#is it manor or mansion i can never remember

[weltato]

don't mind me, just over here thinking about all the relationships in Woodstone Manor so far

they are my new top ships for the day

[aangelinakii]

EVER SEEN.

— you have the prettiest eyes i've ever seen.

summary : you've been by damian's side for so long, you've seen everything. one night, the sun is lowering below gotham, but damian is watching something else.

note : if you can't tell i LOVE basing my fics off bea songs i literally laurv her saur muchhhh

whenever wayne manor got too loud, too crowded, too overwhelming, damian always found himself making his way back to you. this wasn't a now-thing, this has been happening since he was still a feisty young kid, constantly underestimated, constantly jabbed at. but you were the calm in his hectic life that taught him "normal" can be possible for someone like him.

someone raised by assassins, someone whose father is the richest man in the city. someone you appreciated nonetheless.

tonight, after a rather tedious dinner (jason was upset at bruce again for letting the joker kill him that one time, and stephanie was hogging the roast potatoes), damian shifted away to his bedroom and fled the mansion through a crack in his window.

you remember the first time he appeared on the other side of your window, knocking. living in gotham, you'd immediately assumed these were going to be your last living moments, but when you saw the spiky hair of your best friend on the other side, all worries subsided.

it had happened after a few months of friendship – when you were unsure where exactly you stood in his eyes, whether you were friends, best friends, or acquaintances – and damian had opened up about home, how it could be a lot. of course it could; no matter what type of household you live in, it can always become a lot.

"come round mine," you'd said, and saw damian physically retract. confusion? disgust? you'd never know. "here's my address. just knock on my window, my roof has an amazing view of the city, and no one knows it's there."

no one would know he was there. so, later that night, he appeared.

although the first time, it wasn't the last.

almost ten years later, damian was escaping from his bedroom at wayne manor, a mansion overfilled, overloaded by now. it had started off as once every couple of months, but, as the two of you grew, and damian's heart began to swell each time you spoke, it turned weekly. if you're lucky, maybe twice a week.

room dark, save for the dim lamp lit on your bedside table, you were focused on your phone. gotham outside your window had been shut out, locked away, blocked by a curtain. nothing could come in and get you tonight. not until...

knock, knock, knock.

eyebrow raising, you placed your phone down carefully onto the sheets and sat up. damian didn't say he was coming round tonight, but, then again, he never said when he was – but it was expected. he's already been round three times this week, already out of the ordinary.

you approached the window and carefully peeled back the curtain, eyebrows furrowed, but the tension in your forehead dissipated once your gaze set on the boy on the other side of the glass, his cheeky smile recipe for one of your own.

reaching out to unlock the window, you pushed it up, allowing a cool breeze to flutter in. that impish smile on his lips, damian moved to rest his elbows on the ledge.

"roof?" he hummed, peering up at you with his pale green eyes, which spiked as the darkness was vaguely illuminated by the lamp leaking out from your room.

despite trying to play off as annoyed – surprised, even – you struggled to keep the smile from your lips as you looked down at him, fingers gripping the plush material of the curtain. "this is, like, the fourth time you've come round," you chuckled, corner of your lip twitching with the ghost of a smile.

damian merely shrugged, resting his chin on his arm, tilting his head until his cheek met the soft fabric of his sweatshirt.

the way he looked at you caused your heart to pang, and it hadn't stopped for ten years.

allowing a few moments to pass for effect, your gaze lingered on his, before you carefully pushed his elbows off the window ledge, and shuffled onto it yourself. damian took a step back, holding a hand out for you to take, helping you to the metal grating of the fire exit on the side of your room, which would lead up to the roof; your place.

just as you had told him that one day however many years ago, the roof of your apartment had an amazing view of gotham; the best, if you wanted to argue that. it was just a flat, no one would expect it, which was why it was so perfect for the two of you – no one to disturb you, perfect to just talk.

before you could even sit, damian was tugging off his grey sweatshirt, and placing it down on the tile beside him.

you gave a chuckle. "what are you doing?"

"don't want your pyjamas to get dirty," he responded, patting the cotton as he peered up at you, before turning to look at the pollution of lights along the city skyline.

your eyes lingered on him for a moment before you sat down on his folded sweatshirt, tucked to give you just enough room to stay clean. he was always casually thoughtful like that, not even giving it a second thought before doing something, and then acting like it didn't just change the entire trajectory of your perspective on him.

"so, what happened this time?" you hummed after some comfortable silence, but damian only gave a croon as he looked over at you, and you glanced back. "i mean, i'm assuming you didn't just want to come see me."

"oh," your best friend replied, a soft chuckle to his response as he turned back to the skyline. "yeah, just..." he brought a hand up to scratch at the back of his raven hair. "a lot going on. wanted to get away." damian took a break in his words and looked back curiously at you. "if that's okay?"

you gave a laugh, prepared to tease him. "oh, so you only want to see me when there's "a lot going on." typical."

"hey, you know i don't mean it like that," damian groaned, elbowing you lightly in the side, his words unable to disguise the smile in his tone.

once the joking energy had faded from the air, you turned to him with a calmer voice. "you know it's always okay to come round, damian," you smiled. "even when there isn't a lot going on. just whenever you want. for you, there's always time."

as you peered over at him, front of his face just barely illuminated by the distant gotham city lights, his eyes trailed over to you, small smile upon his lips. he focused in on you for a moment, vaguely nodding, before turning back to the view.

after knowing him so long, you recognised that as gratitude, and you didn't comment any further, simply turning to look at gotham, too.

you gave a soft sigh, bringing your legs up to your chest, to rest your chin upon your knee. "if you ignore everything wrong with this place, gotham could be one of the prettiest cities in the world."

"tokyo's pretty nice," damian hummed in return, leaning back on his hands against the tiling of the roof. "not sure if gotham could compare to that."

"never seen tokyo. that would be nice."

"we could go one time." damian looked over at you, the ghost of a smile along his lips.

"you'd do that with me?"

damian nodded softly, expression shrinking, sort of bashful now. his thoughtful eyes lingered on yours, and you felt yourself grow self-conscious, so you turned away.

"you know, you've always had the most amazing eyes," damian piped up, his voice just loud enough to be heard above the vroom of cars below.

heart catching in your throat, you looked back up at him, lips parted in a quiver. "sorry?"

that expression on your face, he mistook for horror, and the soft smile on damian's mouth disappeared almost immediately. "oh– i'm sorry, i... shouldn't have said that." he quickly turned away, horror visible in his own eyes, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth in distaste.

all these years... did his heart pound in his chest each time you spoke his name, as yours did when he spoke yours? did he have to brush his palms against the knees of his pants before knocking on your window? was his first thought every morning as he opened his eyes.. you?

"hey," you hummed, shuffling closer to him, not minding that your pants were half-against the tile, carefully taking his wrist in your fingers to peel his hand away from his mouth. "it's okay, i'm... i'm not mad, i just..."

you felt yourself begin to shrink up. take a breath.

"thank you." his eyes met yours, and, at the sight of your smile, his own mouth melted into a soft twinkle. "i'm not mad. at all. i just... you feel the same?"

a flicker of recognition flashed in damian's green eyes, and his fingers absently moved to lace into yours.

"the same?" he hummed, hopeful.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Fury for the Living (1) | Yandere Ghost Detective

Cypher is a prodigy detective 

Officially on the police force now he’s been a raging force for unraveling piles of cold cases across the country

He was truly a talented man

Alas aspiring detectives and veterans in the field can only speculate what gives him such amazing insight in every case

They’d never guess what the ace up his sleeve is 

One of the sole factors other than his prodigious charm that made him the amazing detective he was

He could see ghosts

Apparitions, yokais, curses—you name it

Thanks to their undead input Cypher’s been able to piece together a case with nothing but a single clue

It’s his thing

It didn’t matter if he wasn’t exactly moved by justice

Or that he often hated that he had to speak with ghosts often

There was nowhere he could really go that didn’t have ghosts and the undead chatting and whining in his ear

Except for one place

An abandoned and rotted mansion in a restricted area in the forest

Or it was 

Until he found you

“Hm, I didn’t know anyone was still coming here.”

He outwardly groaned, facepalming as he prepared for your desperate plea to be help with their ‘unfinished business’

But you didn’t 

You smiled at him before skipping back up the stairs and through the wall

For a while, he’s just glad you didn’t bother him longer going back to reading his book

But then he’s pulling at his hair as the feeling he’s been ignoring hits him full force

“So what happened to you?”

“Huh?”

“Tch, look I’ve been comin’ here every day and you never say a word. I’m tired of you being polite. Just tell me already.”

“I…actually don’t know…”

“What.” 

“I just remember waking up and being….free. I don’t remember much else.”

It isn’t odd that the undead don’t remember

But not caring about it is another

For once he’s intrigued, so after a while he pries a first name out of you 

Then he begins his search 

Finding all the records about your life or death is completely scrubbed

“I don’t know that’s awfully weird ain't it?”

Similar to him, the prodigy police chief has no idea as well

Thus a weird bud of excitement blooms 

“I’m going to solve your case!”

“Uh okay, if that makes you happy.”

So he visits so much more often 

Having to talk to you about your past 

A past you don’t remember

So he elects to bring whatever he thinks might interest you

Along with taking note of what’s in the dilapidated manor

Rotten books, old gaming systems, some form of music, paints and pens

He gets to know you pretty well

“I think Cypher if I were alive again, I’d love to spend time with you.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah, you’re a real good friend.”

You have no idea what you do to him

He thought this newfound investigation would consume his mind like all good detectives had

But instead, he was thinking of you

Standing and walking beside him like you weren’t a ghost

Cutely tilting your head when he makes a joke you don’t understand

It sends blood rushing in places it hadn’t when he found out you could touch him

Casually tapping on his exposed shoulder to reveal a secret passageway

He used to complain to himself about how far he’d have to walk to get to his little place of paradise

But now he was complaining when the station was calling him in

“Hey (Y/n)...have you ever tried leaving the manor?”

“Mmm no.”

“Why not?”

“Never a reason to.”

“Then let’s try something new.”

He’s ecstatic when you can follow him into his car and eventually his apartment

But then he’s reminded of all the annoying nuisances that he was trying to avoid

“Hey everyone! Cypher’s all pooped out maybe we can give him a break?”

As if you were an exorcist all those ghosts seemed to understand 

Letting you organize them in the room over while Cypher locks himself into the bedroom

“You’re….amazing.”

“Oh thank you? I think you’re amazing too Cypher.”

“I don’t think you understand (Y/n)...I desperately want to marry you.”

“But Cypher you know I’m dead, right?”

“I can easily change that to be with you.”

“Cypher don’t!” 

Now he’s got to fight himself about solving this case

If he gets to the bottom of your death, he’d lose you

So he might stall a bit 

At least until he finds a small bit of evidence pointing to your death from a murder

“You were…murdered?!”

“Was I? That sucks.”

You’re right it sucks

And now Cypher’s motivated with one thing

Revenge

How dare some dirtbag kill you before he got to meet you?!

Put you in any amount of pain when you so easily are the light of his?! 

He vows that whosever is the cause of your death will pay greatly 

And he’s willing to put everything on the line to solve your case

I think I smell a series coming out of this 🖤🖤🖤🖤

[honeykaes]

heart's loyalty

pairing: kazuha x femme!reader II 2.7k

warning: smut, 18+ content, minors do not interact, heavy angst, use of she/her pronouns and descriptions of afab!reader, based on feudal japan, arranged-marriage with scaramouche, reader is a foreigner, exhibitionism, public sex, praising, body-worship, fingering, creampie, character death, cheater!reader, can be read as yandere!scaramouche, unedited

synopsis: kazuha never thought that when he was assigned to protect daimyo kunikuzuishi’s wife his loyalty would shift from the shogun to you and when you asked to run away with him, he couldn’t deny you.

Early fall was one of Kazuha’s favorite times of the year. The heat from the summer was beginning to drift away as leaves would slowly float down from his favorite maple trees. He loved the garden in the small manor of the daimyo’s wife as it captured his favorite scene perfectly.

As he turned the corner of the manor, he saw your form. You were sitting on a large rock next to the tall maple tree, giving you shade. A solemn gaze had taken up your face as maple leafs slowly drifted down around you. You revealed your hands from the sleeves of your ornate yukata, picking at a small loaf of bread you threw a yard away towards the koi pond.

His autumn-tinted eyes softened, heart warming at the side of seeing you, yet a small sadness clawed at his heart seeing you so depressed. He couldn’t fault your emotions as if he was trapped in a loveless marriage, he couldn’t smile all the time either.

You were a foreigner picked to be the wife of Daimyo Kunikuzushi by the Shogunate, Raiden Ei. She wanted access to your country's military and weaponry that came from the West as a deterrent from anyone who sought to challenge her power. Therefore, you became a sacrificial pawn to a game of chess you had no means of playing, let alone winning.

He remembered the night you first came to the estate as he walked the quiet halls before hearing your sobs coming from the other side of the sliding door. He was merely randomly assigned to be your personal guard by the daimyo for his skills in sword fighting but his lack of heart to actually fight in conflicts unless necessary. 

When he slid the door open, seeing your shocked and tearful face turn in shock that night, he struggled to come up with the words to even greet your depressed form, not knowing what he could say to stop you from crying. He merely walked up and bowed, getting to his knees and lifted his head down, vowing both to you and to his heart to try to give you a better experience of the many years you had awaiting in the country of Inazuma.

As Kazuha walked closer to your form in the garden, your eyes flickered to him—light returning in your dull gaze. He sat besides you on the rock, looking up at the rings of light that managed to escape the maple leaves before placing his pale, calloused hand on yours and weaving his fingers.

A bond between the wife of the daimyo and the samurai guarded to protect her happened gradually but remained strong, leaving both of them longing to be with one another openly. But, when daimyo Kunikuzushi left to return to his larger mansion or to visit the Shogun, it was him that got to warm your bed every night, joined together in a secret but passionate union.

Kazuha was thankful that hardly any workers were at this estate before a small number. Here, they were free to pretend they were together. 

But it was only pretend; a reminder Kazuha so sadly acknowledged whenever the Daimyo would return to break that fantasy.

Kazuha felt you squeeze his hand tighter as he turned his head to your form. You stared out to the koi pond, watching the fish swim in circles in the small patch.

“My bird…you know the one I have in my room right?” you asked in a low voice. Kazuha nodded as you sighed, throwing another small chunk of bread to the pond. 

“..I let it fly free from its cage. When I went to feed it today, it was looking out to the sky. How could I not? A bird isn’t meant for a golden cage” you mumbled. You loved that bird with every fiber of your being, Kazuha knew letting go was harder for you than you let on. Kazuha lifted his intertwined hands with yours to his mouth, offering a tender kiss on the back of your hand.

“...I’d go with you in case you decide to follow that bird and leave your cage,” Kazuha replied. You briefly smile before lips curling downwards into a frown, throwing the remainder of the bread in the pond.

“No, you couldn’t Kazuha. Your loyalty was pledged to Shogunate Ei and Daimyo Kunikuzushi. You’d end up getting killed for treason if you decided to escape with you,” you whispered. Kazuha let his hand go from yours, bringing it up to caress your cheek. His thumb brushed against the skin, feeling the warmth from your cheeks.

“I am only loyal to those in my heart,” he murmured, closing the gap between you as his lips graciously captured your own. Your bodies eventually got closer as the samurai's hand refused to part from your cheek. You whispered out his name, wrapped your hands around his neck to kiss him deeper.

You gasped feeling his hips buck and grind at your thigh, parting his lips with heavy breaths.

“We can’t do this here…in the garden. Someone could see—” Kazuha briefly silenced you with his lips before leaning out, trailing his lips along your neck.

“I dismissed everyone to go to their courtier. Only you and me remain in this garden,” he whispered, nipping at your earlobe. You softly chuckled before leaning in to kiss the samurai once more as his hands began to paw at your clothed thighs. His hands snuck past the fabric of your yukata and their hadajuban, cupping their cunt eliciting a breathless sigh from you. His lips continued pecking along your neck, so delicate and quick as if a butterfly was landing on them.

Kazuha finger brushed against your clit as jolts of pleasure wavered throughout your body. You ground your core against his hand, desperate to get more friction from the pad of his thumb. He pressed against the bundle of nerves, offering quick circles to it. You whined once more, shifting from his touch.

“Always so lovely and soft for me, my lady,” he murmured, voice muffled as he pressed his mouth against your nape. Your arousal was beginning to drool out of your hole, coating his finger that was toying with your clit with the essence. As his ministrations went faster, two fingers prodded at your entrances—teetering back and forth—before finally allowing them to sink into your cunt. 

As you moaned out his name, you quickly covered your mouth, muffling the soft moans Kazuha so desperately wanted to hear from you. Your walls fluttered against his fingers slowly plunging themselves deeper inside of you. He soon curled them up as he pumped them, your body jolting as he finally found what he was looking for.

Your walls clamped down pulsating against his fingers curling and moving themselves inside of you to massage that spot. Your hips gyrated and grinded, nub from your clit beginning to slightly burn in pleasure.

“That’s right, my dove. Just let yourself fall into the pleasure,” he whispered deep in your ear as his free hand made way to your clothed breast. He gave it a squeeze, moaning lowly himself as if he could perfectly visualize the pair out as he did before. He shifted in his seat, rubbing his thighs together as his cock pressed firmly against the thin fabric of his fundoshi.

His tongue darted from his lips, planting a long stride against your neck, tasting the salty sweet mixture of your sweat and lotions on the skin. His mouth settled against your ear, his hot breath causing goosebumps to sprout throughout your body.

“Please don’t deprive me of your beautiful voice, dove. I need to hear how I am making you feel,” he moaned, lifting his hand away from your breast to the hand covering your mouth. As he gently moved it away, the corners of his lips curled in delight hearing the soft groans elicited from his fingering continuously pumping themselves inside of you.

“Kazuha..ha! I’m gonna…please! I’m gonna…!” you moaned out, voice beginning to rise in tone from Kazuha’s pace increasing. He quickly leaned forward, capturing your lips once more as you finally reached your high shivering in his touch, hips grinded against his hand.

As he leaned away, Kazuha’s gaze was half-lidded and darkened in lust. Both of your lips are glossy with a translucent string of saliva connected to the pair. His gaze softened once more, admiring your afterglow of your climax.

“You make me feel so drunk as if I was a fool. How easy you tempt me, my dove…” he whispered, sliding his fingers out of your cunt as you whined. His hands snaked through the fabrics once more, revealing the coated digits.

“Perhaps, I should have waited to have you in your chambers. You always taste so divine,” he hummed to himself, pressing his fingers against his mouth. His tongue curled around his fingers coated in your slick, cleaning them before rubbing the excess saliva against his yukata.

“As sweet as always but alas, I don’t think I can wait anymore,” Kazuha groaned. You soon found yourself up on your feet, pinned against the base of the tree as Kazuha’s eyes drank in your disheveled form. 

Kazuha quickly disrobed, pulling his trousers and fundoshi off and exposing his cock against the cool early fall breeze. His haori decorated in maple leaves fell along the gravel of the garden as well, leaving him completely bare as his cock lulled against his toned, pale lower stomach.

He tenderly wrapped his hand around his length before letting out a breath sigh, slowly jerking it as his cock pulsated in his grasp. His base soon shined in precum, now coated on his head that budded from his flushed tip. Kazuha’s gaze rises to yours curling his lips into an amused, and slightly mischievous smile, witnessing your eyes avoiding to look down at his length.

“This isn’t the first time I've had you like this. There’s no need to be embarrassed, although you are rarely cute like this, my dove,” he murmured, pressing a chaste kiss against your cheek. You gnaw on your bottom lip, feeling his heavy cock rest against your thigh.

“I-I know that! But we’re outside…,” you whined. Kazuha chuckled, kissing the other side of your cheek.

“Just as our ancestors before us and the animals that roam along these vary lands. There’s no need to be embarrassed, I promise it is just us here and no watchful eyes except my own,” he reassured. You shyly nod as Kazuha’s hand made its way to loosen the obi and grabbed onto the fabric of your kimono, revealing your breasts to him.

He leaned in once more, pressing a kiss against the valley of your breasts before lifting your leg to his hip, exposing your drooling cunt to his gaze. The tip of his cock nudged against your sensitive clit as you whined once more, gliding along your slit as he struggled to find your entrance. With a soft grunt, he finally finds it allowing him to finally sink into your warmth. His pace was slow and deliberate, grinding his pelvis against your entrance.  

You moaning out his name was his favorite melody as you wrapped your arms around his neck, allowing him to plunge deeper inside of you. The soft noises of nature around you were eventually drowned out by the snapping noises of skin coming to contact with one another and your breathless sighs of pleasure. 

It was overwhelming, feeling your walls desperate to pull him in deeper and fluttered against his sensitive cock. His other hand found it way to your covered ass, squeezing it tightly to push your bodies closer to one another.

“I always find myself spellbound and so captivated by your ethereal form…forgive me for losing myself, my dove,” he moaned, pressing his face against your nape. His pace soon grew faster.

“I will always be yours, no matter what,” Kazuha grunted, strokes becoming faster. Your body bounced at his relentless pace as weaker branches begin to shake and tremble from his pace. Kazuha’s blunt nails dug into the plush skin of your thighs futility trying to sink deeper inside of you, muffled whimpers of your name escaping from his lips. Snapping his eyes shut, Kazuha reached his peak as thick ropes of cum shot inside of you. His hips bucked—weakly thrusting—as he slowly came down, leaving a kiss on the nape of your neck.

“Ah…how could I let myself become undone before you…” he softly chuckled, lifting his hand away from the globe of your ass to toy with your throbbing clit to cease your whines. You squirmed in his grip, grinded against his cock still nestled deep inside of you plugging the cum that was threatening to leak out. He grinded his hips, feeling your walls slowly caved down, pressing tighter circles against your clit

“That’s it…you’re almost there…just a little more dove,” Kazuha hummed, flicking your overstimulated clit rapidly. Your back arched, leg shivering in pleasure as you finally reached your high. Kazuha peppered kisses against your nape.

“There you go…such a good, little dove,” he cooed. 

“Kadehara.”

Your eyes softened as you placed your hands against his flushed cheeks.

“Kaedehara Kazuha.”

Kazuha snapped his eyes open, looking down at the gravel—the pain of the rocks pressed against his legs kneeling down. His eyes felt heavy, skin much sweeter than usual as a pure white kimono clung onto him uncomfortably. When he went to move his arms, the tight rope burned against his wrist as they stayed in place bound behind him.

He finally leaned his head up, observing his surroundings. Familiar faces of his comrades were sat around a courtyard, varying faces of disgust, disappointment and anger on their faces.

“...You will be executed for treason against the Shogun,” a woman called out, with a decree in her hands. There his name was, written in kanji, penned by the all-powerful Raiden Ei,

“Ah.. that was right,” Kazuha slowly whispered to himself. He buried himself in a dream to forget the nightmare that was his reality.

He remembered that day, as your bodies were still joined together, you gently clasped his face and pleaded that you needed to run away, to be with him and happy. Just as he pledged before, Kazuha happily complied, cleaning the two of you before packing a small rations and cash to get on the next boat leaving Liyue.

He thought, together, they could make it. He was skilled enough to fight off against ronin or his old comrades.

What he didn’t expect was the skilled power Daimyo Kunikuzushi had. Kazuha knew him to always have others do his dirty work. It only took a half a day for him to find you two with ten men at his side. The servants must have reported the pair or he arrived at your manor earlier than you thought—you weren’t sure how and why he was able to know where you two were headed.

Pinned down against six samurai, all Kazuha could do was reach out to your crying and screaming form, desperately reaching out for his hand. It was as if the world had slowed watching your form slowly disappear from his sight as he was rushed to be arrested.

He knew you would be physically alright, but you’d be put into a smaller cage and under a more watchful eye by the Daimyo.

Him, however…

Kazuha’s eyes drifted up, feeling the weight of a hateful gaze glare down at him. Kunikuzushi stood behind him, a katana by his side.

One man he knew to be Heizou, solemnly got up from his seated position, walking over and behind him, covering Kazuha’s eyes with a white cloth. Kazuha sensed Heizou left to return back to his position—the samurai’s eyes waiting in hesitant anticipation for his death.

Hearing a katana unsheathe from its hilt, the corners of Kazuha’s mouth lifted into a smile before closing his eyes. His mind conjured your image once more; how he wished he could see your smiling face one more time. He’d sadly have to leave you lonely for now.

“Do you have any last words,” Daimyo Kunikuzushi seethed out. Kazuha could feel the twisted smile on the daimyo’s face, relishing that he was about to die by his hand.

”I followed her to this life and I will follow her to the next.”

[vampirenigh]

My love for you

Sumarry: How the boys fall in love with you.

Characters: Ciel Phantomhive, Alois Trancy

Warnings: A bit of yandere behavior in Alois part maybe.

Masterlist

Ciel Phantomhive

🌐He saw you for the first time at a ball thrown by the queen.

🌐At first glance he thought you were a girl like all the others so he ignored you.

🌐But after a few days he notices that you're actually more interesting than he thought, so he made Sebastian find out what ball you'll be at and he'll attend too.

🌐There Ciel starts a discussion with you from which he learns that you come from a wealthy family that values ​​fairness so even though you have an older brother you have a chance to become the head of the family.

🌐This impressed Ciel. Your determination to fulfill your desire with all the criticism around.

🌐After this ball Ciel starts inviting Y/n to his mansion for tea or games and starts to realize that to him Y/n is not just a friend he respects.

🌐This scares Ciel especially since Lizzy is his fiancée. His parents decided that, but did he really have to follow the path that they decided?

🌐A few days later he invites Lizzy's mother and tells her everything (because he is afraid of her). And to his surprise Lizzy's mother understands and breaks the contract.

🌐After this incident Ciel starts courting Y/n and goes to talk to her parents. And to your surprise your parents love him and agreed.

🌐After the contract was made Y/n spent more time around the manor and made friends with the rest of the servants.

🌐Ciel was happy that you weren't destroying his mansion like Lizzy did and that he could feel at ease with you.

"My love I am glad we are together. Please believe that even death cannot take me from you. Now let's go for a walk in the garden. Shall we? "

Alois Trancy

⚜️Umm... All I can say with this boy is... Good luck.

⚜️He saw you for the first time when he was taking a walk in the forest and you were reading a book.

⚜️What drew him to you was your beauty. That got him to start a conversation with you.

⚜️After that he started liking your presence. You don't judge him for his rank or who he is. You take care of your younger brother by yourself because your parents are dead. He sees that admirable. He remembers his little brother when he talks to you.

⚜️Following this discussion he invited Y/n to move over to his mansion and insisted that she wasn't a bother.

⚜️Only a few hours later Claude was sent to collect your things.

⚜️Once you arrived at the mansion Alois was very excited and started introducing you and your brother to everything related to the mansion.

⚜️After only a few days Alois starts to bond with you and tries to keep most people away from you.

⚜️He once had Claude kill someone just because he danced with you at an event where you were his partner.

⚜️But after a month Alois confessed his feelings during a walk and you accepted.

⚜️After that Alois started calling you Mrs. Trancy to which no one can object. (Because they are too scared of him).

⚜️He likes to take you on vacations without your brother so you two can be alone.

⚜️He loves dancing with you.

"My dear what are you doing here? Are you reading again? Put that book down for a bit and dance with me. I'll show you some moves you'll never forget."

[krispycreamcake]

How about a Diabolik fic where the reader is the only Sakamaki sibling who acts strange during a blood moon? I'll let you decide what strange is if you want.

From Author: Okay so I did some extra digging on what would be considered strange to a vampire during a blood moon and it's just the opposite of the regular effects. I took some creative liberties with this so I hope you enjoy! Thank you for submitting this!

TW: Graphic depictions of violence!

A Vampire's Dissension

The sun's rays painted a warm hue across the sky, dying the clouds a soft pink and orange. Birds and humans alike were scuttling about to make their way home before nightfall. For it was when the twilight hour hits, that predators emerged from the shadows. To avoid being caught in the unforgiving jaws of death, one needed to be vigilant as to not get entrapped by these crowned monarchs of the moon, these sultans of sadism. Their ambition was relentless and so was their appetite.

Tonight however, was an especially particular night. Blood Moons were special occasions in which a vampire's abilities were amplified, along with their unyielding thirst for that deliciously, savoury, scarlet syrup. It was a known fact that no bride has ever survived a night in the Sakamaki mansion. As unfortunate as it is, this family has a reputation of killing their prey. Many brides have come but never gone, as their crying souls became trapped in the mansion where they all met an untimely demise.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't have a couple bodies stacking up on your end either. To be fair, it's not like you tried to kill them, you just lacked a significant amount of restraint. And if you were being honest with yourself, you've always been that way for as long as you can remember. You noticed that with every Blood Moon, your predatorial instincts seemed to contort into pure unbridled aggression. It became an unbearable flame that scorched throughout your body, begging, crying, wailing for you to drink something more.

You stood near the manor's old balcony, watching how the setting sun drained any and all natural light dry from the sky. It wouldn't be long now before the moon started taking effect. Your veins began to pulsate and writhe under your fleshy arm, almost as if beating out your very body. You gritted your teeth as you remembered the last Blood Moon. You had requested Reiji to make specially tailored tranquilizers to subdue you, which it did.... For half an hour. After that brief period of peace, the stairwell was completely destroyed and Subaru refused to speak to you for a week. Your hostility wasn't unknown to the family, but that still didn't make it tolerable to put up with. From feeling thirsty and irritated, your emotions quickly took a turn to being aggravated and wrathful.

You stood there contemplating ways on how to isolate yourself from your brothers so you wouldn't cause harm to them. As night began to ink the sky, you decided it was better to lock yourself in your room and distract your mind. You sifted through your belongings before finding a cookbook hidden in your backpack. That's right, you were meant to prepare a meal from home and bring it to your home economics class the next day, using a list of designated recipes that your teacher highlighted. You skimmed over the book, scanning for any recipes you could make. Your eyes were immediately glued to a page on Beef Shigureni.

You'd never made it before, but Reiji was extremely talented when it came to making the stew up to his standards. You began to feel peckish as you read through the ingredients, mouth drooling at the images the book had displayed. Soon enough, that slight hunger metamorphisized into voraciousness. You could smell the succulent aroma of the prepared meat, drowning in its delicious flavours. Abruptly, a knock was made at the door which jolted you out of your thoughts. You noticed how the scent seemed to linger in the air. Were you that hungry that you were experiencing phantom sense? Your fingertips brushed against the cold doorknob as you twisted it open, only to be met with sly eyes and a smirk that could kill.

"Oh? Why the cruel expression? And here I thought you'd be elated to get a visit from your dear brother~" You rolled your eyes at Laito before replying. "What do you want? I'm kinda busy right now." Laito peeked into your room hearing this, eyes searching every corner until you had to push him back out into the hall. With your hands pressed against his chest, and arms flexing, you finally got him out of your personal space. "Hm? And here I thought you meant you were busy with a cute little plaything, how depressing." You clicked your tongue and looked him dead in the eyes. "You should leave before it starts." Laito raised an eyebrow at this.

"The moon isn't at its peak yet. Unless you really are getting that bad?" You noticed the very slight hint of concern in your brother's voice. "I felt it even when the sun was setting.... But I should be okay for now. Still, we don't know when it'll happen, so it's best you leave." Laito met your gaze with a cold hard stare. "If you try anything on me, I won't be going down that easily. Neither will the others. Stay in your room." You almost had chills hearing Laito speak so sternly to you. It was obvious he was worried for the others and for you. Despite his provocative nature, beneath was a man riddled by the fleas of abuse, and something about you going on a rampage seemed to bubble up memories once long buried. You couldn't help but notice how the succulent aroma from before seemed to be radiating off of Laito.

"Reiji mentioned something about you meeting him in his lab. If what you're saying is true, I'd hurry there before you bite his head off." And in an instant, he teleported away. You sighed and decided to find Reiji before it was too late. Your stomach growled and screamed, begging to be fed especially after your encounter with Laito. You admitted that it was srange that he smelled exactly like the recipe, but didn't let it bother you as you made your way to Reiji's lab.

You rapped on the door gently, fingers beating against the oak wood. You listened as it creaked open to reveal a dignified looking man behind it. "I see you've gotten my message. Come inside." You made your way into his lab and sat down on one of the chairs. "Deplorable...." You rolled your eyes and looked at him with an expression that could only transmit the words 'Get a grip'. He coughed lightly into his gloved hand, making an ahem sound. "I've prepared this sedative for you to try." Reiji pushed his glasses up before handing you a tiny glass vial with the most repungant, foul, revolting liquid you've ever smelled. You corked your nose shut before refusing to accept the bottle.

"Don't be a child. This is for the safety of all of us." You listened to Reiji's words and knew they were true. You knew all he was doing was trying to help. But even so, that concoction made you gag so much you thought you might throw up. You grabbed the tiny bottle and just seconds before you downed it, there was that scent again. That deliciously deceitful scent. It wrapped around your brain, clouding all your senses. As you gave into the smell, you couldn't help but notice that your senses became heightened. Your veins began to throb once again, pumping through your body. Being a vampire, your heart hadn't a reason to beat, but every Blood Moon seemed to tell a different tale. The feeling could only be described as want, the same kind of want that a predator feels when stalking its prey.

Reiji sighed at your incompetence to even simply drink something. He marched over to where you remained sat, seemingly stuck in a trance. "You understand the importance of the little time we have, don't you?" You didn't hear him. All sound was tuned out as your mind began to fog. As a matter of fact, you didn't see him either. Visions of rabbits running around in a forest at night as you watched from a hidden position formed in your mind. Reiji grabbed the bottle from your hand and had planned to force feed it to you, but as soon as his clothed fingers made contact with yours, you yanked him forwards and sank your teeth into his throat.

He let out a grunt as he tried to get you off of him, but you rammed his body into a shelf, teeth unmoving from their position. You sucked every trickle of blood that dare made its way down his neck, the crimson ooze only tantalizing you further. Your fangs sunk into his bloody flesh as he squirmed and fought, which only made you more adamant on not letting him escape. You began to press deeper and deeper into his muscle tissue before ripping your fangs out, along with a chunk of his flesh. Blood spurred everywhere, coating your face. Your hair became messier and tousled, pupils dilated far back, fangs dripping with the scarlet syrup you craved. You began to chew that piece of flesh that you ripped out, tearing it to shreds as Reiji slowly crawled out of the lab, leaving a trail of Vermilion behind.

It wasn't long after that your tastebuds were hit with sensations of the one thing you've been craving this entire time, meat. You searched the house far and wide until your gaze was met with Ayato's disturbed stare. He was horrified at the state you were in, looking up from below the stairwell. His shock was beyond what words could describe. Reiji lay behind him, Subaru using his own body to block his injured form. Shu stared at you, unsure of his own emotions. He knew you saw him as a meal, and for the first time in his life, he felt like prey. Despite their enhanced powers, none of them stood a chance against you alone, so it was imperative they stuck together. Your lips were stained with your own brother's blood as you stood there heaving, waiting, watching, like a predator about to pounce.

You ran down the stairs faster than any of them could comprehend, teeth bared like a wild dog as you sprinted towards Ayato. In the flash of a second, pain shot through both your arms as you let out a pained cry, howling like a beast as blood gushed from your palms, soaking the carpeted staircase in your fluids. Laito and Kanato had teleported just as you ran, iron stakes in hand as they plunged into your hands. They dashed up the stairs as they pinned you to the wall. At this point you were thrashing and snarling at them, not a coherent word to be let out. Anger took over and almost overrided the pain, until Shu appeared right before you, clenching your jaw and forcing your mouth open as he shoved that putrid concoction from before, down into your throat. In a matter of seconds, your eyelids began to feel heavy and as much as you fought, you fell asleep.

[k0yaz]

Helloooooo I'm not the Acheron anon but I'm probably just as down bad as the both of you she's literally everything to me and I absolutely love the way you've been writing her so I'm dragging my down-bad self to your box to ask for more crumbs 🥺

If it's not too much trouble can I request a one-shot with vampire Acheron? I've had thoughts about her white-haired emanator form (I mean have u seen her stance in the character info menu when in the ult IT'S SO GOOD AHHHHH) and I just feel like she'd be a very convincing vampire in that form. Can be sfw or nsfw I'll leave the decision up to the chef ;)

Sorry this isn't super concrete or anything it's my first time sending an ask but I couldn't help myself... Next time I crawl back into your ask box I'll try and give u more to work with I promise 😅

trepidation.

Pairings: acheron x fem!reader

CW: sfw, female reader, vampire au, vamp acheron my beloved, suggestive, blood, yummy, slight horror scary oooooo, it’s ok yall will be fine it’s just acheron being weird, I WROTE THIS AT 2 AM and I’m too eepy rn, I’m scared it didn’t turn out good, fluffy yay, not proofread.

A/N: i love all the other acheron lovers here yall are amazing ALSO I AGREE ON THE WHITE HAIR FORM PART IT LEGIT REMINDED ME OF A VAMPIRE and off topic but yall should’ve seen me when I was first pulling for her when she came out back then I was PRAYING like someone pull me off the fucking ceiling atp 🕯️

Blurry sights of the dim candlelight filled your vision as you blinked opened your eyes, your entire body limp and splayed out on the mattress. Each deep breath made your chest rise and fall rhythmically, scanning the room for any oddities present. A sudden sense of uneasiness washed over you upon remembering where you were, hands scrambling to your throat and brushing your fingers along your skin to find any traces of a bite.

A relived sigh blew from your lips upon failing to find any sign of the woman you were currently living with potentially sipping your throat as if it was a hearty snack. Acheron never drank any blood from you, nor had she even attempted. She’d usually cocoon herself in a random spot within the manor whenever hunger overtook her, attempting to control herself as shivers racked her body each time. It wasn’t the most pleasant sight to say the least. You found yourself engulfed with a sense of alarm each time you saw one of Acheron’s unnerving reactions.

The way her blood red eyes drilled into you made your pulse nearly cease from pure terror, stomach nearly dropping as your chest tightened in those moments. However, Acheron never mauled you like your internal self told you she would. Your thoughts exaggerated a bit, sure. But a vampire allowing you to live with her without anything in return couldn’t help but raise a few suspicions within you, she surely wanted your blood, right?

You were still a bit wobbly in your movements when you rose to your feet, heavy lidded eyes blinking groggily as you shouldered the heavy red curtains to the side. Faint rays of the orange light diffused into your room, giving view to the small cemetery garden located right below the large mansion. The solid stone tombs stuck out of the ground firmly, piles of soil scattered at the foot of the gravestones. You couldn’t help but think to yourself at the halfwitted thought process that could’ve gone into placing a cemetery garden right next to a vampire’s residence, also striking in the possibility that Acheron could’ve been the reason for half of the tombs in there.

The thick crimson curtains barely allowed any light to pass through, their deepened color bearing an uncanny resemblance to blood. Still a bit uncoordinated, you decided to pace around your room in circles to recollect yourself, bare feet thudding against the spruce flooring.

“You’re awake.”

The sudden low voice struck your body upright, slowly turning around to be met with Acheron’s piercing eyes. You rubbed your elbow bashfully as your chest tightened once more, feeling a sense of clawing fear once more within you. You couldn’t help it, she was terrifying. Every time she’d walk up behind you or toward you, even with good intentions, your heart felt like threads had wrapped around the beating muscle, and tugged outward to bury the threads within it.

“Sorry if I startled you.” Acheron replied coldly, seemingly being able to sense your fear. You let out a pathetic cough in response, attempting to cover up your initial trepidation. “Right- ah..don’t worry about it, Acheron. I’m just a little tired.”

Nodding, Acheron rolled her shoulders back as a stretch before turning away from you. You tilted your head at her avoidant behavior, the evident ominous feeling lingering in the air. She had always been the quiet type, yet something seemed…off. Shrugging, you shouldered past Acheron silently, keeping your gaze locked onto the ground or the ceiling—anything but her.

Your muscles tensed upon feeling her skin graze yours, puzzled at the odd feeling. It was warm, yet cold at the same time. The specks of vermillion cracking up her arms and seeping down the collar of her neck felt different from her bare skin. Yet the strangest thing was, she had tensed up as well as you brushed your shoulder against hers, as if she feared you just as much as you feared her. However, that couldn’t be the case.

After heading to the first floor of the manor, you couldn’t help but pick up on the thick ominous atmosphere clouding the entire place. The housekeepers themselves were shaken up too, all disheveled as if they hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep the previous night. A heavy feeling seemed to weigh down your body, as a sense of caution rang within your head. It was as if gravity had tripled, yet the day didn’t seem off, just normal like usual.

You mulled over all the possibilities as to why such an unsettling tension plagued the entire space, not being able to think of even one. That was until the faint sound of ragged breaths grew louder and louder, each breath increasing in volume than the last. The noises formed a disturbing bitterness piling up inside your throat, making you recoil physically as you heard how strained and guttural each cycle of inhales and exhales were. No doubt, it was probably Acheron.

Swallowing back your fear, you headed up the stairs slowly, time nearly stopping as your breath hitched with each anticipated step. You felt like a large, heavy stone was resting within your stomach as you stood before the door, a sliver of dim light peeking through the slight opening. Acheron’s huddled form made you feel all the more worried, brows furrowing and wrinkling up your face as you saw her body twitch occasionally.

Her white hair draped down her back and over her shoulders as her back hunched over, nails digging into her own arms as she hissed in pained intake of air through her fangs. You gently creaked the door open, making her jerk in response, but still facing away from you. Although you were afraid of Acheron, it hurt to see her like this, in pain and keeping to herself.

“Acheron..?”

You began in a hushed voice as to not startle her, reaching a hand out carefully. She was quick to snap her head around, fingers nearly bruising her hugged arms. You drew your hand back to your chest as it seemed to instinctively repel from Acheron’s bloodthirsty gaze. Her hand was pressed against her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut. It almost seemed like…she was in pain? Surges of pity for this poor woman’s famished state began to race through your mind.

“Sorry.” She croaked out hoarsely, trying to keep her voice indifferent yet evidently failing. You felt your heart almost burn at the sting of guilt you felt when she apologized, wanting to take her in your arms and hold her tight. You felt like you were in love with her all over again-

Wait, love?

You feared her, why was your brain suddenly spewing nonsense claiming to be in love with her?

No. That wasn’t it.

The reason you’d avoided Acheron was due to the way you couldn’t properly articulate your feelings to her. How you wanted to grow closer to this alluring woman and caress her cheek, whispering into her ear tenderly. How you wanted her fangs to dig into your throat and swallow each drop of your blood carefully like a divine meal she’d be honored to consume. Fear was just a mask used to avoid the fact that you’d fallen in love with someone your kind would’ve killed in an instant. Someone who your parents had always told you to beware of.

You quickly circled your arms around Acheron, squeezing her as you leaned into her back. Her expression softened, her breathing still heavy, yet seemingly calming down at your touch.

“(Name)…?”

“Hungry?”

She nodded at your upfront question visibly ashamed and embarrassed. You only pulled her to your chest, pale strands tickling your face as you buried your face into her silky hair. Acheron rested her hand atop yours which was encircled around her stomach, shaky sighs pushing past her parted lips periodically. Your thumb massaged soothing circles against her skin, eyes gently closed as you pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear.

“It’s alright. I’m here.”

Her eyelids drooped in comfort as she felt warmth course through her veins, her breathing still echoed throughout the manor, yet it seemed to calmed down quite a bit. Acheron slowly began to regain some semblance of calmness, her heavy lidded eyes locking up onto you from below. You simply flashed her a soft smile, finding it useless to hide any longer as you pulled her to your chest.

And it didn’t take long for you to unbutton your collar, tilting your neck to the side.

A/N: IM SORRY IF THE PLOT WAS TOO SUDDEN I NEED HER SO BADLY RN IM GONNA GO BUY AN ACHERON PLUSHIE ATP AND ITS SUPER LAYE SND IM SLEEPY IM SORRY 💔

I promise my next work will be better

I hate how this turned out

[tadc-harlequin-au]

If kinger and Z are too big to fit inside the manor like the others, what's their living situation like after becoming sane?

They just like to explore the mansion grounds, or do whatever. Z does build a bigger quarters for the larger residents, since believe me: those two aren't gonna be the only ones LMFAO

Initially, Kingr wasn't all too happy about his living conditions, though he's still grateful for being freed from his physical and mental prison, so he's officially allied himself with the group.

Like Pomni, he was itching for battle --although, not as insistent or hot-tempered as the Harlequin was--, and Pomni suggested he should be her new training dummy; an idea to which, he was fine with, since he still owed her gratitude.

Caine does offer an ultimatum himself: a chess board to pre-occupy the oversized chess-piece when there's no training. Though reluctant at first, he's haven't had a loss since, especially because Pomni was not the best strategist, and Ragatha just ends up losing always (chess was never her best suit anyways).

But Caine does prove himself to be a worthy opponent to the King, so it's become a recurring thing for everyone to watch the two battle on the board, as the manor's number of residents grow.

As the story goes along, Kingr slowly regains his humanity by curiously exploring bugs in the mansion's forest one day, and after remembering his past life; realizing that not everything is militaristic and about winnings, and that he should take his time simply enjoying the ways of life, because even the most mundane things can be so much more pleasant and fulfilling to experience than the concept of wars, valors and victories.

And this is what leads him to regretting a lot of the things he'd done since his time as the more sane Skirmish General. (totally not gonna be a plot point for him and Pomni to begin bonding over something that's not fighting teehee)

He becomes wiser, and more easygoing.

(There's also Quinnie.... which.... we won't talk about that for now ;3)

Z is happy to not have much rowdy roommates as everyone else (there's always something crashing or breaking inside the mansion at least once a day and Z can only assume the worst on what's happening), and they're also pretty thankful they're not physically bound to one place as before and could explore if they wanted to.

Z just wants to create something, or move something, a part of their old directive clearly still being present in them. So Pomni asked them to make weapons for her, to which, the giant Figure obliges.

Caine also suggested sculpting as a side hobby, so once every few months they'll leave for a few weeks with permission from the Puppetmaster, only to come back with either a GIANT ASS TREE, OR A MARBLE STONE --that who knows where they got it from-- and start carving shapes out of them.

Caine actually advised that instead of relying on their body's special tools to get the job done easily, that Z took their time making their ideas with more traditional methods and equipment.

As the story goes along, their sculptures actually take more and more forms as they regain their humanity and remember their past life: from brutalist and sharp shapes, to smoother, actual humanoid and still-life figures that Pomni asks about.

Z becomes more open to socializing, and accepting.

(I think I also want Z to take up landscaping, it seems like something they'd do for this AU-)

[starstruckunknown-princess]

Snowdrop - Bruce Wayne x Reader (Aka Snapdragon Pt 2)

Snowdrop (Galanthus) - Meaning: Consolation, Hope

Summary: Following your accusation of cheating, Bruce shares his biggest secret with you. Read Part 1 Here (but can be read on its own)

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x F!Reader

Word Count: 2450

Warnings: Angsty, mix of Nolan/2022 The Batman universes, kisses, lots of lingering touches but Bruce is nervous as hell, Alfred being a bit of a mother hen, mentions of Bruce's parents' death, mentions of danger

So this is my apology for cutting my 30 days down to 25 and leaving y'all hanging. I got sick and started a new job at the end of April so I've been busy! I'm thinking this might turn into a mini series or a bunch of headcanons because I just watched The Batman again and I want to love all over this sad, wet cat.

In Bloom Masterlist

Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are SUPER appreciated! <3

The private car pulled up outside Wayne Manor, Bruce having sent it to your office. You thanked the driver — noticeably not Alfred, much to your dismay — when he opened your door and helped you out. 

You looked up at the Gothic mansion. The weather perfectly complimented the sharp finials and fanciful turrets, dark clouds threatening rain looming behind it.

You couldn’t help but feel it was an omen of some kind. 

‘We need to talk.’

Bruce’s text from that morning (five thirty to be precise, who even gets up that early?) had your stomach in knots all day while you obsessed over the meaning behind his vagueness. Would it be a Good Talk? The kind that meant he was surprising you with a two-week-no-phones trip to a private tropical island so you could reconnect with each other? Part apology trip, part reassurance. 

Or was this a Bad Talk? He was stunned last night when you’d asked if he was cheating but he never actually answered the question. Maybe tonight he would explain that yes, he was cheating but not because he didn’t love you — he was just not cut out for monogamy. In which case you would be okay, but you’d definitely need to talk about boundaries and expectations. Or maybe he was so rankled by your accusation he would sulk all through dinner, then hand you a bag of all the things you’d left at his place and send you on your way. 

Due to the earliness of the text, you’d had all day to prepare for the worst case scenario. Squaring your shoulders, you walked up the stone steps to the front door. Before you could knock, Alfred had whipped the tall wooden doors open and ushered you inside. 

“Come in, come in, Miss! Don’t want to get caught in the rain, do we?” He took your coat and work bag, tucking them over his arm. “Master Wayne is waiting for you in the study while I finish up dinner. You can go on up, third door on the left, remember?” 

“Thanks, Alfred,” you replied, the butler disappearing as you mounted the massive main staircase. In no particular rush, you sauntered down the long spacious corridor, lined on both sides by paintings that cost more than you made in five years. The value of this hallway alone was more money than you’d probably ever see in your lifetime. Just outside the study, you paused in front of one of your favorites. 

A 19th-century piece by Turner, it depicted a ship lost in a storm. Thick swaths of violent black and blue, a shocking splash of amber in the center around the only recognizable part of the ship — the mast — which dipped at a dangerous angle. You felt like that boat right now. Tossed and turned about, a helpless casualty to an apathetic universe.

But calm seas never did make skilled sailors, and a skilled sailor knew that the only way out was through. With a steadying breath, you continued your way toward the study and entered. 

An Ella Fitzgerald song played lowly on the speakers, the fire was lit and cast a warm, comforting glow on the dark furniture. Across from you, silhouetted in the giant picture window, Bruce stood with his back to you. The urge to go over and wrap your arms around his waist, hug him from behind and bury your face between his shoulders was almost overwhelming until you remembered why you were there. 

“Bruce,” you said by way of announcing yourself. He turned then, blue eyes finding you instantaneously and he set down the whiskey glass he’d been holding. He looked tense, broad shoulders rigid atop a ramrod-straight spine, his gaze unwavering and unreadable. 

“I haven’t been cheating on you,” he said, glancing away before continuing, “but I haven’t been honest with you either. 

“Oh,” you breathed, unsure of what to do. This was strange — he was acting strange. He hadn’t offered you a drink, hadn’t greeted you, hadn’t even said your name. Your hands fidgeted restlessly — should you demand an explanation or keep your cool, wait for him to tell you? 

Bruce answered your unasked question for you. 

“Before I tell you I need you to know some things. First and foremost, I love you. I know my reputation as a playboy, but that’s…never really been me. And I know the press thinks we’re mismatched but they couldn’t be more wrong, okay? You are incredible and I wake up more and more in love with you. Even if —” he paused, gathered himself, “even if after I tell you, you never want to see me again. I will always love you.” 

Your knees shook — your entire body felt like jello. What he was going to tell you must be really, really bad. “I-I love you too, Bruce.”

He approached you then, apparently noticing the tremor in your voice. You let him take your trembling hand and lead you to the long leather couch by the fireplace. He looked so unlike himself — humbled and insecure where he was always calm and confident. Whatever he had to tell you, it was life-changing big.

The silver lining was that he wasn’t cheating on you. 

“Secondly,” he said, his tone quieter now that you sat side-by-side, him angling to face you, “is that this secret is…it’s dangerous. It could potentially put a target on your back if it ever came to light, so I’m giving you a choice. I will tell you if you want to know, or we can forget about it and move on. Pretend this never happened.” 

What could be so dangerous? You wracked your brain for an answer. Was he a drug kingpin? A mob boss? Mercenary? You doubted all those options given how much money he donated to GCPD and legal advocacy groups — but what if that was just a smoke screen to cover his heinous crimes? 

On the other hand, this was Bruce. Thoughtful, kind, generous Bruce who held you so gently when you lay in bed at night, who pulled out chairs and opened doors and walked on the street side of you wherever you went. The man who loved you so fiercely he’d made you believe in the concept again. 

You couldn’t languish in the storm any longer. You had to know. 

“Tell me, Bruce,” you said, trying to keep your voice from shaking. “I want to know.” 

He nodded solemnly, some of his hair falling into his face. He led you off the couch and toward a corner of the library where he gently tilted a nondescript leatherbound book off the shelf, which opened a hidden door. “It’s easier if I show you first.” 

When he’d first brought you to the Manor, you’d asked if he had any secret doors or hidden passages, to which he said no. You’d then teased him about it, expressing your disappointment. “How do you not? Isn’t that the point of a house like this? Damn, rich people are so bad at being rich!” 

If you weren’t currently trying to keep your insides from completely liquefying, you would’ve rubbed his face in the fact that you’d been right after all. 

An old-fashioned cage elevator opened, and Bruce gestured you inside. He followed and pushed a lever down. The door creaked shut and you began your descent. Into what or where, you had no idea. 

Sensing your trepidation, Bruce rested a hand on your lower back.

You relaxed a little at his touch, leaning back into it but still needing to break the taut line of tension between you. “Oh god, this isn’t the secret entrance to your illegal blood diamond mine, is it?” 

Bruce chuckled mirthlessly, “No, it’s not an illegal blood diamond mine.” 

“Hm,” you replied, “Would’ve explained the boatloads of cash.” 

By the time you finished your comment, you’d arrived at the bottom of the elevator shaft. The door opened with a whine, and you stepped into a place you never thought you’d see. A place you hadn’t really thought about existing but made sense. 

The space around you was cavernous — literally. Craggy walls with stalactites hanging down forty feet above your heads. The fluttering of some sort of winged creature echoed off of every surface. The setting was completely incongruous to all the high tech monitors, gadgets, and surveillance gear strewn about the numerous surfaces. 

Directly in front of you, a mannequin wearing a black suit of armor that any Gothamite would recognize stared at you. 

Batman. 

You wandered closer to the suit, seeing it up close for the first time, utterly gobsmacked. You couldn’t ignore the numerous scars that littered Bruce’s torso, a few of the larger ones lined up with areas in the suit that had been repaired. Moving further into the room, you let your eyes travel over the various in-progress projects, folders with papers and news articles spilling out of them, a stack of journals. The top of which was labeled with the current month and year on the front. Organized chaos — you were surprised Alfred let this mess stand. 

You looked back over your shoulder, searching for confirmation from Bruce who hadn’t moved out of the elevator. Giving you time to roam, explore, take it all in. 

“You’re Batman,” you said. The look on Bruce’s face said it all and slowly, certain things began to make sense. Late night texts, oddly placed scars and bruises with vague or strange explanations, how good he was at not waking you when he left your apartment. How Batman had all the cool criminal-catching tech and gadgets that the Gotham police couldn’t afford. The nigh-on-impossible-to-scale walls Bruce had built around himself, his playboy persona, all of it. 

He wasn’t kidding when he’d told you this secret was dangerous. How easily all of this could unravel.

You didn’t know what to say. So many questions buzzed through your mind it made you dizzy. 

“Are you…okay? What do you think?” he asked, taking a few cautious steps out of the elevator toward you.

“I’m okay,” you said, fixing your eyes on a batarang on the table beside you, absentmindedly tracing the sharp edge with one finger. “It’s a lot to take in. I mean, I almost wish you had been cheating. At least that way I could be mad, but this?” You gestured around the cave. “I don’t know how to react. I’m…shocked, obviously, but it makes so much sense and explains so much more that I’m overwhelmed by it.” 

You didn’t know when the tears started, but Bruce was in front of you, wiping them away with his thumbs before gently tilting your face up to his. 

“Do you want to go back upstairs? Alfred’s probably got dinner all set, you can have some time to process, ask questions…” he trailed off. 

You nodded, “Yeah, upstairs sounds good.” 

The ride back up to the manor was silent except for the creaking and groaning of the elevator. Bruce’s arm was around your shoulder, providing warmth and comfort to your increasingly numb body and mind. 

You had no idea what to feel. What to think. What to say. Maybe Bruce was right and you needed to process — yeah, that felt right, process. 

Process the fact that the man you love went around Gotham at night beating the snot out of evildoers. Spent the nights he wasn’t with you hunting down corrupt cops and serial killers and masked madmen who only wanted to watch the city — your city — burn itself to ashes. 

The lengths men will go to to avoid therapy.

Bruce led you through the study and down the hall to the dining room, where Alfred had set up a romantic candlelight dinner for two at the far end of the extravagantly long table. 

Like the gentleman he was raised to be, Bruce pulled out your chair and pushed it in as you sat, leaning forward to place a tender kiss at the crown of your head before taking his seat. 

Hope flickered in his eyes as he looked at you, and you looked away. 

Alfred entered the room pushing a cart of silver-domed trays. One by one he pulled the domes off to reveal all of your favorite comfort foods. No doubt this was Bruce’s idea. He was thoughtful like that; figuring that you would want comfort food after learning his secret. 

That hopeful flicker lingered over every bite you took as you dug in. You hadn’t realized how famished you were, having skipped lunch due to the unease caused by his cryptic text.

While you ate, your mind kept mulling over the information you’d learned. With how intelligent and thoughtful he was, you knew Bruce had gone over every possible outcome of tonight, which is why you suspected he left the choice up to you on whether you wanted to know or not. He had laid his cards on the table, trusted you with his most life-shattering secret, and the next move was up to you. He wouldn’t force a reaction or response and would respect and accept whatever you decided to do.

But really, what was there to do? You loved him, possibly more so after this incredible display of trust. Vulnerability like this wasn’t easy for either of you, so really your reaction was already determined. 

When you finished eating, you put your napkin on your plate and stood up. You crossed to Bruce’s seat and curled yourself on his lap. Automatically, his arms encircled you and you rested your head on his chest, noting how quickly his heart beat. 

“Thank you for telling me,” you said, burrowing a little further into his well-worn t-shirt. “I’m not going anywhere, though. I love you too much to let you keep doing this alone.” 

You could feel the tension you’d noticed earlier leave his body even as his arms tightened around you, pulling you somehow closer. 

“You realize the risk you’re putting yourself in, right? I…if anything happened to you because of—”

You pulled your head up and looked him square in the eye. “I know the risk. You’re worth the risk. And if anything happens to me, I’ll just haunt the batcave and the manor so it’ll be like I never left.” You were half-joking, smiling at him as you ran a hand through his long raven locks. He leaned into your touch, eyes closed. 

“I just can’t lose you like I lost…” My parents. 

It was unsaid, but the meaning was there. In that moment it was impossible not to see him as a young boy, newly orphaned, wandering this enormous house alone, looking for his mother and father. 

You pulled his head toward yours and rested your forehead on his temple while you continued to stroke his hair. 

“You’ll never lose me, Bruce,” you vowed.

[vivlily]

It is once more fox girl friday, but along with that it's also friday the 13th. So happy fox girl friday and...

BOOOO!

sorry that was pretty scary, but you know whats scarier? A story I heard about a merchant and his son stopping at a village. But this story might be toooo scary for a scared little fox like you, so I'll be nice just this once and hide it below.

I might misremember it since i heard it from like a youth pastor way back when (it's been a long time).

so like get this, this merchant and his son stopped by an otherwise unremarkable town to do like merchant stuff or whatever. And like eventually he got to selling some of his wares, but everyone kept avoiding one of his wares in particular. Can you guess what it was?

That's right, it was his apples, so he asked some of the villagers what was up.

"Is there anything about my apples that bothers you all?"

upon mention of apples, the villagers went stiff, fear enveloping their face's.

"Sir, t-t-t-heir marvelous apples sir. I-i-it's just that there lives an awful "plague god", in that manor across the lake."

"that vile creature... in it's infinite jealousy, ended up cursing those that ingest an apple."

The villagers went on to explain various tragedies that affected those unfortunate enough to eat one. And mentioning that the vile plague god takes the form of a young girl. And that if ever you notice a young girl on that isle, it's already to late for you. The plague god has already noticed you, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

But the merchant merely laughed and said

"Very well, I suppose I should enjoy my marvelous apples myself! WEHHEHHEH" (He had a really odd laugh, runs in the family I believe)

He had a bite.

Not long after he went looking for his son so that they could have a meal. Only to realize his son was missing, so off in a hurry he went to look for him. Asking as many people as he could.

Eventually a villager said that they saw a boat go out not long ago, towards that vile little plague god's domain.

He wasted no time and desperately paddled his way over to that cursed isle. Much to his relief his son was within sight, yet something was odd.

His son, one to only ever draw anything in the comfort of their own carriage was sat on the ground drawing the mansion. Relieved he gave his son a warm hug, and told him how dangerous it was here.

They had a moment, before the son asked if he could draw one more thing before they left the isle. The dad was worried, but he happened to be a softie when it came to his son, so he relented.

As the son finished drawing, he waved towards the manor, his father become confused, and very worried. The merchant was fearing that the vile plague god was in there. But he turned around and cast his gaze towards the mansions window, and saw nothing but the curtains.

Fearing his son was seeing things he said we leave now, and leave they did.

On their way back towards the town, the son proudly showed off various drawing's to his father. Explaining each and every one of them, and the son's final piece depicted a crying girl.

The father obviously confused mentioned "what brought this one on?"

"ooooo that was the girl in the window earlier"

The dad had never seen any girl, fear gripped his heart, and he decided that they leave immediately. And so leave they did, the dad swore never to return again, and to never have another marvelous apple again.

Heh, it's not really as scary as I remember if i'm being honest, it's the usual classic "ghost girl only the kid sees" kinda thing, a teensy bit boring tbh.

Honestly the only reason it stuck with me was because I kept wondering just why the ghost girl was crying? Well it's probably just adding the crying ghost trope for the sake of adding a trope, kinda lame imo.

Well that's that, have a marvelous fox girl friday!

[scenteddelusion5]

can you write a zestial x reader where the reader is an angel and they have a secret relationship but the seraphim found out and b an ned her from heaven

A Daring Creature -Part 1

Zestial x angel fem reader

Note: AHHH!!! I LOVE this!! Also why don't we have yellow text colours! I also had to take a LOT of liberties writing Zestial because we don't know much about him.

Warning: inacurate middle English

Word count: 1880

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4

Zestial was more than 400 years old, he lost the real count a LONG time ago. What he would never lose count of was how long he'd known her. To be fair it wasn't all THAT long ago, only 42 years ago, but he swore to himself he'd never forget that day.

He was hiding out in his mansion on his territory during extermination day when he heard a loud pang outside. Something must've hit the ground very hard, if it was a sinner they would probably already be dead by this point and if it was an exterminator, he didn't want to cross paths with them. So instead he hid deeper, in the basement of his mansion.

The day went on without a hitch and Zestial could leave his manor again to check what happened. While he was exploring his garden, he found a strange creature had crashed into the path, having destroyed the beautiful tiles. She had giant white wings and a yellow halo above her head. small wounds and bruises adorned her body with golden blood flowing out of them, they were, however, healing quickly. She wasn't dead.

Was this angel an exterminator? No, she didn't wear their uniform nor did she hold a black hallow like her military sisters, then why was she here. Zestial had many questions, but first he had to decide. Was it worth bringing in this angel to gain their favour even though she could become a threat later on?

She didn't seem to have any angelic weapons on her, she wouldn't be able to kill him... Zestial decided to bring her in and laid her down on a bed in one of his guest rooms. He designated one of his demon contracts to take care of her and warn him when she wakes up.

Y/n woke up with a headache, the last thing she remembered was falling face first into the ground and now she was in a bed? How did she get here. She slowly sat up, looking around the room, it was decorated with red, black and greenish yellow decor. Did this mean she made it to hell? Another look over her eyes landed on a man standing in the corner, he was short, wore a butler-like uniform and had a web in his hair. What she assumed to be a demon, had red skin and black horns.

"H-hello," she spoke but the demon stayed quiet. "Where am I?"

The demon looked at his watch. "Please put on this attire and wait here. I'll be informing master that you're awake." And with that the demon left without answering her question.

On the chair laid a simple black dress, nothing fancy but it also wasn't a rag. She slowly got out of bed, being careful with her headache, and changed out of her very badly damaged angel attire.

Who was this guy's master? The demon who lived there seemed to be very well of and thus powerful. What kind of mess did she get herself in now?

A knock came from the door, "lady, if you're finished changing please come out."

When she walked out, she saw the same demon waiting on her in the hallway.

"Follow me."

Looking around the hallways, the building looked like it was decorated by someone from th 17th century. Besides all the luxury paintings and dressers, what really stood out were the strange spiderweb motives all around the building, from the wallpapers to the candle chandeliers.

They ended up in front of a pair of doors that were at least 3 meters (10 feet) tall. The tops were arched and the handles looked like spiders.

The demon knocked on the giant doors. "She's here, sir."

"Thee can enter!"

The demon didn't react, so Y/n opened the door just enough to walk through. Inside was an office. The wooden walls as well as the furniture had flowery carvings in them, the fabric used for the cushiony parts of the furniture had web patterns in them and the candle light glowed green instead of yellow.

On the armchair behind the desk sat a tall figure, he had four green glowing eyes, a dark black cloak wrapped around his body, spider held the place of where his bowtie was supposed to be and a hat sat upon his head making his already tall figure even taller.

"Please, sitteth down." The man conjured up two cups of thee, one of which he took a sip from. "Now, wherefore is there an angel down here? Thee aren't an exterminator."

"I was just really curious about hell and kind off... Snuck down." Y/n awkwardly looked around the room avoiding eye contact with the demon in front of her. "What is an exterminator?"

Zestial choked on his tea hearing her question. "Does thou not knoweth?"

"No," she answered.

"Alloweth me to proposeth a deal." He got her attention again after she started to search around the room again. "I shall bid thee about the exterminations and hell, in turneth thee bid me in detaileth about how thee did get here." Zestial held out his hand, it became surrounded by glowing webs.

"Uhm sure, but we don't have to do the hand thingy." She laughed it off. "So when I first arrived in heaven three years ago, I started to wonder what hell was like. Nobody could give me a concrete answer, not even the seraphim. I made it my mission to find out what's it like. After two years, I realised a group of angels went down every year..."

"Hey lute!" Y/n ran up to the older angel. "Where were you yesterday?" "Work." "For a whole twenty four hours?" She asked. "Yes," Lute sighed, "what do you want Y/n?" "I was just curious." "Too curious, it's none of your business where and how I work."

"I knew I just had to follow them, so the next time they gathered, I snuck through the gates and jumped after them. On the way down, I had a bit of an accident, my wing got caught on the metal tip of a strange tower and it ripped through me. And that's how I ended up falling into the ground."

"I supposeth I shouldst hold up my own endeth. Every year, the heavens sendeth down an army of exterminators." As Zestial was telling her this Y/n's eyes widened. "Thy sisters cometh down to slaught'r."

"I... I know Lute and the others aren't model angels, but I doubt they would-"

"T's the thruth." Zestial stood up from his desk. "Anon, t's better thee leaveth. I wanteth not beest the targeteth of thy sisters."

He was about to snap his fingers when Y/n yelled, "WAIT!"

He stopped.

"How about another deal? No one of the angels know I'm here and I have a strong alibi. You seem like a powerful demon and I probably wouldn't survive the streets of hell. So, I stay with you for a year, you show me around and I'll give you... Whatever you want...?" Even though she talked a million miles a minute, he still understood her.

"I aught to want?" He considered it for a few seconds. "Dealeth." Zestial held out his hand and the glowing webs were back.

"You haven't said what yet..." But y/n didn't get an answer. "Fine, ONE thing you want."

Zestial nodded his head.

"Deal."

She shook his hand and for a slight second, his whole appearance seemed to change. The man became even taller, spiders crawled around his body and webs covered their intertwined hands. And then it was gone again, like it never happened.

"Edward shall be in chargeth of thy careth. I expecteth thee to never grise foor of these grounds unless thee has't mine own permission to doth so. Thee may taketh thy leave now." He shoed her away.

Y/n walked out of her office finally realising the gravity of the situation. She just gave a DEMON to make her do or get anything he wanted from her without any limits, except that he could only do so once of course. How stupid could she be? At least now she had a safe place to stay and a very intimidating tour guide.

A week went by and Y/n hadn't been able to explore hell at all. She was stuck in the manor, barely even allowed into the garden. At least she grew closer to the demon butler Edward.

At first the man was distant and cold but he slowly opened up to her. His wife and kids had gone to heaven while he was cast down for protecting them. Zestial had offered the safe and comfortable job as his butler and Edward accepted.

She also learned he was a lot more of a joker than he made himself out to be. When Y/n was helping him prepare dinner for only them two, which they decided was going to be pizza, she had tried to spin the dough and toss it in the air. It went horribly wrong, the dough landing on top of her face. Edward laughed so hard he started crying, after a while the man decided to try it too, only to end up in the same predicament.

Zestial was aware the two had grown closer, he didn’t mind, however. It meant that she wouldn’t bother him and go to Edward for everything. What he wasn't aware of was for the fact that Y/n had made it her mission to create fun activities in an otherwise boring mansion.

One day, Zestial was walking down the corridor to go and ask Ed to pick up an important package for him, only to find the strangest display in the hallway.

"This is going to go horribly wrong," the butler stated.

"It'll be fine, loosen up!" She laughed.

Edward sighed, "If you get hurt, I'm not patching up your wounds."

"I'll take that risk."

What Zestial saw was that the angel had tied sponges to her shoes and tried to skate around on the wet and soapy marble floor. He was just about to speak up when she slipped and fell back. Her back hit his waist, he quickly caught her.

"What art thee doing, î̷̟n̷̰͆͜s̴̢͍͒o̷̖͐l̷̟͇̂͠é̷͖n̶̙̫̑t̶̲̘̅͝ angel?" The overlord was glaring at her.

"I'm sorry sir, uh... Zestial sir." Y/n looked down at her soapy boots. "But you haven't showed me around all the fun stuff in hell, so I decided to make the fun!"

"I can't even but now," he explained, "Everything in doth timeth."

"Then I'll keep finding fun things to do."

Zestial sighed. Maybe this angel was more work than she was worth. "Fine, I shall taketh thee out tomorrow morning." He caved. "Doth not maketh me regreth it."

"YES!"

That nights Zestial was pondering about his angel guest while looking for a big robe. She was quite bothersome but then again, he had made the deal to show Y/n around. Although, the manor had been much more livelier in the week she had been there. Almost every day, he would walk through the hallways and hear laughter, which was a stark difference from before. The manor used to be eerily quiet, maybe she wasn't too bad after all.

Part 2

Masterlist/request guidelines

[rin-fukuroi]

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 [𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐜]

Please do not translate or publish my works without my permission.

The originals of my works can be read here

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Pairings: Diluc x fem!reader

Warnings: just comfort holiday’s fluff!

▶• ılıılıılıılıılıılı. Freya Ridings - Ultraviolet

Note: English is not my native language, so I apologize if there are errors in the text qq

art: @eea9a9

«You know you're always welcome at the distillery»

You burrow deeper into your warm voluminous scarf, replaying Diluc's words over and over in your head, like a mantra to calm down, which still cannot calm the excitement. This is the first time a man has invited you to his house for such as… Family activities. You felt awkward even when he just voiced his proposal with the same stoically serious expression on his face, typical for Diluc, so what is going on in your head and heart now when you approach the door of his luxurious mansion is hardly possible to describe in words at all.

Of course, the reason for most of your panic is the feelings that you have been desperately trying to hide for several long years, during which the friendship between you and Diluc seems to have become stronger, but this is absolutely not what you really want. And, as a good friend and a girl who never seems to dare to declare her feelings out loud, you simply had no right to refuse an invitation.

Outside, the snow-dusted distillery is already decorated with bright flashing lights, and a charming Christmas wreath flaunts on the door. This place has always seemed cozy to you, but now the warmth seeping out from the walls of the estate feels even brighter than usual on a slightly frosty pre-holiday day.

You hesitate, hesitantly clenching your fingers into a fist before knocking softly on the heavy door. You hear the soft click of heels, recognizing Adelinda in painfully familiar steps, who opens the doors in front of you, spreading a friendly smile.

— Lady Y/N, — the woman bows, stepping aside and letting you into the manor.

— Come on, Adelinde, we've known each other for years!

— Ha-ha, it's true. I suppose I could even call you a member of the young Master's family.

— Wh-what are you saying? — you mumble sheepishly, unwinding the scarf around your neck before handing it to the maid along with your coat. — Is Diluc in his office?

— No, it seems that Master has already started decorating the Christmas tree, — the woman grins, motioning you to go further into the living room. — I think he's going to need your help anyway.

You turn around, running your gaze around the spacious room, noticing Diluc standing in the corner, dressed in his classic trousers and shirt, thoughtfully peering into a large box standing on the coffee table. His hair is tied up in a high ponytail today, and you can't help but smile a little, remembering how you once mentioned that you like it. Not far from the puzzled red-haired man, on the right side of the fireplace, there was a tall Christmas tree, on which still no decorations were noticed, while you slowly crossed the living room, approaching your friend.

«And this is called "started decorating"?»

— As I see, you really can't do without my help here!

Your voice snaps Diluc out of his thoughts, and the man turns around, meeting your undisguised curiosity when you try to look behind his back.

— You're late, as always, so I decided to start without you.

— How rude! Moreover, apparently, so far your endeavors haven't been crowned with success, — you again glance at the bare Christmas tree, and Diluc sighs heavily, turning away towards the box.

— Of course. I have just started, and the selection of jewelry takes a lot of time.

You roll your eyes, standing up on your toes and looking over Diluc's shoulder. The box you are interested in is filled with a wide variety of toys and tinsel so much that your eyes run away. It seemed that this box had been filled for several decades with various decorations that had been passed down from generation to generation. Red, green, white and gold balls are neatly stacked on one half, while colorful tinsel and garlands are arranged on the other.

— Wow, you really have a lot of toys! — you take a step to the side, standing next to Diluc. — But I still don't understand what you're thinking about. Let's just hang them the way we want!

Diluc presses a relaxed fist to his lips, slightly clearing his throat.

— It was usually Adelinde who did it.

—Oh, — you nod knowingly, before a stunning realization gradually comes to you, and your face takes on a surprised look. — Wait, then why did you decide to do it now?

— There's no particular reason, — the man looks away. — I just found some free time this year.

— Is that so?

There is silence between the two of you for a few seconds before you break it with a thoughtful chuckle, after which your hands reach for the huge box.

— What are you doing? — Diluc asks anxiously, noticing how hard you are trying to tear the box off the table.

— It seemed much lighter in appearance! I thought it would be more convenient if we put the decorations next to the tree, so… — you giggle, making another futile attempt to lift the box, when suddenly it becomes surprisingly light and rises by itself in front of your eyes, making you cry out in surprise.

— You could have just asked me right away, — you feel Diluc's forearm touching your chest as he snatches the box from your hands, and instantly give up your desperate attempts, jumping aside.

And why did he take it into his head to do it now? Your heart is so restless again now, and you can feel the blood inevitably rushing to your face, fortunately, at the moment when Diluc is already turning away, easily transferring the jewelry box to a small bench in front of the fireplace. You always knew he was strong, but now his displays of masculinity make you even more nervous.

— T-thank you … — you move closer to the tree after Diluc, taking a deep breath to at least sort out your chaotic thoughts a little, and put your fists on your sides, raising your head in satisfaction. — Well, great, we can start!

Time flew by unnoticed. The two of you were just chatting about everything and nothing, as usual, but this time it felt like this… In a family way? You've never felt so close to Diluc as you do now. He's a complicated man. You can almost see the heavy weight he has shouldered on his own shoulders, but he steadfastly and worthily withstands his weight day by day, although he looks insanely lonely when you look at him from the outside. As a friend, you should have tried to lighten his burden, but you never made such attempts.

He doesn't need it.

For some reason, you have the strong impression that Diluc is one of those people who don't need words, don't need help. He just needs someone to be there for him, even though he will never admit it out loud. That's why he invited you, that's why now his face is decorated with a modest barely noticeable smile, that's why he doesn't even try to argue when you're running this little event organized just for the two of you. Therefore, his ruby eyes sparkle when he watches you enthusiastically inspect the tree from all sides in search of an empty place where you can hang another ball.

You are the most ordinary girl — that's what you and, perhaps, most of your friends think, but Diluc sees you differently. You have the power that he can't have. You are free, carefree, still retaining the interest and craving for life that Diluc lacks, and which you unknowingly share with him whenever you spend time together.

And he just… so tired.

Day by day, his childish naivety and thirst for adventurism, which still live in your heart, melt away before your eyes, replaced by a sense of banal duty. That's why he wanted to see you today, wants to see you tomorrow and every day of his dreary life after that. After all, you bring colors to his gray days, like those with which you decorate the once boring and nondescript Christmas tree near the fireplace in Diluc's living room, breathing life into it.

— Have you finished yet? — Diluc gets up from his chair, approaching you when he notices you taking a few steps away from the decorated Christmas tree, giving it an appraising look.

— Yes, but… something is missing.

Diluc follows you with his eyes as you hurriedly run to the front door, fumbling in your bag hanging on a hanger.

— I wasn't sure if you didn't have something like that, so I didn't get it out as soon as I came in.

You return to Diluc as cheerfully as you ran away, opening a small box in front of him, in which the top of the Christmas tree in the form of a red star lies neatly.

— Why the red one? Shouldn't the star be yellow?

— Well, there really were a lot of different yellow stars in the store, but as soon as I saw this one, I immediately thought that it reminded me of the color of your hair! — your lips stretch into a radiant smile when you look up at Diluc.

— Really? Did you buy it for such a silly reason?

You were almost pouting and were about to take offense at Diluc's words, when suddenly you saw his face for the first time in all the many years that you spent together, decorated with a genuine sincere smile, followed by a quiet laugh, muffled by his big palm leaning against his lips.

For some reason, this sight made you feel such indescribable lightness and… happiness?

Yes, indeed. If you were ever happy, it was at this moment when Diluc managed, even if only for a miserable moment, to let go of everything that burdens him. And it was you who caused it.

— Well, that's it, stop laughing at me already! — you turn away from Diluc, trying to hide the blush tingling your cheeks, and head for the tree, awkwardly rising on tiptoe in an attempt to reach the top of the tall tree.

You don't even notice how Diluc's quiet laughter subsides behind your back, and his hands are on your waist, catching you off guard even before your feet suddenly lift off the floor.

— Wh-what are you doing?! — you cry out, feeling Diluc's fingers pressing into your ribs in close proximity to your chest, while he just holds you up effortlessly, like you're a light little kitten.

— Didn't you need help?

— Y-yes, but… — you swallow nervously, hoping he doesn't feel your poor heart pounding. — Thanks.

It's so awkward, but so insanely pleasant that you're ready to squeak with delight, barely restraining your gusts of happiness while your trembling hands place a red star on top of the Christmas tree.

— You can let go, — you reluctantly signal to Diluc, actually wishing that he would hold you like this for at least a little longer.

Which he does.

You feel him slowly pulling you closer to his body, so much so that you can feel his breath on your lower back as he gently lowers you to the floor, just holding his hands on your waist for a few moments before letting go. You freeze, trying to record this moment in as small detail as possible in your memory, when you hear Diluc embarrassedly clearing his throat behind your back, forcing you to turn around and see how he looks away.

— Well… it seems that's it now.

— Oh, yes, — you take a step back again, standing next to Diluc and just admiring the result of your joint work. If you weren't involved in the process, but you still saw what this tree looked like before you both decorated it with balloons and garlands, you would be amazed at how much it has transformed, now really imbued with the Christmas spirit. — In my opinion, it turned out well!

Diluc also raises his head, scanning the elegant Christmas tree with ruby eyes, and if you put your hand to his chest now, you could feel his heart skip a beat. One look at it was enough to take him back to his childhood, when he decorated the Christmas tree with his father and brother in the same way. A peaceful, carefree and happy time, the warmth of which settled back into his soul thanks to you.

— Y/N, — you look up at Diluc, but he still doesn't take his eyes off the iridescent multicolored lights burning on the Christmas tree. — Come to us… no, to me for Christmas.

And this time he let you see how the pale skin of his face turned slightly pink when he said those words.

You just freeze, not taking your eyes off the beautiful man, who now looks even more charming when the twinkle of a garland is reflected in his scarlet eyes. Your lips open, ready to make some kind of barb or shower Diluc with awkward questions, but you just smile, twisting your own fingers behind your back before nodding gently.

— I'll definitely come.

[mintawasalreadytaken]

i saw in ur pinned post that ur into horror & am curious if you’ve extended that into fics at all? do you have recommendations?

i recently got SLIGHTLY into drarry + horror-ish vibes in fics and only read a few but i fell in LOVE with “Yours Is The Earth (Hold On, Hold On)” by chickenlivesinpumpkin - and it was like just the right amount of fucked up & just the right amount of like ‘holy shit??? DAMN’ with normal drarry in it.

was wondering if u had any similiar spooky time recs for drarry fics- maybe??

(‘: thank u so much ( ur works are so large they scare me a bit but i’ve bookmarked them for a less coward me in the future )

🦇 SPOOKY DRARRY RECS! 👹

hullo and THANK YOU for this rec! i am dearly thankful to get 100k+ of deliciously dark writing to sink into!

unfortunately, while i know i've read some really great drarry horror, it's lost to my AO3 history instead of bookmarked, so i'll be damned if i could remember or find any of it ☠️ my bad.

instead, i asked some fandom buds for their spooky drarry favs. in no particular order, here they are:

🔪 cruel blade by @wheezykat

Drowning in his grief after the murder of his husband, Draco will do anything to bring him back.

But this is not Harry. This is something else entirely.

🧠 mastermind by @schmem14

Draco Malfoy has been with Hermione Granger, is currently dating Harry Potter, and he's determined to have Ron Weasley at any cost. He has to complete his set of three, after all…

🌊 saltwater stain by @the-starryknight

Seven days stuck on a boat investigating a rogue ghost wouldn't be so bad if Harry didn't want Draco so much. Draco has his rules and Harry's content to follow them, but the air feels different away from the shore. Is it possible that the sea could offer Harry something impossible on land?

📚 i demand a soft epilogue by @the-starryknight

James didn't arrive on the Hogwarts Express, and so Harry hasn't slept in a week. Something has brought him back to the stoop outside a building marked "Library" in gold letters. He's going to go inside. Maybe the Librarian can help.

🩸 in our blood by @secretsalex-blog

Draco is an accomplished pure-blood curse breaker, and Harry is tasked with accompanying him on his latest job—cleaning up the Van Boer mansion, which has been under a devastating fertility curse for seven generations.

🎃 the other cottage by @corvuscrowned If Pansy wasn’t shagging Ginny Weasley, Draco would never have been dragged to Luna’s ridiculous Halloween party in the first place - meaning he wouldn't be sitting in the corner of the room with Harry Potter all night.

But when a strange comet passes overhead, things start to get even weirder than usual.

As the night unfolds, Harry and Draco are forced to grapple with strange realities, reckon with new sides of themselves, and find their way back before the comet finishes crossing the sky.

👻 on the last day by @thusspoketrish

Draco is still mourning the recent loss of his mother when the Wizarding World is struck with the tragic news of Harry Potter’s untimely death. It’s just his luck that Potter not only comes back as a ghost, but seems intent on haunting Draco as he’s the only one that can see him. It’s a race against time to retrace the last few days of Potter’s life in order to find his body before he’s lost to the living or spiritual realm forever. On their journey, they’ll uncover secrets, betrayals, and a horrific truth that will disrupt both the living and the dead.

🏚️ the manor by @kittycargo

There was something wrong with the Manor.

✨bonus points / non-Drarry✨

🐓 tidewracked, sidetracked by @vukovich (Luna/Theo)

A Cursed professor. An attractive Cursebreaker. A hut that grew chicken legs and rampaged around Hogwarts.

☁️ flour & flesh by anon (Pansy/Hermione) The cottage on the hill is shrouded in clouds like a secret. Our secret. In some muggle neighborhood lore, I’m sure we’re the witches inside, granting a glimpse of the future in exchange for a rusted penny. And no one else could find us unless they knew the way.

i'll shamelessly self-rec my whumptober collection and this erotic body horror fic replete with puns for you to sample as well.

do you have a fav spooky drarry fic to share? leave your recs in the comments/links in a reblog!

thx to @prolix- @kittycargo @the-starryknight @fictional @schmem14 @nv-md @citrusses @vukovich & @kittycargo for the recs xo

[eternalchiyo]

The Pianist and the Vampire

Summary: A scary vampire captures a young pianist and refuses to let her leave his mansion.

Pairing: Shuu x Chiyo

❗Content Warning: This is a Diabolik Lovers OC x Canon story. Please keep in mind, that it can and will feature dark topics and canon typical violence, as well as sexual content.❗

Chiyo looked out the big window of the manor. The sickle of the moon big, white and glowing against the night sky. How long has it been that she has last seen the sun? She couldn’t quite remember. Even then, seeing it from behind the window was completely different than being outside and enjoying it on her skin. Most of the time she was not even allowed to do that; the curtains remained closed the whole day.

She pulled her legs up on the large windowsill that she sat on and sighed. She didn’t even hear her captor enter the room.

“Why do you keep staring out the window all the time?”

The sudden question made her jump.

“Shuu…” she said.

Over time she decided to drop the honorifics. Using polite tone with someone who kidnapped you seemed very strange. Although it also seemed strange to her to just casually say his name like that too. She only hoped it grated him that she wouldn’t show him respect. Respect he demanded from her, him being a vampire, seeing himself above her.

She didn’t like how he leaned so nonchalantly against the window wall. Too close to her; way too close. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her answer.

“I am looking at the moon, is that not allowed?”

Shuu huffed and pushed himself away from the wall, standing right in front of her now. Clearly he didn’t like the way she still talked back to him, but she couldn’t do anything about it, she still had her pride, even as a woman. And she didn’t exactly want to become friends with him anyway. If she was going to rot away in some monster’s scary mansion she could at least rot away defying it until her last breath.

“You’re always talking back to me, refusing to obey, do you have a death wish?”

Chiyo refused to look at him. “You might have imprisoned me here, but I am not your puppet on a string. I still have my free will.”

Shuu leaned his hand against the wall. Chiyo pointedly looked away.

“You talk of free will… what power do you have to oppose me, you’re just a weak human,” he said.

“Half-human…” Chiyo corrected quietly, eyes trained on her feet.

“Is that so?” he asked.

Chiyo pressed her lips into a thin line and kept staring at her feet. Maybe if she ignored him long enough, he’d leave her alone. It only seemed to increasingly annoy the man next to her as he forcefully grabbed her chin and made her look at him.

“Answer me when I ask you something,” he said.

She glared at him. How many times did she have to repeat herself? She had mentioned it before already, but Shuu had never seemed convinced. It wasn’t her fault for being brought up in the human world and leading a mostly human life. All she knew was that her father was a vampire, she didn’t know much else about him as he rarely showed himself to her. Her mother seemed absolutely in love with that man, but she wasn’t sure how much to trust her in that regard. If you fell in love with a monster there simply was no way for your sanity to be completely intact. Nevertheless, she hated being looked down upon by him. Being half human and half vampire at least gave her the illusion of being able to talk to him on the same level, as equals.

Shuu let go of her chin, pushing her away roughly.

“Human or not, you sure are as stupid as one.”

She watched him walk around the room and make his way to the piano to pick up some music sheets.

“I hope you at least prepared for today, the guests will be here soon,” he said.

“Yes…” she said, still not looking in his direction.

Soon after she found herself in this vampire mansion, she found out that the reason she was abducted in the first place, had been nothing else than her piano skill. Had she been a man, maybe she would have been allowed to become a real musician, this way, the highest she could achieve was convincing her mother and her fiancé to let her play in front of their guests at huge gatherings. Who could have known this would inevitably lead to her demise. Maybe she should have had just accepted her place as a woman, quietly living alongside a husband that would have made all decisions for her, caged like a little songbird.

Only that songbirds were not denied their voice.

She wasn’t sure how Shuu had found out or had heard her play, but it didn’t really matter, as it wouldn’t change the outcome in any way. Sometimes Shuu would make her sit in front of the piano and play for hours on end, even whole nights. Every time she’d mess up, he'll punish her in one way or another, mostly hitting her fingers or sucking blood from them, which in turn would cause her to mess up more frequently from the pain she felt.

Shuu eventually left to prepare a few more things for this night’s soirée, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts. It has been many weeks since she had been brought here, surely her family was worried sick. She imagined her mother crying, wondering where her daughter disappeared to. Did her fiancé look for her? Ruki has never been very affectionate towards her, the whole marriage had been arranged for them. His father was an influential aristocrat, but Ruki had a reputation for being quite cruel, especially to his servants. He usually was critical towards her, and they butted heads more than once because of this. Chiyo disliked it when people made decisions for her; a bad characteristic to have in a world where being a woman was treated more like a medical condition than anything. Still she had always been hopeful that they would eventually warm up to each other, she’d hate to live in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life.

She took a look at the music sheets Shuu provided her a few days ago. He really wanted her to play La Campanella in front of a full room of people. She didn’t dislike the piece, but she found it hard to play so many fast paced tunes, and knowing Shuu, he expected her to deliver it flawlessly. Or was he setting her up for failure? She wasn’t sure but hoped it wasn’t the latter; surely he didn’t want to cause a scene at his own event. Although she couldn’t help but wonder why he would host them in the first place. He didn’t exactly seem like a sociable person, so maybe Reiji, his younger, but a lot better organized brother, made him do it?

Chiyo didn’t have any more time to think about Shuu’s true intentions, because Reiji came into the study to fetch her. Apparently the guests were arriving at this moment and her piano performance was to start while they waited for dinner to be served. She rarely interacted with Shuu’s younger brother, mainly because Shuu explicitly forbade her talking to him unless it was completely necessary. In general, she was not allowed to talk to anybody. It made for a rather boring day to day life, given that all she could occupy herself with were some old books and the piano she’d come to hate more than love lately.

Reiji seemed stricter than Shuu, but also more reasonable. She wondered if she could persuade him to let her go from this mansion, although it was probably unlikely.

The big room she was led into was already bustling with people. She heard the faint clink of glass on glass, as the guests started to drink their champagne and wine.

“I trust that you are aware of the proper etiquette for events like these, but just to be sure: do not do anything reckless. You are to entertain the guests with your music, do not initiate any conversations on your own,” Reiji said before he let her enter the room.

Chiyo pressed her lips into a thin line, everywhere the same thing.

Don’t make a sound.

Smile.

Look pretty.

“I know.”

She could feel the eyes on her as she entered the room and made her way to the piano. Most of the glances she got were curious, most likely brought by the fact that she was a new face.  She caught Shuu looking at her. His eyes traveled slowly from her head to her toes, practically drinking in her figure. She had worn a simple dress for this occasion, the only interesting thing about it being the delicately embroidered flowers at the hem. Even though the dress was modest, she felt exposed the way he kept his eyes on her, not sure if her shortness of breath came from her nervousness or the tightly laced corset.

Quickly she tried to focus on the task at hand: she was supposed to play music. Once Reiji announced her briefly, she did a short curtsy and got her music sheets ready.

Playing music was one of the things that always helped the girl relax and get her mind off things. Even while the room was full of strangers, once she started playing, it was as it was only her and the smooth keys of the instrument. She managed to get through the hard part that she was dreading before almost flawlessly. Shuu most likely caught her slight slip-up but didn’t say anything for the time being. The guests clapped once she finished the first song and Chiyo let out a shaky breath.

She provided background music until the last guests left the party. The whole night she could feel Shuu’s piercing gaze on her, it was as if he was staring daggers into her back, and she wasn’t sure why. Did he hate her performance that much? She tried to ignore it and pretended to be deeply fascinated by a speck of dust landing leisurely on the dark lacquer surface of the piano.

The fall board slammed shut suddenly and Shuu was standing right next to her, looking down on her.

“Are you going to keep sitting here forever?” he asked.

She was lucky her fingers weren’t resting on the keys, or she could have kissed them goodbye. It was hard for her to mask her shock at this man’s willingness to hurt her so deliberately.

“What, am I not allowed to do that anymore either?”

She tried to mask a bit of her fear with annoyance.

“I’ll bring you back to your room,” he said, completely ignoring her question. She looked up at him in distaste and sighed. A scene wasn’t something she wanted to make right now, maybe she would get to retreat to her room peacefully like this. She stood up and followed Shuu towards her chambers. Soon, she’d get back to her room, the door locked behind her, so she wouldn’t be able to leave, and she’d cry herself to sleep, as always. It has been a while, but the tears still wouldn’t stop every time she laid in bed.

Shuu stayed silent the whole way and she wondered whether he was angry with her for some reason.

As soon as they arrived, Chiyo made her way to the desk in the corner of the room, to put away the musical sheets. She’d been careless while doing so, because the edges of the paper slid against her fingertips and left a shallow but stinging cut in the delicate flesh.

She hissed and put her left hand towards her lips to alleviate the pain a little. Cuts like these were the worst kind, unassuming but incredibly painful.

“Show me that,” Shuu demanded.

Chiyo shook her head. “It’s nothing, I was careless and cut my finger, that’s all…”

Shuu clicked his tongue in annoyance and came closer, grabbing her wrist and yanking her towards him.

“Why do you have to keep making things complicated and be so stubborn all the time?” he asked as he examined the cut on her finger. She tried yanking her hand back, but his grip was too strong for her.

“Let go of me!” she cried.

“Stop being annoying and—”

Shuu’s attention shifted to the ring on her finger, and he frowned. Chiyo followed his gaze and gasped. She has been successful so far in hiding her engagement ring from him, either taking it off in time or not showing her left hand to him. This evening she decided to wear it to calm her nerves, it made her feel hopeful that Ruki would come for her after all.

As if he was able to read her thoughts Shuu then said:

“What? You still think that guy will come and save you? Pathetic.”

“You don’t know anything about him! I’m sure he’s trying to find out where I have gone!” she cried and frowned at him. Shuu let out a short breathy laugh at that.

“You think he cares enough about such a rebellious woman like you? I bet he’s currently out and about fucking someone else,” he said and looked at her with cold and menacing eyes.

Tears pricked her eyes and threatened to flow down her cheeks. She tried to hold them back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in her most vulnerable state.

“Liar…” she said quietly. Truth be told she wasn’t convinced by her own words either. Maybe Ruki did not want to get her back.

“Am I now?” he asked while putting her hand to his mouth and running his cold tongue along the side of her injured finger. Chiyo winced at the sensation; it felt so strange but mostly appalling, having her fingers licked by a man she disliked. Having her fingers licked by anybody would have felt weird, but she really didn’t want him close to her right now, if ever.

Her pulse quickened when his tongue went down from her wounded finger, along the palm of her hand and traced the artery on her wrist. She felt heat rise to her face and she gasped.

“Are you also going to call me a liar when I say that you’re enjoying this?” he asked without waiting for a response before he sank his sharp fangs into her wrist.

The girl cried out in pain. He had sucked her blood before, but not like this; she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. This was… different.

“Who… in their right mind… would enjoy that?” she said between shallow breaths and gritted teeth. His dark laugh sent vibrations through her whole arm as he kept sucking her blood. He held her firmly in place and lapped up what little blood had spilled down her forearm.

“A pervert like you, I am guessing,” he said with a dirty grin on his face. She frowned at him but cursed herself for blushing at his comment.

“That was punishment for your little mistake earlier,” he said, “now for this thing…”

He turned his attention back to her engagement ring and her eyes widened in fear. She thought he had forgotten about it by now.

“Time for you to take this worthless piece of junk off your finger finally.”

Despite her protests, Shuu slid the ring off her finger with ease and put it into his pocket. Surely he was going to throw it away somewhere Chiyo would never be able to find it again. It made her feel even more hopeless, having the only thing she had left, that still held some memories of home, taken from her. It filled her with despair seeing it gone.

Shuu took her left ring finger into his mouth and forcefully bit the place where her engagement ring sat on previously, making Chiyo hiss in pain. Once he was done he proudly looked at the result. A ring of teeth marks now adorning the finger.

“This should be enough for now to remind you who you belong to,” he said.

Chiyo couldn’t say anything in return, all fight had left her for tonight.

“You better rest up now, I want to listen to you play the piano again tomorrow. Don’t make mistakes next time.”

With that he left the room and locked it as always. Chiyo slumped down onto the floor, a huge sob running through her whole body. That sob was the catalyst for a dozen smaller ones as she cried her soul out. How, just how did it ever come to this? She never asked for anything like this to happen. The tears ran down her cheeks so violently as if she had never shed a single one of it in her life. She shook uncontrollably as she cried and cried pathetically on the cold floor until her body grew increasingly heavy and tired. Her eyes hurt and she had to close them eventually. She didn’t even notice when she drifted to sleep.

She jumped once she woke up. Looking around the room she soon realized that she must have fallen asleep on the floor. She stood up and looked outside. It seemed like she only slept for a few hours at best, as it was light outside; the early morning most likely. Back then it used to be her favorite hour of the day. Back when her life wasn’t… this. The air would always be fresh at this time, and she had enjoyed taking walks while most of the household was still asleep. The moment she looked at the garden outside, she made her mind up: She had to leave this place!

Should she just jump out the window? No, it was way too high up for her to safely land without hurting herself. Besides, the windows wouldn’t budge when she tried to open them. She sighed. The door was locked as well, so she wasn’t able to use it as an exit.

Unless she could pick the lock somehow.

She tried searching for a brooch or hairpin that she could use for her escape. Reiji had provided her with a wardrobe full of dresses that were the latest fashion trend, as well as a vanity full of the prettiest jewelry she has ever seen. She rarely made use of it though, feeling out of place and like this stuff was not hers; it wasn’t after all.

Digging through the jewelry box, she finally found a piece with a big enough needle and got to work. It wasn’t the easiest task, as she has never had to pick a lock before, but she needed to persevere. This was the only plan she had. Her only chance for freedom.

After what felt like an eternity she heard the lock click. She gasped and tried opening the door slowly. It had worked! It had really worked! Shuu and his brother were probably asleep right now, so her only worry were the servants that might be walking the hallways. Cautiously she stepped out, the brooch clutched tightly in her hand. It was so quiet she was scared to breathe, so scared was she of alerting anybody of her presence. Steadily she willed her feet forward, hoping that she would reach the entrance soon.

The hallway was long, and she was on a higher floor than the main entrance. Since she wasn’t allowed to walk around freely she also didn’t know the mansion well, so she wasn’t entirely sure which stairs led where and which she had to take to actually arrive where she wanted to arrive. Her shoes clanked uncomfortably against the hard stone stairs, no matter how softly she tried to set her feet down. Once she finally reached a carpeted area she let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t encounter any servants, or familiars as the vampires used to call them, so far and she wasn’t sure if that was a suspicious thing or not. She didn’t know much about their schedules either, only that one of them would bring her meals at set times.

Finally she saw the biggest pair of stairs of the mansion, the exit almost in her reach. As she began climbing down, she noticed how the walls were full of paintings. A particularly huge one caught her attention – it portrayed a beautiful woman, blue eyes and wonderful blond hair. This woman oozed elegance even when it was only an oil painting. The closer she looked the more she noticed how her features looked similar to Shuu’s. Was this his mother?

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Chiyo gasped and turned around in surprise; she got caught. At the top of the stairs was standing none other than Shuu. She had to act quickly; the door was only a few flights away after all.

Turning around again she dashed down the remaining stairs towards the door. She could hear him groan in the background as he went after her, but she wouldn’t waste this chance, not when she made it this far already.

She crashed against the door, frantically trying to turn the knob, but it wouldn’t budge.

Locked.

Desperately she looked at the massive piece of wood in front of her. Why wouldn’t it open?!

Before she could try anything else, her body was turned around and shoved roughly against the door. With both of Shuu’s hands on either side of her, she was trapped with no place to run now.

“Did you think you could just waltz out the door like that? And then what? Would you run back home and tell everyone how a big bad vampire violated you? Good luck getting that fiancé back with that,” he said.

Chiyo glared at him.

“That’s not even true—”

Before she managed to finish her protest he smashed his lips onto hers. Chiyo’s eyes widened in shock, no way this was happening. She tried her best to push him off her, but he didn’t budge.

“Sto—”

Her protest was in vain, and her opening her mouth only let him slide his own tongue in. Him sucking on her tongue like that felt shameful and embarrassing; she wanted to cry again. The chances of anybody taking her back when another man already had his way with her diminishing by the second.

She put her arms over her head defensively, which finally made him leave her lips alone and pull away a little.

“Please! I’m sorry! I’ll stay here and behave and do whatever you want, just please… please don’t do this to me!” She started sobbing uncontrollably, sliding down the door until she was a crying mess on the floor. Then it dawned on him.

“You…” he started and crouched down in front of her, “you've never kissed a man before…”

Chiyo put her arms down and looked at him confused with red eyes, face full of tears. What was he saying? Of course she had never kissed a man before!

Shuu sighed, an expression on his face she’s never seen before. Was that… regret? He stood up suddenly and reached out his hand to her.

“Come on, let’s talk in your room. I don't want you to sit on the floor.”

Moments later she found herself on her bed, leaning against the pillows. Shuu sat at the foot of the bed, not saying anything at all. Once she calmed down enough she decided to break the silence:

“I thought you wanted to talk…”

Shuu sighed.

“Let me ask you something,” he said.

Chiyo fell silent, waiting for him to go on.

“Are you scared of me?” he asked.

She looked down at her hands, starting to fidget. There was no use lying here, it wasn’t as if they were best friends after all.

“I am scared. Scared of this dark house and being all alone in here. Scared of making you angry and scared of you biting me because of stupid reasons. And I am also scared of you kissing me without me wanting it,” she said, still not looking up at him.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, “I didn’t know you were that inexperienced.”

“But you’re not sorry for keeping me here?”

Shuu shook his head.

“No… because I don’t want to let you go.” He turned his head towards her when he said that. Her breath hitched in her throat at the look he gave her. It looked so sincere and almost… sad.

“I like listening to you playing the piano. It lets me relax and fall asleep. And I also don’t feel like that other guy deserves you, so no, I am not sorry for keeping you here.”

Something in his words made Chiyo’s heart beat faster in her chest and her face get warm. She felt touched at his sincere appreciation of her. For the first time she felt almost seen by someone. A slight grin appeared on Shuu’s face.

“What? I say something nice once and you become a mess? Your face is red,” he said with satisfaction in his voice.

“Don’t tease me, people don’t usually compliment my skills much…”

Shuu leaned back on his hands; his eyes trained on her face. The blush on her face pleased him, she looked adorable like that, but he would never admit that out loud.

“What about that fiancé of yours?” he asked.

She averted her gaze. “I don’t know, he didn’t seem to particularly mind whatever I occupied myself with… but he also didn’t seem to particularly care.”

Shuu seemed in thought, as he played with the chiffon trim of her dress. Then he let out a long breath. “Do you really want to go back? To him?”

Chiyo shrugged and crossed her arms above her knees. Both situations were quite shit for her, no matter how she looked at it. Yes, she would be unhappy in a relationship with Ruki, where she would most likely have to be a docile wife, submitting to her husband. But here she was trapped in a dark house where she was never allowed to see the sun again, much less feel it on her skin. Locked away in this room, with all those dresses and jewelry she never asked for until Shuu would decide to come see her on a whim.

“I don’t like being locked up,” she said, “not figuratively or literally.”

“I feared you’d run away if I gave you too much freedom… so I ended up taking it away from you,” Shuu said. He sounded like he was sorry.

“That’s what made me run away in the first place!” she leaned forward, her hands dipping into the soft mattress.

“I know!”

He grabbed her hand, making her lose her balance. Her other hand landed on his shoulder on instinct. She gasped; their faces were so close now. She never noticed before how long his eyelashes were, how pretty his clear blue eyes looked framed by them. She has never seen the ocean, but she was sure that it would look exactly like what she was seeing in front of her now.

“I know…” he repeated.

Chiyo felt his arm around her waist, holding her in place, giving her balance. It was strange… she didn’t dislike the feeling at all. She let out a shaky breath as her eyes darted to his lips briefly. He pulled her closer, and it felt like her heart would fall out of her chest any moment. She was sure he could hear it hammer, even though he chose not to comment on it. He also didn’t try to kiss her again; even though now she felt like she wanted him to do it? Maybe this time he waited for her to make the first step. To show him what she wanted.

It took all her confidence and willpower to make her body move. She moved her face closer to his and gently pressed her lips against his. A clumsy and timid attempt at a kiss.

Shuu smiled against her lips. “Opening your mouth would make it easier,” he teased, taking advantage of the girl’s surprise, deepening the kiss. His cold tongue ran across her lower lip and traced the fangs of her upper teeth, making her shiver.

“Heh… you are a little vampire after all,” he said and kissed her again. His hands guiding her to straddle him. Her legs landing on either side of him.

Chiyo’s face was burning up from how much she was blushing, a sudden moan escaping her, making her blush harder. She was so embarrassed but was left wanting more. Shuu’s chest vibrated against hers as he chuckled.

“Nice sound… hey, it will feel even better when you stick your tongue out,” he said.

Stick her tongue out?! She wanted to protest, but the way his voice sounded so deep in her ears, she couldn’t help but do as told.

It wasn’t long before she was a moaning and panting mess in Shuu’s arms. She didn’t mind his hands roaming her body, slipping under her dress, grabbing the soft flesh of her thigh, rubbing his knee between her legs. Her head was spinning; she didn’t know what to do with her own hands, so she buried her fists in his shirt. She was sure it would wrinkle terribly afterwards, but she couldn’t bring herself to care enough.

Suddenly, Shuu drew away. She looked at him panicked; did she mess up somehow?

“You look like a deer in headlights,” he said amused.

Then he sighed. “You know that if I keep going you won’t be able to go back anymore, don’t you?”

The fog in her head that was caused by her arousal lifted momentarily and she blinked at him dumbfounded. She looked down, frowning. She had to make up her mind now, stay here with Shuu or hope that she could go back to the life she had to leave behind. As much as she hated the way she was brought here and treated initially, it seemed like Shuu genuinely took an interest in her. His touch was gentle, and she couldn’t deny how good it made her feel. But if she let him continue, her social standing and reputation would be ruined forever, at least amongst the human society.

“I will give you this chance right now. If you say no now, I will bring you back,” he said.

“Y-you mean I can really choose to go back?”

He nodded.

Wasn’t this what she wanted all along? For him to let her go? But then why did her heart feel so heavy at the thought suddenly?

“If I decide to stay… you’ll stop locking me up in my room?” she asked.

He nodded again.

“And I’ll be able to go outside during the day?”

“You’ll be able to go wherever you want at any time you desire,” he said.

His words were sincere, she could feel it. It was almost as if there was another person in front of her than the one she got to know before. Chiyo’s heart fluttered in her chest, a fuzzy feeling spreading inside of her.

“Then set me free…” she said.

Shuu frowned.

“…from the life I’ve led before.”

Set her free from the expectations and bounds of a society that cared nothing for her and her desires. Chiyo was fed up with having to hide parts of herself, of having to hide her passions. To hell with it, to hell with all of it!

She could feel the tension leaving Shuu’s body, as he leaned forward, his nose brushing hers.

“Gladly.”

His kiss was hungry, possessive, different from before. But loving, still so loving. It made her melt in his arms. Soon, she found herself pressed against the pillows again, Shuu placing a thousand wet kisses along her jaw and neck. Her hair, that she had previously put up in a low bun, came loose, pooling around her mostly naked shoulders and neckline.

A loud whine escaped her as soon as Shuu sucked the sensitive spot behind her ear.

“Do you have any idea how sinful you sound right now?” he groaned against her neck.

Not knowing what else to do with her trembling hands she grabbed the linen fabric of his shirt again. Much to Shuu’s amusement.

“Go on,” he whispered in her ear, “undress me. I know you want it.”

She would be lying if she said she didn’t want to do it, but she was still embarrassed; she has never seen a naked man before. As if sensing her hesitation, Shuu kissed her again, giving her the encouragement she needed. Her fingers were still trembling as she tried to unbutton the shirt, earning herself a chuckle from the man above her.

He kept whispering dirty things into her ear, spurring her on. She pulled the fabric over his head, messing up his hair a little in the process. Somehow he looked even more attractive to her this way.

Her eyes ran down Shuu’s naked torso, taking in every detail, running her fingertips along his abdomen, mesmerized by how his muscles flexed under her touch. Hands trailing lower and lower.

“Dirty girl… are you having fun?” he teased, and she snapped out of it. She looked up at him, a sheepish smile and faint blush on her face.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

"Don't be..."

Shuu pulled her into an upright position, his hands getting to work behind her back. It was his turn to undress her now, his fingers working swiftly through the hooks of her bodice. He was no beginner and Chiyo could not help but feel somewhat glad that he knew what he was doing. Still, she felt exposed, chest heaving, her top half only clad in undergarments now. He kissed her again, his arms working their way under the lower half of her dress and the petticoat layers, pulling her hips closer to him. Her own arms snaked around his neck, pressing her chest against his, moaning into the kiss when she felt his hand slide up the leg of her undergarments and squeeze the underside of her thigh firmly. Her back arched in pleasure, making her hips brush against his.

She gasped, breaking the kiss.

“You’re hard…” she breathed against his lips.

Shuu hummed in approval. “Hmm, and you’re wet.”

Chiyo let out a drawn out mewl when he traced a finger along her folds, brushing slightly along a bundle of nerves that made her hips buck into his hand involuntarily. How did he sneak his hands down her underwear without her noticing?

“Dirty girl… keep making those beautiful sounds for me,” he said nibbling on her earlobe, moving his fingers up and down gently.

Every inch of her felt hot, her skin flushed, yet whole body was shivering. Her nails dug into his skin, the sensations making her head spin again. Shuu’s voice rang in her ear while he dipped one finger in, then two. They went in easily with how wet she was. When she looked up she could see right into his eyes, watching her intently, his gaze helping her relax a bit. There were so many new sensations she had to get used to, his fingers inside of her feeling foreign but not unwelcome.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes…” her voice came out as a short breath, body jerking when Shuu curled his fingers inside of her. A cry of pleasure escaped her.

“Good, because I’m not stopping.”

He bit her earlobe again and moved his fingers faster inside of her. Chiyo’s hips moved on their own against his hand, she needed more friction. It was as if her body knew what to do on instinct, the way she moved, making him adjust, so the palm of his hand rubbed perfectly against her clit. She thought she’d go crazy if it went on for any longer. A loud cry filling the room.

“S-Shuu, I don’t think… I don’t think I can take it any longer…!” she moaned.

Shuu groaned against her ear, his fingers sliding in and out of her faster and faster.

“That’s okay, just let it out… you can do that for me can’t you?”

Shuu’s voice kept egging her on, the knot in her stomach feeling bigger and bigger. She fisted the skirt of her own dress, arching her body, pressing herself further into his hand until finally she felt a wave rush over her, all muscles in her body relaxing at the same time. Her hands let go of the fabric she was clutching so tightly before, only now noticing the sweat on her forehead and how out of breath she was. The fingers inside of her moved slowly for a while longer, helping her ride out her high before retracting, leaving her feeling empty.

She whined weakly as she watched him put his fingers to his lips, eyes widening when he licked them clean.

“What? Don’t make a face as if what I am doing is so scandalous while you lay in front of me half naked,” he said with a teasing grin on his face. She grumbled, embarrassed by his words. However, her body still ached for his touch, so she really was not one to protest.

“You know…” he said coming closer again and hovering over her, “I’ve been wondering how this part of you looks undressed for a while now.”

Chiyo gasped when he pulled down her chemise, revealing her naked chest and hard nipples. Even though her body still felt sensitive, she still arched her back again when he started playing with them, rolling her nipples between his fingers and relishing in the beautiful sounds this made her do. He grabbed her harder, massaging the soft flesh of one breast and planting kisses on the other side. His tongue traced her other nipple, and she could feel him suck on the flesh above, causing a red mark to form there. The girl’s breath hitched in her throat when she felt him graze his fangs against that very spot.

“Shuu—”

He sunk his fangs into her chest, her protest turning into a desperate mewl. She has never felt like this while having her blood sucked before. Fingers fisting in his blond, messy hair she pulled him closer. She was so dazed she didn’t notice him working his own hands to remove her skirts. He pulled them over her head swiftly, leaving her bare and exposed in front of him. On instinct, the first thing she did was try to cover her body; however Shuu held her arms in place.

“Don’t hide your pretty body from me,” he said.

Pretty? Chiyo could feel her face heat up again. It’s not like she disliked her body or anything, but hearing a man compliment her – having Shuu compliment her, made her burn with want. She reached up to cup his face and kissed him, taking the initiative herself for once. It took Shuu aback and almost made him lose his balance, but he quickly regained composure and kissed her back.

Guiding her hands down his body to the hem of his pants, he whispered in her ear seductively: “Come on, don’t make me wait longer.”

Curiosity taking over her, she couldn’t help but touch him through his clothes, earning herself a deep growl from him. She felt that one in her core. Impatiently and still a bit clumsily she unbuttoned his pants and helped him out of them. She was mesmerized by the way his hard length looked, already leaking from the tip. She swallowed hard, unable to tear her eyes away. Timidly she reached out her hand.

“Can I—”

Shuu was amused that she even felt the need to ask but told her to go ahead. She stroked him slowly and carefully, unsure how much pressure to apply. He closed his own hand over hers, helping her find the right pace and groaning into her ear, giving her a confidence boost. She leaned forward and started kissing his neck. His skin was only a little colder than her own, but she could make out a faint pulse underneath.

Suddenly she was grabbed by the hips and pushed into the mattress, hearing Shuu curse above her head. His breathing was ragged, and he seemed to be getting impatient.

“I’m going to make you mine now,” he said.

Chiyo looked up at him, her hands on his shoulders. She could feel him hard against her wet entrance; the thought of him stretching her out and claiming her caused her to moan.

“You’re that eager for me to make you a woman? Don’t worry, I’ll even be gentle,” he said, placing a kiss in the corner of her lips. He slid the tip up and down along her folds, making her legs tremble when she wrapped them around his waist.

He inserted himself slowly and steadily, but it still wasn’t enough for Chiyo to feel completely comfortable. It turned out a man’s length was much more difficult to take than a finger. Tears pricked in her eyes; she really wanted him to fill her whole, but it still hurt. She tried to focus on Shuu’s deep voice that whispered into her ear.

Good girl.

You’re so wet.

Relax.

You’re doing well.

Take it all like the pervert you are.

He took a moment to let her catch her breath when he was finally fully inside her, waiting for her to give him a sign to move. Once the initial sting subsided, she could feel her muscles twitch around him, how nicely he stretched her insides. She hummed in satisfaction and pressed him closer, tightening her legs around him.

Shuu got a hold of her hands and pinned them above her head, thrusting in and out of her. His pace was steady and slow at first, forcing shivers of breath out of Chiyo. But he wasn't able to keep it like that for too long. His thrusts were deep and hard, getting faster and faster the longer it went on. Soon the girl could feel nothing but pleasure pool in her abdomen.

“Aaaaah! S-Shuu—"

“You’re such a dirty girl, moaning like that and sucking me in on your first time. Go on, cry out my name louder. I want everyone to hear who you belong to.”

Moans kept on coming out of her mouth, out of control, a mix of incoherent pleas and his name on her tongue.

Shuu started thrusting even harder and faster inside her, his forehead resting against hers.

“Tell me you’re mine—” he breathed.

“I’m yours, Shuu. I’m yours!” Her own hips moved up to meet his halfway, feeling a carnal need to have him even deeper inside of her. Soon she would reach another peak, she was sure.

He hit a spot inside her that made her shut her eyes tightly and arch her back. Making her clench down on him so tightly that he cursed. He buried his face in her neck, pressing himself deeper inside, his pelvis rubbing against hers.

“Fuck… the sounds you make— You lewd woman.” He let go of her hands to grab her hips and pound harder into her.

“Aah-Haah! Shuu! If you do this I’m going to—”

“Then come. Come for me and I’ll fill you up nicely.”

Desperation seeped into his voice; he really needed her as badly as she needed him. And so she came. Toes curling and fingers digging into his back, leaving red marks, crying out his name in so much pleasure, it turned into sobs.

His lips found hers. Her pussy gripping him so tightly he simply had no other choice but to reach his limit shortly after. His warm seed filled her as he held her in place by the hips, his grip bruisingly strong. She moaned against his kisses loudly, the unknown sensation overwhelming her yet again.

Shuu looked at her as he tried to catch his breath. He looked the most beautiful to her right now, his hair messy, cheeks slightly flushed and his eyes looking down on her filled with something that she could only describe as love.

She looked up at him, a tired but satisfied smile dancing on her lips, earning herself a comment from Shuu. But she was too tired to talk back, or move, for that matter. Eventually, Shuu pulled out of her and maneuvered them around on the bed, so they were laying properly on the pillows and under a blanket.

Chiyo’s head was resting on Shuu’s chest as she listened to his heartbeat. It felt oddly human, this situation. His breathing was steady, as he was dozing off. She smiled to herself and hugged him tightly.

This big bad vampire was not that bad at all.

A/N: Not an Everlasting Spark update but a treat nonetheless! This piece has been sitting in my fanfiction folder for quite some time now, as I kept revisiting it, thinking it is not good enough yet. But I decided to battle perfectionism today by posting! This little one shot is an AU where I wanted to explore a hypothetical situation in which Chiyo would have been raised by humans. I don't remember exactly but I think I aimed it to be set around the 1860s, but please don't expect a lot of historical accuracy... In any case, I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!

[genshinluvr]

Haus of Harbingers

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: You've always wanted to see the inside of the Harbingers' estate, and now you finally did! You never knew why the men didn't want you to go over there to visit other than because the estate belonged to the four Harbingers. Who knew that this would be the first and last time you visited the Haus of Harbingers.

Note: I think this is a somewhat anticipated chapter; people want to know what the Harbingers' estate looks like and the reader visiting it. So, here it is! >:D I took a while to update this on a Saturday because I went to a Genshin meet-up and was in line for a few hours. I was also in cosplay, and it took me some time to get out of it 💀 I'm trying to keep up with my updates while midterms are going on. Then again, the quarter is nearing the end, and I am hoping that I did well this quarter of the school year 🥹 Hoping the next quarters will be good to me. Anyway! I hope you all like this fic! Remember that I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Other than the reader getting a minor cut, there are not many warnings in this story that I know of 🤔

Word Count: 8k

You lay in the hammock underneath the tree in the abode, staring up at the leaves that covered the brilliant blue sky and fluffy cotton candy white clouds. You turn on your side and are now facing the secondary mansion in the abode. The manor belongs to the Harbingers, a place that you’ve never visited before nor have you stepped foot into. Slowly sitting up on the hammock, you keep your eyes on the estate, your head tilting to the side.

“Am I allowed to step foot into their estate?” You mutter to yourself. “They did say, that one time, that I can always come over whenever I want and that I’m always welcomed.” You stroke your chin and slowly get up from the hammock. 

You place your left foot on the grass and hop out of the hammock, only for your right foot to get caught in between the ropes. You tumble to the ground with a loud thud, your right leg dangling in the air. You wince and reach up towards the rope to free yourself from the restraints.

“That fall looks painful. Do you want me to get the first aid kit?” 

You jolt when someone suddenly speaks up. You look up from where you lay and smile sheepishly when you and Tighnari make eye contact. Tighnari walks over to where you’re lying before squatting in front of you, his ears twitching.

“Other than my pride being bruised, I think something else is bruised as well.” You feel your face heat up. 

Tighnari stands up and frees you from the restraints of the hammock. You sigh in relief, rubbing your foot. Tighnari holds his hand out for you to take, and you grab it with a grateful smile. You dust your clothes off and let Tighnari lead you back to the estate with him walking ahead of you. You look over at the Harbingers' mansion with curiosity. 

“Snookums, what are you looking at? You should be looking at me instead!” Childe whines, trotting up to you.

You snap out of your thoughts and look over at Childe with a smile. “Alright, you have my attention, you big baby.” You snort, wrapping your arms around his waist and letting him pull you into the mansion. 

“[Y/N], did something happen?” Baizhu asks, walking up to you while gazing at you worriedly.

“I…. yes and no?” You look at Baizhu inquisitively. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re asking me about specifically. Can you please clarify that for me?” 

Albedo stands next to Baizhu. “We saw Tighnari walking to the infirmary while muttering something about getting a first aid kit for you because you injured yourself.”

“Oh! Well, my foot got caught in the ropes of the hammock, and I fell to the ground. Other than that, I’m okay!” You said, giving the men thumbs up. “I do have a minor scratch, so I might as well get that disinfected and wrapped up in a bandaid, just in case.” 

Tighnari comes back with a small first aid kit in his hands. He gestures for you to sit down on the couch so he can treat your minor wound. You walk over to the couch and sit down on the empty couch across from Zhongli, who is reading a book that he has gotten from the shelf in the abode’s library. Zhongli looks up from his book and gives you a smile, closing the book and placing it on the coffee table between you two.

“Did you enjoy your time alone on the hammock, dearest?” Zhongli asks softly.

You smile widely and nod your head. “Yes, I did! It was nice to sit on the hammock alone under the tree’s shade. Although, I couldn’t help but miss listening to your stories whenever we sit under in the hammock in the shade.” You reach toward Zhongli and lightly poke his chest.

“You enjoy those stories? In my opinion, most of the stories are kind of a snooze fest to me! But the ones that I really like, and get my blood pumping, would be the stories about the archon war!” Itto says, plopping down beside you and draping his arm over your shoulders.

“Geez, Itto. No need to throw shade at Zhongli and his stories.” Cyno mutters, stifling his laughter and clearing his throat loudly.

Al Haitham slowly looks over at Cyno, his left eye twitching. “What is up with you and pun jokes?”

Venti chuckles and lightly nudges Al Haitham. “Oh, come on, Al Haitham! Lighten up! Cyno’s jokes are pretty funny and clever,” Venti says. Al Haitham mutters under his breath and lets out a slow sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly.

“Dear archons, why is Tighnari putting a bandaid on you? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Gorou asks the minute he steps into the living room, his ears twitching with worry and his eyes zeroing in on the area where Tighnari is disinfecting.

You shake your head. “My foot got caught in the ropes of the hammock, and I fell. I’m okay; nothing to worry about! There’s a tiny scratch, and Tighnari is putting a bandaid over it, even though he didn’t have to do it.” You pat Tighnari’s head. “All of you are worrywarts, but it’s cute!” You added, putting your hands in your lap.

Diluc sighs and crosses his arms over his chest. “How can we not worry? Do you not remember the time when you wanted to pet those rifthounds on Tsurumi Island?” Diluc asks. 

You pursed your lips and lightly tugged on the hem of your shirt. “Listen, that was when I first arrived in Teyvat. I wanted to see if the things in your world would affect me or not.” You shrugged your shoulders as if it was the obvious answer. “Plus, I bet they look adorable as babies! Well, pups.” You clap your hand lightly.

You couldn’t help but realize that living in the central estate is full of life and energy where you and the majority of the men reside. While the main manor of the abode is bigger and full of life, you can’t help but wonder what the atmosphere is like over at the Harbingers’ estate. Was it just as full of life, or was it more calm and quiet over there? After all, there are, like, four people living in that estate compared to the main mansion.

“What’s on your mind?” Heizou asks, poking your forehead lightly and keeping his index finger connected to your forehead. 

You blink up at Heizou and grab onto his finger, lightly squeezing it. “I was wondering….” You trailed off, slowly spacing out.

It was now Aether’s turn to poke you in the forehead to grab your attention. “You’re wondering what?” Aether asks; he tilts his head to the side cutely. The way he did it reminds you of a cat.

You press your lips into a thin line. “This estate is always full of life. There’s never a dull moment here, like ever,” You said. 

Now, how are you going to be able to ask them for permission to go to the Harbingers’ mansion? It’s not like you need supervising wherever you do. Still, because most men are wary of the Harbingers—heck, even Scaramouche and Childe are skeptical of the other four Harbingers and their intentions! Surely they would mind if you paid the four Harbingers a visit, right? After all, you do need a change of scenery once in a while! Plus, they did invite you to come and visit their estate, so it would be rude to leave that invitation unanswered.

“There’s never a dull moment in this estate because we’re constantly surrounded by idiots who wreak havoc in the estate.” Xiao huffs, looking over toward Itto, Childe, Aether, Venti, and Heizou. The quintet gives Xiao a look of disbelief; some look offended (Childe), while the others (Aether and Venti) try to act like they didn’t hear anything that came out of Xiao’s mouth. You snort and shake your head.

“I love how this mansion doesn’t have a dull moment. This makes me wonder about the atmosphere over at the Harbingers’ estate.” You said thoughtfully, resting your back against the couch. “I’ve never been there, so I wouldn’t know.” You shrugged your shoulders with a yearning sigh.

“You want to visit the Harbingers’ estate, don’t you?” Scaramouche raises his eyebrows at you, his arms crossed over his torso.

“Maybeeeeee. Yes….” You trail off. “I just want to see what it looks like on the inside! They also invited me to come over whenever I want to, and I think it’s rude if I leave their invitation unanswered!” You quickly added.

“I don’t know. As much as I want you to visit the Harbingers’ estate, I can’t help but get a strange feeling from their estate.” Ayato mutters.

“What, you guys think that they have some secret laboratory where they experiment on people without our knowledge?” You ask sarcastically. The men remain silent and stare at you, their lips pressed in a thin line. “Oh my gosh, do you guys think they actually do that?” You whisper, and your eyes widen with surprise.

“They are Harbingers, so it’s possible that they perform outlandish experiments on creatures and humans,” Kaeya replies.

“Especially Dottore; they call him “The Doctor” for a reason,” Thoma interjects, propping both of his hands on his hips.

You sigh softly. “How about this; you all can come along with me to make sure that nothing happens! I’m sure nothing will happen, but to ease your worries, you call can go visit their estate with me!” You suggest.

“I think paying a visit to their estate would be a nice change! After all, they do visit our mansion quite a lot. It’s only fair that we’re the visitors, and they’re the hosts.” Kazuha says with a faint smile on his face.

You grin widely and clap your hands. “Great! Let’s go visit them now!” You said. You got up from the couch and skipped towards the front door of the estate.

“Oh, you mean today. I thought we were going to pay the Harbingers a visit the next day.” Dainsleif blinks at you before turning to look at the other men around him.

“Wow, Dainsleif, I didn’t know you’re a rhyme god,” Cyno commented, the corners of his lips curving up in a small smile.

Al Haitham smirks. “Looks like you can learn a thing or two from him, Cyno. Your jokes need improvement, for sure.” Al Haitham feigns a yawn. Al Haitham lets out a grunt when Cyno elbows him in the ribs with his elbows. 

Tighnari lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes his head at Al Haitham and Cyno. “Children these days. Always bickering and picking on each other over the littlest things.” Tighnari lets out a small “tsk” of displeasure.

“I mean, I did want to visit them today, but if tomorrow is preferable, then we can do that instead!” You said, rocking back and forth on your heels. “I’m okay with whichever options you all choose as long as we visit their estate.” You said.

“Should we inform them of our visitation tomorrow?” Zhongli asks. You pause for a moment and caress your chin with your hand, and pinch the fat of your chin. You want the visitation to be a surprise, but it would be rude to suddenly drop by without informing the four men about it. They might need time to make their estate look presentable if there is anything they need to adjust and clean. 

“That depends. Are we only visiting those Harbingers just to see what the inside of their mansion looks like, or are we going to stay for some time and have breakfast or lunch over at their manor?” Diluc raises his eyebrows. 

Childe snorts. “If we’re staying over for breakfast or lunch, Thoma should be the one to cook. Those men may be good at their job, but cooking isn’t their specialty.” 

“Oh? So despite me being the visitor, I still have to cook for the hosts of that estate?” Thoma huffs, narrowing his eyes at Childe.

“I think we’re just going to visit them! After all, I don’t think they have a dining table that sits up to over twenty people. After all, there are four people living in that estate compared to our mansion.” You commented as you walked back to the loveseat where you had sat previously. “Plus, I have a small feeling that none of you want to stay for long, so we might as well visit and get a tour of their estate,” You added.

“Do you think they have a lab like Albedo?” Heizou whispers to Aether.

Aether nods his head. “Oh, no doubt about it! I know Dottore has some underground lair where he has experiments and clones of himself.” Aether replies in a faint whisper.

“Dottore is a strange man, don’t you think?” Venti asks.

Ayato lets out an amused laugh. “They’re all strange. I don’t understand how they’re able to convince us to let them reside in their own estate in our abode,” Ayato says, brushing away the speck of dust on his shoulders.

Dainsleif nods his head. “Yeah, you and me both,” Dainsleif mutters. 

Lately, there has been tension between the men and the four Harbingers. While the Harbingers are nice to you, the other men couldn’t help but be wary around them. Childe and Scaramouche would always stick to your side if any of the other Harbingers were present. Despite them being comrades (well, former comrades on Scaramouche’s end), the six Harbingers are tense around each other and would look like they’re ready to draw out their weapons and possibly kill each other on the spot if they could.

It’s not any better with the other men as well. Especially Diluc; you knew the red-headed man hated the Harbingers with burning passion. Diluc tries his best to keep his distance from the Harbingers; he can tolerate Childe and Scaramouche to an extent. But with the other four Harbingers, that’s a different story, and Diluc would try his best to avoid them like the plague. Dottore, in particular, loves messing with Diluc, and he knows how protective Diluc is of you. Dottore would test Diluc’s patience by teasing you to the point where Diluc launched his claymore in Dottore’s direction, almost decapitating the man.

Needless to say, the tensions are high between these men, and you’re not even sure if they should reside in the same abode at this point. Yes, they live in separate estates, but it doesn’t quell the tension between these men.

“Well, since we’re visiting their mansion tomorrow, I’m going to take a nap.” You said, getting up from the couch. “I’m really exhausted.” You rub your eyes.

“Oh? Are you tired because of how often you’ve been studying for the Akademiya?” Albedo asks, looking at you curiously. 

You nod your head to Albedo’s question. It’s midterms week at Sumeru Akademiya, and you’ve been studying nonstop. The only time you’re able to take a break from your studies is when you are lying in the hammock underneath the tree at the abode, which was a moment ago.

“Remember to take a break in between your studies; we don’t want you to have an emotional breakdown like last time,” Kaeya says, raising his right eyebrow at you.

You nod your head. “I know, Kaeya. I have been taking fifteen-minute breaks in between my studies, but then that fifteen minutes will extend to twenty or thirty minutes long.” You scratch the back of your neck with a sheepish smile.

“If you find yourself needing to take a break from your studies, you can always hang out with one of us as a way to relax. We can find some activities to do together!” Gorou suggests, stopping before you.

Your eyes light up. “Oh! That’s a great idea, Gorou! I’m going to do that the next time I study!” You said, smiling at the man in front of you. “Anyway, I’m going to go take a nap now. I feel my eyelids threatening to close. Goodnight, everyone.” You let out a sigh before making your way toward the stairs.

“It’s early afternoon, but goodnight.” Baizhu chuckles, patting the top of your head when you walk past by him.

Itto ruffles your hair with a big grin on his face. “Goodnight, cutie! I’ll see you when you wake up from your nap!” 

“Yeah, see you all when I wake up from my nap!” You said, letting out a small yawn as you walked up the stairs of the estate. 

You open the door to your bedroom and close the door quietly. You walk to your bed and plop on top of it, letting your body relax into the soft mattress and comforter. You feel your eyelids grow heavy, and you’re out like a light.

When you come to your consciousness, you notice that your bedroom is lit up by the sunlight peeking from the curtains. You sit up on your bed and look around, dazed and confused. You threw your blanket off your body and made your way toward the door. How long did you take a nap? You feel your stomach growling; it is almost as if it’s desperately begging for you to get something to eat.

You walk down the stairs of the estate and see the men sitting at the table, food sitting in front of them while they converse with each other. What caught you by surprise was the food itself. They’re having breakfast. When you went to bed, it was early afternoon, according to Baizhu. You rub your eyes and stop in your tracks, staring at the men quizzically. 

“Oh! It looks like someone is finally awake from their slumber,” said Kazuha as he lifted his cup to his lips and slowly took a sip of his water.

You sit on the empty seat and look at them with confusion. “How long was I asleep for?” You ask, running your hands through your hair.

“Well, you went to bed in the early afternoon. It is now the next day.” Xiao commented, his amber eyes shining with amusement.

You blink at Xiao, your eyes almost as wide as the dinner plates that Thoma has placed in front of you. “I was asleep for that long?!” You squeaked.

Scaramouche nods his head. “Yes. Now, before you ask why we didn’t wake you up from your nap, we did. I’m surprised you didn’t remember us waking you up for lunch and dinner.” Scaramouche smiles at you. You sit back in your seat and press your lips together, trying to think about what had happened after you fell asleep. But you have no recollection of any of the men waking you up from your nap.

“Huh. I must’ve been really tired.” You scratch your head. “I have no memory of waking up at all.”

“Eat your breakfast, and we’ll explain everything to you,” Dainsleif says. Dainsleif cuts into his pancakes with a knife, and his eyes remain focused on you.

You nod your head and grab the cutlery, digging into your breakfast. While you eat your breakfast, each man would explain to you what happened after you went to your bedroom to take a nap. Apparently, after you went to take a “nap,” you took a nap for hours. Whenever they check up on you to see if you’re okay, you’re completely out cold and wouldn’t wake up to the littlest things like how you usually do. Considering you’re a light sleeper, to them, it’s concerning that you slept through the things the men did.

Childe smacked your face with a pillow; you continued to sleep, unmoving. Itto attempts to scream into your ears, but you didn’t flinch one bit. Aether pinched your arm; you didn’t jolt from the pain. Instead, you would mumble and brush his hands away from you, rolling to your side while hugging a Childe body pillow that Childe has gotten for you as a gag gift.

“Huh, that is weird,” You mutter. “At least all of you were able to wake me up and get me to eat something. I guess studying so much for the midterms at the Akademiya has put my body under so much stress that my body has shut down on its own.” 

Childe smiles and runs his hands through your bedhead. “You were so sleepy that you clung onto me while attempting to eat lunch and dinner. You kept mumbling about how sleepy you were, but you wanted to continue to study.” His bottom lip juts out slightly.

“[Y/N], you haven’t been pulling all-nighters, have you?” Al Haitham asks, resting his arm on the table while gazing at you with scrutiny.

You clear your throat and reach for the glass cup of water in front of you. “As much as I want to lie to all of you about this, I can’t.” You sigh dramatically. “Yes, I have been pulling all-nighters for my studies. But I’m doing well in school!” You said.

“I find it interesting how there are different mattress sizes.” Cyno mused, stroking his chin.

Tighnari’s fork stops in mid-air in front of his face. “What are you up to, Cyno?” Tighnari sighs, placing his fork down on the plate.

Cyno sits back in his seat and fiddles with the fork in his hands. “If there is a king and queen-size mattress, where does the prince sleep?” He furrows his eyebrows while gnawing on his bottom lip.

“Huh, speaking of king and queen mattresses, I never realized that there are no prince or princess mattresses.” Aether mumbles to Heizou.

Heizou snorts. “That’s because it sounds ridiculous compared to a king and queen-sized bed,” Heizou whispers to Aether, lightly hitting him on the shoulders.

“What do you think, [Y/N]? You’re an Akademiya student; surely you should know where the prince sleeps.” Venti says, leaning on the table while wiping his lips with the cloth napkin.

You blink at Venti. “I may be an Akademiya student, but I’m no expert when it comes to jokes,” You reply. You know that Cyno has a joke in mind, but you’re not entirely sure what the answer is, but you know that the answer is going to irritate Al Haitham, as per usual. You hum and tap on your chin, trying to think of what the answer could be, but your mind ends up becoming blank. You glance over at Cyno and shrug your shoulders.

“He sleeps on the heir mattress.” Cyno smiles.

“Wait, that’s actually pretty good,” Thoma exclaims, laughing under his breath while Al Haitham stares at Cyno with a blank look. 

“How do you come up with these jokes, Cyno? It’s impressive that you can crack a joke about anything at any time,” said Ayato.

“If I recall correctly, Cyno carries around a joke book with him,” You murmur. “I’m impressed that Cyno is able to come up with this joke on the spot.” You smile at Cyno.

“What time is it right now?” Baizhu murmurs; he gets up from his seat to check on the clock in the living room. 

“It’s a quarter to ten in the morning,” Albedo says.

“Is that so?” Kaeya murmurs, glancing over to check the time.

“Since it’s a quarter to ten o’clock, we should finish up our breakfast and walk over to the Harbingers’ mansion to get a tour of their estate,” Gorou says, getting up from his seat with his plate in his hands.

Itto’s eyes widen. “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about the tour of the Harbingers’ mansion!” Itto gasps, lightly smacking his forehead with the palm of his hands.

You lean over and lightly pat Itto’s back. “It’s okay, Itto! I forgot about it too.” You pursed your lips before cutting the pancake into small slices.

“Damn, we shouldn’t have mentioned it then,” Scaramouche whispers, burying his face into his hands.

Diluc sighs softly and nods his head. “For once, I agree with a Harbinger,” Diluc mutters as he finishes up his breakfast.

Seeing people finishing up their breakfast, you begin to shovel pancakes into your mouth to the point where you look like a chipmunk. Zhongli looks at you worriedly and places his hand on your back, lightly rubbing your back as if he is comforting you in a way.

“Dearest, please do not eat too fast. You’ll choke and give yourself indigestion.” Zhongli chides; Zhongli grabs onto a napkin and wipes the corner of your lips. 

You swallow the pancakes and wince when you feel them go slowly down your esophagus. You slowly nod your head, rubbing your chest as the pancakes slowly make their way down your throat and to your stomach. You should have taken Zhongli’s advice and slowed down, but instead, you continued to eat fast.

“Here, drink your water, and hopefully, it’ll help,” Xiao says, handing you your cup of water. You take the cup from Xiao’s hands and let out a strained sigh.

“Oh no, do I have to get the bucket?” Tighnari asks, propping his hands on his hips while examining your face closely.

You shake your head and wave him off. “I’m okay, I ate too fast, and now it’s going down my esophagus very slowly. It hurts, but I should be okay once it’s completely down.” You grunt. You lift the cup to your lips and take a slow sip from it.

“You don’t need to rush. Just take your time with your breakfast,” Xiao sighs, wiping the thin sheen of sweat from your forehead.

You mumble to yourself and nod your head. Seeing people eat fast and finish ahead of you makes you feel a little bit embarrassed because you’re kind of a slow eater depending on what food you’re eating. But in general, you’re a slow eater because you get distracted by many things. In your world, you’re always on your phone whenever you eat because your phone is your source of entertainment while you’re eating or relaxing.

Childe chuckles. “You must really want to visit the Harbingers’ mansion,” Childe says. 

You shrug your shoulders. “It’d be nice to visit their estate! But I don’t like eating alone, and seeing people finish their food so fast and getting up to leave makes me eat faster because I didn’t want to be left behind.” You mumble. You quickly shake your head and clear your throat. “Let’s not talk about my fear of abandonment right now. I’m saving that for therapy,” You said.

Fifteen minutes later, you finally finished eating your breakfast, washing the dishes, and putting them away. Now, you and the men stand in front of the Harbingers’ estate after getting ready for the day. The mansion is almost as big as the primary estate in the abode, only it’s one hundred square feet smaller, but it is a tad bit taller than the main manor.

In front of you and the twenty men is a vast entrance of the Harbingers’ mansion. The door is black with intricate silver designs. You raise your fist and lightly knock on the door of the Harbingers’ estate.

“This is pretty nice up close,” Aether says in awe, his yellow-gold eyes scanning the estate with wonder. 

Scaramouche scoffs. “Please, ours is better than theirs. Their estate is probably filled with antiques,” Scaramouche mutters.

“Considering they’re old, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do have antiques in their estate.” Heizou snickers, covering his mouth with his hand.

You clear your throat awkwardly. “You do realize that we live in an estate with archons and immortals? Scaramouche is one of them too.” You nudge Heizou’s ribs lightly with your elbows.

Venti giggles. “I don’t collect antiques, but I do know a certain blockhead that does.” Venti looks over at Zhongli, who glares at him in return.

“Shh! Someone’s coming!” Gorou hisses, his ears perking up while staring at the door on high alert.

The lock of the grand front door clicks, and the door slowly opens. Pantalone peers through the door and looks at everyone with surprise. A smile appears on Pantalone’s face. He opens the door widely and leans against it. 

“Oh, we weren’t expecting guests.” Pantalone hums softly, stroking his chin. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” His eyes land on you, and his smile grows wider. 

You laugh shyly. “Sorry for the sudden visitation, Pantalone. I remember you all inviting us to come over to visit the Harbingers’ estate, but we never got around to it until now!” You said, rocking back and forth on your feet. “I should have informed you four about the visitation a day prior, but I never got around to it.” Your cheeks heat up with shame.

Pantalone reaches forward and grabs your hand, pulling you into a hug. “It’s alright, my precious angel. Although your and the others’ appearance is unexpected, it’s not an unpleasant surprise.” Pantalone coos, running his gloved fingers through your hair.

“Pantalone, who is at the door? We’re not expecting any guests.” You hear Pierro say gruffly from the inside of the Harbingers’ estate.

Footsteps approach from behind Pantalone; Dottore peers down at you and looks at the other men with an amused smile on his face. Nothing has happened yet, but you can already sense the tension slowly rising between Pantalone, Dottore, and the twenty men behind you.

“Oh, little butterfly! You’re here!” Dottore smiles at you. Dottore looks up at the men, giving them a fake smile. “And others.” Dottore clears his throat.

“Hi, Dottore! Remember how you guys said we’re always welcome to stop by the Harbingers’ estate to visit? Well, today is the day!” You said, smiling up at both Dottore and Pantalone.

Dottore chuckles and nods his head. “Yes, I do remember that, little butterfly. Although we were inviting you and not the others, that’s okay. I guess the others can get a tour of the estate as well…” Dottore trails off, stroking his chin.

“So? Are you not going to invite us in?” Kaeya asks, crossing his arms over his torso with his eyebrow raised at Dottore and Pantalone.

Pantalone and Dottore gesture for everyone to enter their estate, leading the way. You and the men follow after the two Harbingers into their mansion. The floors are marbled tiled floors; white, glossy, and clean. The walls are dark gray, with pitch-black pillars holding up the loft and black spiral stairs leading up to the second floor. 

Dark blue curtains covered the windows, blocking out any sunlight from peeking into the estate. In the middle of the ground of the estate is a fluffy white rug; you presumed that they must have skinned a Frostarm Lawachurl and turned its fur into a luxurious carpet of some sort. You wouldn’t be surprised if you see the Frostarm Lawachurl’s skull on display somewhere.

“Interesting interior design choice.” Diluc murmurs, his red eyes examining his surroundings.

“It looks quite luxurious, although the color schemes and the marbled tiles make the estate seem….” Kazuha trails off, unsure of what to say about the atmosphere of the Harbingers’ mansion.

You rub your arms and shiver. “Is it just me, or is it cold in here?” You ask.

Ayato looks over at Kazuha. “I believe you’re looking for the word cold. The interior design, the color scheme, and the marble floors do make the estate seem colder,” Ayato says.

Dainsleif lets out an amused huff of breath. “It’s humorous how the atmosphere, the interior design, and the color scheme fits the people that inhabit this estate.” The corner of Dainsleif’s lips quirks up.

Al Haitham nods his head. “Very fitting. I’m not surprised that the interior is almost as cold as the residents.” 

Capitano scoffs in disgust. “Did you all drop by to make snide comments about the estate and the residents? If so, you can escort yourselves out of the estate and never return.” Capitano crosses his arms over his chest.

“No, no, no. [Y/N] was looking forward to visiting your estate yesterday. You wouldn’t want to let them down now, would you?” Albedo asks, stepping forward with a small frown on his face.

“[Y/N] can stay for as long as they like. You twenty can leave the Harbingers’ estate if all you’re going to do is insult it.” Capitano states. You can almost hear him roll his eyes beneath his mask (helmet?).

“Let’s not argue now. The sooner we get this tour started, the sooner they can leave.” Pierro sighs, almost rolling his eyes.

“Except for [Y/N]. They can stay for as long as they like!” Pantalone says, looking over at you with a soft smile on his face. You give Pantalone a small smile and continue to rub your arms, hoping the friction you’re creating is going to provide you with some kind of heat to warm you up. You don’t know how the Harbingers’ can live in a cold estate; the cold temperature adds to the atmosphere of the mansion.

“Here, take my coat. I don’t want you to get cold,” Diluc says. He takes his coat off and is beginning to give you his jacket when Thoma shakes his head and holds his hand up, causing Diluc to pause.

Thoma takes his coat off and holds it towards you. “It’s okay, Diluc! I can give [Y/N] my jacket instead! You can put your coat back on!” 

“Awkward.” Itto blurts out before quickly covering his mouth when Diluc and Thoma look over at him with unamused looks on their faces.

“My, my, fighting over who gets to give [Y/N] their jacket, are we?” Baizhu chuckles.

You stare at Thoma and Diluc’s jacket for a moment. As much as you would love to bundle up in their jackets, seeing them bicker over who gets to give you their coat is something you don’t want to deal with at the moment.

You laugh nervously and shake your head. “It’s okay, Thoma and Diluc! You two don’t have to give me your jackets.” You scratch your head. “In fact, I’m not feeling cold anymore!” You lie.

Everyone raises their eyebrows at you. You feel your face become hot under their gaze. Shit, are you that bad of a liar? 

“I promise! I’m not cold anymore!” You lie once again. “Plus, I don’t want any of you to argue over who should be giving me their jackets and who shouldn’t.” You add.

Zhongli sighs softly. “If you say so…. If you do get cold, please let us know.” Zhongli gives your shoulder a light squeeze.

You nod your head. “Now! Let’s get this tour over with! I’m really curious about what I’m going to see!” 

“Alright, I will lead the way,” said Pierro.

The tour of the Harbingers’ estate starts on the first floor of the estate. They show you all where the kitchen and dining are located; the kitchen is the same size as the kitchen at the central estate in the abode. In the dining room, the dining table is big enough for ten people to dine at. It’s a good thing that you and the men choose to eat at your estate rather than at the Harbingers’ estate because there was no way everyone would be able to sit and eat at the Harbingers’ mansion without people being left out.

Pierro gestures to the grand library on the first floor, second door to the right of the Harbingers’ estate. “We have a library that contains all kinds of books. Any book you desire, we have them here,” Pierro says.

“Do you guys have smut?” You mumble.

“Pardon?” Capitano leans in close to hear what you say. “Can you repeat that? We didn’t quite get it.” Capitano says.

You clear your throat. “I was wondering if you guys have the textbooks that I’m using for my studies right now. After all, Pierro did say that you guys have any books that we desire in the library.” 

Dottore throws his arms around your shoulders, pulling you to his side. “That would depend on what textbook it is. If you’re asking about textbooks that are about botany, then there are a few of them in the library.” 

Your eyes light up. “Wait, so does that mean that I don’t need to rent out the textbooks from the House of Daena? I can just rent them out at the library in your estate?!” You ask excitedly. 

Pantalone chuckles and ruffles your hair endearingly. “There’s no need for you to rent out a textbook from our library, [Y/N]. You can take them whenever you need them, then return them to the library once you don’t need them anymore.” 

You sigh in relief. “Oh, thank archons! I won’t be losing a large amount of mora to the Akademiya in the next quarter.” 

The tour continued, and everyone made their way up the stairs in the Harbingers’ unique estate. There are portraits of each Harbinger hanging on the wall with their names and titles below the image. None of them are smiling in their paintings, giving the picture a slightly eerie feeling to them.

“Hmph. Self-portraits hanging on the wall of the estate? A little self-absorbed, might I say.” Diluc mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.

Childe nudges Diluc’s ribs with his elbows. “As much as I am wary of them as you are, I wouldn’t start trouble with them if I were you. They’re far more dangerous than I am.” Childe mumbles, giving his comrades a fake smile. “I know you have this whole Darknight schtick, but for your safety and [Y/N]’s safety, I wouldn’t cross the line when it comes to those four.” 

You look around the second floor and walk over to the biggest window on the second floor. You peek between the curtains and gasp softly at the view in awe. The scenery is beautiful, and it lets you see almost the entirety of the abode.

“It would be nice to have this kind of view outside of my bedroom window.” You sigh wistfully. “The view from my bedroom window is nice as well, but this view is breathtaking.” You mutter.

Pierro approaches you from behind and places his hand on your shoulder. “We have a spare bedroom for you if you plan on spending the night here, away from the twenty other men,” Pierro says.

Your eyes widen. “I have a bedroom here?”

Pantalone walks up to you and Pierro and nods his head. “Of course! When putting this entire estate together, we also made sure to include some things for you in case you want to stay with us temporarily.” 

“Can I see what the room looks like?” You ask excitedly, trying your best to contain your excitement and curiosity.

Dottore chuckles. “Of course! I’ll lead the way to your bedroom in this estate. The decor is rather simple, but the more you visit, the more we can add some things to your bedroom.” Dottore says, gesturing for you to follow after him.

You walk over to Dottore and let the man lead the way to your apparent bedroom at the Harbingers’ estate. You didn’t expect the Harbingers to make an extra bedroom for you at their manor; in fact, you didn’t think they would even think about you when putting the estate together! It’s sweet! 

Dottore reaches towards you and grabs your hand, pulling you along with him to walk by his side. Dottore snakes his right arm around your waist and throws a look over his shoulders, locks eyes with the men two feet behind you two, and gives them a Cheshire smile before leading the way. Without hesitation, Diluc, Scaramouche, Childe, Al Haitham, Xiao, Cyno, and Zhongli follow after you and Dottore while the other men stand in place. Dainsleif clenches his hands into fists, slowly crossing his arms over his torso, his right hand coming up to his face, and he closes his eyes. Some day, Dainsleif will lose his composure and beat one of these Harbingers into a pulp for testing his patience. But for now, all Dainsleif can do is remain calm and not let their words and actions get to him.

Dainsleif lets out a soft sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows furrowing. “He’s testing my patience,” Dainsleif mutters, shaking his head.

Capitano lets out a huff of breath, almost sounding like a snort. “That’s Dottore for you. He likes to rile people up,” Capitano says. The men that remain behind mutter under their breaths before following after you and Dottore.

You and Dottore stop in front of a door; the wooden door is painted metallic silver, and intricate black designs decorate the bedroom door. Dottore nudges you forward towards the door lightly. You turn to look at him, only to see Dottore motioning you to open the bedroom door. You turn back to the bedroom door and grab the door handle— which is made of precious gems of Teyvat. Of course, the door handle would be fancy as well. You twist the door handle and slowly open the door.

The bedroom decor is black and white, giving it a luxurious feel to it. Black curtains lined with gold trimming hung over the massive bedroom window. A huge black fur rug in the middle of the bedroom; a large crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, tiny crystals hanging from the larger gemstones. The bedroom is not too hot, not too cold. It was almost just right.

“Wow, what a fancy bedroom!” Itto says, plopping down on the massive bed, and lets out a sigh that almost sounds like a moan. 

You point at the bed. “That’s a king-sized bed,” You state the obvious.

Aether tilts his head to the side, staring at the bed with confusion. “Why would one person sleep on a bed that can fit around two to three people?”

“At least [Y/N]’s not sleeping on an heir mattress.” Cyno mumbles under his breath. Al Haitham’s eyes twitch at Cyno’s comment, his hands itching to smack Cyno upside of his head for referring back to the joke he made a while ago.

Heizou shrugs his shoulders. “I think it’ll fit [Y/N] and their plushies.” 

“Shhh! Don’t give them any ideas, or else they’ll do that and lure [Y/N] to stay with them instead of with us.” Venti whispers to Heizou.

Zhongli strokes his chin. “While the interior design is beautiful, it doesn’t seem to be the kind of bedroom [Y/N] would go for… then again, it is missing [Y/N]’s style and interests,” Zhongli murmurs.

“Oh? And what would that be?” Pantalone asks, looking at Zhongli curiously.

“This bedroom is cozy, but it feels more like a hotel than a bedroom that feels like home,” You said. “Don’t get me wrong! The bedroom is beautiful, and I love the interior design, but I want to feel at home when if I do spend the night here one day instead of feeling like I’m staying at a fancy hotel.” Your eyes scan your supposed bedroom, and you sit down on the massive bed.

“Hm. Noted, we’ll keep that in mind if we arrange some things around or add a few decorations to your bedroom.” Pierro says.

Dottore claps his hands. “Enough of the interior of our humble estate; let us give you a little tour of our botanical garden!” Dottore smiles widely.

Tighnari’s ears perk up, and his eyes shine almost as bright as the sun. “A botanical garden, you say?” 

Dottore smiles and nods his head, motioning for everyone to follow him out to the back of the Harbingers’ estate. It turns out that in the Harbingers’ backyard, there is a medium-sized botanical garden that contains various plant species throughout Teyvat. Tighnari immediately went straight to the plants that weren’t from Sumeru and began asking questions about the plants to the two men from those regions, Albedo and Zhongli. 

While the men are occupied with admiring the various plant species in the botanical garden, you walk up to Capitano and tap him on the shoulders, grabbing his attention. 

“Capitano, can you tell me where the bathroom is at? I, uh, need to use the toilet.” You clear your throat awkwardly.

“There’s a bathroom on the first floor. It’s in the hall to your left,” Capitano replies.

You give Capitano a grateful smile and quickly thank him before walking back into the Harbingers’ estate, searching for the bathroom. It took you a while to find the bathroom because of the unfamiliar layout of the Harbingers’ estate. After being able to find the bathroom and relieve yourself, and wash your hands, you walk out of the bathroom.

Right when you’re about to walk back out of the estate, a room at the very back of the mansion catches your eye. You stop in your tracks and stare at the door tucked away in the estate; it is almost barely noticeable. You slowly take a step towards the door, your curiosity getting the best of you.

You stop in front of the door and notice a bright blue-green light illuminating the cracks of the door. You raise your hand, hovering your hands above the door. You’re itching to take a peek to see what’s inside the mysterious room that Dottore, Pantalone, Pierro, and Capitano have skipped over when giving you and the men a tour of their estate. You shake your head and let your hand fall at your side. You turn around to walk back to the botanical garden, only to see Dottore standing there with his arms crossed behind his back.

“Good choice, kitten. Now, come here before you catch a glimpse of something you’re not supposed to see.” Dottore gestures for you to come closer with his index and middle finger.

You gulp and slowly approach Dottore, feeling like a child that has been caught red-handed in the cookie jar. Whatever is in that mysterious room, Dottore does not want you to go in there, and it’s a good thing that you held yourself back from peeking into that room. 

Dottore places his hand on your shoulders and guides you out to the botanical garden. Once you two arrive at the botanical garden, Dottore releases you from his grasp, and you stick yourself between Diluc and Al Haitham, holding onto both of their arms tightly. Diluc and Al Haitham look over at each other in confusion after noticing your strange silence.

“Are you okay?” Al Haitham asks, placing his hand on the small of your back.

You shake your head and squeeze their arms. “Can we go home?” You suddenly ask.

Thoma looks over at you in confusion. “You want to leave already?” Thoma asks, looking over at the others in bewilderment.

You nod your head. “I have things to study for, and I don’t want to fall behind in my classes.” You lie.

The men notice the strange change in your behavior; before you go to the bathroom, you are excited to catch a glimpse of everything in the Harbingers’ estate. Now that you have returned from the bathroom with Dottore leading you out, you seem a bit shaken up.

“Dottore didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Ayato demands.

You let out a shaky sigh. “No, Dottore didn’t do anything to me.” You squeeze Diluc and Al Haitham’s biceps once more. “Really, though. Can we please go home now?” You beg.

Xiao nods his head. “Let’s go home.”

You and the men slowly made your way out of the botanical garden. Whatever Dottore is hiding in that room, you don’t want to know what’s in it. It can be a laboratory like Albedo’s lab, but the way Dottore said that you made a good choice for not entering the mysterious room sends chills down your spine. Yeah, maybe you did make a good decision not to let your curiosity get the best of you, and maybe this will be the only time you will ever visit the Harbingers’ estate. 

Note: To be honest, I didn't know how I was going to type this story out, but I think it turned out pretty decent! I did have another ending to this story, but I changed it up because I have a small feeling that I'll have a few people complain about the reader's stupidity from snooping around, so I didn't type that part out and went with another ending instead. I'm just impressed that I was able to keep up with my posting schedule despite dealing with daily assignments from my university. Anyway, for those who are new or have been here the entire time, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

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[kyberphilosopher]

Tenebrous

Tenebrous/Tenebroum : shut off from the light : dark, murky. tenebrous depths... hard to understand : obscure. Word Count: 2362 NO WARNINGS Shadowhearts' mind is a weathering storm, but a storm is no match for one simple flower. A/N: Will be slowly returning to writing. I've been out of it for at least a year so my quality may not be what it used to, but I don't think it's that bad really. It's sorta proof read this time (not really)! Yayyyy.

✶⊶⊷⊶⊷❍⊶⊷⊶⊷✶

There are many changes in life that could be considered… unwelcome. Life in itself has a tendency to be such a complicated journey, weaving and webbing and entrapping all that it can; much like Lolth’s loyal, spindling spiders. Such arachnids, for example, shed their skin to allow for their growth. Flowers bloom up and down, all around, before they die. Even a body of water might change its height, day by day. None of these things, of course, possess a conscience. Only a human might possess that, and humans, miserably, are more often ticking time bombs than not. 

Shadowhearts' change was difficult to pinpoint. She’d shed her skin and dawned a better, holier mantle, and yet she did not shine anew. Her skin did not glimmer or reflect- only absorbed and denied. Her hair was black like loneliness, her eyes mossy shadows. The young woman, though previously punished and whipped, now rewarded with understanding. She understood how she’d come to choose the name Shadowheart for herself, and now she understood how she’d finally earned it. She was a living weapon. An envoy for The Dark Lady’s will. A Dark Justiciar. Shadowheart should’ve felt on top of the world for such a feat. 

You… well, all of you could still very clearly remember the look on Nightsong’s face when she was slain. Shock. Shock, surprise, fear. Shadowhearts' arm was heavy with muscle and willpower. There was no hesitation in her sage orbs as she brought down her Spear of Night. Then the Nightsong sang no more. 

“I did what had to be done,” the half elf had spoken about it after. “No point in fretting over it, is there?”

You watched her. Not always- not while she slept like a creep. A sneaking glance or two was all you needed. Shadowheart was a (somewhat) kind hearted, devout, and intimate woman who displayed a deep interest in bleeding something to dry as well as tenderly curing it. Few things seemed to matter as much to her as her faith- when there was a sky full of stars and constellations, an open emerald field dappled with lavender, a lost temple- she was always there, praying. Praying to her mother, who she did not know. Who she had no memory of. Who rarely answered her when Shadowheart thought up a question. Praying to the Lady of Loss. That never changed. 

You watched her. The morning light rose over the horizon, then the deep maroon leaves circling overtop the camp. Although Shadowheart had prayed this morning- early- she had not stopped. The young halfbreed sat with bent knees and clasped hands since before the sun had risen. Her peach-y pink lips muttered repeatedly to herself again and again, only pausing when she looked… pained? Or perhaps deep in thought?

She opens them. 

Your gaze turns to the gauntlets you fit around your arms. They are heavy, though not as heavy as Shadowhearts' eyes. When you glance over upon her once more, she pushes herself to her feet and then locks eyes with the ground for a long time. 

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There was much of Faerun that you had neglected to see, as you came to find out. There were lands covered in blankets of deep shadow and physical fear, bogs that would take the appearance of groves simply to trick all those who enter. There were tears in the sky that melted every night, according to Lae’zel. Astarion had described the many gothic manors and mansions that he had visited and admired. Gale of Waterdeep took no joy in restraining himself from speaking of his many accomplishments- most of which involved seeing something so beautiful, so rare- that he risked the Gods smite. 

Your boots were from Baldurs Gate, and they were not necessarily made for the mud that you trekked through. They were scratchy and tight, but the laces were coming loose. If you ever saw the city again, you swore you’d get a new pair. What an ‘if’ that was. But you were no complainer. You swallowed dryly, shouldered your bow and sword and continued onward silently. 

“Need something, friend?” a voice called from beside you. A smile creeps over your lips at the voice. 

“Do you, Astarion?” you look at the elf now walking close on your left. He’s taller than yourself- mostly due to his long and prodding neck. You supposed he used such a feature for snooping and being nosey. 

Astarion scoffs out a chuckle, before his tone turns to defeat. “Oh, you caught me. I must admit, friend, I’ve grown quite bored.”

“Look at my shoes,” you sigh. “I’d rather be bored than inadequately dressed.”

“Mmm. Yes, how unfortunate. You know, I must say I would’ve thought you smart enough to get your own well fitting shoes by now. This little adventure hasn’t exactly been…”

“I know,” you tell him. “Say, what did we do with those boots from the Underdark? The red ones, with the little black and silver designs.”

Astarion is briefly silent in thought, though it’s not him that breaks it. 

“I’ve them.”

You and your elven companion turn your heads over your shoulders. Shadowhearts' face is solemn and gaunt- nothing out of the ordinary. Still, a certain regret lingered in her deep, dark eyes. Her beauty was matched only by the background behind her, which was nothing but darkness. Hair, long and inky, fell over her shoulder lazily. 

“Ah,” Astarion smiled wide, showing off his pointy canines. “I was just wondering when you would join our conversation. So tell us, what is it you’ve done with the things?”

Shadowheart stayed silent. Her pace quickened, her own greaves and boots were metal and solid in the mud- built for it. On your right, she materialized like a dream, though she did not turn to look at you. 

“I took the boots,” Shadowheart explains matter-of-factly. “They grant the wearer intense bouts of speed and pursuit- hardly a trophy to simply leave behind. I might loan them to you… should you require them.”

You blink, trying to find your words. “Might?” you settle on. 

One step, two step, three and four. The upward hill you battle to hike reaches its peak, slanting downwards once more. From up here, you can see only a bit more than you might’ve thought. The lands your party currently crossed through were completely devoid of light and life, and so although you could confirm the sight of a large lake, you (nor any other member of the party) was able to register the important details of the environment before you. You all continued walking downhill without skipping a beat, unbothered at the thought of imminent death. 

It happens in an instant. Your armored knuckles brush against the metal of Shadowhearts' own hand. No, not a brush- a touch. It reverberates up your fingers and straight to your brain, where it’s stored deep in your memory without you even realizing it. It even produces a soft, but undeniable noise. 

Your eyes snap to hers, wide and alert. “Apologies, my lady,” you urge quickly. “I did not mean-”

Shadowheart stops suddenly. She stands in front of you, Astarion and Wyll wandering onward seemingly unaware- or perhaps simply uncaring. Now shorter than you at the incline, the young woman looks up at you with her piercing orbs. 

“You need not worry on it,” Shadowheart tells you, and for some reason it seems, at this moment, that she is only ever talking to you. Your lips part, looking back at her. The Justiciar’s own light green gaze is flitting between your own eyes, and you can’t help but feel yourself growing distracted off her face alone. 

The woman’s face was porcelain pale, delicate but well put together. Her cheekbones were high and soft, dappled with freckles that Shadowheart hoped no one would notice. Her lashes were generous and thick- just the same with her eyebrows. Her lips were shaped like a heart. Gods, her lips. They were tantalizing, even chapped and chewed on like now. Not even the scar cutting across her cheek and nose was enough to deter from her otherworldly beauty. How were you supposed to resist such a temptation so close by?

You cared too much for the young woman to trample in on her faith. You had traveled with Shadowheart long enough to see it was one of the few things that she cared for. Shar this and Shar that… You were no Shar. What pain could you possibly alleviate of Shadowhearts’? What void could you introduce her to? The answer was simple: none. You were no match for the Dark Justiciar, and even if you were, she would not allow you to be. 

“I apologize again, my lady,” you tell her, a firm whisper. 

Shadowhearts' eyes shift between your own for another moment longer, brief and fleeting. “You might wish for some healing, if it is to be a while before we see those boots again.” She slips a glove from her lithe hand- you catch a glimpse of the plum wound buried in the center- and says, “May I?”

You swallow dryly again. Water, your brain wishes. Instantly, your prayers are answered as saliva flushes your mouth. 

Shadowheart presses the palm of her hand to the base of your neck, where your armor leaves a sliver of your skin exposed. Her hand is cold, colder than anything you’ve ever felt. Yet, your body warms as her lips begin to chant.

You can feel the blood rush to your feet. Blisters that have lined your heels and toes and soles for weeks diminish in seconds, leaving your feet to settle more comfortably in your wear. The two sore heaps previously referred to as your legs alleviate themselves instantaneously. Even the sweat, stinking and insidious, brewing beneath your armpits slips away silently to the wind. 

Eyes could not be torn from the half elf in front of you if they were taken straight from your head. Your gaze is locked and fixed on Shadowheart, though you cannot find the words. Shall you thank her? Ask for her hand? Attempt to engage in a heart to heart conversation? No, control yourself. You bite down on your lip, hard, but with Shadowhearts’ healing hand lingering over your sternum, the blood does not stay for long. You watch her finish her prayer. 

“There,” Shadowheart looks up at you once more through her dark lashes. “You just seemed a little… parched.”

The Dark Justiciar holds your eye for a few seconds longer. Then she steps away. 

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Before Selune blessed the Earth with the light of the sun, there was nothing. Faerun, and everywhere else, was well a part of Shar’s domain of darkness. When her ethereal twin betrayed her by inventing life sustaining fire, the change was instant and could not be ignored. 

Shadowhearts story seemed the opposite. She had been close to the light once, she supposed- closer. She’d resented herself for it at the time; so, Shadowheart chose to bring herself closer to the dark. She chose to be as close as she could. She wanted to sit side by side with her mother, spear in hand, and quench her thirst on the blood of moonmaidens. Though, no such feat had come to pass. Shadowheart was not foolish. She understood it was a change that would take time to see such accomplishment. But had she not made it clear that there was no doubt? Shadowheart would slaughter a thousand nightsongs if it meant being Shar’s chosen. 

And yet, she felt more unhappy with herself than she had before. She resented herself. 

In the mornings when she’d wake early, Shar’s voice might whisper instructions in Shadowhearts’ pointed ear. 

“You are to suffer,” the low voice would guide. “To hate until you are released to loss, child.”

Shadowheart obeyed. 

In the nights when Shar’s power rose strong, her Justiciar would feel Shar’s thoughts as if her own. 

“You are to breathe in the darkness,” the low voice would guide. “To ponder on your wrongdoings until you might see clearly.”

Shadowheart obeyed. 

It was what she had wanted. But now that she was alone, Shadowheart was lonely, and not even herself was reliable for comfort any longer. 

Luckily, there is always you. 

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“Shadowheart!” you cry, lurching forward. “Wait!”

Alarmed, the cleric whips her head to yours. Shadowheart had not sensed anything more out there besides vague harm- certainly nothing close enough to warrant such urgency out of you. You need to catch up with the two boys, lest you end up hunting monster and monster hunter simultaneously. But your face shows no such concern for those things. Your eyes lower slowly from Shadowheart to the ground by her feet. 

Yes, there, beneath the greaves spattered in blood and leather soles reeking of death, was a flower. 

The thing was light, almost glowing, and a beautiful wisteria shade. It grew somewhat tall, with sharp leaves and petals like bells that only grew more midnight and lilac colored the deeper they went. Shadowheart let a small gasp slip from her lips. 

Slowly, as if you were dealing with a skittish, stray cat, you bend down into the dirt. As you pluck the flower from its stem, the smell of vanilla and musk swells the air. You stand eye level with the young woman in front of you, whose stare flits between the flower to your armor. 

“A night orchid,” you say. Shadowhearts’ favorite. “May I?”

The holy warrior looks at you sharply. 

You press it, holding her gaze with a soft and warming smile, to her palm. You can feel her heartbeat through her skin, excitedly in time with your own. Finally. 

“I…” she begins, but you turn your head to the side, waving her off. 

“It’s nothing,” you insist as you step away. “Wouldn’t want you to step on your favorite flower. I’m sure your Goddess would understand.”

Shadowhearts’ green eyes dance, though not with any emotion you’ve seen before within her. 

You smile again. “Let’s get you to Baldurs Gate.”

The young woman watches intently as you continue down the hill, clutching the purple flower tight in her hand.