#and aether immediately rushes over to him and puts his arm around him

[ghoul-slime]

Mushy May Day 3 & 4 - Massage & Wound Tending/First Aid (Aether/Dew)

Ended up combining days 3 and 4 into one fic. Based loosely on that time Dew (presumably) injured his arm during the Prequelle era. As always, thank you @forlorn-crows for organizing this and to @ghuleh-recs for the dividers!

Day 3 & 4 - Massage & Wound Tending/First Aid (Aether/Dew), cw for Dew's shoulder injury. Hurt/comfort, fluff, 1518 words

Aether notices it right away. The way Dew seems to be favoring one arm. The way he furrows his brow and rolls his shoulder seemingly every five minutes. How he makes soft little grunts and sighs of discontent at night when he’s trying to settle into his bunk above Aether’s on the bus. 

When he broaches the subject, Dew denies anything is wrong. His shoulder is just a little sore is all. Maybe he slept funny, he says, brushing off Aether’s concerns.

But Aether knows the truth, and is pretty sure the whole pack knows what’s up actually. It’s Dew’s new guitar. The Fantomen. For as beautiful as it looks and as powerful as it sounds, the son of a bitch is heavy. Even for Aether it can be unwieldy at times.

Of course Dew hasn’t let it affect his playing. He never would. He’s far too proud, and rightfully so. Dew’s the best player Aether has ever seen anywhere in his life. And his playing continues to be immaculate, so Aether doesn’t want to push. Instead he watches Dew power through their set each night for weeks.

Until Dew’s shoulder gives out completely in the middle of a ritual.

A missed note, glaringly obvious. Rare to be due to Dew’s mistake and not because of some equipment malfunction (or Aether’s own mistake throwing Dew off, something he can admit has happened more than once). Aether whips his head towards the fire ghoul, knowing immediately that something is seriously wrong. Copia and the other ghouls are watching him now too.

Dew curls in on himself for just a split second before catching himself and resuming his perfect playing. But Aether knows the damage has been done when Dew purposefully ignores the rest of his stage cues and instead shuffles unsteadily towards the back of the stage as he finishes out the song.

Thank Satan they’re at an intermission. Time for Copia to change out of his white suit and into the red cassock. Instead of taking his usual water break, Aether books it towards Dew, who he finds leaning against the wall just past the curtain.

Aether knows it's bad because Dew has his mask off. His face is pale and he’s sweating bullets, cradling his arm against his body as he struggles to even out his breathing. But before he can do anything there’s chaos. Copia and the crew are scrambling to do what they can to keep the show going. Aether is being ushered back to stage before he can get a word in. 

In the end Dew insists he can finish out the show from backstage, perched on a stool where he can rest the weight of the Fantomen on his lap. He even comes back onstage for final bows, cradling his bad arm gingerly, and Aether finds himself trailing behind him protectively instead of his usual routine of throwing out guitar picks and interacting with the audience. 

Finally, the curtain goes down and they’re free to go. Thankfully it’s a hotel night and then they’re off for two days before they travel to the next city. A small victory.

As soon as they’re in the room, Aether is looking Dew over while Copia watches on worriedly. Dew keeps grumbling that ghouls heal fast, so he’ll be fine, but Aether can see otherwise. The shoulder is swollen, angry red and inflamed. Dew’s definitely pulled something, maybe even a tear, and then he continued to irritate it night after night until it gave out. Aether feels guilty that he didn’t notice it was this bad before, that he wasn’t more insistent. He could have used some of his quintessence to keep it from going this far… He shakes the thought away for the time being.

“Alright,” Aether sighs and turns to Copia. “The bad news is, as of right now his shoulder’s fucked,” he says point blank. No point in sugar-coating any of this now. Copia pales and he hears Dew swallow nervously and shift from where he’s sitting on the bed behind him. 

“Good news is, I can fix him up in the next two days.” He turns to Dew to see a wave of relief wash across his otherwise stoic face. “But he’s gonna have to take it easy for a while after that. And that much healing takes a lot of quintessence, a ton of energy. If we push it any farther than that, you’re gonna end up out two guitarists.”

Copia agrees and they make arrangements for Aether and Dew to stay in his suite while Copia takes one of the regular rooms. The cardinal bids them goodnight and lets them know he’ll get them anything they need to be comfortable for the next few days while Aether works on Dew’s arm.

As soon as he leaves, Aether turns to Dew. He wants more than anything to scoop the little ghoul up in his arms and shower him in kisses, but he knows better than to jostle his bad arm. At any rate, Dew hates to be fussed over.

“How do you feel?” Aether chances, popping the cap of his water bottle and handing it to Dew along with a couple painkillers. 

Dew snorts, avoiding Aether’s eyes. “Like absolute dogshit,” he answers, blunt as always, before swallowing the pills and chugging half of Aether’s water.

“Alright then,” he motions to the compression shirt Dew still has on. “Let’s get this thing off of you so I can work on getting some of the swelling down.”

It isn’t easy, but they work together to hold Dew’s tender shoulder steady while Aether slowly peels the fabric from Dew’s body. Dew winces as he finally pulls his arm out of the sleeve, and Aether presses an apologetic little kiss to Dew’s temple.

The kiss seems to break some of the tension, and Dew’s body sags. He looks up at Aether with a sad little frown on his face. He looks guilty. “Sorry, Aeth…” he starts. “I know I should have said something before it got this bad…” he trails off.”

Aether shakes his head, tells Dew not to worry, that he’ll have him fixed up in no time. Jokes that thanks to his bum shoulder, they get to lounge around in Copia’s suite for two days in a king sized bed and in the jacuzzi tub. Says that if they play their cards right, Copia will probably even let them call for room service to their hearts’ content. The mention of room service seems to lighten Dew’s mood even further.

Meanwhile, Aether works Dew’s shoulder, pressing feather light touches to sensitive flesh while he focuses his energy on delivering enough quintessence to calm the inflammation. Once he’s satisfied with their progress, Aether pulls away to go draw a hot bath. Before he can go Dew reaches out, grabs his hand and pulls Aether back to him.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” Dew says softly, looking up at Aether. He holds Dew’s gaze, contemplating, before leaning in and kissing him on the lips, carding his fingers through Dew’s hair until they’re both humming contentedly against each other. 

Later, Aether sits beside the tub while Dew soaks, periodically working another round of quintessence into Dew’s shoulder as the little ghoul dozes off, finally beginning to relax as the pain goes down thanks to Aether’s ministrations.

Aether helps Dew out of the tub and wraps him in a fluffy bathrobe from the closet. Between the quintessence, the painkillers, and the hot bath, Dew is ready to crash. Aether guides him on wobbly legs to the bed, helping him lay face down into the pillows. From his prone position, Dew wriggles his shoulder.

“Feels better now,” Dew slurs, eyelids fluttering closed. “Can move it now n’everything.” He moves his shoulder in another little circle to demonstrate.

Aether chuckles. He loves to see Dew like this, blissed out and sleepy, he just wishes it were under different circumstances. Aether feels exhaustion pulling on him as well, between the crash of adrenaline after Dew’s injury and the copious amounts of quintessence he pumped into the little fire ghoul, his body is feeling beat. He’ll need rest soon, too.

But first, he climbs onto the bed and straddles Dew’s hips, careful not to press down too hard or to knock into his arm.

“Backrub?” Dew asks, eyes still closed and face pressed into the pillows.

“Backrub,” Aether confirms, leaning in to run his palms up Dew’s back, letting another dose of quintessence bleed from his fingertips into the fire ghoul’s soft skin, paying special attention to his injured shoulder. He massages Dew’s back until the little ghoul is half asleep and purring into the sheets.

Two days later, and they’re back on the road, en route to the next venue, Dew feeling better and set to shred once again, under the caveat that he doesn’t overdo it just yet. Aether has appointed himself Dew’s own personal masseuse. Now, after every ritual, Dew gets a nice, long, quintessence-infused shoulder rub.

Dew is happy to let Aether fuss over him, just this once.

[fictoculus]

౨ৎ genshin men; love languages...

send a request!┊masterlist┊taglist applications

FEAT... aether, albedo, alhaitham, ayato, childe, diluc, gorou, heizou, itto, kaeya, kaveh, kazuha, neuvillette, scara, thoma, tighnari, wriothesley, venti, xiao, xingqiu, zhongli

A/N... ohemgee kaede is back ?!! i'm sorry it's been so longggg i've really missed writing, i think i js kinda lost my spark for a bit but i should be back to posting nowww hooray !! even if i don't come backkk (since i'm not fully certain) i hope you can still enjoy these hc drabble thingies nd also my previous works, thank you ♡

✧ quality time.

he wants nothing more than to spend time with you, to smell the sweet fragrance of your perfume as it dances in the gentle breeze. he wants to watch as your hair flows gently, each strand delicately swaying back and forth, as if to mimic the way he swings his arms when his hand is holding yours. just being around you gets him all excited, though you'll never catch him actually admitting it. he has countless photos of the two of you together, each one connected with a memory that will stay with him forever. he often finds himself looking over them late at night when he's missing you, wishing you were there to hold him, or tell him about your interests, even sitting in silence would suffice. he just wants to be with you, whether that be studying, sleeping, reading, shopping, eating - he doesn't care, he'll do anything as long as it's with you..

xiao, alhaitham, aether, heizou, wriothesley + your favs

✧ gift giving.

it's almost like routine. at least once a fortnight, he comes knocking on your door with some sort of gift, stops you in the corridor with a bag full of goodies, or has a huge bouquet of your favourite flowers delivered straight to your front door when he's unable to come see you. he goes through a lot of trouble behind the scenes to get these things together for you, but it's all worth it when he sees that pretty smile light up your face, eyes glistening with pure excitement as you see whatever he's prepared for you. his eyes, on the other hand, are full of love as he sees the outcome of his hard work; your happiness is of utmost importance to him. the gifts he gives come in all different shapes and sizes, anything from a snack you'd said you'd been craving to a ridiculously expensive piece of jewellery, but you know that no matter what it is, he put so much thought and care into picking it out for you; that's what mattered to you most. even if he didn't shower you in his love this way, you wouldn't love him any less - of course you wouldn't. you care about him, not the things he gives you (though you really do appreciate them). he loves you more than words can say, and this is his way of showing it.

zhongli, ayato, albedo, neuvillette + your favs

✧ physical touch.

he's all over you. from the second you wake up to the moment you drift off to sleep. 24/7. he just can't get enough. he's practically addicted to your warmth, the softness of your skin, scars and all. it no longer comes as a surprise when you feel his arms snake around your waist from behind, or even when he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, his hair tickling your cheek as he moulds around your figure. he can't seem to stay away from you. the second he hears your voice, or the mention of your name, even your footsteps (yes, he knows), he comes rushing over, immediately insisting on intertwining his fingers with yours. your contact is replenishing to him. no matter how tired he is or how many hardships he had to face that day, feeling you run your hands up and down his back or cup his cheeks, his mood is immediately uplifted.

itto, childe, diluc, tighnari, kaeya, kaveh + your favs

✧ words of affirmation.

"i love you" "i love you" "i love you" it's constant, over and over and over. he repeats it a thousand times, as if it's an ancient incantation, but he still doesn't think it's enough. he just wants you to know how perfect you are, how beautiful you are, how easy to love you are; he wants you to see yourself the way he sees you. he's desperate to talk about you, to tell someone how much he loves you, and who else would he tell than the person he trusts most? and so, when the two of you are finally snuggled up close, he'll whisper in your ear the most poetic words you've ever heard, trying his best to capture your essence, though to him, it always feels just out of reach. he knows he'll never be able to truly explain how he feels about you, because there are no words for that feeling he gets in his heart when he hears your voice, or lays his eyes on you, let alone thinks about you. he recites your own stories and little habits back to you as if you're a complete stranger to yourself, and honestly, you can't help but find it endearing. he loves you so much, and he always knows the perfect things to say to see that smile he treasures deep in his heart.

kazuha, xingqiu, zhongli, venti, neuvillette + your favs

✧ acts of service.

sure, he may not be so good with words, but not to worry, he makes up for it one way or another. it's the little things for him. every morning without fail, he'll pack your lunch and leave it on the kitchen counter for you, a little memo hidden inside signed off with his initials and a small doodle, as always. he'll iron your clothes and hang them in your wardrobe, all neat and tidy for when you get dressed the next day. he'll get up 15 minutes earlier than when you usually arise, cooking breakfast for you and letting the scent of crisp bacon waft into the bedroom and wake you from your slumber. he'll do anything for you, big or small; he just wants to make sure you know how much he loves you.

scara, thoma, alhaitham, diluc + your favs

thanks for reading ♡ want to read more? my requests are OPEN, so please feel free to let me know what you’d like me to write next!

TAGLIST…@maopll . @nyxmainex . @avensuersa . @moondrop-gummies. @lacunaanonymoused apply here

© FICTOCULUS 2024; please do not steal, translate, or repost my works as your own

[riconas]

aeon request, for your consideration: aeon tries to be a bratty sub, so dew takes it upon himself to break him down. aeon is so confident and showy on stage immediately, but deep down inside, he really just wants someone to take care of him and show him the care that he never received in the pit.

I got carried away. here is 1.6k of general Dew meanness for your viewing pleasure.

“Aeon,” Dew warns. 

“Aeon,” Aeon mimics. “What?”

“Hands off.”

Very, very slowly, Aeon extends his index finger, touches the tip of it to the tip of Dew’s whammy bar, and presses down. 

The chord wobbles. Dew smacks his hand away. “I said. Hands off.”

Aeon snickers. “Touchy.” 

“Aeon.” 

“What?”

“You’re asking for it.”

Aeon shrugs. Maybe he is asking for it. Would that be such a crime? As if Dew doesn’t go slinking up to Aether all the time, asking for it. Proudly wearing his dick on his sleeve. 

“Satanas, just say you want to be fucked,” Dew mutters under his breath. It isn’t directed at Aeon, and it certainly doesn’t sound like he’s genuinely annoyed, but Aeon’s heart skips a beat. He watches intently as Dew turns the amp off and places his guitar back on its stand. It’s all he can do to not bounce on the spot.

Dew grabs his arm and wordlessly shoves him out of the practice room, heedless of the way Aeon nearly trips over his own tail. He’s silent on the walk back to the ghoul wing, but Aeon senses the mild annoyance radiating off him, tinged with exasperation. He probes carefully into Dew’s mind, and there it is, just as he expected.

Arousal. 

“On your knees,” Dew orders, the second his bedroom door is locked behind them. 

Now that’s something Aeon can do. He drops to the ground, hands on Dew’s belt, purring as Dew cards tough fingers through his hair. There’s no hurry, but he rushes to undo the buckle and pull Dew’s pants down, as a sort-of apology for interrupting his practice session. 

Dew’s hard, unsurprisingly. Aeon gives him a quick lick from base to tip, swirling his tongue around the head, and earns a soft groan for his trouble. Inspired, he does it a few more times, gazing up at Dew through his lashes. 

“Don’t tease,” Dew says, dangerously quiet. “Open your mouth. Suck on it.” 

Aeon cocks his head. “Make me.” 

Rookie mistake. Next thing he knows, Dew’s got a hold on the back of his head, and he’s gagging as Dew’s cock hits the back of his throat. Sometimes—and this is becoming very apparent now—Aeon does stupid things. He pushes at Dew’s thighs by pure instinct, and when Dew doesn’t budge, he tries frantically tapping instead. 

Dew, mercifully, lets him up, but not without yanking his head back and spitting in his mouth. Some of it hits his cheek, and Aeon wrinkles his nose.

“You wanna try that again?” 

Aeon does not, in fact, want to try that again. Obediently, he closes his lips around Dew’s cock and sinks down to the base, giving him one good, strong swallow before he starts bobbing his head. All the better for Dew to not see his teary eyes. 

“No,” Dew says suddenly, pulling him off without warning. “You don’t deserve to suck me off. Not with that attitude.” He yanks Aeon to his feet and all but throws him onto the bed. “Strip.” 

Easy. Aeon can do that. He’s good at following orders when he wants to (and even better at disobeying them, as Aether once told him) but Dew doesn’t seem the slightest bit interested in the strip show he’s putting on, so he shucks his clothes as quickly as he can and crawls back against the headboard, an open invitation to be cornered. 

“Such a slut,” Dew says, devastatingly casual. “Look at you. Spreading your legs like a whore.”

Aeon doesn’t respond. It stings, kind of, but it’s hot. He spreads his legs wider, just to prove a point, and tries to gauge how pissed Dew really is as he stalks towards him. He feels like prey, counting down the seconds before he’s eaten alive. Wouldn’t be a bad way to go. 

Dew licks his fingers and jacks himself a couple of times, gathering spit and pre before smearing them over Aeon’s hole. That’s it. That’s all the prep he gets. Aeon feels dizzy, out of his mind as Dew lines himself up and starts to press in. 

Thank Satan Dew isn’t Mountain. Thank Satan Dew isn’t hung like a horse, because between the stretch and the friction, Aeon has enough evidence to decide he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Dew doesn’t even stop to let him adjust, just works himself in with tiny thrusts that go further each time, until their bodies are pressed so close Aeon starts to sweat with the heat radiating off Dew’s skin. 

Then Dew gets a very eager hand on Aeon’s very eager dick, and Aeon thinks he might actually die. 

“Oh, fuck,” Aeon cries, hating the way he's so sensitive to the slightest touch, though he could be excused for how Dew's kneading his dick like a cat. “Dew, Dew, oh—”

“Shh,” Dew interrupts. “Not a word.” 

Aeon screws his eyes shut. Between Dew's cock stuffed inside him and Dew’s clever fingers working him with brutal, efficient strokes, he doesn't know where his attention is supposed to go. That and the mounting pressure in his gut have him overwhelmed in a matter of seconds, overriding all five of his senses, filling him up to the brim.

“Hey,” Dew says sharply. “Focus.” He slaps Aeon’s cheek, hard enough to sting, and Aeon can’t stop the whimper he lets out in response. Tragic, honestly. Pathetic sort of demon he is, whining over a little slap. He's never been a huge fan of rough treatment, never really sought it out on purpose, but it’s Dew. 

Aeon would do anything for Dew. 

He pushes Dew’s hand away, grabs Dew’s hips to try and slow down the brutal pace he’s setting. Focus, he tells himself, focus, Aeon, which doesn’t help in the slightest. He knew what he was getting himself into—to an extent—yet nothing's really prepared him for how harshly Dew's ramming his cock in.

“Dew,” Aeon tries to say, and immediately regrets opening his mouth when it comes out pitifully shaky. “Dew, I can’t—please. Please.”

Dew smiles, and Aeon’s heart sinks. “What?” 

Aeon shakes his head. He can’t say it now. Not with Dew staring at him like that. 

“Use your words,” Dew says, a little mean, a little playful. “I’m not Aether. I can’t read your mind.”

“I—” Aeon starts, and immediately forgets what he was about to say. “Can you—oh, slower, slower, please—”

Dew scoffs. “Slower? Someone wants to be treated nicely?” His voice drips with sarcasm, saccharine. Like it’s a laughable prospect, a ridiculous idea. “Someone wants to be treated like a princess? Wants to make love?” He splays his fingers across Aeon’s cheek, pushing his face aside and into the mattress. The motion is so careless, so thoughtless. Aeon’s chest gives a sad little twist. 

“Please don’t mock me,” Aeon begs. “Please. Please don’t.”

“I’ll treat you nicely,” Dew says, sounding decidedly not very nice at all. “You want that? The brat wants to be treated nicely?” 

Aeon’s expression turns pained. “Dew, please.” 

Something shifts. Dew’s rhythm falters. “Please what?” he snaps, but the malice is gone, and it comes out almost helpless, half-hearted. 

Please what? Aeon doesn’t actually know. Does he want Dew to treat him nicely? He can’t say that out loud; Dew would tease him for weeks. The whole pack would tease him, he knows it—he isn’t as tough as they are, can’t handle what they can. What a shame that he wants to be treated gently, wants to be cared for. 

Wants to be loved. 

“Please,” he says again, hoping and hoping that Dew understands. 

“You want that?” Dew asks, sounding awfully fond. 

Aeon gropes for Dew’s hand, desperate for something to hold. He swears he’s floating away, his brain thoroughly mushed, his nerve endings thoroughly fried. Dew pins his wrist to the mattress, but laces their fingers together anyway, kind enough to indulge him. 

“You’re hopeless,” Dew says affectionately. “Just wanted my attention, didn’t you? Acting like a brat to get me all riled up?”

Yeah, Aeon almost replies, but before he can react, Dew’s pulling out and flipping him over unceremoniously, giving his ass a slap as he manhandles him onto his hands and knees. His elbows wobble, weak as a newborn calf. He’s almost thankful when Dew presses between his shoulder blades until he collapses to his chest. It punches a grunt out of him, and he’s embarrassed until Dew folds an arm around his waist, the other across his shoulders. 

“It’s alright,” Dew tells him, breath hot in his ear. “I’ll be nice to you. Just take it.”

And take it, Aeon does. Not that he has a choice, but it feels better thinking he does, especially when Dew slides into him with no effort and hoists him up, stronger than he looks, until his sweaty back is pressed to Dew’s scorching chest. 

Aeon hopes it burns him. Aeon hopes Dew brands him like this, leaves his mark forever.

He truly has gone insane. 

Then Dew’s spindly fingers close around his throat, and Aeon wonders he may have gone about this the wrong way. 

“No,” Aeon gasps. “Don’t choke me. Please. Just—hold, like this—” He puts his hand over Dew’s and slots his fingers in the spaces between. The pressure eases. “Yeah. M’sorry I—don’t want it like that, sorry—”

“It’s okay,” Dew murmurs.

“I just—”

“I know.” Dew presses his index finger over Aeon’s lips, shutting him up. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”

Aeon nods deliriously, and lets his head fall back against Dew’s shoulder. It feels like lying on a table leg, and isn’t comfortable in the slightest, but Aeon’s too out of it to care. He likes this version of Dewdrop, he decides. Prefers it to the default setting. 

Perhaps Dew was right. It would have been easier to ask. 

“You wanna cum like this?” Dew asks, disastrously sweet. 

Fuck he does. He’ll die if he doesn’t, he swears—

“Please,” Aeon gasps for the millionth time. “Please let me.” 

Dew kisses his neck, his jaw, the shell of his ear. So gentle. So hot, like dragging burning coals across his skin, and Aeon knows for sure, right then and there, that he would set himself on fire to keep Dew warm. 

“Will you let me?” he slurs. “Please?”

Dew laughs, a quiet huff of a thing. “Alright.” 

[klufu]

put your head on my shoulder. ✧

description - falling asleep on their shoulders (scaramouche, albedo, tighnari, cyno, aether) modern au!

trying out a new layout... anyways i hope you like these headcanons

mentions - pure fluff, albedo wears glasses, tighnari acting cocky, small snippet of lumine in aether’s part, and highschool au

(this took a while because i was busy, sorry if its rushed)

scaramouche

scaramouche was extremely stubborn when it came to telling him what to do. he would either scoff and complain to himself before complying, or he would glare at you and act like he never heard you.

"come on scaramouche! we're gonna be late for work, the boss is going to lecture us again because of you!" you tried dragging him out of bed by his wrist, but he wouldn't budge. instead, he grumbled and swiped his arm away before going back to sleep.

you sighed, wondering how the hell you're supposed to get him out now. you looked at him and his annoyed impression, before heading to the kitchen to leave him alone for now.

scaramouche smiled to himself, thinking that he could finally get some shut eye without being bothered for once. he started getting comfortable until he heard your footsteps approaching.

he pretended to be asleep, that was until he felt a stinging, cold feeling pouring onto his face. he got up almost immediately from where he was resting, looking at you holding a glass of ice water with a smirk.

he scowled and looked at you with a pissed expression, and your eyes widened, knowing you were done for. he tackled you onto the floor and pinned your wrists, making you yelp. freezing waterdrops dripped from his soaked clothes and hair, and you squealed trying to push him off but to no avail.

"w-wait! you can kill me all you want when we get back from work, but we really should be going now!" you said in a tremulous voice. he gave you the death stare for a couple of seconds before finally releasing you.

he got up and locked himself in the restroom, probably to take a shower and dry himself off from what stunt you just pulled. you sighed out of relief, and hurried out the door to wait for him instead of receiving more dirty looks.

...

both of you got into the subway and looked around for an vacant place to sit. in the corner were two seats that looked open, so you grabbed scaramouche's hand and pushed through the crowd.

just as you were about to sit, scaramouche sat in the middle of both seats and gave you a sly smile. he was still heated, so he wanted to get back at you for that. you put your hand on your forehead and shook your head, groaning at how childish he could be. you held onto a pole instead.

as the subway started to deport, scaramouche noticed how you weren't holding onto the pole properly. one push and you could fall over completely. he opened his mouth to tease you, but he noticed that you were closing your eyes.

he crossed his arms and mumbled to himself before pulling you onto him. he sat you in the seat beside him, wrapping an arm around your waist so you wouldn't fall in the opposite direction. your head flopped over onto his shoulder unconsciously, catching him off guard.

he carefully looked over at your peaceful resting face, admiring how beautiful your aspects were. he looked away and started to drift to sleep as well. you wrapped your arms around his while you were asleep, unbeknownst to you.

little did both of you know that you weren't making it on time to work after all.

albedo

albedo holds the end of the pen against his lips, carefully deciding how he’s going to write out the solution to the equation that sits in bold letters on top of the paper in front of him.

he taps the pen against the table impatiently, too engrossed in the subject to realize that you were standing behind him.

“what are you doing here, albedo?”

he nearly flinches when you leaned down to whisper in his ear. his body relaxed, knowing that it was only you. “i am studying for the upcoming exam, (name.) do you require anything from me?”

you give him a shrug before grabbing the seat next to him and pulling it closer to where he is. you sit and closely watch his movements.

albedo doesn’t falter at this. after all, he’s never been bothered whenever you observe him. his lips curve to form a small smile, but he focuses on his work so you wouldn’t see it.

you drag the chair you were sitting in closer to him which made a loud squeaking noise. he quickly puts his hand on your arm to tell you to be quiet, with his finger on his lips. “don’t make so much noise. they’ll kick us out of the library again,” he chuckled.

“ah, sorry sorry. i just wanted to get closer. seriously, they really have to get better chairs next time,” you joked. albedo simply nodded and proceeded to write something on a notebook to which you payed no mind to. you sighed, sitting in silence with him for what seemed like minutes.

“hey.. albedo. you’ll be here for awhile, won’t you?” albedo nodded his head and looked at you as you started to shift in your seat. “are you leaving? it is a bit late, actually. here, i’ll drive you hom-“ he gets interrupted when you lean your head on his shoulder.

“there’s no need. i’ll keep you company here so you won’t feel bored while studying. besides, i missed you,” you mumble, leaning in more while wrapping your arms around his torso. he gulps, a sudden warmth rushing to his cheeks he was all too familiar with.

he continues to do his work for a few minutes before your eyes start to feel heavy. the smell of vanilla coming from albedo’s cardigan and the gentle scribbles of a pen make you fall asleep, shifting your weight onto the man beside you.

he adjusts his glasses to find you dreaming contently on his shoulder. he smiles, running a hand through your hair that further soothes you. he presses a kiss to your cheek, looking at you again before returning to the paper in front of him with you in his mind.

tighnari

the sound of wind brushes past your ears and the sweet aroma of flowers makes you certain that you would find tighnari in a place like this. he has a sense of belonging around wildlife, always taking in the beauty of what life has given him.

you hear rustling in a tree above you, peering up to be met with an apple falling onto your head. you curse to yourself, rubbing the spot that you’ve been hit. you look up again to see tighnari looking back at you, lounged comfortably on a tree branch eating a fruit. he simply sneers while you frown at him.

“did i hit you just now? well, it’s only natural. i thought a bear was approaching to come and eat me,” he said sarcastically, feigning innocence. you grit your teeth, and it seems to make him more amused.

“you-! you little brat, that hurt! come down right now so i can kick your ass!” you yell. silence passes before he bursts out laughing and you stare at him looking stunned. “y-you’re going to kick my ass, is that what you said? how interesting,” he giggles to himself before jumping off the branch and onto the grass.

the air felt tense around you as he stared at you like a predator circling its prey. you gulped down your nervousness, gradually taking a step back every time he stepped towards you. he smirked before quickly making his move.

the second he jumped at you, you stepped to the side and ran away. he smiled playfully, feeling more excited than before. “shit! don’t come near me, tighnari!” you yelled nervously, not wanting to turn back as he was already chasing you.

whenever tighnari felt to be in an extremely playful mood, there was no stopping what he would do. he wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted. perhaps it was his animalistic tendencies, or maybe it was just the thrill of getting what he desired. you tried to outrun him, but he ended up catching up to you anyway.

“caught you, (name).”

you shrieked when he suddenly pulled you by your arms closer to him. his grin was unnerving, not knowing what he was about to do next.

all of your worries are washed away when a chaste kiss is pressed to your forehead. you’re even more confused now, wondering why he chased you down only to do such an innocent action which was totally unexpected.

furthermore, you were also confused about the strange feeling in your heart that ached when he pulled away.

"what.. did you just do to me?" you gulped, looking up at tighnari with a flushed expression. he only gave a cheeky smile, the one you hated but loved about him the most.

he offered your hand to you, and you hesitantly took it. you were curious about what he was going to do next, but you didn't let your guard down at all.

he led you to a beautiful tree, scarlet leaves falling with an overall breath-taking sight. you looked at it with admiration, while tighnari looked at you in the same way. he found it adorable, but his pride would never let him admit that.

you snapped out of your dazed state when you felt a tug at your hand. tighnari sat against the bark of the tree, patting the ground next to him to signal for you to take a seat. you complied, and he brought you closer.

for a moment, you relaxed in his arms, until you remembered that you weren't supposed to give in. you were about to stand up until he gently pressed your head against his neck. he hushed and reassured you, and just like that all your worries were washed away.

you sighed contently, closing your eyes while holding onto the boy beside you. he hummed a slow tune, enough to lull you to sleep just by his voice. he chuckled to himself before pressing another kiss to your forehead, watching you with a loving expression on his face before you fall asleep completely.

cyno

the silver haired boy sat in silence as he stared at his reflection in the glass. despite his intimidating appearance, he puts effort into being friendly by telling lame jokes. but that only seems to irk them more and drive them away.

he frowned, looking at his appearance once more. was it his eyes? he doesn’t intend to be feared over on purpose, but knowing him he could send a chill running down your spine in a mere matter of seconds with one blink of an eye if he dared to do so.

he stood up in his seat by a call of his name. he turned his head around to be met with a smile on your face.

he had to admit, he had a small crush on you. you weren’t afraid of him at all, dismissing all of the comments that would be told when people saw you two walking together in the hallway. he admired your boldness, especially your friendly personality.

he snapped back to reality when you put your hand on his desk, trying to get his attention. “my apologies, (name). what seems to be the matter?”

“i totally flunked my biology test today!” you groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. “i didn’t know it’d be that hard, i even studied all night,” you said, handing him the paper with your test score.

cyno picked up the paper and examined it, humming before placing it down on his desk. “i can identify some minor errors that led to these answers. if you’d like, i could hel-“

“that’s great!” you blurted out, immediately grabbing a chair next to you while dragging it towards the desk that cyno was seated at. he looked at you with his mouth agape, quickly ignoring the fast beating of his chest to face you with a calm expression.

he helped you through the test as time passed by without both of you noticing. occasionally, he threw in a few humorous remarks to make it more entertaining, even though he knew he would only get a disappointed sigh in return.

to his surprise, you actually beamed with laughter. he didn’t know how he did it, but something about the way you looked so joyous made something inside him stir. his cheeks bloomed into a red shade, which he covered up by pressing his sleeves against his face.

after you stopped laughing, a giddy smile worked its way onto your face, showing cyno how unbelievably funny his joke was. he was swoon right then and there, moving onto a different topic before his heart decided to burst.

he hadn’t realized how the distance between both of you started to close in, was it always this close? your chair was practically right next to his, and your shoulders were already touching each other. he swallowed, dismissing the thought.

he felt an extra weight being pressed against his shoulder. he turned his head to see what it was, and he almost died on the spot.

there you were, sleeping soundly on his shoulder like a cliché scene straight out of a romance movie. his heart started to beat out of his chest, not knowing what to do.

he was thankful that you came to him afterschool, otherwise anybody seeing both of you right now would spread the sight like wildfire. he remained his composure, gently shaking your body to wake you.

you responded with an annoyed grumble, scooting closer to cyno for more warmth. he was out of ideas on what to do so he laid there with you wrapped around his arm. his stomach was practically swarming with butterflies, he wouldn’t deny that he’s never yearned for a moment like this, cliché or not.

he breathed out and continued to finish the work for you. he would probably just wake you up later once more so you can get a proper nap, but for now he wanted to embrace this.

he smiled, writing as his eyes stayed focused on the paper with his mind full of you.

aether

ink dragged across the paper to reveal your handwriting. you blocked out the chatters happening in the room to focus solely on the assignment in front of you. you had to get it done fast, otherwise you'd have to come in early in the morning next week to finish it.

the bell rang and the students around you quickly grabbed their bags and left, excited for the weekend plans they were having. you on the other hand, were stressed about turning this in on time. you decided you were going to sleep in the whole weekend, feeling spent while writing faster.

when you finished up the last paragraph, you sighed at last. you could finally rest easy without anything having to bother you until the next week.

as soon as you were about to pack your stuff up to head home for the day, aether barged into the empty classroom with an exhausted expression. you almost fell over when he came running towards you.

"(name)!! there you are! i was looking for you to ask if you wanted to come over today, or at least walk home together," he said with a cheery expression, despite running across the entire campus just to catch up to you.

you straightened up with your bag in your hands. "i'd be happy to. i didn't have any original plans for today anyway," you chuckle. aether's face lit up as he suddenly took your hand and dashed out of the classroom with a smile on his face.

you held onto him tightly as if you were about to fall if you didn't keep moving. why was he so fast!? sure, he was at the top of all of his classes including sports, but what was he in a rush for?

when both of you reached the gate, aether's name was called out by another teacher. aether groaned to himself, almost so quiet that you wouldn't be able to hear if you weren't so close. aether turned around and gave his signature smile.

"oh, aether! i'm sorry to bother you at this time but could you please help me out with the books at the library? they're quite heavy to carry around, and i'm sure you are capable of this task," she chuckled. aether looked at you and then looked back at the teacher, before sighing.

“of course, just give me a se-“ “actually, he should be heading home now, he’s pretty busy today,” you spoke up, aether looking at you with widened eyes. the teacher looked shocked too, before continuing.

“ah, no worries! it’s the weekend anyway, i don’t want to be taking all of your fun after all,” she smiled. “have a good day, you two!” she said, before heading back into the school.

aether was still frozen in place until you took his hand and started walking in the direction of his house. he was caught by surprise, but nonetheless followed.

“you don’t always have to say yes to everyone y’know. people have their own problems that they can deal with. i know it sucks to be the errand boy of the school,” you frowned. aether looked down, letting your words sink in.

“i know that, but i still feel the need to help people. i’m not being forced obviously, but it feels nice to know that i’m being counted on,” aether’s hand tightened around yours, and you could tell that he felt sad.

minutes of silence passed until both of you reached his doorstep. he was about to put his bag down until you took it for him and headed in. he was confused by this gesture, until you finally uttered words under your breath.

“if everyone’s going to count on you for help, who’s going to help you when you need it?“ you scoffed, turning around so he wouldn’t see your face.

“…if you need anyone to talk to, i’ll be there. i’ll always be there for you.”

although he couldn’t see your face, he could tell that you were being genuine. his lips curved upwards to form a smile, one that showed that he was grateful for you.

you walked upstairs to aether’s room before he could say anything to you. you passed lumine on your way there with a quick “hello,” to which she greeted you back. aether was right behind you until lumine stopped him.

“you didn’t do the laundry today, didn’t you?” she groaned, crossing her arms and blocking aether’s path. he tried moving past, but lumine kept blocking him. he sighed, “i’ll do the laundry later! (name) is over here today, i have to spend time with them as much as i can.”

lumine raised her eyebrow, looking at him with a teasing tone. “you still don’t have a crush on them, do you? come on, don’t tell me you didn’t know everyone knew you were head over heels for (name),”

aether’s cheeks flushed up in embarrassment, shoving lumine out of the way to get to his room and slam the door. “don’t forget about the laundry aetherrrr!!” she shouted out from behind it, which he was pressed up against.

he finally relaxed until he remembered that you were sitting atop his bed, looking up at him with concern. “what was that about?” you asked nervously. he quickly waved his hands around saying it was nothing, sending the thought away.

you took a deep breath and yawned, taking aether’s attention. “are you tired?” he asks, walking up to the bed and sitting down closely to you.

you nod your head, gently leaning closely to him with your head resting on his neck. he smiled, “go ahead and get some rest then. it’s been a long day, i’m sure you’re exhausted,” he states, pulling the blanket over both of you.

he sighs contently, holding you close to him while falling asleep with you.

[sodoshame]

if it isn’t to much/if you want to and or have time could I have some little aether hurt/comfort? If not that’s totally okay!!

Hello anon! I hope this is okay! I used this ask to slip in some Omega and Aether since I love them hehe.

Below the cut: Little!Aether, Caregiver!Mountain, Caregiver!Omega, brief description of blood, Aether calls Omega ‘daddy’ (completely innocent), completely SFW like always!

Aether was always the strong one. He was always the one to care for others; he looked after the other ghouls when they were little. He spends so much time looking after his pack, he doesn’t have time to even think about looking after himself.

The quintessence ghoul never let himself slip; he always had too much to do. The only times that it had happened before, it was involuntary; something forced him down into a dark enough headspace that his brain couldn’t do anything else.

-

Aether had been busy all day; Dew wasn’t feeling well so he’d spent all day fussing over him and now, he’s absolutely exhausted. Once the fire ghoul finally fell asleep, Aether realised he hadn’t seen Mountain since breakfast- this, for some reason, gave him a bad feeling.

The quintessence ghoul rushed down towards the gardens, feeling panic rise in his body. From somewhere off in the distance, he hears screaming. Logically, he knows it’s probably just some of the children in the ministry; but a tiny part of him is yelling that it could be Mountain in danger.

He can feel the panic rising, but at the same time, he can feel his head starting to… cloud over, almost.

Aether quickens his pace, his heartbeat getting faster and faster. He can see the greenhouse in the distance, the lights inside still on. Out of nowhere, his foot catches on something wedged in the grass and it sends him tumbling to the ground. Aether feels his knees make contact with the ground and he tries to put his hands out to protect his face, but he’s too late and his face hits the ground too, and he can hear his nose break.

His mind feels heavy and fuzzy all of a sudden and he can feel himself slipping. Aether tries to fight it, trying his absolute best to stay big; what if Mountain needs him?

He brings his hand to his nose, wincing at the pain. He pulls his hand back and sees blood. For some reason, the sight of his own blood makes a sob rise in his throat. He slowly gets to his feet, letting out a whimper as he feels the tears starting to fall. The quintessence ghoul can’t make sense of his thoughts other than one thing; Mountain.

Aether arrives at the greenhouse, stumbling through the door as he lets out a broken sob.

“M-Mount?” He calls out, the nickname taking a lot more effort to say than it normally does.

The earth ghoul comes rushing around the corner, dirt smeared on his cheek and a concerned look on his face.

“Aeth? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Mountain asked, stepping closer. He sees Aether’s bloody nose and the tears running down his cheeks and immediately pulls him into a hug.

“F-fell.. hurt m-my nose.” Aether stutters, letting out another sob, bringing his arms to wrap around the taller ghouls neck. Mountain immediately catches onto the fact that Aether is regressed; he’d never dealt with him like this before, but he could recognise it from the tone of voice and just Aether’s whole demeanour.

“Oh, honey. Okay, you’re gonna be alright, okay? Let’s.. let’s just get you down to the infirmary, go and see Omega, hm? I’m sure he can fix you right up, sweetheart.” Mountain mumbles, bringing his hands under Aether’s arms and lifting him up with ease. The quintessence ghoul wraps his legs around Mountain’s hips and keeps his arms around his neck.

“G-go see M-mega?” Aether repeats to the best of his ability. He tries to bury his face into the earth ghouls shoulder, but cries out in pain when he feels the pressure against his nose.

“Yes, honeybee. We’re gonna go see Omega. You’re going to be okay, I promise.” Mountain responds, starting off in the direction of the infirmary, keeping Aether rested on his hip, wrapped safely in his arms.

Once the two ghouls walk through the door of the infirmary, Mountain immediately spots Omega and rushes over to him. The older quintessence ghoul looks over, his eyes immediately widening when he sees Aether being carried like that.

“Woah, what happened?” Omega asks, automatically reaching out for Aether.

“I’m not sure, he said he fell. He came stumbling into the greenhouse, sobbing and his nose covered in blood.” Mountain quickly explains, sounding slightly panicked as he hands Aether over to Omega.

“Aether, can you look at me, love?” Omega questions as he takes him from Mountain, sitting him down on one of the beds. As soon as the younger quintessence ghoul looks up, Omega recognised the look in his eyes; he’s seen it before.

“M-m-” Aether stutters, fresh tears rolling down his already tearstained cheeks.

“Shh, my little quint. You’re okay. I’m gonna make you feel all better, okay?” Omega coos, bringing a wash cloth to Aether’s face, gently wiping off the blood from around his nose.

“H-hurts-” Aether whimpers.

“I know, baby. I’m sorry.” Omega whispers as he finishes wiping the blood from the younger quints face. He then hovers his hand over his face and focuses his mind, using his quintessence to dull Aether’s pain.

After a few seconds, Aether visibly relaxes, letting out a relieved sob as reaches out to Omega.

“D-daddy-”

“I’ve got you, baby. You’re okay, I’ve got you.” Omega coos softly as he sits next to Aether on the bed and pulls him into his lap, wrapping his arms firmly around him. The older quintessence ghoul looks over at Mountain who’s still stood there, watching them.

“I’ve got him, Mountain, it’s alright. You can go.” Omega says softly, offering the earth ghoul a reassuring smile.

“Are you sure? I can stay-”

“I’m sure. Go and get some rest, okay?” Omega cuts him off, gesturing for him to leave. Mountain nods and leaves the two quintessence ghouls alone.

Aether’s sobs seemed to have finally died down now that he’s not in pain anymore. He let’s out a little whine and presses himself further into Omega’s embrace.

“You okay? What do you need, baby?” Omega asks, bringing his hand up to stroke through Aether’s hair.

“N-need you.” Mumbles the younger ghoul.

“I’m right here, love. I’ve got you, okay? Everything’s alright, sweetie.” Omega coos, pressing a gentle kiss between Aether’s horns.

“T’ank you, d-daddy.” Aether whispers in response, nuzzling into him.

[moldycantaloupe]

Stars Reassembled, Chp 3

word count; 2.6k

Chp1 | Chp2

CWs; needles and syringes, taking blood, panic attack and what could be interrupted as dissociation.

Read here or on Ao3

They were not feeling okay.

Aether started by trying to get Phantom into clothes, something they were immediately not fond of. The shirt hung off their shoulders that made the fabric feel heavy, but the smell that was practically embedded into the garment offered them comfort; salty and aromatic. The boxers, however, were constricting and nearly too tight on their lithe frame. But with the promise of more of the food later, they let it go with a few short lived growls. 

He patted their back as he led them to the door, and they began to stiffen. They could faintly hear chatter from outside that door now that they were closer, which meant that the pack they’ve yet to meet was out there. Aether looked down at them in sympathy and his hand paused at the doorknob.

“Hey,” they looked up at him with their brows knit in worry, “the pack won’t hurt you, but I understand. I’ll make sure to keep them away from you, okay?”

Phantom took in a deep breath and stared forward with a nod, determination set into their otherwise anxious eyes. “Yes.”

Aether nodded and the chatter grew in volume when he opened the door. He kept a hand on their back the entire walk down the hall, Phantom’s shoulder growing more tense and their ears twitched when they entered the common space, the voices now at full volume. They didn’t dare turn their head but instead moved their eyes to see who was causing the ruckus, and they stopped in their tracks, frozen.

It was like the pack didn’t even hear the two enter; they wouldn’t put it past them, with the loud bickering and laughter. Two of the members were baring their fangs in what was a heated argument, the tallest of the group (and shortest) being the source of the laughter. A few others sat around as the two fought, smiles and eye rolls across the table. They were frozen in their spot, a million thoughts and new emotions running through their new mind and body. They felt their skin heat up and their heart sinking, stomach rolling in a way that made them nearly whine. Their hackles were up and they hid further away from the group and into Aether’s arm.

“Hey!” Aether called, and the group instantly went dead silent. All eyes turned towards the two Quintessential ghouls and Phantom was stuck between baring their teeth or hiding. The eyes of what they figured was the water ghoul, looking at them with such curiosity and a head tilt, made their mind. They hid themselves further into Aether, a low growl muffled into his arm. He rubbed his hand on their back in soothing circles. He turned quickly to whisper something into their hair, something they didn’t hear over their blood rushing through their ears, before directing his attention back to them.

“I’m taking them to the infirmary for a check up,” Aether said quietly, “and I need you guys to be quiet while they adjust. Take any fight outside, got it?” 

There was a murmur of approval and Aether was back to guiding them out of the pack’s den. Phantom dared to look back at the group and when their eyes locked with the water ghoul again, they whipped their head back around with a whimper.

The walk to what Aether called the infirmary was confusing, with too many winding routes and unfamiliar smells and noises. They distracted themselves by catching glimpses of outside the windows, which only overwhelmed them even more. The greenery from their room window expanded out of these, with a variety of structures and bodies changing in each scenario. Aether finally pulled them into another door and they squinted at the bright walls and sterile smell. A wall of beds were lined up behind a desk, none of which was occupied. The woman at the desk, decidedly not a ghoul, briefly glanced at Aether before turning back to what she was focused on. He led them into another room, much smaller than the main one, and smelt more of Aether. They felt their shoulders slump after what felt like forever.

“I’ll try to be quick,” He helped them into the stiff bed and began digging around the desk, “but I need to just make sure the summoning went okay, and nothing is wrong.”

Phantom could call him a liar. Quick turned into long as he poked and prodded at their body, checking anything he deemed “unusual,” strapping actual unusual devices to them, a couple of which mildly hurt them. Everything in their body was screaming at them to run, that all of this was going to attack them, but they couldn’t bring themselves to go about it. Aether was going slow, explained everything that was happening before he did it, and his touch was just… gentle, they think is the word. They had to trust Aether. But the scratchy bed and the cold atmosphere, despite obviously being his space, made it hard.

All that trust nearly shattered when he took in a deep breath, as if to prepare himself, and pulled out a roll of fabric and a couple of daunting tools.

“Okay, Phantom,” he started slowly, “I need to take blood.”

Phantom immediately scattered up into the bed, backed up at the top of it with their eyes wild.

Why do you need my blood?! They bared their fangs.

“Same reasons as the other things.” Aether didn’t move from his spot and kept his eyes gentle. “It won’t hurt, but I need you to do this.”

Their stomach flipped again and they growled, at Aether or their stomach, or maybe both. It took a few minutes of Aether gently guiding them back down to their original spot before he set out to get their blood from them.

They intensely stared at him the entire time, their legs tense as if they were ready to leap off the bed and out of the room. He took out the needle and as promised, the prick was nothing to them. When the blood, their blood, started pouring out into the small vial is when they realized how badly they wanted to run. 

The entire morning was already so much. From the sun, the pack, the winding halls of the building, to the stupid shirt and fucking boxers forced on them, they didn’t think they could handle anything else. They didn’t register their breathing grow rapidly or their claws scratching at their knee until Aether finished what he was doing, setting everything away into separate bins. They hugged their arm close to their chest and took in a shuddering breath, one that made Aether whip his head to them, concern and worry laced into his expressions. 

Take me back. They pleaded, I do not care that I was chosen, I cannot be chosen. Take me back.

Aether sighed heavily but said nothing. He helped them off the bed out of the infirmary. Maybe, they thought, he was listening.

But the idea was quickly shot down once back to the den. They knew the space they were summoned in was not here. They felt their lips quiver as hot tears started falling from their eyes. In a moment of weakness, they struggled their way out of Aether’s grasp and ran down the hall. So many scents permeated the thin corridor, they couldn’t figure what door led to their room. As their panic continued to rise, a need to hide fogging their mind, they clawed at the first door they saw. It wasn’t their own, there were too many things different, but it was similar enough that it had the same bed. They fell into a crawl and wormed their way under the bed, getting as far from any of the openings as they could. They heard someone, most definitely Aether, enter the room right behind them.

“Phantom?” He called out. They growled, loud enough that they knew Aether had to hear, their tail whipping furiously beside them. They heard another door open and snapped their head towards another pair of feet leaving the bathroom. Oh, no. 

“Aether?” The voice, soft, spoke. “What’s happening, honey?”

They heard Aether sigh, “Sorry, Lus, Phantom’s under your bed.”

The voice grew quiet as they chuckled, “Poor thing. What happened?” 

“They’re overwhelmed, assuming they need to hide.”

Phantom growled again as if to prove a point. The voice hummed.

“I don’t mind a feisty quint,” Their voice grew quiet enough to where they could barely hear them, “I’ll stay with them for a bit, okay?”

Aether hesitated, “Are you sure, Lus?” 

“Yes.” They walked towards him as he began to, reluctantly, walk out. “Go be with Dew, or something. Finish paperwork, I don’t know.”

“You’ll call me if you need something?” 

“Yes, yes.” They laughed again, airy and pleasant. They finally spoke in a hushed voice quiet enough where Phantom couldn’t make out and they frowned. Finally, Aether’s feet disappeared and the door shut. They watched intently now, waiting for the ghoul to get closer.

But they didn’t. Instead, they walked back to their bathroom door, farther from the bed, and sat down, legs crossed over. Phantom watched as they pulled out something from behind them and they just… stayed there.

Their insistent growling began to die down as the minutes passed, tail settled into a quiet pat against the floor. Their body didn’t move, the only sign of life being their breathing. They blinked, confused.

The door opened quietly and a quick exchange between Aether and the voice left them growling again. As quick as Aether came in, he left. Just them and the voice again.

“Hey,” they called out. Phantom looked over and nearly gasped at the sight.

The drink from earlier was sitting on the floor in the middle of the two of them.

They only realized now that their body was screaming for the food, practically begging Phantom to snatch it. Surely, they could chance it. Aether trusts the voice, that much is obvious. Could they trust them, too?

Slowly, and what could’ve been forever as they battled with themselves on the subject of trust, they began to crawl closer to the body and drink, eyes never daring to leave the figure. As they began to exit out of their hiding spot, more of the body came into view. White, thick locks of hair that framed their body, hands folded gently against their stomach. When Phantom poked their head out, they felt their heart skip.

A beautiful air ghoulette. Soft features and the warmest smile that practically called out to them. They couldn’t help but stare, all movement ceased as they tried to take in every detail. Her eyes crinkled and she laughed.

“Hello, starshine.” Oh, her voice. How did they not take into account her voice before? It was airy but oozing with sweetness, enveloping them into a heightened sense of security. 

Their tail wagged behind them and they glanced between her and the drink. She laughed again. They want her to keep making that noise.

“It’s all yours.” She unfolded her hands and scooched the drink closer to them. They left their hiding spot in full and snatched the drink. They fumbled with the cap, unable to figure it out and began biting on it in frustration when she laughed again, louder this time. They paused and stared at her, her hand held out towards them.

“Let me open it?” She asked. They begrudgingly handed it over and she quickly snapped the seal and handed it back. They wasted no time in drinking all its contents. 

They licked whatever else was left inside the bottle before tossing it to the side. The ghoulette just smiled at them, wide, and they felt inclined to return it.

“Can I show you something?” She asked quietly. They hesitated before nodding and she extended both arms beside her. “Come here. I don’t bite.”

They couldn’t decide whether or not to believe her. They crawled over towards her and flinched when she moved one of her hands toward them, ready to jump back if needed.

But the need never came. Instead, the hand pet through their own hair in barely there touches. When she noticed they weren’t fighting back, the pressure grew slightly and she scratched her blunt nails along their horns. Their shoulders fell and their head leaned into the touch, a huge sigh pushed out of their lungs. She chuckled, and they crawled closer to her. 

“You’re enjoying yourself?” She asked, a lilt in her tone that they couldn’t quite decipher just yet.

Were they enjoying themselves? Yes. She radiated warmth and security in a world where nothing felt secure, or warm. They nodded and crawled even closer, finding it now difficult to not topple her over.

But she didn’t stop. She brought another hand behind their back and pulled, ending up with a big puddle of nervous ghoul in her lap. They reluctantly moved away from her hand to position themselves in a more comfortable position, limbs packed tightly to fully curl up into her lap and her arm rested against their leg. They rested their chin against her arm and kicked up a loud purr, breathing in the scent of her.

She smelt the same as she looked and felt; it was like her entire aura screamed safe. Maybe it was.

She sank her hand back into their hair and began a purr herself. She leaned down slightly and sniffed at their back, humming in consideration.

“Looks like you got Rain’s shirt.” She mumbled, mostly to herself. They didn’t know what she meant.

They stayed like that until their eyes grew heavy and time began to warp. This was the most peace they felt since being summoned. It was broken when the door eventually opened again and they tensed in her grasp. She shushed them and in came Aether, the concern in his face melting as he took in the sight.

“I see you met Cumulus,” Aether closed the door and laughed. They glanced up at her.

Cumulus. They repeated.

“Yes.” He nodded. “She is our air ghoulette, or, one of them.”

Phantom rolled the name around in their mind as they let it sink in. Cumulus.

“Mmm…” They tried to replicate it, but to no avail. It seemed as though their luck in speaking words finally gave up. They groaned in frustration as they tried again but to the same results.

“Hey, it’s okay, Phantom.” She whispered. “We’ll get you speaking in no time. I’m sure you have a lot to say, huh?” 

They did have a lot to say. They wondered if she could read their mind.

“That’s right.” Aether took a seat on Cumulus’ bed and folded his arms. “We’re going to pair you with Rain; I actually wanted you to meet him first, but…” he gestured with his head towards the two. Phantom curled closer into her.

“Do you want to go back to your room?” Cumulus asked. Their eyes grew frantic and they looked up at Aether with pleads tumbling in their mind.

“Okay, it’s okay,” Aether assured, “I’m sure Lus wouldn’t mind you spending the night.”

She giggled with a nod. “I don’t, but I would like to move to the bed. We can cuddle more comfortably up there.” 

Phantom figured it was a fair compromise, and they nodded. 

Not yet. They looked up at her. She cocked her head at them.

“They say not yet,” Aether translated. Cumulus smiled down at them and their heart skipped again.

“Not yet it is.” They fell back into her body with a smile and large purr, tail whacking the floor.

[mybelde]

35: #shipsailed, now don't get caught ♤

27 February, Sunday, 9.07am

You woke up the next morning, all groggy, with no recollection of what happened the night before. You tried to sit up, but felt something stopping you from doing so.

You turned around to see a familiar blond boy lying next to you. And that's when you recalled the events thst happened last night.

You confessed to Aether.

You..... slept with Aether.

You immediately turned red in the face and got up, scrambling to find and put on your clothes.

You couldn't believe you were so bold to do thst last night. Was it because of the alcohol?

Probably.

Just when you were about to leave the room, you felt a sudden pain in your head, and groaned.

"Yn? Are you okay? Do you need some hangover pills?"

In an instant, Aether was by your side, his firm arms holding onto you so that you won't lose your balance.

Greatful for his gesture, but still flustered over what happened the night before, you nodded, and did not look at him in the eye.

.

.

.

27 February, Sunday, 9.25am

You were now sitting in the living room, waiting for Aether to bring the hangover pills.

You weren't going to lie to yourself, you were feeling a little nervous.

Did you take it too far last night? Maybe.

Did you rush things? Probably.

But most important of them all,

Did.... he enjoy it?

Or did he regret doing it?

You were interrupted from your thoughts as you saw Aether come into the room, with the hangover pills and a glass of water.

"Here you go yn, hope this will help with your hangover." Aether said as he gave you the glass of water and pills, and you took it from him.

He then sat next to you, watching as you swallowed the pills with the water.

"......"

"......"

There was an awkward silence between the both of you.

You didn't know what to say, and started fidgeting with your fingers.

"So-um-"

"Yn, I-"

"You go first Aether-"

"You can go first then-"

There was a brief pause, before the both of you burst out in laughter.

"Haha, you can go first then, Aether."

You watched as Aether took a deep breath in, before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Did you.... regret anything last night?"

You can't that you were surprised that he asked that, since, well, it was both of your first times. You nodded your head no, and you saw him sigh in relief.

"Phew! That makes the two of us then. I... did not regret anything at all too.." He said as he gave you a bright smile.

"But...." He grabbed onto your hand and looked you in the eye.

"Does that make us... official..?"

You paused at his question. You didn't mind making it official, but there was still something holding you back.

Well someone.

And that someone was Lumine.

You still don't know how she would react when she finds out you've been going behind her back and fell in love with her brother.

You didn't want to lose your friendship with her, but at the same time you didn't want to lose what you have with Aether.

.

.

.

"Could we... not make our relationship... public?"

You watched as Aether's face morphed into confusion at your statement.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, wouldn't it be funny to surprise our friends and Lumine that we're in a relationship? Let's see how long it takes for them to find out, you know."

"Ohhh I see. Ahah that would be funny, I'm in! But if anything..."

Aether said, as he leaned in to hug you, his face buried in your shoulder.

"I'm just glad that I'm finally yours."

You smiled as you returned the hug.

"Me too."

How long will it take before Lumine find out about the both of you? Who knows....

But all you had to do now was avoid that from happening anytime soon.

bonus:

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lololol end of act 3, only 10 more chapters till the smau is finished 😱

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[wrathofrats]

I felt like rubbing salt into the aether wound.

600 words of swiss being a good mentor to phantom, dew not knowing how to process grief and swissalps my beloved

Encouraged and helped by the lovely @traayaa , who I sobbed to in DMs last night about this

Dew gets mad at Swiss early after phantom shows up. He watches Swiss help phantom out with his quintessence one day in the common room, stays tucked around a corner till phantom leaves.

“Just like that shadow, aether used to make a fist, to help him control the flow”

It pisses dew off, partially just to see the new ghoul try to do what aether did but for Swiss to help him? To mention aether while he does it? It sends him over the edge. Still grieving his loss.

“He’s not aether” dew finally comes out from behind the corner.

“I'm aware”, Swiss knows dew is looking for a fight. Looking to take out his grief on someone, and he simply doesn’t want to be a part of it. He believes there’s no point in the malice that he’s seen, that it’s ripping people apart to constantly mention what happened. He’s also aware this is the only way for dew to figure himself out. Dew is volitalile, emotional, and he doesn’t understand his own emotions most of the time. Left to sit and stew until he blows up about it.

“Then stop fucking treating him like he is.”

“I’m not” Swiss’s answers are short and snippy. He doesn’t want to argue.

“You are, you’re teaching him his old tricks. You telling him exactly how aether did it but he’s not aether” it’s hard for Swiss to not have tears prick at his eyes at the words. At the desperate sounds in dews voice. Swiss knows he’s not aether. He wishes it was aether, they all do. But it’s all he can do to help himself to try and teach the new ghoul the way aether would have wanted. He tries to calm and reason with himself. This is how dew is. He will calm down. Just walk away. He takes a couple deep breathes as he clenches his fists

Dew doesn’t shut up

“Stop trying to replace him”

It doesn’t take much for Swiss to break. His endless patience he’s usually known for already thin before the conversation even started.

“You don’t know fucking shit dewdrop. I miss him too, stop acting like you’re the only person who lost someone here.” He yells. Swiss doesnt yell a lot, evident by the shocked expression on dews face as he stands up and walks towards him. Jaw and fists clenched.

“You’re too much of an unstable asshole to even fucking welcome the guy, so I had to do it. I had to put everything aside because you and everyone else don’t know how to fucking act correctly. You took your time to grieve, so grow the fuck up and get over it “

Dew stares at him. Swiss didn’t mean it. Swiss knows he didn’t mean it. His chest heaves up and down as tears stream down his face. Dew doesn’t say a word and angrily rushes back to his room, tears also threatening to spill from his eyes

get over it

Swiss is quick to rush to mountains room. A solid figure in the chaos that’s been happening around them. The day aether left he showed up wordlessly in his doorway. Mountain understand him immediately and lifts the blanket for him to come melt into his side. It’s been like that for weeks, their routine. They don’t have to talk about it, the comfort comes in the knowing glances, caring touches, it comes in the extra love and attention they show each other while the grief is still fresh.

Swiss isn’t one to break down often, to show emotions most of the time, so it breaks mountains heart when Swiss storms into his room, tears streaming down his face. He knows what happened, everyone heard it. he Just embraces him and holds him in his arms

“I know you miss him too”

[tricksterfiction]

Prompt #6 Ring

Her eyes were rimmed red with sleep deprivation and worse yet, aetheric depletion. Her hands worked, her feet carried her forward, time was meaningless in the days following the 7th Umbral Calamity.

The thrashing, bloodied form of a duskwight man swam into her view. Two Wailers dropped him unceremoniously into a cot in the makeshift medical tent, one of the many tents popping up all over Gridania. A tourniquet tied tightly around his thigh above the knee. What was left of his leg was grotesquely mangled.

"My son! Where is my son!" He shouted, blood was running down from his temples into his eyes. Blindly his head tossed about, fighting against hands to keep him laying down.

Before the two Wailers rushed off, Sen snatched one, "What happened!"

"We pulled him and his son out of rubble, son was carried off to pediatrics." He said, pulling free to catch up with his fellow Wailer. "The kid was barely breathing, s'only reason we brought 'em."

The man shouted to see his son, Sen joined her colleagues, dodging a flailing arm. "Ser! Please!" She held his forehead trying to dab the blood from his eyes so they could at least make eye contact.

"Get away from me! Please! My son!" The man's desperation cracking up his voice, tears mingled with the blood.

"He is with the other children, possibly being rushed into surgery!" She shouted over him, "We're taking care of him!"

"Put him to sleep!" Her hyuran colleague grunted.

Sen rolled her eyes, "No! Do a better job at holding him down, he's in shock-" She snapped at him, taking away a patient's consent wasn't a principal she was about to forego even in emergency. The momentary distraction earned Sen a fist to her face - knocking her back into another colleague working on a patient behind them. They went down in a tangle of limbs.

A string of curses, crying out for the gods. Other patients joined the noise, pleading for the duskwight's silence.

Sen was back on her feet, pulled up roughly from her armpit. Her redwood cane was in her hands, trembling, a nasty bruised ring forming around her eye.

A prayer started quietly, the response was an immediate aetheric wail of pain from the Elementals echoing inside Sen's mind. The Twelveswood wept with it's children. Grimacing, begging, the conjurer whispered - "Please." She offered the last drop of her energy to them.

The gnarled hook of her cane glowed with a lavender light, particles of the spell drifted over the duskwight's head his eyes dulled, his limbs slowed, and his words died in his throat as sleep was forced upon him. His body relaxed and all the noise followed.

She gasped, the cane clattering to the ground, blood dribbling down her nose and upper lip. The same colleague caught her before she collapsed, only after catching her breath did she give him a rough shove.

"You're dismissed," She hissed, baring her teeth.

He straightened his jacket, rubbing his thumb at his nose clearly offended, "Last time I help you, Urabe." Then stepped away.

Squeezing her eyes shut, shakily scooping her cane to secure to her back once more. Finally wiping her nose, plugging it with some cotton. She dragged a low profile stool to sit and begin working on her patient's leg, preparing for amputation.

"You'll see your son soon." She promised.

[yinjiyang]

Beasts of Sky and Sea

@heartsurpluss // Dion

If there was even an ounce of strength left in his body, he might consider pushing away from the safety of another's arms. He might consider thrashing against the show of comfort, screaming until his lungs crumbled in his chest about what he does and doesn't deserve.

Had he even one single breath of power to lift himself, he would.

But he doesn't.

Foreign arms hold him tight, in all their warmth and safety and promise. "I've got you. I'm not letting go."

Yes, so it seems. And Dion deserves none of it.

"What's happening?" He asks in lieu of protest, because what he feels is unimportant in the midst of pure and utter chaos. What he feels is unimportant in the face of danger, in the face of his people --

Or to anyone, at all, ever, for any reason at all.

"I need - I have to -" but the words fade in the back of his throat. He can hardly keep his head up or his eyes open, and he has no choice (he never has a choice) but to put his trust and faith in the arms that hold him and the man that whispers comfort to the far reaches of his battered soul.

"I'm not letting go."

And his heart, oh how it cries.

_______________________________________

       Following the fall of Oriflamme's mothercrystal, the once calm sea surrounding Drake's Head became an impassable tempest.  An insult to injury following the horrors that befell the people within the Empire capital's walls.  Could one really call this a triumph?  Felling the mighty Bahamut?  The death of an Empire?  The reveal of Ultima's influence?  Though knowing they must leave, a trio of heroes would find journey treacherous.  And just how had a wounded prince found himself within the tumultuous currents bathed in fallen aether?   The reasons were unknown; that was certain was that he had been separated from allies in the wake of his fall.

       Yin had felt it--Leviathan had felt it.  He felt the echoes of the fallen mothercrystal before, but none so resonant as Drake's Head, the mothercrystal of Light, the dragon of the skies had fallen.  In a world before time, Leviathan had once considered Bahamut his mirror, a divine beast of light and sky to balance his seas of darkness.  Perhaps that was why he took this one so personally, perhaps that was why the shattering of the blooming crystal had shattered the wyrm's own spirit--he could not control it, the pain of the loss bursting forth in a maelstrom of chaotic tides, gales, and torrential downpour.  Survivors of Oriflamme's Massacre could not determine if it was the wind howling or truly some new horrible monster bellowing cries of a sorrow so agonizing one may swear its spirit had been ground to dust.  

       It had been nigh centuries since Leviathan had transformed and Yin made no efforts to suppress it, knowing full well that the pain had to be released, knowing it was easier to just live as one with their shared misery.  A disturbance in the water may have easily gone unnoticed amid the uncontrollable crashing of waves--and it would have, had there not been that one...tiny...spark accompanying the body that sank below the surface.  Immediately, Leviathan recognized it, latched onto it like a tiny flicker of hope igniting an entire flame, a beacon lit within the darkness as he swam toward it at furious speed, snatching the fallen prince gently within his jaws and rushing to the surface, ultimately to the shore to gently place him upon the banks.

       As Leviathan regressed to his human state, the storms began to calm, his arms wrapping around the torso of Dion LeSage to drag the prince further onto land until he collapsed backward, holding the man's back to his chest, patting a palm carefully but firmly over his sternum to draw out any water that did not belong in those lungs and, once life had been confirmed, just...completely broke down, hugging the prince so very tightly as he rocked slowly, gently, as though echoing a kinder tide.  "I've got you, you're highness.  I've got you..." he murmured, broken but hopeful through his tears.  "I'm not letting go."  And he wouldn't, oh no, he wouldn't.

      Once Dion spoke--a question, just a simple question--what was happening...Yin did not know precisely how to respond.  "...you survived..." he managed to answer.  "...and I am...very happy you did..."  He did not bother to ask if the man was all right, or if he could stand; he already knew the answer.  Instead, he carefully shifted his position to stand on his own, lifting the prince within his arms, keeping his promise still not to let him go.  "We need to get you some place warm and dry..."  Because in Dion's weakened state, the last thing he needed was to become sick from the wet and cold.

[primofate]

Protective Lover Series Part 2 - His reaction to seeing you cry (and it’s not because of him) [Genshin Impact]

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Ayato, Bennett, Chongyun, Dainsleif, Diluc, Gorou, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Kazuha, Razor, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Thoma, Venti, Xiao, Xingqiu, Zhongli, gn!reader

Warnings: slight angst, more comfort and fluff than anything, not proofread, i appreciate people telling me that i missed to tag a character but the truth is i dont tag all the chars cause i think i have limited tags, no? some protective genshin guys

Personal Favourites: Tartaglia, Xiao, Zhongli

Other works in this series: (Part 1 - When someone badmouths you)

Aether

his heart breaks the same way as yours, if not even more

doesn’t say anything at first but will take you in his arms silently and make comforting sounds, rubbing your back up and down

his priority is making you feel better first, instead of bombarding you with questions about what happened.

When you’ve calmed down a little he’ll start wiping your tears and will give you a gentle smile

“You can talk about it whenever you’re ready, Y/N. In this world and the next, I’ll always be here by your side,”

Albedo

Offers you a handkerchief and stays by you until you’re ready to talk about it.

When he sees that you’re clumsily wiping your tears he takes the handkerchief back and does it for you, patting your cheeks dry while he has a hand cradling your cheek.

The look on his face is sullen and downcast, as if he’s guilty he wasn’t able to protect you from whatever it was that made you feel this way. 

He squeezes your hand and urges you to tell him what’s wrong.

“Strange. Tears are a normal human reaction to emotions...yet when I see yours, I can’t help but feel that they don’t belong on your features...”

Ayato

doesn’t look like he’s too bothered but is actually quite anxious inside. What happened? Did something transpire while he was away? Were you somehow affected by his status?

It comes with being busy all the time, he’s worried that he might not be taking care of you enough and seeing you cry hits hard for him.

hugs you protectively. One arm round your middle and the other gently pressing on the back of your head as you rest your face on his chest or the crook of his neck.

“I’m sorry, love. Never in your time with me do I wish to see tears of despair in your eyes... Please, if there’s something I can do, tell me,”

Bennett

panics 

flounders and doesn’t know what to do. The let-me-check-my-pockets-if-i-have-any-tissue-welp-no-I-don’t-so-I’ll-wave-my-hands-around-to-try-and-make-them-feel-better character.

Ends up awkwardly putting both his hands on your shoulders and giving you a forced smile.

“I-It’s alright. Everything will be fine. I promise! We’ll fix it together, okay?”

Chongyun

is stunned by your tears. This may sound weird but he thinks that something about them is beautiful, despite it being sad. Kind of reminds him of snow crystals.

Holds your hand and lets you cry, being careful of if your mood is getting worse or better

is worried, but is patient and will never rush you to ‘stop crying’

is not very confident that he can make you feel better but will definitely try his best

“...Y/N? If it’s okay...Can you tell me what happened? I... I just don’t like seeing you sad...”

Dainsleif

Your tears are literally precious to him. Doesn’t matter if it’s happy or sad tears, both makes him feel a bit of sadness. 

will let you curl up in his arms as he soothes you gently, occasionally wiping away tears that cascade down your cheeks.

will press some kisses on your forehead while waiting for you to mellow down.

Will look at you while wiping your tears and

“No one should ever make you feel this way, not me, nor anyone else... Tell me what happened, my star, and I assure you I’ll take the hurt away,”

Diluc

panic but on the inside. The instant ‘what happened?’ is written all over his face but doesn’t say it out loud immediately.

thinks you’re physically hurt, when he finds out you’re not, he’s even angrier cause something has upset you to the point of making you cry and he definitely wants to know what or who it is

cups your face in his hands and has a worried expression while watching your tears fall, trying to pat them dry gently.

is ready to go to war

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen? *sighs* I’m here, it’s alright. I’m not leaving...You’re my everything, do you understand that? If anything happens to you...”

Gorou

startled but is incredibly downcast when he realizes you’re crying and it shows with his ears flattened down and his tail unmoving.

Something about his instincts makes him press his forehead against yours and he closes his eyes while holding the two of you in position like that. He thinks it comforts him more than it comforts you, but he hopes it helps you too.

doesn’t quite know what to say, but will ask politely about your feelings.

“...Is everything okay? I-I’m not sure how to make things better but I’m always here to listen. I promise,”

Heizou

Wordlessly pulls you into a hug and rubs your back, hums a little tune or song to hopefully ease your crying.

already thinking about what could have happened while trying to comfort you. 

pulls away and gives exactly two kisses on your cheek. one on the right and one on the left then proceeds to pat your face dry.

“My charming Y/N, I’ve got a good idea of what might’ve happened...Hm? How did I figure it out so fast? *chuckles* You underestimate me, dear. Your utmost happiness is easily the most important job on my list,”

Itto

Freezes. Kind of doesn’t know what to do when he sees someone crying (though he has made a lot of kids cry before >_> it’s different when it’s you)

Will offer you material things to try and make you feel better. Candy. Lollipop. His onikabuto. 

When you tell him all you want is a hug he kind of melts on the inside but is also ridiculously proud.

Is still kind of concerned and is convinced someone has bullied you and will throw hands if that’s the case

“Well you’re in luck! I give the best hugs around here! Err... Only for you though. You sure you’re okay? Want me to go and teach ‘em a lesson?”

Kaeya

crestfallen. His usual grin has turned weak and he takes you by the hand, drags you over to the nearest chair or bed and pulls you onto his lap, cradling you in his arms as you cry.

validates your feelings and doesn’t make you feel stupid or weak for shedding tears. 

let’s you cry for as long as you want and lets you rest your head on his shoulder, no matter how damp it gets.

Mostly talks to himself, but kind of talks to you as well during your process of calming down.

“...What exactly has upset my snowflake, I wonder? Someone I have to talk to? Something I have to take care of? Anything to bring the smile back on your face, love,” 

Kazuha

takes you somewhere private or quiet. Comforts you first by sitting somewhere with you and letting you drape your legs over his lap while he cradles your upper half and shushes you gently.

Thinks you’re still incredibly attractive even when crying, but is also worried about your emotions.

Will talk to you about it and won’t push too much if you don’t feel like it yet.

While wiping your tears...

“Nothing will make me think any less of you, Y/N. This will pass, but whatever it might be, please let me do the honor of sharing your burdens with you.”

Razor

Instant hug and curls his body around you, literally in protection mode and not letting anyone else near you. 

Conceals you from the rest of the world until you’ve calmed down in his arms. 

He doesn’t look at your face because he’s on the lookout for anything or anyone who tries to approach you during a vulnerable time, but he knows you’ve calmed down when your breathing evens out

“...Y/N...will be okay...I will...protect,”

Scaramouche

freezes, but out of anger, not concern. Probably trying not to stomp out of there and demand his subordinates to tell him who made you cry. 

Silently goes towards you and remarks/mumbles about how ugly you look when you cry, but he’s also wiping your tears.

Then tilts your still damp face up to look him straight in his murderous eyes. immediately goes to worst case scenario.

“Stop crying already and tell me who I have to kill,”

Tartaglia

cold. but not towards you. Cold because he’s thinking about how he’s going to make the offender suffer.

Towards you, he’s gentle and whispers comfort in your ear. Telling you that he’s here now and he’ll make it all better, but only if you tell him what happened, and only if you point out the specific people who made you unhappy.

Showers you with kisses down your jaw and up again, then presses two last ones on both your eyelids.

“Now which unfortunate soul do I have to talk to and take care of to make things better, my love? Don’t be shy now, I’ll take care of it real quick,”

Thoma

concerned. the type to approach you, hug you, rest his head on top of yours and gently or softly cradle/sway you side by side

it’s like a little slow dance but with less movements, hoping that it gives you more comfort, like a rocking chair type of thing.

it hurts him to see you cry and you can tell from his scrunched up brows and heavy facial expression.

Looks as if he’s about to cry as well.

“Whatever you feel, I feel it deeply too. When you’re happy and when your face lights up, my heart is at ease. But...seeing you this way...I didn’t think it would hurt me this much,”

Venti

still has a positive streak to him, but is mindful of your feelings. 

The type to say things like you look better with a smile or that tears don’t suit you, or that he misses your smiling face but will also tell you that you still look charming, tears or not. That’s just how he sees you.

the type to squish your cheeks together and try to get a smile out of you

“Awe there it is. See? That smile’s much better!”

After he has cheered you up will ask you what it is that upset you and will tackle the problem with you.

“Hm... I see. In that case, you can’t do it alone! This is a job for the two of us. Let’s go and make things better, shall we?”

Xiao

shocked, then angry. He’s never seen you cry and you’re usually happy go lucky so when he sees you cry he thinks it’s a gravely serious thing.

despite that he still somehow doesn’t quite understand the purpose of tears. He knows what despair is but has the mindset that tears are not necessary, though he tries to understand how fragile humans are.

Will awkwardly stand in front of you while you cry, and later on will attempt to use one curled finger to brush away your cascading tears.

“...You humans...your resolves are too weak...too fragile, and yet...” 

will pause for a seconds to continue to observe you cry. He acknowledges the twisting feeling in his chest.

“...and yet why does it make me feel this way, watching you weep?”

Xingqiu

surprised. will ask you to sit down and go through it calmly, will offer to do something for you: brew you tea, read your favourite book aloud.

Will ask you what he can do to make you more comfortable because he’d rather ask than do the wrong thing.

Will sit by you and rub your head and silently observe your mood.

will clear his schedule if there was anything on it.

“...Are you feeling better, Y/N? Would you like to stay here or go somewhere else? Take as long as you want, I have all the time in the world for you,”

Zhongli

calm but concerned. You can tell that he’s thinking about what might have gone wrong. At the same time, he’s trying to comfort you. 

Ideally he’ll take you to bed and let you curl up against him while he rubs your back, letting you get all your emotions out before he starts asking you questions, though he already as a lot on his mind. 

He lets you play with his hair, cause he knows that’s a kind of comfort for you. 

Will lay with you in bed for a while, even after you’ve calmed down, just to give you time to think.

“...Beloved, whether or not it’s a joyous occasion or a sorrowful one, for as long as I live, my promise is to love you and to always be the pillar you can rely on. Today is no different. Would you like to talk about what happened?”

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[genshin-obsessed]

You Get Injured!

Yo! I’m back and this time with a little bit of angst. One thing about me: I ADORE ANGST!!! LEMME BREAK SOMEONE’S HEART!!! I love, love, love writing angst so much! Anyway, enjoy!

Summary:  You get injured on the job, what’s his reaction?

Includes: Aether, Kaeya, Diluc, Venti, Razor, Xiao, Xingqiu, Zhongli, and Childe! (YES I ADDED AETHER >:0)

Come one, come all! See what happens when you come home injured!

Warnings: Mentions of blood, no details though.

You were supposed to be with Aether, but he had his own commissions, but he swore he’d come help you right after. You weren’t patient and ended up getting into a fight with too many hilichurls and it didn’t end well.

He immediately remembered the time he lost Lumine, but for some reason, he was even more scared than that incident. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him and he’d completely frozen up. When he saw your bloodied form fall to the floor, it brought him back to reality.

He ran to you and pulled you into his arms, desperately searching for life. He needed to see that you were ok. In fact, he’d taken your hand and squeezed your wrist to feel your pulse. It was weak, but it was there. He pressed his lips to yours, ignoring the taste of iron that followed.

As the doctor was stitching up the larger gashes, he was cleaning up the blood around your face and whispering words of encouragement to you. He gave you water and held your hand throughout the entire process.

PERSONAL NURSE AETHER REPORTING FOR DUTY! Beck and call, whenever you need him, he’s there for you. He put his adventuring on hold until you were 100% better.

Did you need an adventuring partner? Cuz Aether needs one! And you’re the perfect candidate. He’s going on adventures will you- well ok, he’s going EVERYWHERE with you but for a while. Once his nerves and anxiety dies down, he backs off quite a bit.

You had been fighting hilichurs for a commission and the last thing you had expected was multiple Mitachurls to be around. Well, there were more than you could handle and they floored you.

His heart almost stopped when he saw your bloodied form walking towards him, reaching out ever so weakly. He sprinted towards you, hating that he wasn’t there for you. Why was he so slow?! Why were so you far away, dammit?

He takes you into his arms and holds you close before quickly rushing you to the doctor. He knew he might’ve been a bit rough, but he could barely think. All that was going through his mind was him wishing that it was all just a nightmare.

He’s there 24/7, whenever you need him. He’s got meals, blankets, cuddles, kisses, whatever you need. He helps you with EVERYTHING. He knew it was hard to shower with all those wounds and he didn’t want your stitches to open up, so he was a bit strict.

After your full recovery, he’s a little bit hesitant to let you go on your own. He might just join you on a mission or two. Don’t mind him, but once his worries are eased a little, he backs off. Besides, the cavalry captain can’t exactly run around with you, even though he so desperately wants to.

You were on your way to Mondstat from Liyue where you ended up on a beach with more ruin guards than you could handle (may the lord protect you if you wander there on accident).

Full fledged panic. It almost feels like someone was actively tearing his heart out. He couldn’t even breathe in that moment. He desperately wished he could heal you (I don’t think he can…), make you all better so you wouldn’t have to hurt so much. Were… were you crying?

He ran to you but the second he reached out to touch you, he pulled back a little. He was almost scared to touch you, like something as gentle as his touch might shatter what remained. He didn’t want to hurt you anymore, but it was clear you couldn’t walk so he had to carry you.

He does hold you close when you get help, whispering words of encouragement and love to you; anything to help. He immediately helped clean the blood off of you, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Through your healing process, he’s beside you constantly. He helps you with everything. Anything you need, he’s there. Thirsty? He’s got some water. Hungry? He’s got a plate of food. Need cuddles? Scoot over.

He’s actually terrified to let you go, but he knows you. This is your job and he’d seen you in action. So, he does let you go… as long as he can stick to you like glue (Cries in no Venti).

You had been hunting some abyss mages down and everything was going great… until it wasn’t. A rookie mistake almost caused your death. You’d never been so scared and the only thing you could think of was Diluc in that moment. You wanted to be in his arms.

He thought he’d been caught in a nightmare. He genuinely believed it wasn’t you. But when you called out to him, he was yanked back to reality. Everything felt so weird, it felt like a weird out of body experience for him. He was so scared he was shaking as he reached out to touch your bloodied face.

The first thing he does is check you to see how bad your injuries are before he brings you home to his personal doctor. Your blood burned him, it stung as tears welled up in his eyes. How could he let this happen to you? How could he fail you like this?

As the doctor patches you up, he sits beside you, holding your hand and giving you kisses every now and then, telling you you’re doing great and that you’ll be ok. He was still shaking, but he didn’t want you to worry, so he did his best to hide it. 

He’s extremely busy, so he can’t be beside you 24/7, but he tries to be with you every single night. In fact, he lets the knights handle everything while you heal, not wanting to leave you alone for too long

You best believe he’s hunting down every single abyss mage in existence. One hurt you? They all suffer. You try to keep him in check by keeping him at your side.

You had decided to challenge Electro Hypostases on your own... You should’ve been more careful. You didn’t realize how powerful it was and you got extremely lucky. 

Oh he can smell your blood from a distance. So he didn’t even need to see you to know you were injured. He was terrified. His heart was beating so fast and he couldn’t catch his breath. He felt himself going insane when he couldn’t find you.

Well wolves lick their wounds, but he couldn’t lick yours. One, it wouldn’t work, your wounds were too deep, two, he was a human, not a wolf. He knew your friends could help you so he rushed you back to Mondstat (I’m sure this is probably wrong, feel free to roast me).

Although he knew the doctors were just trying to help, he couldn’t stop himself from being aggressive. He even growled at a doctor when you whimpered as you received the stitches. Kaeya and Jean had to hold him back.

No one is allowed near you until you’re fully healed, Razor doesn’t let anyone get close. It’s not just him being super possessive, he was deeply terrified that in case someone attacked you while he wasn’t there…

Your new adventure partner is Razor. Even if he has to live in Mondstat with the other humans, he’ll do it. As long as you’re with him. Don’t bother trying to argue, it won’t work.

You had a teeny weeny competition with Xiangling that you two could find the best ingredients first. You got careless, wandered into a hilichurl camp, only to get floored by 4 mitachurls.

Who hurt you?! Who hurt you and where are they? Xiao just wants to talk. 

Thankfully, the boss of the inn was able to find some help for you and helped patch you up, while Xiao waited patiently. On the outside he looked calm, on the inside- well it was chaos. Nothing could calm his anger and anxiety.

He reassured you that you did a great job, letting you know that he was proud of you. Not to mention, he kept thanking you for coming back alive so that he could save you. He didn’t even want to think about what could’ve happened if you weren’t able to come back… 

He kept you close. As you healed, he was almost like a personal nurse. He brought you whatever you wanted and lots of almond tofu. If you don’t like it… well more for him.

He was very reluctant to let you go. He couldn’t go with you and it was his biggest regret. But he knew holding you back would do nothing, therefore he poured all his faith and trust in you. So please... come back to him.

You had gone to visit Chang the Ninth and on the way back had seen a village get attacked by some abyss mages. You jumped into action without thinking… at all.

Xingqiu actually hadn’t looked up from his book because he was so invested. You called after him, collapsing nearby but he wasn’t even paying attention. Finally, he heard you scream and jumped, his heart leaping out of his chest. He still won’t forgive himself… or pick up a book.

He immediately takes you back home, carefully carrying you so that he wouldn’t agitate your injuries anymore than they already were.

He stayed by your side and even helped patch you up, wanting to do as much as he could to help. He even kissed your injuries to help them heal faster.

He stays by your side as much as possible. You suggest he read you some books, but it seems like he’s too scared to touch any. Something that might need time to recover from.

Xingqiu’s still too busy to join you, but whenever he can, he definitely does. He is a little too protective in the beginning but as time goes on, he finds himself being able to hold back.

You just needed some chaos devices, just a few. YOU DIDN’T EXPECT TO GET YOUR ASS HANDED TO YOU SO BADLY!

He couldn’t believe it. His heart had almost stopped when he saw you walking towards him. You were covered in blood and you weakly reached out before you fell. He dashed forward and caught you before you hit the ground.

He takes you to his place, getting a doctor to immediately patch you up. As they were cleaning your wounds, he tried to stay calm, yet had this overwhelming urge to destroy whatever hurt you into a million pieces.

He stayed with you, nursing you back to health. Of course, constantly forgetting mora was a thing when buying you literally anything. This will never change.

He wasn’t able to understand why he couldn’t physically let you go in the beginning. Slowly, it made sense that he was scared. Scared he might lose you and that you might never come back. Scared you might disappear like you almost did. But you were… well you. So he had to trust you. Come back home to him safely.

You had just finished up your commissions and were head home when you stumbled upon an Oceanid. You needed a cleansing heart… or four. You weren’t prepared and you were a little tired, but you went anyway. You were lucky you came back alive.

Childe had set up a cute little date for you two, but you were running a little bit late. He was starting to get worried and when he asked Katheryne, he was surprised to learn that you hadn’t returned home from your commissions. Then he saw you. Leaving a trail of blood and limping towards him. He felt as if someone had done all that to him instead.

He immediately runs to you, with Katheryne following. The two of them quickly get you some medical attention, but Childe refuses to let go the entire time. No matter what anyone says, they can’t take you away, so he goes with you everywhere.

You explain what had happened afterwards and he was angry that you’d put yourself in danger for a stupid item. But at the same time, he was proud of you for beating the Oceanid and coming back to him, regardless of what shape you were in. You still got an earful though.

He wanted to be around you 24/7, but he’s really busy. He tries to get away from work as much as he can to spend time with you. Throughout your healing process, he does a lot to help. Simple things like making you meals, the ones that melt your heart. 

He was reluctant, constantly checking up on you and even wanting to go on adventures with you. But he couldn’t spend every minute with you, so he needed to learn how to ease his own anxieties. Of course, you would never say no to going on a few adventures with him.

[fayemarvels]

You chase my nightmares away

Zhongli x GN!reader

Summary - ever since you and Aether fought the Raiden Shogun, your mind was plagued by nightmares. Maybe coming back to Liyue harbor and meeting the ex lord of geo will help to ease them and your mind.

Warnings - talks of a fight, death, scars on arms,

-----

“Well, goodbye traveler, goodbye (Y/N), come back soon, thank you for your help,” Thoma waved as you boarded the crux. After defeating the Raiden shogun and getting rid of the vision hunt degree, you were finally ready to go back to Liyue harbor.

At first, the plan was to head to Sumeru immediately, but Paimon suggested that the three of you have some time off in your favorite city.

You have been traveling with Aether for quite some time. You met back in Monstadt when you decided to come along with him. Monstadt bored you, you spent your whole life there and decided to travel and find a new place to settle. You also promised Aether that before you would settle down, you would help him find his lost sister Lumine.

You spent a few months in Inazuma, cut from the rest of Teyvat, and now you were free to leave and hopefully not come back for some time. To say your time in Inazuma was traumatic would be an understatement.

The scars from fighting Ei and watching Signora get slashed by her blade were going to stay with you for a very long time. You also endured some physical scars on your body. The lengths of your arms were marked by scars that you endured in the fight with Ei. As the electricity from her attacks cursed through your body it left scars in the shapes of lightning behind.

“Of course Thoma, we will be back as soon as we can,” you called out and waved at him. As the crux left the Ritou, you finally let out a breath of relief. Maybe the nightmares will subdue, now that you won’t be there.

That was another thing you took from the fight with the electro archon. Nightmares, that didn’t let you rest properly. But Ei wasn’t the one in your nightmares. It seemed as if your brain made intrusive thoughts from the trauma you have endured in the last few months. Usually, it was the same nightmare all over again.

You were back in the port of Liyue harbor and it was night. The city was empty and when you looked closer, you realized it was deserted. The empty buildings were nearly falling apart and you were pretty sure you saw some remaining pieces of the jade chamber crashed in Mt. Tianheng. As you walked into the center of the city, a cloud of mist engulfed everything around you. You blindly walked through the city and somehow ended up at the Yujing Terrace.

The terrace was full of people standing at the circumference of the large space. There was a figure in the middle and when you walked closer, you realized it was Zhongli. God, you haven’t seen him in such a long time. You rushed towards him and as soon as you wrapped your arms around his waist, you were sent flying back. He summoned his polearm and turned it around a few times in his hand.

“Well look, it’s the traveler’s little helper,” he announced as he walked towards you. You covered back as you waited on what was going to happen.

“I’ve destroyed the whole Teyvat just to find you, and now you are here,” he smiled evilly and raised your head by putting the tip of his polearm under your chin.

“You did what? Zhongli, why did you do it?” you questioned before you were rudely cut off

“Quiet, it’s Morax, not Zhongli. Teyvat has been here for too long, we were just holding back the erosion, so it could do what it has to do, then, when a new civilization emerges, I will be their archon. But to do that, I have to kill you,” he laughed manically and the last thing you could see was the enormous meteor coming your way.

Nightmares like these plagued your mind each night since the battle, and you didn’t know how to get rid of them. You would wake up each night with a loud cry and tears streaming down your face. Paimon tried to comfort you, but you just pushed her away every single time. You felt bad but you couldn’t talk to her, not about this. Not without mentioning your feelings for the ex-archon to Paimon or Aether.

If anything else, it was pathetic. A random mortal in love with a literal god, how does that even work. Sure, he isn’t the god of Liyue but, he still is the god of contracts and a very wise and sophisticated man.

You never told anyone about your crush on him, I mean, how could you? You always thought everyone would laugh at you. Even the people who didn’t know he was an archon once, he was still out of your league, even as a mortal.

As the land of Inazuma disappeared from your eyesight, you sat down in a corner and took off your backpack. You opened it and took out the little wooden box with intricate details. You laughed at yourself; of course, you were so whipped for God.

On your last day in Inazuma, you purchased a variety of very expensive calligraphy pens in Ritou. That was the first thing that caught your eye that immediately made you think of Zhongli. You remembered that a few months ago, back when you were leaving Liyue, he complained that all of his calligraphy pens somehow disappeared and that he suspected it was Hu Tao.

You bought them for him with the intention of giving them to him when you return to Liyue harbor, God, how you missed it. You never understood how you didn’t travel there sooner, back when you lived in Monstadt. It was everything you wanted in a place to live. You have great friends there, great food, the man you love. You were so prepared to say you were staying when you realized that you gave Aether a promise, to travel all of the seven nations with him and find his sister.

So when you were leaving for Inazuma, you tearfully said your goodbyes and left with him and Paimon. But now, you were going back and would not leave for a very long time.

You pulled out a small bow from your backpack and stuck it onto the front of the pretty box. Oh, how you hoped he would like it.

“So, ready for Liyue Harbor?” Paimon questioned as she floated over to you. You smiled at her and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m super excited to finally see everyone,” you smiled down and Paimon giggled.

“Yeah, especially Mr. Zhongli right?” she teased and you furrowed your brows. Does she know? If she does, does that mean Zhongli knows as well? Paimon looked at you wearily as you stared at the wooden deck beneath you.

“Weeeell, hehe, I will leave you now, bye,” Paimon laughed awkwardly and floated away to find Aether. You didn’t say anything, only looked to the horizon and got lost in your thoughts.

The mountains of Liyue were the first things you could see. The journey from Inazuma to Liyue didn’t take very long, only about a day. As the land of the geo nation moved closer, you started to get more and more nervous. You were excited to see your friends and catch up, but you were also nervous because you knew you had to leave and go away again at one point made you want to cry.

“Come oooon (Y/N), we are nearly there,” Paimon squealed as she looked towards the approaching land from the front of the ship. You gathered all of your things and slowly walked towards her and Aether, who looked towards the city with a sad smile on his face.

“Hey, if you don’t want to take a break and go back to looking for your sister immediately, we can do that, we don’t need to stay in Liyue,” you put your hand on his shoulder in comfort and he smiled at you and shook his head.

“We all need it, just for a week or two, it won’t hurt,” he responded and looked back towards the city as the wind blew in his face.

---

When you finally landed in Liyue harbor, you thanked Beidou, said goodbyes to the Crux crew, and stepped out of the boat.

“Surpriiiiseeeee,” a laud cheer sounded through the air and your and Aether’s heads whipped in the direction of the sound. A large group of people stood just a few meters away from you, each of them with a smile on their face.

Paimon squealed as she quickly floated towards Xiangling who was holding a little basket with what you presumed was some type of welcome back dish, so many of your friends were there, Ganyu Keqing, Yanfei, Xingqiu and Chongyun, Baizhu and Qiqi and even Xiao.

You smiled at all of them and rushed towards them. You wrapped your arms around Yanfei as you reunited. Before you could say anything, you heard a voice from behind.

“Sorry we are late, someone was just too uncooperative,” Childe’s voice sounded from behind and you turned around, ready to greet him. You were met with a sight of your friends from Monstadt. You immediately ran up to Diluc as you hugged him and he wrapped his arms around you.

“What are you guys doing here?” you asked in disbelief and looked behind him. Jean, Kaeya, Lisa, and Albedo were standing there with huge smiles on their faces. When they went to speak up another voice sounded from behind them.

“We came to welcome you back of course,” Venti’s voice sounded and you smiled at him. You greeted everyone as Aether caught up with Xiao.

You looked around to look for Zhongli, Childe’s voice stopped you.

“He couldn’t make it, lady Ningguang needed some help with an upcoming festival coming up, you know, even if he is not the Liyue archon anymore, she still wanted his help” he smiled sadly and you nodded. You cursed yourself for letting your hopes get too high and then get crushed.

“Now come on, we can have lunch at my restaurant, you are all invited,” Xiangling called out and the large group moved towards the Wanmin restaurant.

“You go, I’m going to look for Zhongli,” you said and everyone groaned in disappointment.

“Okay, they should be at the Yujing Terrace,” Childe called out and you halted in your step.

“Oh, o-okay, thanks,” you called out nervously as you rushed towards the terrace. It would be okay, no mist, no Morax, just Zhongli and Ningguang. You tried to calm yourself down as you moved around the city.

You didn’t even realize just how much you missed the harbor. It was bustling with people doing their daily things and with dogs running around, chasing each other.

You walked up the stairs to the terrace and what you saw nearly took your breath away. The beautiful decorations were all over the ground, ready to be hung on the stings that were already set up all around the terrace.

You saw Ningguang in the middle of the terrace, commanding a group of people. And there he was, standing beside her with a few papers in his hands.

His hair was a bit shorter than the last time you saw him, indicating he cut it just some time ago. He was wearing his usual outfit, but his coat was missing, probably laying somewhere on the ground of the terrace. And you weren’t surprised. The weather was too hot for a heavy coat. Even Diluc didn’t have his own coat on when you saw him down in the port.

You waited until Ningguang dismissed the people before you approached them.

“Well hello,” you ran up to them and both of them turned around to look at you.

“Oh, it is the time already? We totally lost the rack of time, we wanted to come and greet you down at the port,” Ningguang apologized and you shook your head.

“No, don’t worry about it, I heard you have a lot on your plate right now,” you waved your hand and smiled at the both of them.

“Okay, Mr. Zhongli, I think it’s all I need from you for today, we will continue tomorrow, the same time as today,” Ningguang smiled at Zhongli and walked away.

“Hello my dear,” he greeted and you wrapped your arms around him. You held your breath when you didn’t feel his arms coming around you for a few moments. You shut your eyes, hoping that you wouldn’t see some type of mist when you open them. After a few moments, his arms came around you and he pulled you into him, even more than you already were.

You tried your best not to break down, relieved that this wasn’t one of your nightmares and that he was there with you. You didn’t see the tears running down your cheeks until he wiped them away with one of his hands.

“Dearest what is wrong, what has upset you?” He asked and you shook your head.

“It’s nothing I’m just happy to finally be back with you,” you mumbled. You tried to keep more tears at bay, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to do it for much longer. A lump formed in your throat and you knew you couldn’t stop yourself from crying.

You softly sniffled into his shoulder and he rubbed your back in comfort.

“Come on dear, let’s get you somewhere else, let’s go to my apartment,” he mumbled and you nodded as you wiped your eyes the best you could.

Zhongli led you to his apartment. You weren’t there in a few months and the space changed quite a lot. It seemed homier than when you saw it the last time. You didn’t have the energy to comment on it, too occupied with not trying to cry.

Zhongli closed the door behind him and slowly pulled your backpack from your shoulders and set it by the front door. He immediately tugged you towards the library part of his living room and made you sit down.

“Stay here dearest, I will make you some tea,” he smiled and quickly slipped into the kitchen.

When he left, you gently laid on a little pillow that laid beside you and waited for him. To your surprise, it didn’t take him 6 hours, only about 12 minutes.

“Now my dearest, tell me what bothers you,” he questioned as he sat down beside you. You sat back up and took the cup of tea from his hand and took a sip.

“I missed you, that’s all really,” you smiled a fake smile and he frowned. He didn’t want to push you for an answer but he wanted to help you.

He took your teacup from you and then took both of your hands into his.

“You know you can tell me anything,” he said as he ran his thumb on your knuckles.

“I am scared,” you whispered and he frowned. He couldn’t imagine why. He thought that he made it clear that he would protect you from anything and everything.

“I’ve been having these nightmares every single night, they are always the same and super scary,” you explained shakily. Before he could ask about the dream, you started explaining.

He listened intently and frowned when you finished. He hadn’t felt this much sadness in a very long time.

“My dear, I would never hurt you,” he whispered as he squeezed your hand softly. You nodded, knowing that what he was saying was true.

“What triggered these nightmares?” he asked and could feel you tense up.

“The battle, between me and Aether and Raiden Shogun,” you whispered and he gritted his teeth.

“You fought Baal?” he questioned softly and you nodded, a fresh wave of tears coming into your eyes. Before he could do anything, you pulled your sleeves up and showed him the scars you had from the electricity.

Zhongli softly gasped as he ran his fingers over the lines. He moved away as soon as you slightly gasped out in pain.

“They are still painful?” he asked concerned. You only nodded and he stood up.

“I am going to the Bubu pharmacy to see if Baizhu doesn’t have anything there,” he announced and you stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“No please,” you whispered.

“Please I just want to sleep we can do that later I promise,” you begged a bit teary-eyed. Zhongli only nodded and pulled you up towards him. He led you into his bedroom and immediately tucked you into his bed.

“You will stay won’t you?” you asked sleepily and he nodded, as he slipped into the covers beside you. You immediately snuggled up into his chest and his whole body stiffened a bit.

“If cuddling makes you uncomfortable just say I’ll stop,” you mumbled and he shook his head.

“No dearest, I don’t mind it,” He whispered.

“Get some rest, I will be here when you wake up, then we’ll go and get you fixed up,” he mumbled into your hair as he kissed your forehead.

You fell into a peaceful sleep with the last thought of Liyue becoming your permanent home and a smile on your face.

----

I've taken a bit of a break, and I will write for genshin impact. I have a Loki fanfiction thought out so I will probably write that anyway, if you enjoyed it, please follow, like and reblog. Tell me what you liked and what you think I could change. Thank youuu byeee :)

[tavvattales]

helloooo can i request a fluff lof y/n taking care of their injuries after some long fight? with childe, xiao and diluc 😊 thank youuu

Oh my goodness, yes of course! <3

And if I may be bold to say, you're my first ever ask! Thank you so much for enjoying my work. I hope you enjoy these stories I wrote especially for you! 😊😊

---------------------------------------------------'--

GENSHIN IMPACT Character x gn reader fluff stories~♡♡

Scenario: Cleaning up their wounds

Characters: Childe/Tartaglia, Xiao, Diluc(seperate)

Pairings: Childe/Tartaglia x gn reader, Xiao x gn reader, Diluc x gn reader

Warnings: Mentions of blood and injuries, minor swearing

SFW----> Lots of fluff down below. Click at your own risk. ;)

Childe/Tartaglia:

● He's a skilled fighter, he wouldn't be a Harbinger if he wasn't, so very rarely would he come to you with a wound. When he does he's always embarrassed, but he'll come to you because you never pass judgment, instead your eyes are filled with worry and love.

● He loves how gentle you are when you tend to him. The way he looks at you when you clean him up and the way you smile at him, telling him how glad you are it wasn't anything serious. He knows how much you love him and it makes him fall even harder for you. Every. Single. Time.

A loud, rapid knock to your door startled you awake. Groggily you stumbled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes wondering who it could be at this time of night. As you reach the door, you peer through the peep hole. Surprised, you open the door.

A Fatui agent stood there, bowing to you. Immediately you knew what was wrong before the man could have a chance to speak, "Where is he? How bad is it?" You asked, rushed, already putting your coat on over your sleeping garments.

"He's at the Northlander Bank. He would have come here himself, but this time it's. . .bad. He's lost a bit of blood," The agent spoke grimly. You felt the lump in your throat rise and you tried to swallow.

"Thank you. ." You manage to say to the man before rushing past him, grabbing the medical supplies in the process. You didn't stop running through the brightly lit streets of Liyue until you arrived at the bank.

Panting and gasping for air you pushed past the two Fatui agents who were guarding the doors. They already knew who you were so they didn't even try to stop you, otherwise you would have had their tounge.

You quickly made your way to his room where a few more agents were attending to him as he lay on his bed, clutching his side with blood soaked rags. Your nose was immediately met with the smell of iron, "Childe! Oh my Archons, what the hell happened?!" You rush to his side, pulling out your medical supplies.

You shooed the remaining agents out of the room so you could focus. "I had a run in with a peculiar traveler named Aether. He put up quite a fight. ." His breathing was heavy and staggered, fading in and out of consciousness.

"I need you to keep talking to me, my love," you say to him gently, trying to stay calm, "I'm going to cut off your shirt so I can better assess your wound, okay?" You swiftly take out your surgical scissors and cut away the crimson soaked fabric clinging to his upper torso.

You gasp, the wound was a large slash across the side of his abdomen. You stifle back tears before meekly saying, "You're going to be okay. I promise. You'll need several stitches, but I'm determined to keep you alive."

He lets out a small laugh before wincing in pain, "I'm lucky to have someone as kind and caring as you, Y/N" Childe weakly reaches over to push a strand of hair behind your ear.

You lean into his hand for a brief moment before replying, "Take this for the pain, and this to help stop the bleeding. Afterwards I'm going to need to disinfect the wound," You hand him two pills and he swallows them quickly, "It's going to hurt, love, so bare with me. ."

You open up a bottle of alcohol and offer your hand to him, "Squeeze my hand," You say to him as you start pouring the alcohol over his wound. He grits his teeth and lets out a pained groan as he squeezes your hand tightly. You work quickly from there, stitching his wound perfectly.

Once you're finished you clean up all the rags and place a clean damp one over his forehead. He's now asleep, getting the much deserved rest he needed. You place a gentle kiss upon his cheek, not leaving his side.

He'll live to see another day, thank the Archons.

Childe/Tartaglia x gn reader END

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

Xiao:

● He also isn't one to get injured so quickly, though when he does you're always quickly by his side no matter how big or small. Even though he's not much for human interaction, he quite enjoys the attention he gets from you.

● He'll always thank you in his own way with odd gifts he made himself. You find it charming. By now you have quite the collection and they're all your most prized possessions.

Today you wanted to travel to Mondstat as you heard there was a festival going on and Xiao offered to accompany you, but only for protection he insisted. He thought human customs were a waste and didn't want to be bothered with them.

The journey to Mondstat would take half a day, and sometimes the roads could be treacherous, so you made sure to pack all of the necessities.

Snacks for the road? Check. Extra water? Check. A med kit? Of course. You triple checked everything and you were about to check it a fourth time when Xiao stopped you and said, "Y/N, you have everything we need. Trust me," He placed a firm, but gentle hand on your shoulder, "Now let's get going before it gets too late. The roads will get dangerous is we wait any longer."

You let out a small sigh and nod, "You're right. Sorry, you know I always gotta make sure everything's in order." You could have sworn you heard him huff and that made you smile. Xiao always had a cold exterior, but you knew a different side to him. He was gentle, kind, always looking out for you. You loved him so much for that. He'd never let anyone but you see this side of him.

Grabbing your sack you sling it over your shoulder and secure it as you both prepare to head out. Xiao was never one for small talk, but you still engaged him in conversation while you two walked. He secretly loved the sound of your voice so he kept you entertained just so he could keep hearing it.

After a few hours of walking both of you had arrived to Stone Gate, you decide it was time for a break. You stretch your arms upwards and arch your back before plopping down on top of a log you had found, patting the spot next to you for Xiao to sit next to you, but he shook his head and continued to stand on guard, "Oh come on, Xiao. We've been walking for hours. It's okay to rest for a bi-"

He quickly raised his hand to stop you from talking and put a finger to his lips before quietly saying, "I sense something evil coming our way," He readied his jade spear before continuing, "I need you to hide someplace safe."

"No way am I going to let you fight on your own!" You retort, getting your sword ready. Determination burned in your eyes as you glanced over to him.

He met your gaze and let out a small sigh, his golden eyes glimmering before giving you a nod, "Fine."

You started hearing rustling from all around you both when it finally clicked that it was an ambush. A charge of at least twenty Hilichurls and three large ones came at the both of you from all sides, "Tck. . Damn. There are more than I expected, " Xiao muttered angrily, knocking back three with his spear in one swift movement, killing them instantly.

You swiftly take out two more, rushing at a third one. You two made a hell of a team. You didn't have a vision, but you were very skilled with the sword and whatever you didn't have, Xiao made up for it creating the perfect synergy between the both of you.

"So much for a peaceful break!" You call out to him as you hacked away a few more, so far you've managed not to get hit. Xiao managed to take out the rest rather quickly.

You rush to his side, noticing a rather long cut across his right cheek, "Xiao, you've been hurt," you said, a frown forming on your lips. He reached up to touch it and he winced slightly.

"I must have been nicked by an arrow, " He muttered, "I'm just glad you're not hurt," He softly took your chin in his hand as he tilted your head gently, side to side.

You blush furiously, avoiding his beautiful gaze, "Let me at least tend to your cut. It's the least I can do" you say, rummaging through your sack taking out the med kit.

Xiao took a seat on the log you were previously sitting on as you kneel in front of him, gently tending his wound. He winces each time you dab it with the disinfectant, but he's grateful to you.

After placing the bandage on his cut, he gingerly takes your hand and places it back on his cheek, nuzzling into it, "Thank you, " He said in a hushed whisper before kissing your hand.

You smile at him and leaned upwards, giving a quick kiss to his bandaged cut, leaving him stunned. "That's to make it heal faster" you say giggling softly at his expression.

He still wasn't used to human customs, but this he could get used to.

Xiao x gn reader END

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

Diluc:

● His work as the Dark Knight hero brings him home with several injuries a week, but you're quick to assist him and most of the time he's careful not to sustain anything too horrible. Though you never fail to scold him for being reckless and to take it easy once in a while.

● He always studies your features as you tend to him, falling in love with you all over again. You're so tender with your touch, careful not to cause him any further harm. He always pulls you into a tight embrace afterwards, grateful to be back in your arms after a long night.

You let out an exasperated sigh as you study the mildly battered Diluc. His bright fiery colored hair, falling in locks in front of his face as he plops down in a chair, leaning his head back. He had several small cuts from what you could tell with the amount of tears on his clothing, "You over did it again, didn't you?" You asked, hands on your hips.

"Mm, perhaps I may have, " Diluc replies back, slowly taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, preparing for you to clean out his cuts and scrapes.

You click your tongue in response to his answer, "You worry me so much, you know that, right?" But you're quick to blush as he slides off his shirt, his perfectly sculpted abs catching the dim light of the room, creating perfect shadows across his skin.

He smirks at you, "I'm aware, but I also love seeing how you care for me after a long night, Y/N," Diluc takes your hand in his, bringing it up to his lips as he gingerly kisses it, glancing up at you with his gentle crimson eyes.

You fidget shyly, meeting his gaze, "O-of course. I'll always support you, but it's okay to give your body a break once in a while too. ." You say, smiling softly wondering what you were gonna do with him.

Diluc lets go of your hand, letting you get to work on cleaning his several small cuts. You're careful not to further hurt him as you dab them clean, applying a bandage to each one, "All finished." You say, proud of your handiwork.

"Thank you, my dear," He says as he gets up, pulling you into a warm embrace. Your heart pounding in your chest. You lift your face up to meet his loving crimson gaze as he leans down to give you a soft, warm kiss upon your lips.

You may not like to see him hurt, but you live for these gentle moments.

Diluc x gn reader END

I hope you enjoy <3

[bisexual-bitch-blogs]

Is it okay if I request Aether x Dom fem reader? If so, I wanna request Aether who is affected by aphrodisiac gas or something like that because his enemy attack him with that and Aether ask reader for help to satisfy his needs. Sorry, if my English is horrible

"Satisfied"

Aether X Soft Dom Fem Reader

Here ya go. Sorry it took a while. Your english is fine. Hope you like it!😙 Btw Reader is a anemo catalyst

POV Your relationship with Aether so far has been pretty innocent. You assume he wanted to take it slow. Therefore, did not have dirty thoughts. Maybe once in a while. However, the male traveler dreamed of you wrecking him almost everyday but the problem was, your soft and 'pure.' One day while on a commission against treasure hoarders, Aether was hit by some sort of aphrodisiac gas. That's when he released all his inners desires. Like the good girlfriend you are. You hesitated before complying

Includes: Biting kink, pegging, nipple play

🌠-------------------------------------------🌠

At some random ruin in Liyue, a camp of treasure hoarders has stolen multiple artifacts from adventurers.

You and Aether were commissioned to take the stolen items back and defeat them if needed.

Of course, the bandits never go down without a fight. You handled your group of hoarders and your lover handles his.

Summoning up a hurricane to finish off the last remaining bandits on your side. You looked over to Aether just in time to see one of the last treasure hoarder throw a pink bottle at the blonde's feet. It shatter upon impact, spreading its particles into the air.

You rushed to the blonde male's aid and knocked the hoarder off the cliff with your anemo power. You thought.

'What did that bandit throw? It didn't contain frost, electric or water.'

You turned around, facing the traveler, asking.

"Hey-"

Paimon shrieks, flying around the fallen blonde.

"Eek! Aether what's wrong?! Get up!"

Your eyes widen. Immediately you rushed to his side, wrapping your arms around him. He was burning up like a fever. You quickly, commanded.

"Paimon, hurry and go find Albedo! I"ll bring him home..!"

Not bothering to hear your floating companion's response. You carried the blond and jumped off the small hill, controlling the wind to push you to Wangshu Inn.

Arriving through the window, into the reserved room, you placed the squirming panting male onto the soft silky sheets of the bed.

"Whats wrong, love?? Are you in any pain!? Do you need any-"

Suddenly the traveler let out a porn worthy moan as he starts rubbing his crotch. That's when it clicked in your head.

'Aphrodisiac.'

Now what was the cure for it? You don't know. Your not a doctor.

"T-Touch me, p-please...! Its so hot!"

You rejected.

"No. Your not in your right mind, love."

With an angry pained huff. He pulls you onto the bed, flipping around. Aether was now on top of you, grinding.

"Please fuck me. I want it. I want it so bad. I only want to do this with you. Only you yet your just so satisfied with holding hands and cuddling. I couldn't help but think I'm so dirty. Everyday, I dream of multiple ways on how you would rail me at different locations. How you eat me out, having me for dinner instead of actual food. I want to become one with you so bad. Please..!!"

You gave a sloppy kiss to Aether and dipped your cold hands under his cropped top. The male melts into your touch.

"Fine. I"ll indulge your dirty fantasies. I'm sorry for not noticing your needs and will wreck you until your satisfied."

Slipping off everything that was covering his torso. Your fingers pinched each of his erected nipples, earning a loud squeal.

"NnGh!"

Switching your positions around with you on top this time. You depart from the passionate kiss, quickly trailing down to the blonde’s neck, biting and sucking on them.

Your mouth moved to one bud, sucking them before moving on to the other with the same ferocity before biting them gently.

"Ah!"

Your thumbs brushed over the reddened buds hoping to soothe the pain as you start painting his white body with your bites. Every time you mark him, he would moan, body flinching at the slight pain. You muttered.

"Beautiful.."

Taking off his last few remaining clothes, you rubbed his shaft, slowly, agonizing him, he bucks his hips into your hand.

"M-More!"

You stuck out your tongue, licking the side of his hardened member up to the tip, giving a chaste kiss on top. Then you blew on his flushed dick. Slacking your jaw, you took his member into your mouth, bobbing your head up and down, repeatedly. It was hitting the back of your throat just fine when it got a little bigger.

"I'm coming-! Nuugh..!"

Aether released, making you swallow the salty white fluid. Letting him calm down from his high, you took this chance to put on a black strap on from a bag under the bed. You thought.

'We don't have lube.........I could substitute it with our saliva..'

As if the blond knew what you were thinking, he pulled small bottle of clear lube out of his backpack.

"U-Use this to pr-prep me."

You didn't question him why he had it and took the container, you poured its contents on your fingers and stuck one into Aether's hole. His velvet walls was now being stretched little by little. Sweet moans escaped the the traveler's lips.

"Agh! Ah! Mmngh..!"

Deciding it was enough prep, you took your digits away. Aether whines at the loss of friction. You prodded his entrance with your silicone, slowly entering.

The gaping hole all too sudden were filled to the brim. Without any warning, you pulled back and with a quick snap foward. Aether screams in pleasure.

"So good!"

His tight hole was too tempting to not pound into a wet mess. So you did just that.

"Please, please please please please..!"

You didn't know what Aether is begging for thus you ignored it and tried to find his g spot. With relentless sharp fast thrust, you attempted to find it to no avail. This time you tried changing his leg positions and pressed down on his stomach. The white male sobs when he released with a silent moan.

Because you were busy searching his inside. You didn't notice him cumming. Irritated that you couldn't find what you wanted for 10 minutes.

God, Barbatos or Morax heard your prayers. When the male under you, screamed suddenly. You pulled back, remembering the angle and pounded into him. Thrusting at the bundle of nerves.

"Annhh! Aah! Ohh! Mnnhh! Ah!"

When the traveler finally cum, you pulled out, collapsing next to him on your back with heavy breaths. Exhausted, you closed your eyes, ready to sleep away your fatigue until you felt someone on sitting near where your strap on was.

"Not done yet. I'm still not satisfied.!"

Snapping your eyes wide open at the male on top of you. You could feel dread crawling up your back. Like how horny is he? Is it the aphrodisiac or himself that is speaking?

You stuttered.

"You-! You Incubus.....!"

---------

To avoid stressing myself out. I'll try my best to post like once every week or more depending on my grades and school work. Tbh this is my most terrible work in my opinion

[restlessfandoming]

“fever dreams” (chilumi sickfic)

this is in response to a [request] by @tiny-daisy where Lumine gets sick and Childe and co. have to take care of her! 

reverse [campfire in the snow] fic :p (SICKFIC!!!)

i wanted to write this as taking place after [family holiday] so pls read that first! ;_;

thanks for all the lovely responses <3

[Fic Masterlist]

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

“fever dreams” (family holiday pt. 3)

When Lumine woke up, her entire body ached. Why…? She sat up in bed, her head suddenly reeling. Placing a hand on her forehead to steady herself, she felt it burn under her touch. Sweat plastered her hair onto her face. 

Oh no…

Sickness wasn’t something Lumine experienced often. Being otherworldly entities and travelling excessively, she and Aether rarely came down with illnesses. 

I think I’ve been in Teyvat way too long. She and Aether had never stayed on a world for this long. I guess my body finally caught up to me...

She looked around the room for something, anything, to alleviate the pressure building in her head. The curtains were drawn, only letting in a sliver of daylight. She was in Childe’s room; she had taken to crawling into bed with him at night for warmth, and falling asleep in his welcome arms. The Harbinger was currently nowhere to be seen. 

She tried crawling out of bed, but the moment she stood, the room spun, and she found herself collapsed on the floor with a loud THUD. There was a pattering of footsteps coming towards her. 

Anthon opened the door. “I heard something fall—” He looked down to see Lumine, and his eyes widened. “Teucer! Tonia! Go get big brother, NOW!” he shouted down the hallway through the open door. He rushed to Lumine’s side. “What’s wrong?!”

Lumine let out a haggard breath. “I-I think I’m sick,” she croaked. Teucer and Tonia crowded into the room. 

“Lumine!” they cried. All three children huddled around the sick traveler, attempting to help pick her up. Anthon shooed them away, and they dashed out of the room shouting for Childe. 

“You guys shouldn’t get so close,” she said. “I don’t want you guys to get sick too.” 

“But you need help!” 

If they get sick...their time together will be ruined… “It-it’s okay. I can take care of myself…”

They heard another wave of rumbling footsteps and Childe appeared in the doorway, obviously winded. “What-what’s going on?” His eyes fell on Lumine’s slumped figure on the floor and immediately rushed to her side, nearly knocking Anthon over. “Lumine, what’s wrong?” he asked, voice rushed with worry—the most worry Lumine had ever heard from him. 

“She’s sick!” Anthon answered. 

“Sick?!” Tonia and Teucer exclaimed from the doorway. 

“I thought she was invisible!” Teucer said.

“Invincible,” both Tonia and Anthon corrected.  

Childe slipped off one of his gloves, placing his hand gently on her forehead. His fingers were ice cold compared to her burning head, and Lumine also let out a heavy sigh of relief. “You’re definitely sick,” he murmured. He picked her up off the ground—bridal style—and carried her back to bed. 

As he was adjusting the pillows and blankets around her, Tonia scooted close. “Are you going to be okay, Lumine?” Her large blue eyes were full of worry. 

Lumine looked at the children, all their eyes glistening. I’m upsetting all of the children… She gave them all a weak smile. “I’ll be okay…” She raised her arm like she was showing off her muscles. “Just watch, I’ll be up and ready to run around in no time!” 

Childe crossed his arms. “Absolutely not. You are not leaving this room until you are fully recovered.” His expression was dark; it almost scared her. “Anthon, go help your brother and sister make some tea for Lumine.” Anthon nodded, and herded Tonia and Teucer out of the room. 

Lumine let out a sigh, deflating fully now that the children were gone. “I’m sorry for ruining your time with your family…,” she whispered. “Spend time with them. I can get over this on my own.”

His jaw relaxed and he sighed as well. “I’m not going to leave you when you need help.” He sat on the edge of the bed, and brushed some of the hair away from her face. “Try to relax; we’ll take care of you.” 

“No—”

He held up a hand to stop her. “‘No’ is not an answer. I can’t have you dying before our next duel, now can I?” 

She playfully scoffed. “I bet I could still bet you, even like this.”

“I wouldn’t fight you like this,” he said. He brought his face close to hers. “I’m not a fan of unfair fights.” 

Lumine put her hands on his chest, attempting to push him away. “Stay away. You’re going to get sick too.” 

He easily took her hands into his own. “I promise, I won’t.” He pressed his lips to her fingers. “So let me take care of you.” 

It was hard to let outsiders into her life. The only person she could be vulnerable around was Aether, and now, he was gone. 

But here was Childe, slowly making his way into her heart. 

Would it be so bad to let him in?

She looked into his eyes: eyes that were soft, focused only on her. Lumine let herself relax into the pillows, and Childe smiled. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, before kissing her forehead. 

“I should be the one thanking you,” she muttered. 

“Ahem.” Anthon cleared his throat. His cheeks were red (From watching us, no doubt, Lumine thought) and he was holding a steaming cup. Tonia soon joined him with a large bowl, and Teucer held a handful of towels. 

“I brought ice water!” Tonia announced. 

“And I have towels for your head, Lumine!” Teucer said. 

“You guys did that all by yourselves?” Childe asked. 

“Of course!” Tonia answered, going to the bedside table and putting down the bowl. “We remember all the times you’ve taken care of us when we were sick, brother!”

Anthon set down his cup as well. “Here is some herbal tea. It might be bitter. But brother said the more bitter, the more healthy.”

Teucer hopped over, jumping onto the bed between Childe and Lumine, and proudly showing the towels to her. “You just put these in the water, and then on your head, and your head will feel good!” 

Lumine chuckled. “Okay, thank you, Anthon, Tonia, Teucer.” 

“Why are you sick, Lumine?” Teucer asked. 

Tonia raised her hand. “I think I know! It was probably because we were playing outside too long yesterday!” 

Anthon nodded. “And probably because we had that massive snowball fight…”

“Yes, of course,” Chlide agreed. “And poor Lumine isn’t accustomed to our Snezhnayan weather yet.”

Teucer laid down, hugging Lumine through the blanket. “I hope you get better soon,” he said sadly. “Then we can play more!” 

She patted his head hazily. “Of course.” Her eyelids were fluttering, getting heavier with sleep. 

“Okay, everyone. Time to leave Lumine so she can rest. That means no bothering her throughout the day, okay?” Childe said sternly. 

Teucer slid off the bed, rejoining Anthon and Tonia. The three children let out a resounding ‘Aww,’ then left. 

Childe dipped a towel into the ice water, wringing it out, then placing it on Lumine’s forehead. She sighed feeling its cool touch. 

“Sleep,” he told her. “I’ll be right here.” 

She nodded, already closing her eyes, and quickly drifting into a slumber. 

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

Flying. 

Lumine was flying again, no glider necessary. 

She laughed joyfully. She had missed this feeling: this feeling of freedom and endless possibilities. 

Ahead, she saw Aether. She couldn’t believe it. She called out for her brother. 

It had been too long! She would finally be reunited with him!

He turned. 

And Lumine screamed. 

His face wasn’t there. Instead it was a dark mass—the Unknown God’s magic. The mass grew, overtaking Aether’s body. 

“NO!” she screamed, trying to fly as fast as she could to get to him. “I won’t let you disappear! Not again!” 

She was almost there. Her hand was outstretched, her fingertips almost brushing him. 

The dark mass completely took over Aether’s body. Then, it all disappeared in a blink. 

Tears flooded her eyes. “No…”

Lumine started falling, her wings gone. 

“AETHER!”

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

Lumine sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily. Her heart pounded, loud and fast enough that her ears drummed as well. Her hands went to her eyes, where she wiped away the tears pooling in them. 

“Bad dream?” 

Childe was sitting in an armchair opposite the bed. Lumine could see that it was dark out now, with the crack in the curtain. The fireplace next to him was lit, casting a dim, fiery glow across the room. 

Lumine caught her breath. “I—.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes.”

He regarded her curiously, an underlying...darkness in his eyes again. He stood up, and went to take the towel off of her forehead before checking her temperature. “I think your fever is gone.”

“Good,” she said, relieved. “I do feel a lot better.” Minus that fever dream…

He nodded silently. He paused for a second. Then—

“Who’s Aether?”

Lumine froze. Damn it. She must’ve called out for him in her sleep. 

She hadn’t told Childe about the real reason she was in Teyvat; nothing about her brother had been said, nor anything about who she really was. There was no telling how people would react, especially someone as unpredictable as the Eleventh Harbinger. 

“Aether,” Childe said again, in her silence. “You yelled their name.”

Lumine looked at the fireplace. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She saw Childe’s jaw flex. “You know, as someone who works for the Fatui, I have an easy time telling when someone lies.” His eyes flickered to her, and she felt her blood go ice cold. “But I guess you still don’t trust me.” 

“No, that’s not—”

“It’s okay, I understand, really I do,” he said. His expression became something sadder—softer. “I just thought...I just...Nevermind.” He turned, walking towards the door. “Get some rest.” 

No! Lumine wanted to trust him. 

She was just...afraid. 

But what was more frightening was the fact that she was, yet again, losing someone close to her. 

She stood up quickly out of bed, trying to stop him from leaving. “Childe—” 

Her vision came crashing in on itself, and she started to fall, dizzy, and still sick. 

In a heartbeat, Childe was back at her side, catching her before she collapsed. “Careful! You’re—”

Lumine wrapped her arms tightly around him. “He’s my brother,” she whispered. The tears came back into her eyes, trailing down onto Childe’s shoulder. “Aether is my brother. Someone took him.” Her voice cracked. “I need to get him back.” 

There was a brief moment where Childe was completely still under Lumine’s embrace. Then, he hugged her back, just as tightly—if not even tighter. 

“You didn’t have to tell me,” he said quietly. “But...thank you for trusting me.” 

She pulled back from the hug, and gave him a look of gratitude. He gave her a small smile, and wiped away her tears. “We’ll find your brother. Together.”

Together...I like the sound of that…

Lumine leaned forward and kissed Childe; he joyfully kissed her back. 

After a while, he pulled back. “As much as I enjoy this, you should be in bed, resting.” 

Lumine pouted slightly. “Fine.” She started to get up on her own, but Chlide quickly swept her into a bridal carry once again. He put her gently back on the bed, helping her fix the pillows and blankets. He turned back to the armchair. 

“Wait,” Lumine said, her face filling with heat. Not sickness. Embarrassment. “Can you—Will you—ah—”

Childe raised a brow, the corner of his mouth smirking. “Stay with you?” 

Lumine only nodded once, hoping to curb her embarrassment. The previous nights, when she had crawled into his bed, were all silent exchanges—no questions or comments, just silent understanding. Now to actively ask him? So embarrassing…

Thankfully, he laughed lightly, then slid under the blankets on the other side of the bed, pulling Lumine close, and kissing her forehead. “Your face is hot; is it another fever?” he teased. 

“Shut up,” Lumine grumbled, but snuggled in closer to him. 

She eventually fell asleep again. 

And this time, there weren’t any nightmares.