#˗ˋˏ°• stories from lady lei •°ˎˊ˗

[tartagliaxx]

" MONTHLY PAINS "

━━ ☆ INCLUDES: albedo, xiao

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: how would the boys react to their s/o having 'girl problems'

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: none

━━ ☆ OOGA BOOGA: reblogs are much appreciated!!

ALBEDO

he wasn't a doctor by any means but he knows enough to know what would be best for you in your time of trial.

would decide to work on his home office instead of going to the headquarters in case you need him for something

all planned expeditions would also be postponed until you feel better

he would insist on washing the sheets for you should you need to and would also tell you to stay in bed as he makes you a quick breakfast to go with your medicine if your cramps really hurt that bad.

as much as possible, he likes to keep an eye on you

which mostly leads to you cuddling into him on the couch as he reads through papers

will absentmindedly rub comforting circles on your skin

if there's something you want to eat, he's not against the idea of fetching it for you

home ice cream dates. home ice cream dates. home ice cream dates.

he'll get confused if you suddenly cry and will make sure to take extra care with his words. if you get angry, he won't take it against you and will help you breathe it out (or if you want space, he'll go someplace else but close enough so you could approach him when you're ready)

when night falls, expect him to read you to sleep, and before you go to dreamland, you'll recognize the soft 'good night' that slips of his lips as he presses a kiss on your forehead.

he is literally the best person to be around because there would be absolutely zero shame or disgust from his end. out of all the boys, he's the one who understands best that this is a natural process and that as your lover, it's his role to assist you and care for you as best as he could without any judgment whatsoever.

dreamy sigh.

a deep groan from you had albedo looking up from the research paper he was reading through. he truly wished that there was more he could do to help you feel better but unfortunately, he has done everything that he could. sighing, he adjusts his position so your head was against his chest. it could be the medicine finally deciding to come to effect or it could be the calming beat of his heart but for a moment, you found all your pains easing even if it is only by a little.

"can i fetch you something?"

you mumbled a low no, whining when albedo withdrew his hand temporarily from your back. it amused albedo, the sparkle in his eyes intensifying from the rays of the setting sun. without much of a thought, he lifts your hand up to press a tender kiss on your knuckle — a little act as if to say that he exists to serve you, especially now.

"the pain should go away soon... feeling sleepy?"

"a little," and as if on cue, you yawned, immediately nuzzling back into your lover after it has come to pass.

"then that means the medicine is working..." albedo furrowed his brows as he eyes your uncomfortable position. tossing his papers aside, he gently moves you down to his lap, petting you affectionately as you reflexively laid your hands by his knees. "that's better, isn't it?"

he smiles at the faint hum he received from you, carefully running a stripe on your cheeks with his knuckled before resting his hand on top of your waist. it was not a new realization but as he observes the serene expression you donned for the first time that day, albedo couldn't help but remember how lucky he was to be able to stay by your side and care for you. thus, doing his best for you would only be a fair exchange, yes?

"sleep. i'll be here when you wake up."

XIAO

he's a few thousand years old. he's no stranger to menstruation cycles.

it's just that he doesn't know what you're supposed to do to help someone who's naturally bleeding.

and it's not something he pondered about in the past either.

xiao awakes with a jolt, spear at hand, the moment he heard you whimper in pain.

he gently wakes you up after sensing no threat nearby, thinking that it was a nightmare that was troubling you.

after realizing what was actually happening, xiao hesitantly approaches verr goldet for advice.

he's clueless but he hates seeing you in any semblance of pain so he'll drown his inhibitions for you.

xiao makes sure you're asleep before he sets out.

verr goldet will have someone fetch you your feminine supplies while he searches the entirety of liyue for pain-numbing herbs.

he brews you a tea with it (that much he is capable of). it's bitter though and when xiao notices your grimace, he offers you the bigger portion of his almond tofu.

he shies away from the touchy-feely stuff but he'll awkwardly pat you when you're feeling sick.

if you have a random emotional burst, he'll just stand there confused or, more likely to happen, he leaves and gives you some space.

unfortunately, he cannot stay by your side the entire week. he has duties.

he'll light some scented candles or something before he goes though so when you wake up, your room always smells so comforting and nice. sometimes, it comes with a small note that just says 'feel better soon.'

rest assured that if you need any sort of assistance, he'll be there. just call out his name.

at night, you might be able to get him to agree to hold your hand while you sleep. you might not know this because you're already fast asleep but xiao watches over you fondly and will hesitantly brush his fingertips against your cheeks, blushing when your lashes flutter at the action.

dreamy sigh (1).

"xiaooo," you whined as you tugged at his shirt, "it hurts!"

he looked at you indifferently though you knew better. his amber-colored eyes were dimmer today, no doubt caused by his unspoken concern for your well-being, "then drink the tea. it's supposed to make you feel better."

"it's so bitter though..."

xiao sighed, eyes fleeting around the room to look for anything that would help, "stay here. i'll be back." without much of another word, he leaves — as swift-footed as always, leaving no room for inquiry. a few minutes passed before he pops back in through your window. in his hand was a newly cooked bowl of almond tofu which he placed near your bedside table.

"what are you waiting for?" he blinked owlishly as you made no move to drink the tea nor eat the food.

"but it's yours..."

"and?"

you pouted, placing your tea down in favor of patting the space beside you in the bed. xiao hesitated before deciding to indulge you. it's not like he can deny you in the first place but especially now when you're barely comprehensible. "i don't want to steal from you. how about we share instead?"

he eyed your strangely determined gaze and immediately, his stomach began fluttering — like a hundred crystalflies were slowly flapping around their wings against his flesh. there was no winning in this so with a grunt, xiao divided the tofu though it was obvious that one side had a larger portion than the other. amused by his odd but adorable behavior, you laughed and xiao couldn’t help but sigh in relief. pain was not a good look on you. he’d much prefer it if you were happy and content and although clumsy and inexperienced, he’s trying his best to keep you that way.

[tartagliaxx]

" AUTUMN OF VERDANT MEMORIES "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: kazuha/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: angst

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: the seasons change with the passing of time and it does not pick favorites. when autumn comes, memories of summer's delights fall just as much as the yellowed leaves do.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: death, arguments

━━ ☆ OOGA BOOGA: reblogs are much appreciated!!

"kazuha," the man in question blinks, turning his attention to the traveler who was approaching him with a concerned frown, "you've been staring out at the sea for quite some time now... are you okay?"

"ah, yes... thank you for your concern. i was just thinking about... things..."

the traveler didn't miss the wistful tone he bore but he thought it'd be better not to question it. some things in this world were better off untold, if only out of respect for those who bore the weight of the tales. instead, they sat beside him on the ledge, muttering a quick thanks when kazuha scooted over to give them space.

"may i ask a question, friend?"

"a question, huh... go ahead..."

kazuha returns his gaze back to the unknown, "what's your favorite season?"

though swift-footed in combat, the traveler took the time to ponder about the question. truth be told, the seasons were not something they paid much attention to. they were unlike kazuha in that way for kazuha looks at the world with the gentle regard of a nurturer. many seasons have passed and go, having their own versions of charms though now that they had the time to think on it, one season did stand out from the rest.

"i like summers."

kazuha laughed though his eyes were misted over with something melancholic, "what a coincidence... i like summers most too."

"and..." the traveler drawled, a teasing smile coming up to their lips as they peered at the calm male, "i'm assuming there's some poetic reason behind it?"

"yes, actually..." kazuha hummed, lips quirking up as he remembered the summers he held dear. it was during the summertime that the wind tenderly brushed over the fields of flowers. he liked to close his eyes then, breathing in the fresh scent of floral blooms and honeybees. the summer bustle was, indeed, within him just as much as it was around him. he remembered one day in particular. golden skies dipped into a heather-purple — like a perfect masterpiece by a maestro and the clouds hung like a soft dream that he'd very much like to hold. most striking, however, was the person who stood before it. you had a soft smile as you stood barefoot against the soil and the vibrant grass that kissed your skin with every movement. you looked serene, wind-tousled hair and song included.

"we were summer once."

summer was the longest season and it was a bright yellow amidst the muted tones of half of the others. she comes in a little fairy dance, riding the spring winds until she lands on a field of greens and flushed pinks. she visits the city with a kind whisper turned loud with festivity. summer, however, loves differently. she revels in memory, giving a part of her soul to young lovers who were far too naivé for the rest of the world.

perhaps you were once summer's favorite lovechild. you carried her graceful smile every time you tipped your head back in a round of jubilant laughter. you had a way of spreading her spirit with others and every time you sent him a bashful smile, he hears the crash and tide of the waves that calm his thoughts of all unnecessary gravitas. when you were around, even when you weren't conversing, kazuha feels nothing but awe and content.

"do you hear that?" he asked as he lays on the red gingham you prepared for a, frankly, spontaneous picnic just a few leagues out of the city.

"hear what? your heartbeat or the bells?"

the amused twinkle of his eyes was unmistakable, "neither. i was referring to the cranes from afar."

"my hearing's not as sharp as yours, dear. still, i wasn't lying when i told you i could hear your heart stutter. am i affecting you, mister?"

kazuha didn't bother replying save for the subtle shake of his head. he does collect your hand, however, holding it gingerly as he entangles your fingers. he did not doubt the fact that you heard his affections loud and clear, not when you laid over his chest. it was not something he hid from either. though he kept to himself most of the time, kazuha was never the type to avoid the professions of adoration for someone he treasures.

"i'd be much surprised if you don't. you are, after all, the person who holds all my affections."

he heard the sharp intake of your breath and the soft smirk that replaced his gentle one was its own kind of charming, "you sap."

"only for you."

you and he were summer and so were the memories you shared together. though constrained by the shogun's will, you found ways to waste your youth in each other's arms. though, if you ask him, kazuha thought that 'waste' was an ill-fitting word. no time would be wasted if he all but begged for you to take it. that was love and love was merely a manifestation of the summer you first met.

with you, he was the green and red that painted rows upon rows of nature's dress. with every gust of wind were your and his scent mashed together to form a candy-sweet aroma formed only after hours and hours of holding each other close and safe. it pushes and pulls, back and forth even as you climb the long staircases of the shrine. song and dance, joy and peace. kazuha had a penchant for randomly asking your hand for a dance and you never once refused. music came in the form of lively cicadas and with each left-footed step, he felt closer to the world's heart but also to yours.

"it's a shame..."

the traveler frowned once more as kazuha closed his eyes, seemingly in pain as he subconsciously reached for his chest, "what is?"

"it's a shame that autumn came all too soon."

before you, kazuha loved the oranges and browns of autumn. the leaves bow in front of the colder, firmer winds and they flutter ever so slowly to crown the soil. it takes no time at all before the earth is decorated with layers of finely-made garlands and cinnamon spice. sometimes, it showers lightly and kazuha finds himself comfortable as he listens to the windchimes' tales in the comforts of his home. that was before you. times change and as do the seasons. with the passage of both, definitions also change.

he changed.

he had grown tired of summer and his feet itched to go someplace else. maybe somewhere more frigid, somewhere freer. whatever it was, he knew that it wasn't the stagnant waters of inazuma and it wasn't the summer that coiled around his ankles, keeping him from wherever he needed to be. it was a mistake that he had come to regret because now, kazuha could only wish that the shogun's hope for eternity applied to his summer as well.

"y-you can't leave, kazuha! it's dangerous out there! the vision hunt—"

he spoke your name, stern and frustrated as this was a conversation he has had with you for at least a dozen times, "i'll be fine and i'll come back."

"when? when will you come back? you can't expect me to hold onto empty words! you've heard them as much as i have. i don't want us to be another tragic tale in someone else's war recounts!"

"and i don't want to idle by as i lose sight of myself!"

you flinched and you wondered if kazuha noticed. you guessed that he didn't because if he did, your soft, loving kazuha would quickly fix his tone to a mellow one. it was rare of him to raise his voice — in fact, you've never heard him speak like this. your heart sunk. you thought, or hoped, that this day would never come but if he could raise his voice at you now, does that mean he holds you less than he does a stranger?

"'yourself?' what about me? about my family who has grown to love you just as much as they love me? do we mean nothing to you? are we so easy to set aside that you're willing to throw away your life for some meaningless agenda?!"

"it's not meaningless to me. what is meaningless, however, is this argument." kazuha faced you, eyes devoid of the man you fell in love with. he'd never hurt you but as he stared at you, you found his vision threatening for the first time in your relationship, "do you have so little trust in me? i told you i'd come back. why can't we leave it at that?"

"because i know i'd lose you!" you cried out, hands trembling as your fist hit the table with a dull thumb, "heck, i can feel you slipping out of my hold right now! tell me, is your insistence to leave not enough to warrant concern from your lover?"

"i simply think that you are being unreasonable," and just like that, he went back to packing his things.

"and as do i! you're willing to die for a dying cause, uncaring for those that you will leave behind! you brush me off, too busy looking at someplace else when i'm right over here! and it hurts! it hurts because tell me, when was the last time you looked at me?"

he didn't reply, partly because he didn't know the answer and partly because he knew that what he felt like saying would only make the fragile pieces of your relationship crumble. biting his tongue, he tried to regain his composure and he was half-failing if the deformed water bottle was anything to go by.

"you can't tell me because you haven't! not since five months ago! no matter how much i try to convince myself that you're still the man i loved, it never makes me feel better. not when i know that i'm only lying to myself. i'm trying, kazuha," you ran your hand through your face only to be met with a fresh trail of tears soon after, "i'm trying so hard because i don't want to let you go and i don't want to have to!"

something in him snapped. he was trying. he's trying to understand you now even when you were being irrationally emotional. he had hoped that he'd spend his last few hours with you in a locked embrace and yet here he was. "you make it seem like i'm not—"

"are you?" you challenged him, fury dying down, and as much as you wanted to scream at him until your heart weighed lighter — as much as you wanted to scream until your throat couldn't muster a single word — you couldn't. you felt too weak, too broken that all you could mumble was a desperate question.

he hesitated as he watched you slide down to your knees. kazuha didn't find your defeated look to be all too nice but he knew in his soul that he had to do this so he sighs, lifting his bag up to his shoulders as he walks to the door, "i'm leaving at eight this evening... you know where if you... if you'd like to see me off."

"you've lost your mind." you laughed bitterly, glancing up at the ceiling weakly as if beating yourself up for believing he'd stay, "fine. go leave but don't expect to find me waiting for you after all this time."

kazuha wanted to say more but he decided to stay silent. he feared that nothing he could say would make you feel better right now. no matter, he knows that you'll understand later, and when you finally cool down, he'll talk things through properly.

"goodbye."

you didn't come that night.

"may i ask another question, traveler?"

they hummed though now, even their eyes are afflicted by his sorrow, "go ahead."

"what do you regret the most?"

they took longer to answer this time but they replied nonetheless, "i regret... not reaching out fast enough. maybe i could've saved my sibling from... from whatever it was that they saw."

"it'd be so much easier to let go and to look forwards but what about those that can't? i have many regrets as well and it's a shame that even after all this time, i can't bring myself to look ahead."

"can i ask?"

kazuha shook his head in mild amusement. it was he who was prying and yet, the traveler still wanted to be polite.

"i regret not being able to hold their hand when they were in pain. i regret not believing them when they told me they'd be gone when i return and... i regret letting them pass thinking that i was never to return."

autumn passed by like a blur and the days dwindled down like each leaf that becomes buried in the ground. ink strikes paper and paper folds into an envelope. they were always signed 'thinking of you, kazuha' because it was the truth. you have not slipped off his mind ever since he left and he had come to regret leaving without, at least, patching the frays of your relationship. he was at fault and he had to admit that you were right. his decision to run was selfish but he didn't regret it. not yet.

you never returned any of his letters. he tried believing that they were only lost in transit but a nagging feeling in his soul told him that it was not the case. have you left? it wasn't as if he didn't take you seriously then, it was just... kazuha clenched his fists, no... there was no escaping how he had reacted to your worries. he had brushed you off then and it was no use pretending that he hadn't.

kazuha was ashamed but he knew that if you did leave, he wouldn't ask you to come back. perhaps, he wouldn't even let you know that he had come back for you... he was done with his selfishness and if he had to be the villain in your story then he'd do it but only if he's sure that you'd find your happy ending, even if it wasn't with him.

"kazuha..." he allowed the leaf to float away from his hands before sending a quick greeting towards the young general, going back to dozing off thereafter "kazuha, we received some news and..."

autumn was a slow decline towards a dreary season. it was a lingering black that masqueraded as a festive affair. autumn was death and he should've known better than to hope for it to come.

kazuha does not cry very often so when gorou gave the news, he didn't cry. he only replied with a confused string of nonsense before he excused himself. he didn't want to believe it but it explained your lack of reply. it would explain the looks of sympathy he received while buying supplies for the camp and... and it would explain the guilt that no longer parted with him.

autumn was colder and sadder. she wore a berry-red lipstick that bled of regrets and shortcomings. she was a burning flame that was a product of frenzied combustion of negative feelings. she was transitive — fleeting yet ever-present all the same. her mourning will remain with him even as winter comes and goes, even when hope becomes renewed in spring and finally, when summer comes again but not with your glow in tow.

"i'm sorry," the first tear slips and it wasn't the last one. not when it was you whom he was grieving for.

the night after that, he was pointedly reminded of the emptiness by his side. the year after that, he walked out in anger when he realized that he could no longer picture each wrinkle and each curve of your lashes. two years after that, he was cursed at by your — also his — family for not being there when you called for him, for not being there when you came home to the warm embrace of the ground, and for not telling you that you were wrong when you said he couldn't see you.

the truth was, you were the only thing that he could never unsee. he remembers each flicker of your soul and even now, he remembers the pain he has caused on your face and no matter how much he tries to rational as he so badly wanted you to be then, he couldn't. it hurts. it hurts to know that you never hated him for anything, not even as you took your final breath without him. it hurts knowing that you've always seen him — in your heart, in your dreams, in your regrets.

autumn was a season he has grown to detest and today just happened to be the first day of its yearly return.

"can i ask you a question now?"

kazuha only smiled and they took it as a response.

"if... you were there with them when they were..." the traveler couldn't complete their sentence, too raw for them and possibly even for kazuha, so they didn't bother, "what would you have said?”

he's thought about this before. it's hard not to ponder about every little possibility when you have been living in that moment for at least two years now and the answer was much simpler, yet more complex, than what the traveler was expecting.

"let's rest under the sun again in that place where the flowers remain evergreen and the wind hums nothing but your favorite song. in another life, i promise i'll do better so... if it wouldn't be too much to ask, would you let me spend my summer with you again...?"

[tartagliaxx]

Hello, could i request some xiao fluff? But mother and father thing. Where reader and xiao are parents. Have a lovely day/night.

" SEASHELLS BY THE SEASHORE "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: xiao/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: xiao never dared to hope that something exists past bloodshed and pain but as the cool waves pushed back and forth against his feet, he finds that the seashells not only carry the longing calls of the sea but also the hopeful wishes he has for his child.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: fem!baby mention, established relationship

xiao hadn't been by the sea for a long time. 

the sea unfolded in a blanket of cobalt blue that swished and churned with the pulling waves. as they marched to the sanded shore, foam tickled the exposed skin of his hand — its touch lingering just a little bit longer through the soothing cool of the early morning waters.

it was almost theatrical; how the edges of the sea blurred with the deep navy of the skies and how the sea song resonated across old bones and storied rocks alike. he never liked the sea, much preferring the high treetops of the mountains but this didn't seem half-bad. particularly not when the high-pitched giggles of his child got him dreaming while the teasing lilt in your voice reminded him that this, despite being eerily similar to his past fantasies, was real.

"pa!"

"well, you heard her." you met his gaze that has since left the sea. "come over here."

a part of him was perfectly content with watching from the distance like a tourist feeling out of place in a museum but another sought you two out like a man in desperate need of relief. most of the time, it was the latter that won and he found that the power those amber eyes had over him was almost unfair.

"ah! hurry up! your little princess is getting impatient!" 

the small quirk of his lips was almost unnoticeable but it was there as he watched the little girl in your lap thrash around as she held her outstretched hands to him. with a faux sigh, he picked her up eliciting a delighted giggle from her and an amused huff from you.

"are we going to pretend that you hate having her in your arms as if you don't 'secretly' swoon every time she wants you to carry her?"

"shut up." 

raising your hands in defense, you met his half-hearted glare with an innocent smile, falling back into a fit of laughter when he muttered something about 'the adepti being incapable of swooning.'

"sure... whatever helps you sleep at night."

xiao clicked his tongue before turning his back on you, the tips of his ears flushed with a rosette hue that marked his embarrassment. swooning was definitely not the word he'd use to describe the intense tug at his heart every time she peeked at him through her lashes, lips stretched so wide that it almost hurt to look at. he was merely being... reasonable. yes, reasonable was a good word. not a single sane man would be able to resist the alluring charm of this unknowing girl.

"gah!"

he heard your amused snort from behind as he turned to look at the direction a short, stubby finger was pointing at. "that's a seashell."

"tea..."

"sea-shell," he repeated but slower, eyebrows raising as he watched the little girl slowly attempt to copy him and fail. "try it again?"

"i'd be more surprised if she actually managed to say it properly." as if on cue, your daughter erupted in a fit of giddy chuckles as she kept mumbling about 'tea tells.'

"at what age do babies start pronouncing things correctly?"

"oh my," you hid your mischievous smile behind your hand. "is the great adeptus xiao's weakness a mere pronunciation mistake?"

xiao gave you an unimpressed stare, "i couldn't care less about that—"

"tea tells!" 

"it's seashell."

rolling his eyes at the obnoxious grin you had on your face, he walked back to the shore with you in tow, "you were saying?"

"whatever."

"you know, you kind of remind me of those grandmothers in qingce village. always nagging about etiquette and wording conventions."

"you—" a gasp escaped your lips as your head hit his back from the sudden pause in his steps, "you are insufferable."

"now, don't be like that! you love me!"

your cheeky grin widened when xiao didn't make any move to deny it, choosing to begin his walk once again. with a jog, you fell into his steps, hand tangling with his free one and giggling when you felt him squeeze it tighter.

"should we go shell-picking, little dove?" the child in question squealed though you were sure she didn't even understand half of the words you said. with a shake of your head, you tugged the two forwards, unaware of the fond gaze xiao had for you.

"careful," you hummed at xiao's warning. "the waves are pushing in."

"what's a little water going to do— ack!" 

xiao felt the trembles first before he heard the booming laughter that came from his daughter who flailed her arms as she watched you tumble down from the force of the waves.

"you were saying?" he repeated your words from earlier with just the subtlest hint of smugness to which you rolled your eyes as you accepted the hand he offered to help you up.

"very funny. who knew you'd be so well versed in the art of comedy?"

he clicked his tongue, lips twitching as he flicked your forehead away from his face much to the further entertainment of the child who has yet to calm. "she did."

"oh really now?" with an almost sinister grin, you stole your daughter from him just to tickle her into oblivion, "don't go thinking you can side with your father without due punishment!"

xiao only shook his head as you two tumbled back down, incoherent noises coming from your daughter as she tried to stop you in her blissful daze. it was strange how your rumpled clothes and sand-prickled skins still looked beautiful in his eyes and it was stranger that he didn't feel as irate as he should've been when you flicked the seawater to his form.

"oops," you picked your daughter up, rolling on your heels as you prepared to run, "our hands slipped."

"such disrespect would never have gone unpunished in the past."

"it's a good thing that the times have changed then. wait... xiao!" the shrill squeal was almost immediate as you felt a sudden splash of chill soaking your clothes and the perpetrator? none other than xiao who took your daughter back to wipe her cheeks.

"did you just—"

"i prefer tradition."

before you could bark back another hefty remark, your daughter excitedly screamed causing both of you to jump in surprise. "tea tells!"

"right... the seashells... almost forgot about that..." you muttered under your breath as you crouched down to pick up the coral-colored seashell by your feet, "here you go, darling."

the child immediately began fiddling with it, tracing over the patterns and knocking on it, humming in delight when the tune lingered in the air for a little longer than most of the things she played with. unable to stop yourself, you reached up to tenderly brush some of her hair away, eyes catching xiao who was watching the small interaction with softened features.

"don't. it's dirty." he suddenly whispered as he gently held her hand in his, stopping the young child from attempting to put the shell in her mouth.

"do you mind if you take her for a while? i should start making breakfast."

"go ahead."

"i'll be back soon. behave for papa, alright? don't make him even more grumpy!" you giggled when that infamous frown of his made a reappearance. leaving them both with a final kiss on their cheeks, you set off to the kitchen and xiao felt immediate regret over his decision.

"what am i supposed to do now?"

clearing his throat, he reluctantly poked the child's cheeks much to her youthful amusement. it felt wrong to hold such... pristine being in his hands when he barely has any idea on how to nurture such souls. it wasn't as if he had a bright childhood in the first place. if anything, all he knew was that he couldn't let his little girl experience what he did, not even over his corpse.

"pa!" the sharp whine snapped him out of his dreary thoughts and he's once again reminded of his duties; duties that he's more inclined to fulfill without a grunt of resignation.

"i suppose... we could take a walk." 

xiao shifted the baby's weight awkwardly and at one point in time, he found himself holding the baby by their foot until he realized that maybe it wasn't right to do so. deciding that letting them walk was better than accidentally dropping them, xiao tried to untangle the tight grip on his clothes only to sigh in exasperation when his daughter stubbornly shook her head.

"i'm not going anywhere. i just need you to stand on your own."

she only huffed, turning her face away with a pout to show that she was not losing this battle and who was he to deny her that? such a spoiled, needy child but then again, it might've been his fault. with one last sigh, xiao picked the girl up once more, a stern warning leaving his lips, "don't let go."

the walk was mostly undisturbed save for the few times he stopped to pick up the vibrant seashells washed to the shore. somewhere along the lines, the overpowering scent of salt was covered by the sizzle and aroma from the grill and he had to wipe the drool that dripped from the child's mouth.

"are you hungry?"

she replied with a soft 'humph' and xiao had half the mind to walk back and attempt to find some fruit to nibble at. still — his eyes moved to where you were busying yourself in the portable stove you had him set up — he supposed that it would be quite rude to be impatient.

"food would be ready soon." he settled on replying as he handed yet another shellfish, this time, in the striking tone of red. "what are you even going to do with this?"

xiao wasn't expecting a reply but he more or less received one when the child began lining the shells on her wrist only for them to tumble down back to the sand much to her frustration.

"let me do it," setting her on his lap as he sat on a rock, xiao picked up a cord that was conveniently also washed to the beach. with a quick knot and another, he began stringing the shells together, placing them alternately in an attempt to make it more appealing than it actually was.

"this is not something i would usually concern myself with. unlike the other adepti who guided the mortals to continue to flourish, i dealt with death; massacring souls, and grievances as a weapon of war." twisting the string, xiao scoffed. "it's absurd to think that i'd be anywhere else."

but as he tied the bracelet on her wrist, his face held an unmistakable fondness, "but... of all the burdens i had to carry in my lifetime, you are not one of them. if i were to dare say it myself, i... would say that you are my salvation. my fight against the darkness would never cease even if the time comes that i will be darkness himself but whenever i'm with you, i tend to forget about their voices even if it is but for a fleeting moment."

moving his gaze back to the sea, his smile — a gesture he found to come far more often nowadays — made a reappearance. it was hard to deny the peace that washed over him like sea foam and it was even harder to admit that if the world were to burn all around him, he wouldn't dare to move in fear of ruining this moment. just him and his daughter who was busying herself with her new bracelet. was it selfish of him to seek a moment's respite?

"perhaps it would be better for everyone if it wasn't me who's here... those who have come to be my acquaintance have only known trouble ever since. for regret to come eventually, that much is understandable. however... is it too greedy of me to hope that it would never come? hmph. forget it."

shaking his head, amber met amber; his daughter's attention long focused solely on her father whose eyes flickered back and forth between gold to lonely twilights. hesitantly, she lifted her hand — the same one that was wrapped with a string of colored shells — to cup his cheek. how empathetic for such a young age... xiao allowed himself a small chuckle as he reached up to hold her hand in place.

"live a happy life free from the worries of the world. i will be watching over you from the shadows," he whispered, lips momentarily brushing over her hand as he turned his face, "and when trouble comes after you, speak my name and i'll be there to protect you."

━━ ☆ NOTES: i have no idea why this was so hard to write lmao. in any case, thanks for requesting i hope you liked it!

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: dad!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

I really love your dad! au, it makes me really somft and i feel like im melting into a puddle 🥺🥺 if the request is open, may i request another dad! au for kaeya? maybe the child tugging on his eyepatch or something? but if the request is closed you can ignore it! Once again thank you for writing those dad! au and providing great stuffs for this fandom 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

- ✨

" NOW YOU SEE ME "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: kaeya/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: pretending to be someone else has always been the norm for him so it was not a bit surprising to find his heart racing when his child looked at him for who he truly was.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: reader uses they/them pronouns but is referred to as 'mommy', established relationship

"i think i'm going to be sick," you mumbled as you held your head in your hands.

you didn't need to be seeing his face to know that the cheeky, little smirk of his had made a reappearance and as if mocking you — in which case, he was — kaeya tossed your child high up in the air, catching them right as they began falling back down. their giddy laughter was clear as it permeated the air, only being muffled when kaeya began peppering their face with kisses and whispered words of affection.

"i think you're overreacting, sweetheart."

"no, i—" you heaved a sigh because you knew that no matter what you say, kaeya would do whatever it was that he wants, "forget it."

kaeya snorted in response, finally turning to face you and you found that all the exasperation that built up in your body was laid forgotten the moment you saw your baby happily burying their face into the crook of his neck. alright, maybe you were being a tiny bit overdramatic. you knew that kaeya would never do anything that would put you or your child in harm's way, at least, not intentionally and you trusted him to get you out of whatever precarious situation you find yourself in. so maybe, just maybe, you were being too anxious over nothing.

"remember to clean the bottles before feeding. hot water's in the counter and vitamins—"

"should be taken at exactly 9am. i know. you don't need to worry about us."

you groaned, frustration becoming apparent in your features much to kaeya's amusement. "can i not go? please? don't you want to spend your rare day-off with the love of your life and your child?"

"as much as i do," he moved to press a kiss on your forehead, pulling back to eye the pout on your lips, "i also know that you're needed someplace else and you're only trying to delay your travel."

"jerk."

he cackled, booping your nose before doing the same to your child who whined when he shared the 'him-and-them' thing he does. "how very charming of you."

"i don't wanna leave... it's going to be for the entire weekend and that's... that would be the longest i've even been away from our child."

his lips twitched up but his gaze remained sympathetic because he understood. your dilemma was one he faces every day of the week save for the few breaks he managed to place in between. “you’ll be back soon enough.”

“nothing’s ever ‘soon enough,’” you grumbled but taking a step forward to press a kiss on his cheek nonetheless. “i’ll get going now. don’t burn the house down.”

“noted.”

“and you,” the baby in question giggled at your faux stern expression that slowly softened as you nudged your nose against theirs. “i’ll miss you so much. don’t give daddy a hard time, got it?”

kaeya watched the small interaction with a tender smile, heart full from the sight of his family — a family that he could call his own. it leaves a foreign aftertaste on his tongue but it’s far from something he didn’t appreciate. it was sweet with just the little hint of sourness reminiscent of summertime and shared citrus drinks. definitely something worthwhile.

“say bye-bye,” he whispered as his hands reached up to their arm, moving it side-to-side gently to mimic a wave. averting his gaze, he smirked when you sent him a wink right before you finally left your home leaving nothing but a quiet click in the door.

the house felt so much emptier without the sound of pages being turned or the soft whispers that left you as your read along the lines. sighing, he adjusted the child in his arms that was starting to slip from his hold. it was the first time he ever felt cold in this bubble you oh-so-carefully crafted with your own hands and he didn’t like it one bit.

“is there anything you want to do?”

he barely finished the question when the baby suddenly began wiggling in his grip, eyes welling up with unshed tears as the beginnings of a wail began tearing through their throat.

“woah there, angel.” swiftly moving from his spot to the couch, kaeya eyed the sobbing baby with concern. “what’s wrong? are you hungry?”

the child only cried harder, stubby hands reaching down to slap the arm that was still firmly keeping them in place. “not that, i suppose. a change of clothes, maybe?”

no response.

“ah...” kaeya let out a humorless laugh, his free hand reaching up to swipe some of their tears away. “are you already missing mommy?”

the word seemed to trigger a sense of security because as soon as he uttered your title, the baby stopped their ministrations. instead, they sat eerily still with their eyes trained on him as if asking ‘where are they?’

“mommy needs to do some work out of town but they’ll be back soon, alright? for now, i’ll be your mommy for today — looking after you and babying you until you’re half-asleep. does that sound good?”

the baby murmured a ‘humph’ which he took as a ‘yes’ though he had his doubts about their autonomy. shaking away such meaningless thoughts, kaeya poked their cheek once, twice, thrice until the baby began giggling lightly.

“there’s my angel. now, what should we do?” humming to his own question, kaeya’s eyes landed on a crocheted stuffed fox in a magician’s hat. “is it playtime for you?”

that seemed to catch their attention, immediately reaching up to cup his cheeks in their tiny hands. with a fond smile, kaeya laid his hands over their eyes, counting down two seconds before moving it away, "peek-a-boo!"

the baby stared at him with parted lips before they stretched to show the most beautiful smile he has ever seen. encouraged by the cute chortles that left their delicate form, kaeya did it once more — and again — until his baby's lips turned into a pout every time they were not seeing their father's grin.

"oh! what are you doing?" the child's curious actions elicited a surprised jolt from kaeya but other than that, he made no move to stop them. "hm?"

the baby didn't reply as they kept their focus transfixed on his hair, hand moving to loosely pin it with one of the ladybug snap clips you used to push their hair back when they're eating. grumbling when it fell back down to kaeya's lap, they moved to redo their actions only to have their father stop them with a small boop on the nose. "i'll do it for you... hmm... there we go!"

babbling in delight, the child slowly reached up to tug on his eyepatch, their eyes twinkling in curiosity before they met gaze. kaeya hesitated, hand slowly reaching up to touch their covered eye before shaking his head with a defeated smile. it was absurd to think that there's something he wouldn't do for this small, defenseless human. slowly, he carefully removed the accessory and placed it on their awaiting hands, one eye still closed despite the lack of cover.

the baby stared at the item for a while, before hesitantly twirling it around in their small hands. for kaeya, the eyepatch was nothing more than a fashion statement — or perhaps it was something that held a meaning deeper than anyone could imagine. maybe it was a mask, the last wall of his defenses that prevented everyone from seeing the ugly colors that laid underneath — the true him. it mattered very little at that moment because, for a split second, all he could care about was the way this innocent child was cradling a fragment of himself that he desperately wanted to hide.

"p... pretty..." he didn't realize how his subconscious unveiled his other eye for scrutiny, at least, not until he was hit by the intensity of the honest swirls that circled his child's crystalline orbs.

"pretty?" he repeated in disbelief, and as out-of-character as it seemed for him, he couldn't find the words that usually slipped easily. "angel, you're—"

the baby shook their head stubbornly, hands abandoning the black accessory in favor of cupping his face once again. "pretty." they said firmly as if nothing in this world could deter them until they force the words of resignation out of his mouth.

kaeya found himself tracing over their kind features, admiring the way they looked at him with much certainty. pretty was the last word he would use to describe the sight of his sins that was on full display every time he stared at the mirror in the shower. kaeya was not pretty — in his own depiction at the very least — because pretty meant undisturbed and pure and he was neither. still, one look at the stubborn face his child was making and he knew that they were not going to back down so he might as well do it for them.

"if you say so then... thank you."

they grinned triumphantly before going back to fiddling with the eyepatch. unbeknownst to them, kaeya's stare was unwavering as he tried to calm the sudden race of his heart. this child... this child saw the reminder of his grim past and still called him pretty. his eye that he so cruelly detested was pretty. his scars and his hurt and his resolve to stand anyway was pretty. a chuckle was pulled out of him from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

"you know," he whispered as he stared up at the ceiling, one hand idly tracing random patterns on their back. "you're the first person to ever see this part of me and you called me 'pretty.' careful now, you just might give me hope."

and hope was the last thing he wanted to have because he knew better than to trust that people would be as selfless as this child who saw past his flaws. still, he pushed their hair away with an adoring smile, he supposed that just this once, he could stand to be vulnerable and candid with himself.

"peek-a-boo?"

"alright," he squeezed their cheeks affectionately, "now you see me."

a hand to obscure the sight of his tearful eyes — too emotional for his liking. "and now you don't."

just this once, he'll hope that this kid would always see him and accept him for who he is even when the time comes that their ignorance fades with time.

━━ ☆ NOTES: this was very hard to write for some reason and i don't know if this was exactly what you're looking for but... oh well. no one really knows what's under kaeya's eyepatch so i tried to be as vague as possible but i saw this one fanart with kaeya's other eye being the same gold as the unknown god's and that's canon in my smooth brain now. anyway, thank you for requesting and i hoped you liked it regardless because you're very, very sweet!

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: dad!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

Do you mind writing a small head canon of being the younger sibling of Diluc and Kaeya? I think it would be interesting what kind of dynamic they would have if they had a younger sibling caught in the middle of their estranged relationship. Can be angst or fluffy, up to you!

" TROUBLE IN PARADISE "

━━ ☆ INCLUDES: diluc, kaeya (platonic)

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: thoughts on how diluc and kaeya would behave around you, their younger sibling, despite their clear differences.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: spoilers are mentioned

depending on how old you are, i think that the way they'll act about the situation would differ.

if you're as young as let's say, klee, then they would definitely try to hide the truth.

the tension is obvious but your brothers' silver tongues always end up finding a way to divert your attention somewhere else.

however, if you're only a year or so younger, then diluc would sit you down and explain the entire situation. unknowingly, i think he'll end up phrasing his words to make kaeya out to be some sort of a villain.

it's not something i would hold against him because i see him approaching you directly after the fight in some sort of desperation. he's lost and he's hoping for some guidance.

if you voice out your concerns for kaeya, i see diluc snapping and not understanding why.

in the beginning, they couldn't even stand to hear the name of the other so you would have to sneak around just to see how kaeya is faring.

you'd notice kaeya hesitance despite his efforts to pretend as if everything is the same.

while diluc is just... cold. he's always so detached as if his mind is someplace is.

when diluc suddenly went away with only a short, vague letter to explain his absence, the first person you ran to is kaeya.

to say that kaeya is mad is an understatement. not only did diluc leave you defenseless but he's out there making enemies who are more than likely to start looking for you. oh boy.

during that time, it was kaeya who looked after you. he'd buy you all sorts of gifts and snacks. on his free days, he'll take you out of the city to explore.

if diluc had forbidden his staff from letting kaeya get close to you, you'd best believe that he would sneak in at night just to tell you 'good night.'

when diluc came back, he did everything in his power to spoil you and make up for the lost time.

i see kaeya confronting diluc about what he did. he made plenty of valid points but diluc is a bit too prideful to admit his wrongs so i believe they'll find themselves in another fight.

if you happen to be there, they'll reluctantly point their swords down but they'll still be trying to egg the other on.

it's such a frustrating situation and i think it's best if you address it while trying to patch up their wounds.

tell them how horrible it feels to always be the mediator or how you feel like a string this close to snapping from the back and forth that they're doing.

they knew that it's not an easy situation but i feel like they've always assumed that you understood and that you're alright with it.

they're dumb but they're your brothers so there's very little that you could do.

i think they'll try to be more civil after that.

there are fewer taunting comments from kaeya.

while there are fewer snippy comebacks from diluc.

everyone's still on the edge but at least they're not actively trying to commit murder every other second.

if you insist that you have dinner together every weekend, diluc isn't afraid to voice his displeasure while kaeya would laugh it off and say that it's a bad idea.

but if you're very persuasive, i think they'll agree.

it's awkward at best but kaeya would try to converse with you regardless while pointedly ignoring diluc.

you can try to involve diluc but the most you'll get is a few grunts of acknowledgment.

point is, they're willing to do whatever it is that you want even if it physically hurts them to do so.

picnic? alright but don't mind the fifteen feet distance they have.

however, if anything were to happen to you, they're both up and running as if nothing ever happened in between the two of them.

you're always the priority.

likewise, the same goes for looking after you.

if diluc catches wind of someone bothering you and for some reason, he can't help either as the winery tycoon or the darknight hero, then he would subtlely mention it as he hands kaeya his drink.

you'll soon find a group of knights fixing your problem for you.

if kaeya finds something from his dubious sources but he can't act on it because of diplomatic reasons or whatnot, he'd approach diluc with a teasing lilt on his voice but the strained smile on his face is enough to show how serious he actually was.

for some reason, mondstadt's beloved vigilante somehow got that covered.

i also believe that despite diluc's distaste for kaeya, he's also the one he trusts the most with you. i don't know. brotherly instinct, i suppose? like he just trusts that kaeya would never do anything to put you in harm's way.

so when he's out for a business trip, he entrusts you to him. he wouldn't ever ask kaeya for help, god forbid that day ever comes but he would purposely mention it off-handedly in your weekend get-together.

and kaeya just understands.

diluc is definitely a worrywart. he easily assumes the mother's position in your household. it's endearing when he reminds you to eat and sometimes, he'll even make you packed lunches if you keep on forgetting.

he'd very much like it if you keep him updated with your life.

meanwhile, kaeya is a little bit more laidback. if you want to try something experimental like dye your hair or pierce your ears or whatever, kaeya's very supportive.

diluc is a little bit more traditional when it comes to that but in the end, he'll support you if that's what would make you happy.

anyway, kaeya wouldn't insist on finding out whatever's happening in your life not because he doesn't care but because if he did want to know something, he has all the means to figure it out.

tldr; your brothers love you so much and as dysfunctional and tense as everything could be, they're trying very hard for your happiness.

oh, i almost forgot. there's one other time they'll be so in sync with each other.

it's when they find out you have a lover. oh boy. they need to go through them first.

good luck finding someone good enough to fit both of their standards. even the gods aren't it.

━━ ☆ NOTES: hi thank you for requesting! it was very fun to think about so i hope you liked it!

[tartagliaxx]

i really liked your hcs of the genshin boys with the slime!! it was cute 🥺 and got me thinking on how they'd be with a pet that didn't like them, i was thinking a more traditional pet like a dog or cat though. i'd like to request this with the characters used in the slime request. also by a pet that doesn't like them i mean one that isn't violent just growls at them, ignores their commands, only likes your affection, stuff like that tysm! have a nice day 🥰

" DREADED PET COURTING STAGE "

━━ ☆ INCLUDES: zhongli, diluc, kaeya, childe

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: thoughts on how the genshin boys would react to your pet disliking them + how they would win them over.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: none

— zhongli;

he probably first caught sight of you as he was walking along the harbor.

you were feeding the stray cats and it's no secret that they were all very fond of you.

that also means that zhongli knew from early on that you had an affinity for cats (or animals in general as he later finds out).

he admired your gentle soul and it was probably one of the bullets in his 'reasons why i adore you so much' list.

a month into your relationship, you decided to introduce him to your pet cat.

to be honest, he doesn't particularly have a keen interest in them but you were so adorably giddy at the prospect of your two loves meeting that he couldn't resist.

zhongli is aware that he's not the type of person animals would trust immediately.

but even he believed that he wasn't that bad.

so it came as a surprise when your cat hissed at him as soon as he placed one foot in your doorway.

for a good five minutes, all three of you were unmoving, completely in shock and unsure.

you simply laughed nervously, picking up your cat and keeping them close to your chest as it made various high-pitched sounds, none of them being friendly.

zhongli was bewildered and you attempted to placate him by saying that your cat was simply in one of their 'moods'.

for a while, he accepted that explanation.

at least, until zhongli dropped by to give you a gift a week later.

at the sight of him, your cat's tail shot up as they stared at each other.

you told him to drop his gift by the counter and ushered him out when you noticed the cat's growing unease.

meanwhile, zhongli noticed something entirely different.

that is, the sad glimmer in your eyes when you realized that your dear pet didn't like your dear lover.

a painful tug in his heart brought him back to reality.

it was then that zhongli decided that he never wants to see that look of melancholy on your face again.

before saying goodbye, zhongli brushed his lips on your forehead which prompted a small giggle from you.

that was a start.

but it was not enough.

he was nothing if not a determined and unmoveable man and right now, he is determined to get your cat to like him and by extension, make you happy.

sure, he wasn't one to be overly friendly with animals but if that must change to return the sparkle in your eyes then so be it.

instead of going home, zhongli dropped by wanwen bookhouse where he bought all the books that had the word 'cat' on them.

he was saving up for a date but all of that was thrown out of his head because this was more relevant.

that night, zhongli read as much as he could.

the following day, you noticed something different about him but you didn't know what.

later on, you would realize that it was his perfume. he changed the one he was wearing to something less strong.

i reckon it's also something proven to be liked by cats. i can see him wearing a honeysuckle-scented perfume.

zhongli continued his studies, learning the behavioral cues of cats and so forth.

he was waiting for the right time to act and that came when you were suddenly asked to do some business outside liyue.

because it was unplanned, your usual catsitter was unavailable and before you can even start freaking out, zhongli appeared and offered to help.

you were wary. of course, you were.

but then you trusted zhongli and you hoped that maybe this was the push they needed to befriend each other.

in a span of thirty minutes, you briefed him on your cat's specific habits and likes. you paid special attention to the food and toys part.

and then you were off.

zhongli was uncharacteristically nervous because he knew he only had one shot at this and if he fails, that devastated look you had would become permanent.

when he entered your apartment, the cat was perched on top of a shelf.

kneeling from a safe distance, he made sure not to make unnecessary eye contact.

after a few minutes, your cat moved to inspect him and he might as well be a rock with how unmoving he was. a relaxed rock though because cats hate being around people who are on the edge (as stated on page 38 of 'how to get someone else's cat to like you' volume 6)

soon enough, the cat began easing up. slowly lifting a hand, zhongli allows them to sniff around. when the cat hesitantly bumps their head against his, he cautiously rubbed the back of their ears.

zhongli was hooked but he showed it in a very subtle manner.

in the next few hours, he would employ a lot of tricks. feeding them treats, playing with them, gifting them a little something, etc.

by the time you return, zhongli was reading a book and your cat was cuddling to his side on the couch, purring as he absentmindedly pets them.

zhongli would never forget the happy squeak that left your lips as you dropped your things and rushed to join the cuddlefest.

all the effort was worth it, after all, he amusedly thought as he relished the warmth of your body and your cat's that was swiftly growing on him unironically.

— diluc;

diluc was not a small talk kind of person so he never knew you liked animals nor did he know you had a dog.

it only came up three months into dating when you offhandedly mentioned it while watching him close the tavern.

he paused midway, before turning to you and questioning your statement.

when you affirmed your statement, giving him little details such as the breed and their name, diluc was unsure of what to make of it.

you were the one who visited his home, not the other way around so it was no surprise that he didn't know.

now, he doesn't hate dogs, he just didn't love them either.

street dogs would sometimes approach him while he was strolling and most of the time, he would ignore them.

when they reach up to him, he might pat them stiffly for a few seconds before going on his way.

he thought that it was an interesting detail about you though and when he thought about it, it kind of fits your character.

anyway, that knowledge was pushed off to the far corners of his mind.

until two weeks later, he dropped by your house to return your coat that you left in one of the barstools.

he didn't even make it inside because your dog who was outside at that time began barking loudly.

diluc was stumped. he seriously was and he just stood there like an idiot until you decided to come out and see what the commotion was about.

you muffled a laugh as your dog stopped barking, settling on snarling at him.

when he averted his gaze to you, the dog moved by your side as if protecting you.

diluc was a teensy bit offended.

you shooed him off with an amused laugh and diluc promptly walked back home.

he was a little unnerved but he didn't think much of it.

that was until your meetings were always cut short because your dog was becoming borderline feral (only in his eyes, in reality, the dog had no intention of lunging at him. they just want him to back off.)

it was easy to see that he was getting frustrated.

so he decided to do what he does best when he's in doubt: spend money.

diluc randomly dropped by your house with a box in hand.

he gave it to you with a blank look and you opened it confusedly only to see an unbelievable amount of dog items.

you stuttered out an 'i can't possibly take this' but diluc was not taking a no.

he left after that and you were not sure what you'd do with the gifts.

four days later, he was back to pick you up for a little date but the dog was still as unapproachable as ever much to diluc's bewilderment.

he was out of focus the entire date because why isn't your dog appeased?

then a light bulb lit up (i am convinced that the light bulb was broken).

he thought that the dog didn't like those specific toys and treats so he bought more.

he kept on doing this for almost a month before you finally placed a foot down.

diluc listened as you scolded him, telling him that while you appreciated the gifts, you barely have enough space in your house because it was too much.

you followed up by saying that dogs aren't like humans that can be bought with a bunch of gifts. you have to earn their trust too.

now he's even more confused.

you sighed before pulling him inside. you thought him the basics of dog caring.

he awkwardly followed after you, listening to your words even if you were barely making any sense to him.

finally, the moment of truth.

diluc was standing there, obviously out of place, which unnerved the dog even more.

with a less-than-subtle jab in the side, you told him to relax.

he's trying his best so with semi-tense shoulders, he reached out an ungloved hand (at your insistence) with a treat on top of it.

slowly, your dog cautiously went up to eat the treat before backing away immediately.

diluc flinched a tiny bit as their tongue lingered a little. it was a very weird sensation but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. in fact, it was almost comforting.

he did this a few more times before your dog acknowledged that he was not a threat and began lingering.

you insisted that he try petting them softly, putting great emphasis on the 'softly'.

wow, what a fulfilling feeling, said diluc in an alternate universe where he wasn't as closed off. in this world though, he simply kept that thought to himself.

diluc enjoyed the petting part maybe a little too much.

he had a soft smile on his face as your dog barked but this time, out of delight.

for the next few days, diluc squeezes as much free time as he can to drop by your house and see your dog.

you couldn't help but beam as you watched diluc play fetch with them.

without knowing it, your dog has become diluc's comfort animal.

meanwhile, your dog now sees diluc as part of the family.

and you were more than happy to be able to partake in this whole clumsy but endearing mess.

—kaeya;

stray cats loved kaeya.

he doesn't even need to try. they just love him by default.

it's not like he does anything in particular. sure, he may drop little snacks on very rare occasions but that's about it.

it was probably how you met him. it was one of his very few breaks and he was just appreciating the warm, sunny day when a cat approached him.

but then, one cat followed and another and suddenly, a bunch of cats is cuddling him because his temperature is cool.

lowkey needed help because he's trapped but he's too prideful to ask for it.

thank god for a certain cat whisperer: you.

they loved you more and followed everything you said.

kaeya looked at you oddly, wondering how you did that.

you noticed his curious stare and told him you had a cat at home who was ten times needier than all of the cats in mondstadt combined.

he thought you were exaggerating (spoiler: you were not).

you ended up ensnaring kaeya as well who sometimes acted like a needy cat. you laugh every time he's in his cuddle mood because he's almost exactly like your own.

one time, when you were in the middle of some... heated things, you instinctively asked him to stay the night.

oh, he was happy to do just that... until he was not.

the second you got in, he jumped to kiss you but a sudden clawing made him move away.

a cat was staring him down before snobbishly turning away, meowing cutely at you as if they didn't just ruin the mood.

you laughed, sheepishly apologizing as you hugged the cat close.

kaeya can only shake his head because seeing you babying a cat was very endearing and it made him want to wrap you in a fuzzy blanket and protect you from the rest of the world.

he thought that you would pamper the cat a little and then you'd be left to do whatever you two were about to do.

your cat was not having any of it and kept asking for more and more touches.

kaeya, for a brief second, wondered if you were a saint because he surely doesn't have enough patience for that.

he later becomes thankful because he realized that he was also probably just as needy, if not more.

after two hours, he knew that you would not be picking up from where you left off.

and he thought that it would be a nice idea to impress you instead and befriend your cat as if it was a piece of cake.

again, your cat was not having any of it because they pointedly ignored kaeya.

you tried to help him, handing him the cat's favorite treat but the cat wouldn't even look at him.

instead, their eyes are stuck on you. with an amused giggle, you pet the cat much to kaeya's displeasure because you are and i quote 'encouraging their actions'.

if he was being honest, your cat ignoring him was a huge blow against his pride.

he's used to people liking him, his silver tongue doing the heavy work. not to mention, he's inherently charming.

and then the cats in mondstadt all begged for his attention which is a huge stroke to his ego.

so why... why is this cat any different?

this cat, he swore, was hellbent on getting him to make a fool of himself in front of you.

while you went to the toilet, he sent a deadly stare at the cat who innocently licked their paw.

well, two can play that game.

when you came back, kaeya was smiling.

never a good sign. especially if it's that smirk.

before you could sit, kaeya pulled you into his lap, placing his chin on your shoulder and you swore you could feel the heated gaze he sent to your cat.

'oh my god' you thought as you tried to muffle another round of laughter.

kaeya was literally challenging a cat for your attention.

you told him that was not how he was gonna win your cat's affection but he replied with:

"hm? the one who reigns victorious is always the one who'll gain respect. how would this be any different?"

and you were half-tempted to say "kaeya, honey... how could you be so smart and so dumb at the same time?"

you didn't know how to react when the cat retaliated and climbed to your lap.

so now you're all sat in a pile and it was kind of comfortable.

you instinctively began petting your cat much to their delight.

meanwhile, kaeya was watching, his own hands rubbing circles on your waist.

after a while, kaeya reached up to stop your hands but before you could question it, you watch as he began stroking your cat, mimicking the way you did so before.

you knew your cat knew the difference, your temperature was drastically different from his after all, but much to your surprise, they didn't budge and kept purring.

you rolled your eyes, already seeing kaeya's victorious smile in your head.

still, you thought with a smile as you leaned back into his chest, this was nice.

nights like that soon became a common thing in your household.

— childe;

childe liked dogs.

they're fun, energetic, lively, and overall just jolly and he liked that vibe very much because it means they can keep up with him.

sometimes when he's free, he'd come to the bridge and feed the stray dogs of liyue.

they were smaller and less fluffy than the ones in snezhnaya that were almost pure floof but dogs are dogs and he was never the choosy type.

your first meeting was not animal-related but after many dates, he found out you had a dog, and boy, was he ecstatic.

he immediately bugged you and asked to meet them but you only shook your head saying that you were a little too busy right now.

he pouted but he let the topic go.

because he was equally as busy, he eventually forgot about it.

that is until you finally had some free time and invited him over.

childe was back to being... a child and it was endearing. you had to resist pinching his cheeks because he was smiling so much.

when you do arrive home, you had to hold his hand because he was nearly bursting at the seams, ready to break down the door.

you gave him a silent cue to calm down and he thankfully did. so you opened the door to reveal your adorable dog wagging their tail happily, tongue lolling as they ran up to you.

your first instinct was to hug them and give them kisses and maybe laugh as you heard childe's not so subtle 'aww' from the back.

you turned and introduced childe with a pitch higher than normal. if you averted your gaze then, you would've seen childe's heart eyes now directed at you.

the dog stared at childe who gave a small wave, smile still unfalling before it turned back to you.

he didn't think much of it because the dog was more than likely to still be welcoming you.

you told him that your dog was the friendly type and he's not a biter. he nodded but to be honest, he didn't really care if he was feral or not. in his eyes, a dog is a dog *cue childe's uwu face*.

eventually, you placed the dog down and went to the kitchen to fix some snacks for the both of you.

at which point, childe called over the dog enthusiastically, patting the spot next to him on the couch.

the dog stared at him boredly before moving to follow you where they just watched you do whatever.

childe's lips twitched downwards but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

right, maybe they were just shy.

you got back and the dog was following suit. you began conversing with childe as your dog sat by your feet.

childe didn't bother hiding his disappointment.

an hour later, you stood up to visit the comfort room.

your dog began walking around and childe called after them but as he expected, they didn't even spare him a glance.

when they began gnawing at the legs of your dining chair, childe sat up quickly, raising his voice slightly as he told them to stop.

guess what? of course, they didn't.

you wondered what the noise was all about but all you saw was a slightly panicked childe, wondering if he should just pick them up since the dog wouldn't listen to him.

you called the dog's name and he immediately stopped. you enjoyed the look of absolute distress on childe's face.

what was he doing wrong? did your dog know not to trust him unlike you?

you didn't know the answer to his questions when he finally got the courage to ask.

you honestly even told him that this was the first time this ever happened.

for a while, childe was disheartened. in his eyes, this was just as bad as not getting your parents' approval (worse if you think about it because dogs are mostly very trusting creatures).

but then, childe realizes that this was just a challenge, and boy, does he love a good challenge.

he is a man on a mission and he was not going to fail.

the first step on his master plan was to spoil the dog. unlike diluc however, he knows that he can't just give it like some kind of sugar daddy.

no, you must get your hands and knees dirty which was harder than he expected because apparently, the mere sight of him triggers the dog's innate laziness.

they do not move an inch.

right, step two was to feed them until they were completely dependent on him.

that did not work well because you were strict on keeping them on a diet.

or so you thought because he managed to slip some treats while you weren't looking much to the dog's hesitant joy.

step three was to appear as meek as possible which was the hardest part.

in hindsight, childe wondered if it was his excitement that scared the dog away.

in any case, childe began limiting eye contact and gave them as much space as possible without appearing too distant.

soon enough, the dog began approaching him of their own free will.

childe was very happy but he composed himself well. you were watching and you gave him that credit with a smile you quickly hid.

step four was initiating playtime.

he eventually finds out that the dog was actually energetic but you didn't have much time to help them spend it so he offered to help.

that's when they truly began to bond. they did dog runs, mini-fetch in your living room and etc.

step five was the one he liked the most. it's showing the dog he meant no harm to you.

you loved that step too.

you noticed that he becomes much more affectionate when your dog is around and it's not just regular affection. it's his gentle, soft, doting affection that's saved for very domestic interactions around the comforts of your house. it never fails to make your legs weak.

eventually, your dog became more attached to childe than they were to you but you didn't mind too much because childe was overly attached to you.

in the end, you always wind up spending time with both of them.

this, of course, to childe's secret delight.

he succeeded in his mission after all, which is not only to earn your dog's trust but also to avoid the worst-case scenario where you spend more time with your dog than you do with him.

━━ ☆ NOTES: thank you so much for saying such kind words and for requesting!! i hope you like these and they make your day better :)) also,, isn’t it funny how my headcanons are progressively increasing in length?

[tartagliaxx]

Hello!! Can I also request fluff where reader and Albedo are parents pls? 🙏Thank you 💕💕😊😊

" CHESHIRE SMILES "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: albedo/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: illuminated by the warm glow of the afternoon sun, albedo was sure that nothing else could compare to the beautiful sight of his lovely family and their wide-stretched smiles.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: established relationship, fem!baby mention

the one-sided conversation has died down a while ago in favor of interchanging soft crunches and hums of delight. with an amused laugh, you reached over to wipe the chocolate and cookie crumbs smeared on your daughter's cheeks.

"is something funny?" you asked with a soft smile as you watched her laugh loudly, her small, stubby hands cupping your cheeks gently.

"m...more cookie!"

"you want more cookies?" you faked a pout as you reached over the tray. "but daddy would be mad! he says no more than two cookies a day!"

"daddy bad!"

you snorted at that, handing half of the cookie to the child who immediately nibbled on it excitedly. you doubt albedo would be very happy to know about the words that came out of his daughter's mouth but you supposed it would be a nice source of entertainment for you. as if on cue, you heard the familiar thud of his shoes tapping against the wooden floorboards as he approached the dining room.

"finished with your work?"

"for today, yes." he mumbled with a small sigh, pulling out the chair right beside yours to settle down. "hello there."

"hello!" teal eyes sparkled in delight as his daughter waved excitedly before going back to chewing.

"do you want some?"

"yes, please." chuckling, you noticed just how similar the two are, both biting around the chocolate chips before striking directly on the sweet, gooey goodness. "is something wrong?" he asked the moment he felt your intense stare.

"you have a little— there."

albedo blinked in surprise, still feeling the warmth of your fingertips moments after you pulled back. it's odd how for some reason, he could never get used to the small tidbits of affection you give him. clearing his throat, he averted his gaze back to the cookies in an effort to quell the liquid red that flooded ears.

"i could've done that."

you almost didn't hear him; his whisper being overpowered by the whistle of the kettle. "i wanted to. hold on, i'm making some tea."

his eyes followed after you, only moving away when he saw you disappear into the kitchen although they found another muse just as quick — his daughter who has been staring at him with wide, identical eyes. leaning into his palm, albedo fondly brushed a stray strand of her hair away, laughing softly when she beamed with an energetic 'thank you.'

"do you think it's going to rain?" he absentmindedly asked as he took another bite from the cookie. the little girl paused as if in thought before looking away, reaching for the plate with a close-open motion in her hands.

"no, that's enough. you've had your share of sugar for the day."

albedo sighed as the baby pouted, eyes peering at him with the so-called 'puppy eyes' that you couldn't resist. as much as he wished to fulfill each and every one of his little girl's wishes, things that could prove to be detrimental to her health should be avoided at all costs. loud clatter alerted him of trouble and he stood up from his seat, chair scraping against the floor which prompted you to yell out an 'i got this.' not even a minute later, you emerged from the kitchen with a sheepish grin, a tray of teacups and a teapot in hand.

"i accidentally nudged the dish rack over. it's alright now." his worry turned into something more tender and he moved to take the tray from your hands.

"i see that you're still as clumsy as ever."

"and you, still as gentlemanly as the day i met you." a surprised huff came out of him as you teasingly squeezed his cheeks. "oh! giving her tea is fine, right?"

albedo looked at you with subtle exasperation as he rubbed his cheeks, something you giggled at. "correct. well, as long as it does not contain caffeine."

"good, good. this is one of the herbal teas i got because someone," you sent a pointed glare in his direction, "kept on drinking the entire month's supply in a week."

"there was an important research... actually, never mind."

you huffed in subtle amusement as he withdrew the words he had already told you a million times. for someone who was very nitpicky about his daughter's heath, he sure was disinterested in his own. biting back another sigh, you poured him his cup before moving to drink your own.

"ah! like alice!"

smiling widely, you nodded to the young girl’s statement much to albedo's confusion. "just like alice."

"alice?"

the first thing that popped into his head when his daughter mentioned 'alice' was the woman who took him in when he was wandering around alone. as far as his memory persists, alice has never shown any kind of fondness for the drink so surely you weren't talking about her. turning to you for an explanation, he was met with your furrowed brows.

"yes? the one in the stories? have you never heard of her?"

"i can't say that i have..."

"it's a fairy tale — a famous one at that." you stood up from your seat to pick up one of the strewn books on your decorative shelf. "it's her favorite."

"ah... it's no wonder i haven't heard of it."

taking the book from your hands, curious eyes traced over the gold engraving in the front that read 'alice's adventures in wonderland.' below it was a doodled image of a young girl in a frilly dress sat under the shadows of a big tree. intriguing, he thought as he flipped the book open, eyes swiftly moving across the words carefully jotted down in black ink.

"thoughts?" you inquired right before you took a sip of your warm drink.

"it's... different."

"ah, from the usual stories? like the boar princess?"

"precisely."

you hummed, fingers tapping on the table in thought. "that's the summarized version. if you want to read the 'adult' version of it which has a lot more thinly veiled symbolisms, i have a copy upstairs. for now, though, let's have our own little tea party. how does that sound, little one?"

"tea party!" she giggled as you booped her nose. from the sideline, albedo watched the interaction with a fond gaze; chest tightening from all the affection he had reserved for the two most important people in his life.

"i'll do it," his hands wrapped around yours just as you were about to pick up the pot. slowly, he poured the now lukewarm contents to the one plastic teacup amongst your ceramic ones. "here, milady."

you hid the grin that blossomed on your lips at albedo's play-along, their giddy laughter decorating the afternoon air with sunshine and glow. carefully, he adjusted her grip on the cup, supporting it from the bottom the moment she decided to take a drink.

"ah! taken like a true lady!" the dramatic gasp that came as you referenced her outstretched pinky elicited another giggle from the child and albedo took the cup back to properly wipe the very little spillage that happened.

"how was it?" he asked as his eyes briefly flickered to the cup. "good?"

"good!"

"is it? should i invite lottie?" neither of you two knew that the young girl's eyes could grow even brighter but it did. "and we mustn't forget ethel, of course."

"and gigi! who knows what she would do if she finds out we had a party without her!"

albedo smiled at your interjection. "that would be bad, wouldn't it?"

"very."

the tender gaze you gave him didn't go unnoticed and he quirked an eyebrow to mark his inquisition, "nothing it's just... i didn't think that you would remember their names."

"of course, i would." there was just a small bit of offense in his tone. "i also know bibby, libby, and jilly."

you rolled your eyes with a playful smile, "now you're just showing off."

"is that so bad?"

the slight lilt in his voice made you snicker, "just go." but before you he could take a step away, you held his wrist. "and please get more teacups on the way. thank you. love you. mwah!"

with an amused chuckle, albedo began the familiar to trek to his daughter’s nursery. it wasn’t much but the memories of the weeks you both spent discussing color schemes and furniture placements came rushing back anyway. peering over the wooden crib, his gentle smile made a reappearance as he picked the little doll up.

lottie was his daughter’s newest doll. her thick, black curls, and bright rouge lips contrasted nicely with her tan complexion. lottie’s sworn sister, ethel, was equally beautiful with her straight blonde hair and pink laced dress and she was sat on the small rocking chair near the crib. bibby, on the other hand, was a small white rabbit dressed in a ballet skirt while his sister, libby was a bit larger with a few brown spots around her eyes. jilly, the odd one out of the three being an ebony-colored pony, was adopted into a family of rabbits after getting lost in the woods. those three were haphazardly tossed all over the floor, no doubt being misplaced during that morning’s playtime.

finally, there was gigi; his lips twitched up as he cradled the tiny doll in his hands. gigi was a custom-made doll from amber designed in his likeness. complete with the side braids and little test tube in the doll’s hand, there was no doubt that gigi was his daughter’s favorite especially when you take into account the frayed stitches that you had tried your best to mend for how many times now.

the name ‘gigi’ came from the night albedo sat her down in his lap, a picture book containing animated images of animals being held in his able hands. as he slowly turned page after page, he finally reached the letter ‘g’ where a happy giraffe leaned up to nibble at the tree’s leaves. excitedly, his daughter tapped his legs as she pointed and yelled ‘daddy,’ no doubt seeing the resemblance of his hair to the creature’s frankly inaccurate color. as for the rest of the dolls and their stories, he knew those from all the times he pushed himself to give a kiss good night despite the exhaustion that made his limbs weigh a ton more than they usually did. ever as enthusiastic, those nights usually went longer than preferred because of the two-syllable conversations she would try to hold with her dear father who was too in love with her twinkling eyes to say ‘see you tomorrow.’

shaking his head, he placed the last of the toys in his arms before heading to the kitchen to fish out some of the spare teacups you insisted to buy despite his initial reluctance. still, he supposed that he now knows why.

“i’m back and i brought guests,” he whispered as he softly placed the dolls on the table, their own teacups being set directly in front of them while you pretended to pour over the tea.

“there! well, milady, what next?”

“more cookies!”

you giggled as the child raised her arms up in the air. mimicking her action for just a short while, you then reached to grab another one of the cookies but albedo swiftly moved it away. your name left his lips as a stern warning and you slumped back down to your seat, eyes glinting with hidden mischief despite the pout you had on your face.

“daddy’s being a meanie, isn’t he?”

“stop poisoning her mind.”

“daddy bad!”

watching albedo pause mid-bite as he tried to wrap his head around his daughter’s words was probably the most entertaining sight you have seen in a month and with a hyperactive baby around, that was saying something. lips shaking as you tried to stifle your laughter, you moved to grab his arm in a silent question of ‘are you okay?’

“i’m not— how i— i’m not bad.”

ultimately your efforts went to waste as you burst into a fit of loud, near-maniacal laughter at the way he stumbled over his words. a rare sight indeed, you thought to yourself as you wheezed through the overwhelming amusement that flowed through your bloodstream.

they say that parents have an unexplainable connection with their children and that appears to be true as your daughter joined you in your inconsolable hell of laughter despite not knowing what it was that you found so entertaining.

dread turned into bewilderment before it turned into affection. the golden glow of the setting sun lit up your skins in a way that he could only describe to be completely and utterly magnificent. it was the most perfect sight he has seen yet — both of your lips stretched impossibly wide in a genuine expression of content and bliss, looking just a little bit crazy with the way you tried and failed to stop your giggles.

he thought you had calmed, that is, until your eyes fleeted back to him and suddenly, you were falling over that slope all over again.

“oh god,” you groaned as you breathed in, one hand cradling the aching muscles of your stomach. “i can’t stop. why can’t i stop?”

“have you, perchance, gone mad?”

a small squeak left you before you began laughing once more and albedo watched with an endearing smile as he leaned against his palms. shifting his eyes to stare at his daughter, his smile only intensified as he watched her tip her head back with a soft chain of chortles. how pretty, he thought as he readjusted gigi who toppled over from the little slaps you gave to the table.

he didn’t know how long it lasted but by the time you both formally settled down, the moon was already beginning its climb to its peak. reaching over, his soft, warm hands wiped the rest of the tears that pooled in the corner of your eyes. he heard you mumble a small ‘thanks’ before you went to pick up your half-finished cup of tea.

“ah, the tea’s gone cold.”

he wouldn’t trade this for the world, he thought as his version of a cheshire smile made an appearance at your small wince.

━━ ☆ NOTES: a little fun fact about me, i have very horrible naming skills so while writing i was like, oh! how about i just use the names of the dolls i used to have? so yes, ethel and gigi were the names of my childhood dolls and yes, gigi is my favorite. anyway, i hope you liked it and thanks for requesting!

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: dad!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

OMGGG your slime fathers hc was so good ;w; thank you for all this!! Now, I have another suggestion - What do you think would be the ideal type of Serenitea Pot realm for each of the hubbies (same boys, Diluc, Zhongli, Kaeya and Childe)? There's gotta be more serenitea pot stuff related to genshin nowadays, I'm so curious as to what the characters would do or want (also what other pots look like really haha)

" TEAPOT HUSBANDS "

━━ ☆ INCLUDES: zhongli, diluc, kaeya, childe

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: thoughts on what the genshin husbands’ teapots would look like + how they would act in it + domestic hcs with you

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: spoilers on a few bullets

— zhongli;

i could see zhongli having a floating abode realm.

he's the prime of the adepti. he knows what's up and he would want to see something familiar every time he's in there.

but at the same time, he would want to have the opportunity to add tidbits of the new world.

with all that said, zhongli's teapot would be a complete masterpiece.

he'd have one area serve as the main house styled as a siheyuan which is a traditional courtyard house. around it would be a lush bamboo forest.

another area would serve as a makeshift business district which would be heavily based on present-day liyuen architecture.

the other area would be a little tea garden where he can enjoy the afternoon in peace. afternoon tea dates are often held there.

interior-wise, expect a lot of antique vases, paintings, and books.

literally, it would be everywhere you look but it would be placed neatly so instead of acting as clutter, you would feel as if you were in a museum.

i reckon he would have one special shelf displaying mementos from your dates and the things you gave him.

furniture-wise, i think he'd keep it simple but as he has a good eye for things, the furniture he would select would somehow pop out.

the color scheme would be earth-toned with golden accents.

alright. so now, on to things he'd do while inside the teapot.

out of all the guys, he has the most spare time and he uses it to relax in the teapot.

zhongli has dedicated one of the rooms in the main house to be a study room.

in it, he would often spend time finishing paperwork.

but in the downtime, he would indulge in calligraphy. his best works are displayed on the second floor.

at your insistence, he got a few pets. when the sun has barely risen, you would find him crane-watching from one of the benches stationed outside.

while he's inside, he would idly stroke one of his cats as his mind drifts off to other things.

they have a very strict diet and the best one at that, a product of his long study for the best cat menu.

tea brewing. loads of it.

if you're up to it, he'll happily teach you how to brew a perfect cup.

also, cooking. he likes cooking old liyuen cuisines.

imagine coming home to the teapot and you'll find a majestic steaming bowl of gourmet masterpiece and a smiling zhongli gently asking about your day.

he'd listen intently to the words you say, clinging onto it like a deprived man and asking questions when needed.

also the type to recount every single thing he did that day and it's very endearing because his day is mostly spent looking after the house.

compliment him. you would literally see him beam in a very zhongli way which is just a smile and a certain gleam in his eyes.

without fail, every time you come home, everything is tidied and done even if you didn't ask him to.

he likes taking walks and would often invite you or any of his guests to come along.

zhongli would softly talk about his memories, old visits to the realms of his friends, and what they used to do.

the teapot becomes synonymous with a safe place. you'd find him murmuring to himself, simply reminiscing the days long passed.

he's much more open here than he is outside. he feels free to discuss things that had made rex lapis.

on another note, his affection would also increase while inside.

lingering touches, comforting smiles, kisses on your knuckles and forehead. you get a lot of it.

he wakes up earlier to prepare breakfast and warm up the baths.

if you're not awake by then, he'll wake you up with a quiet call of your name and a fleeting kiss on your eyelids.

you would not dare count the number of times zhongli asked if he could help you prepare for the day. he'll do whatever you allow him to do.

be it your makeup or your hair or whatever it is, he always does it with a certain tenderness.

when you're running late, he leaves your clothes in the bed to change to.

return the favor and he's forever in his happy place.

also, present him some flowers when the day ends. it makes him very flustered but happy.

the perfect teapot husband.

— diluc;

as for diluc, i see him feeling cozy in the cool isle.

he's not opposed to liyue style houses but i think he'd appreciate a good, proper mondstadt feel.

it's home. it's familiar. there would be little to no adjustments needed.

diluc's teapot is very refined and has a very elegant air, like him.

his main house would be a near-identical copy of the dawn winery from the outside. it's also separated from the rest of the areas.

a few crates stacked containing god knows what, garden trellis with grapevines, fruit carts...

i see diluc making a residential/community area. he likes his privacy so in case he has guests, they would not be residing in the main house.

the residential area would feel a little closer to springvale while the community area (which is also where the majority of the supplies are) would feel more like mondstadt.

windmills. he technically doesn't need them but he places them there anyways for aesthetic purposes and also because he's quite curious about the mechanisms it had.

he'll leave the beach mostly untouched, just adding a few tables and chairs to enjoy the sunset with.

i also think he'd make a conscious effort to add loads of trees. it calms him and offers shade when he wishes to get some fresh air.

interior-wise, it'll be a controlled mess.

there's a lounge area in the corner with a nice homely fireplace which is mostly the highlight of the entire house.

bookshelves. lots of it. he enjoys reading but he doesn't have much time for it outside the teapot.

the bookshelves aren't enough though and the books are seen piling on the floors or the tables.

he also has a lot of paintings. it reminds him of his father. having them there feels like honoring him but it does so without bringing much of the pain along since they are technically different.

the furniture would be kept to the bare essentials but they do look classy and expensive so it kind of cancels out.

his color scheme would be something along the lines of mahogany with vague tints of purples and oranges.

on to his teapot habits.

diluc is busy so he's not around the teapot very often. when he is though, that means he needs immediate repose.

one thing that always helps him is walking along the beach barefoot. the cool waves that gently pushed back and forth, occasionally touching his skin soothes him.

another one with a study. he continues his work there before he reads a few books or plays chess.

he has a few dogs outside, breaking the silence. aside from a few pats and them tagging along when he's taking a walk, there's not much interaction there.

he has boars though. again, to keep the springvale vibe as close as possible.

he's very busy so i can't imagine him cooking for you but when you arrive, he'll put all things down and help you with it.

he mixes drinks though. it's quick and easy not to mention, he's pretty good.

if you're just hanging around the teapot doing your own thing, don't be surprised to find him handing you a cool smoothie, milkshake, or juice (no alcohol though. the teapot is a 'strictly no alcohol' place.)

inside the teapot is where you see diluc at his best. not master diluc, not diluc ragnvindr, not the darknight hero. just a relaxed, young man.

he's more inclined to wear his hair down here and he'll happily (albeit, shyly) allow you to play with his hair. massage his scalp and you'll hear a few satisfied grunts.

like zhongli, he's more open with his affection in the comforts of the teapot.

not much of a cuddler in fear of being walked in on, inside the teapot, that changes considerably.

he's not gonna be a big, snuggly, clingy teddy bear but he'll always make up an excuse to touch you.

after dinner cuddles are also very common.

when you're inside the teapot, you don't really spend much talking. rest assured though, he is always near you. more often than naught, his hand, ungloved for once, is laced with yours.

read a book with him. better yet, read a book for him while you lounge near the fireplace at night.

if not that, join him for some chess lessons.

and if you're still not into that, take a walk with him. sides pressed together as the sand tickled the soles of your feet, the sky fading from bright orange to a dark blue that shimmered like the lights in his eyes.

— kaeya;

i also see kaeya liking the atmosphere of the cool isle for similar reasons with diluc.

but also, he appreciates the caress of the weather on his skin. the contrasting warmth of the sun, his natural body temperature leaning to the cool side, and of course, the gentle chill of the breeze.

it's nice enough on its own and kaeya never fails to exhale in satisfaction when it blows.

kaeya's teapot is well presented, at least, until you inspect it.

unlike everyone else, kaeya doesn't separate his realm into areas.

instead, the place is just one whole city with his main house placed somewhere in the middle where it just fits, not too obnoxious nor too irrelevant.

it's a habit of sorts by now but he likes being at the center of things where he can be well-informed without being too eye-catching.

it comes in handy when he invites other people. his sharp ears catching gossip even if it's outside the tavern.

speaking of the tavern, he probably has a building near his house with a mini-processing plant in it.

he even made sure that he has his own grape plantation so every wine that pops out of it is guaranteed to pass his standards.

overall, his city is very alike mondstadt. in fact, it almost feels like a replica.

he once joked that he made it that way so it would feel as if it was only the two of you in the world. it's funny though because a part of you thought he was not joking after all.

interior-wise, it's... surprisingly bland.

there's not much to it. a sofa, a table, a mini-kitchen, a small shelf with books, a small dining table, a bed, and a cabinet.

in truth, kaeya can't be bothered. he's not inside very often and when he is, he just needs to lie down or sit which he can already do with the things he has.

it's almost appalling. the exterior is very pretty but the interior is very empty and dare you say, lonesome.

oh, look. life imitates art.

he gave you full authority to decorate it for him though and as time goes on, his house begins feeling like a home.

pieces of you and your character are scattered all around which when he catches sight of it, elicits a smile and a throaty chuckle.

since then, he found himself staying indoors more often.

he doesn't have a color scheme he strictly adheres to but there are more cool tones than there are warm ones.

he does have a preferred material though. he likes stone because it's cool to touch.

now, the fun part.

he likes sleeping.

no joke. that's the first thing he does when he's inside. inside the teapot, he allows himself to be vulnerable and catches up on some sleep he lost while doing cavalry captain things.

he is always, always, up for cuddles. if you catch him sleeping, drop all things and cuddle him. he smiles in his sleep and will pull you closer.

when he wakes up, he'll be extra soft and you'll be free of his jokes for a good ten minutes. in exchange, he'll be doting and clingy which is just as great.

after a quick recharge, he heads out to take a walk. he tends to stay away from the city during this time because he's kind of tired of it.

instead, he'll find himself on the beach, thinking of nothing for a change and just in a rare state of peace.

not much of a cook or anything in the kitchen. rest assured though, he does everything you ask him to do.

water the plants? done. fold the laundry? done. put the crates away? done and done.

he also does things without needing to be asked. after a long day, he'll quietly take the dishes despite your insistence and will wash the dishes. as for you, go to bed and rest.

i personally don't see him keeping pets but he will willingly take care of yours in case you're not around. kaeya has a soft spot for you and soon, the pet itself.

although the best times always come when you're both done with the recharging time.

he would start a tickle/pillow fight which results in a lot of giggles and chasing around.

it almost became a tradition for him to bring you to the beach and run around like teenagers before settling down and making faux accessories with stray shells or rocks.

good times.

— childe;

i see childe having loads of fun in emerald peak.

it's high. just the mere thought of accidentally making a mistake and falling to his death gives him an adrenaline rush.

exactly what he loves.

it's also cool. not freezing like snezhnaya (which he would've preferred if he was being honest) but it was a nice cool. he particularly enjoys the mornings when the chill is stronger.

childe's teapot is a hot mess, like him.

better to say, it's like a puzzle with mismatched pieces.

it's messy and cluttered. it's as if he couldn't be bothered and just randomly placed whatever.

oddly enough, it feels very homely.

like how you could toss around your things but still be able to decipher which is which and where it is because it's uniquely yours.

that's how it feels like with his teapot.

it's very him and if you look deeper, it's actually positioned practically and conveniently.

basic necessities are separated from the main 'marketplace'. instead, those are found in the same area as the main house.

because his space is very limited, you'll see his buildings in staircase-like layers (similar to qingce village).

the closest 'establishment' to the main house is the forgery.

he also allocated one area (and it's worth mentioning that it is also the most dangerous area) as a training ground.

his interior isn't any better. it's a mess but a comforting mess.

his furniture is mostly of liyuen design because that was what was available.

but he also made sure to buy some snezhnayan products to display.

the main reason it feels very cluttered is that he has a horrendous amount of mementos and battle trophies scattered around.

i think it's safe to say that he has no color scheme or any pattern in the house for that matter.

upon questioning, he simply laughs saying that's what 'home' is. living with a big family means that everyone's interests are just smashed into one big hotpot.

he's used to sharing stuff and making almost everything communal.

childe encourages you to add things into his house which you do and after a while, you realize the appeal it has.

by the end of it all, you're not even sure which item belongs to whom and it weirdly makes two giddy.

back to things he does as a teapot husband.

he wakes up very early. if you're with him, he carefully slips away to make sure you get some rest while he does his morning routine.

after preparing for the day, he goes for a quick jog which is also simultaneously a dog run.

he gets a lot of dogs and it's always fun to wake up to him playing fetch with them, youthful laughter filling the morning air.

before leaving the house, he heats the water to make you your morning drink.

it's a must to have the first drink of the day together. sometimes he needs to leave because of fatui duties so he can't stay for breakfast but he can spare some time for coffee.

he informs you of his activities, limiting the details but making sure you know his schedule and if he'll be back late.

if you do the same, it'll give him so much relief because he knows where to find you in case something goes wrong.

when you're away, he's the second-best teapot husband.

he's had experience taking care of his siblings so your pets and animals are well taken care of.

his mother had plants so your plants are also in good hands.

he lived in a constant state of disarray so he knows how to clean the house.

i think it's important to note that you can be disorganized but still be clean and hygienic.

which is the case for childe. he likes his house spotless.

he's not the best cook out there but he makes mean seafood dishes which is what he makes for your dinner.

incredibly fond of spontaneous kisses and hugs.

you could be cutting up a mango and he'll suddenly come up to you with a back hug.

you were reading? oh look, a kiss on the cheek.

be sure to smother him with attention from time to time lest you want him pouty or worse, playfully vengeful.

sing a song, sing a song he knows so he can sing along, sing loudly, wildly, and maybe off-key, sing and have fun, sing a lullaby, sing with or for him.

he loves nothing more than seeing you free and willingly vulnerable in his space. it makes him feel loved and trusted.

the domesticity of it all? he lives for it and if you reciprocate his sloppy advances, he just might be ready to pop out a ring and make this his new permanent.

━━ ☆ NOTES: ahhh!! i’m so happy you liked it! i swear you have the most interesting ideas. this got so long because i had so much fun writing it. .....i also may or may not have self-projected a little with zhongli.

[tartagliaxx]

“ UNDERGROUND GYM ”

━━ ☆ PAIRING: childe/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: it’s a little embarrassing but belting out the lyrics of ‘killshot’ at 2am with feelings might’ve been his best mistake.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: slightly suggestive, college!au

"hit me with your kill shot, baby. i mean it so serious~"

the stranger's voice reverberated along the blank walls of the gym. he has been at it for a while, you stifled your laugh as you tapped away on your phone. the few boyish cracks in his voice that occasionally made an appearance was making it incredibly hard for you to stay quiet in the hidden corner of the gym. in his defense, he didn't know he had a thoroughly amused audience though you supposed he also had it coming for being so obnoxiously loud in the dead of the night.

"oh shit," you muttered as you accidentally nudged your water bottle over. well, there goes plan a which was hiding away until he leaves to save both of you from the walk of shame. just great.

"hello?" from the other corner of the gym, childe dropped the weights with a loud clang. he didn't know which would be worse to find, a ghost or an actual living human being. in any case, he felt sorry for them after being forced to hear his... performance.

"uh hi." you peeked around the corner with an awkward smile and oh. you're adorable. childe coughed as he tried to shove the blush away. "don't mind me."

"uh no... i meant, sure! wait i—" he chuckled nervously, hand automatically reaching up to rub his nape in absolute shame. "sorry, i'm a little..."

you laughed at the small gesture he made, "i understand. uh... nice song by the way."

great. you grimaced in your head at your awful choice of words. sure. initiate a conversation with the eye candy by reminding him of his primary source of mortification. truly spectacular.

"i swear i do better during the day." despite being wrecked by out-of-character bashfulness, childe still had it in him to enjoy the sound of your genuine laughter ringing in his ears.

"it wasn't that bad."

"oh? so it was bad?"

you rolled your eyes at the stranger's dramatic reach for his heart, "oh, come on. you didn't think it was great either, right? if not... well, i hate to be the bearer of bad news but..."

you interrupted yourself with another laugh but this time, he joined you.

"so uh..." childe ran a hand through his hair with an embarrassed smile, heart still pumping irregularly though maybe, just maybe, the reasons have changed. "what are you doing here?"

"no one really uses the gym at midnight so i drop by here when i couldn't sleep."

"oh, same except well... i thought wrong."

quirking an eyebrow, you nervously nibbled at your lip and childe fought tooth and nail to avoid staring, "do you want me to leave? i can—"

"no!" both of you jumped up in surprise from the sudden exclamation that escaped his mouth, "i mean... i don't mind. you came first anyway. uh... well, do you mind if i stay?"

"no... not at all." childe returned the bright smile that you sent him, averting his gaze as soon as he felt the beginnings of the blush reaching up his neck.

"do you work out?"

"not really. i just hang around here for the peace and quiet. for some god-forsaken reason, the apartment above mine keeps on hosting parties that last all night long."

"that's college kids for you. always chasing after the last days of youth..."

furrowing your brows, you sat on the bench just beside the grey duffel bag you assumed he owned. "how about you? no parties for you?"

"nah..." a snort from him. "well, i do go to some but most of the time i spend the rare free time i get trying to catch a break."

"hard to get some of that in this complex."

"oh, i go home to my family home. it's only five blocks away from my campus. how about you?"

"me? my house is pretty far away so i just spend most of my time lounging around my apartment... or here if it's too loud there."

childe hummed in reply and you appreciated the way the slight grit in his voice sent small tingles down your spine. turning your gaze away from his face in a feeble attempt of calming down your rampant hormones, you felt your cheeks heating up even more when your eyes fell to his bare arms — slick with sweat and veins popping as he went back to lifting the weights he was doing just before your intrusion.

"do you uh," you cleared your throat as you absentmindedly fanned your cheeks. oh, as if that would help. "do you mind if i play some music?"

"feel free."

why must he be so goddamn attractive doing absolutely nothing? you stared unabashedly as a small patch of his toned stomach peeked through when he wiped his sweat. it was strange to be so affected by the mere presence of a man — a tall, well-built man with a pretty face but still... shaking your head, you hurriedly fished out your phone hoping that he didn't notice your short stupor but judging from the deep chuckle that left him, he did.

unbeknownst to you, childe wasn't faring any better. the way your lips slightly jutted out as you scrolled through your playlist, the way soft and delicate mumbles decorated the air with beautiful laces and ribbons, the way you stretched only for your shirt to slip down just a little bit to show some more of your neck... biting back a groan, childe desperately wished you didn't notice the subtle tremors that wreaked through his hands. not good.

"something chronic, bit demonic."

his eyes snapped back to you when he heard the familiar opening of a song he knew too well. "you—" he choked out as a hand went up to hide his flustered expression. he was being too cute, you laughed louder as you noticed the way he shifted his weight around.

hearing you laugh like that... something in childe snapped and he found his composure returning two-fold as he narrowed his pretty blue eyes at you.

"you're laughing at me?" oh... you gulped as he chuckled darkly, legs striding to close the distance between until your faces were only an inch apart, "who's laughing now? come on, let me hear you."

you laughed nervously as you tried to push him and his very, very firm chest away, mind too fried from the way his warm breath caressed your lips. "jesus... at least ask me out on a date first."

"great idea." he leaned back with a calm, triumphant smile that was merely a front because deep down, his veins felt like it was being burnt by a raging wildfire of excitement and he was buzzing. "come down here by eight. i'll take you out for some coffee or... whatever it is that you like."

before you could even muster a reply, childe bolted out of the underground gym. what was he supposed to do when you peered at him through your lashes, so sweet and pretty with your lips slightly parted from surprise? sliding down the wall with a hand on his chest — heart beating impossibly fast — childe couldn't help the squeak of shame that only came now.

ah, he didn't even catch your name... no matter, he ran a hand through his hair with a giddy smile that he tried to hide, he had all the time to find out.

━━ ☆ NOTES: the second-hand shame, goodness gracious

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: college!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

“ 3AM NOODLE RUN ”

━━ ☆ PAIRING: chongyun/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: technically, you should be rational like the 'adult' you're supposed to be but as someone once said, not everything needs to make sense.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: established relationship, college!au like... three cursed words... i think

not everything has to make sense.

whether it's about drinking a shot of pure lemonade and not wincing or if it's about laughing at that old sitcom from the 80s that everybody you know hates.... it doesn't matter. sometimes, it's all right to be so peculiar that the human mind could ponder and try to decipher your mysteries and yet, still fail. it's not because of those 'even your flaws are perfect' propaganda nor is it because of those 'not like everyone else' bullshit. rather, it's all right to not make sense because making sense is all that you've known and it gets tiring really quickly. sometimes, it's just nice to let go of inhibitions and live — crazily, merrily, freely, happily. they did say that being young isn't forever so you might as well spend it as best as you know: by living without making any sense that it just makes sense.

it's 3am now and you're still not making any sense but if you did, you would've been sitting on your desk, nightlight on as you attempt to finish your thesis paper's conclusion.

but as we all know, not everything has to make sense.

fishing out your phone from the bundle that has become of your thick comforter, you dialed the number of the one person you knew that would never refuse your sudden bout of misplaced energy. once, twice, thrice. the ringing beats that came from your phone were not something unfamiliar. the call has been made before — far too many times to count now and yet, he never once failed to answer.

just like now.

"hello?"

"hi, chongyun."

you heard him sigh through the phone before he chuckled. "it's late. don't you have an 8am session tomorrow?"

"today," you corrected as you slumped down the wall. "but yes. i do."

"then why are you still up?" his concern was cute and you found yourself smiling as you cuddled your knees closer.

"i was doing my thesis — well, was trying but to no avail..."

"i see... can't sleep?"

"nah... i'm used to being wide-awake at this hour. can't bring myself to sleep properly anymore. and you?"

"same thing."

this conversation was also familiar. it's happened every single time and no matter how you tried to switch it up, it always revolves around a paper needing to be passed sometime soon and the ever-present grip of insomnia on your necks. now, it's more of a form of courtesy — small talk is what they call it but in your mind, it doubles over as an apology and an invitation.

"wanna go out?"

you sighed in bliss, "that's my line."

"we both saw it coming."

"cute. very cute."

despite the faux irritation that laced your tone, you both knew that the truth couldn't be farther from that. on your face — and on his but you didn't know that — was the biggest, possibly cheesiest grin you have ever mustered. you just had that effect on each other, you supposed. chongyun doesn't comment on the odd decisions that you would definitely regret in the morning while you don't question why he doesn't seem to know how the most basic things worked. he accompanies you and you teach him the wildest of things. it was once just a relationship founded by mutualism but as time went by, unnecessary touches were thrown in and playful jokes and forced piggyback rides home became a part of your midnight routine. even then, your relationship was easy to understand. comfort without any need for an explanation.

"do you want me to pick you up?"

"nah," you threw on an old jumper — ugly in your definition but still something you bought for a reason that also didn't make any sense. "same place?"

"same place."

you whispered a quiet 'see you soon' before you dropped the call, walking to your door with a skip on your steps because who wouldn't? it's kind of romantic — like the modern-day version of sneaking around the palace gardens to rendezvous with your true love but at the same time, it's romantic only because having someone to be with you at the dead of the night doing nothing in particular for no real reason aside from just being with them for a moment longer... that is the most of romance that you could afford to give as a college student struggling to keep up with your workload and the looming finals just around the corner.

sending one final glance to your dorm that looked a little bit drearier than it did a few moments ago, you left without your rationality in your pockets.

the sidewalks were empty. heck, the entire block was silent save for the occasional barks of the stray dogs in the alleyways. it's yet another thing that didn't make any sense. how is it that the same place habited by the same people felt, feels, would always feel as if a different place as soon as the clock strikes three? there was no explanation for the split in reality — for the ambiguous disorientation that came with the warm streetlamps and frenzied stars but a part of you knew that to question is to be ungrateful. the echo of your footsteps and the peace that came so rarely in such a busy place... it was all needed and it's probably one of the many reasons why you keep making spontaneous decisions such as this.

it wasn't as if you didn't enjoy the walk because you did. it's just instinctual to mutter 'finally' as soon as the flickering neon lights of the 24/7 gasoline station came into view. running the few steps remaining, you grinned brightly as you caught sight of a tuft of the skies itself, covered mostly by the hood of your university's sweater.

"hey."

chongyun breathed out before sending you a soft smile, eyes drooping low but holding the small twinkle it holds whenever you meet up like this. "hey."

"so... should we get popsicles?" he hummed in thought before shaking his head and hesitantly accepting your hand with a small blush on his pale skin.

"my throat hurts."

now that's alarming. immediately, your head snapped in his direction, brows furrowed, and about to question his well-being but before you could, he beat you to it.

"i'm fine. just overused it earlier. community service, remember?"

now that he mentioned it, his voice did sound rougher — huskier and a little deeper. clearing your throat, you hoped that chongyun's obliviousness would make a timely appearance. you didn't need him asking you about the sudden rush of heat all along your body or about the way your pulse jumped up with just one thought of him.

"are you feeling well?"

"peachy!" you squeaked out — a little too fast to be considered true but you, yourself, beat him from questioning you any further. "are noodles better?"

"are there... any mild ones?"

right, he can't handle spice. "there are non-spicy ones, i'm sure."

"oh... sounds good, then."

should you do it? fuck it. you reached up to softly pat his head. he's adorable, just like a little puppy still trying to learn how to use its limbs. gods, he's too adorable that you worry for your heart's condition and also for his because chongyun wasn't exactly used to physical affection and even the slightest touches had him going on an overdrive.

"shall we?" you doubt that the small whimper he accidentally let out was an answer to your question but you went with it anyway.

the bell rang as you opened the door to the small convenience store at the corner of the station. sticky floors, buzzing freezers, stray chip packets in the chocolate aisle, and a passive-aggressive cashier. nothing was special about this place but somehow, being there felt right. was it your body's muscle memory, effortlessly navigating around the place to find solace in the energy drinks section, or was it the 'no-one-gives-a-shit' vibe that had set your mind at ease?

it was neither, you decided as soon as chongyun took your interlocked hands to his hoodie's pockets. a bold move but one look at him and you figured that he didn't even know that he did it. going back, something about this empty, easy-to-miss place made it easy to feel as if there were no expectations on you. you could come in with your pajamas just to buy the cheapest beer they had and no one would tell you to fix yourself up. you might even get a sympathetic smile from the attendant if they had a good morning's rest before all of this. a big part of the comfort though, came from the boy beside you who was far too invested in reading through the instant noodle labels. he, too, came in looking like a hot mess — hair tousled from the twisting and turning he did on his bed and his godforsaken fake gucci slides that xingqiu got as a joke. the bigger joke? chongyun likes wearing it, claiming that it's comfortable and that he doesn't care much about appearances.

"which one did you get?"

"this one." he showed you the blue packet and you rose a brow in surprise. "bibim naengmyeon."

"you sure? that's kinda spicy. maybe you should try this instead?" you shook the cream-colored packet, hururuk guksu, a type of ramen proven and tested to be non-spicy. at least, as long as you don't add the chili flavoring.

"it's fine. i'll manage."

you stared at him for a minute longer before relenting with a sigh. "suit yourself."

but just in case, you sneakily threw in a box of milk in the basket.

the kettle on the corner of the store was broken, or so you assumed because it whistled so horrifyingly loud that you couldn't even make out the words to the indie song that played through the scratchy speakers in the backroom. did that stop you from twirling around like an idiot, laughing as chongyun took your photos exactly like those 'aesthetic pinterest girls' you always see on your feed? no. no, it didn't. similarly, it didn't make sense for you to do it, not when your pants were stained by dinner's sauce and your eyes were glossed over from the nth yawn that escaped your lips. he thought otherwise though, and somehow, the way chongyun tipped his head down to hide the fond smile that appeared as he looked through the photos he took was enough to fuel the fire that awakened every single nerve in your body.

"finally! it's ready now... careful, it's cold."

he hummed in reply before gently tugging you out of the store and into the half-assed tent that apparently served as a dining area. gross, you scrunched your face with disapproval. when was the last time they wiped the tables?

"that's a no, right?"

"are you kidding me? of course that's a no! maybe we should've just gotten chips like before."

"well... we're here now."

"you're telling me... is the park still open?"

he paused before he tugged the strings of his hoodie tighter. "don't think so... should we eat home?"

"the noodles would get soggy and — well, cold for mine and not cold for yours."

"what now then?"

it didn't make sense for you to be sitting down on the steps of some random apartment you found but you were there anyway. trapping your drink in between your thighs, the savory aroma of the cup noodles immediately wafted the air. it didn't look very appetizing but it certainly smelled like it did. besides, it certainly looked better than most meals you've had in your cafeteria.

"h-help—"

"huh?" you furrowed your brows, eyes not leaving your food that was starting to look better the more your stirred. "speak up. i can't hear you."

"HELP!"

you jumped up in surprise only to panic as you saw chongyun's terrifyingly red face as he tried to fan his tongue to no avail. "i told you it was spicy!"

"m-milk!"

you missed the stabbing point not once, not twice but thrice and for some reason, your half-asleep form found that very funny.

"hurry!"

"right, right..." you watched as he aggressively sucked on the straw as if his life depended on it, and in a way it was. perhaps you should've warned him earlier but by the time you were enunciating 'slow down,' chongyun was already coughing his lungs out and you attempted to help him out by awkwardly patting his back — maybe a little weaker than what would actually help.

seven minutes and three seconds. that's how long it took before chongyun regathered his wits.

"maybe... i should've listened to you." the sheepish and bashful smile he sent you had you chuckling.

"you should've. do you want to switch? i got a non-spicy one just in case."

not everything has to make sense but you and him together made perfect sense.

━━ ☆ NOTES: sigh... how long until i stop projecting myself and my feelings in my writing?

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: college!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

“ VENTI VENTING WHILE VENTING ”

━━ ☆ PAIRING: venti/reader ft. others

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff, humor

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: you just want to play 'among us' in peace but venti’s orchestra tea — and his pretty face — were really making it hard to focus.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: college!au

home was far away.

it was a few steps away from you or perhaps your eyes were deceiving you and it was actually across the seven seas. none of your contradicting thoughts mattered when it didn't change the fact that it felt unreachable. you've been back to your family home quite a few times already; same sheets, same stained wallpaper, same instant coffee scent every seven in the morning. nothing should've changed but everything did. in the backburner of your mind was the mock defense you'd have the following week. somewhere closer was your eight-paged paper about some topic you already forgot. it was a weight you never had before and for some reason, the wings you once held with pride as you dashed along the halls of your familiar haven became clipped — the same way the lights dimmed and the colors faded.

but he was there and he made it feel like change was alright and that if home was far away, then all you had to do was craft a new one. you argued that one doesn't just 'craft' a home. it's not something you chant and 'voila!' it's there nor is it a pile of lego bricks stacked as you hum a nursery rhyme. he took that to heart, you supposed as you found yourself being dragged to the nearest craft store that was thankfully open 24/7. he was a peculiar one — your roommate — but he carried an air of childish innocence that had your bound wings struggling for freedom.

before you knew it, home was very close to your heart.

you huffed in amusement as your eyes trailed over the apple cinnamon-scented candle that venti insisted you must have. he was quite persuasive with his argument — something about a potential apple crisis that would deprive you of all apple-related products. he was an idiot but his idiocy made you happy so you tend to brush him off.

"are you still there?" childe, a guy from your year that got himself into his own share of troubles on the regular, suddenly asked and you found yourself jumping up to press the 'unmute' button on your laptop.

"yeah... sorry, i dozed off for a bit."

"that's so sus!"

you laughed in bewilderment, inching closer to the edge of your seat as if you were preparing to have a debate with the poor guy. good. you could use some practice for your presentation next week.

"don't go sus-ing random people just because—"

"that's enough," a deeper voice — this time belonging to your senior, zhongli, who also happens to be venti's 'bestest friend aside from you,' "we still need to figure out who murdered aether."

"i bet it's childe—" "lumine!"

"no but seriously! everything about him is dubious! we might as well eject him now!"

"and if we're wrong?" kaeya didn't sound like he's trying very hard to help childe escape his inevitable execution.

and to childe's mortification, "i mean... it'll make for a good meme."

"lumine!" was aether's twin sister who was significantly smarter than he was but also spectacularly more hotheaded. she was sweet to you though which makes her strange hatred for childe even more fascinating. this was the third time she attempted to dispose of him. she succeeded both times prior.

"are you guys actually serious? it's not me! why is it always me? why don't you doubt zhongli for a change? do you even want to win!?"

"nah." "not really." "nope!" "i don't really care."

"you know what? fine. kick me out. deport me. but i'm telling you this: you're all wrong. you're—!"

childe was not the impostor. two impostors remain.

"oh... welp... rest in peace childe."

"f in the chat."

a sudden scream got you jumping up in fright only to fall back with an 'umph!' as venti threw his body to yours. "you would not believe what i just witnessed!"

"venti," you sighed before relenting and running a hand through his hair, "i'm playing."

"but you need to hear this! i swear! it's the funniest thing you'll ever hear in your entire life!"

you couldn't help but laugh as venti whined, tugging the edges of your sleeves lightly as if beckoning for your attention — which he was. cute.

"it better be worth it."

"oh it's so worth it."

he's energetic and wild but he's never... sinister. the chuckle that left his lips had you questioning his true personality. "being a music major has its perks, i'm telling you! i was in orchestra rehearsal — as i told you if you were actually listening to me and not to that one tiktoker you found that's just plain gross."

"i was—"

"anyway, one of the second violinists took a nap while the conductor was working with the trombones. obviously, that's rude. you don't sleep in the middle of practice just because the attention's not on you, right?"

you briefly glanced at venti who was enthusiastically waving his arms before you went back to connecting the brightly colored wires from one point to the other.

"hey! are you even listening to me?"

"yeah, i was!"

"oh really?" he didn't seem to be too impressed with you, if the pout and crossed arms were anything to go by. "what did i last say huh?"

"uhh... something about the first violin trying to wake the second violin up but they only shrugged them off?"

"huh..." he dropped his arms in surprise, "you really were listening."

you rolled your eyes in subtle amusement before motioning for him to go on, finally getting invested in his story. it wasn't hard to do so, not when venti was a naturally gifted storyteller who had his way of transfixing his audience even if his story didn't even make half as much sense as cereal and water did.

"well, the first violin didn't like that. at all. so they end up raising their hand and calling for the conductor's attention."

"wait." you gasped in horror as you looked away from the security cameras showed on your screen. "you're telling me they snitched?"

"yup! and there's more to it. obviously, the conductor was mad but they went out of the way to single them out. i won't bore you with the technicalities but basically, they made them stand up in front of the entire orchestra and told them that they had no 'eyes' to follow their gestures, no 'ears' to pick up the right entry and that they should just quit being a musician."

"wait... is that even legal? like that doesn't sound very professional."

"that's because it isn't! but that's not the end of it yet! after the conductor stormed off, the second violinist went up to the first violinist and—"

"let me guess. they punched them?" you huffed out as you followed after zhongli's avatar, near one hundred percent sure that he wasn't an impostor.

"nope! they shoved them and they toppled over the music stand. i'm pretty sure they hit their head."

"you said your story's funny! this is just... concerning!"

"shush! i'm not yet finished! turns out they were exes!"

"no way..." you let out an incredulous laugh, placing down your phone in favor of staring at venti's wide grin.

"uhuh! that's how we reacted too! they started fighting in front of everyone and you know... dug up some deep, ancient secrets that really shouldn't have been told in public."

"oh god! look!" you shoved your hands to his face, all curled up and tense, "i'm cringing from the secondhand embarrassment!"

"see? and you weren't even there! like midway into their fight, the first violinist screamed — wait... are you muted?"

a beat.

a shared look.

a quick run to your voice chat.

"oh crap."

venti burst into a loud fit of laughter, nearly knocking over your forgotten books as he leaned over the coffee table for support. a part of you wanted him to at least be sympathetic but the rest of you simply found him endearing. in your defense, it was venti. it was venti — the same guy who composed a three-minute piece to celebrate your last semester's completion. the same guy who dropped a bucket of your favorite ice cream and its apple crumble variant on your lap when he hasn't heard from you for five hours straight. it was venti — the same guy who told you that you looked beautiful when you could barely open your eyes as strong gusts of wind rumpled your coat and it was the same guy who let you crawl into his lap as you sobbed about homesickness. you knew it. you knew that he was going to end up distracting you and you were all too willing to let him do so.

"you're such an—" a long wheeze from him that sent you into your own fit of laughter, "you such an idiot!"

you scoffed — but without any negative intent — before you threw that one wind sprite pillow that he got you for christmas at his face. "no, you!"

"what do you mean by that?!"

"you're the idiot! might i remind you... it wasn't me who forgot his instrument during the day of his busking performance."

"that was a one-time thing!" you quickly caught the pillow he threw back at you.

"uhuh... so we're just going to pretend that you didn't just ring me up at six am because you forgot everything but your instrument — sheet music and spare strings included?"

"now, you're just being petty!"

you giggled at venti's obnoxiously faux pout. an idiot — that was what he was. only an idiot or perhaps, a romantic whose head was far too deep in his own feelings, would not notice the way you tremble every time you interlock your fingers together during movie nights.

"what are you staring at? have you perhaps, fallen in love with me?"

yes. a thousand times, yes.

"think whatever you want... idiot."

a beat.

a shared look.

an understanding giddy smile and his hands finding purchase on your own.

the loud beeping of the reactor had you blinking away from your daze but you didn't make a move to help out. well, not like you could even if you wanted to. venti had already placed himself on your lap, hugging you tightly and nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck with a whisper of 'finally.'

it was rare for venti to have nothing to say, you chuckled as you brushed away his braids that were tickling the patch of skin on your collarbone, but the silence didn't seem too bad. in fact, it felt all too fitting after the series of loud gestures of affection that you both insisted were just a platonic dormmates thing.

"so..." you looked up in surprise as someone unmuted despite not being called into a meeting. "what happened next?"

a pause.

"zhongli... we could hear the stabbing sound effect in the background...."

"oh."

"I CALLED IT! I FREAKING CALLED IT!"

━━ ☆ NOTES: i watched too much twoset but somehow, i'm still not funny. also, haha... venti, in fact, didn't vent.

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: college!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

“ A MUSE AND ME ”

━━ ☆ PAIRING: albedo/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: it was rare for the both of you to catch some break but when the opportunity arises, you found yourself forgetting how to do so in the first place. no matter, there's never a dull moment with albedo and you're sure that you'll both manage. somehow.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: established relationship, like one curse word, college!au

the weekend made your skin glow differently, he noted as he peered at you from behind his cup of coffee, a lazy brew that had more sugar than what was considered 'passable' by a doctor's standards. still, that was the least of albedo's worries — if he had any at all.

mornings of peace or at the very least, mornings spent without the rush of adrenaline as you both fumbled through your routines to make it to your first class — those mornings are a rarity and as such, he treats them like a prized jewel or better yet, an unfamiliar specimen that is worthy of his attention.

"you're staring."

"hm? oh yes... i was. did it make you uncomfortable?"

you wiggled your fingers out to him, an open invitation for a sweet collision that could only be brought by his soft hands in yours. "can't say i'm not used to it by now."

"is that so?" he couldn't help but chuckle, easily wrapping his hand around yours in a practiced manner. "thank you for your understanding."

"you're welcome. so... any plans for today?"

"not that i can think of. you?"

"don't get me started." albedo rose a brow as soon as you grunted, leaning back into the plush bed as he towered over your form from the side. "this whole 'one week vacation' feels like a fever dream."

"a fever dream? but we're having a break. isn't that something to be celebrated?"

"when did college kids ever catch a break? you know that feeling when—" you paused to steal his mug of coffee, wincing immediately when you tasted what felt like a shot of straight sugar, "when the world lulls you into a false sense of security before kaboom! your life is falling apart all of a sudden and it's five times worse than your regular 'normal' which is by the way, already horrible as is."

"sounds like that's spoken from personal experience."

"it is." you agreed, mind suddenly startled awake and rushing to recollect your thoughts. there was that one insanely long paper you needed to pass by next week and while you were sure you've done it, what if you were just daydreaming about it and—

as if sensing your current influx of anxieties — something that, unfortunately, became quite the common occurrence in your hectic lifestyles — albedo squeezed your hand thrice. one to bring you back to him, another to tell you that all is well and the last for good measure.

"if you're worried about your paper, you've already passed it. i watched you submit it yourself, specifically because you anticipated this scenario."

it's absurd, really. so much so that you found yourself laughing in disbelief as you muttered a quiet 'thanks' to your ever-supportive partner. albedo only shakes his head with an amused tilt in his lips. this was the norm and honestly, he doesn't mind it too much. there is a degree of trust in relying on someone else to remember this and that when you're mind is too fried from other things. even albedo must admit that he finds himself quite intrigued, maybe even touched, to be on the receiving end of it.

"so... if everything's really settled and i'm being anxious over nothing... what should we do?"

he hummed in thought, eyes temporarily moving to glance at the open window. "do you wish to go out?"

your loud groan was enough of an answer.

"then i suppose it's settled. we're staying in today."

"yeah, okay... but what now?"

albedo hesitated but it didn't last long. he, after all, believed that one shouldn't shy away from voicing their desires. not when it's reasonable and above all, innocent.

"i would like to paint you. if that's alright."

"paint... me? now?" you winced at the firm nod you received in reply. "but i look... well, to be completely frank with you, i look like shit."

"hm? you don't look any different to me."

you fell into another fit of laughter as soon as he made his confusion clear. you met him when you were juniors and many things had come to pass since then. still, it's quite comforting to know that some things never change and one of them was albedo's obliviousness to tone and implications. you hand it to him in stride, knowing full well that even geniuses can't be perfect.

"if i didn't know any better, i would've assumed that you're calling me ugly."

"on the contrary, i think otherwise."

there it was — the one reason you found it so hard to be offended by his edged words. albedo was never one to sweeten his words, preferring to keep strictly to his facts with full transparency. perhaps that is the greatest compliment — a scientist's realism and the way he portrays your beauty as something that does not need an explanation but rather, a truth that is simply is, not too unlike gravity and inertia.

"i know, i know. we're well past misunderstandings and clarifications."

"i suppose so. it has been quite some time..."

"do you regret it?"

albedo paused, placing down a tube of flesh-colored paint on his newly claimed drawing table before looking up to you in a silent question.

"meeting me early i mean... we started dating what... a few months after we became juniors? i won't take it to heart if you felt as if you missed out on a few things because you were trying to placate my feelings which are just as difficult as it is today."

"i don't understand the premise of your question."

"huh? what do you mean you don't understand?"

"saying that i was 'missing out' on some things implies that there are things that i wished i was able to do but couldn't do because we were seeing each other."

"yes?" you leaned closer, palms becoming the resting place of your chin as you adjust your position in the bed. "that's kinda the point of the entire conversation."

"what i meant is... seeing you wasn't a decision i made that restricted me from doing the things i wanted to do. i was able to interact with people, learn what i wanted to learn, and live life as any normal high school student would. if anything, seeing you broadened my perspective in areas that i was admittedly lacking in. if i were to be asked, i would have preferred to meet you earlier but it's no use to think about what could've been if it's already finished."

days of break were few and far in between in the life of a college student and yet here you were, wasting such a fine morning with your unshed tears. you chastised yourself, of course, believing that the amount you have shed on your regular days was enough to warrant a day without your tear ducts seeing any action, and still, here you were.

"did i say something wrong?" there was a teasing lilt in his voice, his subtle cheeky demeanor peeking through ever so slightly as he brushed a stray tear from your cheeks.

"no... not at all."

"good. now, you haven't answered me yet."

you chuckled, moving to flick his forehead but he was already a few steps back when you did. "i'm not changing my clothes."

and he didn't expect you to because albedo finds that the weekends made your skin glow differently and what better way to capture that immense beauty if not by painting you in your barest form? honestly, the entire week off seemed more of a hassle to him when he first heard of it. precious time wasted, he once told sucrose who was assisting him in a few research activities. still, it was amusing to find your half-asleep form lazily trying to form a comfortable pose and he couldn't help but think that breaks might not be half as bad as he thought they were if it meant seeing more of this side of you.

a rare gem indeed in your hectic lifestyle.

━━ ☆ NOTES: puns are fun.

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: college!au masterlist

[tartagliaxx]

" NEVERLAND "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: diluc/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff/comfort

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: in the playground of your youth, you find yourself sharing your adulting woes with your childhood friend-turned-something, diluc.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: established relationship, college!au

the chill of the damp wooden swing seeped into your clothes as you stared up at the brilliant starry sky. a push and a pull — a firm foot pressed in the moist grass and soil of a throwaway playground as you lightly swayed to the beat of the quiet.

"is there a spot saved for me in there?" a shiver ran through your spine as you heard a familiar voice.

"but of course! welcome to my neverland, kind sir."

with a huff of amusement, diluc took the seat beside you. it felt as if it was just yesterday when you would pile your legs on top of each other's, wrapped in the blissful pretense of being a kid. now, you recognize the heat that emanated from him and the way your thighs brushed with every movement made. it was far too common of an occurrence to say that midnights spent being impossibly close but persevering despite the cramped space and ominous screech of old, rusted metal were strange.

"shouldn't you be sleeping? your thesis defense is tomorrow."

rolling your eyes, you lazily peered at him as you leaned against the aged chains, "i could say the same about you. your finals are scheduled tomorrow."

"don't even remind me." he groaned and you couldn't help but laugh at the dejection in his face. "it's horrid."

"must be. don't worry though. if all else fails, steal your dad's credit card."

he sent you a weak glare, fishing for something in his coat that he haphazardly threw at you. ah, your favorite candy. "that's the worst plan i've ever heard from you and that's saying something."

"give me a break, mr. my-conditioner-costs-five-times-more-than-your-apartment. you don't ever have to worry about living in the streets."

"yes, but i'll have to live with my brother's taunts for the rest of my life which is just as bad."

"how very dramatic," you huffed amusedly as you unwrapped the candy to pop it in your mouth, "you should've joined theatre."

diluc only stared at you unimpressed which was much more humorous than it actually was in your drowsy eyes. as you toppled over in an incoherent pile of laughter, diluc couldn't help the smile that softly raised his lips as he looked at you with so much fondness. you were a mess — half-lidded eyes and dark shadows underneath, overworn pajamas and bare-faced, tired, overworked, and undeniably pretty. it was the cold, he shifted his gaze to the same stars you were staring at before his arrival. it was the cold that was making him a crude sap.

"i'll miss this." you sighed out, the hidden melancholy you carried in your heart finally being unveiled through your dim eyes, having lost all of the innocent sparkles in the piles of unrewarding work. "i'll miss talking to you like this."

"it doesn't have to end." tangling your hands together, diluc was relieved to feel you draw abstract shapes in his skin; a habit you do whenever you tried to relish his warmth.

"my professor literally ended class with a 'you have to grow up' and god, i don't want to. i want to keep running along the streets and sneak out of my room in ungodly hours for a bowl of cereal and not... worry about jobs and taxes and all that adult stuff we used to romanticize."

you tipped your head back with an exasperated groan, "all this stress and for what? a future i don't even want? i want to keep dreaming but tomorrow... and the day after that and the rest... all of it would be gone."

"i don't want to grow up too," he whispered and you snapped your gaze back to him because of all the people who you expected to join you in resisting the tides of time, diluc was not one of them. "i took a degree in business because of my father but god knows i don't care about that. i could be a pianist or a fencer or anything but a dreary old man in a stuffy office and suit but i guess... i guess being an adult means prioritizing needs before wants."

"that is... incredibly tragic."

"oh, shut up." you giggled as diluc groaned into his free hand but you would recognize the slight lilt of amusement in his voice anywhere.

"hey, diluc?"

he dropped his hand to look at you, a subtle quirk in his brows urging you on.

"even when we turn saggy and old, would you let me be a young kid whenever i'm with you?"

"who's dramatic now?" you grunted when you felt him flicking your forehead — something he carried from childhood. "but yes. i'd let you challenge me on as many bubblegum blowing contests as you want. well, as long as you don't spit it at my face."

the crimson red of his hair matched the flame that was rapidly heating your cheeks from underneath your skin out of embarrassment, "that was a one-time thing and it was an accident! leave me alone, you fiend!"

"fiend?" a chuckle escaped him from your curious choice of words and soon after, you joined him in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. as seconds trickled by without much care in the world, you realized that you didn't need to worry too much. he was here with you — a monument of your childhood, your neverland of dreams, and your eternal escape. as long as he held your hand in his just like this, you'd forever be a young kid in love with the curves of his lovely, red soul.

━━ ☆ NOTES: this series is starting to become a 'things i experienced as a college student' au except i added a sprinkle of pretty people that i don't have in real life.

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: college!au masterlist

━━ ☆ OOGA? BOOGA!: rb to get a kith~

[tartagliaxx]

" POP GOES MY CORN "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: kaeya/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff/comfort

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: it’s just a movie but sometimes, the best thing to do is cry. good thing you have him around to keep you company.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: like... one curse word, college!au

there was beauty in the way you stopped him from pushing the keys to his apartment, furiously tugging at his arm until he allowed you to pull him into yours for an impromptu movie night. there was beauty in the fifteen minutes spent arguing about which movie to watch until he finally gave in because he would do just about anything to see your smile. above all, there was beauty in the way your eyes were completely entranced by the moving pictures of your old television set, knees pulled up to your chest so you could wrap your disney themed fuzzy blanket around your frame.

maybe he should've been paying more attention to the movie he has seen for far too many times to count but who could really blame him? with one arm placed firmly in the armrest of your second-hand couch, kaeya tilted his head to get a better view of your face. colors danced along your skin as if you are the canvas chosen by the gods to represent the vibrant shades of their creation and your eyes. your eyes that reflected the images you were so interested in — so beautiful and worthy of his unwavering attention.

"hey kaeya," you turned to him with a silly smile, ready to say another one of your little facts until you noticed that he was staring at you all this time. "oh my god, you creep!"

"creep? my... how you wound me, darling!"

"stop staring and watch the movie!"

an amused chuckle left his lips as you weakly threw one of your many pillows at his face, something which he promptly caught mid-air. kaeya was an insufferable fool, you grumbled in your head as you averted your gaze back to the movie in a feeble attempt to kill the heat that bloomed across your cheeks. too busy fumbling around in your head, you didn't notice the way his eyes moved back to you for a split second being the picturesque definition of fondness.

"oh god," you whispered suddenly, hand subconsciously reaching down to lock in his and he froze.

your hands were cold but they were soft. it sent shivers down his spine as he tried to blink back the surprise in your bold actions. turning to question your sudden movement, warning bells rang in his head when he saw your pretty eyes blown wide with gloss but still trained to the screen. momentarily moving his gaze back to the movie, kaeya couldn't stop the amused laugh that slipped out of his lips.

"what are you, four?"

glaring at him from the corner of your eye, you moved to softly blow into the napkins you got specifically for this situation.

"no, seriously. how could you still cry over a movie you've seen for about ten times now?"

"how could you not cry when mufasa just went up and died?!"

kaeya cackled loudly as you pouted, slightly sniffling as you wiped the rest of your tears. you were going to be the death of him with all the adorable little things that you did. reaching up with his free hand, you hissed when he playfully flicked your forehead, periwinkle eyes glowing like stars against the night sky outside.

"what's that for?!"

"for almost giving me a heart attack from all your cuteness."

"i am not—" you interrupted yourself with a scream as kaeya poked that one spot he knew you were ticklish at, "stop!"

"what's the magic word?"

oh to be a boxer who could punch that cheeky, little smile of his. "go to hell, you little shit!"

"wrong answer. try again."

kaeya tugged you closer by your still interlocked hands and immediately began assaulting your ticklish spots, one hand pressed into your thigh to stop you from thrashing around too much.

"kaeya—" you gasped before falling back into an inconsolable fit of laughter, "the movie!"

furrowing his brows, he temporarily stopped his antics to give you time to breathe. "how are you still not tired of 'the lion king'?"

"that's blasphemous! who gets tired of ‘the lion king’?!”

“my, you’re a passionate one, aren’t you?”

you stared into his eyes as he tenderly drew a stripe on your cheek, lips slightly quirked up to show his fond amusement. he looked at you as if you just hung the moon and stars for him and god. god, you need help from the rising pace of your heart that pumped hot blood along your body. such affection should only be reserved for ignorant couples in medieval plays and yet here he was, readily giving it to you as if it was second nature.

“in any case,” he hummed, withdrawing his hand and you found yourself missing his touch the moment the comforting chill left your skin, “i’ll be here to listen if you ever decide to be honest with your tears.”

a watery laugh slipped from your lips because how does he do that? always a step ahead of you, always reading you like an established scholar does to a nursery rhyme. how does he see through you so well?

the stress, the exhaustion, the pressure of the piles of papers laid forgotten in your room... all of them toppled over your form as a fresh river of your tears fell from your eyes. still, all your honesty dried up and the wrong words fell from your lips. not that it meant much to you. you trusted that he would know. “why does he have to die?!”

“plot convention?” kaeya rose his hands in defense as you sent him a half-hearted glare. “what? do you want me to wage war on the creators of a film from twenty years ago?”

you huffed in displeasure at his subtle jab but didn’t resist when he gently pulled you closer to his chest, fingers running slowly against your back as you listened to the grounding beat of his heart.

oh? it was faster than normal.

shaking your thoughts away in the pretense of nuzzling closer to his chest, a shaky smile bloomed across your face and you were thankful that at least he wouldn’t see the way you looked absolutely messed up in the best possible ways.

“kaeya?” he had to hold himself back from cooing at your cute sniffle.

“what is it, darling nala?”

“god, shut up!”

the vibrations of his laugh prickled your cheek but that was fine. this was fine, you thought as you joined him in a chorus of soft laughter.

“so what is it?”

“i want popcorn.”

a snort before he was standing up, pulling you with him in a twirl. “then popcorn you shall get.”

“as i should. cheese? barbecue? ooh, caramel?”

“whatever you want.”

kaeya smiled softly as you wiped the rest of your tears away. before he could even realize it, his hands were automatically reaching for your waist as he leads you to a slow dance out of nowhere right in the middle of your cramped living room. you recognize ‘can you feel the love tonight’ playing quietly from the now-forgotten movie and you couldn’t help but think that this... this was just perfect.

with both your arms wrapped around his neck, you figured that popcorn could wait.

━━ ☆ NOTES: oh boy... now i want to rewatch the lion king... preferably with a kaeya on the side.

━━ ☆ SIMILAR WORKS: college!au masterlist

━━ ☆ OOGA? BOOGA!: rb to get a kith~

[tartagliaxx]

Oml, I am so sorry, I remember sending it to this blog but I have crappy internet in my area. If I remember right it was an albedo x f!reader one, so they get invited to a annual prom in monstadt, and as the day approached albedo had to finish up some works and lost track of time and reached there a late and thought the reader left or is angry, but instead met up with the reader still waiting for him all dressed up breathtaking and cheerful to see him, and his heart is filled with warmth and so they just danced under the moon with just both of them and sharing a few romantic moment. I hope this one makes sense and it sends. Thank you and sorry, I am dumb for waiting like almost a month and a half instead of just asking. Thank you, I hope you like this request too.

" WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: albedo/fem!reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: dreams don't come true in a crowded ballroom. rather, they come true in a silent dance under the moonlight — somewhere in between the ocean waves and the seashore or perhaps, in between sol and luna. it's a fairy tale crafted perfectly by a pair far too gleeful at midnight with only loose scientific discoveries to accompany them by.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: established relationship, reader wears a dress

the cathedral's bell rang thrice as the clock strikes twelve but your glass slippers didn't crack.

your voice was still whole as you hummed a casual tune and your eyes were wide open — awake and alive — as you let your gaze dance along the shadows of the night. your lips taste of honey-dipped chocolates, not poison and the rose in your hand did not wither like a tragic game of 'he loves me, he loves me not.' he does. you know he does. the answer would always be 'always.'

it's not wishful thinking — it's not a heartbroken woman's ode nor is it a desperate attempt to make yourself believe that his feelings for you are still existent in this reality. it's the truth, unadulterated and unbothered by his lack of attendance. he loves you because there's still the skip in your pulse whenever you picture his amused smile. he loves you because the world was lit up with glorious pastel shades just as he painted it when you first met. you know he loves you because he wouldn't be jogging up to you in a rush that he never found to be practical if he didn't.

"well, aren't you out of breath."

he told himself it's because of how he ran across the courtyard — five minutes and three seconds faster than what he would've called comfortable but the sudden buzzing in his fingertips told him otherwise. he's not much of a poet and the best that he could muster is a quiet 'you look beautiful' and yet, you beam at him as if you just heard a hundred and one lines that compared you to the sea of stars above.

"cute... who would've known that you're quite the charmer?"

"i'm not." he took your hand that was splayed into his view in an invitation. "i'm just being factual."

"how daring."

daring is a word reserved for a prince charming aboard a white horse; a word used for all the times he climbs up the vines to catch a glimpse of the smile that fills his heart with mirth. it's a clash of swords and an arrogant smile and it's safe to say that daring isn't albedo. albedo is a prince — proclaimed by everyone but him — who rides an intricately patterned flower to fetch you a fresh red apple. he walks you to and fro your home because he can't bring himself to leave just yet, the same way he can't bring himself to tell you his desires either. he dislikes confrontation, choosing instead to hide behind an interesting report and an uncomfortable smile of gratitude when someone 'gives him too much credit.' he's curious — experimental — but never daring. if anything, he's a little bashful and meek especially when he takes the spot right next to you just as he was doing so now.

silence wrapped you like a familiar friend, bringing focus to the way the fountain pools at its bottom, leaving occasional kisses on the patches of bare skin you have left uncovered in your dress. it's not uncomfortable — nothing ever is when it comes to him — but you felt like he had something to say so you carefully leaned your weight into him, shoulders touching as you peered at him inquisitively.

a pause. a little something to gather his thoughts. "are you mad at me?"

"do i look mad?"

"no."

"then i'm not."

he's always found you a curious little thing but sometimes, you prove to be more complex than the universe itself.

"you're furrowing your brows again." albedo felt his lips quirk up as you leaned in to smoothen down the small patch of skin in between his brows. "there! better."

"you're a strange person."

"that's not how you say thank you."

the teasing lilt in your voice had him shaking his head as his gaze falls back to your conjoined hands. "at the very least, aren't you going to scold me?"

"for what? for being so overly passionate in your work that you forgot that you had to waste your time at a party you couldn't care less about?"

he would've worded it with more finesse but the meaning still holds true so he nods in reply.

"actually, i was hoping that you wouldn't come. i don't want to force you into anything you wouldn't enjoy but knowing you, you wouldn't let me go alone either."

albedo shook his head again, half in amusement and the other half in something he couldn't quite decipher. he was right. you are strange. he could only think so much of the rumors and whispers that most likely floated around you when you came in without him by your side before he lightly grimaces and yet here you were, still as blithe as ever.

"although..." he knew you well enough to know that there is danger in the way your lips twisted into a mischievous grin. "i have something in mind if you still want to make it up to me."

"and what may that be?"

"a dance."

"a dance," he repeated, his eyes blown wide by just a fraction because of all the things he expected you to ask from him, a dance was not one of them.

"now, don't look at me like that! i'm sure you'll do well!"

albedo chuckles because he knew that he could trip all over his feet and you'll still tell him he did well. without much of another word, he lets himself be tugged along — lets his head tip down to your hands as he pressed a kiss out of courtesy.

"see? you're a natural."

"i've read about it once."

now that was a surprise. "since when have you read books about dances?"

"not dances, fairy tales. i figured that it would come in handy since you're so fond of them."

"aha," you averted your gaze from him as your smile softened to something timid, "you didn't have to do that for me."

"i wanted to." it took you by surprise but you were able to catch your steps as he spins you around, hands immediately dropping down to the small of your back to pull you back in.

"no, you... you really didn't have to. you're fine as is. you don't have to do all those fancy things the princes do in the books."

"in alchemy, results do not come out of thin air. rather, results are a product of an equal exchange. just as how a warming bottle's luminosity varies from the number of flaming hot stamens used, the same goes for relationships if i'm not mistaken."

you hummed in reply, "i suppose you're not wrong but life would be so much easier if there's a science to feelings."

"would you still fall in love with the idea of love if you are always given a uniform answer?"

you rose a brow at albedo's subtle challenging tone. "who knows... what about you? would you still love me if you've already solved my being?"

"i would."

"oh? but weren't you just going on and on about finding the truth behind this world?"

"i would've already found my answer when that day comes."

you're glad that albedo was a gentleman — that he didn't comment on the way you missed the beat in your footwork.

"you sap."

his eyes shone like teal fluorites at your words but you'd much rather describe it as the soft gradient between the blues and greens of the endless oceans. they're beautiful and they deserve only the brightest sun. you're a little bit of a poet yourself so with a cheesy grin you repeat your words — louder this time but quiet enough for them to be only reserved for him.

"then... will you be my sun?"

he said it with the intention of flustering you because he finds that his heart swells at the sight of your eyes widening in shock but in a way, he wasn't wrong. if his eyes are the ocean then you are the sun that makes them glimmer under your radiant light. you are the heat that rests in his chest — the same one that leaves his mind hazy with condensation and finally, you are the warmth that paves a way for gentle showers; to precipitation that keeps his ocean-deep eyes full of love, of trust, of contentment, of a yearning for more.

"gladly."

the night sun — the stars that came in the form of the fireflies — illuminated your skin and bones with a summer glow. it's fitting, albedo thinks, as he twirls you to the music of the cicadas. on this midsummer night, he stares at you as if you are the lighthouse in the dark and you — you stare at him as if he is the crashing tides against pearl white stone. it's laid low and bare from the silver tone of the moon that made him look ethereal, even more so than usual.

a dream. that's what he looks like but by the way he stares at you with thinly-veiled adoration, you knew that he feels the same. if his love for you was only a theory then this was the evidence that turns it into a law; an absolute truth that would remain to be true even if you flip and twirl the world upside down. he sways you to the sound of your gentle song, a love song whose lyrics are laid forgotten in some distant corner of your mind because at the forefront of it all was his name, stroked in the same elegantly rushed handwriting of his.

"i have a gift for you," he whispered out of nowhere as his hand moves to gently caress your cheeks.

"what for?"

"it's customary for the 'prince' to provide a flower for the lady so i brought you one..."

"oh my!" a gasp tears through your form as you eyed the unfamiliar flower in his hand; the prettiest you have ever seen. "i have never seen this one before... it's so beautiful!"

"it's a new species we discovered. over the past few days, we have been conducting experiments to formally publish it in the next month's journal. i decided to name it after you."

"albedo you..."

he swiftly wiped away the tears that are welling up in your eyes. "i could never be the prince charming in your books nor would i ever aspire to. i don't know how to profess my feelings nor can i promise you that you'd never dance alone again but even so... i'd like for my affections for you to never die so i wrote it in a place i know it would never do."

it's so easy to be swept away by his eyes, by the dance, by the rhythm of your hearts, by love. you, a mere woman, a little bit dazzled by the way the lamp lights seem to grow in radiance, anchored yourself to his chest. with both arms wrapped around his neck, your movements dulled to a simple sway but the feeling of wonder and wholeness never left.

"a pretty flower for a pretty girl; an equivalent exchange."

the cathedral's bell rang thrice once more but your fairy godmother didn't take him away.

cinderella is fast asleep with her mascara running down her cheeks but here you were, wide-awake and beaming as you mumbled a quiet joke that really wasn't that funny. he shakes his head in amusement — not at the joke but at your giddy state and you wonder if this was the kind of love ariel yearned for. in retaliation, you press a kiss on his jaw, and the way his breath hitches tastes like apples redder than snow white's lips.

you don't have a talking teacup to tell you that he's your own kind of fairy tale but you figured that part on your own because the flower in your hand and the text it left on history's pages are its own kind of devotion. a promise. a truth. an i love you. always.

━━ ☆ NOTES: sorry for the wait!! some mishaps delayed this for far too long and i'm just praying in my hands and knees that this was worth it bc i kinda think it isn't. thank you for requesting, i hope you liked it, and have a nice day!

━━ ☆ OOGA? BOOGA!: rb to get a kith~

tagging @rasbeaii bc this is the one albedo fic i deprived you off

[tartagliaxx]

━━ ☆ REQUEST: I have no idea if this can still fit in the 5 slots for requests but how about vision bearer y/n from Inazuma that escapes with Kazuha? (shamelessly links a hastily written poem i made) I've been thinking about it a lot and I cannot for the life of me make a cohesive story out of it. - 🥖

" TOWARDS THE DEATH OF ETERNITY "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: kazuha/fem!reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff?

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: for eternity is neither yours nor kazuha's dream. with a dying vision in hand — and yours gingerly shielded from the perilous storms — you ran away with the ambitions you had thought you lost still intact.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: contains minor spoilers

"kazuha," the sound of his smooth tune halted at your gentle call. "where will you spend eternity?"

he gave you silence and a magnificent gift. a transient melody — of falling cherry petals, of gentle water ripples, of sunlight peeking through heavy clouds. is this what he hears every time? smiling softly, you turned your gaze towards him, admiring the small pout that formed in his thought.

"i'd travel."

"perhaps i should've expected that answer."

chuckling, he tipped his head to the sky, and with a silent greeting, he welcomes the sight of a light rain shower — a rare sight to be found in his motherland who only knew the will of a tyrannical god. "when the storm passes, what does it leave behind aside from its destruction? the puddles? the still water? it does nothing but cause decay and so... i would like to wander freely once more. i fear that i have been stagnant for far too long."

"your travels haven't been faring well i'm assuming?"

"not quite." you would recognize the subtle tensing in his jaw anywhere. "it's not really ideal to have people running around for my neck."

"an intriguing notion... must we really sacrifice our lives for a dream?"

"must we really ponder for so long?"

you couldn't help but laugh; quietly as if fearing that your god would hear your joy and chastise you for it. "i suppose not."

"are you scared?"

"of them? no. of her? maybe a little. of losing this? yes."

it was cold to touch but its chill was different from the ones you get whenever you catch sight of her monument. it's different from the ice that seeps into your clothes and bones every time the near-perpetual storms fall on your form. distinctively, it's different from the bitterness that fills you every time their suffocating gazes find you after a movement too fast.

"my vision does not define me but it does serve as a manifestation of my ambition. i was recognized for it by the gods themselves so... who is she to take it from me?"

your silence passes by and it thundered along the walls of his mind like a beat of a drum. familiar words — spoken by comrades he once held dear. most of them now lie buried in an old forgotten corner of the world; one with nature as they so wished to be.

"where..." he hesitated but before long, the question slipped out of him with ease. "where do you think the raiden shogun would spend her eternity?"

"in inazuma."

you almost cooed at the way he tilted his head in confusion.

"no one knows what goes on in her mind but if i were to guess... well... if she were to deprive the world of its strength, then that would mean that no one would dare challenge her, yes? i wonder... is our god's one and only wish to be a god for all eternity?"

"curious, indeed. a cup of sake sounds nice right about now."

your lips parted in surprise and kazuha reveled in the way you fell into a fit of laughter — unrestrained this time and he found that he preferred this version more. your heartbeat hitches up with each drop of amusement and your joy bleeds out of you like a contagious summer. yes... he prefers this.

"i—" "my lady!"

turning back, you frowned at the hurried appearance of your attendant. it could only mean one thing.

"kazu— ah..."

he was gone, leaving only a maple leaf in farewell as he has done many times before. a selfish part of you wished he would stay for a little longer if only for a proper goodbye but that would be too unlike him. the man you knew from your childhood was ever quick on his feet — never getting caught sneaking into your room after hours and now, not even when the shogunate lackeys are littered everywhere in the land.

"it'll be quite some time before our paths cross once more." sighing, you found yourself praying for his safe return but then you wonder, is there anyone out there who would listen when your own had damn near forsaken you?

news — or perhaps it would be more fitting to say 'gossip' — travels fast in the city. it may not be instantaneous as what you heard it does in liyue but it was swift enough for you to gather the hems of your clothes and run. kazuha spoke of the joys of wandering but as you hopped from one place to another, you found that there was no joy, only dread.

you only knew him by name and by the stories he had shared with you but you could picture the way divine judgment was passed onto him. did it hurt? did he regret? what was it that he tried to pursue? whatever it was, you hoped that he had found it and that he was content with the way his blade screamed his intent until the very end. it's their 'way' and try as they might, you could never see the glory in death.

"my lady!"

you were used to feeling relief when you hear his voice but now... now felt a little like desperation. you called out his name — once, twice, until you could no longer count, too disturbed by the quivers of your lips.

"kazuha! you're alive! i was so sure—"

"come with me."

your eyes traced over his frenzied eyes, his usual gentle composure unseen from the dark shadows that have made his face grim. you were thankful that he was alive but for a split second, you wondered if death would be far more merciful.

"to where?"

"somewhere."

you noticed his shaking hands next. he cradled a soft light — a vision — steadily fading like a cooling star from a massive explosion. the heat it radiated while it was still far from you had you shivering. it was a dying vision — your future should you decide to stay in a place that no longer resembled the land of your birth.

kazuha frowned at the disturbance in the woods. wincing, the burns in his hands pained him in ways he has never felt before but he still withdrew his sword. sending one last glance at your trembling form, he smiles. strained, lost, and most certainly not the easy one that never fails to light up his features but a smile nonetheless.

"what say you accompany me to where the weather is fine and i swear on my honor and my blade that i would protect you from what comes after?"

"i—" you gritted your teeth before untangling your vision, the same one you carefully hid from the public eye in an effort to preserve it. to hell with manners and the shogun and all those who wanted you dead! "i don't need your protection!"

you were a vision bearer and the vision you hold is a dream that has just sprouted its wings. it's the symbol of your resilience and the raiden be damned if she dared to trample over it for her own twisted one.

kazuha always thought that the dull colors of inazuma and its grotesque violets — a symbol he now knows to be one with the shogunate's forceful authority — didn't suit you well and neither did the purples that bloomed under your eyes or the sunken expression you have worn ever since the vision hunt began. today though, he finds it in him to smile weakly, is the first time he has ever written a silent prose for the beauty of your show of strength.

"don't stare too much! we don’t have forever!"

eternity held no meaning for you both because it was neither your dream. rather, it was hers and hers alone — never for the citizens of inazuma. as his blade crashes against the blade of a stranger, he wondered if they recognize her faults as a god.

"hurry!"

a second away from being too late.

"there's too many of them!"

an enemy away from certain death.

"i see the boat!"

and yet, you persevered like the mortals you were. to say that the boat ride was rocky is to speak in understatement. it was rough and half of the ride was spent trying to breathe through the tumultuous waves. still, it did give you enough time to fix your thoughts and for him, to grieve.

what was eternity?

it's silence; non-existent. it's something that becomes cruel first before it becomes lonely second. it's self-destruction in a fancy, cursive script or perhaps it's a sickening desire — a passionate one that burns through skin not too far from the empty shell that kazuha has been fiddling with since a couple of his newfound friends dragged you out from your fate of drowning in saltwater. perhaps eternity is becoming the storm that wrecks the seven nations or perhaps it's trudging the path to the burning sun. whatever it was, the romanticization in the texts you were brought up with was suddenly sickening.

"i didn't get to ask back then." you turned to kazuha, not expecting him to speak when too much has happened. too much.

"would you like to hear an answer now?"

"that would be nice." he hummed and you felt a weight lifting on your chest when you noticed a faint sign of him behind all the weariness. "where would you spend your eternity?"

ah.

you smiled despondently, staring at your unstable reflection in the deep, blue sea. "it was eternity that denied me of my fate. likewise, i will continue to renounce its existence out of spite."

it was eternity that had piled the corpses of many innocent men and it was eternity that... kazuha lifts his bandaged hand, briefly remembering the way you gingerly touched him when you offered to treat him while he was stuck in his own thoughts. it was eternity that looked down on the strength of humankind, who despite their looming mortality, still strive to do something of relevance.

"still, it's a little unfair if i left you with such an unsatisfying answer. let's see... how would you put it if you were me? ah!"

kazuha didn't bother to hide his amusement as you cleared your throat with a cheeky grin. right. there was once a time that the sole string that bounds him still to inazuma was his trusty blade. this was not half as bad as he expected it to be. never the one to actively seek companionship, even he surprised himself when he all but begged you to leave with him but just this once, he'll believe that he made the right decision. in any case, it was hard to think otherwise when the soft breeze carried the scent of both the seas and the skies and the sweet perfume you loved to him.

"i will sit in freedom under a sun that does not shy from me — far from the clocks that drink my numbered days away."

"striking imageries... you've improved."

you rolled your eyes playfully at his teasing jab, "well, aren't you the professional..."

"second nature is all. a samurai who only knows how to swing a sword is not much of a samurai at all."

"exciting."

your dull tone had him chuckling before his smile falls, gently brushing over the small scratch on your cheeks that you got from the dispute not even five hours earlier. he turns somber, only because even the smallest gash on you was a reminder that at the end of the day, inazuma was yours to claim as a noblewoman. he wonders, he truly does, if the thread on your finger leads to inazuma's release from a god's self-serving desires.

"we'll be back." he mutters softly with a distant gaze, right about in the approximate direction of your home. "one day."

what does it mean to challenge eternity?

the vision nestled in your pocket’s safety was proof that your name was both tainted and doomed; that to the eyes of the people in inazuma, you are no longer the noblewoman they once knew. death approaches all too soon to those who do not have the luxury of partaking in the gift of immortality but it draws far too faster for you who has turned her back against the nation. in your hand, on his shoulder, in the small box by his side — was inazuma’s last beacon of light against the future led astray by a mournful dream.

irrelevant you may be to the eyes of the goddess but do fleeting memories really hold as little weight as she thinks it to be? with time, you will be but a red, lonesome leaf floating in the wind. with time, whispers of your grand escape would be nothing but a fictional tale. with time, the storms would break and mend the rocks that proved your existence. short and ephemeral — definitely not the eternity that she hoped for but somehow, death’s judgment held more comfort than the heated glare of a hundred eyes.

“one day.”

━━ ☆ NOTES: i'm so hyped for inazuma sigh. thank you for requesting and entrusting me to write smth comprehensible. i hope you liked it bc i sure as hell didnt :DD