#hu tao is your best friend by the way

[abyssruler]

flowers and unplanned proposals

xiao x gn!reader

if someone gifts an adeptus with flowers, it means you are proposing to them, and if they take it, it means they accept the proposal. unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask), you weren’t aware of such a custom. or — xiao thinks you’re married, but you just thought flowers would look nice on him.

fluff. comedy-ish. accidental malewife acquisition. featuring reader being clueless, xiao being hopeless, and lumine and hu tao being your biggest supporters

It started with a walk on the road as an acquaintance accompanied you.

There’d been a wild flower by the side, with white and lilac petals that you’d thought, rather presumptuously, would suit the dour faced adeptus beside you. So, you plucked it and impulsively handed it to him, a smile on your face and a shocked one on his.

His fingers closed around the flower’s stem, the stern lines of his face softening as he gazed at the tiny petals that glittered in the sun.

You’ve never been rid of him since.

Your friend Xiao could be described as protective at best and possessive at worst. It’s not a bad thing, of course! Caring for a friend is always a good thing in your books, but sometimes, you think he takes the word ‘caring’ to an almost extreme degree.

Take, for instance, now.

“Xiao?”

He hums from his spot on the sill of your window, not even sitting, no, he’s crouched on it, balanced on the thin ledge at the tips of his toes and keeping his eyes (which oddly glowed like a cat’s) peeled for any danger. Like this, he almost looks like a bird perched on a branch.

You let out an awkward laugh. “You know, I appreciate you doing this for me, keeping me safe and all, but I think I can spend the night on my own safely.”

His head whips to you so fast you almost feared he’d get neck cramps, an expression of surprise and… hurt? on his face.

“You… don’t want me here?”

You’ve never backtracked so fast in your life. “No! I mean, yes—but not in the way you’re thinking!”

He looks forlorn now, stepping down the windowsill and shoulders hunched in a similar manner to that of a cat pulling its ears down its head. “Is this what the Traveler meant by sleeping on the couch?”

You’re not sure what to do, but it seems like he wants to sleep on the couch? Puzzled, you smile encouragingly even though you don’t quite understand his words. “Er, if you want to sleep on the couch, you’re welcome to do so?”

His face falls.

✧

“And, I don’t know, he just became all—sad? Just, I felt so bad for basically kicking him out of my room, and now that I’m thinking more on it, I should’ve just offered to let him sleep beside me. Like a, um, a sleepover!”

There’s a distinctly bashful look on your face and, oh god, you’re drawing little circles on the table with your finger, an almost dreamy glint in your eyes.

Sweet Jesus that doesn’t exist in this world, Lumine is going to barf.

She slams her hands on the table, startling you in the process as she leans down and says with an exasperated face, “Have you considered that maybe you actually like him and he—”

“What?!” you squawk, mouth open in disbelief and a mortified look contorting your features. “That’s—don’t say such things, Lumi!”

She drops back down her chair, leveling you with a look that basically said, are you for real right now?

“It’s written all over your face—”

You quickly slap both hands on your cheeks, turning your head away. “I don’t like him! How could I ever… he’s an adeptus and I…”

“And you made an adeptus sleep on your couch,” Lumine deadpans.

She can feel the way your face burned at the reminder. You slump over the table, burying your head in your arms and bemoaning your decision. “I didn’t mean to disrespect him…”

“Oh, I’m sure disrespect was the farthest thing you did to him,” she mutters beneath her breath. Broke his heart, shattered his hopes and dreams, devastated him—Lumine can name a few more.

But then, you suddenly straighten up, determination lining your face. There’s a look in your eyes that tells Lumine she should probably stop you from doing whatever idiotic thing—however in good faith it might be—that you’re about to do.

“I should give him some flowers as an apology. He always gets so… not exactly happy but—warm, that’s it. He feels warmer whenever I give him flowers.” You smile, reminiscing on whatever moments you had with him. You stand up, looking down at the empty plates all over the table before looking at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, could you foot the bill this time?”

Lumine sighs. She’s still got money from the last commission Ningguang made her do, so she supposes she can do it. Just this once. “Fine, but you’re paying for our next outing!”

You beam, thanking her before running to the nearest flower shop or wherever it is you’re going to be getting those flowers from.

“Make sure to let him sleep on your bed next time!” Lumine yells to your retreating back, ignoring the strange, almost scandalized, looks from nearby patrons.

✧

You find him at your house, completely ignoring how strange it is that a friend has complete access to your house including a spare key and extra clothes on the closet just for him. It’s simply become the norm, is all. And he’s a good—you don’t quite know what to call him, roommate? you’ll settle for friend—friend, helping you with the chores and often accompanying you to the market when you need new groceries—but only during the early mornings, of course. You know how much he dislikes crowds.

“I’m home!”

The response comes immediate and, judging by the direction, it came from the kitchen, “Welcome home.”

The large bouquet of glaze lilies interspersed with roses and qingxin flowers is heavy on your arms as you walked to the kitchen. Xiao is there, a broom in hand which he sets aside once he sees you and what you’re carrying.

“Here!” You grin, extending the bouquet forward and into his arms.

He accepts it, a flush to his cheeks and looking distinctly flustered by the gift. “I… thank you.”

“It’s an apology.”

His eyes snap to yours, iridescent gold piercing through you. There’s something almost vulnerable in the way he’s gazing at you, hands tightening around the flowers.

You fiddle with your fingers. “Well, I wanted to say sorry for making you sleep on the couch. If you’d like, you can sleep beside me tonight.”

Something in him relaxes, tension bleeding out of his posture as he smiles, small and near unnoticeable to anyone who didn’t know him so well.

For some reason, the sight of it makes your heart leap.

Lumine’s words repeat in your mind.

Have you considered that maybe you actually like him?

No, you think with dread, absolutely not.

✧

“Yes,” Hu Tao crows in delight, “You’re absolutely in love!”

“See, that’s what I tried to say yesterday, but nooo. Oh, Lumi, Xiao is just a friend,” Lumine grouches, imitating your voice and utterly failing because while she may be strong enough to fight monsters and gods, that girl has absolutely no talent when it comes to mimicking.

Your palms cover your face that feels warm to touch. “I do not sound like that. And it’s true, we really are just friends!”

“Of course, because friends do things like living together and sleeping on the same bed and holding hands—” You open your mouth to protest, but Hu Tao doesn’t let you interrupt, “—don’t deny it! I saw you last week near Liuli Pavilion, and he was holding your hand and carrying a bag of food!”

“He’s just really helpful! He’s an adeptus,” you argue, though it sounds weak even to your own ears.

“And do all adepti live with a human, do they sleep with them—”

“You make it sound so lewd, Lumi!”

“—do they hold their hands and go grocery shopping at five in the morning with them?” Lumine pierces you with those honey gold eyes of hers. “Did you know I barely have anything to do in the Adventurer’s Guild here in Liyue besides babysitting and errands because someone—namely, an adeptus who coincidentally goes by the name Xiao—keeps killing all the monsters within the area?”

Hu Tao cackles. “He always asks about you whenever I encounter him at Wuwang Hill.”

You level her with an incredulous look. “What were you even doing there?”

“Hiding bodies, duh!” At your horrified look, she winks. “Just kidding!”

You shake off Hu Tao’s laughter and pinch your lips together. “Look, it’s—we’re just friends. That’s all there is to it.”

Lumine huffs, “Yeah, sure, because friends like you two give each other flowers everyday. How does your house still have space in it for more?”

You would’ve refuted her words, would’ve argued that no, you don’t give each other flowers everyday, just on a regular basis—but Hu Tao’s sudden silence concerned you more than what Lumine said. The funeral director turns her head to you with wide eyes.

“You gave him flowers?” she asks, an odd tone to her voice.

Your brows furrow at her uncharacteristic seriousness. “Um, yes? I do it all the time.”

She leapt forward, grabbing your shoulders and lips twitching into something you could almost call glee. “And he accepted it?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

Hu Tao lets go of your shoulders to tilt her head back and laugh. Not the nice little giggles she does after a successful prank, no, this is more manic. The kind that wouldn’t make you think, oh how sweet, but instead makes you think, oh this girl belongs in a facility.

Even Lumine seems confused by her reaction, joining you in watching her like she’s just grown two heads. Hu Tao takes one look at both of your expressions and dissolves into another fit of laughter.

“Oh, dear. And you don’t even know what it means!” she says in between laughs.

Lumine, having had enough of being in the dark, grabs Hu Tao’s face with both hands and forces her to look at her in the eye. “What does it mean?”

Hu Tao grins, gaze darting to you. “When you give an adeptus flowers, it means you’re proposing to them.”

You and Lumine gape, understanding dawning on your heads, though there’s horror on your part at what it could mean.

But Hu Tao doesn’t stop there, “And if they take it…”

You await her next words with bated breath, Lumine seemingly on the edge of her seat as well.

“…It means they accept your proposal.”

Lumine’s screech of delight at this newfound information drowns out the metaphorical sound of your world falling apart and being built anew.

✧

You come home in a daze, eyes blankly staring ahead and unaware of your surroundings until you blink, and suddenly, you’re sitting at the dining table, a plate of steaming shrimp balls being placed in front of you.

Xiao crouches by your chair, examining your face with worried eyes. “Are you well?”

Your throat shrivels up. All the words and arguments you’d been planning to say earlier dying on your tongue. So, instead, you nod. He doesn’t outwardly look relieved, but the softness in his touch belies his care as he places a single stemmed qingxin flower on your palm.

It’s still fresh, you notice, dew gathering on the petals and the scent still present.

Xiao sits on the chair opposite yours, looking at anything and anywhere but your eyes. “I plucked it from the highest mountains of Jueyun Karst, blessed by Cloud Retainer and said to ward away unwanted dreams.”

You stare down at it, at the white petals that feel soft against the pads of your fingers, heart beating out of your chest and hands clammy and breaths labored, a pleasant twist to your gut as you realized that he’d gone out of his way to climb a mountain and have it blessed by an adeptus just to give it to you. There’s being friends, handing each other flowers they saw on the road or bought at a shop, and then, there’s this.

Your mouth feels dry, your chest feels full, and there’s something on the tip of your tongue begging to be let out.

“Xiao,” you start, finally gaining the courage to look up and meet his eyes. “What are we?”

His lips part, eyes widening the slightest amount that tells you he’s unsure what brought this question on and how to answer it.

You shake your head. “Never mind. Just tell me this—are we… engaged?”

At this, Xiao seems to relax. “No.”

You barely have the chance to feel a mix of relief and disappointment, though why you’d feel disappointment at having proof that you and Xiao really are just friends—

He smiles, a small one but no less brighter for it. “We are married, aren’t we?”

And oh.

Oh.

It’s not until now, with the confirmation of everything you dreaded (everything you’d hoped and wanted and yearned for desperately) that you realize how much you’ve longed for something more with him—how much you’ve longed for him.

“Xiao,” you say, eyes crinkling at the corners and cheeks aching with the intensity of your smile, “I love you.”

He startles, blinking up at you with wide eyes, red creeping up his cheeks, but before he can say anything you know he’s not quite prepared to say yet, you continue, still a little indignant at discovering you’d been married without a clue.

“But I demand a proper wedding ceremony!”

word count: 2.2k

edit: the semi part 2 y’all have been asking for

[thexianzhoujade]

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HER | genshin impact fanfiction. zhongli x gn!reader — angst, hurt/no comfort, hanahaki disease, mentions of blood, gagging, death, decomposition, dealing with grief and guilt. not proofread or edited.

idle chatter. this is also a reupload from my old blog... i'm such a thief gasp <3 library waiting list. @lovingluxury @dumbificat @starryshinyskies @ryuryuryuyurboat @ainescribe @bfjax @soleillunne @sangoqueenkoko

aventurine's addition. "alexi will forget if i don't remind her - here is the link to 'you're not her,' the first part of this angst."

the scene haunts him vividly. it creeps into every crevice of his mind, every nerve that has harboured all the knowledge he could ever acquire over these past centuries; it affects his psyche. in the darkness behind his eyelids - should he be brave enough to dare let his eyelashes sink shut - he sees every detail left of his beloved - you.

the guilt eats at him, nagging at his bones and tearing at his flesh, leaving only remnants of searing pains when he can't help but blame himself that he let it get this far - that he even let it happen. it was something so simple that he could avoided, at least that's what he tells himself. zhongli isn't stupid, not when he's walked teyvat this long and seeked enough knowledge for his own curiosity - albeit never comparable to that of the dendro archon. he knows it couldn't have been avoided, for that is why the guilt rips him apart so brutally.

but yet there is one simple way it could have been avoided. he should have never fell in love with you. the thought aches his heart and he finds his grip tightening around the tea cup in his hands, paled knuckles concealed by his oh-so-familiar gloves. amber eyes resembling the cor lapis native to his own country close shut and the horrific scenes creep back in.

the man admits to oversleeping that morning, the comfort of familiar bedsheets drowning him in a warmth incomparable to anything else. his routine with you was a simple one; he was always the last to bed but always the first to rise. zhongli used it as an excuse for you to never see his bare skin, the dark tones that cover his large hands and fade up his arms, decorated in veins of golds and oranges. he would get up and dressed, pulling black gloves over his hands before your eyelashes could even flutter open.

that was the way your relationship had ticked for the months it had been ongoing. that was the way zhongli kept his deepest secrets locked away, thinking it was for the best; it wouldn't cause problems if you knew, you was a mortal. zhongli knew he was facing the sandglass of time when it came to your life in the first place. is that what shattered the sandglass so soon? ending your life with a severed tie that happened too early, taking you from him when he was least prepared?

the bed was empty by the time zhongli awoke. the first fleeting thought that crossed the geo archon's mind was his secrets, his hidden gems - had you seen it all? had you left him? the second thought to cross his mind was in regards to your safety. he was certainly no fool, he knew he had enemies even with the lack of people who knew his true identity. you never rose before him and at least he would have expected you to wake him.

zhongli has traced the corridors and winding paths of your shared house many times. he's taken the stairs so much they're worn from the use of you both - and your guests, when the likes of xiao, hu tao or your friends come to visit. in every footstep, the man has memorised every inch of the house; every painting, every vase, every floorboard and in these steps he takes routinely, he knows the house is never this silent however there's no proof of a break-in. there's no distress, no signs of damage or disruption.

the earth has taken your body for its own in the span of a few hours, vines creeping across your body as if to tie you to the ground. celestia forbid someone tried to give you a proper burial, your clothes and skin stained in a dark red as the blood that flooded out of your mouth hours ago begins to oxidise. it paints the grass surrounding you and in the summer heat of the liyue sun, it creates a foul stench that suffocates the garden you'd spent so much of your time in.

there are flowers beginning to bloom on the vines tethering you to the earth, in shades of white so pure, it pales in comparison to the glaze lilies that had damaged your internal organs so ferociously. the sweet floral scents create a bitter tang in the air mixed with the metallic waft of blood and the unforgettable smell of the unavoidable rot your body was going through in the heat. this is what undeniably lead him to find you.

it makes him gag, turning his head away the second he steps outside into what is usually the clean air of liyue's countryside. his eyes fall to the pile of wilted glaze lilies you'd compiled in the far corner, hidden behind an apple tree you'd been growing. it's beginning to finally bear its fruits. zhongli notes that you will never see your apple tree's first harvest.

it feels as if he's stabbed in the chest when he finally musters the courage to look at you - or rather, what he thinks is you. your cheeks are sunken and your skin is beginning to tighten against muscles and bone, this isn't the you he remembers kissing goodnight last night. this isn't the you that would pepper kisses on his face when he expresses how tired he is after his shifts at the wangsheng funeral parlour.

this isn't who he fell in love with. this wasn't the human he should have never fell in love with because by gods, if there was anyone zhongli should have known to trust the least, it should have been celestia. he was a fool for thinking he could ever get away with loving a mortal, even after faking his death and attempting to step away from the title of the geo archon. he was still immortal up until his eventual erosion. he had still seen centuries past and people die around him.

was this celestia's curse upon you for his own regretful actions? the things he shouldn't have done and most certainly shouldn't have said? the sultry whispers and lingering touches that he knew was wrong from the start? but he loved you. he knew he loved you.

the scene of sharp branches coated in blood twisting and turning out of your mouth is unpleasant and the grass surrounding you is a distasteful red as he falls limp to his knees beside your growth - your corpse. his hands, free from their gloves, fumble with leaves and vines, attempting to pull them clear from your face in his shaking grasp as his thumbs gently wipe under your closed eyes, caked with dry blood.

your name falls from his parted lips when bitter tears sting his eyes for the first time in centuries. there's a raw emotion ripping him to the shreds and that was long buried in the depths of his very being - grief. it swallows him, forcing a choked sob from him as he hunches over what was his lover. he closes his eyes, holding his breath to keep from breathing in that sickening, overwhelming stench as he tries to remember your face from last night.

those distinct features he'd fell in love with, the glitter of your eyes and that smile he loved oh so much - he recalls the times hu tao managed to draw that smile onto your face with her mere presence. zhongli gags at the thought of having to tell her and the others about your death. does he lie again? you passed away in your sleep - but where has lying got him in the past? here.

why hadn't you told him? had baizhu been behind this too? after all this time he assumed the doctor could be classed as a loyal friend, zhongli realises that he was wrong. if he hadn't of kept it a secret, could zhongli have saved your life? the archon grimaces. this is not the time to be doubting the security of the relationships he has with the people around him. even as he contemplates the reasons you kept your disease secret from him, he runs over every thought of loving you.

to him, he would never love anyone or anything as much as he loved you. nothing could ever be comparable to his love for you; not even after all these centuries of aimlessly wandering teyvat and not even for all the future centuries that he would continue to walk, heartbroken and grief-stricken without you by his side for even a few more years.

you should have been her.

⊹˚₊‧───────────────‧₊˚⊹

© thexianzhoujade 2024. | reblogs appreciated | do not re-upload, copy, translate, etc. my works on any form of media.

[impactedfates]

so like i was thinking of scenarios where genshin or also hsr men whichever you pick <333 could we get some Christmas hcs :)) please 🎄

★ A/N: I decided to do Genshin characters for this request :)) Why not spend Christmas with the fandom that my account started off with hehe. Here's the Xmas special!! Hope you enjoy :>

☆ Genre/Trope: Fluff + Platonic (But can be seen as romantic if you want)

★ Format: Mini Scenarios (Characters Included (Separate): Diluc, Zhongli, Ayato, Alhaitham, Lyney + Childe)

☆ Warnings: None

★ Extra: Reader is NOT traveler // Some brief mentions of my OCs in some // Possible OOC Lyney

I don't think Diluc would necessarily spoil you but he wouldn't exactly NOT spoil you. We know he's rather rich and he can likely get you whatever you so wish however I believe Diluc's one of the types to not want to spoil people too much especially as many likely try to be his friend due to his income.

You'll get multiple gifts from and likely one or two of them are rather expensive things you once expressed an interest in liking, there's also smaller gifts like perhaps a plush of your favourite animal but there's also some homemade gifts he made. A good mix.

I feel like Diluc is someone who usually enjoys spending Christmas alone or just with a few close friends, when or if friends are over he enjoys sitting by the fireplace and chatting. He's not the type to do any of those Christmas games but there is a chance he could get roped into it one day.

Definitely doesn't drink, we all already know he doesn't like the taste of alcohol, besides. Even though he technically has the day off, I feel he'd rather not have a hangover the next day, whether or not he's off.

Speaking of a day off, once the maids/butlers finish their work. Which for that day would be small, just cleaner around the house and maybe cooking a Christmas dinner if friends are over, they can all go home. I also feel Diluc lets them have the next day off as well but for the whole day. He can deal with the housework.

At the end of the day, I think spending Christmas with Diluc means a very peaceful and quiet day. He wants to relax and he'll let himself, you and his workers relax just so they can spend time with those they hold close to their hearts.

Zhongli knows about the things people do on Christmas and he's more than happy to join in if it makes you happy. He goes out shopping for things for his friends (this time he DOES remember his wallet) and ensures it's the best quality while also ensuring it's something that would make you and others happy.

Hu Tao decides to hold a party, inviting you and Zhongli both! There's party games set up, a dinner made and also she insists on not handing out presents yet as she decides to do it near the end of the party, allowing everyone to give out their gifts and they can either open it or open it later at home.

If you decide to open it once you've been given the gift, Zhongli watches your reaction to see if he made a right choice in gifts and sure enough, with the way your face lit up tells him all he needed to know.

Once gifts have been given out, he excuses himself and leaves the party, bidding everyone a farewell. Why? Simple, he must spend some time with the Adepti as well right?

Ayato prefers spending Christmas with mainly family, of course he's not opposed if Thoma or Ayaka wishes to bring along a friend to join their celebration however he's not one to do the same himself.

This doesn't mean he won't give you a gift however, he still does. Ensuring it's wrapped with care before giving it to you. He knows what you like and likely gets exactly what you want.

It's not likely to really hang out with Ayato on Christmas unless Ayaka or Thoma invites you to celebrate with them. Christmas with the Kamisatos is a mix between peaceful and chaotic. We have the hotpot game where Ayato feels a bit more devious in what he adds but there's also the gift giving where people share smiles and thanks over what they got.

Sadly though, I feel unlike some characters, he's one of the few who still has some work to do despite the day. He gets them done quickly so he can hang out with family but the day after it's straight back to work.

But just seeing the smiles of his friends and family make it worth it for him, even if he can't celebrate the whole day and might only get a few hours and he needs to work the next day as well. Just seeing people he cares about being happy is enough for him.

For Alhaitham, I feel like he isn't one to really celebrate Christmas, not like his roommate anyways. Like he'll buy presents for friends but he won't really participate any further than that.

You can try to drag him to a Christmas Party, to have a Christmas dinner or whatever Christmassy thing you do but he'll refuse each time. While he does understand why people enjoy it and it's not that he doesn't enjoy it. He himself just prefers spending time alone.

You'll likely find him using the fact that many people are at home with family and friends to maybe take a peaceful and quiet walk, use the library to read, maybe he might go to the museum if it's opened or he might just be in his room for the rest of the day.

Overall, it's not that he doesn't like Christmas or anything like that, he just prefers to use the day to get time for himself without annoying scholars, he'll still make sure to get gifts for everyone and give them to them however aside from that, don't expect him to respond if you try to call him, he probably has his noise-cancelling headphones on.

(*Something to note: If you are his lover then he would like to spend time with you as well*)

I see Lyney performing a magic show, free of charge. He wants people to see the magic of Christmas. Well...as Christmassy as he can get it, it's your regular magician tricks with maybe some Christmas themed props.

He does this every year, and he'll also pick random kids from the audience and give them a gift. Kinda like a lucky draw! He adores the way the kids face lights up in delight as they quickly rush beside him and he asks them to choose a gift.

After the shows over, he disappears home so he can celebrate with you and his siblings, still doing magic to do so however haha. He'll make your gifts appear in your hands. He ensures you all have fun on this day as he believes that's what Christmas is about. To have fun with family. He even gets gifts for everyone in the orphanage!

However, you may find him on the floor wrapped in wrapping paper the morning of Christmas as he tries to struggle his way out.

"I was trying to wrap a teddy bear"

Is all he could say as he worms his way towards you so you can free him.

I think most of us can agree Childe is big on this day. Especially when it comes to family. He doesn't care how much something is, if his siblings want it he'll get it. No questions asked...although perhaps you could convince him not to get a "Mega Mr Cyclops" for Tuecer, I highly doubt Zakhar would want to see a certain redhead in his office when he's meant to have a day off.

He also spoils you as well actually! Let's say you went window shopping with him one day, not buying anything but just pointing out various things you seem to like. As long as you end up never getting them, expect each item to be in your Christmas present.

On one hand I feel he would have a day off, on the other, there's still that chance that Lady Tsaritsa needs him to do something, and he hates when that happens cause all he wants to do is be with his family and friends but his loyalties to her must come first.

He tries his best to get it done fast so he can come home, let's hope you have spare clothes for him encase and red stains catch on his clothes yeah?

Overall, he is probably the most enthusiastic about the day out of everyone listed.

Happy holidays everyone!! I hope this year has been going on well and I hope next year goes great for youse as well.

Honestly seeing how much my account has grown since my first post compared to now is almost unreal for me but I'm so grateful you all seem to enjoy my work ^^

As it's Christmas (where I am rn) I hope you enjoy today guys :))

[mistachesme]

They pretend to be your boyfriend pt. 2 (ft kazuha, childe)

With surprise cameos ofc <3. Highly unedited. Not sure if it came out good tho :')

Tw- drinking, some creep in childe's part

Kazuha

- it came out as surprise that kazuha of all ppl was asking you to pretend to be his lover for one evening

- "It's to get my moms to stop setting me up with random people." He explained to you.

- you recalled the first time you met his mom, you were so nervous. But, beidou's easygoing personality and her infectious laugh made you feel at ease at once.

- kazuha was your dear friend. Despite having feelings for him, you never acted on them 'cause you cherished his friendship and was afraid of his rejection.

- looking at the way he seemed so troubled, you couldn't reject his request.

"This doesn't change anything right?" You tentatively asked. There was an odd look on his face, before it was gone. He nodded.

"Fine then. I will come by your house."

- you felt so loved. all your favourite food was on the dinning table.

"I had to ask kazuha what your favourite dishes were. I hope you enjoy my cooking." Ningguang smiled at you.

"I thought they were your friend. Why didn't you tell us before." Beidou laughed, nudging a blushing kazuha.

- soon the dining hall was filled with laughter, and you can't help but feel guilty for lying to the two amazing women.

- so when you and kazuha were finally left alone, you tell him that his family was amazing.

"Thank you for agreeing to this. My mothers were really happy you came." Kazuha said, truthfully.

- you nod and went back to eating the almond tofu on your plate.

"Your mom makes the best almond tofu, I swear."

- "Almond tofu is not the only good thing my mom has you know." Kazuha whispered in your ear with a smirk.

- your mind went blank with a *windows XP shutting down sound*

Childe

"You're blind date didn't go well huh? Hu Tao told me." Childe slurrs, drunkenly putting his arm around you as he laughs.

"I suggest you to shut your shitty mouth."

- currently you are out drinking with your friends after a long week and of course this bastard had to tag along.

"I think I know why you get dumped so easily." He side eyes you with a smug face.

"If you don't shut up, I'm gonna shove this glass of wine up your ass."

- zhongli watches the two of you fight in amusement as he sips his wine.

"Is this how they get every time they get drunk?" Hu Tao laughs.

"Indeed." He responds with a knowing smile.

- "I'm gonna take a piss. Be right back." You say, slipping away from childe's hold, before disappearing into the crowd.

"Oi.. don't go alone it's dangerous."

You ignore childe's worried calling as you navigate your way to the washroom. The club is too crowdy.

-Not too long after, you hear footsteps behind you and you sigh, knowing who it is.

- "I told you not to go alone." You feel his arm snaking around your waist as you walk.

"Fine." You sigh, leaning on his arm. "Wait outside the washroom, okay?"

- but when you come back, you find childe talking to someone on call. So, you keep your distance. It's probably teucer.

- you dont notice untill later someone approaching you.

"Are you alone, sweetie?" This dude asks, stepping too close to you with a disgusting grin on his face.

"I came with my friends. And, leave me alone, you creep." You snap at him.

"Now, now don't be like that." He says, grabbing your arm.

- at this point you were so pissed. Before you could land a proper punch on his face, you find yourself being pulled away from him and into a familiar set of arms.

- "Don't you know better than touching someone's lover." Childe speaks to him in a warning tone. "They got a boyfriend, you know?"

- "Boyfriend?" The creepy guy looks questioningly at you and then at childe.

- "Yeah, he is here you know." Childe whirls around looking through the crowd, making the other guy look around.

"Where would he be?" The other guy scoffs.

"Why, he's right in front of you." Childe chirps, turning back to him with a smile. You roll your eyes at that. What a dramatic ass.

- "I need to teach you a proper lesson for touching my things before you leave."

[lavenders-writing]

hu tao's dinner party is the FUNNIEST fucking thing she really went "how can i get the oddest array of people to have dinner with me while being as normal as possible about it" and then proceeded to invite her coworker at a funeral parlor, the town chef, the local exorciser and his boyfriend best friend, a strange traveler who showed up a while ago and hasn't left since but has resolved conflicts, and xiao the conquerer of demons who hasn't had this much social interaction in like 2000 years

and then this bard from like a thousand miles away in a different nation suddenly shows up and spouts some poetry like that's his invitation to stay

(also venti sitting between zhongli and xiao is so. holy shit he was really like "ehehe :3" like that's the only way i can describe it) ("oh well this chair is conveniently left open for me!!! ehe i shall take a seat and eat your food") (funniest mf out here fr)

[stars-interlude]

Poison!

a/n: I know i said a gorou fic was gonna be next but trust its in progress 🙏🏾🙏🏾 ALSO I PUT MY WHOLE HEART INTO THIS ESPECIALLY THAT TEXTING PART 😵 ALSO TYSMMM FOR THE NOTES ON THE KAZUHA FICC I rlly never thought that my work would reach that many people 😭😭 again tysm!!!

★Pairings: Leadsinger!Xiao x Fem!reader

★tags/warnings: Band!AU NSFW not proofread! smoking weed, high sex

synopsis; After your best friend Hu tao invites you to her bands concert for the first time you see her members and u see the lead singer afterwards your talking to Hu tao and he comes up to you and invites you to his place..

[💿] now playing-

You open your eyes to see the ceiling of your dimly lit room. you sluggishly reach for your phone to see a notification from “Hu tao 🥁‼️‼️” it was something about going to a concert “i’m way too tired for this..” you mumbled. You put down your phone just to hear a knock at your door. you get up to see who it was and speak of the devil it was the one and only Hu tao “Hii.. you look like a mess if i’ve ever seen one” “Hello, how are you would’ve been just a bit better” you interject “Anyway did you see my text? It was about my bands concert.” you recall seeing her text but not really processing it “uh yea I saw it” “ well you’re coming right why aren’t you trying to plan an outfit its only in a few hours?” Your eyes widen hours you literally just woke up “hours? i got up a few minutes ago” “it’s 6pm…” Hu tao says as she walks in uninvited “i had a lot of things to do last night” you argued as you followed her. Hu tao gets to your bedroom at starts going through your closet throwing out things she thought fit the theme tonight. “no way this dress will look great on you” she says as she holds up a dark red dress. “Not bad ‘Tao I’ll wear it.”

When you get to the place where the “small concert” was you see a lot of people around your friend band while they played. As you squeezed though the crowd to get a better look you can see all the members which you’ve been introduced to some but you see the lead singer and surprisingly he’s really attractive, as your looking he looks back at you and of course you can feel your face getting hot and he makes it no better with that smirk of his face. For the rest of the few songs they played you avoided eye contact with him and just took photos and videos of the band to show to Hu tao later

Just as most people were leaving you see Hu tao running up to you “Hi, how did we do?!” “You guys did great you wanna see the photos I took while you guys played?” You can basically see the stars pop in her eyes “Of course I do, you know who you’re talking to right???” you pull out your phone to show her “we all look soo cool but why didn’t you take any pictures of Xiao?” “who’s Xiao?” you respond you’ve heard many things about Xiao but there was no way he was the lead singer “what photos of me..” you and Hu tao turn around to see just the slightly taller male.

"Hey, look who it is the man himself Xiao" Hu tao announced to you. Xiao smirked “Hey.. you’re that girl I saw when i was on stage. No photos of me? hm” He said as he moved closer to your face “uh well sorry you just weren’t my main focus” you shrugged “you were definitely mine..” Xiao muttered to himself “well here” Xiao says as he hands you a small piece of paper. Then he walked away “What’s that?” Hu tao questions “I don’t even know lemme look” you opened the paper to see a phone number with an address, you felt your face get hot “it’s nothing, nothing you need to worry about” you quickly slipped it into the pocket of a jacket you wore with the dress and you started to walk out with Hu tao

“you better not hook up with him..” Hu tao looks at you “who said I was?” you replied back “I’m just looking out for you” she says as she drops you off at your place “good night ‘Tao” you say as you open and walk into your apartment

As you walk in your place you think about what she said “not to hook up with Xiao..” you pull out your phone and begin to text him

11:37 Pm

[name] - Hey it’s Hu tao’s friend from the concert

Xiao- Well u coming to my place?

[name] - i’ll be there in a few

Xiao- kk see u

You couldn’t believe what you were getting your self into but before you could process it you were already out the door. When you finally get to his place you knocked on his door and when he opened it the smell of weed made your head go blank “heyy I didn’t think you’d actually come” Xiao said fumbling on his words. You got to his room and sat on his bed his room was surprisingly clean you thought as you saw Xiao pull something out of a jar that was in a box. It was a blunt he lit it and took a long drag “you don’t mind do you?” he looked at you “no not really..” “come here cute thing” He said as he patted his thigh implying that he wanted you to sit there. You walked over and sat

He started to kiss your neck leaving marks all over until he got to your lips “you wanna take a drag?” before he could say anything else you took the blunt and took said drag afterwards you started to cough “slow down cutie little by little” Xiao said as he finally kissed your lips. He pulled away and picked you up blunt in mouth and put you on his bed you took the blunt and took another puff and you sat up to kiss Xiao as you two kissed you could feel his hands unzipping the dress you had on. when you pulled away there was a line of spit still connecting the two of you “Xiao.. can we do it now?” He looked at you and chuckled “do what? use your words” you whined it was embarrassing asking someone for sex “fuck me Xiao..” Xiao smiled and gave you a peck on the lips just before he put out the blunt that the two of you were smoking “poor baby so needy” the two of you started to get undressed and Xiao kissed up and down your body when he got to your chest he pinched and pulled your nipples

When he felt like he’s teased you enough he took his cock out and started rubbing it against you folds “oh fuck..” He hissed in pleasure and then he suddenly thrusted in “ngh~ more please” after you said that he went faster and way deeper than you’ve expected from a guy in a band. The room full of the smell of weed and sex had you going crazy “Xiao gonna cum..” you basically squealed. your back arched off the bed it felt like you were gonna pass out then Xiao leaned down and whispered “that’s all you got, there’s a lot more to cum come”

you could tell that this will be a long night..

extra:

when you woke up after Xiao fucked your brains out you got a bunch of text from Hu tao about where you were and you knew that it would be hard to explain it to her..

a/n pt2: xiao seems a lot bolder than i expected to write him.. well I hope you guys enjoyed that it took mad long to write 😭😭

[idkfitememate]

Since anons are putting diffirent types of animals for the baor!creator, what if theres like a snake!creator? I kinda thinking of Baizhu white snake(what was her name again?) and the one who find them is Zhongli, well more like Snake!creator found him instead, this how I was thinking they met.

Zhongli just sipping some tea right? enjoying the sunlight and the chitter or Liyue habor, then suddenly theres smiley/squsiy texture slither around his leg(he panics cuz I heard he hates slimey texture? smt along those lines ig), he looks down and see, a spotless and shiny ass snake slithering around his leg, they made eye contact, but the snake only continues slithering, Zhongli face is disgusted since well, slimey, but he was gentle when removing the snake and helding it face to face, they both held eye contact, before, the snake lick his nose, and Zhongli's thoughts after the action 'holy shit that was adorable' after that, you can always see Zhongli with a snake slithering around his arms, and shoulders

MEME:

Zhongli: 'I only have this snake for 5 mintues'

Zhongli: 'If anything happens to them, I kill everyone in this Habor and then myself'

Her name (Baizhu’s snake) is Changsheng! And I love big snakes so… Reticulated python! The larges recorded was 32 ft and 9 1/2 in (9 m and 98.22 cm)! Itto is about 6 ft 4 in (1 m and 93.04 cm), so a Reticulated python is around 9 and 9/10 Itto’s ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა!

Hearing screams and feeling something running across his leg was not how Zhongli wanted to spend his time.

The way this man was considering just spearing the damn thing beneath his was… it was honestly scary. Children ran from the sight of his glare.

Whatever it was it was long. And slimy. And it moved his pants legs up so he could feel it on his skin.

Not fun.

He finally had enough and looked underneath the table, grabbing what he held thought to be the head.

And he did grab the head!

It required both hands, however.

Because what he pulled up was probably one of the largest non magical snakes he had ever seen in his life. And he’s lived a long ass time mind you.

His first genuine thought was ‘Changsheng’s cousin?’ And then he realized how dumb that sounded.

And then you licked his nose.

New best friend.

You couldn’t.. wrap around him. But you followed him. Closely. People of the Harbor honestly thought it fit Zhongli to have a regal snake following him as a companion. He was slick and snake like, after all.

Despite your… largeness however, Zhongli did like it whenever you wrapped around him to the best of your abilities. It was nice to feel the squeeze of a fellow reptilian.

When he found out that for some reason you could stomach human foods and liquids? Oh you know this man was on top of having you try out different teas and seeing if you tell the difference.

And when Hu Tao met you? You became the scarf of her as well. She loves patting your head and tries her damndest to get to understand the importance of selling coffins and getting people into them.

Seeing you preform tasks for the Funeral Parlor isn’t unusual, but the one place you can’t go is the Bubu Pharmacy. You and Changsheng fucking hate each other.

Snakes are super territorial after all.

She’s not allowed around Hu Tao or Zhongli, you’re not allowed around Baizhu or Qiqi.

Fair is fair but you really wanted to meet Qiqi and Baizhu.

Xiao has mixed feelings about you. On the one hand: Yay! Zhongli is happy! On the other: Zhongli is getting softer and softer damn-

That all changed when you wrapped around him.

Now the Adeptus protect you.

The way you would swallow a mob or thief in front of them and they’d just stare because you technically just committed murder.

Yeah, your everyone’s - minus Baizhu and Qiqi - new best friend.

Sorry if this is bad, I didn’t much know what to do… I feel bad- Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed it though ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა!

[https-furina]

✎ you should have been her. ft. zhongli x fem!reader content. angst, hurt/no comfort, hanahaki disease, mentions of blood, gagging, death, decomposition, dealing with grief and guilt. not proofread or edited. w.c. tba

archon's decree. a second part to my first zhongli hanahaki disease angst. i've started to write gn!reader a lot more in my works however the first part was fem!reader so for this particular angst it'll be labelled as fem!reader - it passes as gn!reader though! i don't explicitly label any gender. taglist - open, send an ask to be added! @ryuryuryuyurboat @soleillunne @rainswept @heiayen @tigerpriestess (i'm tagging you dear because you're the person who mentioned zhongli's reaction on the original!)

the scene haunts him vividly. it creeps into every crevice of his mind, every nerve that has harboured all the knowledge he could ever acquire over these past centuries; it affects his psyche. in the darkness behind his eyelids - should he be brave enough to dare let his eyelashes sink shut - he sees every detail left of his beloved - you.

the guilt eats at him, nagging at his bones and tearing at his flesh, leaving only remnants of searing pains when he can't help but blame himself that he let it get this far - that he even let it happen. it was something so simple that he could avoided, at least that's what he tells himself. zhongli isn't stupid, not when he's walked teyvat this long and seeked enough knowledge for his own curiosity - albeit never comparable to that of the dendro archon. he knows it couldn't have been avoided, for that is why the guilt rips him apart so brutally.

but yet there is one simple way it could have been avoided. he should have never fell in love with you. the thought aches his heart and he finds his grip tightening around the tea cup in his hands, paled knuckles concealed by his oh-so-familiar gloves. amber eyes resembling the cor lapis native to his own country close shut and the horrific scenes creep back in.

the man admits to oversleeping that morning, the comfort of familiar bedsheets drowning him in a warmth incomparable to anything else. his routine with you was a simple one; he was always the last to bed but always the first to rise. zhongli used it as an excuse for you to never see his bare skin, the dark tones that cover his large hands and fade up his arms, decorated in veins of golds and oranges. he would get up and dressed, pulling black gloves over his hands before your eyelashes could even flutter open.

that was the way your relationship had ticked for the months it had been ongoing. that was the way zhongli kept his deepest secrets locked away, thinking it was for the best; it wouldn't cause problems if you knew, you was a mortal. zhongli knew he was facing the sandglass of time when it came to your life in the first place. is that what shattered the sandglass so soon? ending your life with a severed tie that happened too early, taking you from him when he was least prepared?

the bed was empty by the time zhongli awoke. the first fleeting thought that crossed the geo archon's mind was his secrets, his hidden gems - had you seen it all? had you left him? the second thought to cross his mind was in regards to your safety. he was certainly no fool, he knew he had enemies even with the lack of people who knew his true identity. you never rose before him and at least he would have expected you to wake him.

zhongli has traced the corridors and winding paths of your shared house many times. he's taken the stairs so much they're worn from the use of you both - and your guests, when the likes of xiao, hu tao or your friends come to visit. in every footstep, the man has memorised every inch of the house; every painting, every vase, every floorboard and in these steps he takes routinely, he knows the house is never this silent however there's no proof of a break-in. there's no distress, no signs of damage or disruption.

the earth has taken your body for its own in the span of a few hours, vines creeping across your body as if to tie you to the ground. celestia forbid someone tried to give you a proper burial, your clothes and skin stained in a dark red as the blood that flooded out of your mouth hours ago begins to oxidise. it paints the grass surrounding you and in the summer heat of the liyue sun, it creates a foul stench that suffocates the garden you'd spent so much of your time in.

there are flowers beginning to bloom on the vines tethering you to the earth, in shades of white so pure, it pales in comparison to the glaze lilies that had damaged your internal organs so ferociously. the sweet floral scents create a bitter tang in the air mixed with the metallic waft of blood and the unforgettable smell of the unavoidable rot your body was going through in the heat. this is what undeniably lead him to find you.

it makes him gag, turning his head away the second he steps outside into what is usually the clean air of liyue's countryside. his eyes fall to the pile of wilted glaze lilies you'd compiled in the far corner, hidden behind an apple tree you'd been growing. it's beginning to finally bear its fruits. zhongli notes that you will never see your apple tree's first harvest.

it feels as if he's stabbed in the chest when he finally musters the courage to look at you - or rather, what he thinks is you. your cheeks are sunken and your skin is beginning to tighten against muscles and bone, this isn't the you he remembers kissing goodnight last night. this isn't the you that would pepper kisses on his face when he expresses how tired he is after his shifts at the wangsheng funeral parlour.

this isn't who he fell in love with. this wasn't the human he should have never fell in love with because by gods, if there was anyone zhongli should have known to trust the least, it should have been celestia. he was a fool for thinking he could ever get away with loving a mortal, even after faking his death and attempting to step away from the title of the geo archon. he was still immortal up until his eventual erosion. he had still seen centuries past and people die around him.

was this celestia's curse upon you for his own regretful actions? the things he shouldn't have done and most certainly shouldn't have said? the sultry whispers and lingering touches that he knew was wrong from the start? but he loved you. he knew he loved you.

the scene of sharp branches coated in blood twisting and turning out of your mouth is unpleasant and the grass surrounding you is a distasteful red as he falls limp to his knees beside your growth - your corpse. his hands, free from their gloves, fumble with leaves and vines, attempting to pull them clear from your face in his shaking grasp as his thumbs gently wipe under your closed eyes, caked with dry blood.

your name falls from his parted lips when bitter tears sting his eyes for the first time in centuries. there's a raw emotion ripping him to the shreds and that was long buried in the depths of his very being - grief. it swallows him, forcing a choked sob from him as he hunches over what was his lover. he closes his eyes, holding his breath to keep from breathing in that sickening, overwhelming stench as he tries to remember your face from last night.

those distinct features he'd fell in love with, the glitter of your eyes and that smile he loved oh so much - he recalls the times hu tao managed to draw that smile onto your face with her mere presence. zhongli gags at the thought of having to tell her and the others about your death. does he lie again? you passed away in your sleep - but where has lying got him in the past? here.

why hadn't you told him? had baizhu been behind this too? after all this time he assumed the doctor could be classed as a loyal friend, zhongli realises that he was wrong. if he hadn't of kept it a secret, could zhongli have saved your life? the archon grimaces. this is not the time to be doubting the security of the relationships he has with the people around him. even as he contemplates the reasons you kept your disease secret from him, he runs over every thought of loving you.

to him, he would never love anyone or anything as much as he loved you. nothing could ever be comparable to his love for you; not even after all these centuries of aimlessly wandering teyvat and not even for all the future centuries that he would continue to walk, heartbroken and grief-stricken without you by his side for even a few more years.

you should have been her.

© https-furina 2023.

[angelbvnny]

Things that make them melt

Gn!Reader, slightly suggestive but still sfw

Tartaglia, Kaveh, Wanderer, Gorou, Hu Tao

✿Tartaglia✿

Touch his back and he'll unravel. Whether it's lightly brushing your fingers up and down his spine or massaging out the tenseness, he loves it. It especially works when he isn't expecting it. You will be at lunch with friends or just sitting on the couch and as soon as touch him you can feel him relax and lean into your hand.

If you ever need something or simply want his undivided attention, just line the curves of his shoulder blades with your finger tip and he's all yours :)

When he's had a tiring day at work, your favorite thing to do to help relieve his stress is to lay him on his stomach and get on top of him to rub his sore aching muscles. A little groan can be heard from beneath you as you do it.

✿Kaveh✿

He adores when you praise him. He's quite hard on himself, never giving himself credit for his accomplishments. And having Al Haitham as a roommate doesn't help. So if you compliment him telling him how good he did, he will melt right then and there.

You especially like overloading him with praise because he just can't handle it! One endearing statement after the next, each time getting closer and closer to you until he's clinging onto you, brain absolutely fried. You of course hug him back, quite satisfied with yourself.

It's the best when you do it out of nowhere! He gets so flustered, his face heating up, and he's stuttering over his own words. It's the cutest thing to catch your boyfriend off guard by simply telling him how handsome he is <3

✿Wanderer✿

If you run your hands through his hair, Scara will become puddy in your hands. He will be sitting next to you, complaining about anything and everything, when you reach over cup the back of his head in your hand. He doesn't say anything, and you continue on listening to him, giving little replies here and there, playing with his hair, brushing the strands through your fingers.

He slowly gets quieter and quieter, sentences getting shorter and pauses becoming more frequent, until he is completely silent. Simply basking in the feeling of your hand gently combing through his hair. Whether he was conscious of it or not, he slowly gets closer to you until he is pressed up against you. Eyes closed and breathing soft.

You 100% take advantage of this and anytime he gets too cocky or rude you know exactly what to do. You slip your hand into his locks and that loud mouth of his shuts up.

✿Gorou✿

If you brush Gorou's tail he goes into a Daze. It's hard to brush his own tail! And it just doesn't feel as good when he does it. But when you do it, it's pure bliss. You're the only person allowed to do it though, not in a million years would he allow anyone else to even touch his tail!

Being the general of the Watatsumi Army is no easy task. So he's exhausted after work pretty much every day. It's become a routine that when he gets home from work, he'll lay on your lap as you gently brush through his fur. Often times he'll even doze off, lightly snoring.

Something you quite enjoy and he hates is when you do it in public. You're very subtle with it, just gently using your fingers to stroke through his tail. He turns beet red and pulls it away, but you still notice the way it slightly wags.

✿Hu Tao✿

Hu Tao can be a trouble to deal with and people generally don't know how to stop her, except for you. You know her secret, that she absolutely loves when you hold her waist. She feels so secure when your hands are holding onto her sides, or arms wrapped around her.

She especially loves it when y'all are kissing. When you are making out, grab her waist to pull her closer, and she will ease into your hold no problem.

You also find it extremely cute when she goes silent the moment your hands crawl onto her. A light "mmm" escaping her before her head turns towards you, looking at you with tender eyes. You can't help but internally scream every time you get this reaction out of her.

[naomeii]

Purr-fect.

─Pairings:Cat!Zhongli x F!Reader

Content : Fluff, COMPLETE BRAIN-ROT, I might or might not be writing for others too based on this concept, if u have particular character in mind, don't be shy to send a req!, modern au

Synopsis : Zhongli turns into a cat- that's it, literally

Y/n couldn't help but feel a flutter in her chest every time she saw Zhongli in the crowded hallways of their high school. He was her senior, an enigmatic figure with an air of sophistication that left everyone in awe. The first time he had tutored her, Y/n found herself captivated not just by the subject matter, but by the gentle way he explained things, his voice resonating like a calming melody.

One day after school, Y/n found herself nervously approaching Zhongli's desk. "Um, excuse me, Zhongli-senpai," she stammered, her heart pounding in her chest.

Zhongli looked up from his books, his amber eyes meeting hers. "Ah, Y/n. Is there something you need assistance with?"

She fumbled with her words, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I, um, I was wondering if you could, you know, help me with this math problem. It's giving me a hard time."

A small smile graced Zhongli's lips. "Of course. Sit down, and we'll go through it together."

As Zhongli patiently explained the problem, Y/n couldn't help but steal glances at him. She admired the way his hair fell gracefully over his forehead and the focused expression he wore while teaching.

"Do I have something on my face?" Zhongli asked, catching Y/n staring.

Her cheeks flushed even deeper, and she shook her head vigorously. "No, no! I was just, um, really concentrating on what you were saying."

Zhongli chuckled softly, finding her nervousness endearing. "Very well. Let's continue."

Unbeknownst to Y/n, her best friend Hu Tao was observing the entire scene from across the room giggling to herself. Later that day, as they walked home together, Y/n couldn't contain her excitement.

"Hu Tao, you won't believe what happened today! I got to spend time with Zhongli-senpai, and he helped me with math!"

Hu Tao grinned mischievously. "Oh, spill the details! Did you make your move?"

Y/n blushed furiously. "N-no, I couldn't! I was too nervous. But he's just so amazing, and his voice is like a warm hug, and…"

Hu Tao laughed heartily. "You're head over heels, aren't you? Hmm You both would be a great match."

As the tutoring sessions continued, Y/n found herself growing more comfortable around Zhongli. Despite her initial nervousness, she realized that Zhongli was not only a brilliant tutor but also a patient and understanding mentor.

Once, as they sat side by side working on a particularly challenging problem, Y/n was completely engrossed in her notebook. Zhongli observed her intense concentration, his own fascination growing. As she furrowed her brow in deep thought, a stray strand of hair fell over her face.

Unable to resist the urge, Zhongli gently reached out and tucked the errant strand behind her ear. Y/n's heart skipped a beat at the unexpected touch, and she froze, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of red.

"Uh, thank you," she stammered, trying to regain her composure.

Zhongli merely smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You seemed a bit distracted. I thought it might help."

Breathless and exhilarated, Y/n rushed to find Hu Tao immediately after her tutoring session with Zhongli. Bursting into their usual meeting spot, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Hu Tao! You won't believe what just happened," Y/n exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of joy and nervous energy.

Hu Tao looked up from her book, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Spill it, Y/n! Did Zhongli finally realize you're the one for him?"

Y/n blushed furiously, her heart racing. "Well, not exactly, but something incredible happened! We were solving this difficult problem, and then Zhongli, he—"

Hu Tao interrupted with a teasing grin, "Did he confess his undying love for you? Did he declare that you are the missing piece of his soul?"

Y/n giggled, shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. But he… he touched my hair! Like, he tucked a strand behind my ear!"

Hu Tao's eyes widened, and she let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh, the scandal! Zhongli making moves! Tell me everything!"

As Y/n recounted the tutoring session and Zhongli's subtle gestures, Hu Tao listened with a mixture of amusement and excitement. She couldn't resist teasing her friend relentlessly.

"So, what's your next move, Y/n? Are you going to confess your undying love to him under the cherry blossom tree?" Hu Tao teased.

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, please! I don't even know if he likes me like that. But it felt… special, you know?"

Hu Tao leaned in, a sly grin on her face. "Special, huh? Well, you better keep me updated on this love story. Who knows, maybe I'll be planning your wedding soon!"

The next day, as Y/n excitedly headed to school, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when Zhongli was nowhere to be found. She looked around the familiar spots where they usually met, hoping to catch a glimpse of his tall figure or catch his distinctive amber eyes in the crowd, but he was conspicuously absent.

Feeling a bit downcast, Y/n trudged back home after school. Lost in her thoughts, she wandered through the streets with a hint of melancholy in her steps. However, fate had a surprise in store for her.

As she turned a corner, her eyes caught sight of a small cat sitting by the roadside. The cat had a regal air about it, with amber eyes that seemed to mirror Zhongli's. Intrigued, Y/n approached the feline cautiously.

"You look just like Zhongli-senpai," she murmured, reaching out to pet the cat. To her surprise, the cat purred contentedly, rubbing against her hand as if it understood the compliment.

Y/n couldn't help but smile at the adorable creature. She looked around, expecting an owner to appear, but there was no one in sight. It seemed like the cat was a stray, left to wander the streets alone.

A spontaneous idea struck her. "You know what? If you don't have a home, I can be your Zhongli," she said, scooping up the cat into her arms.

The feline seemed to enjoy the attention, nuzzling against Y/n's neck. Taking this as a sign, Y/n decided on the spot. "From now on, you're my little Zhongli. How about that?"

The cat, seemingly in agreement, let out a soft meow. Y/n giggled, feeling a warmth in her heart.

As Y/n tried to bathe the cat, she quickly realized that her new feline friend was anything but cooperative. Every attempt to bring him near water was met with agile jumps and a swift retreat. After several failed tries, Y/n sighed in defeat, watching as the cat diligently licked itself clean.

Tired but amused, Y/n decided to continue her day. She settled at her desk, the cat now comfortably on her lap, its eyes following her every move with curiosity. Y/n, being the talkative person she was, couldn't resist continuing her one-sided conversation about Zhongli.

"You know, little Zhongli, you're lucky you don't have to deal with exams and high school drama. Zhongli-senpai is probably somewhere out there, unaware that he's become the subject of my daily gushing sessions," she mused, absentmindedly scratching behind the cat's ears.

As she rambled on, Y/n picked up the cat, holding it close to her face. "Are you Zhongli?" she asked with a playful grin.

To her surprise, the cat seemed to nod furiously, a comical sight that made Y/n burst into laughter. She couldn't believe what she was thinking—Zhongli turning into a cat? It seemed too absurd to be true.

"Imagine if you really were Zhongli. That would be the most ironic twist ever. The great HANDSOMEEEEE Zhongli reduced to a tiny, fluffy cat," Y/n chuckled, holding the cat in her arms.

The cat, now giving her a deadpan look, remained in her arms.

Y/n woke up with a start as the persistent tapping on her face continued. Groggily, she opened her eyes to find the cat furiously pawing at her. Confused, she checked the time and gasped. She was late for school!

"Ugh, why didn't my alarm go off?" Y/n muttered, rushing to get ready. The cat, seemingly understanding the urgency, slipped out of the room as Y/n hurriedly got dressed.

Later, as she raced through her morning routine, the cat reappeared, sitting patiently by the door. Y/n couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight.

"Thanks for the wake-up call," she said, giving the cat a quick peck on its forehead. To her surprise, the cat seemed almost shy, its gaze dropping as if bashful.

Y/n quickly grabbed a piece of bread for herself and another for her newfound feline companion. As she placed the bread in front of the cat, she chuckled. "Never had a breakfast buddy before, especially one with fur."

The cat tentatively approached the bread, sniffing it before taking a small bite. Y/n couldn't help but find the whole situation amusing. It was like having a quirky sidekick to accompany her on this unexpected adventure.

"Okay, little Zhongli, wish me luck at school. Hopefully, I won't be too late," Y/n said, giving the cat one last pat before heading out the door.

As Y/n entered the school premises, she couldn't shake off the disappointment of not seeing Zhongli once again. Her usual excitement for the day was replaced by a lingering concern for her mysterious tutor. She decided to confide in Hu Tao during their lunch break.

"Hu Tao, have you seen Zhongli-senpai today? He's been absent for two days now," Y/n voiced her worry.

Hu Tao, ever the cheerful friend, tried to reassure her. "Oh, don't worry too much, Y/n. Maybe he's just under the weather or caught a cold. These things happen to the best of us."

"But two days in a row? It's not like him," Y/n mumbled, her thoughts lingering on Zhongli's absence.

Hu Tao grinned mischievously. "Maybe he's secretly planning a surprise for you. You never know!"

Y/n rolled her eyes at Hu Tao's playful suggestion. "You and your wild imagination. Anyway, speaking of surprises, you won't believe what happened. I found this stray cat, and it looks exactly like Zhongli!"

Hu Tao's eyes widened in surprise. "A cat that looks like Zhongli? Now that's intriguing. Tell me more!"

During their conversation, Y/n decided to do something special for her newfound feline friend. After school, she headed to a nearby pet shop and bought a pretty collar, adorned with a tiny bell. She thought it would be a fitting accessory for the cat that bore a striking resemblance to Zhongli.

Once home, as she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of the cat waiting patiently. It seemed to sense her arrival and trotted over, its tail swaying with excitement.

"Look what I got for you!" Y/n exclaimed, attaching the collar around the cat's neck. The bell jingled softly, and the cat tilted its head, as if appreciating the gesture.

Y/n slumped into her chair, staring at her unfinished homework with a heavy sigh. Today, the weight of worry for Zhongli and the nervousness about her own feelings had left her feeling particularly unmotivated. She glanced over at the cat, her newfound confidante, and began to pour out her thoughts.

"You won't believe the day I've had, little Zhongli. Zhongli-senpai hasn't shown up for two days, and I'm getting more and more worried. What if something's happened to him? It's not like him to be absent for so long," she lamented.

The cat blinked at her, its eyes filled with an odd mix of understanding and curiosity. Y/n continued, finding solace in the company of her feline friend.

"And then there's this other thing," she confessed, fidgeting with a pencil. "I've been thinking a lot about… well, about Zhongli-senpai. I'm afraid to admit it, even to myself. What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if it ruins our friendship? It's driving me crazy!"

As she rambled on, the cat sat there, listening intently, as if comprehending every word. Y/n chuckled, realizing the absurdity of talking to a cat about her romantic concerns.

"I mean, who am I kidding, right? Confessing my feelings to Zhongli-senpai would be like trying to scale a Geo construct with my bare hands—impossible!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation.

The cat, however, continued to gaze at her with those mysterious amber eyes. Y/n couldn't help but feel a strange comfort in the silent presence of her furry friend.

"Maybe I'm just overthinking everything. People come and go, feelings change. But you, little Zhongli, you're a constant. A fluffy, silent companion who doesn't judge or question. Maybe I should take a lesson from you," she mused, scratching the cat behind its ears.

The cat, seemingly content, purred softly.

The weekend rolled in, bringing with it a welcome break from the routine of school. Y/n decided to spend her free time doing something she loved—baking. The kitchen was soon filled with the delightful aroma of cookies and pastries, and the cat, ever curious, jumped around, occasionally sniffing at the tantalizing scents.

As Y/n kneaded the dough, she couldn't help but think about Zhongli and how he might enjoy the sweets she was preparing. She voiced her thoughts aloud, looking at the cat, who seemed to be listening attentively.

"I wonder if Zhongli-senpai has a sweet tooth. I mean, who wouldn't love these delicious treats, right?" Y/n chuckled, watching the cat with a playful grin. "Do you think he'd like them? Maybe I should make something special for him if he ever shows up again."

The cat, in response, leaped onto the countertop, nudging a bag of flour with its paw as if giving its approval. Y/n laughed, finding the cat's antics endearing.

"Alright, alright, you win. I'll make some extra for Zhongli-senpai, just in case," she declared, reaching over to give the cat a playful pat.

The cat, seemingly satisfied, observed the baking process with keen interest. Y/n couldn't help but enjoy the domestic scene, the warmth of the oven, the comforting presence of her feline friend, and the anticipation of sharing the treats with Zhongli.

As the weekend unfolded, filled with the aroma of freshly baked goodies and the playful antics of the cat, Y/n couldn't shake off the hope that Zhongli would return soon.

As Y/n drifted off to sleep, her exhaustion caught up with her, and she found comfort in snuggling with the cat. Unbeknownst to her, the cat sensed a change in the air, a shift in its feline instincts. Silently, it slipped away from Y/n's embrace, leaving her undisturbed in her peaceful slumber.

The next morning, Y/n woke up to an empty room. Confused, she looked around, calling out for the cat. But there was no response. Dejectedly, she got ready for school, hoping the cat would return.

Surprisingly, as she approached her classroom, there stood Zhongli, looking somewhat nervous. Y/n's heart skipped a beat at the unexpected sight.

"Zhongli-senpai! You're back!" she exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and joy in her voice.

Zhongli nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Yes, I wanted to apologize for my absence. I've been dealing with some matters, but I'm here now."

Y/n couldn't help but notice the subtle change in Zhongli's demeanor. There was a nervousness in his eyes that she hadn't seen before.

In a moment of vulnerability, Zhongli took a deep breath and confessed, "Y/n, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I… I like you. A lot. More than I initially realized."

Y/n's eyes widened in surprise, her heart racing at Zhongli's unexpected admission. The realization dawned on her, and a smile crept across her face.

"Zhongli-senpai, I… I like you too," she confessed, her cheeks tinted with a blush.

The two stood there, a moment of shared understanding and newfound connection. Zhongli, with a gentle smile, suggested, "How about we walk home together after school today? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

After school, the atmosphere between Y/n and Zhongli was a bit shy, both feeling the subtle awkwardness of being a new couple. As they walked, Zhongli couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the collar with the tiny bell, the same one Y/n had given to the cat.

Y/n noticed the collar and smiled. "Oh, is that for your cat? It's quite mischievous but adorable. Does it belong to you?"

Zhongli chuckled, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Well, you could say that the cat was… me."

Y/n blinked, processing his words. "Wait, what? You were the cat?"

Zhongli nodded, a mix of embarrassment and amusement in his eyes. "Yes, it's a long story. I'll explain everything."

As Y/n processed the unexpected revelation, Zhongli continued, "You see, I was an accidental subject of Albedo's experiments from the Science class. Long story short, I turned into a cat. Meeting you in that form was a pure coincidence."

Y/n couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding the idea both absurd and amusing. "Zhongli-senpai, you're quite the funny man. A cat? Really?"

Zhongli's blush deepened, and he cleared his throat. "Well, it's a complicated situation. I didn't expect to meet you under those circumstances."

Y/n couldn't believe the twist in the tale. "So, all those conversations I had with the cat were actually with you?"

Zhongli nodded, a hint of sheepishness in his expression. "Yes, it seems you shared quite a lot with me."

Y/n, feeling a mix of embarrassment and amusement, wished the ground would swallow her whole. Zhongli, sensing her discomfort, gently took her hand. "I'll explain everything, I promise. It's quite a tale."

[xcyphoz0a]

4 steps to (not so) discreetly show interest + the one moment you do.

Recipient: @yuellii , secret santa event! Enjoy :)

Gender neutral reader, fluff TW/CW: injury(minor) Word count: 2739 Proofread: n/a | she think’s she’s discreet, her act is to perfection. is it? oh, no, no– you know. it’s painfully obvious but you can’t help but watch in amusement, watching as she trip on her own heels, but you’re there to help. | A/N: set in modern times, highschool au, ITS CHRISTMAS, SNOW!! :D

Furina, as confident and enthusiastic she may be on stage, still has sides that she feels difficult to show– perhaps some of her more softer and ‘weaker’ sides that she kept behind the facade of flamboyancy.

Recently having found newfound interest in you, the school librarian, she couldn’t help but subconsciously make her way to the school library, taking a seat near your station, peeking from the top of her book as she watches you work on your laptop.

Perhaps it was in the spur of the moment, or it was her muscles that moved on their own, when she had walked up towards the small desk, slamming her hands down on the table.

Eyes moving rapidly from your startled form towards the book ridden wall, she finds her words stuck in her throat, unable to form a coherent sentence.

You adjust your posture as you form a small smile, not knowing what to say.

“May I help you?”

Furina finds her face flaring up into fire as she rethinks her sudden movements, finding herself at a loss of words. She stares at you for a good while until you wave a timid hand in front of the famous school actress.

“Ah, I thought I saw a bug near you– haha…”

The heterochromia girl wanted to sink into a hole and never be seen again– what kind of excuse was that? – to her, it seemed like a loss of face as one of the best students with great acting in the drama club. 

“I… see. Thanks for your concern.” Your voice is laced with some bit of confusion, watching the flustered girl run outside of the library.

Interesting…

1) Befriending you

Furina, at first, finds this idea of hers quite easy.

“You know, I think befriending them is the easiest way to win their heart!” Her voice is filled with anticipation, until she gets shut down by another club member.

“But that can make them only see you as a friend, perhaps?” Yun Jin suggests, “It may not be a 100% possibility, but there’s a chance.”

“True, true, like, you might become one of those second leads that finds their romantic interest get taken away by someone else!” Hu Tao chimes, hands animatedly flailing around.

Furina slumps down on the chair as she sighs. Perhaps she just had to keep it to herself.

“But you can try to woo them, find out their interests maybe?” Nilou pitches an idea.

The white haired girl straightens back in her chair again, grabbing a hold of the red haired’s hands, heterochromic eyes sparkling as she hurriedly mutters out a thank you, running towards the library.

The three look at the door that Furina dashed out of, sharing a knowing look as they hear her footsteps fade.

The sliding door of the library opens as the girl slumps down a bit, taking some breaths as she makes her way to her usual spot to ‘read’, sneaking glances at your form typing away on your laptop. Tapping sounds of the keyboard is heard throughout the ambient silence as Furina closes her book, walking towards your desk as you look up at the approaching figure.

“May I help you?” You close your laptop as you tilt your head.

“Ah, no– I just, well, wanted to know you better– I think my actions yesterday shocked you a little, yeah?”

You smile as you nod slightly, finding some amusement in the obvious stuttering the famed actress’ words. You think you know what’s going on.

Furina conjures up a small smile, “So, as an… apology! I’d like to treat you to something you like, if you have the time…” voice fading as she waits for your response.

“I’m free today after club activities, is that okay with you?”

The girl in front of you perks up as she nods, the single lock of hair seemingly also bouncing up and down, thanking you for your time as she makes her way out of the library– in a calmer manner.

As the door closes, you can hear a faint, ‘Yay!’, with excited footsteps fading into the distance.

Cute.

2) Sitting closer

After Furina’s apology, the two of you became closer, finding the two of you going out regularly towards the small cafe outside of the school after club activities from school. Some days when one of you didn’t have the time, it felt slightly odd and empty, finding nothing interesting to do.

You haven’t noticed yet, but Furina thinks it’d be better for you to not to know, as she takes the seat opposite of you in the library as she opens the book to the bookmark she placed, blushing when she finds the exact book next to your arm, with a small paper folded saying ‘Furina’s’

The white haired girl thinks her club members– friends– are delusional when they tease her about how you may like her back.

She wishes it was true, but the chance of you liking her back in that way was way too low. Always slamming her forehead onto the round table in the drama room.

Today, she came from the drama room once again, though with a slight red marking on her forehead from the excessive slamming of her head onto the table, smiling weakly as you turn your head towards the library’s entrance, greeting her like you always did.

You refocus on your laptop again, until you jerk your head back towards Furina, eyebrows furrowing at the circular red swelling of her forehead. Standing up from your seat, you walk towards the white haired girl, brushing her hair from her face.

“You’re hurt…” 

Furina’s unable to think nor respond as she slightly malfunctions between the small distance from you to her, once again, finding herself at a loss for words.

You take the girl’s hand as you lead her towards the infirmary, setting Furina down on one of the beds as you search for a cooling pack in the fridge.

“You should be more careful next time, what if you get a concussion?” Your voice is laced with concern as you carefully pack the cold pack with tissue, setting it on the girl’s forehead.

“I accidentally slammed my head on the table too hard today– nothing serious!”

You sigh as you let Furina hold the ice pack on her head, making sure to check for any signs of other damage, until you find a small but bleeding cut on the top of her knee.

“What happened here?”

“I don’t know how that happened, really! I’m serious… I didn’t feel anything there–”

You rush to get some disinfectant and a bandaid, setting a chair towards the bed as you sanitise the cut, applying some pressure. Setting the bandaid on the small injury, you look at the girl as she stares back at you, dumbfounded and flustered.

You squint your eyes in confusion until you recall your actions, finding yourself flustered and bashful as well.

3) Trying to impress

The day after that small interaction was pretty normal.

“...I’m telling you, Furina, they definitely like you back!” an energetic voice is heard outside of the drama room as the said girl slaps her hands on Hu Tao’s mouth.

“Be quiet! I don’t want anyone to hear about this– I want to keep my dignity today!”

Yun Jin laughs as she agrees with Hu Tao, “I’m sure (y/n) likes you back, you said they were also flustered in the end as well, no?”

“But still– they could be just caring…”

This time, Nilou shakes her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of (y/n) doing that to any of their friends– I can try ask Tighnari– he’s one of their closest friends, if my memory serves me right.”

Slightly– quite obviously– desperate, Furina nods, clasping her hands around Nilou’s own.

“That’d be wonderful! Thank you so much, Nilou~”

A few days later, Nilou brings in newfound information from Tighnari about you.

“Apparently, they aren’t outwardly caring, but do care for their friends… oh! And he did say they seemed to find interest in someone in the school, but didn’t tell him who…”

Furina, with the first bit of information, perked up in glee, though soon dropped on the floor in some despair when she heard the latter.

“They definitely don’t like me back… archons, what will I do?”

As the imaginary rain and thunder cloud splashed tears of despair onto the white haired girl, Yun Jin speaks.

“That mysterious person could be you–”

“That, is being delusional!” Furina chides.

“Maybe you can try impressing them in some way?” Hu Tao mumbles, chin on hand, “They’re the librarian, right? Try reading something they like or something, I don’t know~”

With the brunette’s suggestion, the girl in distress seem to have a weight lifted off her shoulders as she smiles.

“Great idea, Hu Tao!”

And off went Furina, skipping towards the entrance of the library once again.

Yun Jin sighs in amusement, closing the room’s door, chuckling at how this situation felt like many cliches in romance dramas.

When the familiar footsteps of Furina’s shoes clacked on the wooden and marble tiles of the floor, you look towards the library entrance, expecting the white haired girl to arrive soon enough.

“Welcome back.”

Furina’s eyes seemingly brighten when she hears your voice, as she nearly skids towards the opposite seat, sitting down in front of you as she leans towards your laptop.

“So, (Y/n), I think I’ve ran out of books to read, any suggestions for books you like?”

The girl prides herself for not stuttering this time– she thinks that now, she perfected her acts to hide her feelings.

“Oh? Well– I don’t really have much suggestions, but I can lend you a book that I finished reading last week, if you’d like?”

The floating lock of white hair bobs up and down vigorously as Furina hears your suggestion. You smile a little, reaching down for your back and picking up the hardcover book.

“Tell me about it after you read it, yeah?”

“Alright~”

4) Jealousy?

Furina thinks she really isn’t the jealous type– especially when she isn’t in a relationship at all.

She also thinks that she shouldn’t really be jealous when she thinks–thinks– you smile more when you’re talking with Neuvillette.

But she can’t help but find a grimace settling on her face whenever she sees the tall white haired man in the library, taking her seat as you both talk about some matters surrounding costs in the library– it wasn’t something really meaningful, but perhaps it was the jealousy setting in, as she feels like the person you were interested in could be one of her friends– moreso babysitter– but still, she disliked the odd feeling in her chest.

“What if they like Neuvillette? I definitely saw them smiling–”

The rest of her words are muffled in her sweater sleeve as she buries her face, unable to knock the odd feeling in her chest.

“That’s your feelings acting up there, messes up with your logical view on a situation, Furina.” Yun Jin sighs, patting the despair stricken girl on the back.

“But still, think about it– it’s possible!”

Hu Tao seems to be fed up with Furina’s continuous despair, drawling out,“Yeah, yeah, what were they talking about anyway?”

The latter’s mouth thins out to a straight line. “Costs…”

Several sighs are heard from her club members, as the white haired girl peeks up from her arm.

“Yeah, no chance of (Y/n) liking Neuvillette, he’s in the student council, of course he’s going to talk about costs with the student librarian!”

Hu Tao sighs, hands and shoulders creating a shrugging motion as she slumps down to her chair.

Furina sighs as she slinks down on the chair, heterochromia eyes staring up at the ceiling.

However, the four club members’ attention is directed towards the door, several knocks heard from outside. Furina weakly speaks,

“Come in…”

Your hand slides open the wooden door to the drama club, waving a small ‘hi’ towards the startled three. Your shoes make little sounds on the floor as you tap the white haired girl’s shoulder, watching the girl immediately correct both her posture and expression.

“Are you still coming to the cafe? You weren’t near the library for a while, so I wanted to ask–”

“Oh, it’s already time? I guess I was a little caught off, haha– shall we go now?”

You nod, already near the entrance door as you wave back towards the three other members, taking the much happier girl in tow with you as the two of you walk towards the cafe outside of the school.

“I’m like, 1000% sure that they both like each other, it’s so suffocating–”

“Definitely.”

“I think so too…”

5) Your own interest.

In your opinion, you didn’t really find anyone in the school pretty interesting– though your friends, particularly Tighnari and Cyno, did comment that it was most likely due to how much time you spent stuck in the library.

It all changed when a random girl– which you later knew as one of the most popular and famous actress in the drama club in the school– slammed her hands in front of you.

After the small interaction, you found slight interest towards her, finding amusement whenever she tripped on her own heels, both metaphorically and literally, stuttering in the moments when the both of you were alone, and how she became more fidgety during those moments.

You didn’t know that you’d find someone as interesting and funny like Furina in your school years, but you think that this pretty much changed when you saw the girl hurt.

It must’ve been your subconcsiousness acting, because you barely remembered what happened, but you know you remember how Furina stared at you, face red hot, as you found yourself close and taking care of the injury. You remember how after that day, you’d find yourself blushing and warm thinking of the girl.

It was until Tighnari told you that Nilou– one of the other drama club members– asked him for some of your information, telling you his own thought– which you can directly quote,

“Maybe Furina asked her? They’re all pretty close, so it does make some sense.”

Especially when you told Tighnari about how you did find some interest in Furina, Tighnari did convey some information, though taking away some information just for some amusement.

It also didn’t really help when one of your other friends, as well as senior, Lisa, told you that your interest was most likely romantic attraction after you told some of your feelings about Furina towards the senior librarian.

With you, nearly a hundred percent sure about your feelings being reciprocated, waited for Furina to be at the library or its vicinity, but weren’t able to find her after your conversation with Neuvillette.

Perhaps, you think, she went home because of the cold? It is winter…

You take some hesitant but haste steps towards the drama room, knocking on the door as you hear the familiar yet uncharacteristic deflated voice of the white haired girl speak out a weak ‘come in’. You sigh in slight relief, knowing that she didn’t go home yet.

When the two of you make your way towards the cafe that the both of you mostly went after extracurricular activities, you decide to say your feelings– it was now or never.

“Wait, I have something to, uh, say.”

The girl next to you turns towards you, attention focused on your tensed form, eyebrows raising up in both confusion and anticipation.

“Uh… I– I like you, a lot, really…”

Furina’s face heats up, blinking incredulously at you as you look away, unable to look at the heterochromia eyed girl, finding interest in the falling snowflakes from the dark but nice clouds in the sky, though your head immediately turns back as you feel her hands taking your own.

“That’s– that… I– I like you too!”

You smile. Your confession definitely wasn’t one of the smoothest, nor was it the best– but you knew that now, your feelings were reciprocated.

“So, we’re official now?”

“Of course we are– besides, you should be feeling grateful that I– Furina– even liked you back~”

You bonk her head slightly as the two of you make your way towards the cafe, snow crunching on the pavement as you watch the warm orange fairy lights decorate the cafe.

“Merry Christmas.”

[whoistartaglia]

how your friends find out you are dating

xiao x gender neutral reader

hu tao knew something was up the moment you and xiao sat down. you arrived together, again. the first time it was a happy accident, the second was a coincidence. but the third time? something was up. hu tao just doesn’t know what.

she watches as you and xiao approach the table. the restaurant is crowded, and the ghost of xiao’s hand on your back guides you to your seat.

“sorry we are late,” you say once you’ve settled.

“it’s fine,” hu tao, noting how you said ‘we.’ she clears her throat. “don’t worry. you’re not the last ones, anyways. zhongli’s on his way.”

you nod and start looking through the menu, even though you already know what you want. a couple seconds later, the waiter shows up. hu tao puts in your order, and before you can do the same, xiao orders for you.

“and no pickles,” he finishes.

hu tao gapes at xiao.

“what?” he asks.

“no-thing,” she replies. “it’s just… nice that you remembered [name]’s order.”

“so? they order the same thing everytime.”

“doesn’t mean you had to remember they don’t like pickles,” hu tao says mildly. xiao’s lips fold into a contemplative frown.

you clear your throat at the awkward silence that fills the table. “what about zhongli?”

xiao waves his hand. “it’s his fault for being late.”

the waiter comes out with appetizers, and like xiao requested, yours has no pickles to be seen. you all start eating, the awkward air gone, until metal clangs onto the floor.

“oh,” hu tao says, jumping out of her seat and under the table. “where is—“ she pauses. then she shoots her head up, half banging it on the table and rattling water glassed as she does so.

“what’s wrong?” you ask as she rubs her head.

she stands points an accusing finger at you and xiao.

“you two— you’re—“ she looks down and you follow her gaze. it lands on you and xiao’s interlocked hand at your side.

“oh,” you say. you didn’t even realize his hand found yours. it was natural.

“you’re dating?” hu tao demands. you nod.

“why didn’t you tell me?”

“it just… never came up?” you ask. you didn’t realize it was a secret. you certainly never intended to make it one. you decline to tell hu tao that it’s been about six months to save her the distress.

“what never came up?”

you turn to see zhongli approaching. he takes a seat across from xiao, next to hu tao.

“that [name] and xiao are dating!”

zhongli shrugs as he opens his napkin and takes out the silverware. “you didn’t know?”

that was maybe not the best thing for him to say right now. well, at least he didn’t say—

“it’s been about six months now.”

hu tao stands, and leaves.

you remove your hand with xiaos. as you leave to follow her, you hear zhongli ask:

“did i say something wrong?”

[kiri-tatsu]

Your absence makes me hurt

in which the man you loves finds your letter reads it, he never knew of your feelings for him, but why didn't you tell him? He wants to respect your wishes but he want you to come back to him and talk it out with him, what should he do now that your not here with him Tw- angst, that's about it.

Zhongli

Work is tiring no matter how much you get used to it, no matter how used the routine gets, but when something falls out from the routine, everything in that routine also falls out.  

Zhongli was in his offine in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor signing papers that Hu Tao was putting off, he began to develop a headache, and was waiting for someone, his dear friend, Y/n. But where were they? Sure, everyone was busy during Lantern Rite a week ago, but now it’s all over, so where were they now? 

The day had ended without any other issues, and Zhongli had still yet to see Y/n but he just figured they were busy, on his way home some children bumping into him and spilt their candy on him, and he had to calm them down, then he had to an elderly woman with her groceries, then to help a child get his kite out of a tree.  

By the time Zhongli had arrived home, he was ready to sleep for eons, slipping off his coat, and then his shoes, he glanced down to see a stark white envelope on the floor. Maybe he dropped it when he left his home in the morning? 

Nonetheless he reached down and picked it up, it was addressed to him in familiar handwriting, but for some reason, this made his chest hurt. Opening it slowly he read carefully, his eyebrows furrowed as he read, then his eyes closed processing the whole letter in his head.  

He knew that he had brushed them off during Lantern Rite and he was shameful for that, but he wanted to make it up to them after he had cleared his whole week of work. But now, he will respect their wishes,  

“Very well then,” he muttered to himself as he placed the letter on the small table next to the door, but he knew his words betrayed the way his heart had felt. This was painful, but he would respect their words no matter how much he wanted to go against it. 

Afterall, he is the God of contracts.  

Diluc Ragvindr

Diluc had been signing papers all day in his office, and decided it was time for him to go check up on everything at Angel’s share. On his way, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach for some reason, and just concluded that he had too much food before his trip.  

The walk was quiet, the occasional chirp of birds, or a stray hilichurl that the redhead had just decided to avoid instead of engaging. Once in the walls of Mondstadt not wasting any time with anyone else, he went to his bar.  

Drunkards already outside and the stench of alcohol heavy in the air as he swung open the door to the tavern, and the stench had smacked him in the face harder. The man behind the bar, Charles, had waved at him, as the redhead strolled up to the bar. “Charles,” he greeted, and the man gave a small laugh, “Hello to you too Master Diluc.” 

After a little chat of how things were going, just as Diluc was about to leave, the bartender called out to him, “Here Master Diluc, Y/n wanted me to hand this over to you,” Diluc looked down at the envelope in hand and nodded his thanks before leaving.  

On his exit from the tavern his curiousity got the best of his as he glanced down at the envelope, his name on it. He carefully tore open the letter as he made small steps out of the gates of Mondstadt.  

Halfway down the bridge, he felt his hands growing hot as he read the letter, then his heart clenched tightly in his chest as he read the name at the bottom. How could he be so blind? Years and years of being by their side, maybe he did take Y/n for granted. Then he began to rack his brain for their homeland.  

He could never have a relationship with the Traveler, they were his acquaintance, he only ever enjoyed their company and would tell them storis of his life from before he turned out to who he was today and his childhood memories with Y/n, but now he had to focus.  

He was sure they mentioned it in one of their past conversations. After a few minutes of thinking he sighed, maybe they didn’t want to be found. His eyebrows furrowed as he continued his way back home, his heart heavy knowing his best friend is gone from his side.  

Kamisato Ayato

Letters, papers, and bills sat in front of Ayato as he tiredly let his hands glide against the paper writing and signing. A cup of boba at his side still halfway full. Ever since waking up this morning, there had been a sinking feeling in his stomach as if he had lost something, but he just couldn’t figure what.  

He just thought his head was too stressed out and jumbled up with work, then the air around him began to feel tense. “What brings you here?” A shuumatsuban had arrived, a letter in their hand, “A letter sir,” his eyes didn’t leave his work, “Put it with the rest,” the person hesitated.  

“I think you should read this now Lord Ayato,” they mumbled as they passed it to his outstretched hand without turning to them. “Very well, you’re dismissed,” the shuumatsuban had dissapeared from his sight as he tore open the letter.  

Thinking it was just another Lord or Lady wanting his hand, his eyes bored trailed over the words, until the end. Then he re-read the letter, knowing that it was from his dear friend. He blinked his eyes to rid of the tiredness, now no longer wanting to do his work he stood up from his seat.  

Feeling for the traveler? Now that was new, he just needed a mutual exchange of help, so it would be a beneficial friendship from both parties. He groaned as he he moved to the door and swung it open.  

The letter in his hand as he moved out of his room, it suddenly felt suffocating, this was not what he planned for the day. Well, at least he found out what the sinking feeling was after a long day of work.  

Al-Haitham

After a long day of dealing with some idiot akedemiya scholars, Al-Haitham was ready to just relax and throw himself in bed with a good book. Walking past someone how was trying to hand him something, he turned on his noise cancellation on his headphones and brushed passed them without another word.  

But they were persistent, and followed him, he could see them making a fool of them self just to give him this thing. He sighed heavily, and turned to them slipping the headphones off his head for a second, “You’ve been following me for the past thirty minutes, what could you possibly want?” 

The scholar heaved out a deep sigh of relief, “Gods, how could Kaveh or Y/n handle you?” They muttered, now that made his brows furrow. When did Y/n ever talk with anyone of the akedemiya people? Nonetheless his attention was now grabbed, “So? What is that you want or are you just here to waste my time?”  

The scholar rolled their eyes and held out an envelope to him, then took thier leave as he grabbed onto it. He was irritated as he held onto it, then glanced down curiously, he already knew of the contents, it was a letter Y/n had written to him, but about what? Why couldn’t they tell him their self?  

His eyes glided over the paper as he felt his heart drop to his stomach while reading it over and over, why would Y/n ever leave Sumeru? And Kaveh? That was his best friend, he may not show it, but why would they ever think that? They’ve all been together since their own Akedemiya days, how could they be so blind?  

hi sweethearts, yall have been supportive of this little series so now you get to choose how to end it! I hope you like my writing so far <333

[kisscara]

O1: live performance! [fanboy!scaramouche x drummer!reader] ⎯⎯ heartbeat rhythm series

your eyes sparkle with excitement as you peer through the curtains. "there's so many people," you murmur. hu tao's chin rests atop your head to join you in viewing the large audience. "it is going to be our last live performance before we go on hiatus." hu tao cheekily grins, "i'm super pumped though! look at that crowd!"

ayaka is beneath you, crouching down to take a peek as well. she squeaks, "there really are a lot of people..." you smile, "no worries, aya. you always deliver with your amazing keyboard playing!" yanfei double checks the states of the instruments and turns to face her head to you three.

"get over here, the curtains will go up soon." yanfei stands up from where she was previously bending down to adjust the position of the guitar amps, "good luck, 5O5. everything is good to go." hu tao slings her guitar around her neck and yoimiya does the same with her bass.

yoimiya squeals with pure delight, "the audience is so loud, my heart is pounding even faster!" hu tao darkly jokes, "don't die on us before we perform." yanfei gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up before heading backstage. shortly after, does yun jin step onto the stage with a calm smile. "ready, everyone? let's do our best!"

ayaka nods her head, though hesitantly. she's always a little nervous before live concerts. you sit onto your drum throne and pout, "i'll miss my beloved..." but you have no more time to dwell about 5O5's hiatus, because the next thing you know, the curtain rises.

the familiar voice of your band's manager, madam faruzan, reverbrates through the room on a microphone. "please give it up for hit band, 5O5, as they perform their final live before going on a short break." cheering and clapping ring in your ears and yun jin begins to speak into her mic.

"thank you all for coming! we won't disappoint as we will be performing our unreleased album, blooming symphony."

"eh? i'm not even into bands," mona mumbles, sitting in front of the television set in the bedroom she shares with her twin brother and younger sister. as she's about to switch the channel, scaramouche instantly lunges for the remote, causing the two of them to tumble across the floor.

mona sat up, clearly angry. "what the hell, kunikuzushi!?" the complaints of his twin went into one ear and out the other as he stares at the screen, absolutely tranced. scaramouche grabs onto mona's sleeve, "drive me there!" she scoffs in return, ripping away from his grip.

"no way, where and why?" mona stands up and places her hands on her hips. scaramouche grits his teeth in frustration, "because (name)'s going to be performing at teyvatmusic live house!" she sighs and turns off the tv despite his protests. "no. i was planning on saving up my gas to drive us to school tomorrow."

scaramouche groans and grips fistfuls of his hair, "fuck the school! just take me there, please! you know very well that i don't plead so often; i'll do anything!" mona put a finger to her chin, "anything? even if i ask you to let me tell all of my friends that you have a crush on (name)?"

scaramouche rapidly nods his head, "yeah, whatever! i'll deny it anyways so just please, take me there now or i'll miss it!" mona rolls her eyes with a satisfied hum, "alright. wait for me in the car, i'm just going to put on a coat of lipgloss."

scaramouche runs out the room, shouting, "you better not take long or i'll run to the live house myself!" ei pops her head out from the kitchen. "what live house?" she asks, watching scaramouche put on his shoes in a frenzied matter.

"nothing ⎯ it's nothing." scaramouche was about to open the front door until ei defensively stood in front of it with her arms out wide. he deadpans, "mom. what are you doing?" ei waves her spatula at him, "it's a school night, young man. you're not supposed to be out and about after eight, remember?"

she frowns when he begins arguing with her. "mom, i'm not going to take too long! i'm just going to do an errand real quick!" scaramouche uncharacteristically clasps his hands together during his explanation. ei exhales through her nose, "... fine. but no later than nine, do you hear me?"

scaramouche nods and rushes into the living room to ruffle fischl's head of fluffy blonde hair, "i'll see you nerds later." bennett eagerly waves, "buh-bye, fischl's brother!" razor throws paper money onto the table, "go fish." bennett sweatdrops, "razor, we're playing monopoly..."

"farewell, dear siblings!" fischl yells as scaramouche and mona rush out the front door. she turns back to the two boys. "bennett, something has peaked my interest. let us indulge in a fine game of go fish!" she announces, sweeping the table clean of their board game with her arm.

ei chuckles, "i think that's enough, honey. bennett's father is here to pick them up."

scaramouche kept on bouncing in his seat the whole car ride that mona had to smack him in the back of the head, which resulted in him threatening to bite off her nails that she just painted. and the second mona pulls into the driveway, scaramouche gets out of the car and practically runs into the live house.

mona speed walks after him, "wait up, you little bastard! i'm wearing heels!" she yelps in surprise when she enters the room scaramouche went into. mona pushes and shoves past people to get to her brother. "archons, it's overflowing in here! much too loud for my taste..." she huffs.

scaramouche is on his tippy toes, indigo eyes closing in on you. you're smiling the whole time and your pretty hands are holding your drumsticks with such passion as you drum to your heart's content. he puts both his hands on his mouth, making an audible squeak. mona smirks, "gosh, you're hopeless."

she takes out her phone and records the performance because she knows very well that the second scaramouche watches your drumming, he won't even bother to save the memory in his camera roll, so mona does it herself since he ends up hating himself for it later.

as the concert goes deeper into the night, people begin to leave, but scaramouche stayed. he always stays until the end. his forehead is covered in a sheet of sweat as you play your drum solo, marking the end of the performance. and mona, much like scaramouche, is left speechless.

a final round of applause goes on for the five band members. yun jin takes a bow, "thank you for listening!" mona looks at her phone and hits the red button, ending the video. "oh, this would look so good on my twitter!" she comments. scaramouche leaves the room without a warning, catching mona off guard as she runs after him.

"what's your deal?" she teases and nudges his arm with her elbow. scaramouche shoves his hands down the pockets of his sweater. "they could have seen me," he throws his head back and mutters, "i should have brought a mask so i could have at least gone to their fan meet."

mona knits her brows together, "seriously? ugh, you're such a wuss. no wonder they don't talk to you when they don't even know you're like, their fanboy?" she opens her makeup compact and double checks her face. scaramouche grumbles, "because it's embarrassing; we're in the same class!"

mona taunts him in a lilting tone, "i'm telling you, someone's going to snatch them up before you. they are famous, after all." scaramouche begins to space out. someone else, admiring you? no, there's no way! he's been your number one admirer ever since you first debuted, hell, before you even began playing in a band!

but of course, it's useless, isn't it? you don't even know him as your fan but rather the cold and mean student council president. oh dear, these times require a very tall and annoying ginger to talk to!

tags: @mariusvonhangme @scaramoo @mikismusings @rizakari @akagism2 @sakiimeo @ohmyfinggod @k-hrtz @scarafrisbee @kaoyamamegami @liliumaraneae @dreamsofminnie @starfart19 @kunisbeloved @luhvashh @makiswrld @kyouzki @mimissubway @rmiyuki @theblueblub @patata52 @vixiesposts @thenightsflower @coquettemaiden @thefandomcrow @cotton-eee

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what happens when you, a talented and well-known drummer across the web, grow an intense crush for the student council president, who's also your number one fan? from annoying sisters to nosy bandmates, the next event that happens is always more chaotic than the last!

© kisscara

[xyouami]

PROLOUGE ::

*ILLUSTRATION MADE BY XYOUAMI!! (me :cute:)*

"I've known you more than anyone. Your parents, your grandparents, your friends, it doesn't matter. No matter how long I'll do this, l'll do it until you'll be able to rest."

★ SYNOPSIS : in which case, your life has been happy and cheerful ever since. Nothing stopped in your way, and you cherished it. Wanting to keep continuing your dreams and wishes as is. But that stops immediately after a death that'll stop time for you—but not him. Scaramouche, your best friend.

THEMES/WARNINGS : Angst, Fluff, gore, murder, strong language, suicide, characters dying, reincarnation, hint of romance, slow burn, modern time, corny as shit, GN reader, reader is energetic social butterfly bc it adds contrast to the story PLSS,

(TUMBLR POST WILL CONTAIN CHANGES, WATTPAD WILL HAVE FULL ORIGINAL. Also basically a shoujo manga type in the Prolouge, watch out ☠️ (Reason for this: my wattpad writing is absolute shit so tumblr masterlist is better)

"Hey, Scaramouche!" Y/n called out.

"What took you so long?" Scaramocuhe scoffed. "I'm sorry, Hu Tao was taking too long." As Y/n said that, Hu Tao jumped on Y/n's back.

"Hey, hey!" Hu Tao giggled.

"You slept in! Did you at least eat some breakfast I made?"

"Yeah, it was really, really good!" Hu Tao said.

"What did you like? I'd love it if I were to pack some for you." Y/n smiled warmly at Hu Tao. Hu Tao was living with Y/n's family due to her not having a home yet. Hu Tao's caretaker, Zhongli, is out for a business trip. So until then, for the rest of high school, she will have to live with Y/n.

"Where's Yanfei?" Y/n asked.

"She's sick today, so she can't come to school. She has such a high fever! I'm worried." Hu Tao moped.

"Cmon, she'll be fine in a few weeks. It takes a while for her to get well whenever she gets sick, right?"

"Yeah, but what makes me even more worried is that she has a fever. This rarely happens."

"Cmon, let's go already. Do you guys have your tickets?" Scaramouche asked.

"Yep!" Hu Tao held out her ticket.

"Mhm." Y/n held out theirs, too.

"Alright, let's go." When Scaramouche said that, the doors of the train opened.

"Let's go, let's go!" Hu Tao said happily.

The train wasn't really busy at this time of day since it was still the morning.

"How's Kazuha?" Y/n asked Scaramouche.

"He's doing okay. Why ask?"

"I heard recently, his close friend got murdered."

"Ah, I know. That was years ago, though."

"4 years is really short, you know?" Y/n said in a quietly soft tone, sounding tired yet full of hope.

"But yeah, he's okay."

"I've heard he's made a new friend already, his name is Shikanoin Heizou... right..?" Y/n looked at Scaramouche.

"Yeah." Scaramouche looked blankly at Y/n. Y/n's eyes were always shining no matter how sad they could be.

"Hey, Y/n you down for karaoke?" Hu Tao giggled.

"Hm.. tonight?"

"Yeah! I've got coupons! You could invite your friends!"

"Oh, I'm so down!" Y/n said brightly.

Scaramouche looked at the back of Y/n's head as they talked to Hu Tao. 'How could I ever have them as a friend? Tch, I've known them since 7th grade. And now we're in sophomore year. They're a bother, but at least I have something to tell Nahida when i get home.' Scaramouche thought.

"Hey Scaramouche! Are you down for karaoke tonight?" Hu Tao asked.

"Can't, I've got tutoring.

"Oh yeah, I remember you've got tutoring every Tuesday and Thursday." Y/n said with a deadpanned face, followed along with a small smile.

"I've told you that like 7 months ago!" Scaramouche said."

"Just admit it, I'm better than you." Y/n smirked.

"Shut up." Scaramouche flicked Y/n's forehead.

"Ow! At least be grateful! Without me, you could've never passed those tests!" Y/n said angrily.

Hu Tao laughed. 'Wow, cuties in a pod.' Hu Tao smirked.

————

Y/n looked at their phone. "9:48 am... we'll get there by 10:02 am and classes start at 10:49 am." Y/n muttered.

"You sure keep track of time a lot.

"That's because I wanna be on time every day." Has anybody seen Y/n late to class? Nope. It's not such a thing.

"Little ol perfecto." Scaramouhe bonked his hand on Y/n's head.

"Hey, can you stop?"

"Make me."

Y/n did a slow turn to Scaramouche. He immediately drew his hand back to himself and moved his gaze to the window across from them. Y/n and Hu Tao were listening to music through their earbuds and humming playfully to a song.

Hu Tao and Y/n chatted as Scaramouche dazed himself out. "Were almost here." Y/n took out theirs and their earbud in Hu Tao's ear.

"Hey, the song wasn't even finished!"

"Were almost here, cmon." Y/n nudged Hu Tao's bag gently.

Y/n put their phone and earbuds in their school bag and picked it up from the ground.

"Scara." Y/n muttered. They gently nudged his arm to bring him back to his zoning out dreamland.

"Uh, yeah, right." He got up with his bag as they left the train station. Just a couple minutes of walking.

"How much again?" Hu Tao put a hand to her chin with a playful grin.

"2 minutes." Y/n replied.

"Ganyu on watch out duty again?" Hu Tao asked. It was eerily quiet.. but it was comforting?

"Yeah." Before even Y/n could answer, he did it for them.

Scara, Hu Tao, and Y/n made it to the school gates as small amounts of students were going towards the school. Hu Tao exhaled.

"Can't believe Tevyat High is possibly the most ghetto but expensive school in the city." Hu Tao yawned.

Y/n laughed. "Hey, Ganyu!" Y/n waved.

"Oh? Hello!"

"Is Layla in the library with Kaveh?"

"Yep. Just go in there and look for them. They should be at table two. But how are you guys doing? I haven't seen you guys in forever." Ganyu smiled.

"I'm doing well." Y/n said.

"I'm doing great! I'm a little tired, though." Hu Tao said. Ganyu gave Hu tao a nod.

"Hello, Scaramouche. How are your studies?"

"I don't study." Scara said blankly.

"Oh, well. You should study. It's a good habit to develop." Scaramouche just looked at Ganyu with a deadpanned face.

"Me and Scara will be going now. Bye Ganyu, bye Hu Tao!" Y/n waved to them goodbye.

"Byebye!" Hu Tao waved. Ganyu did a small wave goodbye as Y/n caught up with Scaramouche.

Y/n exhaled.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just tiring trying to keep my energy up, I didn't sleep much last night. I had a bad feeling something was going to happen today."

"What? That you gotta study for the test tomorrow?"

"I think so..." Y/n moped.

"It's fine, N/n."

"Hey, you used my nickname!" Y/n pointed out.

"Yeah? So what?"

"I've never heard you in my life say that!" Y/n beamed with light.

"Tch." Scaramouche scoffed. Scaramouche listened to Y/n ramble until they got to their classroom. They saw Thoma and Yoimiya talking.

"Hey Thoma! Hey Yoimiya!" Y/n waved.

"Hey, hey! Tell Hu Tao I said hi, and whats up?"

"Hm? Where's Ayaka? She's usually here with you guys." Y/n said.

"She's off heading errands for Mr. Ginger."

"You mean Tartaglia?" Thoma said.

Scaramouche looked at Y/n. Scaramouche.. felt wrong. He felt everything was about to go wrong. And he felt like his intuition was right.

"Scaraaaaa." Y/n waved in Scaramouche's face.

"Hm? What?"

"You were spacing out."

"Uh, yeah." Scaramouche replied in a sarcastic voice and turned his head away.

"Is that just all you say?"

"I don't know."

"Dude, get your shit together." Y/n giggled. Y/n sat at their sear while Scaramouche pulled up a chair and sat in front of them.

"Anyway, let me tell you something..." Y/n rambled and rambled on and on for 10 minutes straight to Scaramouche. He listened and didn't say a single word. Y/n didn't care if he was listening or not. They just kept on going.

"Y/n." Scaramouche cut them off mid sentence.

"Hm? Yeah?" Y/n smiled at Scaramouche.

"Do you... like anyone?"

"Ouuh!! Nows the time I tell you!"

"So you do?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Who is it?" Scaramouche asked plainly. He raised an eyebrow

"Hmm... when I was in 8th grade, and a freshman, I used to have a crush on... Kazuha!" Y/n whispered.

Scaramouches heart stopped.

"Do you still like him?"

"Well... I'd guess I'd say yeah. He's a nice guy, and he's really cool. He's generous, smart, pretty, kind to everyone, and he's calm and collected." Y/n paused and their smile faded. They looked to the window of the outside to their right.

"Although..." Y/n stared at the window with bright spring leaves falling down.

"He's just too good for me. I mean, we're best friends and everything, but I have you. Even if I do get with Kazuha, you will forever be my best friend." Y/n said.

"What about Hu Tao?"

"She's a good friend too. But I've only known her since 8th grade. You, on the other hand. I've never had a closer friend than you. All of my childhood friends dropped me because I wasn't my best and that I wasn't just a good friend in general. You've probably been the friend I've had longest."

Scaramouche thought about that, drowning in his thoughts again. Until the teacher clapped his hands to get back in their seats. He immediately drew his seat back.

-------

Hu Tao yawned as she packed her bags.

"Cmon, let's hurry and go to karaoke!" Yoimiya excitingly said, as Ayaka came up.

"Hello! Mind if I join? My brother said it would be alright."

"Yes, of course!" Yoimiya said to Ayaka.

"You coming?" Y/n looked at Scaramouche.

"Yeah, Mrs. Miko said Xingqiu would take cover for my tutoring."

"Ah! That's wonderful! Get more people!"

"I have ten coupons! I have plenty." Hu Tao smug face.

"Woah! Now I know who to exactly bring." Yoimiya said.(

Sorry if there's so many timeskips I'm just lazy ok (　'⊇｀)

—— at karaoke bc I'm a lazy ass mf

"So how do you work this thing?" Heizou asked, he inspected the device and scrolled down endless songs to count.

"Okay, so first, this is the search bar to look for songs if you wanna sing. Here is the queue of songs people are going to sing..." Y/n rambled how to work the karaoke device and microphone to Heizou who was a newbie.

"Oh, thanks a bunch!" Heizou said.

"No problem!" Ayaka sang a song, and of course, everyone in the room clapped loudly and cheered.

Y/n looked at Scaramouche just drinking a soda."You wanna sing?"

"No." Scaramouche immediately replied with no hesitation.

"Awh, but the reason to come here is to sing! Not drout out." Y/n said to Scaramouche.

"Y/n! Your next!" Ayaka said, she held out the microphone to Y/n.

——— after karaoke bc I'm a lazy ass mf AGAIN. (full version in wattpad)

Hu Tao sang, Heizou sang, Kazuha sang, Thoma sang, everyone sang, but Scaramouche.

"Scara, do you not want to sing?"

"Um." Scaramouche moved his gaze to Y/n, then looked away.

"Yeah? I'll do a duo with you."

They searched up a song they liked, "Alright, get yo butt over here!" Y/n grabbed Scaramouche's hand.

"Hey, wait!" Scaramouche exclaimed to protest.

"Here's the microphone, I believe you like this song a lot. So you'll sing it with me! I know you can sing, I've heard you hum and sing songs aloud before. Don't be shy!" Y/n nudged Scaramouche.

"It's not that...—"

"The song's starting, get ready!"

"Whew... I'm wiped out." Hu Tao said, while wiping off some sweat off her forehead.

"Were going home now." Kazuha picked up his bag from the ground and went to Heizou.

"Right! Goodnight, Kazuha! Goodnight, Heizou! Get home safe!" Y/n gave them a small smile and wave.

"You too." Kazuha smiled, and left with Heizou.

"You down for a sleep over?" Yoimiya said.

"Ah, I wish. But I can't." Y/n said.

"Why not? Have some fun at least." Yoimiya nudged their shoulder gently, then chuckled.

"Well, goodnight Scaramouche and Y/n! Get home safe!" Ganyu left.

"We'll be heading out with Thoma." Ayaka said.

"Right, you want me to call Ayato for you?" Thoma asked.

"Yes, and you might wanna stay with the sleepover group as well. You live quite far away. Ayato can just pick you up." Ayaka said while pulling her phone out.

"Right, well then. It was nice being with you guys. Goodnight and get home safe!" Thoma waved goodbye. Yoimiya, Ayaka, Thoma and Hu Tao left as Scaramouche and Y/n followed behind.

"Did you have fun?" Y/n asked.

"A little." Scaramouche mumbled.

"What? Can you repeat that?" Y/n said.

"I said I didn't."

Y/n giggled. "Next time you will. I promise you."

Y/n nudged him with their arm. And picked him up from the seat, and led him away to the exit.

"Thank you for joining Izumi Karaoke!" A staff member said.

Y/n waved goodbye to the staff as they waved goodbye too.

"Right. This is a goodbye until tomorrow!" Y/n said outside the building.

"Goodnight, Ayaka, Hu Tao, Yoimiya, and Thoma! Get home safe!"

"We will! You too with Scaramouche!" Hu Tao waved.

"Goodnight!" Hu Tao and the others waved goodbye as they walked away.

"We should go now." Y/n turned around and stopped for Scaramouche to come.

"I'll walk with you, it's dangerous." Scaramouche quietly muttered.

"Right." Y/n giggled.

They walked the dimly lit streets as cars and people raced by them. Y/n and Scaramouche went to the stairs leading down to the train station. Y/n bought a ticket for themself and turned to Scaramouche who was waiting.

"I'll be alright by myself."

"You sure?" Scaramouche asked, he raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! Goodnight Scara, and get home safe." Y/n smiled warmly at Scara. The train got there just in time, they boarded the train.

"You too. Stay safe."

"See you tomorrow!" Y/n smiled and waved goodbye as the train doors closed.

The train left as Scaramouche stood there. "Stay safe, N/n." Scaramouche turned around and walked away.

it quickly dawned to the next morning, it went how everything usually went. Same days, same hours, same minutes, same seconds.

Scaramouche walked to the train station where Hu Tao and Y/n usually meet.

Scara sat at the nearest bench as they scrolled on his phone. 4 minutes quickly passed, but no sight of Y/n was to be seen.

"Where is Y/n..." Scara knew that Hu Tao wouldn't be there because she had stayed over the sleepover.

"Did they oversleep? They've never been late before. Unless they're feeling unwell." Scaramouche dialed Y/n's phone number and stood up from the bench, impatiently tapping his foot.

The train station radio went blaring.

"Breaking news, last night at 8:53 pm, a high schooler named L/n Y/n was murdered at Tevyat cityscape. Their body was found at 9:02 pm, murderer is unknown and stab wounds are fatal. Relating to the case of-"

"What?"

Scaramouche could've swore he dropped his phone.

@xyouami 10/21/23 3:35 pm

[miyosei]

LOVE IS A CHORE !

premise. a step by step guide on how ( not ) to fall in love with your best friend. — ft. xiao

reader is gender neutral, modern (?) au, everyone is in university here, mentions of throwing up but it doesn’t actually happen, xiao is a musician but it isn’t a major plot point i was just inspired by the newest promo video.

one. realize you are in much deeper than you thought.

The first time Xiao felt the switch flip inside of him, the cherry blossoms were starting to bloom on the first day of spring.

It was the last day of the seasonal fair—and you had invited him out to enjoy the evening together. Because your friend had bailed on you and you didn’t want the spare ticket to go to waste. Of course he agreed, what reason did he have not to?

And when he shows up ten minutes late with flushed cheeks and tousled hair and more apologies than he's ever said in his entire life—you laugh it off, assure him it's okay, and jokingly let him know that he still had the rest of the evening to make it up to you.

Xiao takes your words extremely seriously, and as nervous and paranoid and cracked out of his mind he is—he is determined to make it a night the both of you remember. And as always, he keeps his word. You aren’t sure of the last time you had this much fun.

When it’s time for the fireworks to start, he finds himself looking only at you—because you insisted that this is where you get the best view. ‘How cliche,’ he thinks to himself when you drag him to the attraction. But he makes no move to sway you otherwise, and you soon find yourself suspended in the air, sitting right beside him in the ferris wheel's carriage.

You look so nice like this. Well, you always look nice, but this time it’s different. This time it’s just you and him and the muffled sounds of the fireworks booming in the distance. And Xiao thinks that if every day could be like this, with just you and him, maybe that kind of life wouldn’t be so bad.

The realization strikes him like a bolt of lightning. That this is a problem. That he’s really screwed now. That ones Hu Tao finds the cheesy photos the two of you took at the photo booth it is absolutely over for him.

But, Xiao has never given up before. So, in theory, he should be fine… Right?

two. accidentally confess your feelings thinking you’re alone, run away when it turns out you aren’t.

The answer is no; Xiao is not fine. He has spent way too many sleepless nights cursing himself and trying to get you out of his head. It is so easy to not catch feelings for your best friend, how could he have messed up this bad? Xiao thinks it’s stupid, idiotic, and so not like him. It’s just some stupid crush, it’ll go away—it has to go away. Because it’s interfering with his every day life, and Hu Tao will not leave him alone.

The time is noon, this was supposed to be a joint study session between him, Hu Tao, Kazuha, and you. But this time you were the one running late, Kazuha is off in his own world, and Hu Tao decided that instead of actually studying, she wanted to spend her time trying to get a certain phrase out of Xiao’s mouth. One that definitely wasn’t even true.

“Are you done?” he finally speaks and looks at her from across the table with an unamused expression. “Why are you so adamant on this anyway?”

She rolls her eyes and lifts up a finger directly up to his face, “Because you are so obviously in denial! By the way, everyone already knows you like each other. The only two people dumb enough to not realize it are you two.”

Denial is a strong word. And quite honestly, Xiao thinks he could get pretty comfortable with it.

But the corners of his eye twitch ever so slightly, his grip on the pen tightens in his hold, and those two smug grins are almost enough to send him right into a coma—even if he doesn’t physically show it.

“Right… So then what if I do?” He chooses his words carefully, like he’s only entertaining the thought. Like he doesn’t actually have these feelings for you. Because that’s ridiculous, and he would never fall in love.

“You do,” Hu Tao corrects him without missing a beat, and Xiao finally gives up.

“Okay, fine. I do. Now what?”

The grin on her face spells nothing but trouble, and the regret that settles upon seeing it is enough to last Xiao a lifetime and more of embarrassment and shame.

Hu Tao echos your name, something that irritates Xiao more than it should have because yes, obviously it was you. Who else would it be, they were quite literally just talking about this? Unfortunately for him, Hu Tao finds nothing but joy in playing tricks like these—especially if it got a reaction.

“Hmm…. I don’t know, the only thing left to do is start dating and get married!”

Xiao almosts bursts at that sentence alone, his face exploding into the brightest shade of red anyone has ever seen. “Are you crazy?!” he stares at her in a flustered fury, “Don’t even joke about something like that, I’m not going to marry—”

His voice calls flat when he spots you out of the corner of his vision. You’re standing in the doorway, shocked with the most deer in the headlights look carried onto your face. Anything Xiao wants to say finds itself caught in his throat, and he decides to do something he hasn't done for years to come—he bolts for the door and rushes himself right out of the library.

three. try to go back to the way things were, curse yourself when it’s not that easy.

Three days have passed since that incident, and to say things were awkward would be a horrible understatement. Xiao, against his own will, had completely forgotten how to talk to you.

He called you later that night to apologize. That Hu Tao was just trying to rile him up, that he was sorry if you were uncomfortable at all, that you could just forget that entire thing had even happened in the first place. Anything to save both him and you the embarrassment.

You tell him it's alright—you always do. And you invite him to hang out at the nearby arcade, to make things up and to hopefully ease the heavy tension.

It doesn't work. because the moment he sees you he feels like running all over again. Xiao doesn't know if you feel it too, but the awkwardness that lingers in the air is so thick he feels like coughing up the springs in his chest. But he pushes through the discomfort—he promised a fun afternoon, and he doesn't break promises.

And he tries to avoid the subject of his “confession” by any and all means possible. It’s easier than it turns out to be, because Xiao is too busy dragging you around to even think about anything else.

There’s a monotonous buzz in his ear, something he dismisses as a byproduct of being around all of the beeping machines and blasting music. He can hear you call out to him, something out of concern he can only assume—everything is a blur, but Xiao promises he just needs to sit down for only a little bit.

When did he become so scatterbrained? It was never this bad before, he was never nervous around you before. You’ve known each other since elementary school, you were neighbors for even longer than he can remember, he’s slept in the bed of your childhood bedroom. So what changed? What happened to him?

No, nothing happened to you. It was definitely him, something was deeply and fundamentally wrong with him. Because you’re so close, and your hand is on his back because he keeps coughing up a storm, and the scent of your perfume is so sweet that it makes him want to throw up.

Xiao goes home with a high fever and guilty apologies. What was supposed to be a fun day out turned into you walking him back to his dorm room. You promise him it’s okay, and that you only want him to feel better soon. And Xiao, despite wanting to say so much more, says nothing.

He wakes up in a cold sweat later that night, smothered in bed sheets and in the same boring-walled dorm room.

Really, Xiao doesn't think he can keep up this act for very much longer.

four. know that love means being vulnerable, but not weak.

Ganyu almost drops the vase in her hands when Xiao gives her the run down. They were moving things from the concert hall when she’d noticed he was out of it, more so than usual. And against her better judgement, the ever so kind Ganyu prodded him with a stick and jumped back when he actually took the bait.

“And you just… Ran away?” She repeats, wide eyes in disbelief like he had just told her something blasphemous. When Xiao only confirms everything with a bored shrug she almost wants to pull her own hair out. Of course, she was more understanding than most other people, but even Ganyu had her limits. How could he treat this situation so casually? Like he wasn’t ruining his chances with you at this very moment? Like he wasn’t going to cause everyone in his inner circle to start aging prematurely?

Xiao doesn't even deny it and admits to everything with a straight face—that he did run away after indirectly confessing to you, that he’s been trying to avoid you in hopes that these feelings would finally die down, that it’s not working in the slightest and now he only misses you even more than he already did.

Truly, you’re the only one that knows. That underneath his blank eyes and bored expression, Xiao is just as afraid of his own feelings as anybody else. And he could never hate you for simply being you. But you know things about him that he doesn’t even know about himself—and that’s more than terrifying to think about.

He’s spent so long building his character and making sure he’ll never been used again. But you come in with that stupid smile and your dumb sparkly eyes and Xiao feels himself grow weak in the knees and heavy in his chest.

“Would you be okay with that? Dating, I mean.” Ganyu asks after a silence that lasts a little bit too long.

Xiao doesn't say anything. Would he be okay with it? Of course he would. Because you don’t flush at the thought of holding your best friend’s hand, you don’t think about what it would be like to date them, and you definitely don’t dream about kissing them under the moonlight.

And Xiao thinks to himself, that if you were willing to have him, he’d be more than okay with it.

five. confess your feelings — for real this time.

It’s raining, one of the harshest days of the season, and Xiao has caught the weather on a horrible day. He hadn't even bothered to bring an umbrella, soaked through his jacket and pounding his shoes against the slippery pavement in a rush to get to the library, where he was supposed to be 10 minutes ago in a last minute project group work.

He stops only when a shop door opens suddenly and skids to a halt just in time to avoid running straight into you. He stiffens ever so slightly when your eyes meet and you immediately shift to avoid contact, a small part of his heart squeezes in his ribcage. But Xiao’s throat is tight and dry, and any words caught in his chest are unable to come out.

Of course it would be awkward, he's been avoiding you for his own selfishness after all. And at this point, Xiao wouldn't even blame you if you began to resent him even just a little bit. But instead, you silently lean the umbrella over his head and give him a gentle smile. The same one as always.

“Come on,” you tell him, “I’ll walk you to wherever you need to go.”

He lets you, not even daring to argue back. There’s a lot of things he needs to say before his nerves finally kick in and he chickens out. But his hands are sweaty in his pockets and he can feel his chest on the verge of exploding by the second.

What are you thinking about right now, he wonders—stealing glances at you every so often when you aren’t looking. He just has to say it, just has to force the words out of his throat, but no matter how hard he tries, he just can't do it. And the two of you arrive at the library before Xiao can even blink, and he curses himself for being such a coward in such a crucial moment. Of course it would turn out this way, how humiliating.

“Well, we’re here.” You say with a smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes, something close to regret flutters in your irises. “It was nice, seeing you again. I don't know if you have something going on, but you've been acting weird lately, I guess I missed you a little bit. But if you ever—”

“I like you!”

Xiao blurts out the words without thinking of anything else, exploding them out into the world like confetti on new year's day. His cheeks are flushed, he’s still soaking wet. It’s messy, disorganized, and it’s not even close to the perfect scenario he crafted in his daydreams. But It’s so perfectly him that you just can’t say anything else.

“I like you a lot. I always have. and I think I was so scared that you would hate me; or you would think I’m weird, or that you didn't like me back. And when you walked in that day I was so panicked I didn't—”

He stops talking only when he finally takes note of the tears that build up in your eyes. He blinks once, twice, a third time—then, the reality sinks in and his mind goes into overdrive. In one moment you were standing in front of him, and in the next he met you with a tight embrace, not caring that he was getting your own clothes absolutely drenched.

“I’m sorry,” Xiao whispers quietly when your hands tighten around the sleeves of his jacket.

“Shut up,” you grumble through muffled words and your umbrella fallen beside you on the pavement. For once, you’re thankful that the rain is able to hide your tears—or make them less obvious at the very least, “I’m mad at you right now.”

You aren’t, he knows you aren’t. But really, Xiao thinks he just might've just deserved that one.

six. remember that nothing necessarily has to change at all.

Two weeks have passed since his clumsy confession, two weeks since he’s “officially” become your boyfriend. In quotations, because it feels like it’s always been this way with you. You still watch cheesy romcoms every Saturday, you still support him whenever he has a performance due, Xiao still clings to you in your sleep like he’s done ever since the two of you entered high school.

The only difference now is that he can hold your hand whenever he wants to, and you don’t feel weird about coming around just to hug him from behind anymore. And while he still gets butterflies every time he even thinks about it, it’s more socially acceptable for him to kiss you when he feels like it.

And most times they don't even feel like dates, but now he gets the special 'couples only discount,' at the local cafe, and Hu Tao’s annoying kissy faces become more of a tease than a taunt, and Kazuha is, well, Kazuha.

It’s messy, it’s unorthodox, and it’s a long way from being perfect. But it’s with you, and for Xiao, that’s already more than enough.