#*something annoys scaramouche* this reminds me of that one time childe–

[windblr]

kazuscara is cute because kazuha is one of the only people that scaramouche doesn’t hate with a passion

chiscara is cute because childe is like the only person scaramouche will actively go out of his way to shit on

[lustlovehart]

Only In Tears and Dreams

Pairing: (Main) Scaramouche x Reader, Wanderer x Reader

Summary: [Angst] The soon to be god meets you in his future, a beautiful love it is. But, it makes him realize, the only way you’ll ever love him, is the version of himself where he’s completely erased. You’ll only be his if he is not himself.

Warnings: Unrequited Love (Reader to Scara), Comfort in Wanderer x Reader portions

The gods must have taken it upon themself to oversee his suffering, cause why is it, the space of solitude he so carefully hoped to salvage from reality, has been tainted with images of what he always believed to be his demise.

You.

The landscape is softly blurred, save for your very clear form. You’re breathtaking. God, he hates you. You’re the sole being capable of making the empty cavity in his chest beat with something that was never there in the first place. You’re the only human in this world he’d even remotely allow insults directed towards him to come from. You’re the only person he can stay in close vicinity with for extended periods of time without throwing lightning to the skies.

You’re you. But… the you in his dreams is different.

There’s no hate in your eyes, it’s you, no doubt, but a version he’s secretly wanted to see himself.

A you who is, undoubtedly, in love with him. No… those eyes that are filled with such a disgusting emotion, are looking at the him with blue and teal wrapped all around him. Not purple and red, not The Balladeer.

It’s then he remembers, you will only ever love him, if he was not himself.

“What’s wrong? You seem off today…” you’re up close, he can see you, he can hear you, but that’s the only two senses he possesses to behold you and your glory. He can’t bury his nose in your neck, he can’t hold your waist in his palm, he can’t taste whatever flavor you have on your lips.

A cruel reminder that the version he holds of you in his heart is only a dream.

“Hm… silent today huh, don’t be so moody, you have one of your political scientifa-magig things going on don’t you? I’ll be sailing back to Fontaine soon so you better enjoy me while I’m here.” You look annoyed, an expression he’s grown accustomed to, but this one is softer than what you give him.

A voice speaks back, sounding too similar. His voice, is heard, but it’s not coming from his lips, it’s from the other him.

“Hm? I had no idea I was holding an overgrown child in my arms, how can someone at your age not be able to pronounce “political science” normally?”

Holding?

Seems the harbinger was too focused on you to notice that, yes, you are held in his arms, you’ve been sat on his lap looking into his eyes this whole time.

“How can someone at your age not be able to grow huh? I must say for someone in science you’re a bit below average h— mhm…! Mm!” The image of a hand pops up, the palm tightly covering your mouth as you fight a struggle to regain speech.

“Someone seems to be forgetting whose bed it is they’re staying in for the next two weeks.”

“Mm!! Mmm… mhm…? MHMM…?!” It’s a scene that would be witnessed in a cheesy rom-com film from Fontaine. If he was in reality witnessing this with any other couple, he’s sure he would turn his head and pretend he hadn’t seen such a disgusting display of affection.

But it’s a little endearing when it’s the two of you.

“Mhm—! Haaa… Okay okay! Sorry Mr “Hat guy”… Jeez, considering you almost suffocated me to death maybe I shouldn’t sleep with you— Ah…!” He watches internally as the blurred vision moves, your arms wrapping around his neck. “Are you gonna throw me in the water…? It’s cause I put sugar in your tea isn’t it…”

“So that was you.” Panic momentarily sets in your eyes with your accidental confession, you grasp around his neck tightening, or at least he thinks you tighten it, his arms slowly leaning you towards the river before quickly pulling you back into his body.

He laughs but you don’t, only chastising him for his attempt at scaring you. “You…! Luckily you met me after I quit the fatui, who knows with your attitude I might have fought you with a delusion.”

“Oh really?” He doesn’t sound amused, albeit, it seems this “Scaramouche” was part of the fatui or at least, played some part in it, as his playful demeanor is quickly dissipated at the mention of that organization.

It’s then when the dream starts to go cloudy, the sight of you slowly rippling away. His hand, not his dream self’s, but his own, almost reaches up to caress your face before you disappear, but his body locks him in place before he can move in time to catch you.

He should be happy. He doesn’t have to see a you he can only despise and wish for in his feelings. He has to remember, that horrid feeling you make him know, is just that, horrid.

Now that he’s seen what he’s secretly wanted. He knows just how detrimental it would be to have that with you. A weakness for him, one that if even minorly damaged, could lead to catastrophic destruction to his psyche.

He’ll claw that feeling out of his body if he has to. Feeling your love was warming, he can’t have that. So, his hand leans towards his chest, his nails pointed directly at the place a heart would be, before punching through.

But yet again he remembers, it was just a dream.

He’s harshly awoken by the sound of footsteps clanking on metal, his body suspended in air. He can feel the nimble fingers of someone connecting the tubes to the holes in his back. But he doesn’t bother to make contact with them. He’s sure, it’s Dottore. That is until, he’s not so sure

His synthetic puppet torso shakes a little as the first tube is connected, a hand placed on his chest to stop him from shaking. A hand, that’s all too familiar.

When the mysterious helper emerges from below, his eyes can’t seem to stop themself from looking.

“You.”

“Yes, me. Who else would you have trusted with impaling you, my Lord?”

“Ha? Anyone but you, at least if they killed me through an accidental misplacement they would find assistance or cower at their lord's body.” He just woke up, that dream has not yet disappeared from his collective consciousness. “You would do it on purpose and then watch me fall without any form of continuing the job.”

“If you talk anymore you might put that scenario into action, Sir, though, if it did come true I can’t deny I wouldn’t do what you just stated.” He doesn’t talk back, only a tut leaving his lips before you dive down to insert the next mechanical implement in.

Though, he does wonder.

“[Name], where do you live?”

“Oh? Are you suddenly interested in my personal life? I don’t think it’s a good look for a god to be hooking up with a mortal.”

“I’m not asking for something that foolish. Answer.”

“I live in Fontaine— Lived, I mean.” He can tell you didn’t like his sudden change in demeanor, as he quickly can feel you connect his wiring slower, but also a lot more forcefully, dare he say even painfully. Though he doesn’t cause he’s not so weak as to admit that as hurt. He’s a puppet— no, a god, this doesn’t hurt.

The cold glare you give him stings a little though. Just a little. But he won’t admit that either.

“Hm.”

“You ask but don’t say anything? I shouldn’t have even replied to your stuck-up—“

“Why did you join the fatui?” … You seem to lack a comeback. “And you say I’m the one who doesn’t speak back.”

“I’m almost done. You’ll be on the way to becoming a god soon enough my Lord, once I’m finished will you please allow me to take my leave and—“ his hand is only seen in a flash, his finger already gripping onto your wrist tight enough he might as well be acting as a handcuff.

“No, stay with me.”

“If I don’t go back to Sir Dottore, he’ll get mad.” His eyes narrow at the mention of the name before returning to their original form.

“To hell with that doctor, you’d defy a future god?”

“Future, My lord. Besides, would a god need a mortal by his side?” Your words are sharp, they seem to have cut him deep as his grasp on your wrist loosens before eventually falling back to his sides, his head turning to let out the second scoff of the night.

“No, not at all.”

“Then… I’ll be going. Goodbye sir, good luck on your endeavors of godhood.” You don’t look back at him. For a moment, his soul flinches at the familiar sight. All too similar to the woman who started it all, his mother.

He doesn’t call out to you, only watching the sight of that wretched doctor grabbing hold of your shoulder and leading you out the door. He thinks to himself, the moment he’s ascended, maybe he’ll become great enough to see reverence in your eyes.

Or maybe, something that isn’t reverence, or praise? No… a feeling he’ll forever refuse to hold. For now, he’ll convince himself that all he wants is your submission, not anything more. However, that nagging feeling he wields will always remind him in the back of his head what he really wants from you.

He remembers that dream.

It was warm, something he didn’t think his synthetic body was capable of feeling, yet here he was, resting his head in the warmth of you. His eyes were entirely focused on the look of your face as your fingers combed through his hair.

He couldn’t feel it at all, but somehow, it felt as if your touch transcended his body and reached his soul in the dream. His eyes water before his hand quickly wipes them away without even letting the tears fall.

But he won’t ever feel that. Perhaps, it’s for the best. A god must be above mortals, so he will not grow attached to those who must be beneath him. He will throw you away just like he did to the rest of those sorry humans in his life. He will forget you just like he forgot them.

You will be nothing but a character meant to build his higher being self to greatness. He will feel nothing but godhood in his veins.

Love is only an obstacle meant for distraction.

After he had regained the memories of his past sins, he no longer has a name to call his own, only having the name the traveler bestowed upon him.

His feet walk across the pavement of Sumeru, running errands for the small god of Sumeru. Particularly, it seemed many citizens that day must’ve all collectively agreed to bombard him with annoyances, as they all looked at him too many times and spoke too loudly when he was near. But, they didn’t, he’s just in a bad mood.

From the corner of his eye, he spots the familiar uniforms of the fatui, a woman and a man exchanging whispers while searching the area.

“Where’s [Name]? Surely they know the doctor is asking for them.”

“I don’t know! The last time they were seen—“

The name strikes a chord in him, but he continues walking. He no longer plays any part in that wretched organization, so he won’t pay any more mind to it.

He will keep walking until he can’t anymore—

A quick hand on his arm pulls him to the side, a familiar hue in their eyes alerting him as to who this runaway is. Even with their face covered in shadow from the hood, that voice was all he needed to confirm.

“I’m so sorry sir, but do you have any idea what the quickest way to get to Fontaine would be from here?”

I didn’t make it exactly clear because I didn’t think it was too important for the plot, but in this Reader is an assistant working directly under Dottore a bit against their will but thats okay (no it’s not). Also for the dream bit, I may not have made it clearly, but essentially, Scara is looking through the eyes of wanderer, along with that, he has no idea this is his future, he’s under the impression that his mind is playing tricks on him and showing a “what could’ve been.”

[sh1-n0bu]

can i request something?? can you do modern relationship with scara??

✿ 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖! ✿

characters: modern!scaramouche x nb!reader

warnings: modern au!!!, fluff, crack, my poor attempt at humor, scara has a bad relationship with his moms, written with high school au in mind, scara being bad at feelings, headcannon format, raiden shogun goes as raiden shino since shogun is a title rather than a name and all…

notes: when that one song u used to religiously listen to when u were younger and cringier suddenly comes rushing back in for a fic idea

oh dear gods, where do we even begin with this one?

tsundere to the max and we all know, his moms knows it, you know it, the entire school knows it, even the online friends he plays games with knows it

which explains on how you knew that scaramouche had a crush on you the moment he started showing small signs of it. waaaaayyyy before he even understood his own emotions and feelings and came to terms with it

safe to say, he is super easy to read. like, a motherfuckin open book that’s full of illustrations made for kids. at least, that’s how it feels to you anyways

has a bad relationship with both of his mothers and his older sister but at least he tolerates his older sister better than his mothers, which is a good thing. at least he has someone to turn to when something goes wrong

him, his mom ei and his older sister are carbon copies of each other alongside his aunt. the first time you went over to scara’s place to prepare for an upcoming exam, you almost got whiplash from just how many similar purple people were there

like… low-key concerning with how you easily mistook his mom ei with his aunt or his older sister with his mom ei

safe to say you made a fool out of yourself for the first few meetings with his family

his other mom, miko, is very… eccentric to say the least. teasing, sly, quick-witted, charming and charismatic. you and scara joke around that miko was a fox or a demon in her former life

his older sister, shino, is quite the sweetheart one the other hand. quiet, reserved, socially awkward and friendly if you go over how her normal face looks so emotionless and dead. reminds you of a soldier or a puppet with how shino is so willing to fulfill ei’s wishes or words to the T

his aunt, baal, is an absolute sweetheart. the ultimate sweetheart actually. such a sweet woman she is with her soft words, warm smiles and motherly affections. she offered you a hand-made cookie when you were about to leave simply because you were scara’s friend!

yes, you cried to the amount of kindness and scara made fun of you for it

you would never peg someone as mean, introverted and arrogant as scaramouche to be friends with the popular, soccer kid from school did ya’? well you are wrong because scara and childe are best friends!!! as childe claims

the ginger-head made a bet with scaramouche saying that you two’s friendship won’t last. cue scaramouche and his over competitive ass coming over and latching himself to you to make sure that your friendship would last

AKA childe’s plan to make scaramouche realize his feelings and come to terms with it has officially started!

likes to occasionally play video games such as wuthering waves, minecraft, resident evil, silent hill etc etc. hates first person shooter games cuz it’s so not his style and he hates the annoying boys that he comes across during the game

will never say it nor mention it but sometimes he plays those ‘using not a single part of your brain’ type of games like playing as dentists or doctors. hell, he even likes to play dress up games from time to time. he just loves the aesthetics and the different designs of the clothes, itches that inner aesthetic lover part of him. but he will NEVER mention it or be caught playing it. scaramouche would rather die

something tells me that his music taste would be more leaning into electronic or scene music. odetari, 6arelyhuman, kets4eki — you name it. sometimes, enjoys those gentle and soothing sounding anime openings too

he has sanrio plushies. more specifically, hello kitty ones

had an obsession with the cute white cat growing up and he never grew out of it

the moment he first found out that you like plushies or pink things or sanrio related things, he knew he gotta gift you anonymous sanrio gifts on your birthday or on special occasions. it was his early stages of courting you

was absolutely appalled when he was found out because whaddaYA MEAN HE LIKES SOFT AND THOSE STUPID PLUSHIES AND SANRIO RELATED THINGS?! NUH-UH, YOU MUST’VE SAW A DIFFERENT PURPLE HAIRED, BOWL HAIRCUT HAVING GUY CUZ SCARAMOUCHE WOULD NEVER LIKE THOSE STUPID THINGS!!!

he aint fooling anyone

takes his relationship slow since he has some big trust issues yet also attachment issues. pick a struggle tbh

had a panic attack after he officially, finally, after years of crushing on you, like literally acting like your boyfriend years later when he asked you out on a date because woohoo!! he asked you for a date \(^ヮ^)/\(^ヮ^)/ but also shit, what type of a first date would you like ლಠ益ಠ)ლლಠ益ಠ)ლ

yeah, he had to do something he hated the most. ask his moms and sister for advice

after a lot of talk, discussions, secretly stalking your social profiles or you in general to see what you would like, scaramouche decided to take you out for an arcade date

you two had fun, he was glad you had fun, played bunch of different games together and even managed to win a cute matching plushies and keychains!! kuromi for him and melody for you. he was so glad that you liked it but he won’t say it out loud

walked you home after your first date, to your front door and bid you good night and “hope you had fun tonight, idiot” chu!! on your cheek before making a mad dash back home

the type of boyfriend who would lovingly bully you

“why the fuck are you wearing that? it’s making your stupid face look cuter than normal”

“who in their right mind would choose the green one? yellow looks better on you. no, the soft pastel one, not the bright one you idiot”

“you wanna die? who said i was ever gonna stop loving you after you turn into a roach? i’m gonna keep you in a special glass case until you change back dumbass”

yeah… just say you love them already, scara

your contact name on his phone is literally my idiot٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶

would lovingly call you names as he leaves soft kisses on your face

“you’re a fucking idiot but it’s fine, you’re my idiot”

[shentheauthor]

These are not cringe at all! But uh... headcanons on what would make the Harbingers laugh? 👀

Ty ty lol… I have a habit of thinking x reader requests are cringe even tho I like writing them sometimes

Anyway, harbingers laughing hours!

Pierro:

This man knows no joy, only pain /j

Fr tho, I think he would laugh at the harbingers doing insane shit

On the rare occasion when he isn’t completely done with their shit

One time Pierro snorted at Childe getting a glass of wine thrown at him, and nobody believed him when he tried to tell them

Usually this man is a stone wall of unflinching apathy in the face of humor tho

Capitano:

Hear me out— dirty jokes

This man is a soldier. He may be a very serious person, but he will chuckle at a dirty joke. Any group of people in close quarters will start making horrible dirty jokes

One time he giggled at a cucumber bc it reminded him of something a trainee said when they thought he wasn’t listening

I won’t go further bc this is a sfw blog, but you get the idea

Dottore:

If you’ve read the webtoon, you know this man will literally just giggle spontaneously

At absolutely nothing

He will laugh at other people in pain too

An assistant fell down the stairs, and he just laughed for ten minutes instead of helping

Yes this does include the older dottores

They all have the same sense of humor

He also finds Scaramouche’s insults hilarious

Hehehohoaha man

Columbina:

Honestly she would laugh more at people attempting to tell jokes than the joke itself

She finds it amusing that people find it funny

Like if Dottore is laughing at Childe, she will laugh at Dottore

It’s impossible to get her to do anything more than a soft giggle or a chuckle, tho

Don’t even try, it won’t happen /hj

Arlecchino:

Step 1 to get her to laugh: be Childe

Step 2: get hurt

Step 3: profit

She’s another one who laughs at the pain of others

If she isn’t rolling her eyes

She finds complaining annoying, but she will absolutely laugh when bones break and recruits cry

These people are all horrible people lmfao

Pulcinella:

Finally, someone wholesome

He will laugh at kids getting up to shenanigans

So like, Childe’s siblings putting on a little kid show

He will laugh and clap along

Me inserting my papanella hcs into everything I do lmfao

Basically this man likes kids, so he finds their silly shenanigans funny

Scaramouche:

Another who likes the pain and suffering of others

Especially if the others are yae, Dottore, and ei

His voice line about Kazuha is just him losing it over that man blocking Ei’s sword

He also finds mortals in general amusing

As long as they don’t bother him

He’ll laugh at someone offering him food, like a jackass

Evil little man. Absolutely horrible (affectionate)

Sandrone:

A genuine laugh is hard to get out of her

She’ll chuckle if someone has the balls to touch one of her dolls

And then she’ll kill that person

Very bold of that person to assume she would be ok with that

Basically she laughs at the sheer audacity of people

Signora:

Another one that’s hard to get to laugh

But she will give an amused “hm” if one of her subordinates is confused or upset

Like Childe lmao

She thinks him being angry is hilarious

Also, if venti ever gets hurt, and she finds out, she will cackle

The only time she will ever belly laugh lmao

Pantalone:

Most of his laughter is fake

But the jokes he actually does like are, shockingly, ones with puns

You can’t tell me he doesn’t enjoy wordplay

Also he tends to laugh with other people. You know how some people have contagious laughs? Pantalone catches laughter like it’s a disease

So basically, if someone else is laughing, you bet he’s holding back giggles behind that smile

This is especially bad if it’s someone like Dottore or Tartaglia

He will cry laugh if they’re having a fun time

Also dark humor

Tartaglia:

Dirty jokes, puns, physical comedy

Dark jokes too

He makes REALLY dark jokes, and will laugh at them himself

The kinds of dark jokes that make people suggest you go to therapy

It’s his way of coping

He isn’t actually a sadist, contrary to popular belief, but he sure will laugh at his coworkers in pain

Unless it’s the top 3 harbingers

He prays for the day Signora trips or even bumps into a table so he can lose his absolute mind

He’s also similar to pulcinella, finding kids amusing

He also laughs during battle. It’s kinda terrifying Kskgkbkdkgkelvkkegm

[jasmyluv]

034. Labyrinth

(wc: 1.1k) warning that there is going to be big block paragraphs here!! | not proofread

“What are you doing here?” You asked the person at your front door.

“Heard you’re still sad, hm? Here,” Scaramouche said, giving you a single rose. Huh, it reminds you of Lantern Rite.

“Oh? You know you’re too late right, Scara? It’s not Valentine’s anymore,” you snicker at his timing. Could it not be more wrong?

“Just take it and move on. Can’t I just give you a rose?” He says, rolling his eyes while shoving the rose into your hands while you invite him inside.

“Well, friends don’t really give roses so casually. Anyway, yeah, I’m still a bit upset, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll be fine,” you reassure his already doubting thoughts. But, then again, he was notorious for being stubborn. Your front door closed, putting the rose he gave you on the counter.

“Like you are. Hide under that facade all you want, I’ll just keep breaking it,” damn, he always knew what made you blush.

“Fuck off, Raiden,” truth be told, you are still going to be annoyed by his antics. 

“No,” you sigh. You’ve accepted a long time ago that he’s still the person who was making fun of you because you wore your sweater backwards once when you were in 6th grade.

“So, why are you here?” You ask him. You didn’t ask him to come, nor did he announce anything prior. Now that you think of it, you weren’t even wearing something decent. Just an oversized sweater and shorts. God, damn it.

“You’re upset, right? Talk about it to me, maybe it can help you feel better,” he suggests.

“Really? Alright. Well, my mom still isn’t paying for my tuition, so Childe’s still paying. I’m thankful to have someone like him in my life. And my dad… We’re not really close, but we’re not strangers. He knows stuff about me, he knows what’s happening in my life, and I know what happens in his. I can’t really read him though, it’s like he always has a poker face, like he doesn’t care. Not like I do as well, we don’t talk a whole lot." You describe your relationship with your dad. It was also the first time he's heard anything about you and your dad.

"I think you know the rest, my mom still looks down on me, why I’m not always top one, why I wasn’t the person who got the highest marks, stuff like that. Uh, my studies are good, I think. I still have research to do, you know. Uhm, I don’t really know what to feel about my situation with my parents, but what kind of 18 year old girl would? Haha. It’s not like they did it as a joke, they were always one to be sure of their decisions. And… Uh…” 

“You don’t have to tell me about him if you can’t. I’m just here to see if you’re okay.” It was obvious to him that you were on the verge of tears, he didn’t want to see you cry any longer.

“No, it’s fine. I think it’s going to help me.” You tell him.

“Alright, just tell me if you don’t want to tell me anything else, okay?”

“Okay. Uhm, I guess I was hurt when you left without warning. I was wondering why you were absent in class one day then Ayaka told me you moved to Snezhnaya. She knew you’re important to me, so of course, she told me. I was distracted because of you that I got my first failing grade, heh. I almost didn’t show my parents but a part of me thought they would feel bad for me, especially because they knew we were close." You say as if there was hope they could feel empathy for their daughter.

"But, all I got was lecture after lecture, telling me that no one should be in the way of my studies, of my “dreams”. It wasn’t even my dreams, it was theirs. It was their dream to make me the most perfect daughter in the world, that I’d be a doctor, a surgeon, or a lawyer. They didn’t care what I wanted for my life. They were blinded by the concept of me being what they were; a Judge and the head of some department in the hospital. Like I want to spend my life studying. Can’t I just escape their unrealistic expectations? Their unbelievable dreams they want me to achieve? I can’t take it." You wanted to cry when they made it clear they would stop at nothing to make you the highest achieving person in the world. God, how could they be so ruthless?

"They’ve made it clear that I was going to be someone who would change the world, but I was only six years old. They set their stupid, sky-high thoughts on a girl who barely even started elementary. "Anything less than the best is nothing but filth on the ground." That was their motto, something I could 'live' by. All I've done is survive." Your voice cracks, you wanted to hide from the world, it's fucked up that they made you like this, paranoid, always thinking "what are they going to say?" or " what are they going to do to me?" Your mind was occupied, you didn't see how he was already there beside you, wiping off the stray tears that flowed down your face.

"It's funny too. When we were still kids..., you were the sole person I came to when I had problems or when I had something to tell you, someone I hated because you didn't even tell me goodbye. I didn't want to see or think of you. I didn't want to think about how you weren't by my side anymore, never to be there again. That's what I thought, then you showed up, beside Ajax, on the campus I studied at, in the area we grew up with. I was shocked because you had the fucking audacity to show up after years. I hated you more, but all you did was make me like you all over again. Hah, and I thought I finally moved on.” 

“Sh, It’s alright, [Name]. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I’m sorry that I left so abruptly. Please, stop crying.” He said rubbing your back while hugging you in an attempt to make you calm down. 

“Here, drink water.” He gave you a glass of water from your kitchen counter. 

“Thanks…” You drink the beverage, wiping your eyes. It was embarrassing he had to see you like this, you’re dressed in something indecent and crying in front of him. That’s nice.

“Look, [Name]. I never meant to hurt you the way I did. The decision of moving to Snezhnaya was not mine, it was Ei’s choice, I just followed her because I was still a child. I was opposed to moving there, but I had no other option. I had no time to say goodbye, no time to explain how I wanted to stay here, with you.”

What?

previous :: MASTERLIST :: next

Of All People… - scaramouche x fem!reader smau

SYNOPSIS When you, a student who finds her best friend admits the terrors of high school. A best friend who’ve you’d hated ever since he left. Of all people, why was he the one to make you swoon, a person you swore to hate?

Fun facts!

Felt

[Name]'s dad is like that person who cares nothing more than his work

I hate the transition from the casual talk to serious ugh

It was a purple rose :)

Taglist;

@viridescent-ivy @sakiimeo @ttoshiiroz @lxry-chxn @stopandget-help @r0ttenhearts @h-8chi @thenightsflower @killuixz @linn-a-a @vodkistt @raideneiari @yuyan @layla240 @barbatosfavouritenun @plinkuro @taikabae @beriiov @ghostxrism @rifran @elakari @kairxse @belovedxiao @alwaysmentallyill @mellowknightcolorfarm @xingyunclouds @scooofyaei @nambii @scaraapologist @samyayaya @kunikuzushisbeloved @dee-zbignuts @kaekazuha04 @monochromaticelliot @erosdevil @wisteriarain @kaoyamamegami @dazaiswifenicole @phoenix-eclipses @vivinsoul @vuvulia @r4yyyyy @cinnamontimecrunch @whatamidoing89 @aludicpoet @cindywasneverhere @vvasant @st0pthatsgay @kxr0mi @divinechicha @sketcheeee @wonderful-worlds

Author's note:

I deeply apologize for the big block text huhu :((((

[hutaosgraveyard]

Our little banter

Dottore x Harbinger!GN reader

Warnings: There is an implication but that’s all. Besides that it’s really just fluff.

(I don’t usually write for Dottore so it might be OOC)

Dottore sighed at the loud banging on the laboratory door. “What do you want, Y/N?” He yelled.

You took that as an invitation to enter and make yourself comfortable, much to his dismay. You sat on the empty couch, it felt new, like it had never been used. “Again,” Dottore repeated, annoyance in his voice, “What do you want, Y/N?”

“Can I not just see my dear doctor without needing something?” You asked, smiling.

Dottore ignored your comment and continued his experiment.

“How did you know it was me at the door?” You asked.

“Because no subordinate of mine would knock in such a manner and no other harbinger is willing to come anywhere near this lab,” he replied.

“That’s not true, Scaramouche has been in here a lot,” You reminded him, recalling the numerous times you’d see him coming in and out of the lab.

“Well he isn’t exactly aligned with the harbingers anymore, is he?” Dottore refuted, jotting something down in his journal.

You huffed and got up, walking behind him. “Watcha doing?” You questioned.

“Nothing of your concern, just an experiment to pass the time,” He answered.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck from behind,“So what I’m hearing is, you have free time”.

Dottore’s lips curved into a small smile, “I suppose I do, and just what would you like to do with that time?”

You grabbed his hand and started leading him out the lab, “Let’s go get dinner at that one Inazuman restaurant that just opened near by, I heard it’s pretty good from some skirmishers”.

Dottore nodded, “Do you have your wallet to pay for this excursion?”

You stopped in your tracks, the question making you remember the wallet sitting on your bedside table. “Oh damn, I left it in my bedroom, maybe you can pay this time? You owe me after all,” you smiled awkwardly.

“It’s fine, I have plenty of mora on hand. You can just pay me back later tonight,” he chuckled, his thumb rubbing circles on your hand.

“Already planning things doctor? At least wait until you’ve bought me dinner first,” you grinned, squeezing his hand.

“Apologies, it’s just hard not to when such a beautiful thing is in front of me,” He smirked, kissing your hand.

You cringed as you rolled your eyes, “Just stop”.

He pulled you into his side, interlocking your arms. You smiled and rested your head against his shoulder as you two walked out. “By the way Dottore, why did you act so annoyed when I first came in, yet you happily obliged when I invited you to end your experiment and get dinner?”

“Simple, I love our little banter.”

“And I thought Childe was the one always starting fights.”

“Oh please don’t mention that pest, it will ruin my night.”

You laughed, “Okay I won’t, promise”.

Fin.

———————————————————————————————————

Idk what this is, I’m half asleep writing this.

[heizlut]

What are your favorite and least favorite genshin men?

thanks for asking!! i’ll even try to give some actual reasoning for my choices lol

faves: (this is gonna be a long one lmao)

Heizou- (obviously) the way he flirts is so hot. he’s really such a big tease

Kaeya- that man is PACKING. like is it really necessary to wear pants that tight? (not that i’m complaining tho👀)

Albedo- the ultimate rizzler. the true husbando collector. not even lyney can reach the level of rizz he has

Aether- i go feral over him and his slutty little waist UGH love him. i even mained him up until i pulled wanderer in 3.8 (i think i was also AR48 at the time so aether has spent the most time on my team)

Dottore- look i know this man is a fucking monster but as the saying goes “if evil, why hot?”. i would let him experiment on me fr

Xiao- emo babie. i love him so much, he makes me feel so many things all at once

Scaramouche/Wanderer- look, i have a huge degradation kink so i think this is self explanatory LMFAO if he stepped on me, i would thank him. pretty sure he will be my main all the way to the end of the game tbh

Diluc & Alhaitham- there’s something about a serious, emotionally unavailable man that really gets me going

Kaveh- BABYGORL POOKIE PRINCESS!!! i kin him. i love him. i would do anything to make him happy 🥺

Venti & Itto- they bring out the dom side of me fr i want to ruin them in the best way possible (but if they decide to dom, holy shit, on my knees immediately)

Gorou & Tighnari- they awakened something within me. i read one rut/knot fic and i went feral ever since

Cyno- he falls into the emotionally unavailable and stoic man category. he’s so pretty though and i would definitely unironically laugh at all his jokes, im pretty easy to entertain

Wriothesley- his idle animation where he twirls his handcuffs? oops suddenly i’m a criminal in need of restraining

EDIT: Kazuha: how could i forget my other sweet boi. i cherish him so much

least fav:

Baizhu: idk something about him is off to me. also he coughs a lot and it’s gross lmao also his snake pisses me off hahah i just don’t like her attitude

Neuvillette: i hate to be that person i’m so sorry. yes he’s very pretty and is an amazing character, i just find him to be… kinda boring? idk what i expected. normally he would probably fall into the stoic, emotionally unavailable category but he’s like too stoic and serious in such a way that makes him boring to me

Lyney: i have a love hate relationship with this man. i love how forward he is when he’s flirting and he’s quite nice to look at but again there’s just something about him that i just don’t like. idk i feel like he’s very self absorbed in way.

Dainsleif: another love hate relationship. he’s so mysterious and pretty but the way he barely gives any crumbs when he gets screentime annoys me lol

Pierro: he’s hot i guess but like idk how to explain what i’m trying to say without sounding fucking insane lmfao i guess he just reminds me of an evil santa claus HAHAHA

Childe: realistically he and i would probably get along the best out of any of the guys listed (beside kaveh). we’re very similar in personality but he’s only part of the least fav category because he’s kinda cringey lmao i mean that in an endearing way but also in the way that i want to strangle him (although he would probably be into that lol) also his stupid little jacket makes me mad, why does it look like that. I appreciate the tummy window but i think he would’ve looked way better in some kind of button down with a chest window 🤷🏻‍♀️

[xevrq]

Shut up

Ft. Childe & Scaramouche

Cw: mm yes kissing, probs ooc, the reader can be seen as a harbinger, childe and scara real name. Short on scara part

Reader pronoun: Not mentioned

Summary: Your partner have been talking about a certain topic for what seems like hours, and you couldn't get yourself to finish your work. So what will you do to shut them up?

—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–

Ajax aka Childe

How long has it been? Since this certain ginger haired guy or you could say your own boyfriend rambles about how his days in liyue went, you would love to hear him rambles about his liyue days but.... the problem is you couldn't get yourself to finish your work. Especially your report card.

And the way he keeps repeating the name Zhongli for some reason. "And then i met this guy named zhongli-" "he never brings his wallet nor checks the price tags when i was buying him stuff!" "And then Turns out he's the rex lapis himself?!".

You kinda wanna laugh at his statement until you looked at your report card with a written Zhongli in the end of a sentence, it seems that you accidentally written his name eh?

sighing up, you tried to cover the mistake you did only for the ink to end up smudged.

From afar, you could see your boyfriend figure who is still rambling about how his days went in liyue while leaning his back on the wooden door frame. You were thinking about a way to get this ginger headed boy to shut up so you could do your work peacefully, until a certain idea flew over your head.

"Hey ajax" you called him, no response. "Hey!" This time a bit louder, still no response. "CHILDE HELLO??" you finally yelled. And he snapped out of his thought "AH.. uhm sorry, what is it?" He turned his gaze at you, he could see that your expression were somehow pissed.

"could you come here for a second? I need your help with something" you said organizing the stack of paperwork.

"What do you need my help with hm?" He smirked while walking toward your working desk.

"This" you stated showing him some paper with a rather small writing, "and bend down you can't see it"

"Whose papers is this? The handwriting is rather small reminds me of— Oomph!" Just before he could finish his own sentence you pulled his shirt collar for a rather harsh and deep kiss. Too bad, It lasted only for a few moment before you pulled away gasping for air.

"And that will shut you up." Returning your gaze to the report card and paperwork again. leaving your boyfriend standing there looking at you. dumbfounded.

—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–

Kunikuzushi aka Scaramouche

Scaramouche or kunikuzushi himself is rather hard to fluster, but.. today is a bit different he seems rather pissed. Just without asking you could already know what he's up to.

From your desk you could already see his sour expression, how he's grumbling about how his subordinate was being annoying or uncooperative, And then to how his days went.

You, yourself was stuck in an endless paperwork and a report card to fill.

You would've want to shut him up but... its scaramouche, you know how it'll end up right? So you tries to think if there's any way to shut this gremlin mouth up.

"And then this one agent tries to issue his own order, such a nuisance"...."and tartaglia, that ginger. He keeps annoying me about my big hat!" and so on and so on.

Giving up on your paperwork, you stand up and walked toward the sofa your boyfriend was sitting in.

"What?" He said, "nothing.. im just, tired. Need a rest right now" before sitting down on the sofa.

"Wanna know an efficient way to shut someone up?"..."what?" He turned his gaze at you

"You do this" you abruptly grabbed (softly) him by the chin and pulled him for a kiss. Too bad due to your tired body and mind you can only give him a soft tender kiss. It lasted for a few second before you pull your face away from him.

"Now if you'll excuse me, im going to rest" plopping yourself comfortably on your boyfriend lap. "Stay... here.. okay?" Before drifting into an slumber.

You failed to notice his flustered face and the little smile on his face. Guess his day got better then?

—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–

Finally finished, sorry if its short lmao. Anw wish me luck, gonna have my math exam soon<3

[ranalatus]

Sin And Snow

In which you are the Tsaritsa's favorite, and the entirety of Snezhnaya is a movie directed by you.

spoilers - Genshin Impact Webtoon (??)

genre: gore, yandere-ish

characters: fatui harbingers (childe, scaramouche, signora, dottore), tsaritsa, gender-neutral fatui!reader

warnings: mentions of inhumane experiments, gore, blood, manipulation, reader's kinda f-ed up, (if i missed anything please let me know!)

notes: this is an excuse to write Harbinger shenanigans (look they're just in a silly goofy mood okay)

You give a knowing smile to your right, acknowledging the concerningly pale face of your servant

“Melody, fix your face. It would be a shame if your young beauty got permanently ruined because of something so childish.”

The rookie servant, bless her soul, takes a few big gasps, hands covering her mouth from puking up all of the contents in her stomach

A disgustingly loud gulp and she barely manages to stutter. “I.. I shall do as you say, my.. liege.”

You gesture for her to leave, and watch with mild amusement as she stumbles over her own feet, evidently not used to the activities in the Zapolyarny Palace

On the silver platter in front of you lays ten fingers, and if you had two spare palms you'd be able to form two hands. Though it's foolishly obvious that they all came from different people. In the middle of the circle of fingers, lay a dead arctic fox. Blood covering most of it's white fur, blood dripping out of it's eye sockets. Perhaps he gouged them out for Dottore in exchange for goods? You wouldn't know

Nonetheless, an amused chuckle escapes you as you call over your trusted servants. One whom you trusted for her loyalty, and the other whom you trusted for their clear obsession with this game you were playing with the Harbingers

“Vera, fetch my actual dinner from the kitchen. Alouise, hunt something down in return for the pleasant gift Tartaglia offered to me.”

The two bow, murmuring the words “as you wish, my liege” with contrasting tones, before you're left alone with the harsh biting cold of the room

You hum in contemplation before a Cheshire grin makes its way on your face

“Shall I pay my lovely Tsaritsa a visit?”

. . .

The next day, you laugh innerly at the concealed rage of the Harbingers

You sat in the Tsaritsa's lap burried with fluffy fur coats, playing with the strands of her white hair as if they were nothing but yarn. Her cold hand, even with the thickest of gloves, gently caresses your back, sending shivers up your spine with each touch

Oh at times like this you felt like the whole of Snezhnaya is wrapped around your finger, what with most of it's people and the Tsaritsa herself adoring your presence

You smile knowing that even though Childe felt the the overwhelming urge to watch you bleed, to paint your room with the blood he'd come to crave, to want with an extremely unhealthy desire, he couldn't even prick your finger himself. You had his weakness in your hands, playing him like a fiddle. Your visit to his hometown was a success to your plans, you'd gotten his family's trust and admiration even easier than you expected. And it absolutely enraged him

You laugh knowing how annoyed Scaramouche is. That despite not even knowing his true nature, you still had the power to discourage people's fear of him, to turn him into nothing but a jester, a laughing stock by his very own goddamn subordinates

You hold the strings of the Tsaritsa's favor to Signora, constantly reminding her how easy it would be to throw her into the fire at a single cry of “witch!” the second she disobeys you. The second she forgets who gave her the confidence and reassurance needed to provide the gnoses to the Tsaritsa

You can easily wipe out Dottore's power and influence over Mondstadt with just a snap of your fingers. All his inhumane experiments and ungodly ideals being used against him, not in an act of heroic-ness, oh definitely not. You just absolutely adore how uncomfortable he is under your gaze, knowing the debt Mondstadt has for the Fatui, for Dottore, could easily be handed over to you and you alone. You delight in knowing that the only reason you haven't done it yet is because of the fact that he's obeying you oh so well these days

Really, playing with these Harbingers are way too easy. You bit your lip to stiffle a giggle, melting further into Her Highness' embrace, purposefully toying with the gem necklace you made her, the one sitting on her collarbone everyday

You remind every single one of these fools everyday about who's truly in power here

And you watch with bliss as their eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when in front of them they see various body parts of the people who they thought worked for the palace. Spies

The Tsaritsa praises you for your sharpness, gentle, cold hands cupping your face with nothing but love. Something everyone thought she'd run out of

Something reserved only for you

Yes, you gleefully enjoy the half enraged, half obsessed looks the people in the hall gave you as once again, you pull the strings of the play known as Snezhnaya in your very hands

— i miss Signora :(

[primofate]

The Ruthless Prince (Part 5) Scaramouche x fem!reader [Genshin Royal AU]

Personal favourite line in this work: When Prince Tartaglia entered, it was as if the whole room was his. As if he commanded the gazes of everyone and drew their eyes to him, and only him.

Summary: When Prince Scaramouche picks you out of a random group of commoners to marry, your life is turned upside down. He’s mean, snarky, condescending and he doesn’t act like a proper husband or prince at all. However, when Prince Tartaglia from the neighbouring kingdom takes an interest in you, Prince Scaramouche finds himself even more annoyed than usual. This is the story of him and you navigating this roller coaster of a relationship.

Warnings: slow burn, does not exactly follow the genshin lore, AU 

Word Count: 2442 words

Summary and a recap on the Royal AU plots are here.

Read other parts: (Ruthless Prince Masterlist)

Refusal. A quick and swift “No,” came off of his lips. Just like every other time you had invited him to do something simple. 

However, something strange happened in the next few days. You never brewed the tea for breakfast again, and it’s as if Scramouche’s tongue started to have a mind of its own. It remembered the sweet and vanilla-esque scent of your tea, remembered that it wasn’t overpowering nor hard on the tongue. It was smooth, and had a strange hint of sweetness that worked with the richness of black tea. 

He wasn’t good with ingredients, and so he couldn’t point out what exactly it was that got him to like it so much, but he knew that it reminded him of a time long, long ago when he was a child. When his mother used to bake lavender melon pies. No one could ever mimic the same way his mother made it. It was one of a kind.

Until the tea you made.

By the next week, he was itching to have a taste again. He waited days, thinking that you would just forget about your own invitation and absentmindedly brew it again for breakfast. 

But every morning all he got was the standard green tea that had no excitement in it whatsoever. The prince wasn’t even a big fan of tea, he was far from crazy about it and certainly something that he could live without. Which is why it had annoyed him more and more as the days passed by, the way that he would sit at breakfast and hope that it was that sweet aromatic tea. 

By the second week, while sitting in his study, one of the maids brought in tea again. Green. Boring and over exhausted. He sighed while looking at the papers he had on hand, the clock ticking by seemed to be louder now. Finally, he convinced himself that it was no big deal to walk into your art room and demand a cup of tea. Yes. That’s right. He was going to DEMAND it. Why did he have to hold back so much when he could clearly get everything he wanted? He was the prince. What was he holding back for?

When the doors to the studio slammed open you definitely yelped and jumped, the charcoal you were using for a sketch breaking off and creating a strange messy line on the paper you were using. Scaramouche didn’t say hi, didn’t say good afternoon, didn’t say anything except “Get me some of that tea,” while welcoming himself in and sitting on the armchair across from the artsy side of the room. 

You hid your grin, but wiped your hands on the towel you had. “Alright, I’ll be back,” and scurried away from the room to get some hot water. With Scaramouche, you learned not to question the things he did, otherwise, he’d get pissed about it. 

He was rather tense, sitting there, and the silence was a little uncomfortable. He relaxed only when you went out and managed to let himself look around the room. It was certainly different from when he first saw it. It was…cozier, livelier. More colourful. The art side of the room was messy, papers strewn on the table, some paint, charcoal. It was distasteful, but strangely familiar. 

And the smell… he couldn’t tell which was more overpowering, the oil pastel or the various tea leaves in containers. He unfolded his arms and let himself lean back. Perhaps…it wasn’t too bad. It was quiet here, in a different way that it was in his office. Like there was another presence aside from him. 

He shot up straight when the door clicked open again, along with the slight rattle of a tea set against a tray. Scaramouche’s eyes dart towards you, who was in a messy apron scrawled with different colours and smudges of paint. It’s extremely un-princesslike and they way you’re trying to balance the tray of biscuits and tea is painful to watch.

“...The maids can handle that, why don’t you let them do it?” His voice is level, not condescending, just genuinely confused.

“Hm? Well, I can handle it too,” You reply and place the tray on the coffee table in front of him with a loud clack. 

“Barely…” He whispers under his breath, same glare on his face. He surveys the collection you gave him. A small plate of sweets, and the familiar tea that he’d been looking for. It certainly smelled the same. 

“Enjoy,” You simply say with a smile and walk off to continue your drawing. Scaramouche looks at your retreating back curiously. There were no questions from you, no teasing remark that he finally caved, no smug grin that you got him to come. So…he said nothing as well, and merely savoured the set you prepared for him. 

As he expected. It was homely. Nothing like the boring green tea he was always served. The tea tasted like dessert, but not overly sweet. It was easy to keep drinking. For a moment he only looked down at the cup, at the brown, earthy coloured drink. It was so simple and he wondered if contentment was always this easy. 

The next time you picked your head up from your charcoal sketch, his footsteps echoed on the carpeted floor and he disappeared out the door. Not even a thank you, yet strangely, you felt as if the plate being empty and the teapot being nearly dry was thanks enough. 

Suddenly it became a routine. He came on Fridays. In between the various social gatherings, balls, meetings and tea parties with the ladies, your Fridays were taken up by you brewing the tea for him, leaving it on the table, and him coming in silently while you were engrossed in your art, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. 

There were rarely any words spoken, but that seemed to change the more he visited.

“You’re late today,” you say one afternoon as your eyes glance up, then back down to your paper. He scoffs, as if offended that you had the gall to say he was late. It’s not like it was an appointment or anything, and yet he finds his tongue unusually loose. “There was some trouble with the papers,” he sighed out, and fell back on the same armchair, almost sinking into it when he saw that you’d prepared the tea for him without fail. 

How many weeks had it been now? Five? Six? 

“Mm,” you waited for him to elaborate, fingers still working on your sketch. He didn’t say another word though, and you were subtly disappointed that the conversation only lasted a second. 

“...Look!” You decided to show him the piece you’ve been working on. Your fingers curling around the paper and stretching the entirety of it out for him to see.

You observe his poker-face turn towards you and his eyes start to scan the paper. “...What is that supposed to be?” he asked flatly and your jaw drops. 

“Excuse me? I worked hard on this!” He’s unbothered by your outburst, sipping his tea nonchalantly in all his princely glory and attire. “...So? I still don’t know what it is,” 

You rolled your eyes and let out a huff, letting the paper settle on the table again and pointing at a nearby vase of purple rhododendrons. He glances at it and a hint of understanding crosses his face, 

“Hmph,” he simply says, then turns his head back to his plate of biscuits. “Your sketch is black and white, it would help to have a bit more colour,” he adds and you’re astonished because that had probably been the longest non-angry sentence he had directed towards you. 

You blink once, and recover quite quickly. “I’m not good with colours yet…” that ended the conversation. You had nothing else to talk about and he had nothing else to add, or so you thought. The silence that settled over the two of you lasted a few minutes.

“...The ball on the coming Tuesday will have a lot of nobles…” Scaramouche mutters, almost to himself, but you hear him and you let out a sound of curiosity. 

“...Isn’t there always…?” you answer without thinking. Your focus back on your piece and less on his words. 

He’s silent for a moment. You don’t hear the clink of his cup as he sets it back on the saucer, nor do you look up to see the unusually disturbed shadow over his face. “...These ones are…from out of the Kingdom…Visitors.”

“Hmm…” you rustle around for more paper before continuing. “So there’ll be other princes there, you mean? Other than you,” In every ball and gathering you’ve attended, Scaramouche was most revered–or feared. He was of the highest position in the large ballroom, and so to you, it was rather interesting to think of a party where Scaramouche would not be the most powerful. 

He still held himself with the same, arrogant aura that he had. Still refused to converse with people. But there was a tenseness in him that you sensed. Having attended so many social events with him, you knew what Scaramouche was when he was relaxed. When he didn’t care. When all he was waiting for was to go home.

This wasn’t it. He had hardly drank anything all night. Hardly uncrossed his arms. His eyes ever so slightly and once in a while glancing over at the big doors. He wasn’t waiting to go home. He was waiting for someone to enter.

“--isn’t that right, prince?” you turned to him with a smile. It was a common tactic for the two of you, for you to turn around and ask his opinion and he would glance at you, say a simple “Yes,” –it was easier to agree than to disagree–and then he’d effectively kill the conversation, giving you the opportunity to cleanly cut the conversation off there and move on to the next person who might approach.

None of that at today’s ball. 

He didn’t look at you, possibly missing your line and inattentively staring ahead. You blinked at him, and decided to politely excuse the two of you from the noble lady you’d been chatting with. “Excuse me, good ma’am, he’s possibly a little hungry from all this talking,” you curtsied briefly and hooked your hand behind his elbow to give him a light push towards another table full of drinks. 

That caught his attention and he comes back to present day, head snapping towards you at the unexpected contact but lets himself be guided towards the next table, away from the lady.

There, you grab two flute glasses filled with a sparkling blue drink, you hand one to him and look up into his eyes. “What’s got you so spaced out today?” You ask in a hushed voice. 

Your tone reminds him of a gentle breeze. The way the wind would gently carry leaves off the ground for a split-second, and then let them settle peacefully ont eh ground again. It’s like a nudge, but out of worry, and not to draw his attention.

Scaramouche can’t help but look back into your eyes as you ask the question. You wouldn’t understand, he thought. Maybe you thought that you knew everything there was to know now, about the noble life. About the aristocrats and the way life was lived in this part of the hierarchy. 

But there were so many things you didn’t know, and in the pits of his stomach, he can’t place a finger on what emotion that stirs in him. 

The feeling that he didn’t want you to know. You didn’t have to know too much.

So, he gains his bearings back and takes the glass you offered, raising an eyebrow as if nothing had happened. “I don’t know what you mean,” and sips on it, stance a little more relaxed. Your face breaks into a small grin, “Oh, come on, you’ve hardly drank anything up until I shoved this glass to your face. I daresay I’m the better noble tonight,” 

Your expression. The way you tilt your chin up slightly higher to show how “superior” you were to him. The way a smug smile paints your face. It’s nothing like the tears you secretly shed that night and he at once gets the sense that you’re trying to cheer him up, to put him at ease, despite possibly wanting to leave just as badly as him. 

And that hits him all too suddenly. 

You, who knew nothing of this world, was trying to convince him, who was born in this world and oh-so familiar with it, that everything was alright. The irony was strong, and though he doesn’t realize it, a seed of guilt starts to form in his heart. He hadn’t done the same for you, he hadn’t offered you any sympathy and he’s uncomfortable with the fact that you’re offering yours. He’s not used to it, and it’s much too strange for him. 

You were being nice, but Scaramouche wasn’t familiar with the word nor the sentiment. It’s peculiar, because it’s an odd and abnormal feeling that starts to inch its way towards him. It’s the type of sensation that has the corners of his mouth itching to tilt upwards and he masks it with a conceited scoff and an unsmiling gaze. But his words don’t quite match his actions. “Perhaps you are the better noble tonight,” 

You straighten up when you realize he’d just given you an offhanded compliment. He doesn’t catch your expression, for in the next second, the presence of another person is announced. 

They don’t do that unless the person is of importance, and aside from Scaramouche and you entering, you’d never heard it before. 

And so, excited and curious as to who it was, your eyes turn away from him and watch the large double doors open. Scaramouche’s expression drops, a complete contrast to your excitement. 

“His Royal Highness Prince Tartaglia. Prince of the Kingdom of Snezhnaya!” 

People clap all around you, and you join in out of courtesy. You had no expectations whatsoever of this prince. After all, there’s no possible way that this one was a character more high and mighty than Scaramouche. All you expected was a timid prince, who would probably bow down to Scaramouche as the others did. 

How wrong you were. 

When Prince Tartaglia entered, it was as if the whole room was his. As if he commanded the gazes of everyone and drew their eyes to him, and only him. His attire was of more neutral, unassuming colours. Grey, with touches and hints of red. But the neutrality of those colours did nothing to hide his confident gait and sparkling smile. He waved at the audience as he passed, his feet had no doubt at all as to where it was going.

He was rather remarkable, if you could say so yourself. Almost blinding, like opening your eyes to a ray of sunlight. 

You hadn’t even been able to process the whole thing when Prince Tartaglia was suddenly in front of you and Scaramouche, his friendly smile directed at the pair of you.

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[sparkling-moonbeam]

💜Scaramouche x Reader💜

A/N: This is an idea that suddenly popped out of my mind so I decided to write it. The reader is gender-neutral and this is a fluff. Enjoy reading and have a nice day!

Oh and there are some curse words cause it's Scara.

💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜🔮💜

Being a harbinger is something you can’t be fully proud of. At least, that’s how you feel upon staring at the badge the Tsaritsa gave you. But you don’t really have a choice, you can’t just pass an opportunity of making your life a bit easier. Even if you try to deny the offer, your head would be a target for the Fatui. Surviving in the cold weather of Snezhnaya is already a pain in the back, you don’t want to make it worse.

Your job as a harbinger is really simple. You seldom cut someone’s throat as you’re more often assigned in “gathering information from the inside” type of missions. When it comes to highly secured territories, you’re the one to take the lead. You don’t need assistance or anything as you mostly take the act you also planned and set it in motion. Maybe it’s from the experience of once working in front of many people, wearing a mask to suit everyone’s taste, pursuing them to trust you.

As the Tsaritsa told you, you’re competent. A people pleaser like you can read people so easily that one look can immediately give you an inference on the personality you will need to portray on your target. When it comes to finishing someone, you do it quickly. As soon as you got their trust, it was also the time to sing them a lullaby to their own doom.

A sigh escaped your lips, being a harbinger sets you in the boundary of everything. It always felt like you’re in between of opposing arguments. It’s thrilling but also confusing, maybe it’s just your morals kicking you in the guts but it’s too late for that. The moment you bow down in front of the Tsaritsa’s throne, it was all gone.

“I never knew a deaf could be a harbinger.”

Your eyes shifted from your badge to the source of the voice. The sixth harbinger, casually hanging out in your office’s couch. He must have entered your office while you’re busy paying attention on your thoughts.

“Do you have any idea how many times I knocked on your door? I would’ve thought you’ve been killed in your office if I didn’t know you any better,” he continued.

“I’m thinking about important stuff, I didn’t notice.”

He scoffed. “You didn’t even bother to apologize, how rude.”

You blinked at him, staring to his eyes. Scaramouche, or also known as Balladeer has been the one to always barge into your office like it was his own for the first months. The first time you met him was just like this, except the fact that you’re working on paper documents that time and he didn’t knocked, he just barged in. You remember how he didn’t ask your name and where you from, just straight up gave the file the Tsaritsa wanted to give to you, informing you with a bunch of small insults here and there before leaving and slamming the door.

Your first thought was maybe he didn’t like you or your impression, not that it matters anyway. Until you found out that he also does that to other harbingers, especially when he’s having too much to work with in his plate.

“You know, no matter how long you looked at that badge, it won’t disappear.”

You look at the balladeer with his statement. He stood up, slowly walking towards your table as he crossed his arms. “I’ve been wanting to ask you this since it’s disturbing my thoughts, are you really…chickening out? After being here for so long, that’s quite disappointing.”

You let out a scoff at his question, your eyes narrowing at his glinted eyes. You know how Scaramouche is, the way he works with his words to initiate tension. You won’t fall for it but still you wanted to admit how well he can cause tension and get away from it.

“You’re asking…me? What happened to your ‘good intuition’, the sixth harbinger?” You retorted, raising an eyebrow.

He chuckled. “That’s more like you. I just hate how you always look at your stupid badge every time I see you, it irks me.”

“That’s more like your problem, not mine.”

“I hate it still, so I will need an explanation.”

“Wow, is this manipulation 101?”

“Y/n.” He sternly called your name, his eyes softening a bit. “I wanted to know if something is bugging your mind, I’ll help if I can.”

You remained silent as a sigh escaped your lips. You reached for the file you’re supposed to read a while ago if only you didn’t space out. “It was nine days ago..”

He hummed urging you to continue. He sat down on the chair opposite to yours, waiting for your next words.

“When I learned something about a certain topic, it’s…quite bizarre.”

You looked at him seriously, his indigo orbs meeting yours. You can see how his trying to listen…how his patience is slowly thinning out on your slow words and his own pretention.

A smile formed your lips. “Gaslighting. Oh, what a bizarre topic and thing to do, right Scaramouche?”

You dramatically placed your hand on your chest as you gave him a look of pity. He clicked his tongue before standing up, fixing his hat in the process.

“Fuck you and your stupid badge.”

You laughed. His visible frustration is entertaining, especially when he cussed. Something about his cussing words just hits deeply, you can’t help but laugh.

“I waste my time for this stupid shit. I should’ve known.”

As he took a step away from table, you quickly stood up, reaching for his hand to stop him. He looked back at you with an annoyed expression. He was about to slap your hands off him but he stopped as soon as he heard you talk.

“Wait, alright. I’m sorry. I mean, I’m not half wrong but..I get the glimpse of what you’re trying to do. Just sit down. I promise, no more jokes.”

It took a couple of seconds before he spoke up. “No more fucking jokes.”

You nodded. He let out a sigh before he propped down on the chair again. You sat again too as you compose yourself.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

You bit the insides from your cheek to prevent yourself from chuckling. That’s more like him, you thought.

“This badge isn’t mine, dumbass.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is it from an agent? A traitor perhaps? Just say the word and I’ll finish them off-”

“No need for violence, it was from a harbinger.”

His eyes widened a bit. “Did you…killed a harbinger? Y/n, that’s not how you raise your rank. You’re a trai-”

“I didn’t kill someone, why are you insisting that?”

He shrugged, leaning on the chair as he hums. He must have been playing with you as a revenge from earlier. What a child.

“It’s from a harbinger that’s been bugging me. Not in a bad way,” you cleared out before he can even decide to say a violent statement again.

“Bugging you but not in a bad way? What the heck is that supposed to mean?”

You mentally facepalmed, of course he wouldn’t know. He probably never felt that way for someone too. Now, you’re rethinking your decisions on telling him. Time for a more direct approach.

“I think I like someone.”

Silence.

You were replied by silence for almost a minute before a chuckled erupted from him. You shook your head as you listen to his laugh.

“You like someone? And you stole their badge because you like them? What a creepy move, are you a stalker?”

You rolled your eyes before you stand up, holding the file on your arms. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ll need to submit this file before dinner time, bye.”

As you held the doorknob, you can still hear his laughter from your back. Maybe, you’ll tell him some other time but, you promised yourself. You even practice on the mirror on what to say, it’s ridiculous. Your eyes landed on the badge. Every time you look at it, it reminds you of the glint in his eyes then you’ll see your reflection, making you ask yourself on how did you get yourself into this.

“Hey, Scara.”

You turned around, his laughed slowly stopped as he looked at you.

“Remember the camp last month?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you asking me about such a horrible day.”

“Childe accidentally took your badge then replace it since you were pretty mad that day. It won’t be a good result if you’ve known he touched some of your belongings.”

He blinked. “And you didn’t tell me? That rascal, good thing he know what will happen.”

“I actually found it so here you go.”

You hummed, taking a last look on the badge before you throw it to him. He easily caught it with one hand, staring at it for a second. You saw how his eyes widen a bit before glancing at you again.

“This badge…is mine and what you said about it earlier…”

Your throat felt dry the moment you meet each other eyes. You tried to smile, forcing yourself to formulate some words your mind came up with.

“You’re making me feel complicated things, it’s unfitting for a harbinger.”

[versadies]

general + lantern rite with scaramouche hc (gn!reader, 400 follows special)

penpal: it’s finally here!!! thank you guys sm for the follows and the support. i enjoy writing hcs and i’m happy that a lot of you like it! a few of you also requested me for a scaramouche general hc so hope this lives up to your expectations. happy readings! - ver.

warning/s: ooc!scaramouche

sypnosis: what it’s like to date scaramouche + hang out with him in lantern rite festival

note: i was actually supposed to make this toxic given that scaramouche is... scaramouche but my heart can’t take it so i decided to just go wild on this one.

-> i salute to you for dating this man.

-> scaramouche is scary and is probably not even the type to be interested in having romantic relationships. the fact that he fell in love with you though is shocking to the fatui if they even find out about it. hell, even the man himself is surprised.

-> he’s going to be not so affectionate at first (just subtle affection here and there but no kisses or long cuddling) since he’s not an affectionate type of guy but as time goes by, he’ll eventually start to give you lots of affection.

-> pda is a no for scaramouche. the two of you have to agree in keeping this relationship a secret due to not only the danger you could be in but also the fact that he doesn’t want anyone to know about your relationship with him.

-> don’t get him wrong— it’s not that he’s ashamed of dating you. he knows that almost everyone in teyvat hates the fatui, so the fact that the potential harassment given to you from others is a possibility, he doesn’t want you to be in that situation.

-> the way he acts around you is unpredictable. i think he’d be both cold yet affectionate if that’s even possible. don’t worry, his mean demeanor is different to you than how he acts around everyone else— it’s less harsh and harmless, to which you understand that he’s not serious. feel free to bicker back at him, he won’t kill you.

-> your family would’ve thought he forced you into this if they found out of your relationship with the man. it will take you a lot of reassurance to them that you weren’t forced and the fact that you love him as much as he to you.

-> dates with him are to be private. i’d think he’d pull on a reservation on a restaurant and make sure that everyone around you knows that this date is “private affairs on your debt” (even though you never had a debt in the first place). even if these “private affairs” happens a bit too often than normal, people would be too scared to even confront scaramouche.

-> i honestly see this guy as a classy man. he’ll pull classy dinners, walking around the city hand-in-hand at 3am when everyone is asleep, go somewhere private outside + get a picnic date + star-gazing, etc.

-> i can already imagine this man telling you all of his theories on the skies and on teyvat during your picnic-stargazing dates while you listen and eat an inazuma dish. (his line about the sky being fake really do be sus to me to this day 👀👀👀)

-> during dates where you two aren’t living together yet and when scaramouche always has to escort you to your dates, he’ll definitely not hesitate to throw a pebble against your bedroom window if you’re not going to answer the door after countless of pounding against it. he’ll throw every pebble he can get from the ground until it either breaks or you finally answered lol

-> like childe, scaramouche is hella busy. unless you’re in either snezhnaya or inazuma— then you two can be able to spend time. however if you live in other nations that isn’t one of the two, you’d have to get used to a long distance relationship. however if you’re not the kind to like a long distance relationship, then sorry to break it to you, that relationship might not work unless you and scaramouche are able to find a way.

-> breaks for him are rare, he’s a hardworking man and wants to live up to the tsaritsa’s expectations (even if he dislikes the archon). when he does go home to you, he makes sure that he’ll spend time with you every single moment and that they’re all precious memories.

-> he is lowkey caring but he will deny it will all of his life if you even mention it. oh you fell asleep on the couch while waiting for him to go home? wow would you look at that, the wind is so kind for putting a blanket over you and he somehow wasn’t there! oh my gosh you’re getting a cold and is coughing a lot? la signora is so nice for making some people from the fatui to offer medicine and it’s def not him, who has the upper hand in ordering them to do it!

-> don’t get me started on him spoiling you. he always writes letters to you and every letter he sent always has a small gift or a package sent with a scared-looking fatui member who just wants to go home. the gifts are either souvenirs from his travels or something that reminds him of you. either way, it’s always what you like.

-> you can’t convince me that not all of his letters are 60% him complaining about how his subordinates have some audacity to give him headaches and how he just wants to lowkey go home to you because of it (in reality, the both of you know he just misses you).

-> ik a lot of scaramouche simps really wanna try his hat out and i can already imagine you finding ways to get your hands on his hat without him noticing or not wearing it. if you somehow managed to get the prize, he’ll def try to get it from you and won’t hesitate to throw (harmless) threats until you finally give in and give it to him.

-> fighting with scaramouche is kind of rare given that he’s mostly away but when it does happen, it’s related to him being too harsh or his sudden announcement that he has to leave. your arguments never includes long distance relationship since it’s something you and scaramouche expected and are ready for. of course, scaramouche will treat it as if you’re the one making a big deal out of it— which is something that angers you and a disadvantage of dating him.

-> during those arguments, the way he acts depends on how serious it is. by the time you leave the room to get some space, he’ll give you all the space you need— though he couldn’t help but not ignore the harsh pangs he’s feeling from his chest.

-> scaramouche will def be the first to apologize because he feels guilty (the feeling of not being satisfied is strong whenever you leave and he hates it) and doesn’t want you to be mad anymore. unless the fight is truly your fault, he’ll wait till you apologize.

-> his favorite moments are always when he’s allowed to take you with him to his travels for a mission. he won’t admit, he’s very looking forward to show you around places privately and his ego will rise if you praise him for his intelligence on the land. though, those who try to interrupt his private moments with you just to tell scaramouche about something related to the fatui— they’ll face an even harsher treatment than normal.

-> nights with scaramouche are quiet. the moment scaramouche lays down on the bed and closes his eyes for a moment, he’s asleep. can’t blame him, he’s always exhausted from the fatui so he needs it. however, he does make sure you yourself get some sleep as well. he’ll make sure that you’re always beside him before he sleeps.

-> mornings with him are short. he’ll wake up first and immediately get ready for work while you’re on your bed still sleeping. scaramouche won’t be able to eat breakfast in your home and always buy food on his way there since he doesn’t have time to wait (and partially doesn’t wanna make you wake up just to cook for him). he makes sure to kiss your forehead and leave.

-> don’t ever bring up about his goodbye kisses, he will straight up take that secret to his grave. the moment you mention it, he’ll act like you killed someone. “me? kissing you on the forehead? are you sure you’re not dreaming at that time?” he would say while hiding his light reddened cheeks with his hat.

-> if you’re the type to wake up very early though, he’d definitely try to wake up at the same time as you and run with you in the morning if you do. though if you’re not the type to do morning runs, you’ll either cook for his lunch or get ready for work as well. he won’t admit it... but he likes your cooking. expect yourself to be the one to ask for a goodbye kiss cuz man’s going to act like he doesn’t want to do it.

-> as for fatui when you date scaramouche... they’ll probably find out fast. if you don’t work for the fatui, scaramouche will make sure you will never be involved with them. he knows how the fatui can be and will be mad if he finds out you came across to one of the harbingers.

-> overall, dating him is just wild.

-> scaramouche has to admit, liyue has outdone themselves on this one.

-> the two of you decided to attend the festival as your one year anniversary date and you did not regret trying to convince your man to come with you to liyue for the festival 24/7 ever since you heard childe talking about it to you.

-> while you were taking your sweet time by admiring the decorations around the harbor, scaramouche makes sure no one is following or planning to bother you two at the moment. thank goodness he didn’t have to worry about the millelith, given that they act like they don’t know him at all.

-> he makes sure that you’re having a great time. he’ll let you go buy whatever you want if you wish, it’s his gift i suppose. i’d think he’ll get way too competitive on theater mechanicus and will expect you to praise him whenever he wins.

-> scaramouche will take you to the most fanciest restaurant of the harbor, but if you want to go for another option— he’ll reluctantly accept that and let you buy food for the both of you. given that he mostly resides in inazuma, he’s definitely a skilled chopsticks user (unlike childe).

-> when it comes to making lanterns, it will take scaramouche to try and make a few lanterns before he finally does it right. he’ll gladly help you out if you still couldn’t get a hang of it (he’ll teach you in an “annoyed” way, but he means well).

-> i feel like he’ll take you somewhere not so crowded. man’s probably gonna make sure the whole pearl galley is just the two of you (and the staff) with the help of his mora and let you watch the lanterns from there. however should you not want to ruin someone’s night and force scaramouche somewhere that does not require any mora and is not crowded, then he’s fine with that too.

-> i think he’ll lowkey be interested in the stories presented by the storytellers around the harbor. he’s not invested but just earned enough of his attention to actually listen.

-> by the time the mingxiao lantern is about to be released, you two immediately head to your designated area and started writing your wishes.

-> his wish will probably be something related to successfulness.

-> when the lanterns are released with the mingxiao lantern, the two of you’d just watch in silence. you’d be pretty speechless from the beautiful scenery while scaramouche just watches in slight amusement.

-> the moment scaramouche glances at you, he’ll be surprised by you immediately hugging him and thanking him for taking you to the festival when you have the chance. man’s probably going to try and deny your hug for a moment until giving in and hug you back.

-> he might consider thanking childe when he comes back to snezhnaya.

[glazelilyy]

CONGRATS ON 1000!!!! as a fellow kaeya and scara simp i am so happy to be able to celebrate this milestone w you!! 🙈💕 with that said, would this event request be ok...?: romantic confession letter + scaramouche... with a local-dumbass reader that has a heart of gold and only sees the good in everyone (to a fault)?

𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 - 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮

pairing - scaramouche x gender neutral reader

prompt - romantic confession letter

warning - cursing :P

a/n - anon this caters to all of my tastes tyvm for this delicious request HAHA >:) i'm always down to write for my fav harbinger (sorry childe ily dw) also PFBFBTT "local dumbass-reader" how am i kinning that description-

apparently you're supposed to start your letters off with an addresser and greeting or something, but that shit is annoying and i want to get this over and done with.

i may or may not have thought you were conspiring with dottore to get rid of me. there wasn't any other explanation for you trying to be so nice to me all the time, or how my body just starts caving in on itself when you come near me. honestly, it made me furious, it felt like you were pitying me or something and that shit is never welcome. you're depriving some village of their idiot right now, but you've already established yourself here as our idiot so don't go thinking about leaving or anything.

childe and signora seem really fond of you, even dottore's warmed up to you and that absolute freak doesn't like anyone. for some reason you see the good in us and you see the good in me. i didn't think there was any to begin with, yet here you are defying all of my expectations for some reason. you remind me that i'm human.

but for the love of the tsaritsa herself, would it kill you to be less trusting?! if i hadn't been close by on the day you decided it would be alright to trust treasure hoarders when they said they were going to make an honest deal with you, who knows what could've happened? god, you're insufferable. you're too kind for your own good. this world hasn't managed to callous you, and part of me hopes it never will, not if i have anything to say about it.

i want to ask: why are you so nice to me? i've done nothing but be rude to you, i've pushed you away, i've insulted you in three different languages for archon's sake (and how you understood them all is something i won't question).

childe forced my hand into talking about it with him, and can you believe what he told me once i explained everything i felt? he said i was in love! ha! preposterous, there's no way i would ever stoop so low to feel romantic feelings to some mere idiot who's too trusting and kind for their own good.

but after thinking about it, i guess i am. no that's not what i want to say, i know i am. fucking god, i hate being honest, you should be honored that you're the only one who will ever hear me be truly honest.

regardless, you're going to have to own up to your actions now. your stupid kindness and dumb smile makes my heart race and my hands clammy, and it's all your fault. you're making me lose my mind in a way that doesn't make me sick any more. read this letter, burn it, throw it away, cherish it, i don't care. i just had to tell you, whatever you do next won't bother me.

i'll be waiting in my office for a reply if you have one.

scaramouche

[sondepoch]

Breaking (4/5)

Breaking the Collar

Nine months in the human trafficking circuit has destroyed every sense of normality you ever knew. For you, it's commonplace to be ordered on your knees for your owner, his clients, anyone else Childe deems necessary—and you've reached a point where you accept it this misery, just going along with the motions of life because there's nothing else to do.

Diluc and Kaeya change that.

They enter your life on a regular workday afternoon, stepping inside Childe's massive office under the pretense of sorting out a business deal, but a single hastily written message makes it clear that they're not here to hurt you: they're here to help you.

The only issue is that you have no idea how to escape Childe.

Fastened | Unlockable | Lighter | Breaking | Broken | Gone | ✔

MASTERLIST

Childe is broken. 

That’s the only way to explain it, really.

Something in him seemed to change after his meeting with Diluc and Kaeya. The lazy smiles, playful grins, and rugged charms that Childe used to project as naturally as light off the sun have evaporated into thin air, leaving nothing but a shell of a man you once thought to be so powerful.

“Ajax,” you whisper, calling his name to wake him up. All he really needs to do is open his eyes. You know that he’s already awake, long used to how rhythmic the rise and fall of his chest is from months of sleeping by his side, but the redhead ignores you, pressing his head deeper into the crook of your neck.

“Ajax,” you repeat, frustration beginning to drip into your tone. “Ajax, you have to wake up.”

Except that he doesn’t actually have to.

The man received an onslaught of calls the day after his meeting with Diluc and Kaeya, all of which he answered with varying degrees of frustration, but ever since then, his phone has been radio silent. Where Childe used to be out of bed every day by eleven and in his office by twelve to attend to his meetings, he’s now done nothing but stay in bed all day—and the worst part is that no one seems to care, his phone completely silent save for the daily calls he’s been avoiding from Scaramouche.

Where a few days ago, you were annoyed with the fact that he forced you to do nothing with him for hours on end, not even fucking you at night the way he always used to, now, you’ve begun to grow concerned.

“Ajax, get up.”

You try to pull his head off your shoulder in hopes that you can force him to at least look you in the eye, but the way he instantly stiffens and burrows deeper into your shoulder is proof enough that he’s not going anywhere.

You sigh.

This marks the third day where he’s refused to even brush his teeth in the morning, the fourth where he’s refused to speak. If your life were anything normal, you’d have forced him up long ago—but you’re hardly in a position to pretend you have any authority over him. It’s clear that he knows that, too.

“Ajax, I really need you to get up...”

—which is a true statement, surprisingly. 

The plan you’d developed to initiate your escape, perfected over the car ride back from Childe’s meeting with Diluc and Kaeya, was simple: snag a knife from the kitchen in Childe’s apartment, sneak into his office, use said knife to tear open the briefcase you know must have your documents inside of it, and then start running to the hotel Diluc and Kaeya said they’d be in.

You spent hours perfecting this: figuring out where Childe would be most likely to store the kitchen knives, what time of day will be best for sneaking out, and even what clothing you’ll wear when running away, since you can’t exactly run through the streets of Snezhnaya in your usual birthday suit, and for once, it seemed like the stars had actually aligned for you.

Unfortunately, when you developed your plan, you hadn’t accounted for Childe’s sudden change in behavior.

“Ajax, please…”

But the man barely even shifts in response. 

Hours later, after you’ve long given up on waking him and have instead decided to join him in his slumber, you both wake up together to a voice much louder than either of yours.

“What the fuck,” Childe groans, throat hoarse from not speaking for days on end, “is that sound.”

In your opinion, it’s pretty clear what that sound is: Scaramouche’s aggressively loud shouts of “Open the fuck up!” and “Stop dodging my calls!” and “Get out of bed, asshat!” accompanied by a nonstop banging that makes you grateful no one else lives on this floor doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

Instead, all you say is a quiet ”I think that’s Scaramouche.”

Childe withdraws his head from your neck with a mocking glare as the intensity of Scaramouche’s banging increases. 

“I’m coming in, dickweed!” the man shouts from many rooms over, and that’s the only warning you and Childe get before you hear what has to be the sound of a door being kicked in.

“Did he just…”

Childe stares at you in shock.

A small smile flits onto your face, grateful that someone has finally come to snap Childe back to his senses.

Scaramouche doesn’t bother quieting his footsteps as he stomps towards the master bedroom. He throws the door open with such force that you almost fear it'll rebound straight back into his face, but Scaramouche is across the room with his hands around Childe’s neck so fast that you’ve barely blinked before your owner’s head is being bashed against the bedframe.

“What the fuck,” Scaramouche snarls. “Made you think it was a good idea to tell anyone that you were the one who lost Lumine.”

“I didn’t—” 

Your owner’s voice is cut off when Scaramouche grips Childe’s neck and wordlessly threatens to hurt him again.

“Do you know how many problems this will cause? No one wants to work with you anymore, Tartaglia.”

“I know, and—”

Scaramouche pushes Childe’s head back into the bed frame, albeit with a little less force this time.

“No one wants to work with me anymore for having worked with you. Same for Signora and Dottore.”

“There’s nothing I can—”

“And all your big clients somehow got wind of it, too. They’re trying to switch over, and they’re all going to traffickers who aren’t associated with the Fatui because you—”

“Do you think I fucking wanted people to find out?”

It’s the first proper sentence you’ve heard from Childe since he left that meeting room with Diluc and Kaeya.

“Do you think I fucking want the literal shittiest people in the world thinking that they can look down on me?” Childe shoves Scaramouche off him, blue eyes narrowing into a glare. “I’ve already lost everything, asshole, so I don’t need you here if all you’re going to do is remind me of that.”

Scaramouche’s face settles into a frown, though you do see a hint of apology in his eyes. The pain in Childe’s voice didn’t go lost on anyone in this room.

“You smell like shit,” Scaramouche says abruptly, looking away. “Take a shower. We’ll figure out how to fix this after that.”

Childe doesn’t say anything at that, merely stepping out of bed in his sweatpants and walking to the bathroom.

“Go with him,” Scaramouche tells you. “You smell even worse.”

You’re partially insulted, partially grateful when Scaramouche says that. Insulted because, well, it can hardly be considered your fault that your owner clung to you in his bed for days on end without letting you shower. Grateful because after watching Childe do nothing for so long, you’re not sure he’ll even be able to take a proper shower on his own. 

“Ajax?” you whisper softly, following him into the bathroom. “Ajax, should I—”

“Be quiet,” he whispers. Childe steps inside the shower, eyes downcast. “Please,” he adds in a softer voice.

The man doesn’t start the shower until you’ve stepped in beside him, and you’re jarred when you realize how familiar this position is. It reminds you of how, months ago, when Childe first declared you his favorite and began inviting you to spend the night with him in his apartment, he brought you with him to the shower because he couldn’t trust you to be alone for so long. It was probably his first step in his attempts to win you over, since even back then, he was always so touchy with you, always asking what your preferred shampoo scents were and insisting that you let him wash your hair.

Back then, you were the sullen one, timid to speak and hesitant to look your owner in the eye. When he washed your hair for you, it was all you could do to shut your eyes and wait for his touch to go away, but now...

“Let me,” you tell him when he reaches for a bottle of shampoo.

It’s the first time you’ve ever initiated anything like this. You hold your breath, wondering if Childe will refuse you.

Wordlessly, the man bows his head to you.

You don’t entirely know what compels you to massage shampoo into his hair with such tenderness. A part of you says that it’s because you feel guilty, since it’s obvious by now that your slip-up to Kaeya that Lumine and Childe were connected is what’s resulted in his current plight, but another part of you does it simply because it feels natural. Standing next to him, his body blocking out most of the water as you let the soapy suds rinse from his hair, feels homey. Peaceful. Pleasant, almost as if the relationship between you isn’t owner and slave, as if the two of you are actually equals and you’re simply caring for him out of the goodness of your heart.

Childe seems to sense it, too, because right after you’ve washed conditioner from his hair and have finally begun using a loofah to clean his body, he stops your arms. He holds them loosely, just enough strength in his fingertips so that you know he wants you to stop but still sufficiently little that you’d be able to keep moving if you want to, and the two of you stand there like that for much too long, naked and vulnerable, staring into each other’s eyes as warm water beats down at you.

“I…”

It’s the first time Childe is actually speaking to you in such a long time, and his eyes soften the way they always do when he looks at you and makes you feel like you’re the only thing to exist in this world.

“I think I—”

“Hurry up in there!” The sound of Scaramouche kicking the door ruins the moment, and Childe abruptly drops your wrists from his hold. He steps back quickly, almost as if realizing how close his lips had moved towards yours, and a familiar pink stains his cheeks as he glances away from you and hurriedly scrubs the rest of his body clean. 

“Sorry,” he blurts, so quick and uncomfortable that it almost reminds you of how he normally is. You’d believe it, too, if not for the slight twinge of distance in his eyes that tells you he’s still thinking about Lumine or whatever it is that has him so out of it. “Uh, thanks. I’m, uh, gonna go. Gotta talk to him, y’know? You can, uh, finish up in here.”

You almost want to laugh at how awkward Childe is as he steps out of the shower and towels off to brush his teeth, blue eyes flickering to your form only to glance away in embarrassment when he realizes that he’s being watched.

“I’ll put new clothes on the bed for you, so…”

Childe nods stiffly at you and closes the door, and it’s all you can do to blink after him. 

Ten minutes later, once you’re fully clean for the first time in much too long and you’ve worn the clothes lain out for you on the bed, you make your exit from the master bedroom and follow the sound of voices into the living room.

“Listen, I—”

“Wait.” Childe puts up a hand, gesturing for you to come over. Wordless, you do, though it surprises you when your owner lets you sit at his side instead of on his lap. “Alright, continue.”

Scaramouche rolls his eyes the slightest before going on:

“All I was saying was that your career might be salvageable if you relocate. Let’s say you drop the name Tartaglia and instead fill the role of Capitano. You’ll have to move to Sumeru, but you might be able to continue your work there. Everyone now knows that Tartaglia was responsible for losing Lumine, but as long as you don’t tell people in Sumeru that you were Tartaglia, no one should question you there.”

“I hate everything about that plan,” Childe says, crossing his arms. “I don’t even know what language they speak there. I’ll be the foreigner. Everyone will think that I came to Sumeru as a last resort because I couldn't sell my merch anywhere else. Do you know how much I made fun of those two Mondstadt pricks for trying to do business here? They didn’t even have accents either, so imagine what people will say when I—”

“You don’t exactly have the luxury of caring about what people will say behind your back.” Scaramouche glances away, sensing that it’s a low blow. “I mean, listen. No one wants to work with you anymore, and this is the only way ‘you’ can become someone else.”

But Childe remains silent.

“You can keep all your merchandise,” Scaramouche continues. “In fact, the people in Sumeru will probably like that, since it means that the girls won’t know the language and they won’t be able to escape or ask for help. Hell, you can even bring her—”

“Is that even a question?” Childe asks defensively, a hand wrapping protectively around your knee. “Listen, Scaramouche, I appreciate you trying to help me, but Sumeru isn’t—”

“Isn’t what? Isn’t ideal? You letting it slip that you’re the imbecile who lost Lumine wasn’t ideal, but look where it—”

“I didn’t say shit!” Childe hisses in response. “Do you seriously think I’m that dumb? That I’d let those two Mondstadt pricks, of all people, know something that could destroy my career? That has now destroyed my career?”

“If not you, then who, Tartaglia? The only people who know are a part of the Fatui, and it’s not like—”

Scaramouche gestures to you wildly, evidently about to say that it’s not like you could have known, except that he now remembers that he did let mention Lumine in front of you to Childe once, and you can see the moment where he connects the dots.

“You fucking bitch,” Scaramouche whispers, eyes wide with fury and shock.

“No,” Childe says, standing up abruptly. “She didn’t say it intentionally. She still doesn’t know who Lumine is.”

“But she told someone, Tartaglia. You’re literally going to be kicked out of Snezhnaya because of her, and you still want to protect her?”

Childe’s mouth forms a thin line.

Scaramouche laughs mirthlessly.

“Fucking hell. Do you think this is a joke? Your life isn’t the only one she sabotaged, Tartaglia. Everyone in the Fatui is suffering, and if you keep letting yourself get seduced by your fucking toys, you should just quit being a human trafficker before one of us shoots you.”

Tartaglia says nothing.

“You’re a disappointment. At this point, you’ve caused more trouble for us than you have good. Everything you do seems to be another international incident, and I’m fucking sick of it.”

More silence.

“It’s people like you that make me terrified to retire. The more I talk to you, the more I think that you would have been better off as a slave rather than the owner. I never should have let you move up. You were built for taking dick, not for trying to control it.”

Your eyes widen as Childe remains silent.

“And you know who takes the blame every time you fuck up? Me. It’s me. Everyone in the goddamn Fatui thinks I made a bad call now when I set you free and, I’m going to be honest, I’m beginning to think they’re ri—

Childe stiffens next to you, standing.

“That’s enough,” he says, the look in his eyes dark. “What’s done is done,” he says. “Or do you need to vent some more?”

Scaramouche crosses his hands, a look of...regret? embarrassment? pity? Flickering across his eyes. He stands up with an unreadable look on his face. 

“I’m...being serious. Consider whether or not you still want to work in the Fatui. This is the best shot you’ll have at leaving.” Scaramouche’s eyes flit over to you, where Childe’s hand is now wrapped protectively around your waist. “Though if I’m honest, I don’t think you even want to be a human trafficker anymore.”

Childe says nothing to that, merely waving casually as Scaramouche exits the apartment through the hole he made in the door. You wince when you see the damage, wanting to ask your owner how he plans on repairing it, but another question is more pressing on your mind:

“Ajax?”

“Yes?”

“Who’s Lumine?”

Your owner looks at you, brushing his thumb by your cheek as his eyes take on a nostalgic tint. 

“I’ll tell you some other time.”

Childe goes back to his bad sleeping habits as soon as Scaramouche leaves. Within seconds, your owner is shirtless and has flopped onto the bed, shooting you a pleading look to curl up next to him. Thankfully, this spell seems to last a little shorter than the previous one because although the man refuses to get out of bed, he at least entertains you with a conversation.

“What else?” you ask, a playful smile on your face as Childe continues telling you stories about Xiangling. 

“Well, there was this one time where some kid was making fun of Xiangling for being bad at art, so she and I decided that we’d bring in sandwiches for the entire class and make his extra spicy. I actually helped her with the cooking process and all, so I watched how much chili she put into the sauce she was going to use for this kid’s sandwich and it was ridiculous, like I thought she was trying to murder him or something, but anyway, we get to school and start handing out the sandwiches, and…”

You’re completely enthralled as Childe tells you the story of how he had to go to the nurse’s office because he, unfortunately, was the poor soul to eat the overly-spicy sandwich through a Xiangling-esque mix-up—and you don’t care that he’s probably making it up just to see you laugh, all that matters is that the man is smiling and talking and not staring miserably at the ceiling the way he has been for the past few days.

“You should try that the next time you’re in a business meeting with someone you don’t like,” you say, giggling. “It would be such a flex if they thought that you could eat something so spicy while they’d struggle.”

“Maybe,” Childe chuckles. “I really wanted to do something like that to those two Mondstadt pricks—and it might work, too, since they’re at least still doing business with me—but they already left the country.”

“What?” you ask in alarm, fear presenting itself as excitement through the speed with which you respond.

“Yeah,” Childe hums. “They had to go early or something. I guess it’s fine since we already agreed on the mode of transportation, but—”

“Wait, really? B-but hasn’t it been less than two weeks since your last meeting with them?”

Alarm bells begin to ring inside your mind. You remember—you swear you remember the two of them telling you that you’d have at least two weeks to get the documents before they’d leave. But could it be that they’ve forgotten about you? What if they decided you were trouble? What if they know that you’ve begun to grow close to Childe as of recent? What if they—fuck—you’ve actually begun to like the redhead, haven’t you? The fact that he’s not bringing to meetings anymore, handing your body off to be fucked like a toy before he takes you back, has made you forget that the man in front of you is a monster, hasn’t it? Could they somehow know?

A pool of dread rises in your stomach.

What you did today in the shower, willingly touching him and showing him affection he’s done nothing to deserve, was disgraceful. How can you expect Diluc and Kaeya to free you if you’re not even doing your best to be freed? What if they know about what happened today? What if they think you’re a lost cause? What if they abandoned you here because of your own naivety, and you’re cursed to a life of human trafficking for the rest of your days because of your own idiocy?

“Angel?” Childe asks, cupping your cheek. You violently flinch away from his touch, a defensive anger creeping into your eyes. “Angel, I—what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I…”

You shut your eyes, reminding yourself of your position. He may not be using you right now, but Childe is a human trafficker. You’re nothing more than his favorite toy. Getting close to him like this will do nothing but hinder your escape.

“It’s nothing,” you say, averting your eyes. Still, you make no effort to return to Childe’s warm embrace. “Just, um, tired. I’m going to take a nap.”

Childe must know that what you’re saying is utter bullshit, primarily because these past few days have been nothing but sleep and rest and more sleep, but he doesn’t push it. “Alright,” he says, leaning forward to kiss your cheek.

You turn away from him before he can get close. 

There’s a strange sound Childe makes, then. It’s something between a sigh and whimper, dejected and hurt all at once, but you don’t turn around to check on him. He’s a monster, you tell yourself, forcing the image of Childe looking like a kicked puppy out of your mind. A fucking monster.

And the only two people in the world who are willing to get you away from this monster may have just abandoned you, so you really need to get your shit together.

Pretending to be asleep comes naturally to you after nine months of learning that sleep, even if feigned, was the only escape you could ever have from this life. Hours pass until Childe really has fallen into slumber, something you test by calling his name out quietly, and then you know that it’s time to go—or to at least go do what you can.

You’re abruptly grateful that you and Childe went to bed right after Scaramouche left because it means that you’re fully clothed, which is an unnatural state for someone like you. When you quietly climb out of bed and out of Childe’s apartment through the hole Scaramouche made in his front door, it almost makes you feel normal because even though you’re still dressed in a cutesy skirt and blouse, you’re not being accompanied by the one man who has never let you go outside alone.

When you finally take the elevator down the ground floor of Childe’s building, no one pays you a second glance as you walk out the front door.

Then, your mind is abuzz.

Don’t look at anyone, you tell yourself because you know that if you have a panic attack here, no one will be able to save you. Don’t look at anyone, just go to the hotel.

Hours of pretending to be asleep helped you sort out your thoughts: it makes sense that Childe would believe Diluc and Kaeya to be gone. After all, they don’t want your owner getting any ideas that they were the ones to free you; however, you need to make sure that they’re actually here. 

And besides, you reason to yourself as you cross the street and step towards the hotel you’ve seen so many times across Childe’s apartment. It’s best to make sure I know where they are so that I don’t get confused when I actually escape. It’s important to do this.

With your eyes locked on the ground the whole time, you enter the hotel and take the elevator to the second floor where rooms 213 and 214 will be, just as Diluc and Kaeya instructed. No one pays you any attention, as if reminding you of your insignificance, but you’re grateful for how invisible you seem to be as you exit an empty elevator and wander down a carpeted hall. 

This hotel is a considerable downgrade from the extravagant location Diluc and Kaeya were renting out as a front for their supposed trafficking, but it sets you at ease. When you finally stand in front of room 213, it looks almost...normal.

Hesitant, you raise a hand and rap your knuckles against the wood.

“E-excuse me?” you ask, tension beginning to seep in. “Is anyone—are—Diluc? Kaeya?”

Their names sound foreign off your tongue but you repeat them anyway, the intensity of your knocking increasing until you’re practically banging on the door the way Scaramouche was this morning. 

No response.

Panic begins to surface, and you quickly switch over to room 214, not bothering to start knocking quietly as you bang on the door desperately.

“Is anyone there?” you call, trying to keep your voice sufficiently low so as to not disturb other patrons of the hotel, but it’s really hard when your fears that Diluc and Kaeya really have abandoned you grow truer and truer with each passing second. “Please!” you sob, practically kicking the door in your attempts to will it into opening. “Diluc! Kaeya! You—you promised you’d—”

The door opens right as you’re about to bang your fists against it once more, and an incredibly annoyed and shirtless Diluc stands to catch both your fists right before you can hit his chest with them.

“I’m here,” he says in that familiar, deep voice of his. “Calm down. I’m here.”

“Oh,” you say, relief suddenly washing through you as you practically go boneless in front of him. You know it’s inappropriate, that the two of you share no real relationship other than the fact that he’s trying to help you escape, but you can’t help the way you instinctively throw yourself forward to embrace him. “Thank you,” you practically sob into his chest. “Thank you for being here.”

“I—” Diluc is quick to pull you back, and he levels his stare with you just as he wipes the tears from your cheeks. “Did you escape? Do you have the documents?”

The redhead glances around the hall once to confirm that no one is watching before he pulls you inside his room. You’re surprised to see a gagged and naked Venti on his bed, the boy’s eyes round in...fear? concern? You’re not sure. The gag surprises you until you remember Kaeya’s previous declaration that Venti was a masochist. He must be into BDSM, too.

“No,” you tell the man, shaking your head. “I just—Ajax told me that you and Kaeya left. S-so I wanted to check to see if you’d actually…”

It sounds stupid when you say it out loud. From the face Diluc is making, he seems to be thinking the same thing.

“Okay,” he says, effectively inviting you in as he walks back inside the room. He approaches the dresser to slip on the black and red gloves you saw from him last time, wearing them before moving to sit on the bed next to Venti, big hands cupping the boy’s slender thighs. “Okay, we’re here. And we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Okay,” you respond, trying your hardest not to look at Venti. It’s clear that you walked in on an intimate moment. “Um…”

“We were having sex.”

Your cheeks burn. “Right,” you say, nodding your head. “That’s—um—all I—just wanted to check—going to—”

“Don’t leave unless you’re sure that there’s nothing you need,” Diluc says. “We can help you, you know. Give you a lockpick or a hammer or even a gun if that’s what it’ll take to get you access to those documents.”

“No, I’m…”

A soft smile floats onto your face. Awkward as he may be, you’re sure that this is just Diluc’s stoic way of being nice. 

“I’m good. I already have a plan for the documents.” You’re about to smile and make your leave when you remember something that’s been at the forefront of your mind for ages. “But…”

Diluc lifts an eyebrow, waiting.

“Um...you don’t need to answer this, i-it’s actually not relevant, so I should—”

“What is it.”

Somehow, when Diluc says that with such a sharp gaze, it feels like less of a question and more of a demand.

You shudder, familiar with the sensation. Nine months of training makes your response automatic:

“Do you know what happened to Lumine?”

Diluc’s face changes. 

“I mean—you don’t have to tell me. I was just curious. Ajax keeps talking about her and Scaramouche kept mentioning her and I don’t understand why she’s so important, so I haven’t—”

“Lumine was the name of a human trafficking slave who escaped,” Diluc says, folding his arms. Next to him, Venti leans into him and pulls his knees in, hiding his manhood. “I don’t know any exact dates, since there was probably a gap between when she escaped and when people began finding out, but it happened sometime within the past two years.”

“O...kay?” You cock your head to the side. That...honestly doesn’t sound like a big deal at all, honestly. Slaves escape all the time: heck, Scaramouche said that Xiao disappeared just a few weeks ago, so why isn’t Zhongli facing the same loss in business that Childe’s going through?

Diluc seems to see the confusion on your face.

“The thing was, when Lumine escaped, she took important documents with her.” Oh, you think, beginning to understand why that would be a problem. “At the time, no one knew who had lost her, since that person maintained anonymity during the whole affair, but those documents were said to have definitive evidence that could be used to prosecute basically every human trafficker who had business dealings with Lumine's handler. And since that person was anonymous, it meant that every human trafficker in the world was at risk.”

“I...see.” Now you understand why people wouldn’t want to work with Childe at the revelation that he was the man who lost Lumine. “That’s unfortunate.”

“I guess.” Diluc shrugs and crosses his arms. “The incident was resolved pretty quickly, and everyone soon found out that Lumine had been killed before she could hand the documents over to anyone of importance. Still, though, for someone as prolific as Tartaglia to be the imbecile to have lost his merchandise…”

You hate how your heart immediately beats in defiance when Diluc calls Childe an imbecile. He is an imbecile, you try to tell yourself, despite the fact that you feel nothing but sorrow and pity for him now that you understand what situation you’ve put him in. An imbecile. An asshole. A monster. 

But somehow, your heart doesn’t seem to agree with your mind on those words.

“And it’s my fault everyone knows…” you mumble, more to yourself than Diluc or Venti.

Scaramouche’s words from this morning echo through your mind—Your life isn’t the only one she sabotaged, Tartaglia: everyone in the Fatui is suffering—and instantly, guilt hits you like a ton of bricks. Yes, these are human traffickers, but if you remember the utterly dejected look in Childe’s eye this morning, it feels infinitely worse to know that you’re the cause of his misery.

“Are you feeling bad for him?” Diluc asks in a whisper, but the look in his eye is dangerous. Even Venti, who had been pressed beside him up until now, begins to look fearful. “Are you seriously sympathizing with Tartaglia?”

“No, I—I’m not—”

“I hope not,” Diluc says, stony. “Because there are hundreds of other girls who want to be freed and haven’t begun to feel bad for their handlers, and Kaeya and I would much rather focus on them.”

“I’m not—”

“I hope so.”

Diluc stands abruptly, and you take that as your cue to leave.

“Th-thank you for taking the time to—”

“Yeah.”

Diluc practically pushes you out the door frame, then, his broad chest obstructing your view of the inside of the room, but your eyes fly to Venti, who kneels on the bed to make eye contact with you over the redhead's shoulder.

As Diluc begins reiterating the instructions for your return, you focus on the boy in the background.

Venti doesn’t seem to care that he’s nude. Hell, there’s not an ounce of shame on his face despite being gagged and covered in hickeys, and it would alarm you if you weren’t focused on the way he lifts his bruised arms up in an X-formation and begins shaking his head frantically. His lips appear to be forming the words to something, but you can’t understand what he’s saying through the gag.

You’re about to ask what Venti is saying when Diluc turns to see what you’re looking at.

For a second, the room seems to drop ten degrees. Venti freezes, staring at Diluc with round eyes, almost scared, and you swear you hear the redhead growl for a second.

A muffled whimper spills from Venti’s lips.

Diluc turns to you, a gentle smile that unsettles you on his face. “I think you should go,” he says. “Venti must really want my attention now if he’s trying to play games to get it.”

“O-oh, but what was he—”

“I suggest you leave now,” Diluc says, the kind-not-kind smile beginning to slip from his lips. “Because you’ve been here a while, and the last thing you should want is for Tartaglia to find you missing.”

“What about Kaeya—”

“Kaeya’s at the gym,” Diluc practically spits. “So unless you want Tartaglia tracking you there, too, I’d go straight back to your little apartment with him and pray that he didn’t notice you left.”

Despair builds in your chest at that. You were certain Childe was asleep when you left, but what if he reaches out for you while he’s sleeping? What if that wakes him up and he sees that you’re gone? What if—

“Go,” Diluc orders.

The redhead doesn’t wait for you to respond, then, simply slamming the door in your face. Immediately, you’re back in action. You dart for the elevator, knowing that you need to get home as quickly as you can if you want to minimize the chance of Childe waking up to find you gone.

Panic begins to rise. The familiar vines of anxiety begin to climb higher and higher through your stomach as the elevator begins to close with painstaking slowness. Your fingers fumble with the urge to make things move faster, and you doubt yourself for a moment, thinking that you should have taken the stairs, but it’s too late for that, now, with the doors just about to close, and—

You hear the beginnings of a scream. A high-pitched wail, something agonized and miserable and ruined.

Then, the sound cuts off with the closing of the elevator doors.

Too panicked to think, you don’t bother pondering the source of the sound as the elevator reaches the first floor and you stumble your way back to Childe’s apartment. 

This time, you’re in so much of a rush that you do attract attention as you exit. Somehow, though, the thought of Childe waking up and finding you gone manages to overpower your fear at being seen, and you stumble forward through the hotel and towards Childe’s apartment building as fast as you can. When you’re safe inside, you have to take the elevator once more: because while Kaeya and Diluc were on the second floor of their hotel, Childe has the penthouse of his apartment, a distance much too large for the stairs to be a viable option, but your nerves begin to calm as you feel the elevator shift higher and higher. 

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll get home safe and everything will be okay.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Probably not.

The elevator opens directly in front of Childe’s front door, where the hole Scaramouche busted open this morning still remains. Ever careful, you step one foot inside, shift your weight forward, and duck inside. 

As soon as you’re completely within the apartment, the pressure and fear of having escaped dissipate. You think that you’ve made it back safely, that you snuck out and will be able to sneak back in with no consequences.

Then, you see him.

“Y-y-y-you’re—”

Childe is shaking like a leaf, looking pale and sickly. His hair is disheveled, messy in a way that lets you know that he’s been running his hands through it for as long as you've been gone, and his mouth is caught open in a mix of shock, confusion, and relief.

“You’re back,” he mumbles in disbelief, and the way his eyes glisten in the darkness of his apartment, catching what little moonlight shines in and reflecting it off, tells you that he’s on the verge of tears.

Then, he blinks, and the tears begin to fall.

“I…”

Words fail you. You don’t know what to say to justify your leave. You don’t know if Childe even wants justification. The man stumbles towards you, and while logic tells you that you should guard yourself, should protect yourself, should prepare to be hit or whipped or assaulted the way a human trafficker would normally behave when his merchandise acts out, the vulnerable look in Childe’s eye makes you think that he won't hurt you.

“I-I—I thought you left,” he blurts, reaching forward to catch your palm in his, squeezing it as if he can’t believe you’re real. “Why—why didn’t you—why are you—”

Back.

He reaches forward to clasp your other hand in his, and when he stands so close to you, holding your hands to his chest like your touch is his lifeline, everything else seems to disappear. For the first time today, the conscious thoughts that this man is a monster and he’s a human trafficker who destroyed your life and you should hate him all disappear—leaving nothing but pain for how miserable he looks at having been left, how shook he is that you decided to come back, how overwhelmed he is that, likely for the first time, someone has chosen to come back to him.

It shakes you to the core. 

Never have you seen Childe so rattled. Displays of weakness like this are ones he rarely indulges in, and never at your side. This is the first time you're seeing him openly cry, the man practically clinging to your hand like it's the only thing grounding him, and you realize that he's hurting, too. That Lumine and Diluc and Kaeya and everything else in this godforsaken world of human trafficking have fucked him up just like it's fucked you over, and what you're seeing now is the culmination of all of that.

"Relax," you whisper, letting go of all your resentment for a single moment to pull him close into a warm, loving embrace. "Ajax, relax. I’m here. I’ve got you."

They're the same words Childe used to comfort you when you had a panic attack in the middle of Xiangling's restaurant, the same words that pulled you to safety at a time when even your mind had turned traitor against your heart. 

You can't explain why you're comforting him when he's done nothing but ruin your life.

Yet, as Childe clutches your figure and chokes back a harrowing sob, thick, wet tears falling onto your shoulder as he chokes out the words “thank you” over and over again, you can’t help how your embrace instantly tightens.

MASTERLIST

Fastened | Unlockable | Lighter | Breaking | Broken | Gone | ✔

Word count: 6.6k

Notes: OKAY so you know how this was supposed to be four chapters? yeah unfortunately that would make the final super duper rushed or super duper long so there's going to be a fifth chapter! and after the fifth chapter there'll be a short epilogue-y chapter!! the fifth chapter (finale!) and epilogue will be posted together at the same time - i can promise this bc i already have the epilogue written - soo yeah :D my apologies as usual for being late, hope you enjoyed the developments in this chapter! comment thoughts and predictions <3

Comment & Like

Next Update: 7/18/21 (hopefully)

I do not own the rights to Genshin Impact or any of the characters within it.

[dootdootwriting]

AHHH CONGRATS ON 600!!! I hope you're doing well heehoo and if its okay can i ask for the whole alphabet with scaramouche?:3 (also pls don't overwork yourself jdjajdkdlfmmeis)

600+ event!!

this is my first time writing for scara so i hope i did okay aha,, under the cut for length!

fluff alphabet with scaramouche, gn reader, warning for inazuma quest/scaramouche backstory spoilers!!

why is his name so long

A-Activities (what do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?)

- scaramouche isn't super knowledgeable about relationships, so he'll just sort of tentatively ask what you want to do and go along with it (though he might act like it's a stupid idea the whole time). really he doesn't care what he spends his free time on as long as you're a part of it.

B-Beauty (what do they admire about their s/o? what do they think is beautiful about them?)

- well first of all, he admires the courage you've got to have to be with him in the first place. other than that, he also loves your smile (but you won't hear him tell you that out loud, unless you're not really asleep when he thinks you are)

C-Comfort (how would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?)

- another thing he's alien to. at first just starts telling you to calm down and is pretty harsh about it. when he realizes this isn't working, he'll reluctantly take you into his arms and start awkwardly patting your head. it's funny how awkward it is and you end up laughing at him about it, which makes him annoyed, but at least now you feel better.

D-Dreams (how do they picture the future with their s/o?)

- scaramouche... either wants you to be by his side as he conquers everything and shows the world just how strong he is, or he wants to do it alone. though it would be much better if you were with him and it makes him sad to think about you not being there in the end.

E-Equal (are they the dominant one in the relationship or rather passive?)

- surprisingly passive, actually. he doesn't really know what he's doing so he lets you make most of the decisions about dates and spending time together. other than that though, he likes to drag you around to do whatever he wants.

F-Fun (what do they do for fun with their s/o? what’s their idea of a fun day out?)

- what's fun? on a day off, scaramouche will wander around and ponder his own existence. you'll have to take him to a market or a park or something so he can actually experience things first - once you do, you'll find he enjoys being alone with you somewhere quiet, where he doesn't have to listen to other people.

G-Gratitude (how grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?)

- doesn't show it, but is definitely grateful, though he also doesn't know just how much of a hassle he can be. scaramouche just sort of assumed love was supposed to be unconditional... but he can tell when he's crossed a line, and he's grateful for you sticking by him despite everything.

H-Honesty (do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?)

- obviously the one big secret is how he came into being in the first place, but once he trusts you enough to tell you about his being a puppet and a test, he's in all the way. he hides little things from you before that but once he's told you, you're in it with him forever whether you like it or not, and that means he doesn't keep anything else from you.

I-Inspiration (did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?)

- he's a lot more tolerable around you! you've been approached by fatui officers asking you "how do you do it?" and saying things like "thank you so much i totally thought i was gonna be yelled at today!" somehow you cool off his temper a bit.

J-Jealousy (do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?)

- JEALOUS JEALOUS JEALOUS man. he gets jealous so so easily and WILL confront you about it. after a while and once he knows he can trust you he gets jealous less frequently, because he knows you're with him for the long run.

K-Kisses (are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?).

- bad kisser at first because he's probably never been in love before. he gets the hang of it quickly though! your first kiss was because he had to shut you up and he couldn't figure out another way how so he just kissed you. you yelled at him after that.

L-Love confession (how would they confess to their s/o?)

- scaramouche confesses on purpose but in a really weird way. he plans it and everything - he takes you out to see the sunset and brings food (almost like a picnic) but then once he gets to the actual confession it's just like "how dare you do this to me? i stay awake at night thinking of you and somehow you're the most tolerable person i've ever met. childe had the audacity to call it love and to laugh at me so he got what he deserved. if you don't feel the same way i'll punch you too." but he doesn't end up having to punch you, which you're both very glad about.

M-Mornings (what’s it like waking up with them? do they sleep late or wake up before the sun rises?)

- he didn't have a reason to sleep in late until he started sleeping next to you. now he's stuck in his ridiculous sleep schedule so he always wakes up before you. but hey! bonus! now he gets to look at you while you sleep, which for some reason makes him extremely flustered (which is really cute to wake up to).

N-Nicknames (what do they call their s/o?)

- just calls you your name 🧍

O-On cloud nine (what are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?)

- when he discovered he was in love he got angry at you. then he realized it wasn't your fault, and, actually, this wasn't such a bad thing. man were you confused though. for a solid week he just yelled at you for no reason. childe guessed correctly when he realized scaramouche's more-unusual-than-usual behavior, but he had the decency to hold his tongue around you.

P-PDA (how are they with PDA? is it fun to them or are they more reserved with their affection?)

- hates pda. will hold your hand and that's it if you try to kiss him in public his face will scrunch up and his ears will pull back instinctively. then he'll avoid you for the rest of the day.

Q-Quirk (some random thing they do when they’re with you for no reason in particular)

- gently taps you at random moments, almost as if he's trying to remind himself that you're here with him.

R-Romance (how romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?)

- scaramouche tries to be romantic? he's doing his best. he tries all the gooey stuff to make you happy like buying you chocolate and giving you stuffed animals but in reality he has little to no tolerance for this kind of thing and you have to reassure him you love him, not the classic romantic things he forces himself to do. after that he stops, which is a huge relief.

S-Support (are they helping their s/o achieve their goals do they believe in them?)

- he's more focused on his own goals and climbing the fatui ladder, but he's also very invested in anything you're attempting to do. wholeheartedly believes in you, whether he outwardly expresses it or not.

T-Thrill (do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship or do they prefer certain routine?)

- scaramouche likes the security of his routine and the place your relationship is at. he gets embarrassed at pretty much any new milestone and needs some time to get to them, and he gets cranky when things change suddenly, so uh. no, he likes it better the way it is with little to no changes.

U-Understanding (how good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)

- not very empathetic, but is very understanding. scaramouche lacks the ability to feel how you're feeling (is it because he isn't quite human?), but he does understand how you work and function, and the best ways to treat you depending on your mood.

V-Value (how important is the relationship to them? What is its worth in comparison to other things in their life?).

- since you're so important to him, you're about number two on his list of priorities, maybe almost tied with his work in the fatui. he can't stand people, but you've wormed your way into his heart, so he's not letting you go anytime soon.

W-Wild card (a random fluff headcanon?)

- any time you give him affection he's a little startled at first, but he comes to love it and eventually will ask you for hugs.

X-XOXO (Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?)

- yes but ONLY behind closed doors. he's afraid if he so much as looks at you lovingly his underlings will laugh at him, and he definitely can't have that. when you two are alone, however, he absolutely cannot get enough of your touch.

Y- Yearning (how will they cope when they are missing their partner?)

- angry angry angry and makes it everyone's problem. when you get back from your trip the mood is dark and agents are running up to you like you're their savior "OH GOD YOU'RE BACK THANK EVERYTHING PLEASE SAVE US."

Z-Zeal (are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind?)

- he would literally kill for you (please tell him not to)

[pastaimpact]

Since ur a catboy and maid simp 👀👀👀👀

Catboy maid headcanons for xiao, scaramouche, zhongli, kaeya and diluc?

Like, they lost a bet and have to drink a potion from albedo that turns them into catboy maid or smth pls?

-mac bulli anon

if u see me rotting, no u didnt

Xiao’s displeased by the transformation, but he has better things to do than to get worked up by a small thorn in his side. He has evil spirits to get rid off, and archons be damned if he’s going to let a pair of furry ears and a tail get in the way of his duty. It’s an odd sight, seeing him swing around his jade spear with his mask on, only to be moe-fied by his ears.

He insists on carrying out his own duties, saying that your selfish desires to have him as your maid won’t overrule his original contract to Rex Lapis. Chances are, you won’t even get him into the maid outfit before he goes running off to dispel some spirits. It can’t be helped: Xiao is someone who values Liyue’s peace before he values anything else, although he does feel a bit fuzzy inside when he sees how ecstatic you are over how cute he looks.

If he does find a moment of reprieve, that’s your best chance to capitalize on his transformation. Xiao claims that he needs no attention or extra love from you, that he’s a yaksha who works alone out of fear of harming you, but he’s still someone who craves for the gentle touch of a fellow being. Tell him that he’s done a good job and that you’re proud of him while cupping his face, and next thing you know, he’ll have slotted himself against your body and tell you that this isn’t necessary, all while his tail wags around happily. Archons forbid that anyone tries to interrupt your cuddling session, because he’ll start hissing like an actual cat the moment your attention is turned away from him.

Xiao purred against your skin, his head resting on the area in between your shoulder and neck. He was always cat-like to begin with: coy, distance, but still gentle and affectionate at the right times. You fondled his ears the way he liked them, and his tail curled up in satisfaction.

“What a pretty kittycat you are,” you cooed, your voice low and calm, like the careful trills of a lullaby. “Always working so hard... Always caring for someone other than yourself... What a good boy.”

“...Keep going,” he murmured, scooting closer to you when you stopped petting him for a second. You let a smile grace your lips as you stroked his soft fur again, enjoying the way the catboy immediately relaxed against you. 

How adorable.

Scaramouche is livid, to say the least, by this change. He’s a Fatui Harbinger, and someone who demands nothing short of utmost respect and authority from those around him. Being demoted to not only a servant, but not even a human one at that, is a stain against his spotless, untouchable command.

The entire time he’s placed under your care, he grumbles and snaps at everything that comes his way. He mutters that you should be grateful he’s even putting up with this, and he might just flat-out refuse to do the things you ask of him—until you tell him that you’ll ask someone else, like Signora or Childe. Only then does he come scrambling back to you with a pout on his face and his ears pressed against his head to scold you and say that he could do a better job than any of those sloppy Harbingers could.

He also threatens you, saying that you owe him for humiliating him like this, but he also forgets all about being mean to you the moment you start petting his ears and scratching behind them. Scaramouche swears on his life that he hates being treated like this, but the way he clings to you and purrs loudly clearly says otherwise. He’ll get huffy and frown if you stop petting him, so be prepared for him to completely monopolize your time.

“I hate you for this,” he hissed, practically bristling in your lap. You bit back a laugh, feeling the way he wrapped his arms tightly around your torso, pulling himself as close as he could to your chest. “You’re terrible.”

“It’s ‘You’re terrible, Master’ to you,” you teased, burying your fingers in his hair to tease his ears. The Harbinger opened his mouth as if to snap back at you with a haughty remark, but he immediately melted into your touch instead, giving soft mewls and twisting his head against your skin so that he could feel more of your touch.

“I-I still hate you,” he grumbled, forcing himself to frown at you and huff. He dug his nails into your clothes, settling his chin on your shoulder so that you couldn’t see the blush rising to his cheeks. “Master.”

Zhongli has seen his fair share of oddities, being an archon and all, so he’s grown to get used to whatever life throws at him all while honoring his own approach to life and any traditions he upholds. While being transformed into a cat and a maid, for that matter, is surprising, it’s probably nothing more than a mild inconvenience to a god that once held the ability to shift into a variety of different forms.

He’s a skilled and knowledgeable man, so he’s more than willing to assist you in a variety of topics. His one condition while being placed under your care is that you treat him with the same respect you would show him at any other time. While he may be relatively polite and mild-mannered, he still was a very potent and feared God of War at one point in his life. He doesn’t expect much from you; just drop any funny business around him, and he’ll entertain you for hours with his knowledge about politics, arts, and other fine subjects.

Zhongli is good about keeping his emotions in check, and even with cat ears and a tail, it’s still fairly difficult to gauge how he truly feels. Of course, his new body does betray him every now and then: a flick of his tail to signify intrigue, ears pressed against his head for annoyance, a twitch of his nose for interest. It’s best not to tease him or pry into how he feels whenever he does make an odd movement, but it wouldn’t hurt to present yourself appropriately depending on whatever mood he’s in based off of his little actions. Besides, it’s not everyday that you can see someone as respected and feared as Zhongli in a cute maid dress with his tail swishing excitedly behind him.

His entrance was quiet, and the only thing that even signaled his presence in the room was the rustle of fabric as he walked towards you. His tail was still, and his ears perked up like it had been for the day, ever since he downed the transformation potion. “I brought you tea.”

You looked up from your paperwork, smiling softly at the former archon. You pulled a stray chair close to where you were seated, inviting him to sit down as he set the teacup down in front of you. “You shouldn’t have!”

He shook his head, his ears twitching with the slightest hint of satisfaction as he sat down. “It was about time you took a break. I thought I would remind you not to push yourself too far by bringing you something to relax with. Do drink up; I brewed it myself with prized leaves.”

Kaeya’s all about staying a step ahead of the game, and the moment fluffy cat ears and a tail sprout up on his body, there’s a good chance that he’s already found loads of ways to capitalize on his features to get what he wants. The best way to get information from anyone is to get them to let their guard down, and it’s hard to be intimidated by someone who looks like a stuffed animal.

Which is exactly what he does. There’s a good chance that Kaeya’s been observing you for a while, for whatever reasons he might have (be it personal or for the Knights of Favonius), so he’ll definitely use his cat features to his advantage. He’ll snuggle up to you and let you relax by teasing you with his tail and his ears, and he’ll let his silvery tongue do the rest as he extracts bits and pieces of information from you like he was extracting honey from a beehive.

Kaeya rocks the whole maid concept better than anyone else. Flexibility and adaptability are just a few of his many strong suits, and he might even go along with playing pretend with you just out of the goodwill of his heart. He’s extorted you already for loads of intel, so the least he can do to get you to keep staying so lax around him is to humor you just a bit. It’s also a good chance to see you smiling and laughing as you bury your head into his hair, and it sure doesn’t hurt to hear you gush over how much of a majestic catboy he is.

You felt his fluffy tail slink against your arms, Kaeya splayed out across your lap with the most smug smile you’ve ever seen from him. “Awwww, your tail is so cute! I wish I could just hold it and fall asleep! It feels just like a cloud!”

“Does it now, Master?” Kaeya purred, batting his eyeslashes. It had only been about fifteen minutes since he barged into your room to show off his cat features, and he had already gotten enough info about you to entertain him for weeks. “You can pet me more, if you’d like.”

You lit up, completely oblivious to the fact that Kaeya had you wrapped around his little finger. You were far too innocent, too careless even, and Kaeya found it amusing. “Oh, Kaeya! You’re the best!”

Diluc’s also fairly annoyed by this mess, but he isn’t one to viciously fight against what’s already happened. It is rather irritating to have to put all of his responsibilities aside for another day, but he’s capable businessman who’s used to having to adapt to all sorts of situations. Being turned into the catmaid is by far not the worst of his problems, but it’s enough of a change to actually make him think about how he presents himself not only to you but the people of Mondstadt as well.

He has maids around his winery, so he mimics his ow behavior with what he wants of them. Of course, you don’t make him cook or clean or anything like that, and similarly to Zhongli, he makes sure to treat you with respect as long as you do the same. Diluc’s a very pragmatic man, and he simply takes his duty as a maid to keep you out of trouble, accompanying you whenever you need to head out to protect you from stray monsters or helping you with any finances that you might have to sort out.

His only request is that he doesn���t let anyone outside of his immediate circle know about his current affliction. The last thing he needs is his reputation as a respectable tycoon tarnished, and he sure as hell doesn’t need Kaeya strolling around to mess with him. If it incentivizes you to keep the whole temporary catmaid thing under wraps, he’ll tell you that it can be a little secret between the two of you. It’s best that you give him your word, lest you end up on the wrong side of his stoic mannerisms.

“Good work today,” you remarked, offering up a meek smile to the Dawn Winery owner. “It must have been a lot of work. You know, having to deal with the whole transformation thing while running a business.”

Diluc glanced momentarily you, his ears pressing against his head. You wasn’t sure if it was out of annoyance or shyness, but you decided that it was the latter, as Diluc hadn’t walked away from you just yet. “It’s fine. Albedo said it should wear off any day now.”

“Mmm. But still, if you ever need help from me, let me know, okay? I know I’m your ‘master’ temporarily, but we’re still friends,” You laughed. The corners of Diluc’s mouth twitched as he turned away.

“Goodnight then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”