#I received them as a bday gift all the way back in May but I've had so many hyperfixations since then that I was never In The Mood for it

[snowflakeselfships]

Feeling so many feels over my android f/os rn.

[hwavsg4ch4n]

Take Me Away || H.J

little note: only part in the series that doesn't have the same title as the song it's inspired by

Warnings/tags: fem!reader, unexperienced!reader, Switch!Reader (leaning sub), Bestie!Jisung, SoftDom!Jisung, petnames, making out, oral (M&F receiving), female orgasm, male orgasm, face fucking (s0ftly lol), virgin!reader, face grinding/sitting, cum eating, mention of food once, mention of not being able to sleep, unrecognized subspace. i think thats all

Note: I haven't been here for a while *giggles*. This just me picking up from where I left off. Also, late work for Han's Bday I guess. I dont have anything for Lixie :( i feel bad. But honestly, I've been working on this any many other things for monthssss. I hope you guys enjoy!

The music series, I chose songs and assign them to each member. I write each work according to the vibe of said song. Each work will have smut, whether it is soft, hard, or a mixture of the two. You don’t need to listen to the song to enjoy it, the song would finish before you’re done reading but listening to the song in general is recommended, because why not? To learn more click <here>.

Sypnosis: Han is grateful for you being there, he always will be. But will you ever let him take care of you? He's willing to do it any way you'll allow him to.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction (not real). this is mature content and has mature themes. 18+. This is not a reflection of how skz act in real life

this isn't a jeongin one but you did ask to be tagged when i post so here you go, lol @dadonbabysworld

Part of the music series <masterlist>

“One thing I‘m sure about you is that, whatever time of day it may be… you always come rushing to me if my voice wavers even just a little bit.” You blinked as Jisung spoke his mind without thought.

You cleared your throat, “Is that a problem?” You asked softly. He scoffed, shaking his head. “How could that be a problem, Y/n?” He ran a hand through his freshly dried hair, looking at the blushing moon through his shut patio door. Jisung gazed at your confused features through his ruffled bangs before sighing, going back to picking at his chipped black nail polish.

He took a deep breath before speaking, “I just- I’m not sure if I deserve someone like you in my life, that’s all.” It was your turn to scoff, frowning as you watched your best friend fiddle with his thumbs.

You stayed silent, the softest of songs playing quietly through his speaker. It was 1am, his roommates were fast asleep; so were you just 2 hours ago. In the middle of the night, Jisung called you, his voice groggy as he muttered “I can’t sleep.” He was a grown man, he didn’t need you to rock him and sing him a lullaby. But he just wanted to hear your voice, loving how your tone could warm his heart in a millisecond.

He never admitted it out loud, but he was in love with you. Platonically and romantically. At first, he tried to deem it as infatuation, a silly little crush he developed because you were one of the most caring people he’s met in this lifetime. Unfortunately, it was way deeper than that. But he’d never tell you, that would ruin everything. 

Therefore he used your kindness in order to see you whenever he could. Granted, this was selfish of him. Waking you up at 12am just because he knew you were too pure to just tell him ‘wait till the morning’. You cared too much, and he loved you for that, loved how you cared for him; along with many other things. He wasn’t that shallow. 

The only thing he despised about you, was how you’d never let him take care of you; not properly at least. You always had to pay for food, he wasn’t allowed to. You got him gifts but frowned when he got you one. He accepted your love languages, they were a part of you. But still, it bothered him to no end. Who was taking care of you if you were so busy taking care of him? 

“Did you eat dinner, y/n?” He asked you softly, clearing his throat as he swiftly changed the subject. You allowed it, “Mhm,” you muttered, “But it was boring without you there.” You let out with a soft chuckle.

God, why did you have to say that? Jisung’s heart skipped a beat at the image of you eating, pouting since the lack of his presence didn’t allow you to talk to him about nothing like you usually do. “I’m sorry, babe. I’ll be there next time.” Your love languages: quality time, gift-giving, and of course, words of affirmation. 

This allowed him to call you pet names without you thinking too much into it. This was one of the ways you allowed him to look after you, making you feel comfortable around him. He’d call you “babe”, “Princess”, your personal favorite was “beautiful”, but you’d never let him know that.

You smiled at the pet name. Silence fell over the two of you, sitting on his soft cushioned king sized bed, bathing in each other’s presence. That’s until you remembered something you discussed with your friends earlier. It was an embarrassing topic to say the least, and the question you had was even more questionable. But it was Jisung, what’s the worst he could say?

“Ji?” You muttered, he hummed back. “You know how I’ve never kissed someone before?” You pouted as he chuckled, softly slapping his bicep. “I’m sorry. Yeah, what about it?” He says, chuckling softly; still gazing at the blushing moon.

You gulped, it was now your turn to start playing with your chipped nail polish. “Why haven’t you offered to kiss me before?” You could see him frown in confusion before turning to you with an unreadable expression. “It's just that, Felix asked me… if you ever offered before. Because we're so close, you know? I’m only comfortable, with you… as of now.” you muttered, awaiting his answer.

“I didn’t think you’d want that from me, Y/n.” He stated, his tone still soft as ever while he searched your eyes for a further explanation. “Well, I think it would be better to kiss you than some random person, no? I mean, I trust you with my life.” You said, slowly becoming timid due to his intense stare.

He nodded, finally understanding your intentions; wanting to experience something you’d probably longed for. And Jisung was the only one that seemed safe. His hair fell into his eyes as you watched him take in your words, looking at you with care. “I wouldn’t mind kissing you, beautiful.” Your lips parted as he smiled at you gently. 

“Can you kiss me now?” His brows raised at your sudden request, but he nodded nevertheless. Scooting closer to you as you stayed stationary, awaiting his arrival.

“Don’t be scared, Y/n,” he whispers once he got close enough that your knees were touching, his breath fanning over your cheeks. “Like you said, it’s just me right?” He smiled, showing you his teeth as he found your shy eyes. You nodded, smiling back as your hands absentmindedly fisted his sheets.

“Can I touch you? Is that okay?” He asked gently. “Uhm, touch me how?” Your innocent question shouldn’t have affected Jisung the way it did, his mind traveling to more mature places; having him chant “don’t fuck it up” in his very active mind.

“Your cheeks, can I hold your face?” he whispered, hoping you didn’t notice him growing tense. You muttered yes. A light involuntarily gasp escaped as you felt both his warm hands grab a hold of your hot cheeks. Jisung licked his lips out of habit, catching your gaze as he was now so close that your noses brushed.

His thumb brushed your cheeks soothingly, “Ready?” He whispered, his gaze switching from your eyes to your impatient lips. “Mhm”. He gave one last smile before pressing into your lips with his.

His lips attached themselves to yours like they belonged there all this time. Smooth, sensual, gentle. You could feel your heart beating against your chest as he took his time stroking your cheeks, kissing you deeply. He wanted this to be nice for you, fun. He didn’t want you to overthink and to just feel him instead, get lost in him momentarily. Luckily for him, his message got conveyed. You untensed, kissing Jisung back as you reminded yourself that you were safe. Instead of asking yourself if you were doing it right, the decision was made to get lost in Jisung instead. Completely lost, almost taken away by him.

Did kissing always feel like this? If so you should’ve given into temptation much earlier, asking your best friend for harmless make-out sessions every week if you could. You sighed into him, frowning as you tried to get impossibly closer, wanting more of him on your lips. He chuckled against you, amused but not pulling away as he tilted his head for a better angle, wanting you to have a good first kiss. His lips were soft, it made your brain… fuzzy? A new, unfamiliar feeling that you’ve only heard your friends speak about. However, you accepted the new feeling. What could go wrong?

Undoubtedly, maybe you should’ve hung on to that last bit of sanity you had left. Maybe it was the way Jisung pulled away shortly to say you're doing well, asking you if you were okay. But you knew it was the way he hummed into you, kissing you deeper but going softer at some points; not wanting to get lost in his head. It was… attractive, this kind of attractive where you feel a funny feeling in your tummy. You moved closer, one hand found his knee while the other placed itself on the slither of blanket between the two of you, clenching the fabric for dear life; not that it would help with the sweaty palms and heat pooling in your underwear.

Thank god Jisung was still conscious. Making it his mission to be hyperaware, reading any silent cues you might have given off. Jisung pulled away when he heard you whimper, thinking he might’ve done something wrong, maybe you’ve had enough. Totally oblivious to your roaring thoughts. But his worries soon disappeared as he opened his eyes only to find yours still closed, brows scrunched as you tried to chase his lips, not wanting his warmth to go just yet. 

Jisung gulped as your eyes fluttered open, your gaze seeming darker from when he last looked into them. Your pupils were blown out as you looked at him in question. “Why did you stop?” You asked breathlessly. He couldn’t form a proper sentence, not knowing how to answer you. How long have you wanted to be kissed? Did you always want this from him? Him… specifically? That’s how you were acting. Desperate, needy, like you’ve been starved, waiting for him.

He didn’t move away when you abruptly took initiative this time, grabbing his cheeks and pressing your lips onto his, rougher than before. He grunted into you, grabbing your waist to hold you still. You pulled away, only to whisper “more.” Jisung’s eyes widened as you moved to straddle him, kissing him with urgency. Jisung let you do your thing for a while, almost letting himself go brain dead until he remembered, you’ve never experienced something like this.

He pulled away, tapping your lower back as you caught your breath, now looking down at him due to sitting on his lap.

“Slow down Y/n, hm?” He whispered, peering into your dazed eyes. It made his heart pound, you looked like you were drunk on him. “Do you realize where you're sitting right now?” He asked softly. He pressed his lips together as you bit yours, his eyes looking at how plump your lips were; he couldn’t even measure how long you kissed. You nodded slowly, your hands resting on his shoulders.

“I-I don’t wanna have sex,” Jisung stiffened at your comment, his eyes widening as he opened his mouth to talk; you beat him to it “But I want you, in some way.” You whispered, gazing down at him with nothing but need. 

Jisung started to understand that lust was taking over your mind, you weren’t thinking clearly. He’s never seen you so… weak. “Y/n, baby,” he takes hold of your face, “I know it feels nice, but think for a moment, hm? I don’t want you to regret anything.” He says seriously. 

You resist the urge to whine in frustration, “I can take care of myself Jisung.” You whisper, He sighed, “I know bab-”, “Do you wanna… do want me to… taste you? Can I taste you? I’ve always wanted to.” his lips parted in surprise, hearing his best friends speak in ways he’s never heard before.

You took his silence to explain yourself. “My friend, from uni, she said it’s fun. When you get to feel a guy twitch because of you. The only guy I could think of reacting like that for me… is you. I- I wanna make you cum.” You whispered shyly, your hand bunching the fabric of his shirt. 

Jisung felt his member twitch and grow at your words, he knows you felt it because you jolted in his lap. “S-sorry, but when you talk like that… Jesus Y/n, what’s got into you?” He mummers, observing how set in your ways you were. You bit your lip, hands traveling to play with the collar of Jisung’s sleeveless band tee. Jisung began to think - trying his best to ignore how your fingers caressed his bicep - if this was gonna happen, he was gonna make sure to take care of you.

“How about, I taste you instead? How does that sound princess?” Jisung couldn’t help but smile as your eyes widened, pointing at yourself in disbelief. “T-Taste me?” You whispered softly. Jisung hummed, rubbing your thighs that had him caged in. “Mhm, I want you to feel good. It’ll be much more fun for you. If you still want to go down on me afterward, we can try.” He smiled up at you, gently squeezing your hips.

His comforting smile didn’t leave his face as you nodded in agreement. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you y/n?” You slapped his chest softly out of embarrassment. He let out a chuckle before laying down. You looked at him confused, now playing with the hem of your skirt.

“You’re gonna sit on my face, beautiful.”

He grinned at your shocked face. He loved seeing this side of you. So different from your caring nature, always wanting to take care of him to the best of your ability, never letting him be the one to be strong for the both of you. Full 180 from what he’s used to. But if this is the only way you’ll let him pay you back for your kindness, he will gladly do so.

“Uhm… what if.. Uhm,” he watched you stammer with a soft expression, using his hand to continue rubbing at your thigh. “What are you nervous about? Hm?” Jisung asked softly, “What if I like… suffocate you or something?” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Babe, it would be a pleasure to have your thighs around my head. The only way I can breathe is through you… you have no idea how much I want that right now.” Your eyes widened at his confession, feeling his hands grip your thighs tighter as he bucked his hips slightly; reminding you of how hard he was under you.

“You’re not gonna hurt me, y/n.” You watched his soothing close lipped smile as he guided you closer to his face. You didn’t fight it, only being slightly disappointed by not being seated on his bulge anymore. “Make yourself at home beautiful,” Jisung whispered, licking his lips as you finally hovered over him.

He looked into your eyes as he slid your panties to the side, biting his lip softly and he let out a sigh. “So… wet, from what baby? Kissing?” His chuckle made you gulp, your cheeks heating up as he lowered you onto his face.

“Oh,” you gasp as you feel his lips gently latch onto your bud. You gulped at the new unfamiliar feeling, staring at the wall in front of you as you adjusted slightly. You flinched as he hummed against you, lightly sucking as his hands slid underneath your shirt.

“J-Jisung, it feels kinda… ni-oh.” Your chest heaved as you felt him chuckle, squeezing your clothed breast in response. You felt his lips unlatch from your clit, only to lick a long strip up your slit; the tip of his tongue flicking and pressing against your bundle of nerves, only to start flicking faster.

You let out gasps and whines, your hands pressing on the headboard for leverage as you flinched away from his face. Looking down only to see him looking back up at you with a glistening mouth and dark eyes. “Is it too much, princess?” He asked, his voice raspy. “You can take it, I know you can. Be a good girl for me.” You felt your clit pulse at how he spoke to you like he was in charge, it made the fuzziness deepen. You whimpered, nodding as you lower yourself back onto his awaiting mouth.

This time around you felt wetter than before, his tongue slipping and sliding across your flesh with ease. Feeling his lips suck and tongue flick had you seeing stars, you didn’t even know that you were grinding on his face until you looked down.

“Oh, I-I’m sorr-”, “Keep fucking using me.” Your lips parted at his grumbled words, but you did exactly what he told you to do. Grinding on his face, trying your best not to press too hard. But it was difficult to think with all the different sensations running around your form.

It felt like his lips were everywhere, you began to get lost in the feeling. Your moans grew a bit louder, not that Jisung minded. Maybe his roommates did, but he loved it.

 But what made tears start brimming was when you felt his tongue slide into your sopping entrance with ease. “Ji- w-what… fuck.” You whined, your pelvis moving faster against his tongue, no longer caring about how much of a mess you were making. “You’re… so good.” Jisung hummed at the praise you gave him, continuing to make you feel good. 

You reached down, your fingers raking through his locks as you pushed him closer into your heat. You haven’t looked down at him in a while, therefore you wouldn’t know that Jisung’s eyes were closed. Letting himself get lost in the taste of you, letting himself be used by you in the best way possible. All the while trying not cum untouched, your moans traveling like waves through his body, right down to his member.

You lurched forward, feeling pressure build up in your tummy, aching to be released. “Ji… I’m- oh…” your mouth parted with your eyes being screwed shut as you came, the climax being strong as it’s the first time you came in the hands of someone else.

Jisung's eyes snapped open to watch you, analyzing how you came undone above him; it was like heaven to him. While trying his best to Ignore how his dick fought against the material of his sweats in order to be relieved. He hummed against you, licking you clean as you slowly came down from your high. At that moment he swore you started glowing.

You gulped dryly, weakly scooting off his face and placing yourself back to the position of straddling, causing him to hiss at the contact of your middle pressing into his bulge. 

You felt small under his gaze, now comprehending that your best friend made you cum, the fuzziness weakening slightly. You bit your lip, reaching up to wipe his face that was slathered with your arousal. “Thank you…” you trailed off. You were only met with Jisung bucking into you, making you whimper quietly as he pushed deep into your sensitive area.

You watched with timidness as Jisung chuckled. “That’s enough for today, hm?” You frowned at his words. “No.” He raised an eyebrow lazily. His lips slightly parted as you scooted down to his upper thighs, your hand grabbing his bulge, stroking experimentally.

“Baby… you don’t have to.” He huffed, licking his lips as he watched the movements of your hand, now slowly unbuttoning his pants. “But I wanna.” You muttered. You gulped as you pulled his member out from his boxers, unknowingly licking your lips as you observed how painfully hard he was, lightly twitching at your gentle touch.

“You were just gonna let this go?” You asked, fingers stroking up and down his shaft. “I mean… yeah?” He sighed. His hands clutching your thighs. The fuzziness subsided, the only headspace you found yourself in was pure lust.

Jisung’s gaze was dazed as you lowered, your mouth now hovering over his tip before you looked up in question. “Tell me what to do.” Jisung couldn’t help but smile. Despite you being determined, you were still like a baby deer. His hand stroked your cheek as he told you to open wide, guiding his length between your lips as he grunted at the feeling.

“God, just stay still for a sec, please.” His voice sounded strained, like he was holding back. He was. The combination of you kissing him like he was your oxygen, you expressing to him how bad you’ve been wanting him, from having you use him for pleasure had him aching for release. He didn’t wanna tell you, but he was so sensitive, not having touched himself in a while due to his mind being too focused on other life events.

You tried your hardest to listen, and stay still for him. But feeling his tip pulse on your tongue was borderline torture. You couldn’t help but have your tongue run on the underside of his tip, playing with the small vein that made him suck in a breath. His hand transferred to your hair as he got a good grip.

“Y/n,” he grumbled in warning. Opening his eyes to see your mouth stuffed full of him, the sight making it even harder for him to keep himself tamed. “Start sucking baby.” He whispered, sitting up on the headboard a bit to get a better view of you.

You hollowed out your cheeks, sucking and licking, using your hands to stroke his shaft; remembering how your friends drunkenly taught you how to give oral.

You were too focused to recognize how his grip on your strands tightened, his groans getting louder. The only time you unfocused was when he bucked into your mouth causing you to gag. “O-oh I’m sorry,” he moves your hair out the way, apologizing softly. Your mouth slides off of him, “Use me like how I used you.” Jisung gulped at your words, watching as you continued to stroke his length. What happened to that cute headspace from earlier? Well it’s gone now, he didn’t mind.

“I don’t wanna hurt you princess…” he whispered. “Please Ji… please? I can take it.” His eyes softened as you pleaded. Of course he’ll give you what you want, “God, you’re killing me. I didn’t know you’d be so needy, hm?” he smiles as you whine in embarrassment. “Okay, okay. Be still baby, I’ll be gentle.” Jisung said softly, guiding you back to his dick. He hissed as you engulfed him once again. “If you need a break tap me 3 times, do you understand?” you hummed in approval. Jisung tilted his head, almost like he was preparing himself, trying to give himself a pep talk not to go too hard on your precious throat. 

He delivered a cautious thrust, observing how you reacted. His eyes widened as you took more of him down your throat. “Don’t push yourself.” He warned, of course, you ignored him, taking as much as you could of him. 

Jisung felt as if he was fighting for his life here. He never thought he’d be able to see you like this. Wanting to please him, but also use him in a way that made you feel fulfilled.

 Jisung soon realized that letting you do whatever you want at this moment was exactly how he should take care of you. You’re a big girl. You said it yourself, you can take it. Therefore, he started thrusting into your mouth. He still remained careful, not wanting to overwhelm you. But nevertheless, it felt amazing. Jisung threw his head back onto his pillow, his breath coming out in huffs as all he felt was your warmth sucking him in.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” His mutters went straight to your heat, making you whimper as you felt his member slide in and out of your mouth with ease. The noises emitting from your throat were lewd, and he loved every sound of it. Jisung’s thrusts got a bit rougher, and his moans got louder. You didn’t care that your mascara began to run, it was worth it. The view in front of you was worthy of touching yourself to the memory later. Seeing your best friend's chest rise and fall rapidly as whines and moans filled the air made, Jisung’s hair in his face as his eyes were screwed shut, sweat forming at his temples. This made the experience all the more rewarding. 

Jisung gulped dryly as you swallowed around him. “Baby… I’m gonna cum, maybe y-you should g-get,” He could barely finish his sentences as he removed his grip from your hair. “If you don’t want it down your throat, g-get o-off.” Jisung stammered as he stopped thrusting, giving you leeway to get off of him. But you didn’t, instead, you took matters into your own hands. Sucking and stroking as you felt his member twitching on your tongue. “F- y/n…” Jisung gasped for air as he looked down at you, observing how focused you were on making him feel good. 

He bit his lip, muttering a warning “Fuck, I’m cumming.” before he finally came, shooting into your mouth as you flinched slightly at the impact. Your friends lied, it tasted like nothing.

 You continued to suck, milking him as his cum dribbled out of your mouth and back onto his member. You didn’t even know what overstimulation was but you seemed to be a master at it right now. Jisung’s head fell back as you continued sucking, your tongue tracing the underside of his tip as you wanted to catch every lick of him.

 His legs trembled as he grabbed ahold of your hair again, trying to pull you off. “Th-that’s en-ough baby, please.” he pleaded as he slid your mouth off him.

You sat up, straddling his thighs, watching silently as he tried to catch his breath. His cheeks were bright red and his hair tousled from moving around on his pillows.

Jisung let out a scoff, “I thought you never did that before, y/n?” You bit your lip at the subtle compliment. “Even going as far as to overstimulate me. Did you have fun, beautiful?” He asked. You nodded, “Can we do it again?” Jisung chuckled. “Just… give me a second, maybe a couple of hours.”

If it meant making you feel taken care of, he’d do it all night.

[innranrae]

🐚 A Birthday Amidst the Archipelago

A/N: oneshot for my fav russian boys bday, i included the golden apple archipelago bc it was the most fun event/area I've experienced in genshin so far and I'll miss it a lot but at least it's inazuma and electro aether time, anyways hope you enjoy this and if you have suggestions/tips on writing or anything please lmk! I'm new to it all and I'm trying my best ;w; my friend proofread this tho and shes big brain so id say this one is pretty swaggy

￫ pairing(s): Zhongli/Childe, Aether/Venti (kinda platonic tbh), Venti and Dvalin vibing

￫ word count: ~ 3k

￫ cw: alcohol

￫ ao3

🏖️

Zhongli sensed a large being coming from the skies of Duyun Ruins. He did not want to believe it, but his doubts were soon confirmed.

Dvalin descended from the clouds with a heavy thud, sending the living creatures around either running or flying. Mounted on the Dragon of the East were Venti and Aether; The bard wore a pair of sunglasses and a light attire that shocked Zhongli to the core, he had thought the anemo archon could not get any more ludicrous, but it appears he was mistaken.

A slight frown grew on his face watching the scene and the geo archon couldn’t help but raise his palm to his face, sighing. On the flip side, Childe was astonished; his eyes sparkled observing Dvalin, considering what the outcome would be if they were to fight.

—

2 days earlier

“Traveler,

It has been some time since we last saw each other. I do hope your ventures are going smoothly.

I am writing to you to request assistance with an event that will take place two days from now. As you may know, Childe’s birthday is on the 20th of this month and I have been finding it hard to come up with a suitable gift. I wish to surprise him but nothing that fits my criteria comes to mind, in addition to the fact I am still adjusting to mortal life and their festivals.

If you do not mind and, of course, if you are free that day, I hope you can help me with this matter.

Zhongli”

After sending his letter to Aether, Zhongli straightened his shoulders on the stool at one of Heyu Tea House’s tables, raising a cup of steaming tea to his mouth, and waited for his guest to arrive.

“Receiving an invitation from Mr. Zhongli first sure feels nice,” a voice shouted coming from the stairs.

Zhongli glanced at the harbinger who took a seat by his side, “Childe, do you have any plans for your birthday?”

Childe widened his eyes slightly, “Birthday?” He raised his hand thoughtfully to his face. “Oh, my birthday! Hm… Is Mr. Zhongli planning on giving me some type of gift?” The harbinger smiled playfully.

“Please answer my question.”

“Nope! None at all.”

In actuality, Childe should be busy taking care of the Fatui’s business around Liyue; unfortunately for his underlings, he was going to do whatever he wanted either way. Additionally, he had a feeling Mr. Zhongli’s question was not trivial, and speculated the archon probably wanted to make plans.

“I see."

Unexpectedly, instead of proceeding on that topic, Zhongli said nothing more as he took another sip of his tea.

Despite the surprising lack of further development, he forgot about it as soon as Zhongli started to talk about a Ruin Hunter he encountered the prior day in the fields.

He knew by now what topics intrigued Childe's simple warrior mind, and that alone had Childe rambling about fighting tactics and his own experiences to Zhongli, occasionally trying to convince the archon to fight him, which he politely refused.

—

Meanwhile, at the Golden Apple Archipelago...

"I could really use a hand over here, Venti!" Aether's cry for help could barely be heard over the shrieking group of hilichurls advancing one after the other.

"But I-"

After unleashing a wind vortex from his palm, Aether glared at the bard, who was leisurely plucking the strings of his lyre on top of a rock. "Playing a battle song isn't helping!" He cut Venti off, resulting in the end of Venti's untimely concert with lots of whining.

After jumping off the rock, the bard shot an arrow that sent the group of monsters flying altogether.

The pair had a short-lived moment of relief, but soon the eerie sound of a horn was heard, indicating that more enemies were on their way. Aether groaned while Venti giggled nervously, and so, they had to return to their combat stances.

Not long after engaging, the traveler heard a short sound that made him stop his blade.

“Oh, I’ve got mail,” Aether walked a few steps from the fighting, reading the message while leaving the bard to get the monsters’ attention.

Venti's eyes widened at the sudden rush of monsters coming directly at him, though luckily, he sent them flying once again.

“Woah~ Don’t do that so suddenly, traveler, so mean!”

After reading Zhongli’s message, Aether was deep in thought, looking around as if searching for something, until his eyes met the green-colored ones of the anemo archon that reciprocated the eye contact, with a touch of wonder.

Zhongli opened the new mail he received, analyzing the few words Aether had sent.

“Meet us by Duyun Ruins at 9 in the morning, bring Childe with you.”

“Meet us? If I am not mistaken, Paimon has been staying with Xiangling, and didn’t show any signs of wanting to leave any time soon. Perhaps she can easily travel back and forth,” Zhongli thought to himself.

—

Present Day, Duyun Ruins

Jumping from the dragon’s back, Venti beamed, “Morax! Long time no see~!” Arms wide open as he threw himself towards his old friend. But before he got too close, Zhongli shielded himself, and instead of a hug, Venti’s face was compressed against the solid surface of the geo shield.

Venti staggered a step back from the impact, raising his hand to his cheek, now starting to swell, “Ow!” He pouted.

Zhongli tried to keep his cool, throwing a look at the two boys who recently arrived,waiting for an explanation.

Aether catches on the meaningful gaze and reassures, “Don’t worry, I think we avoided being noticed by anyone.”

“Yeah, Dvalin here is… Well, he tries to be discreet when flying around. After all, I was the one who taught him that~" Venti put a hand on the dragon's body while the other gave Zhongli a thumbs up.

"Saying you were the one who taught him does not reassure me one bit…" Zhongli’s veins were protruding from distress by now. "Aside from that, aren't you supposed to be more careful not to expose your identity in front of the common folk?"

The three other men stared at Zhongli in confusion, exchanging looks between themselves, "Common folk?" Venti asked. Childe was the first to realize he was probably talking about him and began laughing at the Zhongli's seemingly forgetfulness.

"Morax, you sure only remember what you want, huh. Even I know from the traveler's stories that this boy here is the eleventh harbinger of the Fatui. If that harbinger lady took my gnosis, I'm sure this kid knows my identity by now," Venti reassured while Aether slowly nodded, feeling second-hand embarrassment.

Zhongli was at a loss for words, raising his fist to his mouth, awkwardly coughing. On the other hand, the harbinger found the situation quite funny and patted Morax's back a few times while giggling.

Zhongli met Aether's eyes, "Nevertheless, what I desire to know is why that bard and his dragon are here?"

"Well, you’ll see when we get there," Aether reassured, getting back on the dragon's back along with Venti.

Childe cheerfully jumped on, extending his hand down to the geo archon who bashfully accepted, pointedly ignoring the meaningful grins the two other boys directed at him. And with little effort, Dvalin took off to the Golden Apple Archipelago.

The Snezhnayan boy's eyes gleamed with excitement from his first-ever experience that high up, sitting between behind Aether and in front of Zhongli.

Though, his laxity almost made the reddish mask on his hair fly away, luckily being rescued by the man behind him.

"Thank you!" The powerful gushes of wind made his words difficult to understand, yet enough for Zhongli to understand them.

If any normal person would travel through the clouds in the back of a dragon for the first time in their life, surely they would practice caution or be a little wary of their surroundings.

However, because Childe was Childe, an expert in adapting fast to just about anything, the journey on the skies was far from frightening.

A few minutes had passed and the boys were already close to their destination, and with his usual carefree expression, Venti looked back at the men behind him, yelling as Dvalin descended, "Hold on tight!"

With another loud thud, Dvalin settled at the northwestern part of Twinning Isle. Aether grew anxious in anticipation, waiting for Childe to see the preparations that he and Venti had come up with in such a short timeframe.

They had the inspiration from Alice's surprise for Klee, though not as crafty as she was. With the help of Tubby back in the Serenitea Pot, he managed to decorate the place nicely with newly crafted objects.

Umbrellas and chairs painted a light shade of sky blue sat next to fishing rods, Sea Ganodermas and conches decorated the sand in a path leading to a gazebo, which had seashells and starfishes hang from the wooden ceiling, surrounded by curtains.

And inside of it, one chest stored miscellaneous things, while the one next to it contained something that Venti declared extremely necessary: summer clothing he managed to acquire. In addition to the clothes he prepared, the anemo archon was also tasked with providing the food and drinks.

Visibly so as there were at least three bottles of either dandelion or osmanthus wine for every single dish on the table. Which, of course, was all paid for with the traveler's Mora.

All in all, the table was charmingly organized. A cake with a whale drawn on top of it sat in the middle of it all, while balloons were tied to the wooden table.

Upon reaching the sand, Childe was fascinated. The ocean breeze brushing against his face, the warm sunlight of the Archipelago and the salty waves gently crashing onto the tide united all the scenery together.

He’d never seen such a tropical place in his life, so unfamiliar in comparison to his frozen homeland's weather and features.

Lost in admiration for the scenery, he had already forgotten that it was his birthday, only remembering when Zhongli called out his name, directing him to look ahead where the decorated area was put, in preparation for the celebration to commence.

Venti leaned back against Dvalin's tail, already playing a melody, as the other three walked along the decorated path.

Aether fastened his steps, going ahead and getting a small box. Then, turning back to the birthday boy, he extended the gift.

"Happy birthday, Childe."

The harbinger let out a small "thank you" before opening it.

His blue eyes twinkled as he grabbed the content inside the box for closer examination. It was a bright piece of wood with a smaller version of him, Teucer and Aether drawn on it, as well as a ruin guard, or “Mr. Cyclops” as his little brother would say, stood behind them.

Without thinking, Childe embraced Aether tightly with a wide smile across his face, and at the display of the ginger’s excitement, the traveler couldn't help but feel accomplished.

After the gift was exchanged, Venti pointed out the clothes he had prepared, which made Zhongli flinch at the thought of wearing sunglasses as eccentric as his. Luckily, they were just lighter clothes, not accessories.

Childe, already excited from the exotic scenery, went on ahead to change his clothes behind a tall rock.

Zhongli and Aether walked towards the same location, at a much slower pace than the Snezhnayan boy, who was already out of sight.

“Thank you for your efforts, traveler. You managed to surprise me as well,” Zhongli finally got the chance to say.

“It was no problem at all. I’m having fun and the ‘tone-deaf bard’ was a great help, too.”

Childe emerged from behind the rock suddenly, wearing shorts and a shirt that was presumably supposed to be buttoned up. As a matter of fact, all the attires were of a similar design, the few differences being their color schemes, a few patterns, and the boy’s usual accessories.

Before any reaction, they heard monstrous noises getting closer to the shelter. A group of hilichurls nearby seemed to have been alarmed by the dragon’s arrival.

Something inside Childe’s mind clicked and he immediately turned the way of the shrieks, getting ready to fight, “Leave them to me!”

“Oh I was counting on that,” Aether affirmed as Venti nodded. Knowing very well of the harbinger’s passion for fighting, they speculated about the attack and gladly attached it to the list of events for that day.

Aether’s words were thrown at no one though, since Childe had left as soon as those four words left his lips earlier, leaving no time to receive any reaction from the others.

Bad luck for those poor hilichurls, honestly.

Childe's hydro blades moved swiftly, leaving droplets in the sand as they slashed one after the other, ending each almost instantly, leaving little space for a counterattack. He only stopped moving when there were no more of the monsters around, either because they were actually all dead or ran away from fear.

Coming back to the shelter’s path, Childe saw that they were now fishing, which made him joyfully run to join them, and noticing that he was back, Zhongli offered Childe a fishing rod and a seat next to himself.

“Oh man, this takes me back to the old days with my dad,” The ginger said while settling down on the beach chair, “Though the temperatures are the complete opposite, haha. I wonder if my family would survive the extreme change in the weather, though.”

Zhongli and Aether listened attentively while holding their rods, all the while, the anemo archon, visibly tipsy, communicated with Dvalin nearby.

“How come you managed to adapt this easily to the sudden climate change, Childe?” Zhongli asked.

“A warrior must always adapt to any situation. If I let the heat get the best of me, I'm weakened, consequently leaving myself open to enemy attacks."

"Damn, he never changes. If it isn't about his family, the answer is always related to being a fighter… Well, it is almost comforting in a way." Aether thought, mentallyrolling his eyes while taking a sip of the drink Venti had given him.

"I see," Zhongli seriously responded, "It is indeed true. Keeping one's body and mind stable is a must when facing laborious challenges."

Childe was filled with joy upon hearing the acknowledgement. It was always pleasant to hear someone who understood his point of view.

The traveler shifted his attention upon feeling a small force pulling down the

rod.

A fish had finally taken the bait, and the eyes of the two men also moved towards him when they heard the small "oh" Aether let out.

They all rejoiced at the successful catch and its size, and the traveler went straight ahead to prepare a meal for them.

—

As the day went by, they had almost checked everything on the task list; They fished for a while, Aether showed the mechanisms and puzzles that Klee's mom prepared, even landing his Harpastum so Childe could try them, he also taught them how to ride and summon the Waverider, they exchanged various anecdotes, as well as how the traveler came across the Archipelago in the first place, describing the whole Dodo King saga, and finally, filled themselves with food and drinks.

The sun rapidly fell under the horizon, merging the last colored rays of marigold into the indigo night sky. Venti had managed to convince the traveler to drink with him throughout the day and, needless to say, they were quite drunk by now, though both of them had a high tolerance and were somehow still acting civilized.

While Dvalin slept, the four men sat on the sand, listening to Venti sing around the crackling campfire.

When the bard began to sing a piece about Snezhnaya, Childe seemed to have recalled something.

He shuffled through his belongings, grabbing a bottle with a clear liquid, “This was a gift I received earlier, it’s a Snezhnayan specialty alcohol, Fire-Water!”

Aether gulped nervously at the familiar name. He had heard the stories around Mondstadt, how Master Diluc spent three days in bed after drinking a single glass of it, leading to the unsuccessful partnership with the Snezhnayan merchants.

Childe poured the liquid into separate cups and went around distributing them to the boys. Sitting back in his original spot, he continued, “As per tradition, we have to down the cup in one go!”

Venti was all in for the proposal, and despite their concern at first, Zhongli and Aether respected the birthday boy’s wish.

After raising their cups in a toast, they all drank the beverage at once.

Childe cheered, rambling about how he missed the taste of the drink. Zhongli seemed to be unaffected, calm as always, smiling and listening to the Snezhnayan boy.

However, Aether didn’t seem so well, he had expected the feeling, but because of the previous drinks he shared with the bard, it seemed to have had a stronger effect on him.

Aether wasn't the most affected by the drink, though.

That one shot was the ultimatum for Venti. His vision was blurry and he couldn’t stop laughing, which alarmed the others, but before they could take action and ask what was wrong, the archon fell into the sand, a grin on his face as he passed out.

After the realization of what just happened, Aether was the first to talk, “Um, I’ll take him to the shelter. I’m feeling a bit… dizzy too. I’ll get some sleep, haha,” He was making a great effort to sound coherent.

“Hope you enjoyed your day, Childe.”

A sincere smile was directed towards the boy sitting next to Zhongli. That expression warmed Childe’s heart. Aether had put great effort into this whole day and he could tell.

Childe was about to open his mouth to say something after the traveler turned his back to them while carrying Venti, but was stopped by the blonde, “Oh, there’s something I forgot to say. If you go west from here you will find another island with a shipwreck on top of the, um… Rock structure thing. It’s a good place to watch the stars. Anyways, hehe, good night.”

That piqued the two tall men’s interest, and after watching Aether and Venti enter the shelter, Childe looked at Zhongli, who was already standing up, as if he shared the same idea as the other.

A short cruise to the Nameless Isle later, Zhongli and Childe were already walking side by side through the tide, leaving steady footprints on the sand’s surface.

When the two stopped to both admire the place and look for a way to get to the top of the rocky mountain, Zhongli noticed a mural on the rock, which showed a shipwreck and what seemed to be a few people trying to save each other.

The archon was pondering about the meaning of it when he heard Childe’s voice from behind him.

“Mr. Zhongli, there’s a wind current over here!”

Zhongli went to the other’s location, noticing the current that led to the top of the mountain.

Without much effort, both of them got to the original destination: The shipwreck Aether mentioned.

It was indeed a tragic but beautiful place; a place where one could watch the azure starry sky, pale moon glowing brightly.

The two found a spot to sit near the ship that once sailed the seas, and watched the galaxies above them.

Childe offered another shot of the Fire-Water, which the both of them shared. Zhongli closed his eyes, deep in thought.

He had been trying to find the chance to give Childe his birthday gift, but he couldn’t find the opportunity to do so. Finally, now seemed like the perfect time.

He reopened his eyes and stared at Childe, who was watching the sky attentively, blue eyes shining unitedly with the stars.

“Childe.”

Upon hearing his name, he turned to look at the archon.

“Give me your hand,” Zhongli said, reaching his own towards the harbinger.

Childe automatically did so, and after searching for an object on the pocket of his shorts, Zhongli put the present on the other’s palm.

It was a single earring made of Noctilucous Jade and Cor Lapis, in a similar fashion as the one earring Childe normally wore.

“This reminded me of you when I saw it. If you do not wish to wear it, I understand, but I do hope you could keep it with you.”

Zhongli said that but the harbinger was already taking off his original earring, making the archon a bit embarrassed at the impulsiveness of the boy, yet very pleased.

Childe had been rambling about the, now, old earring and how he had gotten it in the first place, but after a while of no response from Zhongli, he gazed at him, being met by the image of the geo archon fast asleep.

Zhongli had a high alcohol tolerance, but with the nightfall, his drowsiness had grown to an almost unbearable level, and now, he was finally subdued by it.

Ajax couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his chest, his expression softened and he decided it was time for him to rest too.

He had never had a better birthday in his life.