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shiro-00s · 2 years ago

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heaven on earth

17. face-to-face .. ✮

[ genshin impact smau / idol!xiao x fem!reader ]

As you switch your gaze back and forth between your phone and the performers on stage, you struggled to find anything that could ease the boredom you’re currently drowning in. Although the songs, performances, and artists were the best you’ve ever seen, you’ve just been stuck in the same seat for over an hour now.

The seats weren’t uncomfortable, it was the contrary. The VIP tickets Ayato bought were so close to the stage you could snap a photo of the performances without any interruptions from the rest of the audience if you really tried.

You looked over at Hutao, who really seemed to be enjoying herself at the concert. You were glad that your friend could have some fun and momentarily forget the dreadful assignments waiting for her back at home.

It’d be better not to interrupt the brown-haired girl, so you decided you’d just suck it up for a while longer. Looking back at the stage, the group whose name you forgot the name of, seemed to have finished their performance, bowing and stylishly walking away to the back of the stage to cry about their unnoticed mistakes.

You could hear the sound effects being played by the massive speakers, notifying the audience of the upcoming group. "Brace yourselves for the upcoming performance that'll leave your heart thumping in its cage! Let's give it up for the one and only '5wirls' to deliver a performance that'll set the bar for all others!"

Seriously, who came up with that name?

The stadium echoed with the sound of clapping and whistling as the audience continues cheering for the group. Then comes the silence. The stadium lights dimmed and the light sound of footsteps in sync can be heard if you pay close attention.

The lights that were previously closed, flickered to life, flashing in various directions with different colored lights and it came down to look like art, a genius way to hype up the crowd. Uproars from the once-quiet audience resurfaced as the light fell to the figures of the said group along with the start of the music that seemed to be coordinated with the perfection of timing.

A sudden impulse ignited within you to look up at the faces that could've caused such a reaction from the audience. Tilting your head and allowing your gaze to wander, your eyes fixed on a particular face that you recognized too well. Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you, but even as though you blinked repeatedly, trying to decipher whether perhaps, your mind was playing tricks on you. You rubbed your eyes in an attempt to wipe away the familiar image from your vision.

A band involving five individuals stood tall on the stage. While four of them blended into the background, their sounds gradually faded away from your thoughts. Your attention was fixated on one person you knew all too well. A face you had seen illuminated in the night as he walked you home. A face so remarkable that it made an effort to befriend it. A face that etched itself into your memory the moment you gazed upon its mere beauty. A face that looked back at you in disbelief despite the huge horde of people, as if it couldn't believe what it saw.

A moment of connection was shared among the two of you, a mutual recognition.

Just as suddenly, it was over.

A blink from him interrupted the moment, causing the both of you to snap out of your trance. Quickly looking away from you to focus on his task at hand, he thanked himself for being able to play the song on muscle memory or he would've fucked up, badly. Distracted and flustered, and in front of an audience as well? This was so unlike him it frustrated the man himself.

Your gaze lingered on the man for a bit longer before shifting your attention to the brown-haired girl, glaring holes into her face. As if she knew what had happened, her head turned to yours in sync. A guilty awkward smile settled on her lips as she looked away, preparing herself to offer an explanation and an excuse for what she did.

“Listen, [name]...” Hu tao hurried after you the moment the concert ended. You sighed at her attempts to explain as you’ve already put the dots together and figured out why she went out of her way to bring you to the concert. “I wasn’t sure myself! And I didn’t know if you knew or not. But I wanted to let you know about it somehow.”

You turned to her and your gaze softened at her frown. Well, her intentions were pure I guess, it was just the way she acted on them. You let out a sigh and decided to hear her out. Scarlet eyes lit up at your mercy, smiling before catching up with you and began explaining her reasons behind her not-so-smart plan. As she spoke, she mentioned Xiao - a name that carried a mixture of emotions.

On that note, you were furious that your new friend never mentioned his career to you at all. You felt a sense of annoyance wash over you. Sure, it wouldn’t have made a difference if you knew, but you couldn’t help but feel a twinge of hurt that he hadn't told you. At the very least, it would've been considerate of him to let you know.

Well, you didn’t really ask either, did you? Perhaps it was the familiar feeling of frustration that stung the most, reminiscent of the past. You were just upset by how familiar this whole situation felt.

You shook your head, it was too much of a hassle to think about. As if some god had heard your struggle and frustration, a voice reached your ear. “They’re holding a mini fan sign right after the concert?” Eavesdropping isn’t a crime. “Didn’t you listen? It’s why most people came to the concert to get autographs and whatever.”

You soon found out you weren’t the only one listening in. “[name]!”, settling your gaze upon Ayaka and Lumine, you waved at the duo. With the crowd of people who came to the concert, the group had gotten separated after the concert ended. “I heard there’s a fan sign. Could you get this shirt signed for me by 5wirls? Ayato’s request.” As Ayaka's words finally sunk in, dread filled your system. You couldn’t decide whether this was an opportunity given to you by god or if it was karma for everything you’ve ever done.

Before you could say anything back, Hutao had taken hold of the shirt, giving them a thumbs up and dragging you away to the 5wirls block of the fan sign as you flailed around in her grasp.

Meanwhile, Xiao looked lifeless as he gazed blankly ahead, unable to focus on one thought amidst the flurry of thoughts swirling around in his mind. He felt clueless on what to do. Regret consumed him, tilting his head back to wipe away his thoughts. He jolted from the sound of soft laughter behind him, footsteps closing in on his limp. Mouthing a what? to the ginger who looked like he was having the time of his life staring back at him with a face of I told you so.

Xiao groaned in annoyance, too prideful to admit Childe was right - for once that is. The chair beside him screeched against the floor as Childe sat on it. “Saw her here?” The ginger questioned the man beside him, who only let out a drawn-out sigh, he’ll take that as a yes then. In a quick motion, Xiao turned towards Childe to ask him something that had been plaguing his mind for days, “How did you find out who she was?”.

The said man could only huff dramatically, “A magician never reveals his secret.” Annoyed with the answer, Xiao remarked back “You mean a stalker?”. This time Childe finally looked back at him with an offended look as he finally gave Xiao what he wanted, “Kaeya said he saw the two of you walking back towards the same direction, and I asked the landlord for her name but it was just a hunch.” He shrugged.

What did he really expect from Childe? He parted his lips to respond, only for him to shut them again when he saw a familiar face approaching. Perhaps he should’ve masked his reaction because Childe was as observant as he was. Whistling casually, the ginger reassuringly patted his shoulders, attempting to comfort the dark-haired male. Xiao would’ve been grateful if it weren’t for Childe's next actions. With a sudden burst of strength, Childe pushed the sulking man towards the table for the fan signs and snatched away the chair that Xiao was previously sitting on. Golden irises could only stare back at Childe in a look of betrayal before being startled out of it by a voice he recognized.

“Hey, I need you to sign this for a friend.” He almost flinched at the cold undertone of your voice, the opposite of what he was used to. His eyes furrowed in guilt, too afraid to meet your eyes as he solely focused on the shirt. Taking hold of the pen on the table, he moved so flawlessly that you couldn't help but admire his skill. It was a relief that the rest of the members were busy, allowing you to appreciate his skills.

Snapping yourself out of your thoughts, you decided that as soon as he was done, you were gonna grab the shirt and run like your life depended on it. It wasn’t your choice to be here but even though you tried to bribe Hutao into coming with you, she mumbled some excuse about oh actually I need to pee, real bad. The male in front of you lifted the pen from the shirt slowly, as if he was scared you’d leave as soon as he finished - well he was right. Reaching a hand out to snatch the shirt, a hand that didn’t belong to you had wrapped around your wrist as you tried to leave. A look of desperation etched itself on Xiao’s face as he opened his mouth to speak.

Click!

Amidst the silence, the only audible sound was the click of a camera and a flash of light following it.

heaven on earth - 17. face-to-face

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synopsis ; 🗝️ — in which you befriend your next door neighbour who, unbeknownst to you, was apart of a soon-to-be one of the most popular bands throughout liyue. you're unable to tell if cupid was helping you or not when things with xiao keept going up and down. will he continue to keep his secret from yours truly?

NOTES — the texting and smau stuff will be uploaded after this, seperated them so that its better to read ❣️ i need opinions on the writing tho cos the blood sweat and tears i put into this 😣 hopefully i didnt dissapoint

TAGLIST [OPEN] — @mikctp @ghostlysyntaxed @kazemiya @nnasv @gojoandelsalovechilde @candy-purple-cyanide @kissingkzuha @zyilas @lunaavity @luminescent-light @mave-in @rizakari @riikyu @kokoscutie @starsxnight @sketcheeee @softlie @izakyun @xiaxilia @the-sweet-madame @rifran @milkwithspiceyicecubes @coffeethoughtsandanxiety @rxkan7 @goodthingimsam @pomeiu @fogturtle @farelady-fate @tzu-scara143 @wonderful-worlds @cianalikesbeans @h3xi2g0n3 @jasxiao2317 @rosaryia @proserpinarom4 @offeliaswonderland @ynverse

(ask to be added or removed)

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mvsicinthedvrk · 1 month ago

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hwevent18 starter for xiao chiye & shen zechuan // @masqce

Nobles at court betray each other more often than Meng loses feathers; that is to say, far more often than one might either guess or care about. If Chiye was seriously concerned every time he heard rumors of a minor plot brewing, he’d never find half-a-moment’s rest. But when the purported risk concerns the state of the whole kingdom’s security and peace, that’s another story, and any lead is worth following up on. If they have to go to war over some noble’s (likely selfish) nonsense, it could affect not only his livelihood here but also Chiye’s homeland; Libei is such a far distance away that it would take a war of massive scale to reach its snowy plains, but one can never know how one kingdom’s misfortune could affect another’s.

Which is what’s led him here— to one of the neighborhoods far from the shadow of the castle, crammed with the small homes of peasants and commoners. Merchants from along the main commercial street have just begun to close up shop and head home for the evening, and the daytime bustle of the narrow roads in this section of town has begun to slow. He’s not entirely certain what he’s looking for, only that one suspicious noble has been seen in this part of town repeatedly; though for what reason, no reports have shown. So he keeps his eyes peeled. After all, no one would expect the tall knight-- currently in plainclothes-- to be in this part of town either, so at least in this he has the element of surprise.

Eventually he does catch sight of the other, and Chiye keeps track of the head of hair as he follows by foot at a fair distance behind and as they wind down the road. Though after a few minutes, another familiar sight catches his eye as well— Shen Zechuan’s graceful figure headed the very same way. If he stopped to talk to the noble who Chiye’s been tracking, that would be damning evidence against both in his eyes, but as it stands, they don’t seem to interact, simply continue to move in the same direction... All the way until the noble steps through the doorframe of one poorly-constructed home, and Zechuan opens a door just a few down from it.

Interesting. Chiye waits until both doors have shut tightly, before stepping forward to Shen Zechuan’s and giving it a light rap. Considering their typical interactions, he’s not naive enough to think that the other man will be voluntarily helpful, and if the situation weren’t so (potentially) dire, he wouldn’t bother even trying, but— if Zechuan has seen the noble around these parts before, or could tell him who the name of the neighbor is who must live in the home that had just been entered, then that information could be very useful. “Official business. Let me inside,” he murmurs intently, his volume quiet enough that ideally no one in the shoddy building down the road will catch his voice on the breeze.

#hwevent18 #;; xcy ;;#;; xiao chiye speaks to shen zechuan ;;#long post tw #[ so what if it turned to 4 paragraphs when i pasted it over from google docs ]#[ just pay attention to the last one !!!! ]

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fluorescentpipedream · 7 months ago

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Armand Renault (Rynaldi) - Armand is actually a vampire, I’ve had him for a while but he never really looked right so I never bothered to try to dig in too deeply into him. His name before was Jakob, but that didn’t really sound right either. What I’ve learned about him recently is that his family originally consisted of him and a human “pet” he somehow managed to get pregnant (or else she was pregnant when he took her in, I haven’t worked that bit out yet) they moved from France originally and traveled a bit before ending up in Nevada. He was the leader of a small coven who took up residence alongside a lot of the big name mafia families as well as crossing paths with a monster known as Jim Smoke, aka Skinner Sweet.

Skinner was still in revenge mode and ripped through the European vampires like they were tissue paper, he tore Armand’s human to shreds and left the vampire with a massive gash across his chest, which somehow didn’t kill him. (Armand is NOT one of those responsible for Skinner’s creation in the 1800s, he just has a hatred of all things European for a while and at the time Armand and his group were part of Skinner’s eyeline)

Still, mortally wounded he slunk beneath the casinos, into the underlevel tunnels and settled down there to heal, sleep and brood. He and his human had a son they were raising, and after their disappearance the child was cared for by his nanny and through her, the name Renault became Rynaldi, because it sounded more Italian. (Basically she gave him the Jimmy Pesto treatment)

Armand’s unnamed Son inherited his father’s wealth and from 1932 to mid-2000s the Rynaldi family ran that money and the name into the ground and all but forgetting the vampire sleeping beneath the city. Eventually, Aaron Rynaldi tried to rejuvenate the family by throwing his lot in with Yu Xiao to take out Livia Prim and attempt to wrest control over Las Vegas from her. Obviously it didn’t work out too well.

Armand was awakened from his sleep when the tunnels were being filled in and one of the workers found where he had scratched: Here lies Armand Renault into the wall and his surprisingly well preserved body on the ground. Thinking they had a Cask of Amontillado situation the workers left to get the police but when they came back down again there was nothing left, not even footprints.

Armand is tall and thin and speaks with a thick French accent with prominent features and eyes that feel as though they’re looking right through you. He’s a pretty old vampire, which I believe is why Skinner couldn’t kill him, though he does still have the scar from the poisoned claw he was wounded with, I’m not sure why but I think it has more to do with the thing Skinner is than anything.

#neil newbon #character #reimagining

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blade-liger-4ever · 1 year ago

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RWBY X Transformers Partnerships 2: Taiyang "Tai" Xiao Long and Ironhide - Combat Veterans

"So, you have a daughter who loves violence and uses a brawler style, too?"

"Yeah, though Miko's technically adopted, but Ah'm not one to frag around with that bit o' nuance. How 'bout the music taste o' yours? Does she like heavy metal, too?"

"Yang's more into rock 'n roll, but I think they'll end up trading interests once Miko starts training with her new Semblance."

"Heh, yeah. Hope you don't mind her explosions."

"Hey, I was blowing crap up before I enrolled at Beacon. I can handle it."

"Alright, but jus' wait 'til she sneaks along fer a mission and ruins the enemy's day, Tai. You'll see then."

"......Ironhide, why was that so specific?"

Tai's no stranger to waking up to the sounds of explosions. Usually it's the memory of an old mission from his days with STRQ, or the echoes of his daughter training in the backyard.

So feeling the explosions taking place roughly twenty miles away from his home is very much a Bad Sign, in his book.

Throwing on some proper clothes in ten seconds, Tai races through the building to check on its occupants. Ruby's still unconscious, and Yang's stumbling out of bed because of the racket while Mercury and Neptune charge down the hall from their shared guest room. After he's calmed down the three teens, Tai orders the boys to stand guard while he goes to check things out. Tai still isn't sure what to think of the boyfriends his girls (girl and niece, his mind reproaches him) brought home, but seeing as Tai put the fear of the Lord into Neptune, and he and Qrow cross-examined Mercury to the point the ex-assassin asked if they wanted him behind bars or watching the house in case of threats, Tai felt this was a good decision as he drove out to investigate the disturbance.

That resolve wavers once he sees a red and black robot that's a good forty feet tall beating the paint (literally, he realizes) off of three scrawnier robots while half the forest behind him is scorched earth.

Holding back, Tai watches as the red and black robot battles the other three, their fighting style admittedly lackluster compared to their single, giant opponent's unpredictable brawler technique. In spite of the situation, Tai finds himself noticing the red and black robot using a myriad of styles both familiar and unfamiliar to him. A blur of color races by on the ground, and looking down, he sees a girl close to Ruby's age in bright, Huntress-styled clothing dive behind a tree. Her hands glow with purple fire, and no sooner has Tai deduced that it must be her Semblance than does the girl jump out from behind the tree, give a war cry in a language he's never heard before, and throws a massive fireball at the last standing scrawny robot. It hits him square in the face, and gives her apparent ally the opportunity to shoot him through the chest.

Before Tai can fully register that the victorious robot's arm and hand turned into a gun, the girl gives a different shout in English. Watching the scene unfold before him, Tai witnesses the girl runs toward the robot, who crouches down and holds out a hand for the brightly colored teen to throw her arms around his index finger. The innately paternal gesture makes Tai's concern melt away immediately - whether you're a giant or not, human or robot, to treat a child that tenderly is a sign of the individual's safety to be around.

Certain that the enemies are dead - or at least as dead as giant robots can be - Tai calls out to the two strangers. After some cautious introductions, Tai learns that the robot is called Ironhide while the girl is Miko. It takes some more wheedling on his part, but he eventually gets Ironhide to admit that the two have been separated from friends, and seeing as there's not much else for them to do, Tai invites them to stay at his place. Ironhide and Miko discuss this in the girl's strange language, but they noticeably perk up over something, and before he knows it, Ironhide turns into a pickup truck and questions if they have satellites on the planet.

Confused in a way he hasn't been since learning the Branwen twins could turn into birds back in his first year at Beacon, Tai confirms it. The journey back and explaining to three teenagers freaking out - both in fear and excitement - over the existence of apparent sentient robots is a whirlwind for Tai, but he powers through it enough to find out from a still-explodey Miko that Ironhide is using the house's satellite antenna to broadcast a message across the planet to contact the Autobots.

Somehow, the term "Autobots" is the last straw for the senior Xiao Long, and corralling his charges into Ruby's room, Tai has Ironhide stand outside the open window and explain himself to the humans, Miko on the Autobot's shoulder the entire time. In layman's terms, Ironhide informs them in short order about the 'Bots and 'Cons, Cybertron and the war, and the battle that transpired before they were transported to Remnant, the name having been given to the two "aliens" during their discussion. Miko worries if Remnant has energon, but no sooner has she finished the comment does Wheeljack break through the comm with the news that he has an alternative, and as Tai watches a white-red-green sports car drive up the path to the house, he's stunned to see Qrow of all people step out before this vehicle transforms, too.

"Man, I need some STRONG coffee to deal with this."

Tai and Ironhide, being some of the older and more experienced members of this growing alliance, understand each other from a warrior's perspective. But more than that, they recognize in each other a paternal figure, and oftentimes are seen training with the kids, both human and Cybertronian. Once he's made sure that Tai is a competent fighter and skilled in the use of a Semblance, Ironhide allows the man to teach Miko how to use hers so she can better defend herself. Tai can always feel Ironhide watching him, making extra certain his girl is safe, and Tai likewise knows that Ironhide is aware of his presence when he's interacting with Yang and pushing her to get back into the world and accept her prosthetic arm. Although it's hard hearing Ironhide's drill sergeant attitude at the beginning, Tai recognizes that what the older 'Bot is saying to his daughter is necessary, something he later thanks him for doing as he can't bring himself to say such things to his Sunny Little Dragon. In return, Ironhide expresses his own gratitude for Tai's willingness to go toe-to-toe with Miko and not hold back in their training; normally Ironhide would do what Tai is doing with the girl, but he's too big to be able to do more than encourage and push.

This helps them bond during the Autobots' time on Remnant, and they're arguably some of the closest among the human-Autobot partnerships in the alliance. They hang out together, watch over and guide the kids, and enter the fray together, each one managing to keep Miko in their sight. Although Qrow is his brother in all but blood (even when the details of Ruby's true parentage are brought to light), Tai feels a closer bond with Ironhide. Maybe it's the violent streak they share, or the fatherly nature they express to the kids in their care, but somehow, Tai feels like he's gained a more genuine brother in Ironhide. And while the older 'Bot won't admit it in public - or in some private places - Tai knows the sentiment is reciprocated.

After all, only veterans would understand a connection as deep as their bond.

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

Here's the second part, folks! I gotta admit, I almost handed Ironhide over to Yang, but then I thought, "Why not give him Tai? They're both fathers, it'll totally work out."

And they honestly do, too! At the beginning, their team name was hard for me to find; I had been contemplating using 'dragon' in the nickname, but then I decided on using 'combat' as a part of it. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for "Combat Veterans" to enter my mind, and it truly sums them up: veterans of combat who've seen it all, but don't let it break them.

Now if you're hoping to get outside of Vale soon, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I have a few more partnerships in mind for the remaining characters in Patch, as well as at least three more 'Bots who arrive to answer Ironhide's signal. That said, once I'm done here, I'm likely gonna head to Atlas for some match ups - or I'll take a break after getting Ruby done. I don't know.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, readers! See you around!

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yuamusuzuran · 1 year ago

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Current Xiao x Aether WIP

Brand new story I started writing on AO3, my first Genshin Impact fic. Enjoy first part of chapter 1 below! Rest will be linked at the end of the post! Hope you like it!

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For many, Teyvat was a city of dreams and the city where they usually come true... if they were lucky enough, that is.

From its tall buildings in one part of the city to maintained and beautiful nature in the other, anyone should be able to find their place here, no matter their field of interest… and yet, to Xiao, this town felt so suffocating sometimes…

The rain was pouring down that day, the night sky illuminated by countless colorful lights of downtown. The atmosphere was bustling and lively even though it was near midnight, many people merely preparing to start their fun night out.

It was a perfect night to just disappear in the crowd, to be unnoticed among the chatter and excitement.

His face covered by a black facemask and his vibrant turquoise hair hidden under the beanie, the slender young man walked slowly amongst the crown, rather happy no one was screaming with excitement at the mere sight of him. He made sure to cover tattoos adorning his right arm with a hoodie, knowing that even a single glance at them would blow his cover.

That immediate recognition was something he already learned to live with, but on nights like this… he just wanted to bleed into a wall and be completely alone, away from all of the attention.

Upon crossing a massive stretch of busy street, following the crowd like he was always a part of it, Xiao stopped for a moment to take a deep breath, the smell of rain still managing to break through the fabric of his mask.

But then, a familiar golden shimmer caught his attention, his eyes slowly rising towards the massive and shiny screen stretching across multiple skyscrapers.

He could always recognize those golden eyes, that shiny glimmer of the most beautiful blonde hair and that gentle gaze that had a power to pierce through someone’s soul.

Xiao remembered so many times when that same gaze was pointed at him, so loving, tender and sweet… but then always ending up completely empty as the life was snuffed out of their vibrant look, over and over again.

The man could already feel the tears forming at the back of his eyes, glad that the rain tried to conceal his emotions as a few cold drops fell on his nose.

All of the faces on that billboard looked familiar, Xiao already guessing they had similar if not same names as in their previous lives… but other people stopping to look probably knew them for a different reason.

“Oh, aren’t these guys debuting in like a week?” someone said, Xiao trying his best not to look to his right.

“They are! And they seem really promising. Apparently their debut song is ‘Bewitchingly get your heart’ and the sound sample seems like something I’d be into” someone else elaborated, eliciting a group giggle.

“You’re awfully interested already. Is it because you like RBE?”

“What do girls from RBE have to do with anything?” a third person asked, Xiao tilting his head for just a few inches and noticing a group of girls that couldn’t be older than high school age.

“Haven’t you heard?! This blonde guy, uh… what’s his name…”

“Aether!” the second girls said scoldingly.

“Right, right!” the firs girl said. “Well, the center of RBE, Lumine, is his twin sister apparently!”

“Oh damn, that will bring them quite the attention! But let’s see if he’s any good, he just seems like a pretty face to me.”

The girls continued to argue, but Xiao couldn’t listen to them anymore. Not when it seemed some of them will start badmouthing Aether…

After taking one last glance at the billboard and five familiar faces, Xiao started walking, merging with the crowd once again.

He had known about these boys’ debut for quite a while, but for the completely different reasons. And even if those same reasons didn’t exist, Xiao would still make sure to follow their progress every step of the way… but only from a distance.

The turquoise-haired man shook his head at the upcoming thought, only then noticing the sleeve of his hoodie had risen slightly, making his gaze fall on a familiar, ever-evolving tattoo.

At the first glance, it was a simple tattoo of a small rose, its petals arranged in a very symmetrical and satisfying manner around the center whilst the pale red color faded near the edges into a darker shade of pink.

Every person in the world was born with a tattoo like this, all of them starting off as just small, inconspicuous buds. They always bloomed when a person reaches a certain level of life experience and for many people, that time is not strictly fixed. Experts for this phenomenon, however, agree that most people’s flower tattoos ‘bloom’ or change between ages of 16 and 25.

The main purpose of those tattoos is still up for debate for many experts, but they mostly agree that it’s a universal sign for soulmates.

No matter someone’s background or the type of flower they have on their wrist, there will always be a person with the same exact flower adorning their skin. Sometimes only one person shares a tattoo with the other, sometimes multiple people do, and whenever those people find each other, it’s almost a guarantee their relationship, no matter if it’s platonic or romantic, will work out and bring many fulfilling and happy memories over the course of their life.

In Xiao’s case, however, it was different and unexpected but not unheard of: he was born with already bloomed flower tattoo.

The second anomaly, however, was much rarer. His tattoo was of Middlemist Red, the rarest flower tattoo in the world… which posed a question whether he even has a living soulmate in this world.

But that question didn’t matter to him, especially not now and especially not because of that wretched tattoo.

His karma had just decided to keep reincarnating him with the same tattoo… and sometimes, the same tattoo would plague the wrist of a certain blonde man he yearned for.

The familiar rhythmic buzzing snapped Xiao out of his whirlpool of thoughts, prompting him to fetch his phone out of the pocket.

“Yes?” he said sternly, a voice on the other side calm and collected as always.

“Where are you? It’s late.

“You worried about me, Sir Zhongli?” Xiao said with a breathy chuckle, the other man returning the similar sound back.

“Yes, but also remember we have a lot of things to do tomorrow. I don’t want you to be exhausted when we reach the company.”

“I won’t sleep anyway, so why worry about that?” Xiao said before picking up the pace and heading towards the train station nearby. “I’m on my way back now. I needed some time to think….”

A pause was much longer than Xiao anticipated, allowing him to reach the underground tunnel of a rather busy train station and close the umbrella he was holding.

“Are you worried about what’ll happen tomorrow?”

Xiao stopped for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek. He could lie very easily, but he also knew Zhongli wouldn’t buy a single word if he did. There was no use…

“Yeah… but that’s something I have to do, right?”

“Yes… but only for now. You’ll tell me how you feel in a month or two. We can always leave-”

“No” Xiao said adamantly, making sure not to be too loud. “I’ll stay no matter what. I just need to keep reminding myself of certain things… and to stay way as much as I can.”

A deep sigh came from the other side of the line, Zhongli eventually chuckling again. “If that’s your decision, I will respect it. Get back home safely, alright?”

“Yes, sir”

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You can find the rest here!

Thank you for reading!

#current wip #genshin impact #xiaoaether #fanfic writing #xiao #aether #genshin fanfic #ao3fic #ao3 link #ao3 writer

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abyssruler · 2 years ago

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THE ADEPTI’S GUIDE ON HOW TO NOT CATCH FEELINGS FOR THE STRANGE MORTAL WHO HAS A MASSIVE CRUSH ON YOUR PSEUDO-DAD

pairing: xiao x fem!reader

summary: ever since you were a child, you had sworn to everyone you’ve ever met that one day you’re going to marry rex lapis, and never once has your resolve wavered. so why is your heart suddenly doing gymnastics whenever that weird adeptus fellow shows up?! he should be helping you get with rex lapis, not trying to be cute with that little happy face he makes as he takes a bite off the almond tofu you made him!

note: fem!reader, slight crack, comedy, reader is a dumbass and xiao is moronsexual that’s it that’s the fic, lumine and hu tao being wingmen, every playable character in liyue appears at some point, reader is the biggest rex lapis simp, and no you don’t know that zhongli is rex lapis

sporadic updates

PROLOGUE

When you were young, the elders of Qingce village deemed you, along with several other children, old enough and took you to see the statue of Rex Lapis. It was a long walk, but the roads were safe thanks to the adepti roaming the lands who purged it of evil—or so the elders said.

When you reached the dilapidated statue, old Granny Ruoxin immediately began a lecture that went in one ear and out the other. The statue of the Geo Archon was too tall for your tiny self to see, so you took a few steps back and stood upon a rock to see under the statue’s hood.

Perhaps it was the way the golden rays of light shone on the marble, or the fact that the statue still remained in perfect condition despite the cracks in its surroundings; but you took one look at the handsome visage of the seated statue of your Archon holding a cube, and your seven-year-old heart instantly knew that he was the one.

So you turned to the village elders and your fellow children with a large grin and proudly proclaimed,

“When I’m older, I’m going to marry Rex Lapis!”

SERIES MASTERLIST

step one: don’t go to the statue for healing

step two: should step one fail

step three

…

#lemme know if anyone wants to be added to the taglist!#this is not a zhongli series i swear #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #xiao x reader #genshin xiao x reader #fem reader #series masterlist #the adepti's guide

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iridescentlemoncandy · 2 years ago

Text

Mid-Autumn Festival

"You will be my guide from now on, right?"

[Introduction]

Osborn - Soaring Flutter

The moon is already high in the sky when I walk out of the crowded supermarket. Osborn quickens his pace and loads the stuff we bought in the back seat before slamming the door shut.

Osborn: Where do you wanna go now?

MC: Of course going b—

The first thing that crosses my mind is going back home, snuggling with Osborn on his velvety sofa as we gaze at the moon while making small talk. However, as I look at the figure leaning against the car seat, I can’t help but think that carrying out that plan would be rather dull.

MC: Going back home – initially, that’s what I think of. But now I’ve changed my mind.

He takes out two cans of lime soda and passes one of them to me.

Osborn: Seems like we have the same thought. How about we try something new tonight?

He effortlessly pulls the lid off the soda can, and bubbles gush out of the can at the sound of a ‘pop’.

MC: Eh? Don’t tell me you’ve already planned something more impressive for today’s celebration?

He raises his eyebrows slightly as a sneaky smirk curves up his lips.

Osborn: I know a place— special enough, and quite exciting.

MC: Exciting? What kind of excitement?

As I asked, his tall figure leaned down. At that moment, the gap between his pair of pale green eyes and my face is negligible.

Osborn: Why don’t you see it for yourself?

His deliberate low voice and warm breath linger in the air, adding cosiness to the car. I boldly lean in closer, meeting him eye-to-eye.

MC: Let’s go, then. Lead the way, Unstoppable Xiao.

Osborn: Oh? Cool. But I am not taking you there for free, unless……

*Smooch.* Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, I press my lips on his left cheek, leaving a trace of my lipstick.

MC: Unless what?

I rhetorically ask. Osborn was initially stunned, but as he caught on, he looked at me with utmost care.

Osborn: Unless I get another one here.

He points to his right cheek, and again, I can only do what I just did. This time, though, Osborn reaches out and grabs my waist before leaning in, making our lips meet. The sensation of his cold lips mingling with his hot, humid breath is reminiscent of a cool September night breeze.

We breathlessly entangle within the confined space for a while before slowly pulling away.

Osborn: Mmm, that’s more like it.

Satisfied, he squints his eyes. My heart is still ramming against my ribcage, but the car is already on its way to the outskirt of town. The neon lights on both sides of the road gradually fade as the night falls. The alluring celestial moon greets me as its reflection dances in the river.

MC: Is this… Jialan River?

TL/N: 嘉澜 (as written above), is a brand communication company in Shanghai founded by Tencent.

When the car finally stops, I jump out of the car and run to the riverbank, where the fresh air mingles with the smell of the earth. As I take a deep breath, I can feel the exhaustion leaving my body.

MC: This is so beautiful! Why do you say this place is exciting?

Osborn raises his hand and glances at the time on his watch before reverting his gaze to the gently rippling waves on the water’s surface.

Osborn: Chill out; give it a few more minutes.

I nod in silence as I follow his gaze and wait. The night breeze and rising tides push seafoam waves onto the shore.

Osborn: Three, two, one… Here it comes!

As soon as he finishes counting down, a silver line appears on the river’s surface, and in an instant, it grows into a roiling tide that rushes towards the river bank. The waves are rumbling like thunder as the sea foams roll in one after the other ceaselessly until they form a massive wave.

The crashing of the waves and the tides roaring make me feel like I’m in a science fiction movie, although I’m safely observing this marvel from afar. For a moment, the breathtaking panorama renders me speechless.

Osborn: How’s that? Special enough?

I nod enthusiastically and attempt to take another step forward when Osborn grabs me. A whiff of black cedar chases away the sea breeze, and I’m safely cocooned in his woodsy aroma.

Osborn: I guess I just didn’t realise it, but aren’t you a thrill-seeker?

MC: Huh?

I feel a gentle knock on my forehead.

Osborn: Silly little girl, if you take another step forward, it could be dangerous.

MC: Oh… okay, got it.

Nonetheless, he doesn’t loosen his grip on me but stands behind me and gently tightens his arms around me, resting his chin on my neck. Before my eyes is a massive wave that could swallow the moon, but the heat from him radiating through his shirt makes me feel safe and comfortable in some subtle way.

As we lost track of time watching the wave, it finally subsided. The calmness of the water’s surface is restored, and the silvery moonlight once again reflects off of it. Osborn lifts me onto the hood of the car and then hops up onto it, settling next to me. Seeing this, I follow his lead and lie down. The bright moon hangs in the vast darkness of the sky, showering the earth with its light.

MC: Osborn.

Osborn: Hmm?

MC: Maybe because I’ve just witnessed such ferocious waves, I now find the moon so mild.

He seems to think about my question for a while before breaking the silence.

Osborn: Maybe having you by my side has made me think the moon is delicate as well.

I slightly turn my head in Osborn’s direction, only to realise that he has been staring at me all along.

MC: Anyway, how did you know we could watch the waves here?

Osborn: I stumbled upon it by chance. When I was young, I had nowhere to go at Mid-Autumn Festival. So, I wandered around and found this place.

He speaks in a soft voice, but for some reason, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I take a deep breath in an attempt to lift my spirit.

MC: If only I could be there with you at that moment, everything would be better. I would’ve enjoyed this spectacular wave earlier.

He turns towards me. One of his hands cradles my head, and the other rests on my waist. He continues to look at me, and the intensity of his expression changes.

Osborn: At the time, I was an even bigger mess than I am now. I got completely soaked by the waves and had a fever for a few days. I couldn’t stand to watch you go through what I went through back then.

We look at each other for a while until the tide comes back and swallows up the words I was going to say. Hence, I just slowly lean into his embrace, and the surrounding noises gradually fade away.

MC: I still insist even if you can’t take it. In any case, I’d love to see the places you’ve been to for myself. Unstoppable Xiao, you will be my guide from now on, right?

Osborn: Yes.

A wind gushes through the shore. The moment, albeit brief, feels solemn as it fades away into the endless moonlight.

#light and night #光与夜之恋 #osborn #xiao yi #萧逸

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starfinss · 3 years ago

Text

Peace Offering — Xiao 1/2

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Summary: You get a job at the Wangshu Inn after moving to Liyue, where you find an unlikely friendship in the resident Adeptus.

Pairing: Xiao x Reader

Rating: Fluff (SFW)

Word Count: 3,400

You met him your second night of working at the Wangshu Inn.

It was a clear, chilly night. The moon was fat and full in the sky, and the stars shone like the lights of distant ships on a dark sea. The moonlight bathed the rugged landscape of Liyue in ghostly blue, the shadows hard and sharp. The mountains carved their place in the horizon with hard lines and jagged peaks, silhouetted by that same ghostly blue. So much of Liyue was wild, fill of ancient ruins and monsters. Untamed.

You couldn't get this kind of view in Mondstadt.

The branches of trees with marigold colored leaves swayed in the breeze far below you, as well as above your head, filling the cool night air with the smell of damp leaves. It had rained that day, but you were glad it cleared up at night, or you wouldn't have found this balcony, tucked away at the top of the third floor. It opened up to a breathtaking panoramic view of the Liyue countryside, and if you looked off in the distance, you could see the statue of Barbatos that stood in front of the cathedral, all the way in Mondstadt. Dragonspine Mountain stood tall and proud, its snowy peaks glistening.

You gazed out at the distant statue of Barbatos, willing the homesickness away. Your fingers rested on the Anemo vision attached to the thin white ribbon around your throat, the stone smooth and cool beneath your skin. It was hard to sleep so far from home.

No, you reminded yourself, this is home now.

You hadn't slept well last night, and instead of laying in bed and willing for sleep to come like you had then, you decided to explore the Inn that night. You'd gotten to Liyue only a week before, and after camping alongside the road, another traveler happened across you and informed you of the Inn, and told you that if you needed work, the Inn was hiring. You followed his directions and set off, coming across the building near sundown. You'd been awed by the Wangshu Inn's grand architecture, at the massive tree that hugged the structure, keeping it aloft. You asked for a job and got it after a brief interview, were given the tour, the rundown of your duties as staff, and assigned a room.

It wasn't exactly lavish, but it was comfortable. You were right at home. The bed was soft and the staff was nice, as were the patrons, helping you through your stumbling Liyuen (which you'd taken as an elective in school and passed with flying colors, thank you very much), but as your boss and patrons spoke rapid fire to you, you realized you still had a lot to learn. After two days in Liyue, your Liyuen was already better, much to your relief. They do say exposure is the best way to learn, after all.

You pulled your shawl more tightly around your body to combat the cold. The silk nightgown you'd been given by your boss was Liyue style, unfamiliar, but the shawl smelled like home. This would all certainly take some getting used to.

"Who are you?"

You jumped so hard you were afraid you'd fall over the balcony railing, whirling around and pressing a palm to your chest to calm your hammering heart.

A man was standing in front of you.

He looked to be about your age, standing around the same height as well, maybe an inch taller. He had delicate, almost painted on features with a sharp, defined jaw. His eyes were almost shocking in their intensity, wide and framed with thick eyelashes with irises the color of burnished amber. He had dark teal hair with lighter, feathery undertones, reaching the middle of his neck with longer locks in the front, parted away from his face. You noticed there was a small purple marking on his forehead, shaped like a diamond.

He was dressed in a tightly fitted white shirt with a high black collar, accented with gold where the shades met. A necklace hung around his neck, made up of large white beads with two tasseled ones accenting the actual pendant, something that reminded you of a knife you'd seen in books about Inazuma, a kunai knife. One arm, his left one, had a detached sleeve, one that reminded you of a kimono sleeve, the end decorated with a circle of jade. The fabric itself was patterned with clouds.

His legs were covered by a pair of deep purple trousers tucked into boots of a lighter but dustier shade of purple. Around his waist were intricate gold ornaments hanging from a cloth belt, the cloth itself billowing around his hips, the front one patterned with the same clouds as his sleeve. Additionally, black gloves covered his hands, accented with gold and jade, complete with knuckle guards. On his left wrist, attached to the glove, was a gold inlay with a stone that you initially mistook as another piece of jade, but you then noticed the symbol of the Anemo archon. A vision.

Finally, at his hip hung a mask. It was a strange mask, with gold markings and long teeth and ears, reminding you of... a fox? A jackal? You were unsure. Your eyes fell to the strange green tattoo on his right arm, intricate and artistic, but you couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be either.

The man regarded you, amber eyes unwavering. He radiated power that was almost palpable in the air around you. Despite his slender frame, you could see muscle. He was lithe and toned, like a panther. He was beautiful.

"I will ask again," he said, "who are you?"

You realized you'd been staring, and you coughed. "O-oh, I'm (Y/N). Who are you?"

His eyes hardened, and you stepped back slightly, your lower back pressing into the balcony railing.

"What do you want?"

You stared at him. "I— I work at the Inn. I can't sleep, and I found this balcony, and the view is beautiful, so I stayed to watch the stars."

"You work at the Inn," he repeated, "then how have I never seen you before?"

You had a feeling that one wrong answer could get you tossed from the balcony, so you chose your words carefully.

"I started work here yesterday. That's why. I— Who exactly are you?"

The man walked towards you, and even his motions reminded you of a predator, his eyes boring into your very soul.

"I am Xiao. Guardian Yaksha, Mighty and Illuminated Adeptus."

Adeptus. You remembered learning about Adepti. They were basically guardians of Liyue, protecting the land from demons and evil gods. They were worshipped and revered through the the nation. You looked up at Xiao, and his eyes told you he wasn't lying. Despite his youthful appearance, his eyes were old. He'd seen the wars you read about in history books for himself, never changing or aging, always remaining how he was.

How... sad.

The thought took you by surprise, but it was sad. Being just as you are as you watch loved ones wither and die. But you guessed you were thinking from a human perspective. Adepti were never human.

You came back to the present, eyes meeting Xiao's, and you didn't know what to say.

"It is within your best interest to leave this place."

You blinked. "Uh. Why?"

"It is for your safety. Interacting with humans too much is against our rules. And as you have no sigil of permission, I am also a danger to you."

You drummed your fingers against the railing. "I'm not even allowed to stay and watch the stars?"

"No," he said, his answer curt.

That was when you started to get annoyed. "Okay, look. I didn't seek you out, so I don't need a sigil of permission. Are all Adepti this... pissy?"

Xiao stared at you. "I do not wish for company."

You sighed. "Do you ever?"

"No."

"Oh, so this balcony of off limits when you're here?"

"Yes."

"You filthy balcony hog."

Xiao looked affronted. "I beg your pardon! I am not—"

"No," you said, "I beg your pardon. I was just trying to watch the stars and you come waltzing up here like you own the place, but is there anywhere on this balcony where there's a sign that says 'this belongs to Xiao?'"

"Well—"

"No," you finished, "now, can you let me be homesick in peace? I don't care if you're basically a god, all I want is some piece and quiet."

And you did get quiet. You suspected you'd stunned Xiao to it.

"Homesick?" He finally said.

You snorted. "Why would my life be important to you?"

"I protect Liyue. Her citizens are important to me."

You glanced sidelong at him. "You offer the citizens of this massive country emotional support?"

Xiao looked away. "No. Forget it."

You shook your head. "No, you asked. I'm not from Liyue. I've only been here a few days, and I was born in Mondstadt. So, I miss home. I can see the statue from here, and it makes me feel a little closer."

"Statue?"

You nodded. "Yeah, the one of Lord Barbatos. Just there, you see it?"

You gestured to the faraway statue of the wind god.

"Yes, I see," Xiao said, "this also explains why your Liyuen is subpar at best."

You glared at him. "Excuse me if I haven't been speaking the language for three thousand years like you have."

Xiao took a deep breath in through his nose. "I have never met a human like you."

You picked at your fingernails absently, staring down at the glistening water below. "What do you mean?"

Xiao was quiet a moment or two. "I have never met a human as infuriating as you."

"I've never met an Adeptus as infuriating as you," you shot back.

"How many Adepti have you met?"

"You're the only one," you said.

"Then you have nothing to compare to."

You snorted. "You set the bar very low. I bet all the other Adepti are rays of sunshine compared to you."

You turned to meet Xiao's eyes, and he studied you with calculating eyes, expression hard and unreadable. "You speak with little regard for your own safety."

You raised an eyebrow, but your hand instinctively went to your vision at your throat. "Do I?"

"Yes," Xiao said, "I have destroyed humans for less insolence."

"Then why am I standing here, not destroyed?"

Xiao considered this. "Because you intrigue me."

"So that means I can come back to the balcony tomorrow night?"

Xiao glared at you. "Absolutely not."

You grinned. "But you said I intrigue you."

Xiao rolled his eyes. "That does not mean I like you."

"Not even a little bit?"

"No!" Xiao's brow twitched with annoyance, "not at all!"

Ouch. Even though you didn't know this guy, that stung just a little. You decided you'd take it gracefully, though. Well, as gracefully as you already had been taking it, which was not at all.

"Good," you said, "because I don't like you either."

"Then leave!" Xiao said, his voice taking on a note of exasperation.

You turned on your heel, starting for the door. "Fine."

"Do not come back, you infuriating creature."

You glanced over your shoulder as you rounded the corner. "See you tomorrow night, then."

"Wha— NO!"

You dashed off into your room, closing the door behind you, back against the wood. You let out a laugh. A good laugh, one you hadn't really had since leaving home. You'd definitely be coming back the next night. The view was wonderful and the company was... It would take some getting used to. But you didn't dislike Xiao. There was something magnetic about him. You weren't sure wether it was an Adeptus thing of if it was because he was one of the prettiest men you'd ever seen in person. Either way, you wanted to know more about him.

You lay down in bed, and for the first time since you came to Liyue, sleep came easily.

—————

The next morning at the front desk, you asked Verr Goldet about Xiao.

"Oh, you met the resident Adeptus? He's not usually in a good mood, so we rarely see him. You must've really piqued his interest."

"Something like that," you said.

You scratched Wei behind the ears, making the cat purr, rubbing his face against your hand.

"So," Verr said, "what did you wanna know about him?"

You shrugged. "Interests?"

Verr laughed. "He isn't much of a talker."

You thought back to the night before. "He talked to me quite a bit. Called me an 'infuriating creature.'"

"How sweet."

You snorted, "I know. A charmer, that one."

"Seriously, though, (Y/N)," Verr said, "give him respect. He's a protector of Liyue and as old as Rex Lapis himself. He's a dangerous force."

"Well, is there a way to make peace with him?" You asked.

Verr considered this, leafing through her directory book absently.

"Almond tofu."

You frowned. "What?"

"His favorite dish, almond tofu. Give that to him and he might be less grumpy."

"Okay," you said, "and where do I get almond tofu?"

"Have Yanxiao make some or whip some up yourself. It isn't that hard, just milk, almonds, and sugar. Ask Yanxiao for the recipe."

Yanxiao wasn't the most agreeable man, but when it came to cooking he got serious. You thanked Verr and after giving Wei a final scratch on the chin, you went downstairs into the kitchen, where Yanxiao was working on breakfast.

"Smells great," you said, and the chef looked up.

"Oh. (Y/N). What do you want?"

You glanced around the room, locating the ingredients you'd need on the stocked shelves.

"I need to make almond tofu. Will you help me?"

Yanxiao looked at you quizzically. "Why?"

"Because I haven't the foggiest how to make Liyue cuisine, so I thought I'd ask a master."

Yanxiao puffed out his chest, obviously liking the compliment. "You came to the right place. Grab the ingredients and we'll start."

With a mock salute, you did as you were told.

————

Cooking with Yanxiao was somewhat of a nightmare. He got angry at even the slightest misstep, and you ended up sitting on a stool most of the time instead of helping. You had to run to the market midway through on Verr's orders, something Yanxiao didn't seem to have a problem with. When you returned, the almond tofu sat in a dish on the kitchen counter, ready for you to take. You thanked Yanxiao, who grunted in assent, and you went up to the balcony.

The sun was setting, casting golden light across the planes of Liyue, making the water below sparkle like a sea of new coins. You set the almond tofu down on the edge of a pot beside you and absently picked up a piece, biting into it.

It was delicious. You hummed in content and marveled at the silky smooth texture, the undertone of almonds, the sweetness of the sugar. You could eat this all day. You could see why it was Xiao's favorite.

"I thought I told you not to come back here."

You started, almost choking on your almond tofu, and you pounded on your chest to clear your throat and swallow.

"And I thought," you coughed, "I said I'd see you tonight."

Xiao rolled his eyes. "You disrespectful little— I should toss you into the lake."

"Hey now," you said, "I brought a peace offering."

You pointed to the dish, and Xiao's eyes fell to it.

"That... That changes nothing."

But from the longing look in his eyes, you could tell it changed a few things.

You groaned. "You have no idea how much I had to go through to make this. Cooking with Yanxiao should come with a warning label. Just eat the damn tofu and watch the sky with me."

"With you?"

You looked at him incredulously. "No, with Wei. Of course with me, do you see anyone else on this balcony?"

Xiao stared at you so long it was beginning to get creepy, but then he walked over, scooped the dish of almond tofu into his arms, and crossed to stand beside you, munching away. When you reached over to take a piece, he grabbed your wrist so tightly it hurt, eyes narrowed in a steely glare.

"You're not sharing?" You asked.

"No," the Adeptus replied, his voice firm, telling you that was the end of the discussion.

"Fine. Rude."

Xiao looked at you with exasperation. "Me? Rude? You have been nothing but rude."

"Barging in and demanding someone leave a balcony because you want to be there and they can't is pretty rude, yeah," you said.

A muscle twitched in Xiao's jaw. "You little—"

You sighed. "Okay, okay. Verr told me to respect you, so I will. I brought that tofu as a symbol of goodwill. A peace offering. So let's stop the whole hating each other thing now."

"I do not hate you."

You took a breath to stop yourself from laughing. "Could've fooled me."

"I am simply annoyed by you."

"Likewise. But regardless, I hoped we could be friends or something. I like this balcony, you like this balcony. Things would be easier if we weren't bickering all the time."

"Friends?"

You nodded. "Just a thought. I don't have many friends in Liyue yet."

"I do not have... friends."

You twisted your mouth. "That's... pretty sad, actually. How dreary life would be without friends. You seriously have no friends at all? Not even the Inn staff?"

"No."

You pressed your palms together. "Alright. It's settled then."

Xiao looked at you. "What is?"

"I'll be your friend from now on."

Xiao looked so done with you. "No."

"Too late," you said, "it's already started."

"Absolutely not."

You fought a smile. "I'll bring almond tofu on the weekends."

Xiao hesitated. "Still no."

"I won't ask you to share."

Xiao glared at you. "I said— Archons, you're infuriating. Fine. I give up. Come and go as you please, since there seems to be no getting rid of you, but we are not friends."

You smiled at your small victory. "Fantastic. I'll be here every night to watch the sky. I'll bring almond tofu."

Xiao simply glared at you as he ate, which was funnier that it's should have been.

"...Friend," you added.

Xiao groaned. "I changed my mind. I do hate you."

You grinned. "No, you don't."

"Are you saying I am lying?"

"Yeah," you replied. The first few stars were beginning to come out, speckling the darkening sky.

"I am not," he simply said.

"If you hated me, you would have thrown me into the lake already."

A short, dry chuckle. "I suppose you have a point. But you do infuriate me, (Y/N)."

"I'm good at that," you said.

"Extremely," Xiao said flatly.

"Well," you said, "get used to it."

"I will not."

You snorted. "Of course not."

The two of you watched the sky in comfortable silence, talking aimlessly and bickering about nothing long after Xiao had finished his food, and you were eventually so tired you had to sit down. It was the second time you felt like sleep would come easily since arriving, and you didn't know if that had to do with Xiao or not.

"I'm tired," you said, and Xiao rolled his eyes.

"Then go to bed, you silly creature."

You stood, crossing to the doorway, Xiao's empty plate in hand.

"Y'know," you said, glancing over your shoulder, not unlike the night before, "I think you're beginning to like me."

Xiao made a sour face. "Absolutely not."

You smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Hopefully not," Xiao said.

"Definitely will."

You took off down the corridor back to your room before he could get a word in, your grin splitting your face in half. When you moved to Liyue, you had no idea you'd become friends— acquaintances— let's go with friends— with one of Liyue's guardian deities. But as you laid down in your bed, eyelids heavy, you knew it was a good thing.

As you fell asleep, you only wondered how you'd manage to get on his immortal nerves next.

#xiao #genshin impact #xiao x reader #genshin impact xiao #xiao genshin x reader #genshin imagines #genshin x reader #My writing #fanfiction #There’s a part two #so stay tuned

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howlingday · 3 years ago

Note

first arc au) there was only one arc in the far distant annals of history. jaune arc... and also all his sisters but he was techiqually the first and thanks to his semblance he's immortal and never aging.

he's been quietly living in the forrests of vale for a few thousand years until he saved a woman named summer rose from being a grimm. now he is honor bound to see her home and back to her family

just how will the world react to this immortal knight well outside his time?

Knight

How long was he asleep this time? Two hours? Three?

When he fell asleep, the sun was setting. Waking now, the sky was dark with no stars above to shine down.

His throat was dry, so he wandered to the river, where he kneeled to the flowing water and scooped a handful to his mouth. The cool water chilled his throat, satisfying his thirst.

A piercing scream echoed through the forest. He stood up immediately, grasping Crocea Mors and heran, keeping the sword steady as he barreled through the thicket, snapping branches and scaring the inhabitants of the forests he passed.

As the screaming continued, he unsheathed the blade from its scabbard. It hissed as it scraped free.

He soon reached the source of the screaming, a young woman being mauled by a large, black creature. It had the sobbing woman in it's jaws as it tossed her to and fro. She wailed and screamed, interrupted only when her body was struck against the trees and rocks.

It released her, and pinned itself atop her body, it's massive paw cracking her ribs as it landed hard. A breathless gasp escaped her, ending the screaming. She wheezed as she looked into the eyeless terror illuminated only by the hovering moon. It lowered it's fanged maw to her head...

...Then touched it's forehead to hers, before tipping over to her side. The black and white of the beast's body scattered like ash in the wind, leaving behind only a decapitated corpse.

"Hm, that's new." The woman looked to a new figure in the moonlight. It was a tall, handsome young man, about half her age. He sheathed his sword, slick with blood, and knelt to the woman's side. "Can you speak?" She wheezed, but couldn't speak. He hummed in thought, then slipped his arms beneath her form. He carried her through the forest, taking care not to exacerbate her wounds any further.

He reached a road, then followed it until he saw the lights of a nearby town's street lamps. He reached the medical clinic and kicked the door hard.

"It's four in the morning," the doctor shouted from inside, "what could be so important that-"

"Her." The man answered. The doctor gulped, gesturing the man to enter swiftly. As she examined her patient, she asked him questions.

"What happened to her?"

"Grimm attack."

"When did this happen?"

"Hour ago."

"Do you know her?"

"No."

"Can you help me?"

Jaune thought for a moment. He wanted to go back to forest. He wanted to sleep a little more before he had to hunt for breakfast. But he knew the right answer. The same answer his mentor gave him when he was asked the same question.

"Yes."

The woman awoke hours later. She groaned in pain. She opened her eyes and saw she was in bed in a hospital, or some type of medical clinic. She grunted as she tried to lift herself up.

"I wouldn't." She stopped, looking to her right, where the young man from earlier sat. He was blonde with blue eyes, and a beard hiding his mouth and jaw. "You were gravely injured. The doctor said you were lucky."

"Thank you," she smiled softly, "but I have to hurry home. My daughters-"

"Can wait a little longer. Just one day of rest rest won't be enough."

"But my girls-"

"Will understand, I'm sure."

She sighed. Until this man allowed her to leave, she was stuck in bed. Normally, she would be reading to Yang or Ruby a bedtime story. Now, she had neither of her children, nor her books to read.

"Have you seen my scroll?" She asked.

"No." He answered. "I assume that monster tore up any papers you were carrying."

She blinked. "Papers?"

"Yes, papers. Unless your scroll was made of stone."

"Oh, no." She chuckled. "My scroll. It's my personal electronic communication device. I just open it up, and I can talk to whoever I want."

"How?" He asked, leaning close. "Magic?"

She laughed. He was right for her to stay in bed. Her body ached from laughing! She rubbed her side with a light moan before continuing. "No, not magic. I think it's electricity, and radio waves, and... You know what? It's better if I show you. Could you hand me find a metal tube that the doctor took from me?"

The young man nodded, and passed the tube to her from the personal storage at the foot of her bed. She pressed the center button, unlocking and expanding the scroll in her hands. He stared in awe, hand on his bushy chin, at the technological marvel. She dialed her home number, and the device rang twice before a sunny-blonde answered.

"Mommy!"

"Hi, Yang!" It was so good to see her smiling face again. "Have you been a good girl for Daddy?"

"Mhm!" She nodded. "Ruby and I have been eating our veggies, and brushing our teeth, and and sitting quietly, and and-"

Summer chuckled. "Okay, I believe you. Is Daddy there?"

"Daddy's still sleeping."

"Sleeping?"

Yang nodded. "Mhm!" She moved the camera from her face to show Tai passed out on the couch. "We stayed up late watching Pumpkin Pete!"

"Really? That sounds wonderful! I wish I was there."

"Mommy?" The camera returned to the girl's face, whose eyes seemed to shine. "When are you coming home?"

Summer gave a soft smile. "Soon. In about a few days, I'd say. So keep being good girls for Daddy, okay?"

Her smiled returned. "Okay!"

"Oh, before I go, I want you to meet someone." She looked to the young man and gestured him to get closer. "Yang, this is my new friend. He helped me out of a bad spot."

Jaune leaned closer to her side. He tilted his head with interest, both at the scroll's screen, and the girl within. Her eyes shined with curiosity. "Wow! Who are you, mister?"

"I'm Jaune." He replied. "Jaune Arc."

"Jaune," Summer repeated, smiling "thank you for helping me. I'm Summer Rose, and this is-"

"Mommy!" The girl whined. "I wanna say it!"

Summer chuckled. "Okay, okay!"

"I'm Yang Xiao Long! Nice to meetcha!"

"It's nice to meet you, too." Jaune smiled, for what felt like the first time in forever.

#rwby #summer rose #jaune arc #rwby au #the first arc au #yang xiao long

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wesimpforxiao · 3 years ago

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Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 10.3: The FINAL Chapter!

Author’s Note: IM SO SORRY IM A DAY LATE I ENDED UP BEING BUSIER THAN EXPECTED AND HAD TROUBLE WRITING BUT HERE IT IS!!!! THANK YOU FOR READING! Be sure to stick around for Inception(Childexreader) ;)

"Xiao! Come here real quick!"

The yaksha glanced your way but didn't bother to get up since you were the one approaching him. It took a moment to register that your hands were entangled in his hair, placing something in it. Your smile was unusually bright today--so much so that it was blinding. Not that he minded though; you've been through a lot these past few months. Maybe this was the happiest you've been in awhile.

"I knew it," you beamed as you admired the flower crown atop his head, "You look so cute!"

"C...Cute?" His gaze flicked away from you for a moment while the tips of his ears reddened. "I-"

"Oh, take the compliment already. We've been together for awhile now. You don't need to be so shy around me." You let yourself fall back onto the grass that was shaded by a large orange tree. Is it a gingko? I need to ask Aether next time he comes in here, your mind trailed.

"I..." Xiao returned his attention to you and lay down next to you, careful not to invade personal space and always leaving an inch or two of space between the two of you. He let his hands lay on his abdomen until he jumped a little from you scooting over without a word. When he looked at you, he was greeted by a cheeky smile.

"I know you're not used to this type of thing called affection, but I can tell you don't mind it."

"Hmph. You've gotten smarter."

"Hey, I told you I'm not a stupid human!"

"You're beginning to sound like Aether's companion."

"Okay, there is a huge difference between emergency food and a stupid human."

"So you admit it?"

"Ugh, keep this up and I'll have no choice but to put more flowers in your hair."

"Do you dishonor every adeptus you come across?"

"Well, you're the only adeptus I've met besides Rex--Er, Zhongli!" The filtered sunlight peeking through the leaves above blinded you when you broke eye contact with Xiao, so instead you propped yourself on your side and admired the view behind him.

Aether's Serenitea Pot was massive. It had to span a mile or two in every direction, and the entire territory sat upon five tall cliffs that were connected via wooden bridges and held flowing waterfalls. The weather was always pleasant day-round. There were several pets outside of the main house on the main cliff that you had befriended, while Xiao seemed to connect the most with one of the gray tabby cats near the entrance. You had caught them sitting quietly together on several occasions.

"Granny would've loved this place," you sigh.

"I shall go with you to visit her grave." He didn't look at you as he said this, but the sincerity of his words rang as clear as the sky above. "...She'd be happy to know you're safe."

"All thanks to you." Despite originally admiring the scenery, your eyes had drifted downward and landed on his stomach. Both of you were fully healed by now because of Bennett, and neither of you had any lasting effects from your battles minus the required resting time. Your side held a prominent scar both at your front and your back, but did Xiao even get scars? He never revealed the answer--mostly because you were too embarrassed to ask--and thus leaving the idea to your imagination.

"I should probably check on the situation outside soon; it's been awhile since Aether updated us." Xiao sat up and summoned his spear--he had mentioned a few times that it was difficult for him to relax here and needed to keep himself busy since a comfortable life is a foreign concept.

"Oh, right..." Your gaze followed his figure as he rose to his feet. Sensing your--what was it, disappointment?--Xiao turned to you and removed his flower crown before gently placing it atop your head. That action was followed by a faint smile, then his lips lightly pecked the tip of your nose.

"I shouldn't be long."

"You two love birds have made quite the nest here! I've gotta say, Aether's got great taste." A familiar voice caught both of you off your guard and Xiao's stance became aggressively defensive in an instant. You and Xiao were supposed to be the only ones in the teapot at the moment, and even then, those who did occasionally stay in here didn't greet you like this. The person that voice belonged to wasn't welcome--or at least, belonged to a presumably-dead man--regardless of that savior act he pulled in Snezhnaya.

"Childe?" More shocked than afraid, you too rose to your feet. "What're you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I came here because I had something to say." The harbinger was as carefree as ever, but as he walked towards you a slight limp became noticeable in his steps. He was hiding an injury, but was it from Scaramouche or from Aether?

"What did you do to Aether?" Xiao's voice was as low as a growl as he raised his spear higher. He stood slightly ahead of you to ensure your safety since you no longer had a vision and couldn't use those mysterious anemo powers ever since the rescue. And knowing you and your idiotic tendencies, he had to make sure you didn't do something stupid like try to fight Childe if provoked.

"Haha! Relax! Aether and Mr. Zhongli are doing just fine; in fact, they allowed me to enter!" Childe hid a wince when he stopped walking, but noticed the flicker of recognition in your eyes. His lips curled upward with flattery. "Don't worry, ojou-chan. A little scuff isn't going to take me out."

"I-I wasn't worrying about you."

He seemed unconvinced but faced Xiao again anyway. "You'd be pleased to know that both Aether and Zhongli let me in on their own accord--no manipulation from me whatsoever." The fact that he had to clarify that! "Why don't we chat over lunch? I'll cook. Show me to the kitchen, girlie?"

.............

To say that you and Xiao were staring was a bit of an understatement. Here you were, both sitting at the dining table in the main hall of Aether's adeptal house watching Childe cook up a meal fit for a large family while expertly navigating the kitchen like it was his own. And when he served you, the delicious aroma that wafted into your nose was nothing short of enticing. You and Xiao withheld your utensils--one out of weariness, and the other because it's not almond tofu.

"What?" Childe let out a slight chuckle as he took his seat and dug into his plate. You have no idea how thankful he was that there were forks in the drawers instead of chopsticks. "Oh, perhaps you two already ate before my arrival? More for me then I suppose."

"Um, so why are you here?"

"I figured I'd give you an update regarding our little situation outside."

"'Little?'" Xiao couldn't contain his scoff. He hadn't dismissed his weapon either, and it levitated beside his seat.

"Seems like the quiet life hasn't changed you one bit, yaksha." The harbinger stopped stuffing his face and set his fork aside to look at you. "Regarding what happened with Scaramouche, I think it's safe to say I won."

"If it weren't for you coming here today, I would've assumed your untimely demise." Ignoring Xiao's look of disapproval, you reached for your utensils and started to eat. Both of you hadn't taken your eyes off of the harbinger as he cooked, so the chances that he may have tampered with the ingredients were low. Plus it'd be out of his character to go about eliminating enemies like that. "I'm grateful that you saved my life, but don't think for a second that that makes up for everything you've done to us."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare. I know I've been aggressive for lack of a better term, but I'd like you to know that I'm only like that when it comes to my duties as one of the eleven harbingers. Aside from that, I'm happy to call you a comrade just as I view Aether and Zhongli."

"Woah woah woah," you nearly choked. "I'm certainly not going to start viewing you as a friend now."

Childe simply laughed at your objection. "Think what you may, but I do respect you and the rest of Aether's party. As for my motherland and it's affairs, I think you'd be happy to know that the Tsaritsa has stopped her pursuit of you and Xiao. She's not exactly appreciative of you wrecking the palace and would like to avoid any further destruction that can hamper her current plans."

"That's all it took for her to leave us alone? You must be joking." The archon had spent so much time and resources on hunting and imprisoning you--the idea of her giving up just like that had to be unrealistic, right? And the fact that Xiao managed to bring the entire palace down...there's got to be some sort of bounty on your heads.

Childe met your gaze and held a level of sincerity equivalent to the time when he confessed his feelings and offered you a position among the harbingers on Dragonspine. "Not in the slightest. Regardless, you're free to lead carefree lives from now on. Though if you'd like to rejoin the Fatui I'm sure I can pull some--"

"Nope. I'm done with that."

"Ha! Very well then." Childe resumed eating with an amused grin on his face, but Xiao wasn't satisfied with this conversation yet.

"You've given us no reason to trust your words." His stare was hard and calculating as he tried to decipher any hidden motives behind Childe's friendliness. It wouldn't be unusual for this to be some kind of trick. In fact, he expected that there'd be some sort of catch.

The harbinger sent a brief glance Xiao's way before guiding another forkful of food into his mouth and shrugging. "...Like I said, think what you may. I don't care if you two choose to live in this realm or in Teyvat with the rest of us. But then again it must be incredibly boring for a guardian yaksha to be lounging around in this domestic place. I know I'd be driven mad if I had to live in such a quiet place for so long."

Xiao didn't flinch or give any indication that he was right, but your eyes briefly flicked his way. It was uncomfortable for him to be 'relaxing' here with nothing to do. It wasn't surprising that he'd be yearning to go out and uphold his contract with Rex Lapis again.

............

"Childe, wait." Your hand gripped his forearm rather aggressively as he reached for the door handle to take his leave. Xiao had heard a disturbance outside and went to check on the realm just in case, so it was only the two of you inside the mansion.

"What is it, ojou-chan? Miss me already?"

"Yeah right." As he turned to face you, your grip lightened until you let go. He hadn't called you 'Mezzetin' once since he got here, only referring to you with this nickname like old times...Childe raised a confused brow. "Why?"

"...Why? Why what?"

"Why did you save me? You could've just let Scaramouche kill me back there. So...why did you risk your life to save mine when you didn't care less when I was tortured?" Your stance was firm as you faced him head-on. "I need to know."

"Ah," Childe awkwardly scratched the back of his head, "that." Some sort of conflict flickered in those blue eyes of his as he formulated an answer he didn't quite know himself. "Like I said earlier ojou-chan, I've always seen you as a com--no. As a friend. Just as Zhongli and I converse despite the Osial controversy, I see you in the same light despite my loyalty to the Tsaritsa."

"That doesn't answer my question, though. You had several opportunities to stop what was happening, and it was only then when you decided to step in. So why then? What changed your mind?"

"I don't know."

"Bullshit, Tartaglia. There's got to be strings attached to this, right? You expect something in return from me? Just get on with it already and tell me."

"I doubt you'd be satisfied with my answer regardless," he muttered mostly to himself. "I may be kind of a bad guy, but I'm not completely heartless." He observed the stumped expression that sat on your face as the gears turned in your head. Then, he turned to the door again. "When you're ready, you should join Mr. Zhongli and I for drinks sometime. Farewell, girlie." He was gone.

Despite the deep-rooted grudge you held against the harbinger now, you couldn't help but still hold some sense of familiarity or gratitude for him. You might just take on that offer if only to purposely antagonize him at the dinner table.

......

"Xiao, how did you get your tattoo?" The two of you were sitting beneath another one of the many trees native to Liyue in the adeptal realm, still waiting for news regarding your return to the mortal realm. Several days have passed since Childe paid you a visit, and Zhongli and Aether still had yet to check in on the two of you. To keep Xiao occupied and keep him from worrying, you'd ask him questions. "I don't have any of your memories of it."

Despite his memories being shared with you due to your bond, the further back in time they're from, the blurrier they got. The oldest memory you could 'remember' dealt with the god that enslaved him, and even then, there was no mention of the mysterious green markings that sat on his arm.

"I've always had these markings," he answered gruffly. He had sat up a moment prior with the intent to exit the teapot out of concern for your companions, but your random question caught him off guard. His amber eyes narrowed cynically when your fingers traced them.

"Do they have a special meaning?"

"'Meaning?'" His gaze averted for a moment as he decided whether or not to indulge such a topic. But your eyes were so full of life as you traced his arm, and your touch was so warm... "They represent my true form."

"True form?" You tilted your head and attempted to picture whatever the heck he would be, but all you saw were a bunch of random shapes. The other adepti in Liyue are shaped like deer and cranes, but what the heck was this mosaic supposed to be picturing? "And, uh, what would that be?"

Xiao let out a tiresome sigh and realized he may have made a mistake in answering these questions. Now that he had told you, you weren't going to stop asking until you got to see for yourself. He never uses his true form; very few had ever seen it and those who have have already passed. Zhongli had only ever seen it once.

Seeing his apparent concern made you raise a brow. "No way. Don't tell me your true form is a bug or something!"

"Tch. Is that really what came to mind?" Xiao shot you a glare before standing. He was planning on walking away and ending the conversation, but your silent pleading made him reconsider almost instantly. We are alone, he thought. Perhaps I could show her once. "Fine," he grumbled. "Close your eyes."

You obeyed. He didn't exactly say 'no' when you asked if he'd be a bug. He wasn't going to appear as such...right? Butterflies fluttered in your stomach at the anticipation. And just as your excitement grew, so did the winds that brushed past you. Even the leaves in the tree above were shaking violently. Then, everything stilled. Something soft brushed your fingertips, which were resting on your knees. It was a cue.

"Hm?" Xiao was no longer standing over you. Instead stood a majestic bird with blue and green feathers that shimmered like glitter in the sunlight that filtered through the tree branches. "You're--!"

"--a bird," he finished. He didn't say anything for a moment and allowed you to take it all in, seemingly shy or even embarrassed as you instantly reached out to touch him.

The blush that rushed to your cheeks was ignored by the both of you while your fingers grazed over the feathers that stuck up from the top of his head. He was beautiful; as breathtaking as a peacock, even. Your fingers trailed down the back of his long neck, earning a rise of feathers as Xiao contemplated your movements. His feathers were softer than the finest textiles in Liyue! And the tail feathers he had must've been as long as you are tall. They glowed a light blue that's similar to the eyes of his mask.

"So beautiful," you whispered in adoration. Xiao shifted his wait to his other foot. "Thank you for showing me." The fact that he did showed how much trust he placed in you--

The sound of a twig snapping scared the crap out of both of you--so much so that Xiao immediately transformed back into his mortal self. Since he was so close to you though, it looked like he was sitting on you from the front angle.

"Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to check in--" Aether nearly stumbled when he approached you. "Um...am I interrupting?"

"No!"

"The Vigilant Yaksha is BLUSHING?!" Paimon squealed so loud that the three of you scowled. "And what's with that sitting position?! You--"

"Paimon!" Aether swatted at his companion before she could say something that angered the yaksha. "We came here for a reason!"

"Hey! Paimon is NOT a fly!"

"It's confirmed to be safe now. You two can come home!"

"Wait, really?" The two of you stood up. "Are you sure?"

"Yep! There's no issue with the Fatui anymore. Everyone's backed off. We'll see you at the Pavilion for dinner to celebrate, okay? Don't be late!" The two partners exited the realm in a flash.

"Ready?" Xiao turned to you.

"Right now?! It's so sudd--"

"You don't have any belongings here anyways." The statement cracked a smile on both faces. "Let's go." He reached to tap the symbol on his hand.

Your hand grabbed his. "Wait! Let me see you a little longer." He was confused to say the least, but you didn't bother explaining how gorgeous he looked in the light right now. Those amber eyes mirrored your own--though perhaps it'd be more accurate to say the opposite. This is the last chapter of the crazy 'adventure' and the dangerous waltz with the Tsaritsa. In just moments you'd be back in reality, return to Liyue Harbor, return to your Granny's grave, and he would return to his duty of protecting Liyue. One more moment in this peaceful environment is all you need to admire him before life got hectic again.

Now your new adventure will be permanently at Xiao's side for however long your lifespan is: training with him, supporting him at his darkest moments, and loving him. No matter what Teyvat brings next, you'll be able to take it on head-first despite lacking a vision and at his side. You'll both thrive, not just survive. And as you peered into his eyes, you could tell he felt the same. "Okay," you nod. "I'm ready."

#wesimpforxiao #wesimpforxiaoupdates #genshin x reader #xiao x reader #genshin impact #say my name and ill be there

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stormears · 3 years ago

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FACTS I KNOW ABOUT GENSHIN IMPACT FROM TWITTER

Related to this

- I do not know what the plot is it all. The art design looks very similar to Breath of the Wild; I like to imagine it's about all these characters being protectors of a Hyrule-esque land

- For a long time I perceived it as having a very...fan-GIRL dominated demographic, lots of cutesy memes and shipping, I was utterly startled to learn it has a much more massive Dudebro audience I simply don't see on twitter. A lot more waifus and waifu bait than I was aware of, the game makes most of its money from "whales" who spend obscene amounts of cash on GI waifus.

- Zhongli is the most popular character, for male and female players. He has an absurdly deep voice. He can turn into a dragon called a Rex Lapis?

- They had a stream recently announcing some new content, most of which had leaked already by that time, and even so it garnered about 400k viewers. And this was on Twitch. An anime podcast I listen to states that even E3 streams get only somewhere between 100-200k (they didn't state a platform for those streams though)

- Paimon's English voice actor is all about whole "Fiction DOES affect reality!!" mindset, hates people who are pro-ship and gets into fights with twitter users about subjects like that, which makes this pic pretty funny.

- There are characters named Xiao and Venti who look very similar to me; whenever a character with that appearance comes up I always hedge my bets by assuming it is Xiao, sometimes I wonder if they're brothers

- Lots of porn about the Scaramouche character. I would find it hard to enjoy porn about a character with that horrible, silly name

- I don't think I've seen her outside of one "all characters pronouncing their names in all languages" video, but I think Ningguang is gorgeous. She's a classy beauty with an air of confidence that I should always aspire to

- I think Hutao has a cute name and character design even though I feel "meh" on what little I've seen of her character. She also seems to be Zhongli's...apprentice? Assistant? That's cute

- Oh yeah and Xiao is definitely Zhongli's apprentice or servant or something and swore to always be loyal to him, very good ship bait, I can get down with that

- Childe is pretty hot, I get a bit of an Oikawa Tooru vibe from him. He and Zhongli seem to be a popular ship. In fact the zine coming up about them called "Resonance" has 12k followers, an astronomical amount when a "popular" zine in my mind has 300+ followers

- Childe can...turn into/has a pet ten-foot-tall humanoid monster thing with a jewel eye? It's cool looking. His full name is Childe Targaglia, either of which is a mouthful and also kind of silly, like Scaramouche. I think he has water elemental powers. He is also a "Harbinger" which sounds super cool.

That's all for now. Looking at this series from the outside like I'm occasionally driving past a carnival next to a highway is pretty fun.1

#Genshin Impact #video games #gaming

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sheadre · 4 years ago

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Aurora Borealis (Jiang Cheng x Reader) Part Two

Summary: Zhu Ran'En (Reader) the imperial princess, was sent into exile for a crime she did not commit. Meeting Jiang Wanyin, the Yunmeng Jiang sect's leader was not just a chance meeting. Their fates were written in the stars however, her relations to the royal family will never let her live in peace. How will she manage to save the kingdom while trying to keep Jiang Wanyin away from the snakes of the royal family?

Word count: 3281

Warnings: this story contains violence, blood, mindgames, scheming, angst, romance, fluff with Jiang Cheng, awkward flirting.

A/N: If you liked this story, please like and comment or reblog! You may find this story on quotev.com/Vaeri or on ao3. Please check out my other works in the Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!＜（＾－＾）＞

You sat in silence as you sipped on your tea with your face ordered into nonchalance. You got used to having to wear a neutral mask around people in the palace and it was a habit that couldn’t be easily left behind. Your (e/c) eyes looked the sect leader over who was eying you with suspicion. He was handsome as was told by many in the kingdom, his features chiseled and strong, his body lean and tall. You already had time to check him out when you first encountered him but a second glance couldn’t hurt, now could it?

If you would still be a part of the court, your father would definitely try and engage you to Jiang Wanyin. Your father always wished for a strong son-in-law who could protect his daughter. And this time, you wouldn’t protest.

“Imperial guards are asking about your highness all around the other towns in this region” Jiang Wanyin spoke up with a scowl. “You are already spending your time in exile.”

“My dear cousin wishes to secure her place in the court and fears that I will take action” you shrugged. “Not that she is wrong.”

“Your highness, are you planning something?” Jiang Wanyin grumbled, his eyes sparkling with lightning. “I warn you, there will be innocent people caught in the middle of your war against whoever offended you in the court. I’m here for them.”

“And I tell you that those innocent people might all be wiped out if you try and restrain me from taking action. Do you even know why I’m here?” you narrowed your eyes at him, your fingernails rattling against the wooden surface of the small table. It seemed Jiang Wanyin failed to dig deeper than the rumors going on around about the case, his light blush of embarrassment was indicating that. You sighed heavily and picked up the kettle to refill your cups while taking a breath to continue: “I caught my cousin and uncle, the second prince talking about money embezzlement and money laundering. They realized their mistake and now I’m here. To simply put it…”

“There is something more to that if your highness seems to be in such a distressed state” the sect leader noted calmly his eyebrows still furrowed. You wondered if anything would make him smile in his life. You imagined him smiling and hid the picture in the back of your mind. He would give a magnificent sight for sure.

“I advise you to not interfere with my plans… if a commoner like you get caught in the war of the royal family, what do you think might become your future?” you asked. Sitting back down, you pulled your hands in your lap but held his stare.

“Those kind of wars always end up being the public’s demise. Are you planning on sacrificing innocent people?” Jiang Wanyin asked back lifting his chin and you could tell that he was already determined in getting involved.

“I plan to earn the emperor’s favor again” you replied not wanting to argue anymore with him. There was no point, you could just leave him out of everything. You didn’t need his help nor wanted it. He had no idea of the monsters ruling the kingdom and how many people would be devoured by them. You got reminded of the hard times in the palace you spent with cornering people, avoiding corrupt ministers’ hands grabbing onto your sleeves so they could get you involved in their shady businesses. Your cousin always tried to get you in trouble so you would get executed but to her misfortune you were too smart.

“By starting a war?!” Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth angrily.

“Starting one?!” you jumped to your feet from anger. Of course, the sect leader wouldn’t know about anything of your plans but his nosiness annoyed you. “I’m going to end the rebellion the war generals of Wu, Yan and Jin are planning!”

“Rebellion?” his jaw went slack. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms in front of your chest with a huff.

“If you were sharp enough to notice the imperial guards roaming the area, you should’ve rather noticed the brewing war under our feet” you noted as you sat back down. You didn’t really care about the fact that he left out your title by now. You were convinced that you didn’t need his help but… maybe you were wrong and should consider accepting his hand if he would offer. You had no army, Jiang Wanyin had, you had no connection to the other sects, he had. Then you started massaging the bridge of your nose continuing: “Forgive me for my words… I did not mean to be so harsh, it is only frustrating me so much that I know what awaits us if my cousin and uncle wins. The emperor is old and sickly, everyone is already preparing for the coronation of Crown Prince… however, without me looking out for his highness, I have no idea if he will live long enough to become emperor.”

Silence stretched between you two, him staring you down while you sipped on your tea with the perfect mask of calm. It was quite easy to pull it on by now. You were already planning your next move as you sat there. Perhaps, Jiang Wanyin could be a key character in your heroic story, you just needed to pull the strings in the right way… but that was quite hard.

“Your highness, I am only here to warn you” Jiang Cheng spoke up suddenly and stood up then. “Do not sacrifice innocent people.” His eyes were spitting lightning at you from where he stood before Jiang Cheng turned around and stormed out of the mansion. You smiled at his lack of manners, his temper reminded you of a friend you left in the palace. You wondered how Xiao Pei was doing now that he was by himself. He got a high rank in the military but everyone knew of your good relations. He was like a little brother to you.

You knew that Jiang Wanyin will come back to you in the near future. The news about a rebellion of the three small counties was spreading. Wu, Yan and Jin generals had authority over the three counties closest to where Yunmeng was located. Yunmeng would be the first to meet their united armies once the generals would advance towards the capital. However, you had much to do in the meantime. With a smirk you went back to your study and rolled out a blank parchment.

Jiang Cheng’s PoV.

Jiang sect leader was furious by the way the princess was acting. There was a war brewing under their feet and she was only adamant on getting her place back at the palace. Her position was more important to her than anything else! She was just like the other royals, sacrificing innocent people for wealth and power. He felt foolish for hoping that maybe Zhu Ran’En was different and was rebelling to stop injustice. He was wrong.

For a second he hoped that she was different, that she was using the dark ways of cultivation because she needed to. However, the evil glint in her eyes told him otherwise. Arriving back to Yunmeng gave him a feeling of calm and tranquility. As the days passed, he easily forgot about the princess, work piling up. He spent nights figuring out the financials and counting how much money they needed for the replacements of training dummies and other supplies. Wei Wuxian showed up with his… husband, Hanguang-Jun and was annoying Jiang Cheng to the point he was sporting a massive headache.

“Ah, Jiang Cheng! I heard you went after the Dark Princess!” Wei Ying burst into the study with a large excited grin on his face. Wanyin was already starting to massage his temples but had yet to yell at his brother. “Is she as pretty as the rumors say?! How was she?!”

“Why are you so excited suddenly, ay?” Wanyin asked back as he put down the brush knowing that he won’t be doing any more progress today. “Have you got tired of Hanguang-Jun?”

“Wha-?! Why are you saying such things, Jiang Cheng?!” Wei Wuxian leaned forward right into Jiang Cheng’s face with a scrutinizing gaze before his face lit up like he found the problem for world peace. “Are you being defensive because you like her?!”

“Wha-?! Why would I like her?!” Wanyin jumped up to his feet with his fists trembling by his sides. “She’s evil and vicious! She’s not pretty at all! Just one of the pampered princesses only caring about wealth!”

“Did you get rejected by her?” Wei Ying narrowed his eyes in thought as he tried to guess. “That is why you’re so sour, Jiang Cheng?”

“Who is sour?! Huh?!” Wanyin felt like jumping out of his skin. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to strangle his brother or run away and never look back until he found peace. Lately that term seemed to not exist. People were always finding him for something. A broken practice dummy here, a young disciple in need of a practice sword because the one he had was lost to the river or broken. Was it really such a luxurious request to just be left alone for a while?

What irked the sect leader even more was the fact that Wei Wuxian was not the first person to ask him about the matters of marriage. The elders expressed their concern of a sect heir because other men in his age was already married with at least two children. It wasn’t about him not having any interest in the matter but he was just too busy to think about it. He had no time to court anyone and he refused to just marry a woman he never met before.

“Wei Ying” came suddenly Hanguang-Jun’s quiet voice and just like an obedient pet, Wei Wuxian turned to his husband with a wide smile on his face and hurried over to the entering cultivator. At least, Hanguang-Jun still had manners and bowed to Jiang Cheng upon entering the study. “It is time we leave Jiang sect leader to his duties and do not bother him longer. We have to take care of those ghosts in Chongyang.”

“Alright…” the Yiling Patriarch sighed deflating at the lost chance to annoy his brother further. Jiang Wanyin walked his guests out to the pier with prayers to the heavens for helping him out. His thoughts then turned back to Zhu Ran’En. What was she planning? She was so sure about her success it was giving him chills. She was definitely an enemy he didn’t want to make.

At Chongyang:

The city was quiet. The people were all acting scared and worried, lines were forming on their forehead the second they spotted someone unfamiliar. Fog was encasing the whole city, vendors closed their shops and went to somewhere safe. The small inn which welcomed Hanguang-Jun and Wei Wuxian with reluctance was close to the middle of the city. Wei Wuxian tried to ask around about the sightings of the ghosts but got short replies of the same kind. All of the people were talking about the grey clothed ghosts or corpses who roamed the city at night and killed those who stepped foot on the streets. A few men mentioned that it all started after the appearance of a man in the clothes of the royal officials. No one knew what the man was doing in the city or if he was still around.

It all sounded suspicious to him. So Hanguang-Jun and Wei Ying decided to stay at the inn and see what happens at night. Wei Wuxian sat with his back to his husband’s chest when his ears suddenly perked up at the sound of an erhu. He jumped up and went to the window not caring about his state of clothing. He scanned the area with his eyes narrowed and soon spotted a dark figure standing on the rooftop of the building forty chi distance far from his position. The delicate figure of a woman was sitting on the rooftop with an erhu in her lap. A cold calmness was surrounding her as the wind blew her long dark hair.

“Lan Zhan, look” he mumbled while his husband walked up behind him.

“Resentful energy” Hanguang-Jun said with a low voice.

“Mnn” Wei Wuxian nodded and pulled his robes tighter around himself fixing it before grabbing Chenqing. “Let’s check it out!”

Your PoV.

The city was quiet as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. You always loved to watch life go by under your feet when you observed the world from the rooftop of a building. It was calming, like you weren’t a part of the world and could disappear from sight to watch everything happen without actually taking part in anything. You sat there in silence as the sky turned dark and the stars appeared. The fog around the city only obscured the vision of the starry night sky from those who stood below. However, you could easily admire the beauty of the night. Then you heard it. Otherworldly grunts and moans coming from below.

Liu Minister, who visited the city a few days ago and whom you should’ve met here disappeared when the animated corpses started roaming the city at night. The minister – who was your good ally – sent letter to you about someone following him since he left the Imperial palace in the capital. Pulling out your erhu from your back, you smiled mischievously while you hummed a tune. A tune you learnt from your mother. 恶梦È mèng (Wicked Dream) was the song your mother taught you when her family was accused of treason and got executed. After that, your mother lost the favor of the emperor and was the laughing stock of the people in court. The night you found her dead body, you heard those notes coming from her quarters. You promised yourself to find her killer because even if she was ashamed, even if she lost the favor of the emperor, she would’ve never committed suicide.

The notes were flying in the air as you played. Resentful energy surrounding you before black mist circled the animated corpses and closed around them. You were curious if the culprit would show themselves if you annoyed them with binding the corpses together. Your ears then perked up and before the two newcomers could land on the rooftop you were sitting on, you jumped over to another one.

“Ah, I remember you!” Wei Wuxian exclaimed with a large grin on his face. “You’re the lady who gave up the table for us!”

“Ahaha, nice seeing you again, Young master” you smiled at him.

“You’re using resentful energy” Hanguang-Jun stated but his tone was not scolding. There was no warning in his words, just a simple statement, an observation. You expected a different reception when you thought about meeting this pair again.

“What can this humble one do?” you asked, shrugging your shoulders with a pout. “This is the only way for me to cultivate.”

“Don’t you have a golden core, Imperial Princess?” the Yiling Patriarch asked then. Your smile widened before you let out a mirthful laugh. He was smarter than you thought he was. If he would be your opponent at court, you would have fun for sure.

“A princess is taught to learn embroidery and etiquette, Wei gōngzǐ” you replied squinting your eyes before turning to the corpses. “Don’t you find it interesting that these appear once a minister disappears? Hmn?”

You were well aware of him noticing how you changed the subject but it seemed he decided not to object to it. It was clear you weren’t his enemy which in your opinion was based on where he was standing when your plans were executed. Opinions and interests can change in a matter of time after all. Then you heard clapping from down below. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap. It was repeated once more before the corpses broke out of your energy shield. Their angry moans and grunts could be heard as they approached the buildings you were standing on. Soon, screaming was heard from the house and you saw that it was the house of a merchant.

You stamped your foot on the tiles which broke under the force and a hole opened up under you. You landed inside the bedroom of the frightened merchant and his wife who were hiding behind the over turned table. The corpses stumbled inside toppling over each other but you were quick enough the cut them off before they could get to the pair. Hanguang-Jun and Wei Wuxian was soon following you through the hole and before you had to say anything, Lan Wangji grabbed the husband and wife and took them to safety. Unleashing your full power felt like you opened the gate of a dam. Yet it felt even more liberating when the Yiling Patriarch followed you in tow.

You saw the grin spreading on his lips and knew that he felt the same thing. This burst of power was enough to decapitate all the corpses in close proximity. You hurried downstairs and went out to the street to be faced with more animated corpses. Your sword was a simple sword but was your trusted ally in battles by now. It shimmered in the light of the few lampions placed above the street. Otherwise, the fog made it hard to see further than one chǐ. (That’s like half a meter)

You heard someone whistle with the wind from the distance. You cursed under your breath knowing that the culprit was already too far for you to catch up.

“Lan Zhan went after him” Wei Wuxian spoke up from behind you suddenly. Then you heard the dull thud of corpses falling to the ground. The puppet master was too far to control the corpses.

“He’s too far by now…” you sighed with your eyebrows furrowed.

“Your Highness seems to be upset” he noted stepping closer to you.

“The Minister who visited the city before the corpses appeared…” you started staring at the ground as the fog dissolved around you. “He is a good man but I think he is dead by now or at least the culprit took him with themselves.”

“You are familiar with the minister, aren’t you, Your Highness?” he asked.

“Stop calling me that, Wei gongzi” you shook your head with a sad smile. “I no longer possess the title, not officially.”

“The man got away” Hanguang-Jun spoke up once he landed in front of the two of you. “But he tried to obscure my vision with this.” He lifted his hand with a handkerchief in it. Your eyes widened and quickly approached him taking it from his outstretched hand. The fabric was one of the most expensive materials, only the imperial palace had access to something of the kind. It was a pearly white with the symbol of the Huang house.

“That dirty pip-squeak! Cui!*” you spat angrily as your hand curled into a fist with the handkerchief between your fingers.

“I assume your highness is troubled over the matter” Wei Wuxian quipped curiosity shining in his eyes. You turned around and started walking towards the other direction as you said.

“This is an Imperial matter, please stay out of trouble” your voice rang through the street even when the fog already swallowed you. “This is way too dangerous for those who do not belong to the court.”

To be continued…

*Cuì=啐 is a sound for spitting.

#mo dao zu shi #the untamed #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #wei wuxian #lan wangji #hanguang jun #romance #fluff #alternate universe #jiang cheng x reader #wei wuxian x reader #lan wangji x wei wuxian #wangxian

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thrillingtalesofteyvat · 3 years ago

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About || Rules || Masterlist || Twitter

IC:

“`Basics.”`

**Name:** Beidou **Alias:** Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean | Captain of the Crux **Age:** 21-27 **Pronouns:** She, Her, Herself

“`Physical description.”`

**Height:** ~ 5'8" / 172.7cm **Hair:** ~ Beidou has long, waist-length dark brown hair. The top of her hair is tied up with an intricate gold hairpin with a pale blue tassel hanging from one end. Her fringe parts around her right eye, slightly covering her left. **Eyes:** ~ Her right eye is a deep ruby-colored hue melting into gold. Her left eye is covered by a red eyepatch. **Build:**~ Tall, Fair - Well grown **Skin:** - Fair, A little Tanned from the sun, but soft **Scars:** -Beidou does not currently have any scars yet. **Piercings:**- Beidou does has a piercing on her left ear. **Tattoos:** - Yes Headcanon on her shoulder under the cape like covering she has a Tattoo of the crux.

**Clothing/Equipment:**

She dons a black leotard underneath a bright red sleeveless qipao dress, with side slits going up to her hips and the chest area cut out. In stark contrast to the rest of her primarily red ensemble, a vivid purple Electro Vision is chained below her left breastl.

Beidou also wears an imposing fur-lined red shawl around her shoulders. Additionally, she wears a pair of fingerless, elbow-length black gloves.

Her outfit, Rolling Waves, is described to be lightweight clothing saturated with a brave seafarer’s spirit.

As for the Weapon portion.

Beidou has the massive claymore known as the Wolfs Gravestone as a weapon. A longsword used by the Wolf Knight. Originally just a heavy sheet of iron given to the knight by a blacksmith from the city, it became endowed with legendary power owing to his friendship with the wolves.

**Extras:** ~ None that I am aware of.

“`Personality.”`

**Personality description:** ~

The Uncrowned Lord of the Ocean, Beidou. One might find her, though rarely, standing on the ports of Liyue as she’s more used to being out at sea than on land, admitting she’s not used to dry land for long periods of time. She’s reliable and strong, having defeated Haishan the leviathan without a Vision, a feat even the Conqueror of Demons Xiao praises.

Beidou is well known across Liyue and her strength and easy-going personality makes her well loved by many people, with children even looking up to her as an ideal role model. She treats her crew with respect, who in turn are completely loyal to her. She is a good judge of character, being able to sense what type of person they are just from a single glance.

While she does not like the Treasure Hoarders, Beidou honors a first-come first-serve rule when it comes to collecting treasure unless specified otherwise. Even then, the criminals fear her and try to placate her needs as to avoid incurring her wrath, knowing that she severely outmatches them.

She’s a frequent violator of Liyue’s rules, as the Tianquan states that she has hefty fines across her name. She also doesn’t appear to mind paying off the fines even if it has cost her significant amounts of Mora to do so.

Due to her personality, Beidou enjoys drinking and eating spicy foods.

**Likes:** ~ Drinking, Spicy foods, picking on Ninggaung, the Crux, adventure, / sailing, **Dislikes:** ~ Not a fan of anything cold, Treasure hoarders, **Skills:**- I’m not sure if this is weapon skills or personality type skills

She’s fast at steering the crux, has a way to cause Treasure hoarders to tremble to their feet and has a immense strength.

**Occupation, if any:** - Captain of the Crux ship.

“`Headcanons.”`

Beidou has a Tattoo of the Crux on her left shoulder as she considers the ship to be her home and the crew as her own family.

Beidou from time to time will not mind anything sweet when it comes to food, however due to her love for spicy.. sweets are a rare thing for her.

Beidou considers Kazuha to be family, he’s part of the ship and the crew, and he’s always welcome back.

Beidou loves Dogs, though due to being a ship on the raging sea’s she’s never seen herself to actually get one. but instead spoil those who are on the docks of liuye harbor.

**Backstory:** (Can be just a brief description)

Known the captain of The Crux, a renowned crew in Liyue. Besides her capabilities as a fleet captain and her immense strength, many in Liyue know her for her lack of fear towards the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, Ningguang — a trait that the other appreciates, yet grows irritated by.

(Please list at least 3 headcanons for your character!)

Writing sample; (At least a paragraph or two)

;;~ The Waves crashed on the crescent beach. A mighty wave came over the crux, only for the captain of this to find herself washed ashore over to the City of contracts . This must have been the Great Osais doing, the legendary god that Red lapis took down in a cataclysmic battle.

but why would Osasis take upon the raging seas now, after all this this time. sighing softly the female couldn’t exactly rap her head around the fact that Osais would exactly cause this, the god had been asleep for a melaena after all. Though it wasn’t uncommon either.

Beidou planned on just docking the boat and assessing the damage against the docks, it wasn’t like she had a plan at this point. heading down to the steer board she asses one of them for a moment.

“In all of the name of Tyvat, she’s still standing at least.” A heavy sigh left her voice though as her hand leaned against the bridge of her forehead. A voice came into the clearing

Beidou noticed crew mates that was not of her own. And soon after, she heard the sound of clacking boots against the old and worn down risky boards that held the dock together in one piece still.

Walking away from the crowd for a moment as she looked to see if there was anything she could buy in order to fix the small damage the raging innocent caused. Though she heard the commotion behind her as she noticed the minlith comment out as in demands who caused this damage

“She would be mine.” Beidou the well fit Pirate called out as she walked out into the crowd taking a swig from her Flask like Bottle. And looked at the other as the eyepatch covered her other eye. “I don’t know how or why but it looks like I came to crash in for a bit.” Placing her hand to the right side of her hip she paused as the others murmured in whispers.

[APPROVED. WELCOME, LEXI!]

#Application #Beidou Rp #Genshin Impact Roleplay #Genshin Impact roleplay group

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delvalentine · 3 years ago

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draft dump

once upon a time i had a plot bunny for a school genshin au in which the adults were teachers in a modern setting, and mc/reader was a TA working with them

i won't be revisiting that but it would be a waste to send the first draft to the void so here that is!

“And that brings our little guided tour to an end.” Mr. Zhongli turned around once reaching the front door, smiling languidly. “I hope it wasn’t too much to take in at once.” “No, I think I got everything.” You shoved the notepad deeper into your purse, taking a steadying breath. “Thanks for showing me around before orientation. It was really helpful.” “It was nothing. I do hope you’ll like it at our school, Ms. [Surname]. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, feel free to ask me—and if I’m not around, seeking out the vice principal should suffice.”

He caught your soured expression and chuckled deeply. The VP—Mr. Xiao—was not quite as amiable as the headmaster before you. You had tried to make a good impression by being polite, but the slender man had merely scowled through you like you’d insulted his mother’s mother or something. The memory of his scathing glare made your cheeks burn.

“He may be temperamental, but he’s unmatched at his work. Just try to catch him in a good mood and you’ll be fine.” You weren’t sure Xiao would know what a good mood looked like if it hit him in the face, but you brushed it off. The infrastructure here was breathtaking—as you’d expect from a boarding school so deeply steeped in history and so well-funded. Royal Celestia School, aptly named after the heavens, for there was no other institution so highly regarded in all of Teyvat. Graduates that called RCS their alma mater went on to forge great paths of success. Only the best of the best got to attend. Its newest hire: yourself, of course. You had applied for their TA position amongst many others, not really thinking you’d get it fresh out of post-secondary or anything. It didn’t hurt to try. But when you got the callback, you had to wonder if you had died and gone to heaven yourself.

“Now forgive my memory, but I seem to have forgotten who you told me you’ll be working with.”

Zhongli wasn’t just the principal—he was the founder of the whole shebang. He was as top brass as you could get, here, and he looked the part. Despite his age, he was incredibly sharp in his copper-black suit, and those warm honey-gold eyes weren’t helping with the whole tall-dark-and-handsome thing. Attractive looks aside, he was the overseer of all administrative operations, though rumour has it he was quite… spacey at his job. If anybody needed an assistant, it’d be him.

Xiao, the second in command, left a far less sweet taste in your mouth. You noticed the dragons tattooed on his arm in an impressive sleeve first, and the deeply beautiful look of calm second. It was as soon as he opened his mouth that he ruined it all. He was snappy and peevish. If Zhongli hadn’t been with you, he might very well have eaten you alive.

Speaking of grumpy men—Dr. Ragnvinder. You’d never had entirely good experiences with math teachers, and he was the living embodiment of all those hauntingly long questions you’d cried over on long nights. According to Zhongli, Diluc Ragnvinder was the one of the youngest in the teaching department to hold a PhD. During your meeting, he was nothing but cold and brief despite his fiery red hair and eyes. You loathed to think of how he’d crack down on you for not grasping a topic.

In stark contrast, Mr. Alberich was far more easy-going, if not a tad bit… seductive. He had a certain way of phrasing things with innuendo that kept you second guessing yourself, and if you weren’t careful, he’d easily take you off your feet. No wonder he specialized in the arts of literature. How you would’ve liked him to read excerpts to you in that suggestive tone of his.

Ms. Lisa had seemed to be cut of the same cloth, leaning in so close to you that you could smell the perfume wafting off the skin of her neck. The librarian oversaw one of the outlandishly largest collections of books you had ever seen in your life. (It wasn’t the only big set you’d noticed.) She invited you back with a smile, though it seemed less an invitation and more a given task to see her again.

Zhongli had then taken you to the theatre, equally as massive and ornate. You could imagine full opera shows occurring rather than silly school plays. Private school kids were a different breed entirely. Inside, a pair of men were practicing something together. There, you met Venti, who insisted you call him by first name alone. Beside him was the taller, leaner man named Childe, who assured you it wasn’t his real name, but that was a secret of the trade. Venti had a voice of an angel and played a lyre so daintily you were almost moved to tears. It was no surprise he taught music. And Childe, whose mere presence made you feel like he was putting on some sort of show, oversaw drama.

Next door was the gymnasium, which, once again, wowed you with its size. Perhaps Zhongli was hoping to train generations of Olympic athletes-slash-artists-slash-geniuses? A hearty dark-haired woman took you in with great familiarity, shaking your hand and inviting you to drinks before you’d even managed to introduce yourself properly. With the force Beidou had exerted in a mere handshake, you were afraid to think about being under her training regime in physical education.

A far more sobering presence, Ms. Ningguang looked to have the same stable ethereality as Zhongli did. As an educator of finance, you’d heard that she had single-handledly changed the entire stock market just to prove a point in her lecture. You had made a note to ask her about your taxes.

Keqing next door taught geography. Her classroom had been lined with maps and globes, each marked with such numerous and precise points that you felt like you couldn’t even recognize what each place was. She spoke to you with succinctness, like everything she said was pre-determined and you had better understand what she meant <i>or else</i>. But she was fairly warm in comparison to the men of earlier, and you’d take what you could get.

A room with even more clutter was Dr. Mona’s. Contraptions like Newton’s cradles, plasma domes, lava lamps, and even a wall-to-wall Ruth Goldberg machine made your head spin. Her eccentricity was clue enough to her role as a science teacher. Somehow in your short conversation, she managed to boast about herself a total of six separate times, but Zhongli quietly assured you that her claims weren’t unfounded. She was confident and intelligent, her blue eyes sparkling with knowledge. Spending a day with her sounded exhausting but thrilling.

The last classroom Zhongli showed you to was Jean’s, who was a startling calm presence right after exiting Mona’s Wonderland. She was a history teacher, well versed in lore and social sciences, and you couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy just talking to her.

“Well?” Zhongli nudged as you thought back on your day. “Which professor were you to help out with?” You answered…

#draft dump

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wangxiangiftexchange · 4 years ago

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Winter Solstice Gift for lanerose23

This is super self-indulgent but hopefully entertaining too. I’ve tried to not stray beyond the cultural lanes established in the drama, but if I’ve erred or overstepped, please let me know so I can be better. Also, I obsessively watched the show on, like, five different platforms with five different sets of subtitles, so this is sort of a medley of names/translations that seemed to flow best in this tale.

For @lanerose23 for the Wangxian Winter Solstice Gift Exchange. I tried to come through on bunnies, fluff, happy endings, and "safe, sane" sexy times! Happy holidays! <3

Read On AO3

*****

The Great Bird's Promise

Inside his shell, he heard the promise. The great bird said that she would deliver them to families who would love them.

Her wings spanned the width of the sky, beak as large as the sun, as she flew with a basket in her talons. Within the woven bamboo jostled the eggs of every living species on Earth—humans, still new and learning to walk upon the soil; fish and lizards and snakes and the old species who had made this world their own.

A heavy wind blew from a mountain that had not been so tall the day before, for they were growing, too. It shook the bird’s massive feathers, shuddering her expansive wings. She dodged the gust, greeted the new mountain, and didn’t notice when a single egg dropped from her basket.

This one lonely egg plummeted through empty sky and landed in the thatch of a pine tree. The branches reached out from the cliff, sparse and cascading. The egg trembled and began to hatch.

The creature inside, naked, blind, heart beating fast with what could be called excitement and what could be called fear, was called a rabbit.

The huge unblinking eyes of a snowy owl watched the eggshell fall away to expose the fragile form inside. The tiny hairless thing that was called rabbit did not, right now, look like one. He shivered in cold mountain breezes. “Will you love me?” the rabbit asked, for he had heard the great bird’s promise.

The snowy owl pondered this. “If you’re silent,” he answered, fluttering on his perch, “and always stand tall and elegant and do just as I do.”

He would, the rabbit vowed inside. He would forever and ever.

___________

The silences of Cloud Recesses were all wrong. Wuxian turned fitfully on the fine bed with its fine pillows and missed the sounds of Lotus Pier, the insects chirping and fishermen casting nets with soft splashes. Plus, he wasn’t tired. It was barely night and already everything had been shut up tight. He was tempted to break out, perhaps sneak to Nie Huaisang’s quarters and invite him into some mischief, but thoughts of Shijie’s disappointment kept him inside this time.

He wondered where Lan Zhan slept; he was probably already deep asleep in twenty layers and rigid from head to toe, pretty and perfect as an ice sculpture. He’d heard that Lan Zhan played guqin and he’d heard Lan Zhan was already one of the best. Wuxian wanted to hear him play and see what he could learn from the methods. Or maybe he just wanted to watch him play, elegant and handsome and stone-faced.

Wuxian turned onto his back with a groan. It was annoying that Lan Zhan was so attractive. It was annoying that Wuxian couldn’t stop thinking about him. Surely, Lan Zhan would be so boring to touch, he thought, surely it would be like kissing a dead fish, but he couldn’t really believe it because he’d seen Lan Zhan fight. He was fierce and intense and intelligent and appealing, so obnoxiously, effortlessly appealing. If they could have fooled around weeks ago like he’d wanted, Wuxian wouldn’t be in this situation. He grumbled and turned onto his stomach again.

“Wei Wuxian! Go to sleep,” Jiang Cheng growled from his bed. “I can’t sleep with you flopping around!”

Wuxian pouted at him in response, but he tried to lay still. He closed his eyes, settled his head on his pillow, and tried to sleep. He tried to not think of Lan Zhan.

Courtyards away and hours later, Wangji sat poised in meditation, incense a lazy curl of smoke around him. Today’s lectures would begin soon. Today, as every other day, Wangji vowed to be the example Uncle expected of him.

Back straight, hands atop his knees, he breathed evenly, a rhythm as familiar as Inquiry. He appeared as placid as a frozen lake in winter.

Inwardly, he thrashed. He tried to focus on the thrum of his golden core, but instead thought of a bright toothy smile and a laugh that echoed off the Cloud Recesses quiet walls. Wei Wuxian, who broke all wards. Wangji wanted to fight him. He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to silence him. He wanted to hear his every thought. He wanted him to leave and never come back. He wanted him to stay and never go. He wanted to avoid him. He wanted to find him.

He wanted. He wanted. He wanted and he hated wanting. Wanting opened a cavern inside him that he couldn’t fill. Wanting stoked hungers he had no intention of feeding. He would extinguish them forever if he could. He wanted to look upon Wei Wuxian, his smiles, his talents, his body, his brilliance and rebellion, and feel nothing. Instead, the gaping wound of want split open inside him, spilling desire all through him, melting the ice of him. Filling him with want.

Outwardly, Wangji’s little finger tremored on his knee.

___________

The rabbit felt so proud when his fur grew in white and downy as owl feathers. With the owls, the rabbit stood as tall as he could and thought how striking they must look together, though he was still quite small.

But when the owls took to the air, he couldn’t follow. When they returned with beaks full of creatures that were no bigger than he, the rabbit felt queasy. The elegant snowy owl blinked knowing eyes at him and the rabbit understood.

He carefully descended the towering pine tree, the only home he’d known, and began searching for where he belonged.

Soon, the rabbit found a little gathering of field mice. Hope bloomed inside him. They were even smaller than he was! They couldn’t fly through the air and wouldn’t return with beaks full of meat.

“Will you love me?” he asked, gazing into tiny black eyes. The mouse’s nose twitched a little like his, whiskers bouncing as she looked him over.

“If you stay small,” the field mouse answered, “and you never scare us and you never, ever get angry.”

The rabbit eagerly nodded. He never felt anger and he was so little, with no wings or beak, so how could he ever be scary?

___________

Wuxian felt pride and embarrassment in equal measure as he led Lan Zhan around the settlement built by Wen hands and the wards forged with his blood. He’d seen the difficult scrabble of pulling together even these comforts, to make gardens of graveyards and homes among bones. But with Lan Zhan, Hanguang-Jun, beside him so bright and so beautiful, it was impossible not to see it through new eyes. How gray and horrible all this must seem to one raised in the glorious Cloud Recesses. How repulsed Lan Zhan must feel, he thought.

Wangji was not repulsed, but his heart ached, for this did not seem a way for anyone to live. Yet the grayness of the landscape did not scare him like the grayness of Wei Ying’s skin.

“Let’s go,” Wei Ying said, voice on the wind. “I’ll walk you down the mountain.”

They moved side by side back toward the crumbling entry enforced by fearsome power. The infrequent bump of their shoulders reminded Wuxian of happier days spent pretending they were like Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, bound only by their shared ideals. He wondered, though, if they shared ideals anymore. No regrets, they’d pledged; to live with a clear conscience. Wuxian had no regrets, not really, and he felt cursed by that. He was rigidly ruled by his own unflinching moral compass. He longed sometimes to be someone who could turn away. Life would be simpler, he was sure, if he could only close his eyes and fall into the shared delusion of clear lines, protect our own and only our own, and the black/white thinking of others. Instead, he felt trapped awake, eyes open, poisoned by the horrors hidden within those comforting platitudes. He felt terribly, achingly alone.

“Is there anyone who can give me a bright future path that is easy to go on?” Wei Ying asked and Wangji had no answer. He didn’t understand why Wei Ying had abandoned the sword, but he could recognize now that the power granted him by this disturbing path was immense, more immense than even a prodigious swordsman like Wei Ying could accomplish with Suibian. And immense power was needed to protect the Wen against the clans.

“Let yourself judge what is right and what is wrong, let others decide to praise or to blame, let gains and losses remain uncommented on,” Wei Ying said sadly, certainly. “I know what I should be doing. I also believe I can control it.”

Behind his eyes Wangji felt the press of tears. He wanted to weep in a way he’d not done since he was a child and had never done with any witness but his brother. That radiant, infuriating boy who had lodged himself in Wangji’s heart was bleeding himself dry for others and Wangji could do nothing but admire him for it. It felt thick in his throat, like any word out of his mouth might come carried on a sob.

“Brother, Brother.” A weight, now familiar, crashed against his legs. “Brother, are you not going to stay and eat with us today?”

Wangji looked down at A-Yuan’s bright eyes and soft cheeks. How could he argue with anything Wei Ying did to protect this boy? How could any action to that end be wrong? The questions burnt and knifed inside him against 3,000 rules he knew like his heartbeat. Three thousand rules that conflicted with one another and yet screamed that he should not be here and he should not care for Wei Ying.

Wei Ying lifted the boy into his arms, making Lan Zhan’s excuses for him. “A-Yuan, this brother here already has food waiting for him at home. He won’t be staying.”

“But I heard a secret earlier,” A-Yuan said. “They said that there was lots of good food today.”

“A-Yuan,” Wuxian scolded, but then fell silent. He had never given much thought to being a parent, but the weight of a child in his arms resonated with something primal inside him. It made him feel gentle and fierce. And to see A-Yuan take to Lan Zhan stirred something else inside him, something he was scared to name because he could never deserve it.

Wei Ying turned to him. Wangji expected him to repeat his explanations, give his silence words as he so often did, but instead, Wei Ying looked at him with an expression he’d never seen before. He wasn’t joking, flirting, arguing, or cajoling. He was just...open, holding a child and looking at him, hopeful.

“I’m leaving,” Wangji said and pulled himself away from that look on Wei Ying’s face. He would wonder until the end of his days what might have been different if he’d stayed.

___________

The field mice adored him, for a time. That he was small made them feel safe. That he ate only green things gave them comfort. But not always, and not enough. They were afraid because he was still bigger, mistrustful because he’d lived among owls, and it wore on the rabbit. He tried to never be angry, even when their suspicious looks made him feel that way.

“You have to leave,” the little mouse told him one day, the same one who’d once allowed him to stay. “Your jumping is too scary and we told you not to be scary.”

He only jumped like that when he was happy, but the rabbit didn’t try to explain; he just left.

After days alone, the rabbit awoke to a vibration, like the world might split open beneath him. It came in slow, steady beats—thump...thump...thump. He hopped to investigate and saw enormous grey-bellied elephants with long trunks and huge flapping ears that swatted the flies away.

They’re so big, the rabbit thought with joy. They’d never be frightened of me.

The elephants settled around a watering hole to drink their fill. Some lounged in the water, washing away the dust coating their thick hides, and the littles ones who were still so much larger than the rabbit played silly games that made him smile.

He politely ventured close to an old matriarch with wise eyes. “Will you love me?” he asked.

She turned in his direction, searching the empty air until she found the tiny origin of the tiny voice. She took in his twitching ears and quivering whiskers. “If you don’t get scared,” she said, “and you help us to lift big trees, find tall grasses, and always stay loyal.”

The rabbit nodded because he wanted to be and do all those things.

___________

Uncle saved his life with his punishment.

He was meant to suffer and reflect on his wrongdoings. And Wangji did suffer. He did reflect. But the flayed flesh on his back was nothing compared to the flaying in his heart. In fact, it was comforting, somehow, to hurt as much on the outside as he did inside. It put Wangji’s pain somewhere it could bleed.

The Yiling Laozu fell with only one hand reaching out to him, and that hand reached out too late. Too late. Too late to change anything.

He cared for A-Yuan, but selfishly the boy wasn’t enough. Wen Yuan had a clan now, he would be safe and fed without Wangji around. Wangji didn’t want to be around. He wanted to be free of this hurt, of this loss, of existing in a world without Wei Ying, surrounded only by those who had betrayed him. Including himself, including the beating heart in his chest.

The pain gave him focus. He read the rules and found those he’d violated. He found those he wished he had. He reflected. He reflected. He reflected and accepted that he was in love with Wei Ying, he always would be, and he should have been by his side. The recognition came in a wave, followed by a soul-deep exhale, like the release during meditation or a gasp after almost drowning.

The Cold Pond Cave cooled the fires of him, but not the way Uncle intended. Wangji didn’t regret his misbehavior, only his inaction. He didn’t regret his words, only his silences. And when he accepted these truths, the turbulence in his mind froze clear and solid. He’d loved Wei Ying. He’d failed Wei Ying. He’d wanted to protect Wei Ying. He could protect A-Yuan. He could love A-Yuan.

As the truths solidified in his heart, power thrummed in his core like a yoke had been thrown off. Energy filled him from toes to fingertips to the ends of his hair. The world perceived his affection for Wei Wuxian as his only weakness. Wangji learned in that moment that his love, immortal and infinite, was his strength.

___________

The rabbit had promised to not be scared, but he felt so afraid dodging heavy elephant feet that could crush him. When he rode on their backs, he felt scared to be so high for he remembered the flying things that ate little things like him. He couldn’t help lift big trees, or even the small ones, and they lost him when they strode in tall grasses. The matriarch scooped him up in a mouthful and nearly ate him, even though elephants don’t eat rabbits.

He didn’t stay long with them, though he loved the silly games of the babies and the huge flapping ears of the elders.

He wandered and soon met a tortoise, its thick skin familiar from the elephants, its size just right—not so big as the elephants, not so small as the field mice. “Will you love me?” he asked the tortoise with his hulking shell and narrow eyes.

The tortoise sniffed at him. “If you can keep up,” he said, and continued on his path.

The rabbit happily hopped beside him, only to discover he’d left the tortoise far behind. Oh, dear no, thought the rabbit, this won’t work at all. He thanked the tortoise for his kindness and continued on alone.

___________

When he left the cave, having lost three years with A-Yuan, he let the regret scatter like leaves in the certainty brought by this new, engulfing spiritual power. Three years earlier, he would have met the boy full of ferocity and self-destruction. That was no way to love a child.

Wangji had been raised beside someone’s anger; he would not wish that for A-Yuan, his Sizhui, who looked plump-cheeked and happy in his pale Lan robes. In the mornings, Wangji combed his hair and helped him fasten his ribbon across his smooth forehead. Sometimes, tongue poking out in concentration, Sizhui helped Wangji with his in turn.

Wangji couldn’t decide if it was blessing or curse that Sizhui, Xian-gege’s A-Yuan, had no memories of him. It left Wangji alone to grieve the dreaded, well-dead Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian. But left him alone to bear that bittersweet pain, too. To wish memory on a boy who’d already suffered felt selfish. Better that Sizhui start here in the embrace of GusuLan, in Wangji’s embrace.

Sizhui sat on his lap, even when he was too old and too tall for it. Wangji allowed it. The boy tugged on the strings of his guqin and giggled at the trembling twang. It seemed they both needed this, an extended autumn of youth after a parched summer; forging—or perhaps re-forging—a bond made one magical afternoon that only one of them remembered.

At 12, Sizhui was proper, good looking, and hard working. His aptitude with the guqin gave Wangji stirrings of fate—would this talent have been discovered in a Wen? he wondered. Wangji traveled often, on quests he could barely admit to himself, and when he returned, his first visit was always from Sizhui, even before his brother or his uncle. The boy would seek him out, no matter the hour he returned. It was an indulgence Wangji couldn’t deny either of them.

The sun had just crested the horizon, spilling into the rebuilt shadows of Cloud Recesses.

“I don’t know how we’re meant to obey all of them all the time,” Sizhui admitted softly. The steam from the teapot caught the sunlight like smoke around his young face, carefully schooled to hide his agitation. Wangji knew Sizhui’s face better than his own.

He thought of the platitudes he was told when he’d made the same observation as a child. That the conflict was in him, in the human heart; the rules were to tame the conflict. That cultivation means control and great spiritual strength can only be achieved through harnessing one’s nature.

That is not what he told Sizhui. “They conflict with one another because they are not of equal value at all times,” he said, pleased by Sizhui’s steady hands as he prepared their tea. “Like strings on the guqin, from thick to thin, they can be played separately or together, depending on the melody of a moment.”

“So...we learn the rules so that we may know all the principles that should guide our actions.” Sizhui carefully extended his teacup toward him and Wangji felt a rush of affection for his perceptive, soulful boy. “Just as we learn all the notes we can play, even though not every song requires them?”

“Mn.” Wangji gave a slight nod and lifted his tea, breathing in the floral scent. “And indeed, not only do some songs not require them, but the wrong note—even when beautiful in another melody—would ruin the one before you, and to play every note at once would only create discord.” Wangji knew that discord well. He’d grown up in it.

Sizhui let out a relieved sigh that gave Wangji a tremulous feeling of success, like he’d done a bit of good parenting, even when he barely understood what that was. “That makes sense,” his lovely boy said. “Thank you, Hanguang-Jun.”

Wangji didn’t respond. He simply drank the tea prepared by his son, his Lan Sizhui, Wei Ying’s A-Yuan, and let himself feel a rare moment of peace in the sunrise.

Years later, in Yi City, Wangji would see himself in Xiao Xingchen, who died rather than continue in a world where he’d hurt his beloved—and also in Song Lan, who soldiered on, a ghost carrying memories of dead love close to his heart.

___________

In his travels, the rabbit soon came to wide water, so expansive he could not see its end. It rose and fell like great moving mountains. On the gray-sand shore were seals with big limpid eyes and sweet round bellies. “Will you love me?” he asked one, feeling so scared and so hopeful.

“If you stay close and always share your food,” the seal answered.

___________

Wuxian felt the pleading weight of Zewu-Jun’s words.

He walked in to see Lan Zhan with his hair down, sleeves held back gently as he prepared tea and poured wine, and he understood why Zewu-Jun told him more than he’d asked. Lan Zhan was a warrior, Hanguang-Jun, Lan Wangji, a jade of Gusu, and one of the most powerful cultivators of any generation. He was also a man in love. A man so deeply in love it had burned—burned him—for almost two decades.

Wuxian trembled beneath that weight.

“I don’t need anyone to save me,” he’d said years ago in the Burial Mounds. It took dying and coming back to understand that what he’d meant was I’m not worth saving. Lan Zhan had never agreed, no matter how Wuxian tried to convince him.

The plink and shiver of the guqin brought the tingle in his limbs to his awareness, like the growl in his empty stomach breaking through the excitement of an invention. That physical attraction he’d had to Lan Zhan in their youth had never gone away. It had just been papered over by battles, separation and second lifetimes, unworthiness and the paradoxical belief that he could not love someone so profoundly and also desire him. His eyes trailed over Lan Zhan’s long fingers on the strings, his soft mouth; his eyes, those remarkable, unforgettable eyes, and—

“I want to kiss you,” he blurted out.

Lan Zhan’s playing stilled and he looked up. They stared at each other in silence. Lan Zhan’s expression was gentle, accepting, and silent. Wuxian laughed—the silence should be no surprise; this was Lan Zhan, after all, who would answer direct questions with silence, who would offer no information, even when it was demanded. Wuxian had no intention of demanding. “Oh, Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” he said, entering the room. “I want to kiss you, but do you want to be kissed?”

Lan Zhan simply nodded, as if Wuxian had asked about getting dinner. But the rosy tips of his ears gave him away. “Only by you,” he added. And oh, Lan Zhan’s other great skill: to say so little and still say more than Wuxian knew how to believe.

Wei Ying lowered himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged to Wangji’s left where he still sat rigid, back straight, hands flat to still the long-gone vibration of his guqin. He’d imagined kissing Wei Ying—and more, so much more—for so long. The passion inside him felt always dammed behind an insufficient barrier. So, to release it...he imagined embracing Wei Ying like a tidal wave, overwhelming, undeniable, claiming him with lips, tongue and teeth, smashing their bodies together with the force of his want.

The reality was somewhat different. Wangji’s passion was no less extraordinary, but the dam restraining it now was love, not self-domination. What did Wei Ying want? How much did Wei Ying want? His passion could be like a wave gently lapping shore, if that’s what Wei Ying needed.

Slowly, Lan Zhan turned to face him, fingers moving to rest in his lap. Their knees touched as Wuxian scooted just that small bit closer, movements young and eager. Lan Zhan looked up to meet his eyes and once he’d done that, Wuxian could almost never look away. He reached out to close a hand over Lan Zhan’s, heart thumping and feeling 16 years old with his mind full to brimming with the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen.

For once, he did look away from Lan Zhan’s eyes. Away from his eyes to his mouth, lips plump-pink and tempting. As soon as he looked, he touched, before the courage left him. The tension melted from Wuxian’s shoulders at a kiss returned.

Their hands bumped when they both reached for each other at the same time. Wuxian laughingly yielded, letting Lan Zhan cup his jaw and direct the kiss. It was honey on his tongue, a mouth moving against his, a pleasant buzz through his body. He let his own hand drop to Lan Zhan’s knee, the curve firm and intimate through layers of linens.

Hai hour settled heavily on Wangji’s shoulders. Childhood routine made his mind shift into a quieter state, lending a dreamy mist to the minutes spent blissfully kissing as the snow blanketed the world outside. “It’s time to sleep,” he said. He didn’t much care for himself, but Wei Ying was wounded, and battles loomed still to be fought. Wei Ying needed his rest.

Wuxian wanted to tease Lan Zhan like he used to, mock those rigid GusuLan traditions—if they weren’t going to defy them for this, then for what!? But Lan Zhan, his Lan Zhan; he’d spent so much time worrying and caring for him, he had to be exhausted. “Okay,” he relented.

But neither of them moved to stand or stop. They just kept trading kisses.

Wuxian laughed against Lan Zhan’s mouth and felt an answering smile that made his heart throb. He decided a few moments more couldn’t hurt. For a few moments more, they could be the lusty, carefree boys they could have been 20 years ago, if war had not arrived so early and maturity so late.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whispered against his lips after several molten minutes more. He felt hot all over, from his knees tight against Lan Zhan’s to his throat where guqin-skilled hands stroked his skin and caressed his jaw. “We should sleep.”

“Mn,” Lan Zhan agreed, but only kissed him again.

Wei Ying laughed and Wangji loved the sound. Loved the sound of him, loved the feel of him, loved the life in him. Wanted him endlessly.

“Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying pouted sweetly, “who’s been taking care of me, hm? Who will take care of me if Hanguang-Jun is asleep on his feet?”

When Wangji opened them, his eyes were unfocused. He felt drunk, though he’d had no wine but what he could taste on Wei Ying’s lips and tongue. “Sleep with me,” he said.

Blushed cheeks and well-used lips complemented Wei Ying’s features well. He looked young and healthy. “Yes,” he answered, adding sternly, “but we have to sleep.”

Wangji nodded his agreement, amused to have Wei Ying making rules now.

They stripped to their underrobes and climbed into the bed, each fully intending to sleep as agreed, but the room had grown cold with the frost outside and there was so much warm skin, so many hot kisses still to give, so much uncharted territory on this path they’d just begun to walk together and now single layers that could be opened to allow palms to feel the firm planes of stomach and the exquisitely narrow rise of hip.

But they each had secrets, too: a boy asleep not far from where they lay and a golden core warming someone else in Yunmeng.

Lan Zhan felt so good and Wuxian didn’t want to stop even as his heart thumped for the wrong reasons when Lan Zhan’s fingers grazed his wrists. If they were to do the things he’d seen in Nie-xiong’s books, then surely Lan Zhan, the great Hanguang-Jun, would sense what he was missing. He wanted it as much as he feared it.

“Lan Zhan, is it okay – if we – if we don’t go any further – tonight – just not tonight,” Wuxian gasped, each phrase punctuated with more kissing, his hand tangling in Lan Zhan’s hair, his knee sliding over Lan Zhan’s hip.

Wangji gripped the knee curving around him to bring their bodies closer. He wanted to pull it firm against him and take this pleasure he’d been dreaming of for decades. But Wei Ying’s words. He was forever reckless with himself and he would keep going if Wangji pushed it because they wanted each other. Even that thought was a thrill. Wei Ying wanted him, and Wangji wanted to tell him.

But if Wei Ying approached Sizhui with the familiarity and fondness he almost certainly would if he knew, what terrible memories might that disinter? For as much love as had surrounded little Wen Yuan, he’d been living on a mountain of the dead and all his family had been slaughtered. Would returning those memories to his sensitive, happy boy be a kindness or a cruelty?

Wangji still wanted. He wanted to tell Wei Ying the one good thing he’d done, kiss him, hold him, cry with him, make love in a happy haze as though all the painful years had never happened, but no. No, the note he must play strongest now was for Sizhui, and he did not want his first joining with Wei Ying to be shrouded in secrets.

He called upon his Lan reserve to drag himself away from the delicious warmth of Wei Ying’s mouth. “We can stop,” he said, startled by the lust-roughness of his voice.

Wei Ying’s eyes drifted away from his lips. Wangji felt his steadying exhale against his skin. “You’re right, Lan Zhan, you’re right,” he said. “We should stop.”

“You said it first.”

Wei Ying let out a loud laugh, rolling away to throw his head back. Wangji wanted to cover that smooth neck with bites and kisses. When Wei Ying curled toward him again, his eyes shown with fondness and he reached between them to link their hands together, bodies at a safer, less enticing distance.

They talked, then, how they did any other night they’d shared a room in their travels. They compared thoughts about what they had discovered, expectations for what lay ahead, but it felt so new, whispering face to face, lips kiss-tender, voices crossing not an empty room but only the small expanse of the bed.

Wuxian wasn’t sure when they finally fell asleep. He remembered dawn peeking through the screens at the window and it seemed only seconds later that they had to wake and get dressed. He wanted to curl up and sleep for a day, but a wicked, immovable deadline hung over them for soon a murderer would come to Cloud Recesses.

___________

The rabbit had a delightful afternoon in the seals’ company. Their bodies bounced like his and they had whiskers like him and they bounce-bounce-bounced together, but then all the seals bounce-bounce-bounced into the waves where the rabbit couldn’t follow because he didn’t have flippers and his feet were not shaped like a paddles for pushing through water.

He stood alone on the beach for a long, stunned moment, then he turned and began searching again.

In the silent grasses, the rabbit came upon a leopard, its sleek, spotted body low to the ground, eyes peering straight ahead. Its backside wiggled the way the rabbit’s did sometimes. “Will you love me?” the rabbit asked.

“If you can keep up!” the leopard replied, bounding off on strong back legs after a sprinting deer.

The rabbit tried to keep up, but he lost her before the leopard’s voice had even faded from his ears. He continued on alone.

___________

The moment he saw that broken look on his brother’s face at the Guanyin Temple, Wangji knew his daydream of traveling by Wei Ying’s side had died.

To live with a clear conscience, without regret. An easy phrase that provided no guidance in how to weigh regrets against one another. He would regret watching Wei Ying walk away again. He would regret leaving GusuLan with one leader heartbroken and another too unyielding for the complex days ahead. He would regret forsaking a generation of Lan juniors to that unsteady guidance. He would regret abandoning the cultivation world to a power vacuum where evil and self-interest could so easily gain dominance. He wanted to be Lan Zhan. He wanted to be Wei Ying’s. But the world, for now, needed Hanguang-Jun.

But like so many deaths around the Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian, this death was not forever. One day, Wangji sat reading in the jingshi when a flute’s notes drifted in with the breeze. He heard a song he knew well and knew Wei Ying had come home.

It was strange to walk the paths of Cloud Recesses and realize it had started to feel like home. Wuxian found comfort in the routine, and could maybe—maybe—understand the appeal of a clearly defined schedule, up to a point. His 16-year-old self would never have believed it, but his 16-year-old self hadn’t yet had to survive in the Burial Mounds. His 16-year-old self hadn’t yet died for his convictions and mistakes.

Wuxian let out a breath as the sorrow passed through him, a familiar companion after all these years. Even that felt at home in Cloud Recesses with its stillness and meditative spaces. Here, Wuxian could grieve and find solace. He’d found love here. He’d found purpose and family. Even Lan Qiren surrendered some of his vitriol when he’d realized that Wuxian would not steal Lan Zhan away. At last, the old man recognized that Lan Zhan was the wise and filial leader he’d been trying to raise all along, even if they disagreed on the details.

Lan Zhan looked as beautiful as an art print among the rabbits in the back hills. The pure white fur and Lan Zhan’s robes, the earthy brown and green—it made Wuxian’s fingers itch for brush and parchment. Perhaps he’d do that tonight...or maybe tomorrow because he’d learned the expressions on the face so many others thought immobile. All morning, Lan Zhan’s eyes had been lingering on Wuxian’s throat, his lips. Their few touches outside the jingshi had been lingering.

The first night Wuxian returned to Cloud Recesses they’d had no early appointments and no deliberate secrets between them, only stories not yet told and endless days to tell them. That night, they discovered new things they could do together that were even more satisfying than fighting side by side.

“Lan Zhan,” he said casually, scratching a rabbit between its velvet-soft ears. “What do you want to do tonight?”

The rabbits on Lan Zhan’s lap were calmer, almost sedated by his familiar and predictable stillness. But then, rabbits couldn’t really read the way his eyelashes slowly lifted over a heated gaze.

Wuxian grinned as a lovely anticipation started to pool in his limbs. He’d always been attractive, but it wasn’t until all this started with Lan Zhan that he’d felt desired, even seduced. “Ah,” he said, and stretched out on his back, hands folded beneath his head. Leaves and sticks crunched beneath him and a few rabbits darted away, but Lan Zhan’s eyes traveled the length of him, just as he’d wanted. One day, perhaps, Wuxian would try to tempt Lan Zhan into kissing him here the way he did in the jingshi, all devouring and unrestrained.

“I want—” Wangji began, then silenced abruptly. He found himself disinclined to speak most of the time, but rarely did he want to express himself more than in these moments with Wei Ying, these rare moments when the intimacy of their relationship was in the fore and not buried beneath life-or-death politics and layers of the mundane. Wei Ying had gotten so good at reading him, but sometimes Wangji wished he didn’t have to.

“Yes?” Wei Ying curved toward him, head propped up on his bent arm. “What do you want, Lan Zhan?

In that eagerness, Wangji saw that sometimes Wei Ying didn’t want to have to read him either. He swallowed and tried. “The book you had.”

“Which book?”

“During the lectures. In the library.”

Confusion clouded Wei Ying’s handsome face and Wangji worried this would fall prey to his poor memory, but after a few seconds, clarity spread like a sunrise. “In the library. When I was having to copy all those rules and you were being so mean and ignoring me.”

“Mn.”

Wuxian smiled brightly. Funny how those days had a rosy shine to them now. Lan Zhan, his beloved Lan Zhan, his sweet stick in the mud who defied nearly every one of those rules for him. He’d been unimaginably attractive in that library, so cold and untouchable. How badly he’d wanted to touch. “What about it?”

Wangji swallowed. He turned his attention to the rabbits in his lap. They dozed, their red eyes closed into gentle lines on their white faces, noses twitching with dreams. They clearly didn’t sense the rapid heartbeat in the body beneath them. “The picture. I would do that with you.”

Wuxian’s mouth twisted. “Which picture?”

Lan Zhan looked up at him, exasperated.

“Ah-ah, Lan Zhan,” he sighed, one hand lifted in defense. “That book was full of pictures. I don’t know which one you saw. I gave it to you to tease you and you ripped it apart so quickly.”

Wangji looked back to his rabbits. One blinked awake and he slid a finger along its forehead as it yawned, cute big teeth on display. He let the subject drop. He would not be able to find the words.

But Wei Ying sat up, excitedly crossing his legs beneath him. “Could you describe it to me?” he asked.

Wangji didn’t reply, neither by words nor a shake of his head. The tightness in his throat frustrated him. The sentence wouldn’t form in his mind, his tongue wouldn’t lift in his mouth, his lips wouldn’t part. That he had these desires, he had accepted. That they were not shameful, he had learned. But to speak them was still beyond his strength.

Wuxian scooted closer until his knees touched Lan Zhan’s. He loved the warm-pink of his ears, but not the storm clouding the features beneath his pale blue ribbon. He reached forward to join Lan Zhan’s hands in petting the rabbits in his lap. “Maybe you could show me,” he said, letting his fingers glide over Lan Zhan’s in a way he was certain could be called shameless. “Tonight, Lan Zhan. You could show me what they did in the picture. You know how smart I am; I’ll figure it out.” Lan Zhan didn’t answer, but the pink of his ears deepened to red, the storm cleared in his expression, and Wuxian grinned. His clever mind liked a mystery and the rest of him liked touching Lan Zhan, so these evening plans were very welcome indeed.

But being Wei Wuxian they also slipped his mind. That Cloud Recesses felt like an embrace would have shocked his 16-year-old self. That he’d become a teacher would not have. Oh, he dreamed of being a rogue cultivator, and that lifestyle suited him quite well on his not infrequent night hunts, but Wuxian had always been someone who loved being surrounded by youth and happiness, laughter on lotus lakes and meals made by someone who adored him.

Those days couldn’t be recreated, not after so much damage, but with the Lan juniors, with Lan Zhan, and A-Yuan, visits with Wen Ning and even slowly, slowly something better with Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng... It suited Wuxian quite well to be Wei-laoshi. He liked guiding disciples in archery and sword forms. He liked the spark of delight in their eyes when they first mastered a talisman.

Wangji liked that others saw His Excellency in the company of the Yiling Laozu. It killed off the rumors explaining Wei Ying’s absence and their hopes that Wangji had “come to his senses.” He preferred when they could tell by sight that the cultivation world was now guided by a mind that had not been tamed. If they felt fear, Wangji assumed they were right to do so. Those who gave him small, secret smiles—they were right, too.

That evening, Wuxian sat on the edge of their bed and barely seconds later found himself with a lapful of Lan Zhan. He instinctively gripped him and blinked, confused, at the broad expanse of a silk-covered back before his eyes.

“It was like this,” Lan Zhan said, a low whisper.

Wuxian blinked once, and then once more. “Ohhh,” he breathed, as every piece of their earlier conversation came back in a rush. “Oh. Yes, Lan Zhan, we can do that.” And really, they’d already started. Lan Zhan’s hips circled in a way that made Wuxian shiver and forget everything else. He swept Lan Zhan’s hair over his shoulder to bare his neck to his kisses and reached around to start pulling the robes from Lan Zhan’s body, sliding his hands up the strong thighs parted atop his. “Did you want to do this that day in the library?” he asked.

“No... and yes.”

“Yeah,” Wuxian agreed. He remembered the messy jumble of yearnings back then. If they’d kissed as boys, Wuxian was sure he would have ruined it, laughing, callous and too scared to wade into the depths of his feelings for the boy who was everything he was not.

They kept small pot of gel by the bed next to a stack of bathing linens. Wangji still felt a bit embarrassed by the obviousness of these supplies, but it was worth it when he didn’t have to leave Wei Ying’s arms when the mood struck them.

When he was young and his body was rocked by desires he didn’t understand, he’d done what he always did: he studied, like curse victim seeking the counter-curse. And indeed, he’d felt cursed, the way his mind refused to stay on any topic but Wei Ying and his antics. He discreetly researched how men fit together, how they touched and satisfied each other. He believed knowledge would bring the counter-curse for surely he would see these acts were foul and undesirable. Instead, he learned, in detail, all the ways he could give pleasure to the vexing boy who had disrupted the peace of him.

The worst times were the fits of grief that took hold during those long years existing in a world without him. Even gone, his thoughts still turned to him. Even gone, he still wanted to touch him. In those dark hours, with smooth gel on his fingers, he’d give his body what it needed. He pictured the beaming smile that died long before the man, those clever eyes and slender hands full of power and strength. After the crest of climax, the tears would swallow him. He would cry into bed linens that would never carry Wei Ying’s scent, and search for the reasons to go on when all he wanted was to fall into darkness with him.

But his linens did smell of Wei Ying now, of his hair oils and the natural tang of him. His linens were their linens because his bed was not his alone anymore, would never be again, and that beautiful boy who had once vexed him let out a tense, blissful sigh when their bodies joined at last.

Wuxian touched his forehead to Lan Zhan’s warm back and tried not to move, though the pleasure made him want to. He kissed the juncture of neck and shoulder blade, gave a light scrape of teeth. “Is it good, Lan Zhan?” he asked. His voice and his legs trembled.

He didn’t immediately receive a response, not a verbal one anyway, but Lan Zhan shifted, adjusting angle and depth and clinging to Wuxian’s hands on his hips.

Soon enough Wuxian didn’t need his words. Soft sounds rumbled in Lan Zhan’s throat, small gasps of satisfaction that would, in anyone else, be loud wanton moans. Like the sort Wuxian muffled against Lan Zhan’s scarred skin, pressing hot, open-mouth kisses as they found their rhythm with one another. It felt so good, always felt so good to touch Lan Zhan, to have this closeness, this way to show with bodies the intensity of his feelings inside. Sometimes he felt obsessed; he wanted to breathe in Lan Zhan, drink him in, become one person and be done with this false separation, this ridiculous idea that there was a Wei Ying and there was a Lan Zhan when they were so clearly one soul, one heart, one person. Maybe if they had a hundred lifetimes together, they could cultivate a way to join their spirits and become one. But—gasping deep and human against sweat-damp shoulder blades as Lan Zhan rode him—Wuxian couldn’t complain about this method for now.

Finished, they collapsed to their sides on the bed, letting bodies cool and heart rates settle. Wuxian dropped kisses on Lan Zhan’s naked shoulders because the affection still bubbling from his climax needed somewhere to go.

After a few moments’ rest, Lan Zhan turned to him. Those who thought him beautiful had no idea, Wuxian thought. They’d never seen him flushed with color, limb-loose and sated, eyes cloudy with peaked pleasure.

Their couplings usually ended with whispered conversations and Wei Ying’s happy laughter, so Wangji didn’t expect the emotion clogging his throat. He didn’t realize tears had followed until Wei Ying’s thumb slid beneath his eyes wipe them away.

“Lan Zhan?” he asked, concerned. “Why are you crying?”

The cavern of want that once terrified him had expanded and burst, filled now with a shameful fantasy made joyful flesh; filled to brimming with a partner, a son, a healthy clan, a life he felt so grateful to be living.

“Thank you,” was all Wangji managed to say.

Wei Ying smiled, that achingly gorgeous smile that Wangji wanted forever. “For what?”

For killing my shame, he thought. For making Cloud Recesses feel like home again. For embracing my silences. For coming back. For staying. For—

“I love you,” Wei Ying said, when he didn’t get an answer, at least not one Wangji had consciously given.

For that, Wangji thought and welcomed his kiss.

___________

The rabbit traveled on, alone and desperately lonely, until he came upon a stranger munching green, green leaves. Hunger twisted in his tiny rabbit belly, but the ache in his heart was more.

“Will you love me?” The rabbit asked, but before the stranger could answer, he went on, “I may be too scary or too big or too small. I may not be elegant and I can’t help lift big trees, or even little ones. I may go too fast or I may go too slow, and I cannot bounce-bounce-bounce into the water. I jump when I’m excited, I sometimes get scared, and I may not be perfect at giving love back,” the rabbit said in a rush. “But will you love me?”

The stranger blinked with red eyes just like the rabbit’s after listening with long ears just like the rabbit’s. A whiskered nose twitched.

“I do,” said the stranger, for he’d been searching a long time, too.

___________

They stood together, watching the swirl of pale fabric as two juniors sparred. Blades glinted as they caught the afternoon sun. Wuxian couldn’t help smiling, feeling like a grandpa remembering his good old days. “Ah, Lan Zhan,” he said wistfully. “Do you think we’d still be equals if I had my core?” It wasn’t as hard to talk about now, between the two of them. It was a fact of Wuxian’s new body and his health; they had to talk about it to navigate a life lived together.

“We are equals.”

“Tsk. I mean with swords.”

“Still equals.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan, you know what I mean.”

Wangji did and he didn’t. “Wei Ying survived the Burial Mounds.”

Wuxian shrugged, feeling that ancient shadow whisper in his heart. “That’s just survival. If you’d been thrown there, Hanguang-Jun would have survived too.”

Wangji didn’t reply, but he also didn’t agree. He suspected that his unwillingness to use resentful energy—his fear of the discord already living inside him—would have meant his death. His spiritual power would simply have bled into the earth, more foul power leeching into the dirt. No, he was certain that none but Wei Ying would have emerged at all, let alone emerged more powerful than when he fell. “Wei Ying is gifted,” he said finally.

Wei Ying spun Chenqing in his hand. These days, it played music more than puppets. “Gifted in something evil.”

“That he uses for good.”

Wuxian snorted. “You have an answer for all of it, don’t you, Lan Zhan? You can’t clean me of all my mistakes.”

“I’m not trying to.” Lan Zhan turned to meet his eyes, countenance both stern and sweet in that way of his. “A golden core can be used for evil deeds,” he said. “You’ve demonstrated that resentful energy can be used for good ones. That is innovation. You saw what others could not. That is a gift. Core or no, you have always been my equal.”

“Lan Zhan.” Wuxian pouted. He’d wanted to flirt and reminisce about the days when an incredibly pretty fuddy-duddy had broken his bottle of Emperor’s Smile. Instead, Lan Zhan had cut at something naked and fragile inside him.

His eyes drifted from Lan Zhan’s, but he bumped their shoulders together to tell him that he wasn’t upset, not really. “Maybe,” he said. “But I want to know if I could’ve ever bested you and Bichen.”

Lan Zhan’s lips lifted in a sad, tiny smile. “Me too,” he agreed softly.

Wuxian wanted to kiss him. Instead—for the sake of the juniors—he just pushed their shoulders together more firmly, removing any lingering space between them. That sorrow could visit them, he decided, the sorrow of what could-have-been. It could visit, but not stay.

Wangji had more he wanted to say. Wei Ying was brilliant. The sort of brilliant that, at most, emerged once in a generation and sometimes not at all. Wangji felt gratitude to have met him, to have gotten him back after everything. But he could sense when Wei Ying wasn’t ready to hear such words. He would let his praise and admiration out in bits and pieces for the rest of their lives. He was okay with that, he decided, and let his weight lean just as firmly against Wei Ying’s as they watched the next generation fly.

#lanerose23 #wangxiansolstice20 #*fic20 #*gifts20

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