took on a human form and was allowed to live only to be unleashed on Teyvat. The time at Khaenri’ah was something that stuck with him for the rest of his life - the fear and resignation he experienced there heavily imprinted on his brain.

Every once in a while he had impulses to lie, to hurt and do as he pleases, for a long time he stopped these urges at the root, maintaining the illusion of normalcy he built for Ragnvindr household. He knew it was from Khaenri’ah, a cursed  nation of sinners with all of its glorious legacy lost to the sands of time. Immoral impulses were something that would have helped him to survive among the endless darkness that surrounded god-forsaken place.

“Ugh”, he tried to get up, to shake intrusive and self-deprecating thoughts away, but failed. Pain, like melted iron, slowly spread from his chest to the points of his fingers in a second. Even breathing was hard - his entire body ached and burned, a shaking hand slowly touched bandaged torso. Alberich winced as he remembered why exactly it was aching.

“Sir Kaeya, you are already awake! Please, don’t move.”, pretty but forgettable nun fussed over him, rechecking his bandages and then taking out a foul smelling medicine. She made Kaeya drink it all. He still cringing from the bitter taste, half sat on the bed, leaning on the headrest, tried to flash her his most charming smile and asked:

“Do you know how I got there?”, it seemed his charms did work on the girl, as she started to describe the previous night in great detail: what she was doing prior to his arrival, how dark the sky was, how worried she was when she saw his battered body, how exhausted the adventurer and guards that delivered him looked.

“Do you happen to know the adventurer’s name? I would like to say my thanks once I get better”

“Oh, it was [First], I think, but I am not sure.  I believe I saw a pyro vision” Kaeya slid in the lying position again, as he remembered you, his first and only crush. Half buried feelings ignited in his chest with a renewed vigor.

Seeing that Kaeya paid her no mind, the nun headed to the exit of the infirmary, but right before she left she turned to Kaeya again, saying that you will visit him tomorrow.

****

Just as you thought Kaeya was conscious today. After you managed to carry him back to Mondstadt, worried but distrustful guards at city gates took away your load and delivered him to the Church of Favonius. You insisted at coming with them, still anxious for Kaeya’s life. Nuns almost showed you out of the infirmary and you, defeated, had to go home.

The next day you spent looking for the abandoned starsilver, thoughts occupied both by Kaeya and the payment Cyrus promised. Fortunately, the stacks lied right where you discarded them and after a quick trip back to the adventurer's guild, you had nothing to do - weekly commissions done days prior, so you decided to spend some time inside the city for once.

As you navigated the city square you felt the tense mood that hung in the air, Mondstadt usually cheerful and carefree now seemed uncharacteristically gloomy. You later learned that the local wine tycoon, Crepus Ragnvindr, died in the accident and his son and young the youngest captain in history of Ordo Favonius, Diluc, left the city and abandoned the knights.

Despite spending almost all of your time outside the city gates, even you were aware of the city's happenings and certainly heard about two dashing young gentlemen. Kaeya was rumored to be a foreign orphan taken in by Crepus and Diluc as you remembered is a claymore swinging pyro user - a picture of Kaeya’s injuries came to mind. Scattered details started to slowly gather into a sound theory.

A fight after Crepus' death(was accident Kaeya’s fault?), that resulted in Diluc abandoning the knights(Are knights also at fault?).

You quickly brushed it off, as theorizing without the concrete evidence was one of the biggest mistakes one could make. So instead of building baseless speculations, you decided to visit one of the key people, Kaeya. Occupied by your thoughts and curiosity, the travel to the church seemed almost momentarily.

Stepping in the infirmary you were hit with a strong bitter scent of the medicine, but Kaeya sitting on the bed seemed fine, if not a bit tired. He was reading a book, but put it aside as he noticed you and gave you a warm smile.“I remember you, [First], you were the one who saved me I was told. Seems I should make it up to you”

“No need for it, you were dying”, you head to him, a hand searching for the vision in the travelling bag. His smile doesn’t drop, even when a somewhat awkward silence hangs around you. Finally, you exclaim: “I found a vision near you, and kept it so it doesn’t get lost or anything”.

“Oh, that’s a surprise, give it to me” the vision in his hands glows alive with a gentle blue light, a small ice shard forming between his fingers and you find yourself holding your breath. Kaeya looks less impressed than you, a strange emotion written on his face,as he looks from the blue orb, to the ice, to your amazed face.

“It may sound rude, but do you remember who injured you?” Kaeya doesn’t appear phased, slowly blinking, a confusion written on his face, as he looks up in contemplation. “Hm, no, can’t remember anything” You shift a little, disappointment not reaching your face. Was Kaeya lying or not?

“I hope I didn’t mess up your adventuring schedule” Kaeya murmured, leaning a little closer to you.

“No. I planned on spending a week inside the city. Why do you ask?”

“Well” he smirks, “maybe a brave and strong adventurer will lend a hand to poor injured me and”, you felt your face slowly heating up “escort me to Good Hunter, the food here is abysmal and maybe your company and decent meal will clear my head a little”

Only a day later you realized that it was your first date.

***

Kaeya likes challenges, and maybe that is a reason why he’s so drawn to you - you’re smart, just not people-smart, and you have enough intuition to guide you away from the schemes and plans he tries to pull off. Of course, he wouldn’t risk your life or general wellbeing - he likes your presence far too much to do that - but the possible less savory reactions he could gauge out of you were too alluring to miss out - frustration, fear, anger.

Alberich is frustrated - a hunger that was ignited by you grew greater and greater with each day - he wants to see so much of you, see you in pain, see you helpless, see you defeated. Would you cry, would you yell, would you curse at him?

He tried to resist it in the beginning - just as he did when he was still a part of Ragnvindr family - but he failed. Maybe, Diluc’s dismissal of him and abandonment was something that broke Kaeya in the way that Khaenri’ah couldn’t. That rainy day he learned one lesson - everyone leaves, and Kaeya didn’t doubt that you would too.

You are an adventurer after all, as free as a wind. It’s just pure luck that someone as curious and thrill-seeking as you hasn't moved to the other nations in search of excitement.

Kaeya feels threatened.

Over the years, you both fell in the comfortable, but vague place between friendship and something-more-than-friendship,a status quo of sorts. You were a loner at heart - fine with keeping almost everyone at arm’s length and Kaeya, to his disappointment, found that even his charms wouldn’t bend your will.

He could see how uncomfortable yet excited you got, when he showed his less considerate side - when he arrested and fought criminals, when he pulled off his complex plans, when he turned and twisted the words of others to make them scream and writhe and beg. Oh, of course you tried to hide it, your face becoming akin to a mask of stone, but there were other tells - the shine in your eyes, the body language and accelerated breath.

Kaeya also knew what an excitement glutton you are - there is a flame inside of you, needing to consume and devour new tastes, sights, adventures and mysteries. You are predictable in that way, he has a gut feeling that you are wary of him, but the promise of a new enigmatic crime that needs your assistance is almost always enough to lure you back into his arms.

And now he has a new problem at hands - his failed plan. Months of subtle work and manipulation led and were supposed to build up your feelings for this. A public love confession, both sudden and extravagant. Kaeya thought that someone as awkward as you, would cave in under the pressure he would put you through by making his love public.

However you didn’t, even if some, if not most of the onlookers gasped in the shocked disappointment - Kaeya was sure that you two looked like a would-be-couple to the observer’s eye. You stuttered some apologies, hid your face and almost ran away from him.

It grates on Kaeya’s nerves in a special way, annoyance slowly building up. Fortunately, he has a strategy to relieve it, by methodically destroying it’s source.

***

“Thank you, let’s do the next commissions together” you wave goodbye to the fellow adventurer, missing an indiscernible look cavalry captain gives both of you.

Only when the said adventurer leaves, does Kaeya step out of the shadow, his single eyes wholly focused on you. After the confession you started to purposefully avoid him - something that Kaeya thought was possible, but didn’t entertain it enough.

Seeing him is what almost sends you to retreat - relationships are messy, especially after failed public confessions, there’s too much burden now and you never felt the desire to work on any of them leaving everything to take its course. Instead, you stand there, enduring his cold gaze and warm smile, hit by a sudden realization of how childish your thoughts are.

Kaeya must have taken your passiveness as an invitation, as his hand snakes around your shoulder, throwing you off your internal monologue. “[First], I have an interesting case again” he leans in, his breath tickling your neck, “and I need an assistant again, the pay will be like last time”.

In spite of your current discomfort you almost space out, body habitually relaxing near him. “What the thing about?” the cases that Kaeya involves you in are always bizarre and something never seen before, a mystery awaiting to be solved.

He begins describing it to you - a strange string of deaths of young adventurers, all of whom were visionless and most curiously they all died off duty. Young men and women did their commissions, plunged in the domains and fought with monsters, but died inside the city walls, inside their houses and beds, surrounded by safety and comfort.

Kaeya shares that his informant found a hearsay that there were some interesting potions on the black market and he needs you to infiltrate as a visionless adventurer and buy potions, as much as possible.

This evening you leave the city, your heart full of trust for Kaeya, even if your relationship did take a colder turn.

***

You, as Kaeya predicted, still believed him.  Alberich almost felt bad for exploiting and twisting your trust in him , but as he supposed there was nothing more he could do with himself. Your visage filled his head day and nights, sometimes he even daydreamed about the life he would have with you. It would be delightful - to have you underneath his thumb, ready for any whim and perversion he could come up with.

He came to the Angel’s share and ordered a glass of wine, ignoring judgemental stare Diluc pointed at him. He could almost hear Ragnvindr saying “already” and calling Knights inefficient and lazy drunkards. Kaeya happily took a sip of the liquid - all of his plans always carried an element of risk, so the cavalry captain felt a bit agitated. What if you don’t touch the potions? What if the gang will escape with them?

Nevertheless, if you did touch it or not wouldn’t really matter, as catching you red-handed was more important. He needed to make you look guilty - you worked with him unofficially, which meant that no one knew about it, not even Vile. Sure no one would take your word over his, even if you left significant evidence of your innocence, after all a lot of knights are weak to bribes.

He almost hummed, as he imagined things he would do to you once you were imprisoned and completely in his power. He, of course, would save you from the dank dark cell, finding an “overlooked” detail, but not before breaking and molding you a little.

Finishing his wine, he went to the knight’s headquarters, to request the assistance of other knights in the arrest of a dangerous criminal, a spring evident in his step.

***

It was treasure hoarders again, you silently cursed, while dodging one of the attacks. You weren’t the best actor and within the minutes they exposed you. Fighting among the fragile vials wasn’t the best idea, so you moved the fight to the outside. Once they all run after you, you jump over them, raining a constant stream of fire over them. Some of them started to scream, a pure agony written on their face.

Some of the hoarders used a hidden gas bomb, submerging the whole place in smoke and using it to run away. You didn’t run after them, and headed inside instead. There was a significant change: some of the vials that contained transparent liquid now were bright red. You took one of them in and gasped - it felt so warm in your hands - and then you recognized your own elemental energy.

Out of curiosity you reached for the “uncontaminated” one, the colorless liquid rapidly bloomed with scarlet red, as your vision came to life without your command. Was it that deadly potion that Kaeya talked about? You felt how it sucked some of the pyro energy from you, then it must transmit collected energy to its consumer. No wonder all of those adventurers died - without a vision their bodies weren’t used to receiving and processing such amounts of elemental energy.

You tried to take the vials with the “clear” potion, but no matter what you did all of them got dyed in red the second you stood a little closer. Sighing in defeat you collected ones contaminated with your energy and prepared to head back to Mondstadt. You needed to warn Kaeya to take some regular knights with him if Albedo needed samples for analysis.

Suddenly there was a sound of several people running up to you, a Favonius armor coming into the sight. You almost smiled as you saw Kaeya, happy that he decided to help you, until you heard it: “Arrest them!”

[reinepadova]

To Be Seen

| Chapter 1 | [ Next → ]

"It is said the Glaze Lily blooms in full in the presence of pure, beautiful music. For one, who have never sang for herself, is unaware of the singular attention glowing golden orbs are giving her from afar."

“Mei? What's wrong? Aren't these the ones you want?”

A small whine sounded, rejecting the assumption. A little girl, with large pigtail buns, clutched at a woman's skirt, rubbing her chubby cheek on it for comfort. She stared down fixatedly at the small cluster of flower buds, disappointment swathed her whole demeanor.

The odd pair have been travelling over the terraced fields since morning, hoping to catch the elusive 'special' flowers in full bloom. The little girl insisted its important for her intimate family event.

“Mei wants flowers to open. But Mei can't sing good.”

Stella softened her expression, placing a careful hand on the top of the girl's head. “Sing?”

Mei rubbed at her eyes with a wrist, before looking up at her lady companion, doe-eyed, sniffing when she felt the soothing caress. “Mm! Singing makes lilies open. Mei wants them open.”

Stella took a glance at the small patch, skeptical but curious. “Lilies... You mean Glaze Lilies? Why didn't you say so. I've seen some back at the Harbor. But since we're here already, we could visit Ms. Bai. She always has them in full bloom, unlike these ones. Flowers need to acclimate to any change in their environment. We need to prepare them carefully. We could spend the night at the village? Would you like that? Do you want me to help you buy some? I have extra mor--”

Mei shook her head stubbornly, pigtails fairly bouncing, unconsciously crushing the cloth under her tiny hands. “No! No! Mei wants these lilies. Gran-gran said they different. They special! They different colour, and smell really nice, and shine like mora when moon is round and big. Mei wants these for Gran-gran. Gran-gran took care of Mei good when mama and papa went to sky. Mei is very sad, but Mei is happy Gran-gran is with mama and papa. They take care of each other now. Mei wants them to know that Mei is okay. They don't... they don't need to worry about Mei anymore.” The little girl turned away, resting her forehead on Stella's thigh, shoulders shaking from feebly holding back her emotions. Stella held the little girl's head, while her other hand went to rub at her small back.

All was silent and serene. The early evening light was shadowed by passing clouds. The flower patch kept their treasure, resolute and undetered by small, quiet sobs. Stella though, stared in contemplation, the dainty fingers on Mei's back tapping along with her thoughts.

--{-}--

“Thank you for your hospitality, Chief. We're grateful for it. Especially... ”

Granny Ruoxin hummed, moving away from the doorway. “It's one thing to awaken from a bad dream. It's another to tire yourself to sleep from a bad reality. Poor child.” The village chief paused before catching Stella's gaze. “I'll do my rounds one last time at the pagoda before I turn in for the night. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I still have leftover Sunshine Sprat.” The elder's eyes softened, looking over at Mei. “You're a kind child, Ms. Stella. Watching over an orphan.”

Stella shook her head, turning back to her charge, tucking in the blankets again to hide her discomfort.

No one has called her kind before. Then again, no one really got close enough to try.

“It's the least I could do. Her grandmother was just as kind when she took me in when I felt lost in the world.” Felt lost in this world, Stella thought.

But Granny Ruoxin didn't need to know that.

Turned away, Stella was unaware of the mysterious smile on the elder's face. “I see. I hope then your stay would bring you only happy memories, with no regrets.”

Stella pivoted in her seat, puzzled, but only met with an empty doorway to her shared room with Mei.

--{-}--

The moon was bright but gentle, it's rays shined down a path Stella avoided methodically, less she finds herself engaged with the sluggish slimes nearby. With the energy gained from the Sprat dish, she dashed, momentum unrelenting despite the random outcrop of glowing rocks and uneven ground.

Closing in on the familiar flower patch, she did a quick sweep of the area before slowing down. With treasure hoarders around, it doesn't hurt to be careful, she thought. She summoned her Black Tassel, just in case. Those slimes are relentless when they want to be.

When she felt the field was clear after a few more minutes of surveillance, she relaxed her stance and shut her eyes. At the first sign of cloud cover, she began.

《Dark is night, endless sea》

《Dark is night, endless sea》

《Gather stars, shining brighter》

《I beg thee, oh flowers bloom》

《Dark is night, cloudless breeze》

《Dark is night, cloudless breeze》

《Tender warmth, love from your eyes》

《I beg thee, oh flowers bloom》

Stella kept her voice soft, repeating the words she never sang out loud, but which she still treasured deeply.

《From my heart, I cherish thee》

《From my heart, I cherish thee》

《Welcome home, dancing in your arms》

《Joyful laughs, and sweet surprise》

《Hear me please, do not flee》

《Hear my song, hear my plea》

《I beg thee, open your heart》

《And eternity》

《Gather stars, shining brighter》

《I beg thee, oh flowers bloom》

Stella's heart raced, even as her song ended. She tightened her grip on her polearm. She took a deep breath, afraid of being disappointed when she opens her eyes.

It was a... very long time since she had reason to sing. Being a stranger, an alien, to this vast, bustling world – it felt daunting. Terrifying. Especially when she woke up in ancient ruins and mighty machines greeted her with sights set to kill her. She survived of course, but not without injury. It was only by chance, when she collapse on a bank in one of the rivers in Dihua Marsh, that a kind old lady with her granddaughter found her on the way to Mt. Qingce from Wangshu Inn.

「I... wish not to...burden you. More than... you already are. But. Please. This is... all I ask.」

「...」

「Please. Take care of...Take care of Meilin...」

「...Rest, gran-gran. You need your sleep.」

「...will...you? Take care of Mei? Please...」

「...Yes. Yes, I will. I promise.」

Stella took another deep breath, steadying her nerve, straightening her stance.

If this is the way. If this could be one of the ways she could honor her promise...

Stella opened her eyes.

--{-}--

An elegant, gloved hand picked up Slime Concentrate, silently placing a vial of it away. A man stood up, not a hair or thread out of place, despite the congregation of slimes that almost overwhelmed him from the sheer amount that had been attracted to this area. He paid it no mind though, for he was rewarded with a rare performance not seen or heard in so many centuries. He felt shamed for neglecting to remember such an experience right away, involving these particular Glaze Lilies. Surprised was he, not thinking they would flourish here compared to their usual spot further up the terraces.

His amber eyes watched, fixated, as the woman with the silvery voice that could launch a thousand demons stood in bewilderment, understandably surprised she was able to cause the rare, Gilded Glaze Lilies to open in full bloom, despite the deep cover of clouds, and the presence of an audience of two. A slight breeze brushed against her face and through the thick locks of her hair, waking her from her stupor. She slowly kneeled down, a hand stayed on her weapon, while another gently touched the tips of one shining petal.

Hm. These variants have always been fickle. Even with their previous caretaker, he mused, chin now resting on a curled finger. But who is this wonderful singer?

Shall I introduce myself?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

| Chapter 1 | [ Next → ]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A/N: This scenario came to mind faster than I expected today. Hope I keep this up. 

If you’re wondering how to sing with the lyrics, use the ‘Iruna Eteluro’ song from Mahoutsukai no Yome series. The lyrics are inspired by the English lyrics made by a YTuber called Caroline Makes Music