#Scaramouche x reader angst

[milkbobatyun]

anyone but you

pairing: wanderer/scaramouche x gn!reader

genre: angstober, events

summary: everyone else had abandoned him, but you always stuck true to him.

word count: 1k

a/n: proud to be a scaramouche simp AND wanderer haver !! dont question the lore aspect of this fic, idk myself asw LMAO

the two of you were but mere pipsqueaks when you met. 

your older brother, morax, had just ascended to godhood and was too busy with the affairs of his new nation to be able to carefully look after his baby sister. likewise, ei was too caught up in her pursuit for eternity to care for her newly made puppet. 

so, what better option was there for them than to let the two of you fend for yourselves together? being lumped together from a young age, and being innocent and naive meant that the two of you relied on each other, the two of you against the world.

you were there when his mother, no, creator, had discarded him. he had no strength, only a pure soul, one that had not yet been tainted by the cruelty of the world. his tender heart had been broken.

like a pet thrown out onto the street, kunikuzushi found himself always making his way back home, tracing the familiar steps to the shrine, sitting outside, pitifully waiting in the rain.

beside him, you sat quietly, offering him silent company. despite the bone-chilling cold, you offered him a hug, the warmth of your love engulfing him, a shield against the uncaring world.

as the both of you awaited for some sliver of hope to shine in the dark clouds of despair, you would pet his head and sing quiet lullabies as it lay on your lap, salty tears leaking from his eyes. he didn’t know puppets could cry. 

hope never came. the almighty shogun had abandoned her creation forever, condemning him to live among mortals, whose short lives meant death, a premature one when compared to his immortal lifespan. 

the bitterness of betrayal consumed a portion of his heart.

kunikuzushi had trusted him. his friend, katsuragi. 

they had promised to be family, a happy little family. tiny kuni, katsuragi and small [name].

so why? why did he tremble in fear now, when he saw kunikuzushi approach him?

it used to be cheers of happiness.

“little kuni!” he would greet, waving his arm in greeting, looking like a comical sight. a wide grin would mirror onto kunikuzushi’s face. someone had finally accepted him and [name] for who they were, looking past the non-human features and seeing their fragile hearts and souls.

katsuragi didn’t hate him for his porcelain skin and ball joints. he didn’t hate [name] for her strange, draconic horns. they were loved, remembered, as the blacksmith and his friends presented them with a beautifully decorated cake.

“to commemorate our year of memories together.” he had declared.

how cruel. how heartless of him, to take the hearts they had trustingly bestowed upon him, crushing it in his grip.

the crystalline pieces fractured, shards of a puzzle that could never be pieced together again.

his betrayal had taken a toll on kunikuzushi’s soul. tears rained down onto the ground as he clutched at your clothing with tight fists.

with warm words and soothing lullabies, your gentle touch and the feeling of home lulled the worn out puppet into sleep.

kunikuzushi was heartbroken. he was scared of this ugly nature of humans. no. he wasn’t scared. he was angry. angry at this cruel world.

he was falling into a dark abyss. curse this wretched world, for carelessly throwing his heart around.

the little boy. oh how naive and innocent he was, a fledgling chick, learning to fly.

kunikuzushi and [name] had found the sickly boy sheltering in your small, rundown, forgotten house on one of the many islands of inazuma. he was plagued with illness, not even your knowledge of medicine could cure him.

yet, you still pressed on, nourishing the little boy with lavender melons and a banquet of dishes. kuni often volunteered to go forage for different fruits, proudly bringing back the herbs he had picked in the wilderness.

once, you were even lucky enough to buy a small doll that resembled kuni.

that day had been the little boy’s birthday. you were on your daily trip to the local market when you caught sight of it. with care, you nestled the doll between the ingredients you had bought for the cake.

as the little boy blew out the candles on the sad, slightly lopsided birthday cake, he wished that he could stay with the two of you.

“we’re family now.” he had grinned at you, his two missing front teeth all the more prominent. “we’re going to be together forever and ever.”

how naive and innocent you were.

in the night, you tried to ignore the bone-chilling, hacking coughs that resonated in the empty manor. the worsening coughs that raked through his body, leaving him pale and shaking.

every night, you questioned the gods. if they were so benevolent and kind, why? why rip this young fledgling from his nest and toss him into the harsh world? what twisted sense of joy did it bring?

once again, the two of you foolishly bared your newly-mended hearts to humans, only for it to be crushed underfoot.

humans can’t be trusted. it took three betrayals before you finally understood.

a soft, porcelain heart, in this unjust world would only lead to pain and suffering. only by hardening his heart into stone, could the puppet withstand the test of human nature.

“you can’t leave me like him, [name],” kuni’s hoarse voice pleaded, gripping you as though you would disappear. “promise me.”

a link of your pinkies and you promised him, but a flicker of hesitation flitted through your eyes.

from that day on, scaramouche clung tight to you, you were his lifeline in this ugly world. the only thing pure and deserving of his love. he cast away his vulnerable and foolish younger self, burying his heart with his own two hands.

good riddance to the rest of the world, the world that he would curse at and denounce. but you, you would always have to stay by his side, in life and in death.

he would do anything to keep you near him. chain you, shackle you beside him, go to hell and back, anything so you wouldn’t abandon him, like all the others did.

his heart was cold and black, impenetrable like rock. but even a stone could retire under the erosion of time, becoming pure like the most exquisite of gems.

∧,,,∧ ( ̳• · • ̳)  © curated with love by milkbobatyun 2024 / づ ♡

[himasgod]

Platonic! Scaramouche x Reader

Where he finds you wounded having fled from Dottore's experiments

Where Scaramouche is in Sumeru, and finds you lying on the ground, with wounds, burns, blood. He recognizes it instantly, that hatred burning inside him, is your gaze. You had fled from Dottore.

(Welcome back everyone! The person who sent me this request explicitly asked for it to be platonic and without romanticizations, I hope I achieved what you asked for and met your expectations! I love making Scaramouche ANGST. Enjoy!)

The air of the Sumeru jungle was heavy with the scent of damp earth and foliage.

Scaramouche moved across the forest floor with the precision of someone accustomed to moving in the shadows, his porcelain skin dimly illuminated by the fragmented rays of light filtering through the canopy.

His thoughts were far away, flitting between his grudges towards the world, the Fatui, and most of all, Dottore.

The crack of a broken branch brought him to an abrupt halt.

He frowned, his hand hovering near the hilt of his katana. The sound was not animal; it was too deliberate. He turned toward the source of the noise, his gaze alert.

What he found made him immobile.

There you were, staggering between the roots of a twisted tree. Your bare feet were covered in wounds, and your tattered clothing barely hid the cut and burn marks on your skin.

There was dried blood on your face and hands, mixed with dirt and stuck-on leaves. Your eyes, empty, stared into nothingness, as if you were unaware of where you were.

That look, he recognized it instantly.

It was Dottore’s mark, the same one he’d seen in his own reflection years ago.

“Who are you?” he asked coldly.

You didn’t answer.

You barely reacted to his voice, as if the words made no sense to you. You staggered another step before collapsing to the ground, unable to hold yourself up.

Scaramouche stared at you, jaw clenched. A mix of rage and contempt for the man who had done this to you consumed him. He could imagine what you had endured. He didn’t need to ask. He knew Dottore’s cruelty, knew what he was capable of.

With a sigh, he crouched down beside you. His fingers touched your neck, searching for a pulse. He found it, faint but steady.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm the hatred boiling inside him.

When he tried to lift you up, you moved weakly, murmuring in a broken voice,

“Don’t… don’t take me back…”

Your words broke him. Not because he felt sorry, but because your fear was so palpable he could almost touch it.

“I’m not taking you back.” His voice was hard, almost sharp.

Your lips moved as if you wanted to say something more, but your body gave out, exhausted. Scaramouche watched you for a moment longer before lifting you into his arms.

He didn’t do it out of compassion or kindness.

It was an act driven by his own spite, by his hatred for the man who had done this to you.

If he left you there, it was as if he were allowing Dottore to win.

As he moved through the trees, his mind was fixed on two goals: getting you to safety and making sure Dottore paid for everything he had done.

For you, for him, and for all those who had suffered at his hands.

[r0ttenhearts]

wasted on you

idol! scaramouche x reader

sypnosis: after an argument with scaramouche he has to perform for a show. the show must go on, despite his mind being anywhere but the present

warnings: angst, arguments, no comfort

“scara, we’re on in 5!”

“i know, i know. just give me a minute.”

scaramouche fumbled with his phone, typing a hasty response and sending it to you. it had only been a few hours since you last spoke, or fought. your angry voice still ringing in his ears, the harsh words left between you two as he left you there. alone.

it was eating at him, the way you looked so defeated. so done.

but you’d still show up for his show, right? you never missed one. even after bickering with him you’d always show. that smile on your face as he met you backstage after every show, embracing you while you praised him for a job well done.

he hoped that would be the case as he stood next to his friends, ready to perform that tedious dance routine heizou had choreographed for the group. painted nails adjusted his mic, a wide smile plastered on his face as he moved with his friends in sync.

his dark eyes scanned the crowd, looking for your usual spot he’d get you tickets for. the memory made him smile, your complaints of not getting the best view when he’d given you a different spot.

his smile faltered for a moment before perking back up as he realized you weren’t there. that comforting presence he’d always find when he felt the most nervous about his ability to perform wasn’t there. the one person he wanted to watch him wasn’t there.

“if you’re going to keep whining why don’t you just leave?”

“do you mean that scara?”

“i can’t even bother to look at your face right now. archons, don’t you see how lucky you are to have me? i could have anyone but i chose you.”

“maybe i shouldn’t have.”

his blood ran cold, recalling his words to you. he hadn’t meant it. he only said it in the moment because he was so angry. so angry about you pestering him. so what if your third year anniversary was on the same day of the concert? you knew how important it was to him, right?

more important than your relationship.

the rest of the concert droned on. he felt like a zombie, the same strenuously practiced choreography being repeated once more to a crowd of thousands of fans. the same songs he’d practiced with the group leaving his lips until they left the stage, heading back to their dressing rooms backstage.

he hoped, prayed, that you’d be there, sitting in his chair and ready to give him a hug. but you weren’t. he was greeted with nothing but an empty room, his makeup on the dresser left the way he had abandoned it. scara swallowed thickly as he pulled out his phone, opening your chat. his heart dropped seeing the “delivered” notification missing.

a dry laugh escaped his lips, almost collapsing at his dresser chair. his fingers tapping on his screen harshly.

scara: (y/n)? did you really block me

scara: this isn’t funny

scara: don’t be like this please.

scara: i didn’t mean it, you know that

he could feel a lump well up in his throat as the “not delivered” notification popped up. his phone was just acting up, right? you didn’t leave him. you couldn’t have. you promised him you’d always be there for him, especially after his mother left him.

it seemed cruel, the way he checked all of his social media accounts to see that you had blocked him on every single one. your bio now missing a ring emoji that you both once had on your profile.

tears welled up in his eyes, fist slamming on his dresser as he thought back to the argument. the very thing that had led to this.

to say he had been stressed was an understatement. with both the concert and your anniversary coming up he was faced with the decision to pick between the two. it almost seemed too easy, but he couldn’t forget the way your face fell as he told you he was still planning to attend to the performance.

you understood, didn’t you? perfect little (y/n) always waiting for him. watching him as he played out his part in the career he enjoyed. he could make it up to you after the concert, anyway. your anniversaries would always come again, but he couldn’t leave his friends high and dry for some relationship.

they needed him! it wasn’t even a question when it came to the two.

but if you knew that, why were you so angry? why did you shout at him that you wanted him to pick you instead?

“i’m sick of this, scara! i want to feel important to you! i don’t want to come second to none for the things you care about!”

“what are you bitching about now? you say this like we haven’t already done something for the other two. stop whining.”

the angry tears in your eyes as you shoved him was not something he was used to seeing. he didn’t think you’d be so upset at the news. even through your anger, your silence scared him more.

“i just thought.. i mattered to you, scara. i guess after three years i still don’t get the memo..”

“don’t be stupid (y/n). if you behave after we can do whatever you want for this stupid anniversary. you’d like that, wouldn’t you? you’re like a dog. threatening to bite but wagging your tail if i give you a crumb of a promise. it’s pathetic, really.”

“i didn’t mean it, i didn’t mean it.” he whispered to himself, eyes glued to your profile that now had him blocked.

“i wish you wouldn’t—“

“are you gonna keep bitching?”

that was the last night he saw you, the last night he ever called you his. he sat alone in that dressing room, his red eyeliner smeared as he cried into his hands. it wasn’t like him at all. he hadn’t realized how much he needed that bond, that intimacy he craved as he’d been lacking in it since he was a child.

maybe then he’d learn to cherish the things he had, before he pushed them away. he’s made a nasty habit of that, hasn’t he?

a/n: i got the idea to throw this together after the ask from @magica-ren so thank you!

part II

taglist: @samarill @sakiimeo @astrolomona @dearsumire @saeism @shoheartluv @0kauy @lelemnh @ayameei @aqualesha @msdevilis

[awoogayanderes]

after the breakup with your boyfriend, you invested yourself more into making money. you worked at a small restaurant, it was peaceful enough to remain calm but busy enough to keep the bad thoughts away.

your ex boyfriend who was once a regular at said restaurant doesn’t come anymore. you’re glad that you ruined the place enough for him, especially after all the shit he put you through.

that is until one day, you pull up to a table, it’s him…and a girl. were you delusional or did she look similar to you ? same hair…same eyes…same skin tone…it’s barely been a month and he has someone new ?

someone who looks just like you ? pushing back the anger, you put on a charming smile and act as if the man sitting down was a complete stranger to you. did he really not tell her that his ex worked here ?

the girl is kind using her manners as she orders, sweet even, you’re not mad at her because from what it looks like, she doesn’t know who you are and who you were to her now boyfriend.

she points to an item on the menu, ah. the same thing you always ordered when you were on your lunch break. you can’t help but breakout into a smile, oh my god he really did just another copy of you.

“that’s what i order too ! my ex boyfriend used to come here-“ you’re cut off by your ex, he clears his throat before mean mugging you. “we just want our food, please and thanks,” he scoffs out as he looks down at his phone.

the girl gives him a look of annoyance before softly apologizing to you. “of course sir,” you fake smile at the couple before walking away, you wonder if you have the chance to spit in his food without anyone noticing.

the rest of their date goes like every date goes, romance blah blah food is good blah blah ready to go blah blah. you hand them the check and as you walk away, you glance back, she took out her cash to pay, you smile.

you go to collect the money, no change for them. when you come back, they’re already gone. they left no tip for you. your eye twitches, he replaced you with a copy of yourself and can’t even give you five dollars. so much for a peaceful shift.

( a/n : this is based on true story from literally a few weeks ago, had to write about it )

oikawa | atsumu | dazai | scaramouche | modern-day eren | my recent ex | your fav <3

[liuaneee]

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Okay this might be a stretch- but hiiii to any filo scara lovers out there, surely ya'll know abt those au slideshow things on tiktok? 😭😭😭

Basically just smaus but on tiktok, taglish(filipino-english), and with background music that's usually thirst trap audios???

Something like this and maybe this? My peronal faveXD

PLEASE if you know other tiktok creators that make this content for Scaramouche x readers, send me their users or dm them to me please. PLEASE 😭😭😭😭😭(One of the only two that I know make those vids unpublished literally everything I saved on a playlist, and I'm thirsty for more filo scara content)

(forgive me for the excessive tags, I'm rlly desperate)

[niiine]

Character(s). Xiao, Kazuha, Scaramouche

Random drabbles from random songs on my playlist.

Xiao (Double take by Dhruv)

“Are you alright?” The gentleness in his voice snapped you out of your meltdown, the sound calming your anxious heartbeat. How he had this kind of effect on you? You’re not sure.

The yaksha lead you up on high ground, not high enough to trigger your fear but just enough for you to be able to see the lanterns that was decorating the night sky. The soft, golden glow reminding you of Xiao’s eyes— a flash back of earlier events find its way onto your head.

The sea of people in the port, how agitating it was, your anxiety burning your heart, your thoughts come running down to one action. Call Xiao.

You know it’s selfish to call for him as you are aware of his duties, that he may be resting or such, but your lips whispered his name even before you can comprehend the reasons why you shouldn’t.

“y/n. Are you alright?” It took him not a minute to reach where you are. Tapping your shoulder and looking into your eyes. You shook your head and now, here you are. Under the stunning lanterns that offers tranquility.

“Xiao?” You called out his name again, and he let out a tender “hmm?”

You turned towards the lad, admiring every features you could see. Archons, he’s beautiful under all these warm lights, and he’s looking at you. He looks at no one like this but you.

And yet despite the butterflies raging on your stomach, everything is peaceful. Moments with him were always mellow and placid, the stillness you need whenever the world is in chaos. Do you have the same impact on him? You don’t know.

After seconds, that felt like eternity, you finally found the words to ask him, “How did you find me?”

He looked at you in confusion. Like you just asked him the most ridiculous question you could ever think of. “How did you find me that fast? There’s so many people in the port…”

“Oh… I don’t know…”

I don’t see no body but you.

Kaedehara Kazuha (Blue by Kai)

“Kazuhaa!” was all it takes for the samurai’s heart to jump out of his chest. He’s going to see you; HE’S GOING TO SEE YOUR FACE.

“y/n. It’s good to see you today” The calmness in his voice were contrary to his heartbeat. But he cannot let himself be discovered— he can’t afford to lose this friendship with you, even it means you’ll remain just as friends.

You tackled the man and he let out a chuckle. Patting your head as a sign of affection. “Father allowed me to join the crew for this trip! I’ll get to be with you this time!”

The idea sound endearing in Kazuha’s ears. To spend months with the person he’s pining for, to have a chance to show off his skills— no, no no no. He’s not that kind of person.

“I bet you nagged him to no end for him to agree” you laughed at his words and it set his stomach spiraling once again. “Maybe, but I really want to go. So please just let it be”

You pinched his cheeks before running off to Beidou, giving the captain the news and asking for, of course, her permission for you to join the voyage.

“Loving the view?” Kazuha’s melodic words reached your ears, and you turn to him with a smile. The glistening water from the ocean reflecting on your visage, and sunset behind you cannot compare with how ethereal you look at this moment. At least in his eyes.

A surge of sadness clenches his heart, a thought clouding his mind. He will only taint this beauty, so he’d rather admire you afar.

You in his arms, your love in his care— it will be nothing more than an imagination, a dream for him.

“Kazuha, would it be selfish if I want you to be mine?”

Huh? HUH?

“What are you talking about?” The panic in his voice is vivid, so is the trembling of his hands. Is he hearing things right? Or he’s being delusional?

An awkward silence envelope the little space you two have, aside from the waves and the heavy breathing.

“Well— well of course you can decline! It’s… it is not like I’m forcing you, okay?” Your stuttering made the lad giggle. His warm chuckles painting your face red.

“y/n, are you blushing?”

“IT’S THE SUNSET”

Kazuha let out another burst of laughter before making his way towards you, his gentle digits reaching out to yours. You saw a tint of pink as he planted a kiss on your forehead.

“Kazu, you’re blushing”

“It’s the sunset.”

Know you're all that I want this life.

Wanderer (Best Part by Daniel Caesar)

*I’mma call him Scaramouche here, okay.

You awoke from a suffocating grip, body against body his breath hot and heavy. Scaramouche is having a nightmare.

“Scara. Scaramouche. Love, wake up”. You nudge the man as gentle as you can to wake him up, save him from whatever hell he’s dreaming of.

“y/n?” Your name was his first words, and it would have made you happy if you hadn’t seen the way his eyes look at you. A fragment of sapphire yearning for salvation.

“I’m here, I won’t leave you.”

You took him into your arms, kissing his temple. Your digits combing his locks as you calm the fear in his heart. You are grateful that he’s this vulnerable to you, but your angry at everything that made him this way.

“I don’t need your reassurance”

You smiled at his words; his arms tight around you contradicting it.

“I know, but I am not reassuring you. I am telling you.”

There’s a comforting silence that surrounds the room as Scara’s breathing steadies. Tomorrow, when the sun rises together with him, the lad will surely deny of this event. And you will let him off the hook by simply nodding to his arguments.

Or so you thought.

The sun was already high up, the streets were busy, and you can even hear Nahida looking for your lover. But to your surprise, and amusement, he remains latched onto your body.

You will NOT let this opportunity to admire him go to waste. Fingertips tracing is noseline, his eyes, his lips. The daylight that finds its way to his face only added to his divine looks.

“You’re beautiful”

You received a grunt as a response, and you chuckled. “I love every bit of you.” You whispered, and he opened his eyes.

Once again, you’re met with a piece of midnight. Boring holes into your own. You wouldn’t complain, though. You love his eyes.

“Come on, sleepy head. There’s plenty of things to enjoy within the day” You break the silence once again while rubbing your nose on his.

“This is what I wanna do for the day”

“But you’re gonna be bored. I’m not even supposed to be a part of your expedition today y’know?”

“That’s why this is what I wanna do for the whole day”

Because you’re the best part.

[mother-soda]

LISTEN LISTEN

ok so i want to read some angst rn

so like a super jaded or a super mean character right? with an overly nice reader.

So like reader is trying to be friends w them and tries to like get along ykyk?

But character keeps pushing them away and refuses every attempt reader does.

Reader thinks character hates them and gives up, and just eventually leaves character alone.

Character expects reader to show up like everyday but they don't.

The next time they see each other reader seems more distant and tired.

NO COMFORT / COMFORT LIKE I NEED IT RN

YKWIM???

BEGGING. BEGGING RN,,

[generalsdiary]

you brought your partner a flower bouquet. it isn’t something they often receive, and you felt a desire to change that. being a solemn, thoughtful person after thanking you they said;

“yes… it is sad that I’ll have to watch them die.” “they started dying the moment they were picked. kind of like humans, from the age of 25 their bodies officially begin to die.” upon hearing your words they look back at you, sharing a knowing look. “that is too short. I…” they clench their jaw for a moment. “humans have too short of a life span. we- I will find a way” soft, whispered words flowing between you two like a breeze on an early spring morning.

depending on the context behind their words, that perhaps brought you joy, that your loved one would go above and beyond to have as much time as possible with you. or it filled you with fear, knowing their history with such ways of life manipulation.

“no matter how much time we have, we will be alright. I cherish every moment I get with you. and once I’m gone-“

“please don’t say that.” their voice fell to a broken whisper. noticing the change in their body language, you moved closer, cupping their face, and matching their quiet tone you said, “let’s stay in the present. I’m right here, living and breathing. focus on me, on my heart,” you take their hand and place their palm on your chest. “on how it beats for you. for us.”

Dan Heng, Jingliu, Blade, Dan Feng, Neuvillette, Xiao, Wanderer, Scaramouche, Capitano

divider cr: @saradika

[amalythea]

「 hold my hand, please, one last time.」

⤷ info: kazuha, albedo, aether, xiao, wanderer x gn!reader || angst, this is based on the prompt “can i hold your hand?” (or “can you hold my hand?”) || wc: 3104

⤷ warnings: death, this is v v angsty

⤷ extra: i wrote this a while ago back on soleillunne and decided that it was too good to be gone forever lmao

kazuha.

The battlefield was strewn with chaos, and amidst the clash of swords and the cries of war, Kazuha fought with all his might, his heart burdened with the weight of the lives at stake. He had hoped that his skills with the blade and mastery of the Anemo vision would be enough to protect those he held dear, but fate had other plans.

As the battle raged on, he caught a glimpse of his lover, a skilled warrior whose presence had always brought him comfort and strength, you. Your eyes met for a fleeting moment, and in that exchange, you understood each other without uttering a word. It was a silent promise that you would find each other amidst the chaos.

But the tide turned against you, and the enemy’s forces seemed endless. Despite your best efforts, the defenders were overwhelmed, and Kazuha found himself standing back-to-back with you, defending against the onslaught.

In the midst of the chaos, an arrow found its mark. Time seemed to slow as the arrow pierced through your chest, and the world around you faded into the background. Kazuha’s heart clenched in horror as he caught you, your strength waning with each passing moment.

“Kazuha,” you gasped, blood staining your lips. “Can I hold your hand?”

Tears welled up in Kazuha’s eyes as he clutched your hand tightly, trying to offer some semblance of comfort amidst the pain. “Yes, of course,” he choked out, his voice trembling with grief.

Your hand trembled in his grasp, and Kazuha could feel your life slipping away like sand through his fingers. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as the light in your eyes began to fade. You smiled weakly at him, a bittersweet expression filled with love and regret.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, your voice barely audible above the sounds of battle. “I wish… we had more time.”

“Don’t speak like that,” Kazuha pleaded, his voice breaking. “We’ll get through this. I won’t let you go.”

But you knew better, and as your strength waned, you continued to smile at him, your touch growing weaker by the second.

“I love you,” you murmured, your breath becoming shallow. “Always…”

Tears streamed down Kazuha’s cheeks as he held you close, trying to shield you from the harsh reality of the world around you. He wished he could turn back time, rewrite the events that led to this tragic moment, but life was unforgiving in its cruelty.

Your hand in his grew colder, and your breathing ceased. Your life force, once vibrant and strong, slipped away, leaving behind only a lifeless body in Kazuha’s arms.

Kazuha held your hand tightly, unable to let go, as if keeping that connection alive could somehow bring you back. He cried out in anguish, the weight of grief crashing down upon him like an unforgiving storm.

In that moment, amidst the chaos of the battlefield, Kazuha felt an emptiness he had never known before. He had lost not only a lover but a confidant, a soulmate with whom he had shared dreams, laughter, and countless cherished memories.

And as the battle raged on, Kazuha clung to your lifeless hand, lost in sorrow, with a heart that would forever bear the burden of their memory.

albedo.

Albedo’s heart pounded in his chest as he cradled his you in his arms. He was just about to descend from his lab on Dragonspine to meet up with you as he promised, only to see you laying on your own blood at the bottom of the mountain. He had seen you only hours prior, he’d laughed with you, but now, all that remained was a sea of sorrow, the bitter taste of loss overwhelming his senses.

He looked down at the face that he had cherished so dearly, now drained of all warmth and life. Your eyes, once filled with light and love, now stared back at him with a haunting emptiness. Albedo’s hands trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

“Can you hold my hand?” a weak voice whispered, barely audible amidst the sounds of grief and despair that surrounded them. Albedo’s heart wrenched at the sound, and he quickly took your freezing hand into his own.

Tears streamed down Albedo’s cheeks as he clutched your hand tightly. “Yes, of course,” he choked out, his voice breaking with pain. “I’ll hold your hand for as long as you need, my love.”

He brought your intertwined hands to his lips and placed a tender kiss on the once-warm skin, now cold and lifeless. Memories of your time together flooded his mind – the laughter you shared, the dreams you nurtured, and the love you built with each passing day. Now, all that was left were shattered hopes and dreams.

“I’m so sorry,” Albedo whispered, his voice filled with regret and guilt. “I couldn’t protect you. I failed.”

You weakly shook your head, mustering a faint smile. “No, don’t blame yourself,” you managed to say. “You… you brought me so much happiness, Albedo. Please, don’t forget that.”

Albedo’s heart ached at the words, realizing that he had to find the strength to carry on without you. But it felt like an impossible task, as if the very essence of his being had been torn apart.

“I don’t know if I can,” he confessed, his voice trembling with sorrow. “You’re my everything.”

You fingers tightened around his hand as if trying to hold on just a little longer. “You’re strong, Albedo. Stronger than you know,” you said, your voice barely audible. “Promise me… you’ll keep going… for both of us.”

Albedo nodded, his tears falling freely now. “I promise,” he whispered, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ll live for the both of us. But it won’t be the same without you.”

Your breaths became shallower, and Albedo knew that your life was slipping away. He leaned closer, trying to memorize every detail of your face, never wanting to forget.

“I love you,” you whispered, your words fading like a gentle breeze. “Always.”

“I love you too,” Albedo replied, his voice choked with emotion. “Always and forever.”

And with those final words, your grip on his hand slowly weakened until it was gone completely. Albedo held onto your hand a moment longer, pressing it against his heart as if trying to keep your love alive within him.

As grief consumed him, Albedo felt a mix of emotions. Sorrow, anger, and a deep longing to see his lover again, even if it were just for a moment. But he knew he had to continue, to honor your memory and the love you shared.

Albedo gently laid your body down, closing your eyes with tender care. He stood, feeling the weight of loss heavy on his shoulders, but also the weight of your love, and your belief in him, pushing him forward. Though his heart was shattered, he would carry your love with him, always.

And as he walked away from that place of sorrow, he knew that the pain would remain, but so would the memories of a love that would never truly fade away.

aether.

Aether’s heart pounded in his chest as he cradled his dying lover in his arms. The battlefield around them had turned into a chaotic canvas of destruction, but his attention was solely focused on the person he held dear. You were slipping away, and he could feel your life force fading like a waning star.

“Can you hold my hand?” you whispered, your voice barely audible amidst the cacophony of war. Aether’s eyes filled with tears, and he gently clasped your frail hand in his own, interlocking your fingers. His touch was warm, providing a sense of comfort amidst the pain.

“I’m here,” he choked out, his voice trembling. “I won’t let go.”

Your breathing was shallow, and your once-bright eyes were now dim, but you managed a faint smile. It was a bittersweet expression, as if you were trying to convey so much in that fleeting moment. Memories of you flooded Aether’s mind, from the first time you met under the starlit sky to the promises you made to each other.

“You have to promise me,” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper, “that you’ll keep going. That you’ll find happiness again.”

Aether couldn’t find the strength to respond, his throat constricted with grief. He knew that in a world without his lover, life would lose its luster, its purpose. But he understood that you were trying to ease his pain, even in your last breaths.

“No,” he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks, “I can’t bear to live without you. Please don’t leave. Not you too.”

You smiled again, a mixture of sadness and love in your eyes. “You are strong, Aether, and you will find the strength to carry on. I will always be with you.”

Aether’s heartache intensified, and he leaned down to press his forehead against yours. He wished he could freeze time, to hold you forever, but he knew it was slipping away like grains of sand through his fingers.

“I love you,” you said, their voice fading into a whisper.

“And I love you,” Aether replied, his voice breaking.

Your grip on his hand loosened, and Aether felt the last pulse of life slip away from you. He held onto your hand a moment longer, not wanting to let go, but eventually, he lowered it gently to your chest.

In that moment, as the world around him continued to rage with chaos, Aether felt an overwhelming emptiness inside. His lover was gone, and the pain of your absence consumed him. But he knew he had to honor your last wish—to find a way to live without you, to keep your love alive in his heart.

With tears in his eyes, Aether kissed your forehead one last time before he stood, facing the uncertain future that lay ahead. Your love would forever be his guiding light, and he would cherish every memory, every moment you had shared.

And as the battles raged on and the world continued to turn, Aether vowed to carry your love with him, a beacon of hope in the darkest of times. Though your physical presence was gone, your love would endure, a reminder that even in the face of loss, the power of love could transcend beyond the boundaries of life and death.

heizou.

Heizou knelt on the cold, damp ground, cradling your cold body in his arms. He had just returned home from work, when the last thing he expected to see was see you laying on your own blood in your shared home. He held you closer, your blood staining his hands, mingling with his own tears. His heart felt as though it had been torn apart, and the pain was almost unbearable.

The world seemed to slow down as Heizou stared into the fading eyes of his beloved. Each second felt like an eternity, and yet, it was slipping away all too quickly. He could see the struggle in your gaze, the effort it took to speak those final words.

“Can I hold your hand?” you whispered, your voice getting lower with each word.

Tears streamed down Heizou’s face, and he gently clasped your trembling hand with his own, intertwining your fingers. He felt your warmth slowly waning, and he held on tighter, as if he could somehow will life back into you with the strength of his grip.

“You don’t have to ask,” Heizou choked out, his voice breaking with sorrow. “I’ll hold your hand forever.”

You managed a faint smile, your strength visibly waning. “I… I love you,” you managed to say, your voice barely above a whisper.

“I love you too,” Heizou replied, his voice trembling. “You’re my everything, my reason for living.”

As the commotion outside your shared home began to get louder, the people having noticed the blood stains, Heizou’s focus remained solely on you. The world outside ceased to exist for him, and he poured all his love and energy into holding you, trying to be your anchor in this storm of pain and suffering.

In your last moments, you clung to each other tightly, as if afraid to let go. Heizou’s heart ached as he felt your life slipping away from him, the person who meant more to him than anything else in the world. He wished he could have done something, anything, to save you.

But in the end, all he could do was be there, holding your hand, providing them with comfort in their final moments. Heizou would carry the weight of this loss forever, the memories of you etched into his soul.

Even as people left you two alone and the world moved on, Heizou remained on that cold, damp ground, cradling the body of the one he had loved and lost, his heart forever scarred by the pain of that fateful day.

xiao.

Xiao knelt on the damp ground, his heart pounding with anguish as he cradled your shaking form in his arms. The battlefield around you was silent, the chaos of the battle having retreated, leaving behind only the echoes of suffering and loss.

Your once bright eyes, now dulled by death, stared up at him, and Xiao couldn’t bear to look away. Your hands, once intertwined in a promise of eternity, now lay limp and still. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

“Can you hold my hand?” your voice was a faint whisper, barely audible amidst the devastation surrounding them.

Xiao’s heart shattered at those words, but he gently took your hand in his own, holding it with all the tenderness and love he had for you. “I will always hold your hand,” he choked out, his voice breaking with grief.

You managed a weak smile, the corners of your lips lifting slightly. “Even in death,” you murmured, your voice barely reaching Xiao’s ears.

“I’ll follow you anywhere, my love,” Xiao vowed, his fingers trembling as he clung tightly to the hand that was growing colder by the second. “Even to the ends of this cruel world.”

Your breathing grew fainter, and your grip on his hand loosened. Xiao felt his heartache intensify, knowing that he couldn’t change the cruel fate that had befallen you.

“Thank you… for loving me,” you whispered, your voice a mere thread of sound.

“Thank you for making my life meaningful,” Xiao replied, his voice choked with emotion. “I’m grateful for every moment we shared.”

Your eyes locked for a final time, and in that fleeting moment, a lifetime of love and memories passed between you. Xiao wished he could freeze time, to hold on to this moment forever, but life had other plans.

As the last breath left your lips, Xiao leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead. “Rest now,” he whispered, his voice breaking with sorrow. “I’ll carry you in my heart. Until we meet again.”

He remained there, holding your lifeless hand, as tears streamed down his cheeks, mingling with the blood-stained soil beneath you. Xiao knew that a part of him had died that day with his beloved, but he also knew that your love would live on, eternal and undying, no matter the circumstances.

wanderer.

Wanderer knelt on the ground, his heart pounding in his chest as he cradled you in his arms. The world around you seemed to blur, the noise of battle fading into an eerie silence. The battle had been brutal, and he had fought with all his might to protect the one he loved, but fate had dealt them a cruel hand.

Your once vibrant eyes now glistened with pain, and a weak smile graced your lips. Blood stained your clothing, and Wanderer could feel your life slipping away.

“Hey,” you whispered, your voice barely audible. “I don’t have much time, do I?”

Wanderer choked back a sob, clutching your body tightly. “Don’t talk like that. You’re going to be fine. We’ll get you help.”

A soft chuckle escaped your lips, but it quickly turned into a cough. “You can’t lie to me, my love.” you managed to say, your breath shallow.

Tears finally streamed down Wanderer’s face as he pressed his forehead against yours. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I’m sorry if I didn’t say it often. I can’t bear to lose you.”

You trembled in his grasp, and gazed into his eyes with a mixture of love and sadness. “Can I hold your hand?” you asked, your voice barely audible.

Wanderer nodded frantically, intertwining his fingers with yours. He held your hand close to his heart, hoping that somehow he could transfer strength to you.

“I’m scared,” you admitted, tears pooling in your eyes. “I don’t want to leave you.”

He brushed a strand of hair away from your face, his touch gentle and full of affection, reserved only for you. “You won’t have to. Just hold on a little longer, and we’ll get you help. We’ll face this together.”

Your grip tightened weakly on his hand. “You’re my light, my love, my everything,” you murmured. “You always have been. Promise me you’ll keep shining, even when I’m gone.”

Wanderer could feel whatever was left of his heart shatter with your words. “I promise,” he choked out. “But you can’t leave me. I can’t do this without you.”

Your breathing grew shallower, and your voice became softer. “You’re strong, my love,” you said. “You’ll find a way. Remember me, but don’t let my memory hold you back. Live your life to the fullest. Find happiness again.”

“I can’t imagine life without you,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “How am I supposed to go on?”

Your only response was a brief smile, and he squeezed your cold hand tightly. “I’ll never let go,” he vowed. “Not even when you’re gone.”

Your breathing slowed, and your eyes locked with his one last time. “I love you,” you whispered, your voice fading away.

“I love you too,” he whispered back, his voice cracking.

And then, with your hand still clasped in his, you were gone.

Wanderer held your lifeless form closer, his tears falling like rain. He knew that life would never be the same again, that a piece of his heart had been taken with you. But he also knew that he had to keep the promise he made. With a heavy heart, he stood, carrying your memory with him as he faced the world without you, knowing that he would always carry your love and light with him.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

@amalythea 2024. | do not re-upload, copy, translate, etc. my works on any form of media.

[devosin]

— FUCK I'M PATHETIC !! ♡. Synopsis : Ever seen someone on a screen as a child, and thought, “I’ll marry them when I grow up!”, . . well Kunikuzushi—more popularly known as the WANDERER—a famous artist and even more well-known singer who took the stage by storm 8 years ago, taking over the media for his various scandals—took that idea a bit too seriously. He swears it was just a small interest in you, in your life—the obsession with how you hit your downward spiral from fame—he was curious, as most fans were, but fuck did that obsession spiral only downwards—ever since he saw you again, the one and only Y/N L/N—previously an actor and even singer part time, who had left the stage presence about three years ago—when news of their divorce hit the media and everyone was in shock—you and your ex-husband were the Hollywood IT couple, and yet everything on screen wasn’t always true—for the last couple years you’ve been figuring out your life with your, now 6 year old son, and the in’s and outs of co-parenting . . recently you’ve decided to re-enter the media—only to meet an artist, who’s more then a little interested in your life.

— What to expect ? ! : Celebrity au, modern au, tortured artist core, smau, complicated relationships, stalker x stalkee, forced proximity, age gap (user is older by 5 years), twisted wonderland crossover, comedy, Scaramouche is well . . boy failure, single parenthood, reader is gender neutral but referred to as 'mama' or 'mommy', slowburn, co-parenting, obsessive themes, mentions/usage of drugs, suggestive themes . . ♡

♡. Spotify playlist | Updates, once a week !! " for everyone losing hope and their faith in love, in need of a reminder . . . <3 "

♡. profiles : our main leads . .

PROLOGUE !!

♡. grwm emo edition ♡. nara smith wannabe

— taglist ♡ ; @scaraenthusiast1 , @aruatsu , @skyoverkill1 , @eternallykira-143 , @ilovwfurina , @shidouuuliner , @shynsgore , @saechiro , @reivelmin , @usagiarchive , @shyentsmissingink , @shutingstar , @boxdisappeared , @rizakari , @suzueuieeeee , @mywillt0live , @ddurandals , @lxkeeeee , @ariesloves , @potteraep , @kyonuuu , @eternal-dokja , @state-of-grac3 , @heusalettle , @lalalaloveallmydays , @kaitoshandholder , @imnotyizhuo , @hydration-is-for-weenies , @forgotten-blues , @jayzioxx , @usagiarchive , @lucid1tty , @jiminscarmex , @gl00muraaii , @liyan2u , @venturinea ,

♡ . Ask to be tagged... (If you don't see yourself up here, I cant tag you)

♡. Want spoilers ?! . . Join my server . . !! (or to be namedropped)

© devosin , do not repost, plagiarize, translate, or adapt my work without prior permission and or confirmation.

[sagezere]

ngl lowkey disappointed in the lack of unrequited scara x reader fics. Like I can genuinely see Scaramouche as a guy who doesnt fall in love/loves someone else and that someone isnt u.

[primofate]

Genshin Angst Headcanons - Why the two of you broke up

Note: Had an unexpected free day! I haven't written in a while, please excuse the mistakes, if any.

Disclaimer at the end of the post

Warning: Some are pretty predictable. Each of them have their own issues, lore wise, so some are lore heavy. You might not agree with some of them, but its how I see it, so to each their own. Let me know what you think! Some are quite angsty. Some scenes it's you breaking up with him and some are vice versa. Didn't feel like writing Razor, Venti and Xingqiu.

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Alhaitham, Ayato, Baizhu, Bennett, Chongyun, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Gorou, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Kaveh, Kazuha, Lyney, Neuvillette, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Thoma, Tighnari, Xiao, Zhongli, gn!reader

Personal Favourites in this work: Lyney, Itto, Kazuha

Aether

Sister issues. Enough said.

He realized he didn't have enough time to spare romancing with someone.

Somewhere along the way he felt guilt that he was enjoying his time with you while his sister went through some sort of villain origin story that seemingly turned her bad.

Top off all the adventuring, searching, solving problems for other people that he did...Where did that leave you, exactly?

"...I'm sorry, Y/N... I just... I don't think this is the right time for me to be together with you,"

Albedo

Contrary to popular belief it wouldn't be his lack of time or extreme focus on his alchemical experiments that would break the two of you up. He knows how to manage his time.

It was the RESULTS of experiments and his research that would put him away from you.

The possibility that HE or his world, was way too dangerous for you.

How many "Albedos" did Rhinedottir really create? Was there more than three? Perhaps four, five? And what happens when you come face to face with another Albedo?

"I'm afraid...There are far too many dangers surrounding myself... There are answers that I can't find...and perhaps that's the reason why my answer is to part ways with you,"

Alhaitham

Too much of a nonchalant attitude.

He expressed some kind of interest in you...but it's like... once in a blue moon. 95% of the time you're not sure if he's really into you. It almost seems like he's more into that book he reads all the time.

Simply just not good at expressing himself. Like, at all. Hides behind a "whatever works" and "I don't care about what other people think of me" attitude, unfortunately that seems to include you.

Is so straightforward that sometimes it hurts, but he's really just telling the truth through logical analysis.

will act like the breakup didn't hurt nor affect him at all. In turn it hurts you instead.

"I see. So you've had enough of me... And you only spoke up now? Pointing it out earlier could've diverted us from this path...If that's how you feel already I suggest that we stop seeing each other,"

"That's it? You're not even going to try and work it out with me?"

"What's there to work out? You've made yourself clear. You're not satisfied with the way I treat you, and I'm afraid I'm not going to change the way I act just for your pleasure... It'd be more meaningful for you to find someone who fits your criterias,"

Ayato

entering a relationship with a noble was not as easy as one thought.

It's not just about being together forever and feeling lucky because Ayato is rich and your whole life is set, it's also the not fitting in, the etiquette, the whispers from townfolk that you were too ordinary for him, the work that you needed to do if you were to become his wife.

All that was not really a big problem for you, but Ayato seemed not to know of your struggles, he was extremely busy, and when he wasn't, he seemed to think that everything was well and fine, since you were getting all your basic needs met and even more.

"...So I'm sorry, Ayato. This is just... All too much for me. I'm sorry,"

"...I understand. Forgive me, it seems that I've overlooked a lot of things...Perhaps it is as you say, that it'd be better for us to grow apart rather than grow together,"

Baizhu

because he is a ticking time bomb, no matter which way he looked it's not going to end well for both of you.

He either dies early or lives forever. In both scenarios he anticipates that the two of you are just going to be in a world of hurt.

Besides, he didn't mean to get so attached to someone in the first place, he knew his quest for immortality was long and arduous. You didn't deserve to walk that difficult road too.

While breaking up, will conceal the fact that he's only thinking of you and will possibly hurt you in the process.

"I'm sorry, but it's for the best. I ask that you continue going forward without me, there's no space for you in my... ideal future,"

Bennett

We all know it...it's his bad luck. However, it wasn't YOU who had a problem with it, it was HIM.

You understood that his bad luck was just some extended part of him, plus it's not like it was always bad, there were a lot of good times too. Plenty!

But the guilt ate him up whenever the two of you were stuck in a seemingly impossible scenario and predicament, brought on by his luck. He just had enough of it one day.

"I...I can't keep doing this to you every day! It's not fair..."

will be on the brink of tears before he even starts.

"Maybe it's better if you find someone else to adventure with, Y/N, sorry...!"

runs away before you can even get a word in.

Chongyun

Thinks he's not good enough in every aspect. It's really, seriously not about you. He thinks he's lacking in everything. Strength, maturity, experience, confidence.

So badly wants to stay with you but feels like he's not good enough and thinks that you're better off with someone else.

"D-Don't misunderstand... It's not because I don't like you anymore... I just...Please find someone else!"

Cyno

his bad jokes and TCG addiction. just kidding, you're not that shallow.

A lot of people are intimidated by him being the General Mahamatra because he gives importance to justice. While you, who had seen a bit more of him than other people had, it seemed more of an obsession to uphold the Akademiya's law and integrity.

This was not a big problem to you, you liked how he was serious at work.

Until one day when you were accused of plagiarising one of your papers and Cyno was the one sent to give you a first offense warning. The Akademiya knew of your relationship, that's probably why they sent him, to make it harder on the two of you.

Cyno didn't listen to your explanations on how it was an honest mistake, he still gave you the warning that you "deserved"

From then on it had just been different between the two of you, so it was really a mutual breakup. Or so you thought.

"...After that, I just realized that maybe this isn't the right time for us... We're both working for the Akademiya, we both take our jobs seriously...Unfortunately that seems to just be getting in the way of us...I think it's best if we stop seeing each other,"

"...I see." he pauses for a minute, as if tossing your words in his mind. "I...agree. Parting ways would certainly make work easier for both of us...it's the professional thing to do,"

Dainsleif

Has not moved on from his past.

Sure, everyone has their own baggage to carry, their own history to live through...but Dainsleif has heavier things than that. He seemed to wake up every day thinking of Khaenri'ah and the days long past. Was it regret? Nostalgia? Loneliness? You didn't know. You just knew that he wasn't really completely THERE with you in the present. Part of him still lived in the past.

When you explained that you felt like the two of you were not moving forward together and that it seemed like he wanted to go back to the past instead, he got offended.

"...My past is something that I carry forever, you'd claimed that you understood that," he starts.

"I do! But carrying it with you and letting it drag you backwards are two different things!"

He falters for a moment, only to leave you with his last words before turning away from you forever: "You will never understand, the weight that I carry,"

Diluc

is too guarded. You'd been friends for a long, long, long, long time before he decided he could let you in enough and be more intimate with you.

Even then everything was going at a snail's pace, though you were extremely patient with him.

The biggest problem with Diluc was that the two of you would progress one day, take a step forward, and then the next day it was like the two of you took two steps back.

Example: The two of you went out for a simple stargazing excursion late one night, it was nice and he had been incredibly affectionate. The next day he had trouble even meeting your gaze, and disappeared to do his work. It was also a little awkward during dinnertime. This scenario had happened more than once.

Hint: the closer he got to you the more afraid he became, thinking that he would one day lose you too.

"I...I can't. I love you but I...I've waited far too long. I'm sorry. I'm tired of this endless chase for you!"

He couldn't even say a thing. He'd wanted to ask you to stay, to wait for him a little longer, but he already knew how incredibly selfish that would have been. Instead, he grimaced, and looked away from your gaze, trying to find something worthwhile to say. There was only silence for a few moments.

"Goodbye Diluc," that's when you turned away.

Gorou

worships Kokomi too much and your insecurities just kept circling around in your head.

You know its his job. You know he isn't like that but the problem was YOU and not him.

Simply said you let your insecurity eat up the relationship between the two of you.

You couldn't bring yourself to say that you were jealous of the way he admired Kokomi so you broke up with him with another reason in tow.

Unfortunately, you're not a very good liar face to face so you did a butthole move and actually broke up with him through a letter. You just couldn't face him and tell him why.

All you mentioned in the letter was that you needed time to think and be away from him, and told him not to worry because it was your problem, not his.

Poor Gorou reread that letter over and over, trying to understand what went wrong.

Heizou

is just a natural flirt. You're not sure if he's doing it on purpose or not and you're not sure if he's even aware he's like that.

Anyway you'd seen him getting overly friendly (just another word for flirting) with a few other people a couple of times. You didn't let it get to you the first, fourth or even eighth time but you realized that he KNOWS that you're watching him do that.

So you confront him about it, but he claims that it's just his way of gathering information from others. People like to hear good things and some people are more susceptible to flirtatious comments so he resorts to that for his investigation sometimes.

You didn't really completely buy it and even if you did, it's not like this was healthy for your relationship. You just couldn't make yourself comfortable with it.

*You just chalked it up to the two of you being incompatible.

"I'm just not comfortable with that...I don't think I have to say sorry for how I feel but...I'm sorry anyway because I know you're just doing your job... It's probably best if we part ways here..."

"Is there any way to change your mind?" he genuinely asks.

You only give a lopsided smile. "You're a detective, I think you already know the answer to that,"

Yet he didn't stop you from walking away.

Itto

Kept breaking promises because he was too airheaded or too occupied doing something "stupid" with the kids or with his gang.

Pretty soon it just felt like you were an afterthought while everyone else in his life took precedent.

Got a ramen date? Oops, sorry! Got caught up looking for a strong onikabuto in the forest!

Needed his help to move some things? Gah, he was vandalising the bulletin boards, so he's running a bit late!

What's more you didn't actually mind that carefree, airheaded side of him...but it really got to you when he couldn't even seem to make you a priority. Not once.

He only realized that when he came running, late again, and stood face to face with a crying you.

"Hey sorry Y/N, I was just--...Why are you crying?!" is completely dumbfounded and clueless, mostly because when he came late, you had always shrugged it off with a smile on your face, or so he thought. This time you had a completely different reaction.

"I hate you...*hic* I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

Shocked beyond belief. It wasn't like you to just blow up like that, but he couldn't do anything except watch you turn and run away from him after that exclamation.

Kaeya

Sometimes you're not sure if he takes you seriously.

Recently, he's not where he says he is, you don't know why he doesn't just tell you where he is.

He said he'd be working late, but then you find out he's at Angel's Share.

He said he'll be at Angel's Share, but then you catch word from Jean that he's out on a late mission.

He said he's escorting a caravan to Mondstadt but he's actually on assignment in Liyue.

It came to the point where you altogether just stopped looking for him cause half of the time you couldn't find him. It's like he's avoiding you or something, which, actually, seems just about right since he's been so busy with "work"

It reached a breaking point when, for a week, you were unable to bring him the lunch you prepared...because he was not where he said he was going to be. It was starting to get annoying.

"I don't understand why you're lying to me! Why do you have to tell me you'll be at Angel's Share this afternoon when you're not? Do you realize you make me walk all the way there only to come all the way back with nothing achieved?"

"I'm sorry snowflake, that wasn't my intention," though he still chuckles despite knowing full well that you were about to turn away.

"You know what, let me know when you're ready to stop making jokes. Until then, don't bother contacting me,"

He just didn't expect you to actually walk away from him.

Kaveh

Entertains everyone and anyone. Naturally kind at heart, will stop for anyone in trouble...even that flirtatious man/woman who is clearly just pining for his attention.

No he doesn't quite realize this.

The same person had asked for his help at least 4 times now and all 4 times he had been happy to offer a helping hand.

The last straw was when he was invited into the stranger's house, they had apparently needed someone to help them move and re-arrange furniture and he did, working till almost dinner time.

You'd caught him right by the person's door, because Kaveh was actually honest and told you he'd be helping them today, but the person was clearly eyeing Kaveh rather flirtatiously.

"Come again next time," you heard the person say rather happily. Kaveh only replies with "If I have nothing else to do, I suppose,"

"Kaveh, they're coming onto you and you keep letting it happen!"

"I'm not certain what you're talking about...They just needed some help around their house, nothing suspicious happened at all. Even if there was, I won't let anything happen between me and a stranger!"

"Then STOP helping them!"

"There isn't anything wrong with lending a hand...It was a quick move of things, that's all,"

"How would YOU feel if I just went into someone's house and kept helping them "move" things?"

"...I would think that's nice of you,"

You actually threw your hands up. "Oh, forget it! You know what, for someone who LOVES helping others, you're not doing such a great job of helping ME," then walked away and never came back. "Good riddance,"

Kazuha

He's a wandering samurai. You knew what you were getting into but you didn't expect dating him to be so hard.

He was gone for weeks on end, and you were not getting on that boat with him. In essence the two of you were just not ready to follow each other to the end's of the Earth, and that was fair. The two of you were young.

Kazuha kind of saw it coming, whenever he visited you, you seemed less spirited and he had an inkling as to why. The time apart was just too much for you.

It was a rather clean break actually. A real mutual breakup that the two of you agreed on.

"...You could say it's just not the right time for us," you even managed to laugh under your breath and he did the same, though it was barely audible.

"...Mm. There are matters that you need to attend to here...and there are things that I need to do out there," he slowly stood up from his sitting position next to you and still gazed at you rather lovingly. "...Perhaps, in another world, you and I are bound together,"

You gazed back forlornly, "...Just not in this one, it looks like,"

Lyney

because he will always choose his siblings over you. Always.

Though that's not a bad thing because you also think that family is important...somewhere along the way you realized that family is the ONLY thing he had and saw.

Example: Lynette and you had gotten ill at the same time one winter morning. Perhaps it was the cold that was passing around Fontaine. Lyney had been so worried about Lynette, that he seemed to have forgotten about you for the next few days. In fact, Lyney didn't even realize that you caught the cold too. You had only heard from Freminet, who you happened to cross paths with, that Lynette was also ill.

You thought that incident was the end of it, but really it seemed that whenever Lyney wanted to hang out with you, Lynette had to be there too. You tried to understand...after all there's still that mystery of disappearing women in Fontaine.

The breakup was induced when Lyney completely forgot about your birthday, because Freminet's was around the same time as yours. You helped Lyney prepare everything for Freminet, and said nothing about your own.

You realized that there was nothing wrong with choosing family over everything else...but the problem here was that Lyney didn't even have space for you in the first place.

So you left without saying anything. You figured he'd get over it quick. You had even gone so far as to move away from the main city of Fontaine and out into another island, because what would you say if he found you? That you were jealous of his siblings? You weren't going to ruin a family like that and it wasn't right to make him choose...so you just left without a word.

Neuvillette

Had a whole brainrot for this man:

Part 1

Part 2

Scaramouche

surprisingly it's not his anger issues.

It's the way he wouldn't acknowledge your relationship. You wonder how you even got into one with him.

There's no public show of affection, but even behind closed doors it rarely happened.

You knew that he was going to be like that, and so you didn't mind it all that much.

It was getting a bit much though when, out in public, he would walk further in front of you and refused to walk next to you. When he pretended like he didn't even know you. When he didn't stop to help you even when another man had shown interest in you, bordering on uncomfortable.

The more time passed the more you simply felt unloved...but for some reason you still blamed yourself.

"...I...don't know. Maybe you find me undesirable, or just...unappealing. Maybe you're embarrassed of me or...or..." maybe you just didn't care in the first place, you thought to yourself.

There was a long silence. Of you turning your gaze away, of him still piercing into yours. And then...

"Tsk...don't waste my time...Leave if you want to leave, door's open,"

Tartaglia

This one is simple. It's his obsession for fighting plus his complete disregard for himself. It's a constant heart attack for you. At some point the anxiety is just too much for you to handle.

Imagine living every day just wondering if he's safe at the same time knowing that he just loves to look for trouble.

The foul legacy that you know of, he uses it with disregard as well, despite knowing that it wasn't good for him.

And there are even days where you know he was heavily wounded but didn't go to you, in an attempt to shield you from worry.

It's a constant battle trying to stay sane and unworried, until one day it all just becomes too much.

"...Nothing I say will change anything, Tartaglia. This is who you are...This is who you need to be..." you whisper while bandaging his knuckles. He lets out a short hum.

It was silent all up until you finished with his hand, you squeeze it gently. "...I love you but...I can't keep doing this to myself, I'm tired...more so than I have ever been before,"

He lets your hand slip away from his knuckles, and that was the last he saw of you.

Thoma

This one is also simple. He was always taking care of others and running errands for others that he sometimes just couldn't catch a break.

Just a classic case of not enough time for you since he had a job to do for the Kamisato Clan.

He knows it, and feels awful about it. So he's the one who makes the move.

"It hurts that I can't give you what you deserve, Y/N. This isn't it... You deserve more than this but I can't give you that and I'm sorry. Please look for the love that you deserve,"

Tighnari

Remembers everything. Can be critical of things you've done, specially if he thinks there's a better way to do it.

Simply said you just feel stupid in front of him sometimes.

He doesn't mean to, but he sometimes forgets to appreciate or give praise to the things that you do well and even if he does, it tends to be short lived compared to his constructive criticisms.

Pretty soon you felt like he only looks at the bad things you do, and never the good. Though he was really only trying to teach and guide you as an equal.

He in fact feels that you are one of the few people who can keep up educational conversations with him.

The problem is he kind of forgets that you're his lover, and that you would enjoy his praise and affection from time to time.

"Do you... Do you ever have anything nice to say other than 'good work' or 'great observation'?" the words were out of your mouth before you could hold yourself back. Sometimes it was tiring to feel like you weren't good enough.

There's a flash of surprise that crosses Tighnari's expression for a split second, before he recovers. "...Had I not been praising your work enough lately? My apologies... It has a lot of merits, I just thought that you wanted my opinion on how to make it better,"

You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it again right after to ponder on his words. Somehow even that had managed to make you feel embarrassed. It was here you knew that the problem also lied within yourself.

"...Sorry, Tighnari...I think I'll need some time alone,"

He obliges quickly and asks. "That's reasonable. When would you like me to come back?"

"...Let me rephrase that... I need some time away. From us."

Xiao

Unfortunately there's a lot of things wrong here... his lack of affection. His aloof personality. His dedication to his yaksha duties. Despite that he does actually try to be gentlemanly or respectful of you.

The worst of it is that he didn't know how to be in a relationship, in other words he just wasn't ready for one, or perhaps he would never be ready for one.

He didn't understand that humans craved companionship and sometimes touch. He didn't understand that meant having to favour you over others, sometimes even putting you first over his yaksha duties.

Worst of it all was when he shut himself off from you, sometimes for days on end, when his karmic debt was too high. He only really did it to protect you, but never realized how isolated that made you feel.

When you confronted him about it, he felt attacked. Hiding away was the only way he knew how to cope...why couldn't you understand that?

"Let me help you, Xiao,"

"I don't need your help!" his tone would make you wince and just like that he disappears into a billow of smoke.

You never returned to Wangshu Inn after that. If he couldn't let you in, there was no use trying to knock on his heart. Xiao being Xiao, never sought you ought again either.

Zhongli

He had experienced so many things and you had listened to many a tales from him.

This is what caused you to realize that you hadn't even experienced life at all, and yet here you were willing to tie yourself down to him.

It just didn't feel like it added up. Here he was with all this knowledge of the world and here you were who had never even stepped outside of Liyue. By no means were you stupid, but you felt that you could be better not only for him, but for yourself if you learned more.

There was just such a huge gap in life experiences, and though you never expected to get to his level (he was a God who had lived for a long time, you would never catch up to him) you at least wanted to see what was out there with your own eyes instead of through his stories.

He understood that wholeheartedly, and had no qualms in letting you go.

"You will always have a place with me, Y/N. No amount of lifetimes will change that,"

I’ve published The Ruthless Prince (Reader x Scaramouche) on paperback. Click here.

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Disclaimer: Relationships will always have some sort of problem along the way, maybe big, maybe small but I just want to reiterate that breaking up is not always the solution. Communicating is very important. So to those of you who like taking fanfiction too seriously, let it be known that this is just a work of fiction. I don't actually suggest breaking up with someone as soon as there is the slight indication of a problem (Just saw someone commenting on a similar themed post for Haikyuu that this wouldn't happen in the real world if both parties were mature... I mean, sure, but, idk, you must be fun in parties... it's called fiction for a reason...)

[leora-rambles]

Colour it Grey, Until I Forget you: Eternally Painted on my Mind (Scaramouche/Reader [Angst/Fluff/Multichapter])

aaughhhh Scaramouche is not immune to a 2 year long situationship breakup... Heavily based off of the Grent Perez song "Clementine" !!

Word count: 9.7k

Ao3 here!

A puppet weeps for the first time in centuries.

He isn’t crying without reason. He simply remembered how warm your touch felt on his chest, resting over where a heart should’ve been beating (whatever version of a heart his careless creator kept from him).

The puppet ignores the yells and worried cries of his name, opting to instead cement the memory of you in his last moments. 

Your words rang in his head, the ones you spoke to him that cloudy afternoon, where your heels dug into the sand while the ocean crept up the shore.

He hadn’t truly believed it when you said it then, the idea that it was possible for him to be human. As he stares at the glistening leaves of Irminsul, he realizes that you were right.

Never in his life had he done anything so stupid, so impulsive, so utterly driven by ‘human’ feelings—

To disappear, with the hopes that you will be happy once he’s gone.

~•~

Kaveh had to stifle a scream when he saw you hunched over on the dining room table, your hair a mess, and your eyes dazed. It’s clear his staggering footsteps made his presence known to you, because though your form never moved, you still spoke.

“Have you ever had a long dream where you had a baby and you watched it grow up?”

It takes the blond a minute to comprehend your question, and an additional twenty seconds to thank the Dendro archon that he didn’t spill his fresh coffee all over himself.

“… Huh?” He finally lets slip.

“Has that been researched? Families in dreams? Have you ever had it?” You’re still not looking at him, even when you clarify.

“No… why? What happened?”

Your roommate sits down in front of you, eyeing your disheveled robe and puffy face. ‘You mourning your dream family?’ He almost jokes, but swipes the idea away. ‘Inappropriate timing.’

You’re focusing on the steam rising from your cup. 

“I had a dream about having a boyfriend,” you sigh as you stretch your arms out in front of you, leaning back and tightening your lips in an awkward smile.

“Oh?” Kaveh stirs the coffee in his cup, laughing lightly. “Maybe being single is getting to you.” 

You nod your head from the left then to the right. “Probably, because two years passed in my dream.”

Just with that, he’s intrigued. You could tell from the way he leaned in closer, ignoring the sketchbook in front of him. You bring your hands up closer to yourself, as if grasping and pulling at toffee, “It felt so real, that when I held him in my arms, it was like I was really touching him.”

Kaveh’s looking at you with wide, fascinated eyes now. “What was he like?”

“Oh, uh—“

It takes a few moments for you to open your mouth, and a few seconds more after that for words to come out.

Your pause to his question clues Kaveh in as to why your eyes were so puffy. 

“It’s not that he was bad— well… I mean, he wasn’t good, either…” You’re silent again for a second. After some hesitation, you find your words. “He was complicated.”

You clasp your mug, tentatively rubbing your thumb where the handle meets the cup. “I don’t remember much about him, but…” There’s a faraway look in your eyes, the kind of look you see when you ask an old man about the person he keeps in his locket.

“He made me feel things that I’ve never felt before.”

Kaveh purses his lips in thought. Arms crossed, brows lifting and pulling as he mulls over your original question. ‘No, that’s never happened to me,’ He thinks to say, but he feels it’s too late to answer that now.

He finally responds after collecting his words. “Maybe going out more will help you find your dream boy. Staying a hermit forever won’t do you well.”

You shrug. “Maybe.”

There’s a tugging, swelling feeling in your chest. A forgotten toy, the rain that accompanied lightning, the remnants of flowers that have long since bloomed and withered— that’s all you can remember as you think back on that dream. You’re trying to remember how your dream even started, and questioning why it affected you so much.

Kaveh sees you jolt up after your head bobs down— something he notes as the first warning sign of falling asleep. He watches as you scramble to aid your grogginess by using the coffee in your hands. 

After you take a sip, you pause and sit silently, still pondering your thoughts. ‘ It doesn’t make sense.’

You’ve had vivid dreams before, super, super detailed ones, but this one still managed to blow all the other entries in your dream-diary out of the water. 

“There’s a festival out in the city— who knows, you might find him there.” Kaveh’s voice sounds distant as he speaks.

You rest your head on one hand, eyes closed as you try your best to respond. “Festival…” 

A subconscious smile makes its way onto your face. “Ah… like a… fair…”

You let the thought circle around in your head.

‘Fair.’

The word is friction to a matchstick.

It’s like the mug in your hand disappears, like your body has become weightless. Leaves fall on the table, with the partial sunlight blinding your squinting eyes. You’re only relieved of the inconvenience when a shadow blocks the intruding brightness away, like an eclipse.

His shoes grazed the concrete when he stepped closer to you.

“The one in the city. I know you have nothing better to do, so just come.” A finger flicked your forehead, snapping you out of your daze. His face was too pretty for his attitude to be so difficult.

“Is it so hard to say please?” You clicked your tongue as you peered up from your book, rubbing the buzzing spot on your forehead. “I thought you already went over manners with Nahida…” you mocked a pout.

He shook his head, holding a hand out for you to take. You let out an exaggerated sigh as you shut your book and push the cafe chair back tight to the table. You did eventually take his hand, appreciative of the way his porcelain fingertips remained cool even under the Sumeru heat.

The boy was nice enough to ignore your annoyed complaints along the way, going as far as to walk ahead as you two traveled the streets, towards the heart of the festivities.

“You’re not even that big on these types of things,” you pointed out as you tried to match his speed, figuring you’d rather be talking to his face, and not the back of his head.

“My dear teacher instructed me to go and ‘mingle with the locals’— I invited you because I know you’d rather be anywhere else. I can’t be the only killjoy around, after all.” 

You stopped walking, causing him to freeze as well. “It’s not that I don't like it, it’s just…” 

You were playing with your sleeves as you averted your eyes away from his own. “It’s only fun when you can spend on games or food, and…”

It took a good three seconds before you finished.

“I’ve been trying to save my mora for books.” 

It takes another three seconds of silence before mocking laughter fills the air.

Your pursed lips switched to a scowl at the boys cackle at your remark.

He crossed his arms, tilting his head, “Then don’t buy anything? Don’t tell me you need money at the fair to have fun.” 

Your scowl only deepened at his mockery. “Oh my, the ex-mobster with endless wealth wants to scold me about saving cash.” That wiped the smug smirk off his face in an instant.

It became your turn to walk ahead, leaving him following behind you.

The closer you two walked towards the stands, the more concentrated the amount of people became in the area. Afraid he’d be lost, you’d quickly glance back, only to see that he was inches away. 

Unlike you, he didn’t care about pleasantries, and would push through the crowd whenever he deemed that you were straying too far.

After escaping the near-endless sea of people, you two could only walk around calmly for a few minutes before you piped up.

“I’m already bored with just walking around.” 

The boy rolled his eyes at your whines once more. You were fanning yourself, desperate for shade after enduring the sun's rays for how long you two were walking around for.

“You know, after twenty of these, it really does lose its appeal.” Your complaints made him scoff, but he took them in stride.

“If you think a measly twenty is bad, try five hundred.”

You made a face he could only compare to disgust.

“And you’re still not sick of it?”

He shook his head. “Can’t get sick of it if all I did before was people-watch.” 

The boy stopped walking, leaving you paused beside him. You noticed the vendor selling toy boats and porcelain dolls catching his line of sight. 

“This is the second time I’ve actually done anything other than observe from the sidelines.”

You recalled the first time you went to a festival with him. You were the one to ask him to accompany you, and Nahida, ecstatic at the thought of the boy making a friend, kept pushing him to join. He didn’t have room to refuse, let alone be reluctant.

You two did nothing but waste mora on games trying to win prizes. Though nothing of lasting value was won, the boy still assured you he had a decent time (in his own misleading way).

“Enjoy it while it lasts. This is the final time I’ll let you bother me for this.”

You didn’t know then that it was the first time he had played at a festival stand, due to both his words and his attitude.

Your face dropped its neutral expression, dipping into a slight frown. ‘ Five hundred festivals, only two where he wasn’t a bystander?’ You thought to yourself.

The boy noticed your look of pity, and quickly changed tracks, trying to avoid basking in any more of your sympathy. 

“I’m getting tired, anyways. Let’s go lay down somewhere.”

He led the way, his hand grasping yours. The area he brought you to was far from the crowds, facing the ocean, hidden enough by the bushes surrounding it.

“Comfortable?” You asked as he strained his neck against the tree, his expression unpleasant.

“As comfortable as I can be.” You would’ve believed him had it not been for the click of the boy's tongue. It let you know it was thinly veiled sarcasm.

You shook your head at his tone, beckoning him closer. “Come here.”

The boy stared at your folded legs as you tapped them, a look of suspicion plastered on his face.

He crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. “What are you trying to do?” 

You rolled your eyes, sliding your body up so your bag acted more as a pillow than a bump irritating your lower back.

Another tap on your thigh.

“You can lay your head down on my lap, I’m not gonna bite you.” You almost missed the faint pink that dusted his cheeks as you offered.

“What ulterior motives do you have?”

“Ulterior motives— What, scared I’m gonna strangle you to death? If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.” It was your turn to cross your arms and frown.

The boy coughed and looked away.

“… Since you’ve already embarrassed yourself with the offer, I’ll kindly accept.” 

He moved to shift his position to do so, but not without complaining about you ‘Enjoying this more than you should’.

You felt him freeze for a moment after his head hit your thighs.

“What’s wrong?” You were worried he may have discovered something, anticipating a ‘there’s a caterpillar on your shoulder’ from him, which is why you responded in such a hasty manner.

“Nothing.”

Your long stare urged him to spill, but he swallowed his words.

“I told you, it’s nothing.”

You kept eye contact, watching as his look of annoyance shifted to mild fluster. You leaned down closer.

“This is the best time to tell me about your huge crush on me.”

The boy only scoffed in response, expression returning to irritation.

“You’re so delusional that it’s not even funny.”

You could tell that he was trying not to react to your teasing by the way his entire body went still the nth time that day, but that alone was enough for you to break the silence for his sake.

“You know your old name?” You began, twirling his hair again. “‘Destroyer of countries?’” You clarified, giving him space to correct you if you remembered it wrong.

“I do.” His normally sharp tone somehow grew sharper. “What about it?” He was cautious, already on the edge after your previous teasing.

You sighed, “Nothing.” Your pursed lips told the boy that it was the opposite. He stayed quiet to let you continue.

“It just seems a little… over the top, don’t you think? It’s kinda rude for the townspeople to call you such a thing,” you grumbled, pouting in such a way that made the boy snicker at your expression.

“I chose it myself .” You could tell he was amused by the way his canines showed as he spoke.

Stifling a smile, you inquired further. “Did you, now?”

You caressed your knuckles against his cheekbone. As always, his skin was smoother than glass. “What a mean name for such a cute face.”

His brows suddenly jolted downwards, his smirk morphing into a sneer at your teasing.

“You seem to forget that I’m not the same as you humans, with feelings so easily hurt, and shallow desires gratified by any measly pleasures.”

His tone was haughty during his rambling, but his voice suddenly dropped. “I’ve done away with those distractions a long time ago.”

You sat for a moment, bewildered and surprised at his sudden outburst.

It took a second for you to shake it off.

“That was a whole load of crap,” you chuckled, “You say all that, but you’re here enjoying the sun like the rest of us humans.”

You could tell your last comment dug under his skin, as he turned his head to the side, and refused to meet your eyes.

 “Quit bothering me while I’m trying to rest,” he huffed.

He focused solely on the beach and the waves running along the shoreline. You followed his gaze. 

From where you two sat, if you were to swim in a straight line, you would’ve arrived straight onto the dock belonging to the land of Electro.

“… Just to be clear,” you began, garnering his attention once more, “I like your name now .”

A content sigh from you as you leaned back further. “I hope you know that, —“

And it was on the very tip of your tongue, like the string of a balloon grazing your palm as it floated away. 

His name.

The loud bang echoes through the walls like the ringing of a gong.

First comes shock, a startled gasp that slips out of your throat as you compose yourself.

Second is the pain, evident from how hard your forehead pulses in complaint.

“… Are you alright?” Kaveh’s voice rings out.

Third is the realization. You hiss, pressing on the reddening spot on your forehead. 

“Ouch…”

Kaveh tuts as he shakes his head. “That’s definitely gonna bruise…” He makes a show of tapping his own forehead. “The Traveler’s gonna think I’ve been bullying you, or something.”

You squint. “Traveler..?”

“Hello? You had ‘totally top secret’ information you wanted to discuss with them, didn’t you?”

It takes you a second to think, and when the lightbulb finally fizzes with light, you gasp. 

“Ah! Yes. I completely forgot.” You rub your forehead, looking down at the table yet again. It’s a good thing you didn’t fall face first into the mug…

Kaveh takes a sip of coffee. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

A deep long sigh, ending off with a half-laugh, half-groan. You tilt your empty mug, looking at Kaveh with a weary smile.

“Yes, I just need another cup.”

~•~

The wind cuts through a forest, stealing whatever insignificant thing it catches in its hands. A porcelain doll shivers as the air rushes past and carries him along.

He doesn’t know where he is. Or who he is. 

A form built out of nothing. Empty. No bones or skin or mechanical joints. Just a mass of memories.

Floating. He feels like he’s floating. Not the way a paper airplane cuts through the sky, but the way a petal drifts along the ocean, following wherever the current takes it. 

Where do the ink stains on parchment go when you burn the page? When you scream in a field, where does the echo disappear to? At what point is it really gone?

How do you fully rid the world of an existence?

The living have their physical breathing bodies, senses forever stimulated by their environment, and they have the consciousness to know that they are alive. The dead have remnants of themselves, whether it’s their bones hugged by the soil, or their ash enveloped by an urn. 

Those who have simply vanished, ceased to exist— ‘never been’, where do they go? 

Wherever that is, that’s where he is, and where he isn’t.

It’s not void. It’s not the thoughtless grey space, or gorey fiery hell he heard people claim the afterlife to be. He doesn’t know if he’s even in an afterlife— if he’s anything at all.

He’s surrounded by light and clouds, and though it’s bright, it’s not burning. It’s the same kind of brightness that welcomes you in any Fontaine store.

Electricity jogs his memory. Little sparks of thought, flashes of colour that let him know he’s still there in that liminal space. 

Every blink of vibrancy reminds him of when he wasn’t trapped in whatever limbo he was in now. When he was both sentient and physical. Betrayed, ridiculed, feared, loved. 

Funnily enough, the memories of being loved were the worst of it all. The problem is that he not only experienced, but indulged in love, and recalling its warmth made his yearning for any feeling familiar to it stronger than ever.

He’s glad for the memories as much as he loathes them. The images flashing in his eyes are the only thing left that are keeping him tied to his new reality.

When he was left to fend for himself, lost his only friend, ripped at the joints and put back together like some refurbished ragdoll.

When he saw you sobbing at the dining room table, mourning the death of an old friend. 

It reminded him of his own pitiful self a lifetime ago.

He remembers the pang of sorrow that hit his chest when he saw you hunched over and covering your face. He closes his eyes.

Nothing reaches out towards nothing.

The crashing rain accompanied by the booming cracks of thunder couldn’t hide the sound of your footsteps. Not from the porcelain boy's ears, at least.

He sat on the table beside the window, elbow propped up and carrying his head in his palm. He was recounting the events that transpired earlier that day, when the weather was nicer, and you were the opposite.

Despite knowing you were just metres away from him, he held onto his resolve to continue staring out at the pooling Sumeru sidewalks, watching as the rain droplets raced and collected at the bottom of the window pane.

The thick air of guilt hung in the air like morning fog. He could sense you approaching closer.  

“Earlier… today,” you started with a weak voice, “I didn’t mean to…” He could hear you struggling to continue without revealing the quivering in your words.

Your voice was quiet from the trembling of your lips. “I’m really sorry. I’m just stressed right now with everything going on, and, I…” You had to pause, to relieve the feeling of your throat closing up.

You knelt on the floor, facing the side of his body.

“I didn’t mean to act like that towards you.” 

Despite your attempts at reconciliation, the boy did nothing but remain silent and sedentary.

His non-response urged you to reach out for him. 

“Please talk to me.” 

His skin felt like ice compared to yours, which were burning with shame. Your fingers intertwined with his, fitting perfectly within the joints and gaps of his hands. He ignored you.

Only when you squeezed his hand did he finally respond.

“You let one bad event shift your entire personality.” 

His voice was muffled by the hand he rested his chin on.

“You’re more emotional than I thought.”

The boy felt your body tense from the way your hand had twitched.

“I don’t even know why you’re acting like this,” he said, finally turning to look you in the face.

“Do you know how privileged she was to live to that age?”

His eyes were dark as he stared down at you.

“You’re mourning the death of a successful life.” He slipped his hand away from yours. 

“That’s a feat not many accomplish. Do you know that?”

You shook your head, pressing your lips into a frown. “Stop it,” you uttered. The boy only tilted his head in mock confusion.

“Oh, but I’m talking to you, aren’t I?” He leaned in closer. ”Isn’t this what you wanted?” His words were dripping with venom.

You clenched your eyes shut. Stray tears slipped out as you closed them.

“Don’t get all quiet now.” His touch was gentle and light as he carried your face in his hand.

He ran the pad of his thumb just below the tips of your bottom lashes, swiping away the tracks left by the falling droplets. 

You shook your head again. “I don’t deserve this,” you muttered.

“You’re right.” His thumb made another swipe at one of your stray tears. “But this is life.”

Though your face was inches from his, he felt invisible to your gaze. Your eyes looked as if they were staring past him.

“If you can’t get ahold of your emotions, then—“

The crisp sound of a slap resonated throughout the room.

There’s always a brief pause after a loud noise. The first firework, a gunshot, an explosion. A moment of silence that is eventually followed by more sound. It’s a gap left for realization.

He stared at the stinging area on his wrist, then into your eyes. He thought he heard blood running through his system until he realized that it was your breathing.

He felt chills run down his spine when you finally spoke.

The boy remembered the heaving breath that escaped your lips. The words you spoke that he felt etched into his mind, like the scar that lightning leaves on an old oak tree.

“I wish I never met you.”

It’s that memory that sends the most jolts of electricity through his system, colouring the most vibrant of paint splashes in his eyes. Just your voice sends the movement of clockwork into motion.

Along came the tag that left you more in hisses than it did in happiness. Whenever he made you angry, upset, disappointed into tears, he would stand and stare blankly as you cursed his name.

Scaramouche.

~•~

If your aching head didn’t dampen your morning, then your grumbling stomach sure did. You had to constantly switch which hand was holding your notebook due to your palms' sudden dampness, which you attributed to the unexpected stress on your body.

You were kicking yourself for not eating breakfast at home, wondering why you decided to pump your stomach full of caffeine in place of a meal. You started off with blaming lack of sleep for your lethargy, and then went after hunger next for your mood. When nausea crept into the mix, you found something else to blame.

‘It’s catching up to me…’

You were not a heavy drinker, and your tolerance showed that. There were more times than you could count where you sat slouched on the floor, promising to never drink again because of the morning that followed.

Though that being said, you stopped drinking for fun ever since you joined the workforce. Your reasons to indulge simply developed, and you only ever drank if there was a celebration, or a loss.

The thought sticks to your mind as you rub your temples. Why were you drinking last night? 

There was no celebration, so you checked that off. There was a loss, yes, but you drank for that a week ago. To drink for that reason again seemed excessive.

Were you even drinking?

Your train of thought is disturbed from another sound of complaint from your stomach, which somehow led to your head throbbing as well.

As if the God of Luck pitied your predicament, the  welcome bell of a nearby cafe catches your attention. 

You’re pleased to see that the area is less crowded than usual, which you attribute to it being the first day of the fair, and most people are spending their hard earned mora at the stands instead of the regular spots.

After ordering and sitting down, you begin to unpack your dream, not caring to be clean with your handwriting. You almost didn’t notice the server plopping your meal in front of you because of how immersed you were with writing.

‘He was nice to me when I came back to the house drunk, and he took care of me.’ You finish scribbling down.

Usually, you would remember a dream from end to beginning, sometimes forgetting the beginning altogether. It didn’t come back to you in a solid timeline, rather playing in parts as you went on with your day. Today's entry was the only exception.

You could remember everything that happened as if it were a movie you rewatched a million times. Writing it down only solidified your memory of it, and despite still working on the middle section of the entry, you anticipated the end of your dream.

The very last thing you could recall was running to a house that wasn’t yours, and finding it empty.

~•~

Scaramouche thinks it’s a dream as he sails weightlessly through the sky. He travels through the wind with aimless intent, and that’s when he realizes that the memories are fleeting, escaping his grasp.

Anxiety courses through his core, regret and bitterness sinking into his eyes. He doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t want the memories to divulge into darkness. He doesn’t want to be gone.

So why did he do this?

Scaramouche experiences the same fear he felt when he was sent away by his creator.

He racks his mind, trying to remember what caused him to go down this route— erased from the world, desperately trying to cling onto what little identity he could hang onto.

Scaramouche was not the type to get himself into these types of situations. So why was he here?

He remembered silently watching as you stuffed all the clothes you owned into a little brown suitcase.

Scaramouche’s arms were crossed, his body relaxed and leaning on the doorframe while your hands were a buzz of frantic movement, grabbing and rearranging to make everything fit inside the bag. He noticed that some of your clothes were still in the drawer— clothes that he had bought you.

“All this over one bad fight?” His tone was bored, almost emotionless. 

You didn’t grace him with a response, only kept shoving your belongings into the case. You reached for the bedside table, gathering little trinkets until you picked up a particular one, scrutinised it with your touch, then tossed it back onto the table, shoving the rest of the items into the little crevices in your baggage.

You struggled to fold the suitcase, and struggled even more to zip it close. Scaramouche walked closer to see what item you’d neglected on the table.

He shook his head upon seeing it. “Wow,” he half scoffed, half laughed, “This is another level of petty.” Scaramouche picked up the keychain he bought for you. A colourful toy boat.

He tried to toss it into your suitcase, but you, as if anticipating his actions, caught the miniature before it could land with your things, and threw it off to the side. Scaramouche clicked his tongue at your stubborn silence, picking the trinket back up.

“What do you want me to say? I’ve already apologized for what happened two days ago, if that’s what you’re still mad about,” he sighed as he knelt beside you on the floor, offering no help while you continued to pinch the edges of the zipper teeth together, trying to close it despite the case being jam packed.

When you did manage to squeeze it enough to zip it closed, you promptly stood up, and began rolling your suitcase out with you.

“Why are you ignoring me?” He trailed behind you.

You released a heavy sigh, dropping your hand from the suitcase's handle. You were halfway to the door.

“Because you turn every conversation into an argument, and I want to leave without high blood pressure,” your response was pointed, frustrated, but a response nonetheless. It was all Scaramouche wanted. You’d deprived him of your voice for 2 nights and 2 days.

“Oh, I turn every conversation into an argument. I’m the one who overreacts.” He could tell he was making you angry, with the way you only turned your head to the side, but ultimately kept your back to him.

“What did I just say?” You sighed again, bringing your hand up to massage the side of your temples, trying to soothe the rush of blood running to your face.

Scaramouche had a habit of making it seem like his issues were your own, make it seem like both of you needed to fix something. 

He couldn’t stand, even for a moment, being the only imperfect one. 

You turned your head and began walking again.

He knew it was wrong of him to do. He knew it made you miserable, but he would never let himself be in a position where he felt less than you. 

Scaramouche continued pushing, trying to find any psychological loophole to keep you longer. He knew he could convince you to stay— he just needed time. “You’re putting the blame on me, when this is on both of us.”

He needed to cement that both of you were equal in being imperfect, because his imperfection got him abandoned. 

You stopped in your tracks, just at the door frame. “You’re right. This is on both of us.” You spoke like it was a revelation.

It dawned on Scaramouche as you turned your body to face him that it was the first time in 2 days and 2 nights that you looked him in the eyes 

“Now what?” You asked.

He fell silent.

“It’s both our faults that this relationship is failing. Now what?” 

Scaramouche found it difficult to reply. “Now you can unpack and think about what you’re doing,” he hissed, “We can live through this the same way we lived through the other hundred fights.”

Your arms crossed.

“So you want to stay together?” Your question made him bite back an insult— something along the lines of ‘Obviously, dumbass.’ He settled for a firm “I do.” 

A look of utter confusion and tiredness fell on your face. “But why?”

Scaramouche had to bite back another instinctive quip. “Because there’s no point in leaving each other,” he answered. Scaramouche wasn’t used to being so truthful with his thoughts during such a heated moment.

“But there is!” Your sudden exclamation made his eyes widen for a fraction of a second. “We argue more than we talk, it’s pretty clear that we’re not happy with each other—“

Scaramouche had to interrupt you, annoyed—no, taking offence at your assumption. 

“Don’t speak for me as if you know how I think.”

And in a moment of losing to exhaustion, hands up in defeat, you finally bursted. It was the stick that broke the camel’s back.

“Okay then!” You exclaimed, “ I’m not happy.”

The energy from his annoyance dissipated, slowly melting into confusion. As the seconds passed and your words sank in, he felt all the confidence in his body draining. Whatever petty remark he would’ve thought of saying never left him, not even having a chance to grow.

You looked away to the side, and rubbed your temples with your pointer and thumb again.

“… You aren’t?” His quiet voice finally broke through the silence. He didn’t know if you laughed or scoffed at his question.

“You have to be joking,” you muttered beneath your breath, now massaging the bridge of your nose.

“How could you possibly think that I…” You began, only to pause after moving your hand away from your face. He could see you stop and rethink your words after you met his gaze, only then witnessing the tense look in his stare. Scaramouche is not stupid. He could finish your sentence for you, even if you would deny it.

Bits of your anger seemed to die with every second, and it showed in the way your look of frustration morphed into one of pity, like you’d let slip a secret he wasn’t supposed to know.

“… How long have you felt this way?” Scaramouche didn’t care that his expression showed all the betrayal he was feeling, he just needed to find a way to convince you to stay somehow, no matter the cost.

You turned around, facing the outside once more. He wished you would look back at him.

After a pause that made the silence all the more overbearing, you spoke. Your tone was weak, no longer filled with anger or spite. Just pure defeat. Your sentiment wasn’t directed towards him at all, sounding more like a slow realization to yourself— the realization that two years of emotional sacrifices still landed you in limbo. 

“I can’t remember.”

Scaramouche felt a burning wave sting his eyes. He couldn’t tell if the sound of your disappointment was pointed towards him, or yourself. He was trying to speak up again, gather his pride after being left crestfallen. 

“What can I do to fix this?” Scaramouche asked after doing his best to compose himself. His voice was fragile with his emotions exposed, so unlike the Scaramouche you were familiar with. 

There was a beat of silence where he swore his body ran colder than the ice in Snezhnaya. He didn’t care that his voice gave away all the anxiety and hurt he was really feeling, he only cared that you would see how affected he’d be if you stepped out of the door. 

A whisper of your name, a deep breath to compose himself, and a shaky plea. “… Say something.” 

It was a gentle sound, the door shutting. It was not how he would’ve left. If he were the one leaving, he would’ve slammed the door so hard that pictures fell from their places, and the echo would be imprinted onto the walls. But you were not the same as him, petty and vengeful. It was a polite thud, as polite as the way you introduced yourself to him.

Scaramouche clenched his fist. The forgotten wooden toy in his palm splintered at the pressure. He couldn’t feel it at all.

For the first few days since you left him, he was bitter. For a while, he cursed every twinkling set of eyes that ever passed him on the sidewalk. 

He was seething, because it was so easy to swear and damn everyone else that had betrayed him, but this was you .

The person that wiped his tears and stood up to his anger, didn’t revere nor look down on him, just saw him as he was.

The person that taught him that he could be human.

Scaramouche didn’t realize how often he’d be reminded of you— from the scent of a vendor he would pass by, to a laugh out in the plaza that sounded just so familiar that it caused his ears to perk up. Like air, you were everywhere, yet you were nowhere to be found.

Everyday he was losing his mind, and it was all your fault.

It would only be a week from when you left him that he finally stopped thinking of ways to win you back— Incidentally, the same day he found out about Irminsul, and the day he shook hands with the Traveler.

‘In this world, is it possible to change the past?’

He was pleased to see that his mere hunch was correct. All that was left then was the confirmation to go through with it.

At that point, there was no reason to hold onto himself, after his last life line cut itself free from his grasp.

When he ignored the Travelers' calls and yells, felt his skin and bones shatter into a million glistening shards as he vanished from sight, he could only think of one thing— that the pain he caused you would be erased from existence.

“I wish I never met you.”

As those words rang in his mind, he imagined a world where you were living peacefully. No Scaramouche, no Balladeer, no puppet born and forced to play a role— ‘destroyer of countries’. A world where you were happy.

Can a nonexistent thing cry? 

The answer should be ‘no’, but there’s no other explanation for the warmth his fingertips feel dripping down his eyes. 

Scaramouche can only think of the beach.

“That poor little boat,” he whispered to himself during one of your strolls around the shore. It seemed like he didn’t realize he said it out loud until you tilted your head at his comment.

You followed his eyesight, a toy boat scuffed up and jammed into the sand. Had it not been for its jarringly bright colours you wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

“Hm? You’re feeling sorry for a piece of wood?” 

He didn’t respond, only kept walking. It wasn’t too difficult to catch up with him.

“Did you know that humans are one of the only creatures to feel bad for inanimate objects?”

He thought you were joking at first. “Is that so?” Scaramouche replied in a sarcastic tone (one that you shrugged off and ignored).

“Well, yeah. Most animals don’t really get sentimental— they know somewhat that if something isn’t alive, it doesn’t feel pain or anything.

As long as it doesn’t look like an animal too, they don’t care how busted down or how shattered it is.” 

He watched as you began rolling your pant legs up.

“Humans, on the other hand,” you slipped out of your sandals and trekked through the wet sand, “Humans will feel sorry for anything if they see that it’s been abandoned...” 

You picked the boat up, revealing its chipping paint and splintered base. “Or broken.”

His breath caught in his throat as he watched you run it through the water to wash all the sand off of its partially broken body.

You placed the toy on a nearby rock, displaying its fading colours proudly. “Even if it’s just a little toy boat.”

It was that fateful day, that autumn afternoon, a memory he held close and replayed in his mind whenever he was far from you. 

You wiped your hand on your undershirt after tenderly cleaning the sand off of the toy.

“… You— You sound like a nutcase. It’s just trash.” He internally cringed at the way his voice stuttered, losing the only mask he could use to hide his fluster towards your actions.

You rolled your eyes and grinned at his jab. 

“Whatever.” 

You pressed your fingers just above his chest, over where a heartbeat would’ve resided. Should’ve resided.

“That was proof of humanity, Kunikuzushi .” 

Your words rang in his ears like a pleasant melody, though your smile was teasing. 

His pale cheeks deepened in colour, and he felt so warm.

He doesn’t believe that his heart is in the hands of the electro archon, he believes that his heart was standing there on the beach, right there in front of him.

Each step you took, his pulse. Every time you grinned at him and intertwined your fingers together, his circulation. You made him feel things he shouldn’t have felt as a porcelain puppet— yet the goosebumps, the pleasant buzz of excitement in his bones, and the heat always rushing to his face— it all made sense to him.

For once in his five hundred years of living, Scaramouche felt like he was made for something else.

That’s why when you turned around and began walking away, he followed you so closely.

He’s regretting his choices with every millisecond that passes. He’s lived through a lifetime within the blink of an eye, yet it’s your visage walking away that burns itself into his mind. You were a vivid burst in his eyes. Stained glass in the sunlight, the adrenaline that courses through a body after taking flight.

Scaramouche once swore to himself that he would find a way to intertwine your souls together— mix your colours with his own so that you could never leave him. ‘ Proof of my devotion to you,’ he’d said. The very thought of doing that now, to turn back and run to you, haunts him. 

He’d already maimed you so many times in this lifetime— to do it again and again, infinity times infinity, was a degree of selfishness that even he deems cruel. 

At his core, he’s selfish. Scaramouche had been selfish all his life— and his greed for your company throughout the course of your time together did nothing but prove that fact.

Scaramouche only hopes that this plan would somehow outweigh all the hurt he caused you. Make right of everything he did wrong, let him bear the suffering he brought in the first place.

But he’s scared. The white light blinding him does nothing to quell his fears, and he knows that it will just be a step forward to end it all.

Scaramouche almost turns away out of pure instinct. 

He only resists when he sees the silhouette of your back disappearing into the light. By the time he tried pulling his outstretched arm away, it was already too late.

He has never felt such pain before.

His hand finally crumbled into ashes when the white fire reached his shoulders and his chest. As he floats away, feels his consciousness and body separate, he faces the daunting fact that he doesn’t want to disappear, and he doesn't want to let what he had left of you go.

Scaramouche tries to shove what memories he had of you back into his soul as they escape him. 

‘Let me keep this,’ he begs. ‘ Take everything else but this.’ He tries to bargain with any god that might’ve been listening.

But he already resolved to grant you what you asked for. And so, Scaramouche ceased to exist.

~•~

“What the fuck.”

Still air, silence. Paimon swore she could’ve heard a pin drop. She looked at the Traveler, who’s expression held nothing but bewilderment and shock.

“You gotta be joking…” They let out an annoyed laugh, clenched fingers running through their blond hair.

When parchment is burnt, the ashes stay. When someone screams in a field, the sound remains traveling around the globe, infinitely getting quieter, and quieter, and quieter, yet never truly disappearing.

When a puppet is erased from the world’s memory, the Traveler remembers.

“This guy…” They bite their nails. They should’ve expected this once they caught wind of the break up. 

“Done,” Scaramouche had said. The Traveler quirked a brow at his carefree attitude and nonchalant tone. Nahida warned them about his shifting moods— ‘Breakups are never easy,’ she explained, but this was drastic. And the way his wide smile didn’t match his eyes made the boy look deranged in a way that freaked the Traveler out.

They only processed his words when he disappeared from their sight.

“What are you doing?!”

They didn’t even bother hearing him out when he responded, too focused on trying to find the source of where his voice was coming from so they could smack some sense into him.

“Hold on! Aren’t you overreacting a little bit? There’s plenty of fish in the sea, and—“

They felt the ground shake. 

“And you’re being really impulsive right now! Come on, give it at least a year— f-five months! Even just two months—“

And then it was silent. All that remained was Paimon’s gaping mouth mirroring their own.

Paimon’s voice quirking up shook the Traveler out of their thoughts.

“Traveler, is it just Paimon, or did the Balladeer look like he was about to cry before he left?”

Despite the stress they were going through, the Traveler did recall seeing the boy's eyes well up for that split second before he vanished.

It’s hard for the Traveler to focus the morning after their good friend (a strong word for a ‘former-tormentor-turned-colleague’) decided to basically remove himself from the narrative. Having to catch Paimon up the morning after she lost her memories of the Balladeer also drained whatever energy they had reserved for the day.

It seems the Traveler’s mood is affecting yours as well, as you sat motionless while staring off into space.

“Uhm… are you okay? Paimon’s been trying to get your attention for the last six minutes…” She waves a hand in front of your face. 

You shake your head, straightening your back in surprise. “Sorry, I had a rocky sleep last night. I had a weird dream.”

Paimon claps her hands, ever excited for a story. “Well, let’s hear about it! It’s clearly bothering you.”

“It was way too much…” You try to refuse, but the duo’s expectant looks urge you to spill anyways.

“Basically, I lived through an entire relationship in the dream. I felt months go by— like, the dream only ended when we broke up.”

“Broke up?” Paimon repeats. The Traveler's head perks up at the trigger word, and they only fully look at you after Paimon’s echo. The Traveler’s eyes don’t show their excitement, because they’re not excited by this at all.

“Well, I didn’t wake up exactly when I broke up with him. A few days passed, and then I tried to go back to his house to talk to him, but…” 

The Traveler doesn’t hear the last part of your rambles, their ears ringing and going back to those two deadly words. The black hole of dread deepens in their stomach, no matter how much they try to shake the underlying feeling away. ‘Broke up. ’

“What was he like?” The Traveler breaks their silence after a considerable amount of time staying quiet. 

You begin to fidget with the back of your pen as you speak.

“Total wild card. I’d say he was mean if it weren’t for the times he was nice— when he was sweet, he could be really sweet.” There’s a smile on your face as you stare at the half-filled page of your journal.

Your wistful look turns into an uncomfortable grimace as you continue, “But when he was mean, I’d compare him to a monster. Super complicated guy.”

The Traveler closes their eyes while repressing a strong frown. 

Oh, great Anemo archon. 

“… Do you remember what this boy looked like?” The Traveler asks, reluctant and unwilling. They have an inkling suspicion that they already know what this dream-boy looks like.

You pipe up quicker than you had before, “Beautiful— I mean, I feel like he was beautiful. I’ve pretty much forgotten how most of his face looks after I woke up. All I remember are sharp eyes, like a cat.” 

Paimon glances at the Traveler, who in turn sneaks a reciprocating look. ‘ That could be anyone,’ The Traveler blinks. ‘I don’t know...’ Paimon blinks back.

A snap of your fingers interrupts their silent conversation. “Oh, and he had a blunt bowl cut.”

The Traveler wants to die. 

They place both elbows on the table, and bury their forehead in their palms. There is no one else in Sumeru that it could be but—

“And you’re sure you only ever dreamt this last night?” Paimon covers for the Traveler, trying to help by asking the final nail-in-the-coffin question herself.

Your bright smile is as deceiving as a marshmallow that doesn’t know that it’s hiding a bullet.

“Definitely!”

The Traveler could barely hide the groan of misery bubbling in their throat.

They try not to show more of the displeasure already on their face as they recount yesterday's events.

“Are you okay?” You lean closer to them.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just got a headache.”

They drop a hand and balance their chin on the one planted on the table. Maybe this is okay.

Sure , it may be bad that Scaramouche deleted himself… but is it worth making a big fuss over? Yeah, they haven’t approached Nahida about what to do next yet , but they could probably let it slide. 

Maybe it’s for the better. Maybe it’s meant to be this way. Scaramouche is far from stupid. Maybe he knew that this was the best outcome for the both of you.

As they brood in their thoughts, you take the silence as permission to continue scribbling in your notebook.

The Traveler side eyes Paimon as you’re submerged with scratching your thoughts down. They then nudge their floating companion, who takes the hint and coughs to grab your attention.

“What have you been scribbling about?”

“This is my dream diary.” You’re shy as you close the book. “It’s almost the afternoon, and I’m only just about finished with today's entry.”

“Can we read what you’ve been writing so far?”

“… Swear you won’t judge my writing?”

They both nod. You hand your notebook over.

Me and dream boy got into a fight, and then I told him that we should breakup. He looked really sad and it made me sad, and then he said something. I really wanted to hug him and apologize because he looked so sad but I left and shut the door. 

The Traveler keeps their promise by only commenting on how vivid the dream was. Paimon keeps her end of the deal by keeping her mouth shut. 

“It’s clear he’s occupying your mind,” the Traveler exclaims after thinking about what a pain in the ass it will be to try and fix this mess. 

You purse your lips. “… It’s really crazy, but I never felt that way before.”

Looking down at the table, you fidget with your pen again as you confess your thoughts to the blond. “You know, up until now, I never really understood the hype around love and relationships. I was always content with being alone.”

A familiar silhouette catches the Traveler’s eyes from behind you. It’s difficult to pay attention to you when the wide brim of the figure’s hat keeps bobbing up and down with each step he takes. 

“But after waking up… I don’t know, I just felt kind of… lonely? I’m not trying to whine, but I guess after getting a taste of what it might be like, it feels like I’m missing out.”

They try to focus on your words, but the clueless, almost juvenile way the boy wanders around the bookstand makes him look like child lost in a farmers market.

The Traveler notes that his attitude was timid. Far from normal.

“Ah, shoot, sorry, we originally met up for the information I was supposed to tell you, right?” Your apology snaps the Traveler out of their scrutiny.

They find it hard to steer gears after that. Paimon catches the Traveler’s stern eyes staring the figure down, and connects the pieces together.

“Right.”

The Traveler is still thinking about the boy even after you leave. Only after they hunt the figure down are they able to confirm that their suspicion was fact.

As they lay on their shared bed, staring up at the ceiling tiredly, it’s all the Traveler can think about.

“Paimon, I really thought this would be easy,” they mutter. Paimon groggily agrees. 

“Uh-huh.”

“When Nahida told me about it, I thought ‘finally, I can rest’.” 

“I hear you.”

“I thought I’d just take the guy out for ice cream, you know. Maybe get him to learn a new hobby. Take him fishing. Would’ve been an easy request. I didn’t think he’d do all this.”

The Traveler looks over as they rest their head over their crossed arms. Their companion is fast asleep.

~•~

The vendor smiles when he sees a familiar silhouette pop by for the second time that week. 

“Back so soon? You were here just yesterday!”

The newcomer was a welcome one, not only for his mora, but for his pleasant conversation. The vendor couldn’t help but smile as he watched the boy sheepishly scratch his cheek.

“Ah… I can’t help it. Last volume ended on a cliffhanger,” the boy confesses. The vendor's eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You’re already caught up?!”

The boy looks down at the concrete before nodding. 

The old vendor laughs after overcoming his brief astonishment, displaying the aforementioned text on his table, “Well, just buy the last few novels all together. That way you won’t have to keep coming back every time you finish a book.”

The Wanderer gulps at the offer, very visibly tempted, but restraint ultimately saves his skin (and mora).

“I won’t be able to work if I do that, I’ll be too enamoured reading,” the Wanderer explains. His attention shifts when he hears a high pitched call from behind him.

“Wanderer, you’re here again! Are you on your break?” The chattier part of the duo pipes up. The Wanderer nods his head, picking up a novel he was eyeing.

“Ah, yes. I was just thinking of buying a new book,” he responds. The Traveler looks at the cover. ‘A romance,’ they think to themselves. Paimon elbows their shoulder after catching sight of the novel.

“Paimon sure is hungry…” She floats to the side aimlessly, slouching for dramatic effect. The Wanderer takes the bait.

“Oh yeah. We should eat, hey?” He thinks back on when he had his last meal. Breakfast. No good. The Wanderer turns back to the vendor to finish up.

“I’ll just get this one.” He slides the mora over to the man, thanking him before turning back to the two. 

“I guess I’ll accompany you until my break ends,” he smiles. Paimon leads the way, making a line straight to the cafe just adjacent to the book stand.

She flies closer to him, peeking over at the novel once more. “What are you doing here reading books, anyways? It’s the second day of the festival!”

“Doesn’t seem like much fun,” he sighs. “Not much to do other than people watch, going alone and all.” The three sit at a table, the Wanderer caving to Paimon’s grabby hands towards his novel. She studies the front, only to gasp when she finally reads the back.

“Wait a minute, Paimon’s read this story before!” She squeals in excitement, gesturing wildly as the other two stare at her with curiosity. 

“So, this knight really really loves this princess, but she hits her head, and at the end of everyday, she basically forgets everything that happened, so it’s like she’s stuck in a loop! So the knight… hey, are you listening?” 

The Traveler nods before looking over at the boy beside them, who was facing away from their floating companion.

“Who is that?” He asks. Instantly, the two know who he’s talking about.

Your hand scribbles away on a piece of parchment, occasionally resting the end of the pen on your lips. The action brought a flush of pink to the Wanderers cheeks, his own lips parted in admiration.

“Oh, that’s…” The Traveler starts, but fails to finish.

Both the Traveler and Paimon look troubled, not exactly having planned out what they’d tell him. 

“We don’t know… we can ask around, after.” They offer a small smile. “Sorry Paimon, you were saying?” The Traveler tries to refocus the conversation, a way to buy time to formulate a plan of some sort.

Minutes of Paimon’s yapping pass, and the Wanderer still can’t stop staring at you. 

He wonders why he’s so drawn to your image, why he could feel your fingertips trace over his collarbones. Simply looking at you spread warmth over where a heavy beat should’ve thumped against his rib cage.

As far as he knows, you’re a stranger he’s never spoken a word to. So how come, no matter how many times he checks and makes sure it’s in his head, does he feel a pulse in his neck whenever he glances over at you?

You shut your book and stand up, pushing your chair back in and grabbing your bag from the seat beside you. 

The Wanderer stands up as well, causing his companions beside him to follow suit.

As if a string had wrapped around his waist and was pulling him closer, his body subconsciously steps towards your direction.

The Traveler grabs the boy's shoulder before he could get closer.

“Your break has ended,” they state in a flat tone.

The boy looks at the cafe clock, a hint of betrayal on his features as he silently laments the time passing so quickly.

“Oh…” He’s still looking at you, even when he turns his body to face the other two. "... Yeah. I should get back, then.”

The Wanderer makes a move to step away and leave, but the hand resting on his shoulder stays planted on. He shoots the Traveler a quizzical look.

“No.” The Traveler replies.

The Wanderer glances at Paimon, who in turn averts her gaze from his own. He’s beginning to worry. “… Huh?”

The Traveler ushers the boy with them, unfortunately (in his case) the opposite direction of where you’re headed.

“I need to talk to you about something.” The urgency in the Traveler’s voice causes a spike of worry in the Wanderer’s mind. He’s wearing a confused look, his eyebrows tilting upwards as he looks around nervously. “… What’s wrong?” He whispers to the two beside him. 

Paimon has never seen anyone look this concerned before. She frowns before looking down in guilt. 

‘Poor guy ,’ Paimon thinks to herself. ‘ Innocent, innocent Wanderer.’

She lifts her head and meets the Traveler’s face, who bears the same guilt-ridden expression.

They both lock eyes, and then nod in newfound determination.

Paimon will make sure that they apologize to the boy later.

[r0ttenhearts]

as we’re meant to be

scaramouche x reader (high school au))

sypnosis: scaramouche reminisces on the last conversation he had with you

warnings: angst, no comfort, mean scara, mentions of drugs, nsfw themes mentioned

“stupid fucking girl.” scaramouche seethed, his hands pushing against your shoulders, back hitting the cool concrete wall behind you. you sat quietly under his gaze, his anger flickering in his eyes.

“you don’t want to talk now? hm?” cold fingers gripped your chin as you stared up at him blankly.

“there’s nothing to say.” you mumbled as he loosened his grip on you.

anxiety bubbled in the pit of scaramouche’s stomach. no, this wasn’t how it went. this didn’t happen. you didn’t react this way before:

scaramouche took a step back, staring at your? form.

“this isn’t what happened.”

“you’re right, it’s not.” you replied stoically.

memories of what really happened flashed in his mind. your tears, his angry words, the look of defeat you gave him as he left you sitting there.

“you love me? how fucking sad. i don’t even think about you.” scaramouche spat as you wept in front of him.

your fists were balling up the sundress you had decided to wear that hot summer day, gripping the soft fabric tightly beneath your fingers.

“i said i’d always wait for you scaramouche, i meant that. i know it’s not your thing to be close to people but, we’re different. we click, you even told me that yourself!” you cried out.

scaramouche grit his teeth, remembering the words he had told you when you were both on a substance and not completely yourselves.

“i lied. i don’t feel anything for you. you’re more of a pest, if anything.” he sneered.

“but you said-“

“STUPID fucking girl!” your back hit the wall so suddenly, you stared up at him in shock, and fear? it was an expression scaramouche had never seen before.

“you’re fucking nothing to me. everything we’ve had together was because i was using you, don’t you get that? i was bored. i didn’t feel anything, i didn’t mean anything i said. i only said it to get you on your knees.”

shame bubbled in the pit of your stomach as you remembered the things you had done with him. you had given him many of your firsts, while he was experienced.

as he shook your shoulders, rambling about how much he never felt anything for the intimate moments you shared, you felt something inside of you break.

like a glass table that was always on the verge of breaking. the glass had now shattered, every hope in it staying together was on the floor with the shards of glass.

something in you dulled, your expression now blank as tears rolled down your cheeks. you had made yourself ugly for a boy that never thought of holding you in a way he truly meant. you had ruined yourself for a boy that wouldn’t even hold your hand.

“you don’t want to talk now? hm?” cold fingers gripped your chin as you stared up at him blankly.

“you’re right.” you said stoically.

scaramouche scoffed, “i’m right? of course i know i’m right.”

“as we’re meant to be..” you mumbled.

“speak up!” scaramouche shouted, his nails now digging into your shoulders.

“i’ll leave you alone. let’s just go back to how we were meant to be. i’ll never speak to you again.”

scaramouche laughed loudly at this, his head thrown back as he cackled in front of you.

“we’ll see about that. i’m sure you’ll come running right back.” he spoke, his back now to you as he reached for his backpack that was previously discarded on the floor.

he left you sitting there in your sundress, only looking back once he was sure you couldn’t see him. that same expression was still on your face as you gently picked your bag up, walking the opposite way of his direction.

that would be the last time he ever saw you. and now you haunted his dreams. that white sundress, that conversation.

your face that seemed to distort more and more as the years went on. it had been five summers since he’d seen you. but sometimes he swore he saw you in passing.

taglist: @samarill @sakiimeo @astrolomona @dearsumire @saeism @shoheartluv @0kauy @lelemnh @aqualesha @msdevilis @linkookie197 @beriiov @xiaonscaraswife @foxlover1144 @gh0sts0up @darliingyu @magica-ren @scara6 @Maxineslair @jihyuniepark @atanukileaf @kenmabfasf @somatchajade

[yureismellslikefanfic]

i wanna know how scara would take care of reader if they had a mental health episode if you're ok with writing that

I'm absolutely fine with writing this, here you go!

A/N: Sorry it took so long, I was kinda busy with family events and stuff :/

(Depression version.)

(ooc)Scaramouche x Fem!Reader (Hurt/Comfort)

You were curled up in a blanket, as if to hide from the world. Tears running down your cheeks, yet you make no noise, no sobs, no whimpers, nothing.

You couldn't keep doing this, pretending you're fine when you're not 'fine' in the slightest. You just say you're fine because you don't want to bother other people, make them think different of you, or it could just be as simple as not wanting to talk about it.

Scaramouche was out working, tending to important matters. You couldn't bother him with something as unimportant as this.

You felt completely numb to life's happiness. You felt like everything you've gone through and done is for nothing.

You know you're better off gone, yet you never acted on those thoughts before.

You think back to all the mistakes you've made and all the times you said something you shouldn't have.

Why couldn't you have been smarter all those times?

You didn't know, and you didn't know if you'd ever know, either.

The sudden sound of a door opening brought you from your thoughts and you pulled the blanket higher to conceal your face.

You could hear light footsteps walk to you, along with the feeling of someone sitting down on the side of the bed.

"What's wrong?" Scaramouche said as gently as he could, but it was obvious he was holding his anger.

Not wanting to say anything and let him hear the shakes in your voice, you kept your mouth shut.

You heard him sigh, as he pulled you to him. He slid the blanket off of you and wrapped his arms around you in an attempt to comfort you.

Your hair concealed your face, covering your tear-stained eyes.

He noticed that, gently moving your hair out of your face as he saw the redness around your eyes from crying.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but if you do, I'll always listen." He was never normally like this with you, but his tone was soft as he spoke. His eyes were full of concern and love, which again, he never normally showed.

You could only nod as you hid your face into his neck and slowly hugged him.

Usually, Scaramouche would scoff about this and tell you how pointless affection is, but he knew it wouldn't help you in this situation, nor would it help him, either.

He wrapped his arms around your frail body, whispering encouraging words into your ear as you let the tears flow.

"I'm here for you."

"I know I don't say this often, but.. I love you, okay?"

© yureismellslikefanfic || do not plagiarize, translate, or modify any of my works.

[wolverineluvr]

Caged bird.

Content Warning ⛈️: Yandere themes, breaking Readers legs, unconsensual nonsexual touching, kidnapping. Ft. Yandere Xiao, Scaramouche, Venti and Kazuha x reader!

Summary🔎: You thought you could trust them. You were so so wrong.

Part 2

Another Wattpad repost

You groaned as you opened your eyes, you just woke up. You heard giggling. Once you opened your eyes, but you still couldn't see, you felt fabric on your face so you assumed you were blindfolded. You tried to sit up but couldn't, you felt restraints on your wrists and ankles. You heard someone walking over to you and resumed trying to get up. "Y/n..~" You heard someone say and tut. You knew the voice was familiar, Venti! "Venti! Help me out please!" You say. "Aww Y/n, you are so adorable!" You heard him say, only this time much closer. You then felt hands squish your cheeks. "What? Venti help me!" You exclaim.

"Of course my dove!" You hear him say and giggle. You felt your held being lifted and someone taking off your blindfold. You can't see at first but then your eyes adjust to the light and you see Venti sitting next to you. (Youre on a bed) "Venti, where are we?" You ask and your lip starts to tremble. "Oh, we're in our house! In the basement!" He said and smiled at you. "Why?..." You ask. "Well, heh don't be mad but, we kindaa, kidnapped you.." Venti said chuckling. "W-what, why!?" You ask and as he's about to respond you realize. "We!??" "Yea, Xiao, Kazuha, Scaramouche and me!" He says with a smile. "Want me to go get them?" You shake your head but he gets up anyways and leaves.

Your lip started to tremble again, you can't cry, not now, not infront of them.. But a few tears still escaped from your eyes, right as they walked in. "Venti, what did you do!?" Scaramouche yelled. "Why are you blaming me I didn't do anything wrong!" Venti respond. They continued to argue as Kazuha walked over to you. He started to untie your ankles, and then he untied your wrists. He picked you up and you thrashed around. "Let go off me!" You screamed, but he just stood up and hugged you closer. You always loved his touch but now, it feels wrong...

After a while you stopped thrashing because you were tired and Kazuha sat on the bed with you in his arms. You heard a loud slap. And looked to the other men. Scaramouche had slapped Venti. "Stop, talking." Scaramouche said and Venti looked offended. You wanted to leave, you always hate when people argue. They then start to scream at eachother. You look up at Kazuha, he looks annoyed, you thought. You covered your ears and closed your eyes wishing everything would stop.

Kazuha noticed this, put you down on the bed, and got up. "Stop arguing." He said to them. "Why would I listen to you?" Scaramouche asked in a rude tone. "Because you're both making them scared." Kazuha said and they looked at you. "Fine." They both say.

Kazuha was wrong, they were all making you scared, you didn't wanna be here at all.

A week later

"Come on Y/nn have some!~" Venti said and offered you his bottle of dandelion wine. "No thank you.." You said quietly as he pulled you closer to him. "Leave her alone, Venti." Scaramouche said. "Noo, she wants some right?" He said and looked at you pleading for you to say yes. "Okay." You said, you worried what he would do if you said no.. Venti then gave you his bottle. "Have some!" He said and Scaramouche glared at him. You barely ever drank before.. You put the top of the bottle to your lips and slowly drank it. You cringed inwards, you didn't like it. You put the bottle back down.

"Sooo?" Venti said. "It was fine." You said. "Just, fine? Really?" He asked and looked at you. "She did what you asked, it's my turn with her now." Scaramouche said and picked you up, he threw you over his shoulder and walked into the bedroom.

"Heyy, give her back!~" You hear Venti say and then hear crashing. Scaramouche groaned and opened the bedroom door then closed it. He threw you on the bed and locked the door. He laid down next you and groaned. "You love me, right?" He asked and you nodded, you didn't think it was true but you didn't want him to be mad. "Good." He said and pulled you underneath him.

He put his face on your chest (btw it doesn't matter if you don't have boobs or are a guy) and hugged your waist.

Time skip cus 😚🫶

You woke up and groaned. Your eyes fluttered open and you tried to move but you felt someone on top of you. "Stop moving." You looked and saw Scaramouche hugging your waist tightly and pressing his face into your shoulder trying to go back to sleep. "Xiao and Kazuha are back!!" Venti yelled as he burst open the locked door, you flinched. "Shut up.." Scaramouche said in a raspy voice. "No, your hogging Y/n! I want my dove!" Venti says walking over to the bed and pulling your arm.

Scaramouche quickly realized this and got up and grabbed your other hand. "Let go!" Venti said. "No they're mine!" Scaramouche growled at him. "Ow..." You whispered as they pulled your arms but Venti heard it, and quickly stopped. Venti quickly jumped on the bed and hugged you. "Oh, dove I'm so sorry!" He said. "Hey, let go of them!" Scaramouche said still pulling your arm. "Can't you see its hurting them? Do you want them to leave you like every one else?" Venti said.

Scaramouche crossed his arms. "They can't even if they want to." He said. "Fine, but still!" Venti whined. Scaramouche growled and left the room. "He's gone now!" Venti said and smiled as he put his forehead to yours. "Y/n, can you come here?" Kazuha asked standing in the doorway. "But, but I just got them back, Scaramouche was hogging them.." Venti whined out. "That's not my problem, come on Y/n." Kazuha said and motioned for you to come to him. You slowly got up and walked to him and Venti whined.

"I knew you'd come to me." Kazuha said as he smiled. He grabbed your hand and walked to the kitchen. "Do you want some food?" He asked. You are hungry... You nodded and he smiled and let go of your hand. He walked further in the kitchen and told you to sit on the couch. As Kazuha was cooking you heard Xiao talking to Venti. You heard Venti squeal in joy and saw him walk out of the room you guys were in. Xiao followed him and they both sat next to you. Venti hugged you and made you sit in his lap and he put his head on your shoulder.

"I don't know why Xiao is so shy, he:s the one who kidnapped you!~" Venti giggled as he spoke. "Venti you little-" Xiao said but got cut off by Venti tutting. "Don't curse in front of our darling!"

5 months later

It's been so long since you last were outside.. You wanted to leave so badly, and now you had a chance! You've been behaving well so they would trust you, and finally they all are out of the house, while you aren't chained up! You walked to the door and unlocked it, then you opened it and walked outside. You closed the door and walked towards the gate. It would be hard to climb but you had to do it quickly you don't know when they'll be back..

Once you got on the other side you jumped off and sat on the ground for a moment. You then got up and looked around, the house was surrounded by a forest. You didn't know where to go so you just, started walking.

Time skip cus I'm lazy 🤗

You've been running for a while, everything looks so similar... You were so tired, so you sat down next to a tree to catch your breath. You panted you're probably far from the house by now. It started raining aswell.. They probably know you're gone by now, you need to keep going until you find people.. but youre so tired. You tiredly stood up and started walking, but you slipped on mud  and fell on your face. "Oww.." You mumbled and sat up.

You heard rustling in a bush, it scared you, what if it was one of them? You quickly stood up and ran you looked behind you and saw a bunny pop up from the bush. You sighed and looked forward again, you tripped and stumbled on a rock you fell on your face again. You were pretty annoyed at that point but then you heard creaking. You were confused you looked up and saw a tree starting to fall. You tried to crawl away but it fell too soon and the tree falls on your foot. You scream in pain and tears start to form in your eyes. You were in so much pain and yet that wasn't even your biggest problem. You were stuck. Your foot is stuck underneath and you were tired. One little nap wouldn't hurt, right?

"Get up." You heard someone say. You groaned and shook your head. "I said get up." They said in a ruder way. You whined and looked up. You saw Scaramouche. "Fucking finally." He said as he leaned down and cupped your face. "And I found you first at that." He chuckled angrily. He let go of your face and used his vision to get the tree off of your foot. You quickly pulled your foot back and he let the tree back down. Scaramouche picked you up and slung you over his shoulder. "We're going back home then, I'll sort out your punishment." He said and you whimpered..

Another time skip sorry

"Y/n!!" Venti exclamed as he hugged you. "Why did you ever think that it was okay to leave us? Hmm my dove?" You didn't respond. "He asked a question." Scaramouche said. "I don't know.." You said as you fidget with your hands. "That's okay, you'll just have to learn to not I suppose." Venti said as he smiled. Venti picks you up bridal style he giggled and brought you to the basement. The others follow. He sets you a familiar bed. "Whats her punishment Scara, you found her." Venti asked. "Don't call me that. And I can think of one, breaking their legs so definitely can't leave again." Scaramouche said. "W-wait I'm sorry please don't!" You said. "You shouldn't have escaped then." Scaramouche said.

Idk how to write that, so after he broke your legs 😚

You were crying on your bed as Venti rubbed your back. "Hey, it's okay." He said. "It's not okay, nothing is okay about this!" You yelled. Venti grabbed your ankle roughly and you yelped in pain. "What's so wrong about it?" He asked in a dark tone. "Y-You kidnapped me, hurt me a-and say 'oh but I love you!' what did you think I was gonna think about this?" You responded and Venti sighed. "My dove, we're doing it for you, it's a dangerous world out there. You had a tree fall on your foot, of course I'm gonna want to keep you safe.." He said and smiled softly but he still held your hurt ankle.

You sniffled and laid back down knowing nothing you say will get through to him.