#that kaeya piece is not my best work but it was my first attempt at tackling difficult perspective without giving up

[limielle]

also did this for funsies

for anyone who might be curious the brushes are kyle’s ultimate pencil (hard) on the right and the other two i bought off of madeleine bellwoar’s artstation here , I believe they’re from the traditional set

[jayzioxx]

p.s, the moon was always beautiful

scaramouche x reader

ao3, masterlist

chapter 1;New teacher

High school students are always brimming with energy and life. Running around halls, gossiping in hushed voices, picking fights out of nothing, or even sitting in their own little corners building their own complex little worlds. School halls can never be expected to be silent, especially on the first school day of the year, where everyone is trying to fit in and find new friends, or catching up with old ones. After all it's universal that no matter what school it is, prestigious or not, children would always be children. 

At 7 o'clock sharp, the chemistry teacher set foot into the school. She went straight to the office to mark her attendance and slowly started making her way to the teacher's lounge to take out her laptop, her small pencil case and her clipboard with lesson plans, schedule, a little note she wrote for herself saying 'work hard today too!', and a few little pieces of paper with various information in them. This year, miss [name] had been given a first year class to be the homeroom teacher of. Skimming through the overview of the new class she received, the teacher headed to her class way before the first bell rung, greeting a few senior students on the way.

Sitting at the teacher's table she went over the student overview once more. 

"Sucrose has anxiety, best make sure her other teachers know as well." [name] thought to herself as she typed away at her keyboard, making a few notes for her new class. 

"Ajax has a hard time focusing and dozes off in class." [name] sighed, pushing up the glasses which tend to slip down her nose. "Hopefully he won't be a problem child..."

As she went down the name list, a certain name caught her eye. "Kaeya Alberich..." She muttered. Suddenly, she no longer wished to see the list. Putting down the paper in her hand, she finished the lesson note she was typing and shut her laptop. [name] checked the time and noticed it was still just 7:10, way before most student came into the class. Oddly though, one girl was sitting at the corner of the class, head buried in a thick textbook. 

[name] walked over to her, brushing down her outfit in an attempt to look less intimidating. 

"Hello dear." The teacher smiled at the green haired girl, who slightly jumped at the sudden attention. "I'm your homeroom teacher, you can call me miss.[name]. May I have your name?" she asked. The girl, feeling slightly relieved at the soft tone, meekly muttered her name. "Sucrose."

"So this is Sucrose." [name] made a mental note.

"Mr.Albedo told me about you, he said you were a smart girl. I look forward to teaching you." [name] encouraged her, and suddenly the glum little frame seemed to be oozing with joy. Seeing that her words made the desired impact [name] walked back to her table.

The first bell rang, and students started flooding into the classroom. After marking attendance, [name] introduced herself to the children. 

"Hello everyone, I'm miss.[name] and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. If anyone has any questions regarding your schedules or teachers, or any other problems you can ask now or ask me privately later." She inwardly sighed. Even 10 year of experience didn't seem to get rid of the initial intimidation everyone felt. "Since we have a few more minutes left, why don't you all do a self introduction?" She suggested but most seemed confused and a few seemed skittish. "right, children can't work without specific instructions." She thought. 

"Just say your name and if you wish, something about yourself."

By the end of homeroom she got to know a few interesting characters like Ajax, who called himself Childe (he said child with an e, and she thought it was quite a confusing name choice), Hu Tao who openly advertised her family's funeral parlor, a young man called Xingqiu who stated a weird fact about writing books, and Kaeya who began with saying "for any of you ladies interested, my locker number is 083." Overall, the tension in the class seemed defused by the end and everyone began leaving for their first class.

Until recess, things seemed to go pretty smoothly for [name]. Her first few classes were final year students and most of the time, troublemakers never really attended school in their final year. 

The recess bell rang and classes dispersed once more, leaving [name] happy with the undisturbed teaching time she had just finished. As the seniors left, one particular student was left behind. He seemed to have the intention to ask something but waited till his teacher packed up her laptop. Simple gestures like these always left [name] feeling a little happier about her students, even if they didn't know.

"Diluc? Is something the matter? [name] asked with her usual neutral expression. Diluc paused for a bit, embarrassed maybe, before nodding his head. "I'm having a hard time understanding lessons these days."He said with an unusual shyness. [name] thought it was quite adorable to see the usually stoic child coming over to ask for help. She almost couldn't stop herself from teasing but decided that was probably the last thing the red headed boy would enjoy. 

"Would you like me to offer you some after school tutoring?" [name] asked to which Diluc immediately nodded.

"Alright, let's start tomorrow then. I'll send you some notes this afternoon you tell me what you can't understand tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you miss [name]." The red haired boy said and almost left before turning back again. 

"I heard my brother was being troublesome again in homeroom, I apologize on his behalf miss [name]." The boy said, but [name] couldn't help but wonder who he was talking about.

"No no, they were all good nothing more than what first years usually do." She cleared. "But I can't help but wonder who you're talking about now."

Diluc looked a little flustered. Perhaps he was expecting to be berated on his brother's behalf, seemingly not for the first time. "Kaeya Alberich, the one with blue hair and the eye patch." [name]'s expression slightly fell, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded, and sent him on his way. 

On her way out, she noticed a few students outside the window, peaking into the class. As soon as their gazes met hers all of them sprinted so fast that she couldn't even figure out who was who. [name] laughed to herself, at the same thing that happens every year.

[name] settled down on a couch in the teacher's lounge, once again pulling out her laptop and placing it on her lap to go over the first year lesson notes once more. While she was reviewing, Xiao, a coworker of hers (and the headmaster's son) came over with 2 cups of tea, one for himself and one for you (or whatever you prefer idk) in hand. 

"Won't you even drink something? Or do you plan to be working over recess as well?" He joked but it sounded more like a deadpan instead...

"Since this honorable gentleman insists, I'll eat something too." She teased back and folded her laptop for the nth time that day. "I brought mooncakes, want some?" She asked, and Xiao almost said no but figured she would still force him either way, so he responded with a quiet yes.

"[name]?" Xiao asked, and [name] hummed in response.

"Does your hair ever move?" 

[name] almost spit out her drink laughing. Xiao's question wasn't odd. [name] came to school everyday with her hair in a tight low bun and the strands at the front gelled back, so he didn't ask without reason. Still, she couldn't help but laugh.

"You look so weird when you joke with such a serious face." She continued laughing as the other teachers continued to ignore them in return.

"They're flirting again..." Lumine joked.

"When are they not flirting?" her brother, the gym coach Aether replied with a sigh.

"Hey now we're all adults! Can we not shamelessly accuse each other like highschool children?" [name]  laughed with a slight pout which Xiao thought looked both off and in place at the same time.

"Accusations are only accusations if they're false, [name]." the civics teacher, Yanfei teased.

"Whatever the case, we're not flirting." Xiao deadpanned, despite the slight redness of his ears.

"If you say s-" before Lumine could finish her passive retort, the other chemistry teacher who worked alongside [name], Albedo, bust into the lounge eating a canteen sandwich.

"Guys the fanfic club just released another xiao[name] fanfi..." The teachers collectively shook their heads. Albedo, in all his soft spoken glory, simply said "Surprise...?"

To be fair, Xiao and [name] knew about the fanfic club and their antics, and failed to stop new content regarding them to be released so came to the agreement that as long as the fiction wasn't inappropriate, no one's harmed. It was safe to say they've been the school's hottest gossip for at least 3 years.

"So! I heard a new mathematics teacher's transfering in 3 days." Ganyu, who had been silent the entire time spoke up.

"Really? That's great! since miss Xianyun retired my class didn't have a maths teacher and has to squeeze in with Lumi's" [name] said with relief and the other teachers spoke in agreement. 

Meanwhile, in the school cafeteria, the new first years from [name]'s class had already formed a little gang, taking well over an entire table to fit everyone. And as the first gang meeting of a high school friend group, they believed it was only right they got straight to gossipping and sharing stories about each other as first priority.

"Guys you won't believe what I heard!" Kaeya stood up and slammed his hands on the table. Everyone who's attention had been garnered towards him leaned closer, ready to hear his wild tale. "miss [name] and mr Xiao are dati-" Kaeya couldn't finish his sentence because a senior harshly slapped him in the head with a book. 

"Stop spreading misinformation, especially something already well known enough." Diluc sighed. Kaeya pouted muttering out something along the lines of "You're no fun..." but Diluc paid no mind to his little brother's displeasure and walked past the group of hooligans in the making (that's what he called them). 

"Maybe we shouldn't spread gossip... miss [name] looks strict I don't wanna be punished on the first day again." Childe shook his head sadly, which everyone did question because who gets in trouble on the first day of every year?

"Actually... miss [name] is quite nice." The almost silent words from Sucrose was barely heard, but still managed to reach everyone's ears. And like such, the class bonded with each other and the day progressed smoothly. 

After school was over and everyone was dismissed, the last person to leave the school was [name], who picked out a few books from the library and wrote down their names for Diluc to use as reference material. 

Both the second and the third day of school progressed just as smoothly, but on the fourth day, [name] was almost, almost scared (for the lack of better words) shitless by the faces of her students, whom all looked like ghosts by the 3rd period, which was chemistry. 

"What happened to you all?" She asked with worry and Childe started sobbing, fakely, the acting was horrible too, and everyone could see it was for the dramatics but none the less he did so. 

"You have to save us miss [name]! The new maths teacher is horrible!" Kaeya, joined in on the theatrics. 

[name] sighed, thinking this was just them being troublemakers and getting into trouble, but looking at the haggard faces of the other students, including Xingqiu, Sucrose and a few other students who weren't ones to skip work or cause any trouble in class. 

"I'll see what I can do, sit down and focus on the lesson for now alright?" She said, keeping a hand on Sucrose's shoulder which seemed to be slightly shivering. The students didn't seem too reassured so she decided to take their mind off the matter with something else as an attempt to calm them.

"My class is quite bare, don't you think? Would you guys like to decorate it?" She offered, noticing how all her student's decorations from last year were taken down during the yearly renovations. This seemed to pique everyone's interest, so she added a few more words. "All suggestions are welcome." 

Recess came by quickly, and [name] headed to the teacher's lounge for her usual drink and chat with Xiao.

"Wonder what kind of piece of work transferred." [name] thought as she entered the teacher's lounge, curious about the new teacher. Although everyone was busy chatting away with each other, [name] felt a chill running down her spine. "Oh hey [nickname]! meet the new maths teacher, mr Raiden." Yanfei turned from the coversation she was in to talk. "Right. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." [name] muttered with her head slightly down, making a beeline towards Xiao trying not to look at the new transfer at all.

"It can't be him... right?" [name] thought to herself but the vibrant purple hair and unrealistically beautiful skin told her otherwise.

"Likewise." [name] turned her head at the all too familiar voice, and gulped as she accidentally met his eyes. His gorgeous, indigo eyes.

"It is him."

a/n; this app is so confusing to me help me pls

[devilruin]

Thinly Lacquered Desire

Pairing — yandere kaeya x gn reader

Summary — maybe it's time to leave town, especially after everything that's been going on. unfortunately a certain cavalry captain doesn't want you to leave.

Warnings — gaslighting, mentions of stalking, mentions of perverted actions, manipulation, implied power imbalance, general yandere warnings

Post Type — scenario

Word Count — 604

Author's Comments — this is for the amazing @dear-yandere 's birthday! vanny thank you so much for being you and for helping to create one of (if not) the best yandere servers! i love you so so much! let this piece of work be a testament to my admiration, adoration, and absolute love for you!

Kaeya Alberich is a mystery to most. Yet, with his classic charm, witty remarks, and an indecipherable smile plastered on his face, practically everyone falls into his strategically threaded web. Those that struggle against the strings like a pitiful fly will only find themselves wrapped ever tighter in a chilling embrace, and once he has what he desires from them, he cuts them off without fail or remorse.

So there should be no reason as to why you’re currently stuck between the Calvary Captain himself and a wall of ice while doing your rounds in Brightcrown Canyon. Should being the keyword. Yet, Kaeya does not play by anyone else’s rules; instead, he prefers to set his own tune for others to dance to.

Noticing your distracted gaze, Kaeya lets out a breathy chuckle while his cold fingertip slowly trails across your jawline in an attempt to grab your attention. Then, deliberately, he lowers his face closer to yours till your noses are almost touching, and you swear you can see his breath within the frozen space.

Kaeya is the one to break the ice first with a seemingly casual inquiry, “Where do you think you’re looking, sweetheart?” with eyes half-lidded, he purposefully mocks your feeble attempt at an escape, yet, if you look deeper into his eyes, you’ll find an immensely bitter man. How dare you turn away from him. Especially after all he’s done for you. Every day he goes out of his way to plan your regional patrols, figuring out which route is the safest to traverse to protect you. He’s even helped you with the mediocre — from folding laundry while you were away on duty (ignoring how he sneakily borrowed one of your nicest pairs of underwear) to watering the calla lilies (that he suggested) on your balcony to even silently dealing with some foreign ruffians that were harassing you over a drink — he’s done it all for you.

And this is how you thank him? With a notice of your transfer to Fontaine? No, he wasn’t about to let someone else abandon him, especially not someone he is fond of.

His finger comes to a halt at the edge of your chin, yet the pressure against it is enough to force you to crane your neck in his direction. Every milligram of your attention was solely fixated on him, and he could only revel in the way your face twisted out of guilt. Begrudgingly, you open your mouth to answer him, as you know how persistent he can be. “I have decided to stretch my wings, sir. Mondstadt is a great nation, and I’m more than proud to call it my home, and yet…” — your eyes trail sideways, and your voice falters for a moment — “I do not believe that it is the nation for me.” Then, determinedly, you look back up into his eyes only to see a swirling pool of negative emotions — fear, anger, heartbreak, envy — they come together to form a sharp and terrifying blade.

“...is that so?” Kaeya gradually pulls back from you until he’s an arm's length away. Seemingly satisfied with the answer given to his query, he slowly nods. Then, with an amused smirk stretched across his face, he turns to you, his lone starry eye glazed over with a thin veil of sadistic delight, and lets out a pleased hum. Grabbing your wrist, he swiftly wraps his arm around your waist, locking you in a firm embrace. Before you can start to struggle against the fleshy cage, he calmly strokes his palm across your lower back. “Don’t worry, darling. I’m sure it won’t take me long to convince you.”

© 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 — 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.

𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤(𝐬) 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤(𝐬) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐈 - 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨) 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

[admiringlove]

hurtful things

+synopsis: genshin boys and the hurtful things they said.

+genre: angst; headcanons.

+characters: kaeya; diluc; childe; zhongli.

+warnings: swearing; crying; implied panic attack.

+order: hey bubs! i saw you doing requests and i HAD to ask for genshin angst :) spare me some tears pls <//3 preferably w kaeya or diluc or childe :) [submitted by @crackheadsara​]

+author’s note: okay so i included zhongli bc he’s the love of my life, also i needed comfort from him after writing such hurtful things :D

+navigation: main menu, genshin menu.

— KAEYA.

“i’m better off without you.”

you know from the way your door was knocked in the middle of the night on a weekday after months, that it’s kaeya. you rub your eyes sleepily, trudging towards the door as anger and doubt fuse into a nasty green in your mind. 

you unlock the door, pulling it open to see the man with the eyepatch tapping his foot on the deck of your home impatiently. he smirks when his eye lands on you, attempting to walk in but stopping himself when he realizes you're standing at the door, unmoving. 

"kaeya, it's three in the morning. and it's monday. i have to report to jean in three hours," you mumble tiredly as you look up at him. the lamp grass by your windowsill outside and the moonlit night accentuated his cerulean eyes and contrasting coffee-colored skin. he frowns, peering down at you as he asks, "may i come in?"

you shrug, opening the door wide as you let the man in. he places his sword on the table and proceeds to walk into the bedroom when you ask, "where have you been for the past two weeks?"

"work," his reply is the same. you let out a sigh in impatience as you retort, "that's the same excuse as always."

he was tired and wanted to sleep off the fatigue from his latest mission. but when he hears you say that, something in him snaps and he turns around, his jaw clenched and a fixed glare making you a little agitated. he raises an eyebrow as he says, "well, unlike you, i am an actual important member of the knights of favonius."

"kaeya, all i meant was that you're always gone. you never write a letter back even if i send you one, and you somehow manage to come back every single time, expecting that it doesn't hurt me. what am i supposed to do?" your voice is small as you look down, hair drooping towards the ground. you're not even yelling at him, you're just worried. he always leaves you alone(sometimes you tag along, but you couldn't tell why nowadays he'd leave you alone without some sort of warning).

"does it ever occur to you that you're just a hindrance?" he bites back, thinking that you're trying to put up a front. you flinch at his words, causing him to force a jeer before he starts again, "you always come along, so maybe i wanted to be away from you for a bit. that's why i leave without a warning so i don't have to tend to your yapping all day. because i'm better off without you."

you gasp as you look up to his figure, now retreating to your shared bedroom. you hear him fall onto the bed with a content sigh as you stand there, wiping at your tears incessantly as hiccups escape your lips. you bit your tongue to stop yourself from crying, pressing a hand on your mouth to muffle the sounds so you don't disturb kaeya. you get a quick peek in, eyes widening when you see him sound asleep and tucked in. 

so that's how it was, you think. 

the next morning, kaeya wakes up to a cold bed as his arm reaches out to an empty space. his eyes immediately pry open as he wakes up, to see that you weren't here. 

ah, he ponders to himself, you must've gone to tend to your duties. 

he stretches, letting out a yawn before walking out to the kitchen. he smiles when he sees a plate of food left for him on the countertop with a note from you. but somehow, something felt very wrong about this whole ordeal. this had happened before—he had come back from insanely long missions to you before, so what felt different?

and then it hits him. the things he said last night. he frantically looks around, his azure eyes completely drowned in horror as he notices small changes in your shared household. a few picture frames are missing on the living room walls, your keychain isn't on the bookshelf anymore, and worst of all, when he runs into the closet, half of your clothes are gone. 

did you really feel that bad about what he said?

in panic, he runs out and keeps going till he reaches the headquarters of the knights. he barges in this time, not returning the greetings of the guards upfront as he walks into jean's office. 

"where are they?" he pants, "i-i messed up, do you know where they are?"

jean's eyes widen as she says, "our associates were having a hard time handling with the fatui in liyue harbor so they volunteered to go there for sometime."

"how long has it been?"

"they left long ago, it's about to be around ten hours since," she says. kaeya's heart shatters as he hears those words. he hadn't expected you to outright leave like that, but if you had said the same things to him, he definitely would've stormed out. his voice cracks as he looks at the ground in shame, "h-how long until they'll be back?"

"i.. don't know."

he regrets everything he's said. he truly does because he doesn't even notice that tears are streaming down his cheeks until jean comes to his aid. he hates himself for all of it—he hates that he has to live in a home where traces of you are visible everywhere; worst of all, he hates how he knows he lost you for good. even if you come back, he knows you wouldn’t run and melt into his arms like you did before. you’re gone now, fading into the darkness and away from him. 

maybe it was for the best.

— DILUC.

“you’re nothing but a burden.”

after taking on a few abyss mages and mitachurls, diluc lets a grunt out in pain before you see the slash on his right arm. you gasp, pulling him to the side of the lake as you pull out a bandage and cotton from your bag to clean his wounds. he's reluctant to it at first, but he sits there quietly and broods as you clean the blood with cotton and some type of healing ointment. 

you tie the bandage on his arm, a tiny bit of vermillion liquid seeping through the white cloth before sitting down next to him, finally catching a breath. sighing, you look up at him and say, "that was reckless."

"no, what you did was reckless. who told you to come along with me to dadaupa gorge? you knew what you were getting into when you came along, so don't put this on me," he grumbled, frowning as you look at him with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. you are sort of hurt, but you know he's only saying this in faux indignation, so it's okay. you chuckle out, beginning, "diluc, i was-"

"i don't know why i even bother with you at this point," he exasperates, looking into the distance behind you. he curses slightly under his breath, his rouge eyes filled to the brim with anger as it finally overflows, "you're nothing but a burden."

your eyes suddenly flick to gape at him in disbelief. you stand up, your voice hitching in your throat as you ask, "diluc, you mean that?"

and it all simmers down into ashes when he mumbles "of course i do" under his breath. your vision is blurry as you walk away from the red-haired man, your body trembling as you almost give away that you're crying your eyes out. you walk back in the direction the two of you came from, leaving your broken heart in the hands of diluc, who sat by the lake not muttering a word after. 

he knows he's said things he doesn't mean; he does that all the time, but you probably knew that. he figures you're leaving to catch a breath of fresh air—to be away from the tension-filled environment for a bit, you had a habit of doing that at home. he sighs as he ponders over his words for a bit. he knew it was wrong to display such harshness to you, but you probably knew he didn't mean anything by it. he always bubbled over rash things when he was frustrated. 

the sun sets in front of him, painting hues of aubergine and peach as it flows down. he wonders where you are, getting up from his spot by the lake to venture towards the path you walked off. 

only when he can't find you, is when he thinks that you might've actually taken offense to his words. although he cares about you sincerely, he finishes his mission first, getting a lead on the abyss order—because protecting monstadt was his first priority. you lingered in his mind every second of every day till he finally got back home. and when he didn't find you there, he asks adelinde about it, who only shakes her head and tells him, "i'm sorry, master diluc, but i haven't seen them come back. i thought they were with you."

it all pieces together in his mind now, how a small gasp had escaped your lips when he had called you a burden. the way you nodded begrudgingly, getting up and walking away from his presence as your shoulders trembled. the way he could hear you choke back a sob, but still ignored it, thinking you had overreacted in the situation. 

he searches the whole city for you. he searches every nook and corner, and even walks into the headquarters of the knights of favonius(he ignores kaeya's teases instead of biting back this time). and when he finally sees you, he holds himself back. his hand is suspended awkwardly in the air as he reaches out for you, your back turned towards him. 

maybe this was better—maybe it was a good thing that you had walked away from him. this way, the abyss order won't be able to harm you. this way, he won't be able to harm you. this way, you'll be safe and sound, away from the storm known as diluc ragnvindr.

— CHILDE.

“it’s not like you mean anything to me.”

it's not often you see childe. he's always in liyue, and you're here, stuck in monstadt or snezhnaya. it's cold today(as it always is) in snezhnaya, the snow covered almost everything outside as you looked out of your window, sipping on hot coffee as you sigh at the wilting roses on the sill. they'd wilted when you had gone to monstadt and you didn't have the heart to plant new ones.

just thinking about the blue-eyed childish man would make your heart bloom and cheeks flustered. you longed to spend more time with him, really. if only he wasn't affiliated with the fatui, he'd be able to spend more time with you. it had been months since you had seen him, and you longed to be in his arms once again, but who knows when that'll happen again? whenever he comes home, he chooses to spend a night with you and then head back. he'd laugh alongside you, tell you about his adventures, and give small reactions when you told him about yours. and the next morning, you'd wake up to an empty bed with a small note by the table, saying how he has to leave for work.  

a knock at your door snaps you out of your entranced state. as you open the lock and look out, you see childe, standing there with a tired grin and disheveled hair as he walks in without a word. he hands you a small paper bag, saying, "i brought you back something from liyue this time."

the same excuse, you think. it's always the same. he brings back small mementos and souvenirs as a pretense for staying, and by the time you think you can forgive him, he's gone. he plops down onto the sofa, stretching his arm out so you could join him. the thought of confronting him crosses your mind, but you shake it off—since he had only just gotten back. 

the night is the same as always. talking about each others' adventures, eating dinner by the fireplace, laughing alongside one another until you hit the bed. it's quiet now as you watch over his sleeping figure, his lapis-colored eyes now hidden. you sigh as you lay there for hours on end, twiddling with his brown hair as you wait for him to wake up(so this time you can actually say goodbye). 

when his eyes flutter open, he's a little taken aback when he looks over at you to see you wide awake. his brows furrow just a smidge as he says, "you're up."

"well, i wanted to say goodbye this time," you chuckle dryly, "you always leave without waking me up."

"i don't like the way you said that," he says, getting up from his position on the bed. you look away from him, your eyes displaying hurt as you murmur, "i don't like the way you leave."

"well, it's my job. it's not like i'm an adventurer like you, wasting my time around. i'm a harbinger and i have responsibilities," he says. his voice is neither too soft and nor too prickly, and you can tell that he's a little worked up by the way he lightly nips on the skin of his bottom lip as his gaze bores into you. 

"i didn't say you don't. all i said was that you could maybe sometimes stay for more than one night. it feels like you're using me, and when you're bored, you leave."

"oh?" he cocks an eyebrow as he stands up, "i'm using you, huh?"

you grimace at the tone of his voice, and when you look at him, you notice the sheer annoyance he puts up towards you. your voice is small when you ask him if he loves you—because you don't know anymore. seeing him once in a few months for the past few years has sure hurt you more than anything, and if you don't tell him now, then you might never get a chance. 

"what if i say i don't?" he smirks, walking up to you, "it's not like you mean anything to me. what if i agree that i am using you to make myself happy until i'm bored, so i can then throw you away?"

he doesn't like what he's saying either. his mind is screaming at him to stop, but he's worked up. he's irritated by the way you jabbed at him first thing in the morning, even though he knows you're right. his heart almost stops when he looks at the expression on your face after he says those words, and as he reaches out his hand for you, you turn away. 

your voice cracks, and he's sure his heart did as well when you mumble, "i-i'd like you to leave, please."

"wait, i didn't mean-"

"tartaglia," your eyes look into his, perhaps for the last time, as you give him a sad smile, "you don't have to come back to me anymore."

it hurts him as he leaves your home that morning. it hurts him when he comes back months later to see that your home is now empty. it hurts him because he tarnished the you that was once his. 

it hurts him, but he thinks it's for the best if you stay away from him if all he does is bring you pain.

— ZHONGLI.

“i’d like you to leave me alone.”

zhongli was never one to pick fights. he was peaceful; his thoughts were positive(most of the time), and he almost always preferred to talk about his problem rather than fighting about it—he believes that fighting will only bring pain, so why not confide in one another about our problems instead?

he's quiet. he's not shy(it's quite the opposite, actually), but he's one to prefer to only talk when absolutely necessary. he's the type to listen rather than speak, saying something like, "we have two ears and one mouth. speak less than you listen."

he smiles when his mind goes back to the time when he said that to you while having a cup of tea together, and you'd replied, "my mother used to tell me that when i was a child."

because it's true; every child in liyue harbor has heard those words at least once in their lives. the quality of listening is appreciated more than the quality of speaking—and zhongli, for one, was a listener. 

you, on the other hand, were a speaker. you always woke him up every morning with a smile as bright and everlasting as the sun, babbling about breakfast and tea as he got up from the bed. you were the one that carried conversations on your shoulders on morning walks, you were the one that intertwined your fingers with his as the two of you walked amongst flowers, adoring them as you talked about the contrasting colors of silk flowers and glaze lilies. he loved you for that. he loved you because you were a speaker. he loved you because you were a perfect balance, the only one who could soften his hardened heart. the only one whom he'd chosen to wake up next to in the mornings, the only one whom he'd let ruffle his hair without asking(because he secretly liked it). 

so why had he reversed the roles tonight? why was he the one to bubble out his frustrations to you, speaking in a cold and stern manner instead of the loving tone that was only reserved for you? why was he the one to speak tonight, and why were you the one to listen?

it's not like he was actually frustrated—he was only thinking about something else as you asked him what he wanted for dinner. it surely wasn't your fault when he had poured over turbulent words to you. and he knows that the ones that hurt the most probably were, "i'd like you to leave me alone."

he looks up at the stars, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he walks back into his shared home with you. he looks around, and when there's no sign of you, he feels himself break apart even more. 

had you actually left? he wants to run to you and tell you he hadn't meant any of those words because he hadn't. he wants to touch you, to caress you, to please you, to make you smile—and he wants to admit he was wrong. he wants to make it right, but he doesn't know where you are. 

he walks into the empty bedroom, sitting on the cold mattress as his eyes sting. he doesn't understand what's happening, or why there are small drops of water falling from his eyes. he doesn't understand why everything feels heavy all of a sudden—his heart, his throat his lungs, everything. he doesn't understand why he feels like he's trapped in a box, and the water seems to be filling up more quickly than he'd prefer. he wants to reach for air, but he can't.

he couldn't breathe without you. 

he hears the door close and immediately gets up in haste to walk to the living room where he sees you take off your boots. you turn around to see him, his disheveled hair and frantic eyes finally calming as he walks over to you and engulfs you in a warm embrace. his throat cleared up, and so did his heart and lungs as he mumbles against your ear, "i'm so sorry."

you smile smally, looking up at him as you cup his cheeks and wipe a stray tear, and mutter, "it's okay, zhongli. stress gets to the best of us."

god, how he loves you. he places a small peck on the top of your forehead as he feels his lips turn upward at your touch and the scent of glaze lilies lingering over you tells him that you'd been to the flower garden. he sleeps with your fingers weaved with his that night and pulls you even closer if you untangle with him in sleep. 

he makes a promise to himself saying he'd never hurt you like that again, and he keeps it.

© all works belong to admiringlove on tumblr. plagiarism is strictly prohibited.

[galaxytastes]

I’m a sucker for found family rn so like… can I request albedo sitting with klee who’s fast asleep, Kaeya joins them to talk with Albedo, before they both slowly fall asleep too sitting next to each other and heads bumping….. it sounds so cute bro

Ah ha ha... Hello there anon who most definitely isn't my dear friend that requested this <3 Also, I haven't posted in literally a year, hi there everyone. I've been meaning to return, as I've been writing a lot more self indulgent pieces I would like to share with the internet. But, I actually wrote something for this ask a long time ago and never posted it so- here I am! I'm not super proud of this, as it is quite old and isn't my best work, but I'm hoping some of you could still enjoy it ^^ I was inspired by one of the Genshin books you can find in game, titled 'Heart of Clear Springs'. It always reminded me of Kaebedo and I really enjoy it. I left in a few segments from the actual story too. I will link some music I recommend to listen with this and a link to where you can read Heart of Clear Springs, if you feel so inclined.

Anyways, please enjoy. This is Kaebedo with Klee and its pre-official relationship but... They both like each other, y'know. It's Gay.

Heart of Clear Springs: https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Heart_of_Clear_Springs Here's the OST I recommend listening to on repeat as you read! I'm extra so I play some fire crackling sounds too... Thank you @sprayio for getting me addicted to ambient sounds with my music. Links to both of those here!

Quick side note- The bolded is Kaeya's POV

I hope you enjoy :)

“Under the cascading moonlight, a tearful boy made his wish at the spring…” A tired voice read aloud to eager ears. “A fairy from afar, who had taken up residence in the unoccupied spring, listened in silence to his wordless wish. Spring fairies are born of water's essence, faceless descendants of the angels.” A gloved hand touched the page and delicately traced the fairy illustration. “Thus, when the curious fairy emerged from the water and heard the cry of that boy's heart, she became interested in this life, younger and more fragile than her own. The silent fairy reached out her formless fingers, cold as the midnight dew and soft as fortune forgone and gently caressed the boy's forehead and cheeks.” Nestled against a large tree framing a pond between Dragonspine and Mondstadt, a brother and his sister sat nestled close near a small fire. The elder held a book close to his face, occasionally taking glances at the young girl to make sure she was still listening. Fireflies and crystal flies fluttered nearby, little hands reaching above her head in a failed attempt to grab one. 

“Startled by this stranger's touch, the young boy lifted his head and met the fairy's gaze. ‘Can you make my wish come true?’ The boy asked. The fairy of the spring was surprised and confused by this presumptuous question. But she could not speak, and so simply nodded her head. Satisfied, the boy left. He did not know that the spring fairy was alone, without friends or family, and that she had lost a great deal of her wisdom.”

“Poor fairy. I would be her friend… Do you know any fairies I could hang out with?” A small, concerned voice interrupted. “Maybe she could teach me how to fly!”

“I’m afraid I don’t. If I ever meet one, you will be the first person I tell. Now, are you sure you aren’t tired, Klee?” The older sibling replied quietly to his tiny companion. “I believe I may have kept you out past your bedtime. The Acting Grandmaster is sure to scold us both.” 

“Mhmm, finish the story! I’ll sleep when I find out what happens to the boy and the fairy.” Klee replied in a tired voice, echoed by a tiny yawn. “Master Jean won’t know I stayed out unless you tell her, big brother.”

Albedo chuckled but cleared his throat to continue.

“Only when the spring water flowed from cracks in the stone into her pool, and when she gazed upon the fractured image of the moon in the rippling water, did she slowly regain the ability to think, and to mimic fragments of speech.” Klee cooed as Albedo read and traced along another illustration. The man breathed deeply through his nose, savoring the scent of fresh water and sweet flowers. Orange light danced across the pages of the book, casting long thin shadows over the fine script. 

“Like a curious child, the fairy observed the world around her in innocence, wonder, and love. She rejoiced with the fox and squirrel who stole berries, and grieved at the dark clouds that covered the horizon.” Albedo kept his voice low, barely louder than a whisper, as he continued reading the story to Klee. “Curious and full of wonder. She’s a bit like you in that way, hm?”

“Hehe, yeah… But if I was a fairy, I wouldn’t be a spring one.” Klee sighed while rubbing the heel of her little hand into her eye. “I would be a fire fairy. I wouldn’t even need my bombs! I could just… PEW PEW PEW.” Klee squeaked, jolting them both with sudden dramatic hand movements. The girl melted into a fit of sleepy giggles, earning a smile from Albedo.

“I think you would make a fine fire fairy. Just no fire fairy practice anywhere near my lab.” The alchemist turned his attention back to the book. He tapped the page once he found where he left off and continued the story. “And for that young boy, a feeling complex yet immature welled forth from within her heart. All alone in this world, she had neither the power nor wisdom with which to grant his wish. But she could share it, and she drew life from sharing his burdens…” Foolish little fairy. Albedo thought to himself as he pondered the tale. Not even human, yet allowed herself to fall for human charms. How predictable.

Crystalline teal eyes danced across the lake as he pondered the story; the water a mirror to the twinkling night sky. Snow fell gracefully across the lake, contrasting strikingly with the lush green grass that surrounded them. A small fishing pole laid in a bush beside them along with a backpack full of “fish fryers”, as Klee liked to call her bombs.

Focusing on the sound of her heavy breathing, Albedo’s eyes fluttered downward to find his audience fast asleep. Klee snored softly as her hat flopped onto her face. Albedo carefully picked it up and rested it on the bag beside them. The alchemist smiled and ran a gloved hand over her hair, sending a silent wish of sweet dreams for the little knight. 

He turned his attention back to the gleaming water, admiring the way the moon’s reflection sat centered in the pond, as if the celestial body floated amongst the fish. What a childish thought.

Rarely did the man have time to do such seemingly trivial things such as stare out into the dusk night. If he wasn’t working, he was theorizing, writing or painting. Even when observing sceneries for his artworks or studies, Albedo always found a way to make it productive; so that no time is wasted. To find the secret of this world is a full time job, Albedo would tell himself. 

The young alchemist shifted a bit where he sat and leaned his head back against the tree. The sounds of the rustling leaves harmonized with the gentle waves in the water. He wanted to appreciate this moment, but his mind couldn’t help but wander, as it usually does. The stars shined through the branches, perfect tiny diamonds millions of miles away. Normally, Albedo might have theorized how many miles away the star is. What kind of components create the brilliance of a star in the sky? At what speed would one have to travel to be up close and personal to these diamonds that frame the heavens? He recalled drawing the night sky above Mondstadt in detail, every night for months, simply to study their patterns. But instead, tonight he thinks of eyes. Deep gray blue eyes, like the color of the sea. A diamond pupil… He squeezed his own eyes closed and shook his head a bit, blonde locks brushing his forehead. 

“So, this is what the Knights of the Favonious are up to lately, hm? Sleeping on the job?” A cheerful voice called from near the water, alerting him to jump, his hand instinctively reaching back for his sword. Caught daydreaming about starry-eyed men with a child napping at his side was not an ideal turn of events.

“Was nearly a jest! It’s me, dear Chief Alchemist.” Kaeya’s recognizable chuckle grew closer as the knight stepped into the campfire light. A dazzling smile accentuated his twinkling eye. Albedo moved his hand to rest back on the book which sat on his stomach, hoping to shush whatever strange feeling swirled inside. 

“Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize my voice.” The dark haired man raised his eyebrows and took another step closer, dusting a bit of melting snow from his shoes.“I’m hurt, dear alchemist! I thought you of all people would know my voice, considering how often I keep running into you.”

“My apologies.” Albedo said with a sigh, settling back into his relaxed position. His face projected complete solitude; boredom even. But his mind raced with the strangest mix of excitement and worry. The alchemist wasn’t expecting visitors, let alone the cavalry captain. It seemed wherever Albedo wandered, Kaeya was never too far behind. After a handful of coincidental meetings, Albedo had come to consider Kaeya an acquaintance. My acquaintance who makes my stomach hurt.

“Well? Answer my question, young knight. What are you two doing out here so late in the evening?” Kaeya raised his hands above his head in a stretch. His muscles rippled under his tightly fit clothing and Albedo pondered how the man kept warm in such revealing clothing. Perhaps he too had an immunity to the cold winds.

“I’m doing my job.” Albedo replied in a matter of fact manner. He met Kaeya’s curious gaze and nodded down to the sleeping girl. “I was assigned Klee duty and she wished to go fishing. Now, she is napping. So, if you don't mind, keep your voice down.” 

Kaeya smiled wider and gave a quick nod, kneeling down on his haunches to give Klee a gentle pat. The smell of pinewood, fresh snow and a hint of jasmine filled the air, a familiar scent that warmed Albedo’s chest. Though his expression exuded disinterest, he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he appreciated the surprise rendezvous from the captain. 

“Care to answer your own question, Sir Kaeya?” The alchemist asked as he carefully folded the corner of the book’s page before placing it on the grass beside him. “What brings you out here?”

Kaeya leaned his weight onto one hip and crossed his arms across his chest. He didn’t even need to speak before Albedo sensed the lies. 

“Well, you see, I was going to meet Rosaria at the Angel’s Share but she was called in for nun duties. You know… singing about Barbados and what not.” He shrugged, turning to fluff a hand through his boa. “Instead, I decided to… secure the perimeter of… Mondstadt!” Albedo’s eyebrows furrowed a bit and opened his mouth to retort, knowing very well that wasn’t true, before the other knight let out a loud sigh, slumping against the tree. 

“Well, now it would be unwise of me to leave two fellow knights out here, stranded in the dark.” Kaeya slid down the tree, easing himself against its trunk next to Albedo. The blonde man tensed a bit at the sudden close contact but didn’t move from where he sat. “I’m sure the two of you wouldn’t mind some company?” 

“I suppose that is fine…” Albedo replied in a soft tone, taking note of the warmth that beamed off Kaeya like a campfire. Interesting. “Though, I’m sure you have plenty more interesting things to do than stare at the night sky with another man and a child.”

“There is nowhere I’d rather be, if I’m being quite honest with you, Mr. Albedo.” Kaeya chuckled sheepishly and shook his head, a contagious sound that tugged at the corners of the alchemist’s lips. Albedo watched as Kaeya leaned his head back, tilting his head up to watch the stars. Thankfully, he was sitting to Kaeya’s left side, so he could admire the way the stars twinkled back in the deep blue color. How curious… Albedo continued to stare, puzzled at how intriguing the site was. 

Kaeya’s eye darted to the side and he smirked, bringing a blush to Albedo’s cheeks, but he swiftly turned his attention back to the sky. The alchemist had to tear his attention away from the other, finding himself sucked into the vision. Stars reflecting in starlight…

The two sat in silence with the sleeping elf snuggled between them for a moment more as they savored the peacefulness of the evening. The faint sound of water lapping along the bank’s shore mixed sweetly with the faint humming of the nearby fireflies. One floated its way closer to them, swirling gracefully. Albedo’s bright eyes followed the bug until his companion nudged his hand. 

The blonde went to tug his hand back in surprise but instead froze, allowing Kaeya’s rough finger pads to trace over the back of his gloved knuckles. His hands were cold, cold enough to feel through the glove’s fabric, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact it felt… nice. Albedo looked from their hands back to Kaeya’s face, which was dusted in a matching pink blush. He swallowed hard and tore his attention away from Kaeya once more, but was sure to keep his hand still. For some strange reason, he quietly hoped the captain would keep his hand still for a few more moments as well. 

“Tell me more about this book you were reading to Klee.” Kaeya was the first to break the comfortable silence, but his voice was soft. Almost sleepy. Albedo swallowed once more, urging the unfamiliar nervousness to fade, before clearing his throat. 

“It is just a love story, about a fairy and a boy.” The smaller man kept his voice quiet as well. “Nothing too special… An immortal from far away learns to speak and understand languages outside her own, with help from this human boy. The end is quite bittersweet.” Kaeya yawned, but smiled with another nod, earring him another Albedo smile. “You and Klee both enjoy bedtime stories?”

Kaeya flashed that dashing smile once more, Archons, that smile… and glanced down at the sleeping girl in Albedo’s lap.

“That, or maybe your voice is just comforting. Maybe both. But, I think if anyone deserves some rest, it would be you, my dear chief alchemist.” Smooth as ever, Kaeya slinked forward and grabbed the book from where it sat before Albedo could even resist. He opened his mouth again to retort, but was once again cut off as a cold finger pressed to his lips in a silencing gesture.

“I’m curious to know how the story ends. Just… lean your head back and relax. I promise I am a fantastic storyteller.” Kaeya nudged his hand once more as he opened the book, flipping through the pages. 

“I- Fine. If you insist. Just, please do not let me fall asleep. That would be humiliating.” Albedo grumbled and sighed as he leaned his head back. 

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

Kaeya carefully flipped open to the book where Albedo had carefully marked it. The illustrations were beautifully done; hand drawn and intricate. The knight took a moment to admire the work, showing it off to the alchemist who sleepily acknowledged them. As he settled himself a bit closer to Albedo, his heart hammered in his chest. He thanked the Archons for the sleepiness in the evening air, aiding in Kaeya’s closeness to the usually stone cold man. He stole another glance at the other and bit into the inside of his cheek to not stare too long. Gold locks framed his perfect face, billowing around the curve of his jaw. His bright blue eyes were drooping as he stared up at the stars. Beautiful.

For the next half an hour or so, Kaeya read from the book in a hushed tone. He did voices for the fairy and the boy, making it a bit more theatrical than Albedo ever would. The blonde rolled his eyes as Kaeya faked a whimper, wiping away an invisible tear as he got towards the bittersweet ending. As he continued, the both of them allowed themselves to be sucked into the story. Kaeya would be lying if he did not admit how his heart ached for the characters; and he did not miss the sadness in Albedo’s air.

“From that moment, the fairy vowed that she would someday bear to leave him. And the boy vowed that he would remain by her spring forever.” Kaeya’s mouth tilted downward in a pout. “You weren’t kidding about this being kinda sad, Bedo.”

Albedo’s eyes widened at the endearing nickname and he nodded with a sad smile. 

“I find it a bit silly of her. An immortal, falling for a human. Probably the most selfish choice a person can make, don’t you agree?” Albedo seemed deeply affected by his own words. He was close enough now that Kaeya’s arm grazed against his and Kaeya resisted the urge to move even closer. 

“I can’t say I agree, sir.” Kaeya released a breathy laugh as he turned the page to the last chapter. “I think it’s brave. And hello there, sleepy girl.”

Albedo’s brows furrowed, brushing through Klee’s hair with his free hand as she roused from sleep. She smiled up at her brother and lazily waved at Kaeya, scooching herself so she was laying on both of their laps. 

“Please finish the story now, Kaeya. I promise we can go home after.” Klee looked up at them both with pleading eyes.

“Well, who am I to deny Mondstadt’s princess of pyro? The crimson knight herself?” The navy haired night snickered and winked at the alchemist, who retorted with a deadpan expression. 

“Just make it quick, Kaeya.” Albedo huffed but a smile still played on his lips. Archons.

Kaeya cleared his throat before he began; merely keeping his eyes on the page as he created his own ending. 

“As time went on, the boy grew up. He grew and he grew, as all boys and girls do. Each day, he kept his promise. He would return to the spring and wait for the fairy. But, he did not cry as he once did. Instead, he continued to live. He drank from the water, cooked by the water’s edge. He painted the scenery, wrote poems and songs of their memories.” Kaeya stole a glance to the confused Albedo, who sat so close, Kaeya could feel his soft breath. He chuckled and continued, pointing to the page as if his words were printed. 

“Eventually, the fairy returned. She waited many years to come see if the boy had moved on. To her surprise, he waited for her there. A grown man, with life experience and lots of love to give. She rejoiced and the two shared their second kiss.” Klee happily hummed and leaned back, obviously about to doze back off to sleep.

“Suddenly, he realized that though he had met and parted with countless new friends, and though he had adventured and returned more times than he could remember, he was not alone in the end. So, as they had done many years ago, the boy's tears fell into the pure pond, soaking into the fractured moon.” Kaeya yawned as he kept talking. “But this time, it was with laughter and happiness. With his lover’s hand in his, he spent the rest of his days basking in the sun by the stream. An immortal and mortal… who spent a human's length of life… together.”

The book flopped onto the ground as sleep claimed Kaeya’s consciousness, despite his fight against it. His head conked over to the side, cheek softly resting atop Albedo’s soft hair. 

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

An immortal and a mortal. Albedo thought to himself as he nuzzled into Kaeya, not fighting the smile that broke his face into the fondest of grins as the other slept against him. He shut his eyes and breathed in deeper, savoring once more the brisk smell of fresh snow and the sweet intoxicating smell of Kaeya Alberich. 

Perhaps fairies are not so foolish. Perhaps it's okay to be predictable and fall for human charms. 

I wonder how many times the fairy and the boy fell asleep just like this.

[scaramel]

baking cookies with them

ft. albedo, childe, diluc, kaeya, kazuha, venti, xiao

a/n: genshin fic community pls accept my first offering in the form of this generic premise i started writing at 3 am 👉👈 also quick reminder to drink water and do your daily comissions <3

ALBEDO

albedo would be intrigued by the idea, albeit partly because he sees it as an opportunity to run some experiments. would certain potions remain effective once baked? which results could he procure after consumption? and could the most unpleasant tasting potions be altered with the power of sugar and chocolate chips? so many questions and data to collect.

if you agree to it, good luck!! you'll be roped into testing all of his hypotheses one by one. which, arguably, shouldn't be that bad as long as you get to spend time together. he'll make up for it eventually by baking you a much more proper serving of cookies. no lizard tails or pops of bright colors sticking out this time.

"did you enjoy those?" he asks almost expectantly, looking up as you finish the last piece. "i could always have an oven stationed at the camp to make more whenever you come by. would you like that?"

CHILDE

childe is enthusiastic, to say the least. sure, he could always take you to countless extravagant dinners and have the finest bakers in all of teyvat serve you exactly what your heart desires — yet nothing beats the smell of a kitchen doused in egg yolks, flour, and the memories that all too well remind him of home.

childe would present you his favorite recipe, one of many that he had used to make with his siblings. all the while, you'd hear him fondly recalling all the times teucer would accidentally knock something over out of excitement, or all the times tonia tried to sneak some of the cookies into her room.

the stories end when you place the last tray into the oven and turn around to catch a soft smile on childe's lips. looking particularly lovestruck, he plants a kiss on your cheek, mumbling a gentle thank you for how happy you make him in the simplest ways.

DILUC

diluc initially offers to have a personal chef bake you a serving, yet finds himself perplexed when you shake your head and instead suggest making it yourselves. only after making sure that no, you don't want him to place an order at your regular favorite bakery, does he finally submit to your wishes.

he would purchase recipe books in advance and attempt a few practice sessions on his own, and although diluc's efforts don't title him the best baker in all of teyvat overnight, it does substantially improve his baking capabilities.

yet of course, humble as ever, he takes no credit whatsoever for the cookies you end up baking together, claiming all the gratitude is owed to your exceptional skills instead.

KAEYA

kaeya is the type that would take every chance he gets to have some harmless fun and mess around with you here and there. whether it's a playful swipe of cream against your nose or the rather questionable shapes he forms with the cookie dough. either way, his goal is to make every second you spend with him filled with nothing but snorts and giggles. and a few flirtatious lines here and there.

if you toss in a complaint for him to "take things more seriously" this man would just effectively shut you up with a bunch of kisses all over your face and a hand firmly pressed against your back. only when you begin to melt into him does he finally stop abruptly to go back and work on the cookies.

"what? im just doing as you asked, sweetheart. the cookies wont make themselves if i'm too busy kissing you the entire time, no?"

in conclusion: sly cheeky bastard.

KAZUHA

kazuha is honored to share such a simple yet heartfelt moment with you. so much so that he heads out to gather all the necessities the next morning before the sun had even risen and before you had the chance to wake. of course, he insists it's alright. you are his treasured companion, after all.

light chatter would fill the air most of the time, with kazuha telling you more stories about his travels and tales of his hometown desserts that he would love to recreate for you some other time. the rest, however, is pure comfortable silence. you both find comfort in the soft cluncking of kitchen utensils and the gentle autumn wind passing through the open windows.

"we should leave the dough to rise for now. in the mean time, why don't we go on a stroll while i read you some of my new haikus?"

VENTI

venti is just glad to spend time with you, really. even if he goofs around a lot by suggesting to make apple flavored cookies or accidentally spilling flour all over your kitchen floor, he truly means well. even if it means ending up with terrible tasting cookies or help cleaning your floors for the rest of the evening, he doesn't mind at all. not as long as you can spend time together and smile some more for him.

rest assured, he'll try to make up for it later by singing you as many tunes with his lyre as you wish.

XIAO

xiao is reluctant at first. he doesn't understand why you'd want to do such an elaborate activity with him, nor what enjoyment there is to be derived from it. and yet his adamance evaporates completely the moment he sees the glimmer in your eyes and the way you smile at him oh so warmly — for you, he tries.

his sharp eyes remain trained on the way you mix the cookie dough; carefully adding a different ingredient at a time into a concoction that he doesn't deem to be that appetizing. regardless, he commits every little detail to memory as he works on his own batter dilligently, almost as if he's trying to impress you.

if you tease him for it, xiao would let out a small grumble in response. "i truly don't understand why you mortals enjoy partaking in such complicated procedures," he would say, despite the unwavering concentration he had on the cookie cutter in his hands.

if you praise him, however, he'll stiffen ever so slightly with the faintest tint of pink on his cheeks. "i just thought this would help me understand you better," he admits.

[lunaastoir]

fluff/relationships w the mondstadt crew

characters included: diluc, kaeya, and jean

gn! reader as always <3

tw: fluff??? domesticity??? crack??? ideal relationships w people who will never be real??? also mentions of alcohol!

an: so i’m back w a sequel to my “fluff/relationships w the liyue crew” since you guys seemed to really like it <3 thank you my heart is literally melting 😩 this post was getting too long so i excluded some of the characters but expect a part. 2 (more like part 3 but part 2 to the mondstadt version)! 

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

diluc

man. this MAN.

that’s it, that’s the headcanon. 

he would literally be the most doting lover in the softest ways

SUCH a soft romantic like you thought you knew love??? nah this man will show you what love is

will constantly leave you things around the winery to convey his silent thank you’s and appreciation for you putting up with him being busy for most of the day

it’s always the most thoughtful things ever too like-

you mentioned how nice it would be to have some fresh lemonade with the hotter weather outside but it was too late in the day to actually go to the market in search of fresh lemons 

the next day you walked downstairs only to be greeted with a pitcher of cool lemonade with a side of lemon bars

there was a note attached to the handle of the pitcher <3 

“i recall you mentioning how lemonade would be perfect for the warmer weather so i decided to make some for you this morning. i hope it’s still cool by the time you drink it. love, d” 

pls sir your hand in marriage

he secretly loves it when you usher him to bed after waking up in the dead of night to see him working by candlelight on reports 

soft hands on his cheeks gently whispering about how, it’s been far too long and come to bed, darling and there will be time for this in the morning

his protests are light given the dark purple hues under his crimson eyes but he’ll still make a little fuss 

don’t let this man fool you tho he’s so so touched that you care enough to check up on him and drag him to bed!!

sometimes on the days he has a bit more free time, the two of you will quickly grab your dinners and race to the highest spot in the winery to watch the setting sun

these moments are always filled with laughter, something you’ve found you’re easily able to pull out of diluc, simply because it’s you 

uncontrollable sobbing

he would let you paint his nails black like the angsty man he is 

frankly he would let you do anything to him if it makes you happy <3 

ok but wait diluc w bLACK NAILS?? AND RINGS??? i would die on the spot ⚰️

on the topic of makeup, this man is surprisingly really good w it 

i like to think he learned after practicing on kaeya when they were younger bc kaeya was really into makeup

you found out after babysitting klee one day and trying failing to draw eyeliner on the sweet girl after her “big brother ‘bedo!”

you hastily grabbed some wipes, gently wiping off the messed up design before attempting to dive back in 

diluc however, had some down time so he decided to check up on his favorite chaotic duo 

only to be met with a pile of dirtied makeup wipes, your frustrated expression, and klee’s growing jitteriness 

swiftly moving to your side, he quietly asked if you needed help 

you glanced up quizzically before handing him the eyeliner, already looking around to find more makeup wipes when this inevitably goes wrong 

to your utter surprise tho the eyeliner is perfect??? two perfect winged lines??? in less than a minute??? WHAT

you just stood there like 😦 before diluc got back up and handed you the eyeliner 

you were short-circuiting, klee was ecstatic, diluc was worried about you 

ok last thing abt diluc 

crack! warning but the both of you like lowkey pranking kaeya 

for diluc it’s revenge on his annoying brother; for you it’s good - natured sibling rivalry fun 

every time the two of you see kaeya, one of you always swipes something of his 

small things really, it could be a pen or a handkerchief

one time, diluc swiped kaeya’s spare eyepatch and from the looks of it, kaeya’s only spare black eyepatch bc he was frantically looking for it yk he’s desperate when he even asked diluc if he saw it

the two of you spent an hour nearly laughing your asses off 

all in all, life w him is so sweet 

kaeya

pretty boy? pretty boy. 

while i can’t guarantee stability, life would never be boring w this man that’s for sure

piggy back rides 🗣 piggy back rides 🗣 piggy back rides 

he LOVES it, the feel of you on his back while he’s walking around mondstadt most likely carrying you to your commission 

he finds it comforting especially since he can hear the rumble of your voice against him while you recount stories, or just babble on about everything under the sun 

he is SO dramatic so obviously when y’all reach the site of the commission he has to kill all the monsters even tho the both of you agreed to split it up evenly 

he makes quick work of his set before stealing some of yours much to your chagrin 

you scold him but can you really be mad at him when he looks drop dead gorgeous freezing the hilichurls the answer is no, no you cannot be

oh my god ok wait-

he does this thing where he tries to spook you in public 

so say you’re getting groceries at the mondstadt general store

you round the corner just minding your own business, looking around, taking in the sunshine 

and suddenly you just hear someone drop in behind you but before you can register anything you hear a soft “boo” and hands circle your waist 

you jump SIKE let’s be honest you shrieked 

meanwhile kaeya’s just laughing his ass off 

you can hear his rich peals of laughter while you attempt to regain your bearings 

he does this so often you SHOULD be used to it but you really aren’t bc mans is SNEAKY-

he cards his fingers in your hair whenever you’re speaking 

he doesn’t know why, it’s just a cute habit and he finds the feel of his fingers in your hair soothing

oH on the topic of comfort, kaeya really likes resting two fingers on the back of your neck???

ik he seems like the type to throw his arm around your shoulder which yes he totally is but during more serious conversations his hand automatically seeks out the warmth of your neck 

your neck feels amazing especially during the warmer months due to his chilly fingers contrasting with your warm skin  

he likes that he’s able to access such a vulnerable part of you and you would willingly let him 

HE GETS YOU MATCHING OUTFITS

no i will NOT take criticism on this i just kNOW he’s that type of guy

it would be those stupid “i’m his” and “they’re mine” sweatshirts like BYE 

it’s so cringy but for some reason it’s oddly adorable and you truly despise it but you can’t seem to say no whenever he asks 

you pretend to ignore the look of pity diluc throws your way whenever he sees you like this

kaeya really loves accessories so i think he would be the type to give you a promise ring or something similar to show that he truly does care for you 

he would brush it off, flirting a little like usual before handing you the ring 

with the way his cheeks softly darken though, you know he’s being genuine 

TICKLE FIGHTS ik i mentioned this for childe but shhhh

he has tickle fingers??? his hands just loOK like they’re itching to tickle someone so you’ll most likely be the unfortunate victim 

he will not show you mercy. at all. he’ll tickle you until there are tears streaming from your eyes, your face is hot, and your voice is hoarse from laughing so damn hard 

it gives him such a rush of serotonin its SO CUTE 

i feel like this goes without saying but he’s super into pda,,, anything and everything is on the table 

hand holding? duh. ass grabs? ofc. carrying you bridal style around mondstadt? why not 

ik he’s typically very playful but once the relationship reaches a certain stage, he’ll slowly start to let down the walls that surround his facade 

very very slowly show you the more realistic parts of him 

the real, damaged pieces of his soul 

he’ll be carefully monitoring your reaction though, any sign of fear or disgust will have him recoiling within himself again and you most likely will never see his true nature ever again 

SO BE CAREFUL 👹

once you’ve seen the parts of him he’s offered to you, the hushed whispers of his past, and the uncertain lines of his future, he will take off his eyepatch 

pretends like he’s not super nervous but he’s SWEATING- 

the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen though hands down 

you can understand why he covers it up but you would like it if he felt comfortable enough to take off the eyepatch occasionally when he’s with you 

also!!! sleeps with his eyepatch side facing you (in the event he wears it to bed) 

if this happens you KNOW he trusts you bc it’s his blindside <3 

anyways life w kaeya will never be boring but he is a very complicated man 

stay with him though, i promise it’ll be worth it 

jean

the key to jean’s heart is coffee and food 

GET HER COFFEE AND FOOD

i am begging you she deserves it 😭

the poor woman works so hard bc the knights are so mf understaffed, this is literally the best way you can ever show her your love and appreciation when she has work

she will MELT if you have a hot shower and dinner waiting for her when she inevitably returns later than she promised

will completely refuse at first with, “you did not have to do this, it’s too much” but shush her as you shOULD bc she deserves the entire world 

she’s the definition of “you do something for me, i’ll return the favor ten times grander”

you leave a flower on her desk bc it reminded you of her??? you’ll wake up to find a whole bouquet of the prettiest windwheel asters you’ve ever seen the next morning along with a thank you note

she’s so sweet BYE

she gets flustered extremely easily so you obviously use this as an opportunity to tease her 

when you’re in public rest your hand on her waist and inch it higher until your hand is underneath her shirt and in contact with her warm skin 

she’ll actually short-circuit its quite adorable 

sometimes y’all will be cuddling and you’ll hear whispers of her insecurities 

“am i a good grand master? will i ever be as valiant as vanessa?”

reassure her!!! tell her that she doesn’t need to be like vanessa, she’s already amazing as jean 

if you haven’t seen her in awhile, track her down and schedule a lunch date 

she never misses appointments and if it’s for you, she’ll gladly make time to see you even if she has to stay up even later than usual 

OH-

GIVE HER MASSAGES 

she has so much tension and the sorest muscles from hunching over papers and running around on errands 

if you sneak into her office and quietly stand behind her before gently pushing down on the sore tendons of her neck, she’ll genuinely fall over on her desk 

so make sure you steady her 😀

after you feel how tight her muscles are though, you drag her to barbara bc she needs a healer asap 😭

while most of your time is spent in her office - you helping out in the ways you can while jean is overseeing knight duties - you still have your fair share of life outside of the favonius headquarters

jean never likes to sit still so whenever you have free time, the both of you head off looking for monsters to clear

bouken da bouken???

adventuring w jean is seriously the funnest thing you could ever do 

it’s just non-stop you accidentally getting into trouble and her having to come help you 

even tho the both of you are dead tired after fighting, what? 20 hilichurl camps now??? the laughter and joy in your eyes shows how you both truly loved every minute of it

it’s both a stress reliever, good fun, and a work-out <3

you’re definitely prone to getting dragged to angel’s share w kaeya 

kaeya and jean sometimes hang out after work at the tavern so inevitably you’re dragged along too 

all three of you are drunk out of your minds which just makes everything a MILLION times funnier 

kaeya slurring over his words makes the two of you start cackling endlessly while diluc just shakes his head making sure to not give you more wine despite your pleas 

angel’s share ft. kaeya and bartender diluc are always the best times fr fr 

life with her literally feels like y’all are married 

so much domesticity it’s so NICE ALJDKSFH

your house is always so clean and the color scheme is impeccable bc jean has such a good eye 

you have a chore schedule 😎 but it almost never works out bc jean ends up doing everything without you knowing- 

you always confront her abt it and she’s like 😁 “i had some time so i did them! no worries tho” like i- time??? where bitc-

oH- she has amazing style so you can bet shopping w her is literally the best experience 

she takes you to all of the hidden gems some places lisa recommended and helps you pick out things 

will 100% get really blushy if you come out in something and ask her for her opinion tho she’s literally the cutest

basically jean is a sweet girl who deserves the entirety of teyvat that is all. 

thanks for reading! if you have any requests don’t hesitate to send them in <3 

[childe-dni]

Don't Let Go

kaeya x reader

word count: 758

warnings: implied nightmare

a/n; I've once again used kaeya to try a different writing style but I quite like how this turned out

Kaeya Alberich was always an enigma to you. He was a Knight who showed little to no enthusiasm about his actual work, usually opting to slack off and procrastinate on all his duties, yet somehow he was a captain with one of the best track records. Nearly every mission led by him would end in success, and he always had a myriad of ways to solve cases that not even the acting grand master herself could get a grasp on.

You didn’t quite understand it at first but as the two of you grew closer you quickly put the pieces together. While Kaeya himself is quite a complex man, the answer to your questions is rather simple; his carefree attitude is mostly a product of his persona, the version of himself he shows to people as a way of obscuring the real him, both his true strengths and his weaknesses. He’s simply just a person who no one truly knows, no matter how well they think they do.

The way he presents himself, the person he allows others to see is blithe, one may even say lazy, but strong and intelligent nonetheless. Yet they do not see the unrelenting tempest that rages within him, one that he himself hides from, concealing himself in the shadows cast by the light he has convinced himself his guise radiates. It’s nothing new to him anyway – since his days outside of Mondstadt (which shall not be spoken of) to his time in the Winery alongside the golden child, Diluc, up to now with his work as an honourable knight that has somehow led to him having connections with all kinds of questionable people – the shadows are all he's ever known.

And, as the person closest to Kaeya, the only one to see him for what he truly is, you just can't help but wonder, do the shadows not get lonely? Does the darkness not get scary?

You find the answer to these questions when, through your sleep, you hear soft whimpers and something periodically twitching beside you. This all comes to a halt and rips you from your sleep once and for all when the man next to you jolts upwards, form shaking and breathing laboured as he does so.

Though the room is dark you can still see the galaxies in his now two revealed eyes glistening with terror, those stars you once adored so much leaving nothing but supernovae in their wake. His usually smug, carefree countenance is now contorted with fear and anxiety as he attempts to choke back the sobs threatening to tear through his throat, and you can't help but feel guilty about the sudden sinking feeling in your chest. If just seeing him like this is enough to make your heart heavy and eyes burn, you can't imagine the turmoil that the man you love the most must be experiencing. Something about seeing a person who everyone views as carefree and put together so broken like this is gut wrenching and you feel helpless in his case.

But you know you have to do something, anything to save him from drowning in this seemingly endless ocean of apprehension. So you do all you can in this moment – you gently lay a hand on top of his quivering one, causing him to startle at your touch and snatch his hand away before realising it’s just you.

Voice trembling, he croaks out, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Kaeya cuts himself off, mind so restless that he’s at a loss for words. In an attempt to recollect himself, he sighs before speaking again. “Did I wake you, love? My apologies, I’m fine, go back to sleep-”

He’s interrupted again when he feels an arm meander around his torso, gradually drawing him closer to you while the other moves to cradle his head. Though you can feel Kaeya’s mouth open to say something, no noise escapes his lips. Instead, he just releases a shaky breath against your chest as he tries to allow himself to melt into you.

“You don’t have to hide from me, you know,” you softly murmur into his hair. “I know you’re not fine, and that’s okay. You’re not alone anymore.”

After a long silence, Kaeya finally mutters, “Don’t let go. Please.”

Though he only whispered those four words, you could hear the crack in his voice. And from there, you reassure him that letting go wasn’t even a thought in your mind - you had never considered it and never dreamed of doing so either.

[thedemonstherapist]

Tension Solution

Summary: “I think this tension between us needs resolving. Be that with swords against each other’s necks or in my bed. You decide”. 

Wordcount: ~4,2K

Pairing: Kaeya Alberich x GN! Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Enemies to Lovers, Sexual innuendos, Small mentions of blood

Author’s Note: Here it is! My Kaeya enemies to fuckers piece. A huge thank you to @gnocchi-ghoul​ for Beta reading this for me! I had such fun writing this, and you all know I’m a sucker for some good tensioned sworfighting, and this smug bastard has been on my mind ever since starting to play the game. I know this is not my usual content, but I write when I want, about who I want, ok? I’ve had so little inspiration over the past months that I’ve got to take chances like these and go with them.

Banner is not mine! If you know who to credit it to, let me know, I couldn’t find it!

There he came again. That stupid coin between his fingers, flung into the air at random intervals. That stupid grin softening his face, cheerful greetings echoing through the noisy hall. Oh, and above all, that tremendously stupid way his eyes find you immediately, just trying to do your work.

You lower your gaze, pressing your pen down onto paper with renewed determination. Jean and her new open doors policy be damned, you couldn’t wait to slam it in his face. Of course it’s the last few minutes of visiting hours that he decides to come back from his commission. Three blissful weeks of calm while he was stationed out near the Liyue border, no comments, no irksome remarks, no-

“Don’t tell me you’re too busy to greet me”. 

You sigh. Kaeya observes you with his arms crossed, casually lent against the doorframe. His sword is still strapped to his back, droplets of water running down the blade, and he clearly hasn’t gone to take a shower yet, covered in dirt, mud and sporadic dried blood. 

“Captain”. You can’t help your displeasured tone. “I see you’re back”. 

“Inspector”. He raises a brow in retaliation. “I sent a notice stating my return three days ago”. 

“Oh, that”. You pick the unintelligible letter from your desk with two fingers, holding it at an arm’s length. “Apparently your messenger didn't go for a swim on the way here. Could you confirm?”

His jaw tightens momentarily, as you note with satisfaction, but it doesn’t deter the grin. “You should be used to my handwriting by now”. 

You place it back on your desk with contempt. “I am not. Hopefully your report to Jean is a little more… readable”. 

He shrugs, beginning to peel off his gloves. “She’s never complained about it”. 

Taking a deep breath, you try to calm yourself down. Kaeya tends to make you irrationally angry, and no, it wasn’t just the absolute nonchalante recklessness he treated his position and commissions with. You couldn’t count the times he’d risked more than his own life in battle, somehow always managing to pull it off in the last second. And of course, that was his surefire way to getting out of trouble, no matter how much Jean grilled him for it afterwards.

“Go clean up”. You try your best to make your dismissal abundant, leaning back over your work. “You’re dripping water on my carpet”. 

“Oh, we’re touchy today, aren’t we?” Kaeya’s grin widens into a smirk, pushing himself off the frame. “Did Fawks hit on you during your patrols again?” 

“That’s none of your business”. You shoot him a glare, tapping your nails impatiently. As if you still had the opportunity to go out on patrols, you’d been holed up in your office pretty much ever since becoming Inspector. You wished you could get out again, your body had been aching for some action for weeks, but he was the last person you’d ever confess that to.

Kaeya hums lightly, and instead of exiting, takes another step into the office. His eyes wandered your shelves with staged disinterest, but you knew he was looking for something to use as ammunition.

“I’m assuming you couldn’t hear me” you state, sarcasm adding a bite to your tone. “I told you to clean up. You look like you haven’t seen soap since leaving Mondstadt”. 

“Oh, Y/N, always so worried about my appearance” he muses, drawing closer to your desk. God, you hated that stupid cat-like expression he bore, so sly and pretentious. “I’d be more worried about yourself, frankly”. 

“I’m not playing these games, Kaeya”, you reply sharply, fingers tightening around your pen. “Go take a damn shower, and stop ruining my carpet. I don’t know why your immediate goal seems to piss me off, but I’d like to maintain some level of professional dignity between us”. 

He rolls his eyes. “By Barbatos, you really are wound up today. I doubt that’s just my fault”. 

“Be delusional, then”. You shake your head. “I don’t think Jean would appreciate another formal complaint, so do her the favour, if not for me, and get out of my office”. 

“Fine”. He turns around, but not before throwing you another glance, and damn it, you know he has one last trick up his sleeve, just by the way he says it. “However, before I forget-”. 

“What?”

“You’re pre-reading my report for Jean. Her orders”. 

---

“... and that bastard didn't even take the time to brief me about the mission outcome, the entire time he was dirtying up my office!” You end your rant with an angry flourish, slamming your hand down on the table. “I don’t know what he intended with that whole interaction, he just likes making my day so much worse!” 

Your friend chuckles, stirring her drink idly, an ocean of calm in comparison to your raging fury. “Man, if we weren’t close, I would never guess Kaeya to be such a pain in the ass. Each time I’ve encountered him he’s been so chivalrous and kind”. 

“He just can’t keep it in his pants”. You cross your arms, sitting back in your chair with a huff. “If you ever end up in his bed, I will personally hunt him down”. 

She laughs. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t put you in that position”. 

“I just don’t understand it”. You run a hand through your hair, glancing around the tavern. It was unusually crowded for a Thursday night, you’d been lucky to get your usual table. “Why he has this stupid grudge against me. We used to be normal colleagues, back when we were both only trainee’s and officers, but then one day the switch flipped and it’s like we can’t stand the sight of each other ever since. The worst thing is, he has every last person in Mondstadt wrapped around his finger! So nobody understands my frustration!”

“First of all, Diluc exists. Second of all, aren’t you higher ranking than him?” she asks, and you regretfully shake your head. 

“No, Captains and Inspectors are on the same level. I personally didn't feel ready to be a leader in combat situations, so I passed on the opportunity. Now I miss active commissions so much, my poor sword is nothing more than an ancient relic at this point”. 

“Surely, you’ll still be sent out?” 

“I don’t have a command, the only times I might be are on extraordinarily dangerous or sizable sightings, or for assistance to Captains. Rue the day I get sent out with Kaeya”. You shudder at the thought. “That would end in total disaster”. 

“So you really have no idea why Kaeya began to dislike you so suddenly?” your friend inquires, tilting her head aside. You shake yours. “And there wasn’t some kind of incident that caused this?” 

“Not that I know of”.

A grin spreads over her face. “Hey, you ever considered that he likes you a little too much for his own good?” 

“That’s some misogynistic bullshit”, you snort. “Guys are rude to people because they like them, yeah right. That’s just trying to normalise shitty behaviour in the name of quote-on-quote love”. 

“I know that”. She gives you an exasperated look. “But… you have to admit that the two of you have some serious chemistry”. 

“What are you even talking about?” you question, downing the rest of your drink. 

“Every time you two interact”. She raises a brow knowingly. “Remember that time you were bickering on patrol through Mondstadt? I swear, even without a vision, I could see sparks between the two of you, and I wasn’t the only one, you got the entire town talking. You get on each other’s nerves because you have some unresolved tension you need to work out, and neither of you wants to admit it”. 

“Shut up”. Your cheeks suddenly feel suspiciously warm, and you firmly decide it’s the alcohol. “Fine, Kaeya’s attractive, but he’s so fucking annoying because he knows that. He messes with me ‘cause he knows how to get in my head, and gets some kind of sadistic pleasure from it”. 

Your friend makes an attempt to interrupt you, but you don’t let her, motioning to her to let you rant. “Let me finish. He was nice enough up until he got that damn ego boost after being promoted, I think, and even then I could still talk to him without the need to stab myself in the eye. He’s just so frustrating, never thinks twice about anything he does, and always gets away with it, plus he has this weird urge to always show off that stupidly toned chest of his and - by the Seven, I hate that idiot smirk of his, and the fact that he’s so damn perfect at his swordsmanship, I can’t even deny how good he is in battle, Jean has said he rivals her, and I despise that he knows he looks good while doing it, he-”

“So, how much longer were you going to let them just talk?” A voice offhandedly asks from behind you, and the blood in your veins turns to ice. Your friend smiles lazily, winking at you. 

“Oh, you know, however long they need. Y/N’s been ranting quite a bit this evening, you really get on their nerves”. 

You whip around, and sure enough, there he is, the cause of this mess. Kaeya has his arms folded, grinning down at you with thinly veiled satisfaction. You’re pretty sure half of the tavern is watching, and your blood turns from freezing to seething within seconds. 

“How long have you been there?” you ask stiffly, glaring at your friend. She pulls an innocent face, leaning back in her seat with performative disinterest. Traitor. 

“Just long enough to hear what I needed to”. Kaeya’s grin is threatening to split his face in half. “You really think I’m that attractive, huh? I never would have guessed”. 

You jump up from your chair, spitting out the first thing that comes to mind. “Fight me”. 

He actually laughs, a few of the tavern occupants joining in. “What? Are you sure you’re not mixing up a couple words there?”

You clench your jaw, deciding to just go with it. “Fight me. Knights of Favonius training ring, tomorrow morning. I’m sick of your attitude”. 

“Oh?” He cocks a brow at you. “I hope you’re ready after wasting away in that office of yours”. 

“I could beat you blindfolded”, you reply presumptuously, mimicking his stance, unable to ignore the fact that he smells a little too good for your tipsy state. At least he finally took your orders. You hold his stare regardless, unwilling to give in.

“Thank the Seven, you’re working this out at last”, your friend sighs, sipping at her drink. “And here I thought you’d take the sexual tension to the grave”. 

Kaeya’s lip twitches in amusement as he extends one hand. “Tomorrow morning at seven. I’ll try not to kill you then, for that sake alone”.

You give him a dirty look, reluctantly shaking his hand. “Your chance of me doing the same is decreasing with every word that leaves your mouth”. 

“I can live with that”. He suddenly leans closer, and before you can pull away, whispers in your ear, sultry tone leaving the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. “You’re going down, darling”. 

Like Hell you are.

---

The training hall is usually relatively empty at this time of day. Some dedicated trainee’s use the morning to get their routine over, but otherwise, not many knights exercise this early. And though at least a few of them must have heard of what happened last night, not many are to be seen. Even if you could live with an audience, you decide this way is perfectly fine, especially in case of the (distinctly undesirable and should-be-impossible outcome) of you losing to him. You’re a bit out of breath from warming up, fixing your shirt before making your way over to the ring.

Kaeya is waiting for you there, clad in athleisure and in the midst of testing out a beginner’s sword. His vision is nowhere to be seen, and you curse him a little for not giving you something more to berate him for. Nevertheless, you straighten up as you approach.

“Good morning”, you greet him nonchalantly, walking over to inspect the racks of weapons. 

A grin flashes across his face as he turns around, wiping the sweat off his brow. “Hello, darling”.

“Sweating already?” You raise a brow at him, deciding to ignore the nickname. “And here I thought I’d have a challenge”. 

Kaeya laughs, rolling out his wrist. “You are cute when you’re acting tough”. Tilting his head aside, he watches you take your pick of one of the swords. The morning light bathes him in a soft glow, falling through the high windows, hair tied up in a messy bun at the back of his head, and- wait. Your cheeks grow hot as you realise what absurd directions your thoughts are heading to. Your friend must have gotten under your skin more than you realised last night. 

Shaking your head a little, you roll your shoulders back and face him head-on. “Whatever makes you feel better. For the rules, as by training code, drawing blood is an immediate end”. 

“No visions, no hits near the head or vital organs, dull blades and stop means stop”, Kaeya counts up calmly, making his way to the center of the ring. His blue eye gleams playfully in the light, and he swings the sword near aimlessly while walking. You grit your teeth at his relaxed manner. He wasn’t taking this seriously at all, huh?

“Don’t worry, Inspector”. He winks as he comes to a halt before you, maintaining the mandated arm’s distance. “I know the rules”. 

“I’d hope so”, you reply, getting into position and watching him do the same. You decide to stir the pot a little, knowing it’s best to get into his head, and feign a smile. “I can’t wait until the rest of the knights hear about how royally I kicked your ass”. 

He laughs lowly, and is immediately on the attack. Anticipating such, after years of observing him in battle, you parry it easily, ducking aside to avoid the next one. You wait until he’s nearly backed you into the corner, ego visibly growing with every move he makes, and take a rolling dive, knocking his legs out from under him with your own. 

He manages to catch himself, and you’re relieved by the split-second of surprise in his expression. You withdraw towards the middle, blowing a stray strand of hair out of your face and, in a rush of adrenalin, smirk at him. “Not so confident now, are we, Captain?”

“You’re not as out of shape as I anticipated”, he counters, slashing his sword through the air as he repositions himself. Brows narrowing playfully, he adds: “It’ll make it more fun to thoroughly take you apart”. 

You don’t give him more time to prepare. Blades crash onto each other as he masterfully deflects your attacks, and it doesn’t take long for the two of you to get out of breath. Neither of you can land a hit, no matter how feasible it seems. He handles the comparatively bulky sword with enviable ease, and you grow frustrated quickly, unable to break through his defences. In turn, you don’t let him back you into any corner, constantly keeping the playing field level and returning every new strike with your own.

“You know what, I’ve missed this”, Kaeya pants, quick to switch hands as you sidestep him, attempting to land a hit on his blinde side. 

“Huh?” is all you can answer in return, deflecting his counter aimed at your back, and darting aside. 

“Training”. He nearly misses the parry, forced to back up if not to risk a blow to his abdomen. “With you”. He shoots you a brash smile, easily twisting out of your range.

You huff, irritated at the fact that he still has the mind to flirt. “Your silver tongue isn’t getting you out of this one”. 

“I meant it”. And of damn course, his tactic worked, the point of his blade sinking into your shoulder. “Remember when we used to practise together?” 

“Before you became a dick, you mean?” you shoot back, attempting an aggressive strike at his lower thigh. Your body is getting sore, heart pounding against your ribcage, breaths coming out short and strained, but despite it all, you’re enjoying this. In any case, you’d rather die than admit to him that you’re having fun. 

You really needed to get out of your office more.

Kaeya laughs, equally exhausted, before advancing at an alarming speed. “I’ll give you that one, darling”. 

Your blades cross, metal clashing loudly, and you can see an opportunity form as he shortly weakens his hold. Rotating your sword in the opposite direction to try and hook beneath his, you’re so distracted by the possibility of disarming him that you don’t notice the satisfaction that washes over his expression as you do. One swift swipe of his foot and you’re falling backwards, weapon nearly ripped from your hand. 

Your back hits the mat with full force, air knocked out of your lungs, causing you to give a strangled gasp. Kaeya is smirking down at you, but he’s as out of breath as you are and there’s sweat soaking his shoulders. You don’t think before you move, so infuriated by the words you know are about to leave his mouth, fingers tightening around the handle. 

The hit against his shins sends him to the ground, but not sideways as planned, instead straight onto you. You don’t have the time or the mind to roll out of the way, and he tries very hard to catch himself, hands landing on either side of you. You yelp as most of his weight hits you, momentarily forgetting what’s even happening. 

 “Fuck”, Kaeya groans, arms shaking as he tries to brace himself. “You like playing dirty, don’t you?” 

Slowly regaining the ability to breathe after nearly being crushed, your eyes dart to see him dangling over you, legs and lower body resting on your own. If anyone hears of this out of context, you’re moving to the other end of Teyvat. He’s panting, no doubt as shocked as you are, strands of his hair tickling your nose. His face is mere inches away from yours, heat seeping through his clothes onto your skin. 

Decidedly too close.

Your blade kissing his throat is a much better sight. You know you’re technically breaking the rules, but the way his eye widens, corners of his mouth twitching and brows raising to the sky is just too good of a picture. 

“Get off me”. You growl, trying to steady yourself with your other hand. 

His laugh sounds astounded, but contrary to your demand, he does not. Instead, his chin juts forward, pressing the metal into his skin for earnest. There’s no blood, of course, all these swords are dulled to near uselessness, but it does leave you speechless at the amount of reckless pride he seems to possess. 

 Kaeya hums, clearly satisfied at your reaction. “I’ll be honest, this is not how I initially pictured you under me”. 

What a smug son of a-

“Oh, fuck off”. Your knee makes contact with his stomach and he rolls off you with a grunt. You scramble to your feet, grimacing at what you're sure will be a bruised tailbone later. He’s already composed himself, twirling his sword idly as you get a proper grip on your own. Looking you up and down, his grin widens into a smirk.

“Though you do look similar to the imaginary aftermath”. 

“I am going to kill you”, you hiss, red flashing before your eyes as you charge at him. Kaeya begins to laugh once more, but it quickly dies down as your moves become more and more aggressive, driving him out of the ring and towards the wall. The thought of whoever may be around again crosses your mind, but honestly, you can’t care about who may be watching, every last bit of strength you have left is focused on Kaeya and his stupid fucking face and the way he evades your strikes with a precision that only leaves to be desired to every onlooker. It makes you want to actually scream. You finally land two hits on him, arms beginning to shake from exhaustion and overwhelming adrenalin. 

But once more, Kaeya catches you off guard. The switch flips just as his leg hits the wall and you’re just beginning to notice your own smile, sure of your victory. His expression darkens, lip caught in his teeth as his eyes narrow down at you. 

Your blades clash as they did before, and of course he uses your own move against you, managing to perfect it. Your sword goes flying to the ground, and the moment you lose your grip is the moment you’re being slammed against the wall that he was nearly backed up against mere seconds ago. The tip of his sword is digging into the soft skin of your throat, positioned perfectly above your Adam's apple. 

Suddenly, it goes very quiet, the silence only interrupted by your laboured breaths. Maybe it’s the fact that he near literally has a knife to your throat, but you can’t tear your eyes away from him. His hand is pressing on your shoulder, pinning you to the wall, keeping you in place. His leg is slotted between yours, barring you from moving an inch. 

For the first time since you’ve met him, you have nothing to do but to admire him. Sweat is making his hair stick to his skin, an exhausted flush upon his dark cheeks. His body is visibly tense, stare boring into yours with a kind of intensity you’ve only ever seen during active combat. There’s nothing unintentional about the way he’s restraining you, nothing hesitant about the placement of the blade against your skin. His chest is heaving, teeth digging into his lip in constrained effort, fingers digging into your shoulder as if expecting you to fight back.

You don’t. 

Instead, you let out a shaky breath. The adrenalin is still surging through you, but you can’t feel the constant urge to punch him in the gut anymore. Huh. Weird. 

“You won”. Your voice is calmer than it ever has been talking to him, accepting of your defeat. Plus, your body is beginning to realise that whatever just happened hurt, and quite a bit at that. You wince, knowing you’re going to need some ice to get through the rest of the day. 

Kaeya shakes his head determinedly, stare not wavering. “You had me in practically the same position less than a minute ago. You could have flipped me over with ease and won. You didn't. That’s the only reason I got you here”. His grip on your shoulder eases up. “We’re equal”. 

Withdrawing the sword from your neck, he takes a step back, relinquishing his hold on you. You feel strangely dazed, automatically reaching to check for cuts on your neck. “I guess?”

“You okay?” He sounds relatively quiet as well, nearly uneasy, which does not fit the overconfident persona he usually bears. Whatever tension there was before has yielded to something more cautious, like strangers navigating their way across broken ice. 

You nod, reaching to pick up your sword. “Fine”. You pause briefly, debating your words before meeting his eye again. “That was… good exercise. Thanks for fighting me”. 

He laughs a little, and you’re taken aback by how much you don’t feel like reacting. What was going on? At the latest after that laugh you’d usually be back at his throat. 

“Sure”. There’s the typical amusement in his face, but his smile is less egregious and smug. It’s… kind? “I’d have no problem repeating it”. 

You raise your shoulders, unsure of what to do now. “I guess… I wouldn’t either?”

“Good”. He runs a hand through his hair in an effort to fix the mess it’s become. You’re beginning to hear the confidence you’re used to re-enter his words, but it doesn’t appear to bother you. “Friday’s at seven, then. We’ll make it a regular thing”.

“Trying to kill each other?” You surprise yourself with the attempt to ease the tension, and why in the world do you have the urge to smile at the sight of his?

“If that’s how you want to see it”. He shrugs, placing his sword back on the racks. Glancing over his shoulder, he regards you for a long moment. “I think your friend is right”. 

“In what regard?” you ask, in principle fully aware of what that expression means for you. 

Kaeya’s shit-eating grin has made its way back onto his face. “I think this tension needs resolving. Whatever means it takes”. 

You can hear the words in your head before he says them. 

“Be that with swords against each other’s necks or in my bed. You decide”.

[coffee-without-caffeine]

Childe x reader ~ “Why’d you only call me when you’re high?”

Details: Modern AU!, Soulmate AU!, F!reader (if anyone would like a male reader I can rewrite it to be with a male reader instead and post that too)  Character: Childe/Tartaglia (Genshin Impact)  Trigger Warnings: A very toxic relationship in the beginning (not with Childe), mentions of the mafia, mentions of attempted kidnapping, childe literally breaking into your house(?).  A/N: I love Kaeya but I couldn’t think of a better name so I just used his name for the ex. In now way shape or for is this how I see Kaeya or want others to see Kaeya so please keep this in mind when he is mentioned. Thank you <3

“The mirror’s image tells me it’s home time,” 

The music blared from you phone as you curled into a tighter ball, pulling the polyester material closer to your face as it soaked up the stray tears. Why were you crying over him again, Kaeya, he wasn’t even your soulmate... Where was your soulmate? You’d been on this earth for twenty-two years yet you hadn’t heard a peep. Not a single word, tattoo, flare of pain. There was no red string tied around your finger like so many others had. Did you have a soulmate? Surely he would have shown up by now, or at least made his presence known. 

“But I’m not finished ‘cause you’re not by my side.”

The song was little more than background noise now as you found yourself stuck in your own head. After coming to the conclusion you were one of the unfortunate people born without a soulmate, you had turned to meaningless relationships. You had thought they were meaningless, until you had began a relationship with Kaeya.

“And as I arrived, I thought I saw you leaving,”

It had started off beautifully, everything perfect and as it should be. You weren’t sure what had changed within the time you had been dating but at one point the magic of a new relationship had faded and the curtain had dropped. Not once has Kaeya made an effort to show he cared about you, all of the effort had stemmed from you. You were the one who woke up each day and texted him good morning, you were the one who would listen to him rant only to be shut down when you were crying and in pain. Every phone call revolved around him and what he had to say while you could do nothing more than offer up how you agreed with him.

“Carrying your shoes, decided that once again I was just dreaming of bumping into you.”

You had thought it was normal at first, you were both in a happy and loving relationship so why should it matter if he listened to you or not. He didn’t have a soulmate just like you, so why did it matter? You were meant to be together, this was the universe’s way of giving you a soulmate. Right?

“Now it’s three in the morning, and I’m tryna change your mind.”

It took you longer than you’d like to admit to come to terms with the fact you didn’t have a soulmate. Having someone else who shared the pain with you, the feeling of losing something you never had to begin with, was the best feeling. It had filled what you thought to be the gap of your soulmate, like fitting a piece into a puzzle that wasn’t from the same set. It wasn’t supposed to work but it did. You were so happy to have someone like you, or so you had thought.

“Left you multiple missed calls, and to my message you reply”

He had a soulmate. That piece of information had snapped the last thread holding your relationship together. You had clung to the hope that there was someone else like you, but there wasn’t. You two had been arguing, over what you couldn’t remember, but things had gotten heated and he had screamed that he should have never dated someone who wasn’t his soulmate.  “You don’t have a soulmate though, you’re just like me! We’re meant to be together because of what we lack!” He had laughed cruelly, “You really think we were meant to be together? What are you stupid?”  You watched in horror as he pushed his long sleeve up his arm to reveal a gorgeous tattoo of a bundle of yellow carnations. You couldn’t hear him anymore, you couldn’t see anything except for that bundle of carnations inked onto his arm. There was no doubt that it was the mark of his soulmate.  “Get out of my apartment.” That’s when the tears had started falling. 

“Why’d you only call me when you’re high?” Childe muttered as he walked down the bustling city street. “She’s listening to that song again? What is it now, the third time this week?” He thought, pushing his way through the crowd that blocked the entrance to the subway. Childe had ignored his soulmate for as long as he remembered. He refused to communicate in any way, never drawing on his skin, never singing to a song no matter how catchy (ahaha for ✨plot✨); not once had he tried to reach out. It wasn’t because he didn’t care about them, oh how he longed to hold you in his arms and whisper sweet nothings in your ear, it was the exact opposite. Childe cared deeply for his soulmate and, in his mind, being the soulmate of someone deeply rooted in the mafia was more of a blessing than a curse. The Fatui were feared in most towns, known mainly for their debt collection tactics and their deep roots in politics at a national level. Childe had been taken in at a young age, handed over by his father in hopes to pay off his debt to the Fatui (yes I know in his actual backstory his father sent him to the Fatui in hopes to change is attitude, sorry I couldn’t find a way to fit that in properly). Childe had grown up, and soon rose up the ladder that was the Fatui, eventually becoming a so called “Harbinger,” one of the highest ranks within the Fatui. So, deciding that living life constantly worrying about his soulmate was not one he wished to live, Childe had decided to ignore his universe given other-half. That is until the universe had other plans. 

It was supposed to be a simple job, to give someone in debt a little bit of incentive to pay the Fatui back. They had found that Kaeya was close to a woman named Y/N. After a little bit of digging they had found out that Kaeya was in a relationship with Y/N, and that he had constantly been in and out of her apartment until a few days ago. Despite his recent break in the pattern of visits, his calls to Y/N’s number had remained more or less the same. Stepping out of the subway car Childe found himself running through the job once more. Break into the apartment, kidnap Y/N (yes, I know it’s cliche), leave a note for Kaeya and leave with you until he payed back his debt. It’d be quite a bit easier than most of his previous jobs, shouldn’t take him longer than two hours; the majority of it being the drive. What Childe hadn’t been expecting when he picked the lock and opened your door, was to see the very person he was supposed to kidnap cocooned in blankets, sobbing, and listening to the exact song that had been playing in his head the entire way here. Raising your tear stained face the two of you made eye contact, your red and puffy eyes meeting his wide and terrified ones. There was no denying it for either of you, the syncing of your breathing, the song that was now playing through both of your heads, you two were soulmates. Childe wasn’t sure how to react, halfway through the door and unsure if he was supposed to come any closer, he just stood there, unmoving. A pure mixture of fear and joy was pounding through this veins as he stared back.

You on the other hand, had no idea how to feel. You had spent your entire life believing you didn’t have a soulmate, and yet here he was half way through your door and a very bewildered look on his face. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that but you couldn’t say that your first impression of him was the best- seeing as that he had picked your lock and broken into your apartment while you were crying your eyes out. The circumstances of you meeting him had been less than ideal, as was the history of your relationship with him. You were so happy to have finally met him, that gap in your chest finally filled... but that wasn’t the only thing that filled your chest at the current moment; pure, burning, unbridled rage pooled in your chest and spread through out your body. You had a soulmate, but not once had you heard from him. Not a single sung lyric, not a single doodle on your arm, no tattoo or shared pain, nothing from the man who now stood fully in your apartment. Before you could process what exactly you were doing a harsh smack echoed through the space of your apartment.

Childe wasn’t sure how to feel now. After finally walking all the way into your apartment he had watched as you sprung from your bundle of blankets and stormed towards him. Apparently your way of greeting your soulmate wasn’t a hug or a handshake, it was to slap him straight across the face with surprising force. Childe was now looking at your wall with a stinging cheek and a blank mind.  He found himself speaking to you before he could think about what he was about to say “Well that’s one way to greet your soulmate.” Perhaps that wasn’t the best thing to say to you. “Greet your soulmate? Greet your soulmate! ‘Greet your soulmate’ my ass I think I have every right to greet you like that when I didn’t know you existed until a couple of minutes ago! Keep in mind I have lived a soulmate less life for twenty-two years and here you are waltzing into my apartment after you picked the damned lock!” “At least I know you aren’t younger than me...?” And that’s how Childe found himself with not only a hand shaped mark on his right cheek, but a large goose egg on his forehead from the book you had unceremoniously flung at his face.

The two of you now sat on your couch, you with a freshly poured glass of wine and Childe with a bag of ice pressed to his forehead.  “So you mean to tell me that I have spent twenty-two years believing I didn’t have a soulmate, because you were part of the mafia and didn’t want to put my life at risk.” “That’s exactly what I’m saying, I’m so glad you under-” “God nobody told me that if I had a soulmate he was going to be such an idiot.” “-stand... I’m sorry what was that just now?” Of all the responses Childe had expected, yours wasn’t one of them. “I know you heard me perfectly fine.” You snapped back, reaching for the book that now sat on the coffee table. The look of pure fear on Childe’s face was one you wouldn’t forget as he raised the hand that wasn’t holding the ice pack in surrender.   Letting out a small huff you instead opted to grab your wine glass and drink the rest of the nearly full cup. “Look I could care less that you’re part of the fatui. While I don’t appreciate the fact you were going to kidnap me in order to get my ex to pay back his debt, I do understand why didn’t make yourself known all these years.” A guilty look overtook Childe’s face, one that made your heart ache, but you kept going. “We could have worked things out, I could have learned to protect myself better and you could continue to do your job. I understand you wanted to protect me physically, but you gravely miscalculated when it came to mentally protecting me.”  There was a beat of silence before Childe spoke, his words carrying an emotion you weren’t sure you could identify. Three words that carried so much meaning and heart, there wasn’t a doubt in your mind that he didn’t mean them. “I’m truly sorry.” 

Silence overtook your apartment once more, yet it was somehow lighter than the last wave. A mutual understanding, and forgiveness. Sure your soulmate was an idiot for not contacting you, and sure you could have not thrown a book at his head, but he was there. And so no words were exchanged as you rose from your chair and sat down next to Childe, leaning against his chest as he wrapped his free arm around your waist. You would figure the rest out later, but for now it was just the two of you- and you were perfectly fine with that.

“So would it be too much to ask for a kiss?” “Don’t push your luck pretty boy.”

[pencilofawesomeness]

Fics I Absolutely Adore and Would Recommend to Anyone

I’ve been meaning to do this for a long, long time, because I love reading fanworks and they deserve a lot of love and I love sharing things that I love. 

Obviously this isn’t everything, and if it’s not on this list that doesn’t mean I don’t love it, it just means I forgot at this moment. I will be adding to the list and I remember things or come across it again. (Trying to sort through my bookmarks and subscriptions is like trying to catch a fish bare-handed.) I’m also gonna shy away from the one-shots, even though I adore fun one-shots, just for the sake of organization. The list would be super long otherwise, and those are best sorted by fandom. Here... Here are just some brilliant works I want to rant about. 

Disclaimer: I say “recommend” because I would recommend these works, any time any place, but do keep in mind the story’s rating and tags and stuff. Not everything is kid-friendly.

There is absolutely no hierarchy to the list below. They are added as I add.

Fairy Dance of Death

by Catsy ( @fairydanceofdeath​ )

Fandom: Sword Art Online Word Count: 660,282 Status: ongoing

「AU reboot of the entire SAO storyline, beginning from the premise that Kayaba Akihiko was obsessed with magic and Norse Mythology rather than swords and pure melee. As a result, he created the Death Game of Alfheim Online rather than the floating castle of Aincrad—a world in which player-killing is not a crime, and the nine player races are in competition with each other to reach the top of the World Tree. Multi-POV epic following the stories of multiple canon characters throughout the game.」

If Catsy wrote the SAO light novels and anime, SAO would be among the legendary series. Fairy Dance of Death has this amazingly simple premise of making Alfheim Online, the video game from the original series’ less-than-stellar second part, the game that the main cast becomes trapped in. However, it’s so much more. They took the characters and made them characters, and everyone gets ample spotlight—even background characters that normally wouldn’t receive a second thought. It’s masterful work, and to boot, there is a lovely frame of in-game mystery and player conflict. The organization is phenomenal and I aspire to world-build the way they did. Not to mention that stakes are so much higher and this series has ripped my heart to shreds more than once. 

It has also brought me great joy, and even when I was in the dumps and didn’t want to read anything, a FDOD update made me pick up my phone and read when I otherwise wouldn’t have. It has a really special place in my heart. It updates once in a blue moon, but that’s okay. 

Even if you have never seen a single piece of Sword Art Online, Fairy Dance of Death is still a great read. In fact, it’s the Better Version of SAO, if we’re all being honest, so I would especially recommend it if you hadn’t seen the original. Or if you have. The characters are given so much love and detail, to the point where Fairy Dance of Death’s characterizations are More Canon to me than Kawahara Reki’s work. It is just a beautiful piece of fiction, and it makes you question the depravity of man on levels that SAO shied away from. 

Poisoned Dreams

by StrangeDiamond

Fandom: Genshin Impact Word Count: 82,852 Status: Complete, with a complete sequel and more to come

「 Every night now, Diluc dreams of death. Usually Kaeya's. In between these nightmares his life is falling apart. It doesn't take Kaeya long to realize that this is something much more insidious than simple bad dreams. His brother's life and sanity are on the line and there is nothing Kaeya won't do to save him. Bonus chapter added.」

In a growing fandom from a new game, StrangeDiamond swooped in and characterized these bad boys so well I think it’s canon. It really breathes life into the video game lore, and it’s an A+ depiction of awkward sibling re-bonding post-Terrible-Happenings. Poisoned Dreams can be read alone with a basic understanding of Genshin storybuilding, but StrangeDiamond has an entire group of fics and oneshots set in the same headcanon, and they integrate them really well and subtly together. Not to mention that the narrative style is really clever with making you question what is real and what is dream (a big point in this story) and the inner voices of the point-of-view characters are very compelling. 

One Word to Change the World

by AgentMalkere 

Fandom: Fairy Tail Collective Word Count: 43,988 (30 parts) Status: probably never coming back

「 In just one universe, Ultear called out to her mother instead of turning away and the fate of Fairy Tail and the world was irrevocably altered. These are glimpses of a world where a single word made all the difference.

In other words, welcome to the Butterfly Effect - Fairy Tail style. 」

It’s a really cute canon-divergent, and while the series makes no attempt to re-write Fairy Tail, it addresses the major events and just snippets in between. It does a good job at giving the vast cast ample spotlight, but it’s also an easy read. It’s special to me because it was the series that made me really pay attention to Bickslow in particular, and I respect that.

Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis

by aradian_nights 

Fandom: Attack on Titan Word Count: 399,226 Status: Complete

「 Five years ago, an accident freed Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlelt from an experiment that forced the most extraordinary powers onto them. After five years of separation, of being raised apart to be heroes by a set of three very different adults, they meet again. As they uncover the truth behind their captivity they realize being free and being heroes are sadly nothing but an illusion. 」

This wrecked me.

I still remember when I read it. It was the beginning of 2018, and I had the flu and a lot of time on my hands, so I binge-read this. It was simultaneously the best and the worst thing I have ever done, because I resonated with it so deeply there were times I was just staring up at the ceiling wondering what was real. I empathized with the characters to a level I rarely achieve, and I empathize easily. I laughed. I cried. It was amazing.

I refer to this story in conversation to this day. It handled themes published authors have only dreamed of achieving. Heck, if Dani (the author) took out the names of the AoT cast and replaced it with new ones, it could be its own stand alone novel. It is worldbuilding from the ground up, and any fandom knowledge you take in with you is used against you like a knife leveraged against your throat. Yet, no one is out of character. It’s phenomenal. I would say more, but this is something I daren’t spoil for anybody, because you must be as wrecked as I was. Vigilantis Pretium Libertatis is a level of writing I achieve to gain as a writer myself. It is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Life in Glass Houses

by blueskyscribe ( @blueskyscribe​ )

Fandom: Transformers (Transformers Prime, Transformers: Shattered Glass) Word Count: 119,900 Status: Ongoing (maybe, I hope)

「 No one would have thought Bumblebee and Knock Out were capable of getting along, but when they're stuck in a strange new world and their only hope of survival is cooperation . . . Yeah, they're probably doomed. 」

I could be biased because Knock Out and Bumblebee are two of my favorite characters, but it really is brilliant. Two enemies, stuck together—but not in an overly cliché way. It’s the right amount of cliché, with heaps moral conflict and inner conflict and sometimes just beating each other with a broom when no one is looking. It’s also a fascinating look into what makes a character the way they are in relation to the morals they possess, and how stalwart those morals can be. I can’t help but think of this story whenever I see or write a “role reverse” or mirror-verse AU. It does an excellent job at making all of the characters engaging and their own character, despite being in a mirror-verse.

Yesterday Upon the Stair

by PitViperOfDoom ( @pitviperofdoom​ )

Fandom: My Hero Academia Word Count: 424,070 Status: Complete

「 Midoriya Izuku has always been written off as weird. As if it's not bad enough to be the quirkless weakling, he has to be the weird quirkless weakling on top of it.

But truthfully, the "weird" part is the only part that's accurate. He's determined not to be a weakling, and in spite of what it says on paper, he's not actually quirkless. Even before meeting All-Might and taking on the power of One For All, Izuku isn't quirkless.

Not that anyone would believe it if he told them. 」

As a person who normally doesn’t read these kind of minor canon divergences, especially at the time of reading, I frickin’ love this fic. In fact, I think YUTS gave me a deep appreciation for canon divergence fics. It’s MHA in all of its glory but it’s so much more, and even the parts that rehash canon give new light to the characters and their points of view. 

I had read Viper’s work before and saw Yesterday Upon the Stair filling my inbox, and then I finally watched My Hero Academia. It was one of the first MHA fics I read and it still has a very special place in my heart. I recommend this series to people who don’t even watch MHA; in fact, there are some who might prefer the darker tones and themes of heroism vs apathy to the main series. Not to mention the writing style is phenomenal, and I aspire to be that good. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Yes, tears streaming down my face crying. It is the best ghost story I have ever read.

the Vantage Point Universe

by Aggie2011 ( @aggie2011whoop​ )

Fandom: The Avengers (MCU) Collective Word Count: 1,032,651 (35 parts) Status: Ongoing (just slowed down)

「 Six months after the Loki incident, Clint isn't adjusting well. When an enemy from his days in the Army comes back to haunt him, he'll be forced to face a part of his past - and to move past Loki, if he has a hope of finding his place with the Avengers. (First of a universe created to center around Clint Barton) 」

// description taken from first installment

Have you enjoyed the MCU, especially the first-era Avengers phase, but like me, were disappointed in the fact that Hawkeye was barely there? The VP universe is for you. 

I honestly have a hard time remembering what was canon and what was VP. And if it’s not canon, it should be. The VP universe gave so much life to Clint and to Natasha and to all of SHIELD and even the rest of the Avengers. It’s just...so good. It’s completely immersive. It focuses a lot on Hawkeye and Black Widow from before the Avengers team-up, as well as after, and it all flows together so beautifully. Not to mention that I can be reading a mission that happened pre-series, so I know that they are going to live with all of their limbs, and I still sit there on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The OCs, minor as they are, that are created for this are also wonderfully done. I can’t believe Dan and Phil don’t exist in canon. Every character, canon or no, is engaging and dynamic, it is a pleasure to follow each point of view. The emotional turmoil is also handled very well, and the VP universe carries the MCU trend of humanizing its heroes and takes it so much further. 

Ghosts of the Future

by Evan Stanley ( @evanstanleyportfolio​ )

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog Word Count: comic (18 issues) Status: ongoing

「 About 200 years in the future, Silver the Hedgehog is an average kid living in San Francisco... except for his strange and terrible dreams of a dying Blue Hedgehog, a Black Hedgehog, and mysterious gems called "Chaos Emeralds". What will he do, when these "figments of his imagination" appear before him in his real life? 」

// description taken from first installment

Okay so this is the only one that isn’t an Ao3 story, but rather a comic on DeviantArt. However, it is still one of my favorite stories. Even though it takes the commonalities of Sonic canon and turns them on its head, GotF really treats the characters well. There are enough familiar world elements to create intrigue, but it is set in a completely different take of the future, so there is ample opportunity for world building and being able to engage with a completely new thing. I wish SEGA put as much love in the series (namely the games, because the comics are *chef’s kiss*) and all of its possibilities as creators like Evan Stanley do.

The friendship and family relationships in GotF are so diverse and all so fantastic to witness. It’s a keynote example of the new hero and the old veterans, and both parties are active and trying their best.

Do not be alarmed by the starting art style. Sure, it’s rough around the edges at first, but then it gets better, and then it gets gorgeous, and then you’re left there so stunned that it looks like just life canon art. And then you could be like me, blinking slowly as my small brain finally connected that this Evan Stanley is in fact the Evan Stanley. GotF is an amazing fanwork, but she also draws and writes for the Official Canon comics (the IDW ones now) and that work is also phenomenal and should be supported. 

Whirlwind

by Lynse ( @ladylynse​ )

Fandom: Danny Phantom, American Dragon: Jake Long, Miraculous Ladybug, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja Word Count: 75,556 Status: Complete

「 Jake should be used to ominous predictions by now. Randy should know better than to blindly follow McFist. Adrien should think twice before sneaking away. And Danny really should've expected something like this when he got that phone call from Jake. (Secret Quartet fic) 」

I have to start by saying that I adore all of Lynse’s fics, and I chose this one simply because it is one of my favorites. But it’s all fantastic, one hundred percent. I also love Mirrored, the sort-of prequel to this fic, but Whirlwind just has the chaotic pure bean energy that each of the shows bring and it foils against each other so perfectly. This is the epitome of the Secret Quartet crossover, truly.

All fandoms and all characters get ample love, and the way the reader gets to see just how badly the characters’ assumptions are going is positively wonderful. It’s so easy to fall into the “I know what’s happening and so do the characters” trap, but Lynse leaps over it gracefully and lands in greatness. The fic had me smiling like a maniac one minute, and feeling sorry for my babies the next. Wonderful. Simply fantastic!

[scalpel-mom-mori]

Ragnarok

It was the end of the world.

Or, the Khaenri’ah Trio goes on a killing spree. Content warning for gore/murder and spoilers.

The Wind died quietly, pitifully. A foreign stranger wearing the ghost of a smile. “The others wouldn’t have been able to do it themselves. You’ve given them more than anyone ever thought you would, and for that I must give you my thanks.”

Bright, blue eyes fluttered their girlish lashes. “Ah, I see.”

 ~

Funny, that Morax would fall in the ruins of the Guili Assembly. “I can’t even be angry,” he said. “That you would betray a contract for an older one.” The Alchemist frowned, but said nothing as the old god sighed. “Perhaps you would like Memories of Dust. A mind like yours is wasted on killing.”

Justice never stood a chance. Ice, racing through her veins, and the Fallen Prince stood with his sword at his side, dripping red. “So the rumors are true,” she sighed. “They are in danger.”

“Indeed they are,” he agreed.

 ~

Wisdom was much the same, leaning broken, beaten against a wall. “This city would have adored you, Head Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius,” he said, breathing labored. “You could have studied here in peace.”

“Perhaps in another life, I could have,” the Alchemist agreed.

 ~

Murata raged, straining against the cold, creeping fingers of death, screaming curses with her final breath. “Your Highness-”

The Prince silenced his companion with a look. “I’m quite used to fighting fire by now.”

~

“Raiden Shogun…” The stranger, the foreigner frowned. “We’re poorly matched. Inazuma is beautiful.” She scowled, struggling, failing to stand, to raise her sword. “Now then. It’s nothing personal.” And the flat of a greatsword ended her life.

~

“Your Majesty!” Tartaglia staggered in, holding his side. “Your Majesty, run!”

“Tartaglia-”

He pulled her to her feet by one arm. “I hate to order you around, Your Majesty, but please,” he gritted. “You have all the gnoses, now run. They’re coming. They’ve already killed Signora.” Harshly, he pushed her toward the hidden mechanism that revealed a secret exit. “It has been my honor,” he told her, turning his back, twin daggers forming.

“Come with me,” she pleaded. “I can’t lose any more of you. I don’t want to be alone again.”

He didn’t turn to face her. “I… cannot accompany you, Your Majesty. The best I can do is let you escape. Now go.”

“Tartaglia, come,” she tried again. “We’ll take them…” She trailed off when he turned and lowered his weapons.

“One of them strangled Murata in her bed,” he said, “do you think we could hide from them? Go. Defeat them with all the gods of Teyvat, and remember me fondly.”

But they were out of time. The snap of a glider echoed through the throne room. “Ah, so you did manage to get to her.” The Fallen Prince descended slowly, spiraling with all the grace and experience of a Mondstadt native. It was cruel to watch. He landed lightly, almost silently, save for the splash of one boot in a puddle of Tartaglia’s blood. Frost, stained red, raced across the floor, reaching for the warmth of a living body.

The Prince, however, took his time, trailing bloodied footprints across the carpet.

The Tsaritsa cowered behind the throne, only knowing better than to get in Tartaglia’s way. Kaeya took no apparent notice of her. “Round two, then? It’s just the two of us this time.”

“That Alchemist is a tricky one, for someone with such a sweet face,” Tartaglia said.

“We have to be if we want to survive.” Kaeya agreed, unsheathing his sword, assumed the traditional defensive stance of a Knight.

“Show me your native sword style,” Tartaglia said, fixing his stance. “I’ve fought plenty from Mondstadt.”

Kaeya’s mouth pulled into a smile. “If you insist.” A second, shorter blade formed out of ice in his left hand, white and pristine.

“Ah, I almost want to scold you for using that Vision to kill Her Majesty,” Tartaglia said, unable to deny the way his blood began to burn.

Kaeya spread his hands and shrugged, both weapons swinging carelessly aside. “That’s the irony of it, isn’t it? You have a hydro Vision.”

Tartaglia frowned. “Our circumstances are different.”

“Teyvat’s cryo Archon is the goddess of love. They’re functionally the same.”

Tartaglia realized what Kaeya was doing a moment too soon. “You-” He tugged at the ice restraints but they didn’t move, digging tighter into his legs.

Kaeya shrugged again, his off-blade dissipating into a handful of snow, drifting serenely to the ground. “You’ve lost your edge. I would have thought you’d expect something like that after working with Signora.”

Tartaglia sputtered as his restraints began creeping up his thighs. Kaeya walked past, unconcerned. With one hand, he overturned Her Majesty’s throne, revealing the Tsaritsa with an ice dagger in her hand. He thought nothing of it, and kicked aside her pathetic attempt at a struggle.

“Cute,” Kaeya said, smiling. “Your boy over there likes talking too much. I kind of want him to watch this, just for making this take so long.” His pale blue Vision flared in painful mockery of Tartaglia, not so long ago, when he’d failed to steal Morax’s gnosis. Kaeya’s hand sank up to the wrist into the Tsaritsa’s stomach. When he withdrew, the Tsaritsa’s curved, pale blue gnosis glittered between his long fingers.

“So that’s what these feel like,” he murmured, turning it this way and that. “It’s beautiful,” he told her, flashing a smile down at her. He flipped it once, twice through the air, caught it in a fist. It was a mindless, careless motion. He was standing in the presence of a Harbinger and a god and he couldn’t care less.

Two sets of heavy footsteps marked the arrival of his companions. “What took you two so long?” he sighed.

“Dainsleif took a wrong turn,” Albedo grumbled. “I told him I had the route memorized, but he didn’t believe me.��

Kaeya sighed. “Dain, this place reeks of the Abyss. You can’t just trust your nose like you usually do.”

Dainsleif bowed his head, contrite, but not without a dirty look shot at Albedo.

“Never mind that. You two take care of Her Majesty over there by the chair. I have business to settle with Tartaglia here.”

A small frown knit Albedo’s forehead. “You’re impossible.”

Kaeya laughed. “Sure.”

A deep crackle, and a chair rose from the floor, just outside Tartaglia’s reach. Kaeya sat down and inspected him. The ice had made its way up to his waist by now.

“What do you want?” Tartaglia gritted.

Kaeya shrugged with one shoulder. “We need the gnoses to restore Khaenri’ah.”

Tartaglia scoffed. “You were left behind in the Archon war.”

“We were,” Kaeya agreed. “Or else we wouldn’t have needed to do this.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Kaeya smiled at him. “Her Majesty there might not be able to handle it,” he replied. “The Fatui were instrumental for this, and for that we really owe you our thanks.”

“You…” Tartaglia couldn’t even find anger through the shock. “You used us.”

“Naturally. No one in their right mind would hand the Crown Prince of Khaenri’ah their gnosis. So, we had Teyvat tear itself apart first, and we’d come in and pick up the pieces.”

The Tsaritsa let out a pained squeak, despairing.

“Don’t you worry that pretty head of yours, Your Majesty,” Kaeya called. “It’ll be over in a moment.” He stood up. “Anyway. Till next time.”

“Your Highness,” Albedo sighed, annoyed, giving Tartaglia a wide radius as he moved to join Kaeya on the way out. Dainsleif gave Tartaglia a dirty look, but said nothing.

“Oh. I almost forgot,” Kaeya said. With the wet, cruel sound of puncturing flesh, and a strangled cry from Tartaglia, they finished their mission. “Time to go home.”

[luxdea]

(  Put “You’re beautiful.” in my ask box and watch my muse’s reaction. | @albrich​​ )

❝ ——— hmm? oh, it's nothing, i simply think this is the first time i've seen your entire face, ❞ they wave their hand flippantly / grin widening from where they stand, leaning against the wall oh so casually. ❝ it's only natural to be distracted by such an occasion, i think. you're quite beautiful, you know, ❞ stated SIMPLY, as though he were saying the sky is blue, no intention nor flirtation nor anything as his head tilts and, ❝ but please, do keep telling me about this book you found. ❞

     THE TOME HAD been discovered among the books left within barbara’s inherited manor. a book detailing stories & tales from across teyvat. she should have expected nothing less from seamus–––– though her opinion of the cardinal was...less than pleasant, she couldn’t call his adventuring any less than meticulous. the treasures from his travels were vast, but the only one that had truly caught her attention had been the book.

     HER EYES HAD skimmed it’s pages in––––between her coaching. she had made a point to turn her head when barbara was working, as she didn’t want her to feel as though zelda was hovering over her, but with the book in hand all she had to do was open to her bookmark & allow the words to wash over her. she was comforted by familiar stories from her childhood in inazuma, amazed by the poetic tales from liyue & fontaine, regaled with the adventurous epics from mondstadt & sumeru & even found herself lingering on the intriguing plots from natlan &   snezhnaya. she’d been taken on a journey through the best stories of teyvat, & she had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

     SHE FOUND HERSELF relaxed & at ease whenever she spent time with barbara like this. the estate had become a place away from prying eyes where she could drop the title of sheik & zelda could emerge for a while. her face coverings were often removed, her bangs braided out of her face while the rest of her hair was left to flow. she didn’t think anything of it within the walls of this manor, & so she didn’t think to hide or cower as kaeya entered the room. it took her a moment to notice their presence, as she was curled comfortably in a chair, flipping the pages as she neared the end of a story that impa used to tell her before bed when she was younger. the familiarity of the tale wrapped around her like a warm blanket, & allowed her to get lost in a daydream of the same words told in a familiar cadence as her hair was brushed & her eyelids began to grow heavy. 

      ❝ kaeya! ❞

     THE MELANCHOLIC FEELING of missing home was waved away the moment she realized that she wasn’t alone, & she swung her legs to the side, slipping her bookmark into the book in a practiced motion as she rose. 

      ❝ my apologies for not hearing you enter. i found the most wonderful book in one of the rooms here & barbara’s allowed me to borrow it! ❞

     FROM UNDER HER arm, she tookt he book & flipped it forward, allowing him to see the cover as she finished her approach. she thumbed through the pages, excitement evident in her expression, the fullness of which she didn’t realize that kaeya was seeing for the very first time.

      ❝ it contains stories from all over teyvat! some are as old as the nations themselves, while some appear to be more modern, & some–––– why are you looking at me like that? ❞

     A SMILE ON his face, a glimmer in their eye, zelda had raised her head to find herself the focus of both. considering the mischievous nature of the cavalry captain, she found herself pausing in her speech about the stories within the book, holding it against her chest as she listened. 

     THEIR RESPONSE WAS not what she had been expecting.

     FOR THE FIRST time since she had entered the grounds that day, zelda was conscious of the fact that every detail of her face was visible. she attempted to school her face into neutrality, but it did nothing to stop them from seeing the effect of her realization–––– her wide eyes, the warmth in her cheeks turning them a valberry pink, the way she suddenly seemed unable to meet his gaze. she caught the way his grin grew wider out of the corner of her eye, & she attempted to prepare herself for whatever was coming next. 

     you’re quite beautiful, you know.

     IT WAS SAID so simply, so matter–––– of––––factly, that zelda struggled to find the words to argue. instead, her jaw dropped ( only slightly, enough to show her surprise ) & the heat in her face increased, the pinkness spreading & darkening into a sharp red. it was clear she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself after receiving such a compliment. it was written all over her face.

     LUCKILY FOR HER, kaeya saved her, prompting her to continue on about the book that still rested in her arms.

     ❝ ah–––– yes. the–––– the book––––. ❞

     THE IMAGE SHE had built up for sheik was surely crumbling right before her, but there was nothing that she could do to pick up the pieces. she would just have to hope that he wouldn’t bring it up in the company of others, & that she could handle so much as looking at him after this without feeling the mortification that accompanied remembering the event.

     UNTIL THEN, SHE could continue to tell him about the wonders of the book she was reading ( a bit quieter, a bit more subdued than she had originally intended, but she would tell him about it still ).