#anyway，guess its time to save for baizhu

[rubys-domain]

welp-

[bamdelune]

In Hindsight 📹 Ch. 13 "new year, old me"

notes. long narration ahead, will do a bonus episode from scara's pov!

The beach was somewhere you imagine to be as peaceful and serene just as they had portrayed it in your favorite films and novels. You yearned to feel the gentle intrusion of the saltwater sea between the gaps of yout feet, to feel the grainy sensation of sand as you draw the faintest of patterns, leaving shapes in its wake. These thoughts were exactly why you ended up in a car ride with Kunikuzushi on the way to a mildy popular place to celebrate graduation. Both of you didn't have any plans for the week; your hometown was miles away from the city you lived in, meaning you wouldn't be able to see your parents—not that you'd want to anyway in this state while Kuni just didn't want to plainly stay home.

The car ride was silent for the majority, save for the occasional question of "Do you want to switch places?" after each hour of driving, perhaps you can include small chitchat in between stops, and changing the song that was playing on the speaker. You've come to find that Kuni likes songs with slow tempos, maybe R&B.

Once the both of you finally settled down in your shared room, the sunset had already started to fall on the shoreline. The calm waters of the sea nearby illuminated by the shine of the sun, you could compare it to the most eye-catching scene in a fantasy movie where the two leads would share a romantic gesture.

Except those two leads weren't you and Kuni, you were just friends.

Two friends at the beach at such close proximity that anyone passing by would've thought otherwise.

The soft splash of the water against your bare feet made you wonder how you weren't able to visit this type of calmness earlier. The sun was about to set at any time now, while the both of you sat in comfortable silence on the blanket he had laid out on the sand.

"Y/N."

You turn your head to Kuni, hugging your knees as you were watching the sun starting to set behind the sea.

"Hm?"

Kuni looked hesitant, almost bashful if you looked closed enough. He reaches for something in his pocket and fishes out what looked like a bracelet. You peer at his hands, examining the design.

"Consider this a graduation gift. I didn't know what type of stuff you liked so I had to make a guess. You like wearing accessories so I figured... well—" He looks away, hiding a tint of pink on his face that had bloomed out of slight embarrassment. You laugh, taking the bracelet from him.

"It's really pretty, Kuni. Thank you... so much."

Huh.

At your words, your heart twists slightly, a twinge of sadness punching in.

This bracelet... and Kuni gifting it to you, it just meant something that you didn't want to think about. You don't want to think about how with this seemingly small and minor item, it meant that you were close enough with Kunikuzushi to be able to receive something from him.

Ergo, that was one more person added to the list of people you were going to have to say goodbye to the time 10 months had passed.

You hope that Kunikuzushi doesn't catch the way your smile falters ever so subtly, tearing your gaze away back to the sun as it set. The moon starting to take its place as the cape of nighttime draped over the shore.

You felt compelled to ask a question, one that was quite surprising if you examine it closely.

"Kuni, do you make friends with your patients?"

He stiffens a little at your question, his eyebrows lowering in thought. "No, why?"

"Alright... are you friends with me out of pity then?"

He looks at you with a confused expression, his indigo bangs moving along. He thinks about it for a while.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason."

Oh.

"Ah." You only say in response.

"—But, I guess it's more than that now. Listen, Y/N. I may have agreed to this because Baizhu said I had to and I felt bad, but after the past few weeks, I think that... we're kind of alike."

"Alike?"

Kuni nods, "My mother— holy shit, even saying that makes me a little nauseous, she's the type to control every minor and trivial detail of my life. Where I go to school, who I'm friends with, where I go after graduation. I guess with an overbearing person like that watching you like a goddamn hawk, I wanted to live a little. And you, well, you convinced me that it was okay to do that."

His tone was soft and gentle, much different than that of his normal and teasing attitude. Genuine feelings latched onto every syllable and burned into your mind.

Silence fills the conversation again, before you open your mouth to speak.

"Do you.. hate your mom?"

His lips purse a little, "I couldn't if I tried, and believe me, I tried. Even with amount of fuckery she did to me, I still love her as a mother."

"Maybe if she wasn't so busy as the director of the hospital, we would've been able to sit down and talk about our issues."

You smile assuringly at him, hesitantly taking the fingers of his left hand and tracing patterns on it as you reply, "I'm glad you get to have a little wiggle room, Kuni."

Kunikuzushi lets you draw shapes on his hand, his eyes trying to deduce what you were tracing. You don't catch the way his pale face blooms pink as he watched your features focus on the silly little shapes you formed on his skin.

He was falling.

He was falling and he didn't like it.

footnotes. i do apologize once again for the slightly (very) late update T_T i got caught up in a lot of summer programs

synopsis. You are a singer-songwriter. Music has always been a part of you, it's a part of your identity that no one can ever take away. However, there's always a catch: you are diagnosed with a chronic illness that puts your life on a timer. Those who have heard your countless melodies have grown to notice that the notes on the sheet played a gloomier tune. Would the snarky and capable medical student you've met be able to bring life back into these melodies? Even as life begins to seep out of your own body? (scaramouche x gn!reader)

tags. gender-neutral reader, angst, fluff, crack, heavy contexts of death and illnesses, friends to lovers, slowburn, profanities, drinking (characters are in college), suggestive themes but no nsfw.

taglist. (status: open) — @beriiov @alatusorrow @br0oke96 @ohmyfinggod @itzblazekun @featuredtofu @sketcheeee @lazy-sanns @sakurapeach @sheraffim @vxmp-loml @sukunasrealgf @sleepning @yukiipc @thenightsflower @aqvvas

masterpost ★ masterlist © bamdelune 2023. do not repost, translate, plagiarize any of my works without permission, thank you so much! reblogs, notes, and comments are always appreciated!

[mementofloreo-archived]

@viisiond || plotted starter || nettle stop bein cute. fucker

[it's lengthy so I gave it a cut as a courtesy to the dash!]

He's wrapped up the last of his work- finally. He's sent a letter back home to let his family know he's taking the rest of the day to rest and will be packing up and setting out tomorrow. They can expect him within two weeks, though his travel time will depend on road conditions, weather, and the whims of his health(as always).

Liyue Harbor has been very kind and welcoming to Nettle, of course, but he hasn't seen his family in over three months. He's never been on his own this long and it's worn him down horribly. Still, he's managed to soldier through it, and that gives him a little hope, at least in terms of being able to look after himself more often in the future.

He'll be happy to go back to his temporary room at the Guild and have some quiet, decompress, hopefully sleep for a while. But there's one last errand he wants to take care of.

Bubu Pharmacy is in all likelihood on its noon break period, a time for having a meal, catching a breather, restocking things and checking inventory- which means it's a good time for Nettle to drop by for a social visit.

Baizhu is already out front when Nettle ambles in, to his relief. No need to ask for him. He's looking at some notes, so Nettle clears his throat and offers a polite wave and a small smile when he looks up.

"Hullo," he says, "Sorry to intrude during an off hour- I won't take up too much time."

"What do you need today, then, Nettle?" Baizhu marks and closes his notebook and offers a polite smile in turn.

"Nothing, actually," Nettle laughs a little, "I finished the last of my liasion work this morning, so tomorrow I'll be packing up and heading home to Monstadt."

Baizhu is quiet for just a few beats longer than Nettle expects, but then he says, "...Ah, I see. I hadn't realized you were so close to finishing."

There's something in his tone that feels a little thoughtful, but Nettle isn't here to try and read his mind.

"Honestly, after the first fortnight I stopped knowing how much was left to do or how long it would take myself." He says, but then he holds out a parcel. Baizhu looks at it blankly.

"Ah," Nettle coughs, "I'm sorry, let me-" He fumbles and flushes as he excuses himself and explains. "...I...well, of course I know that everything you've done for me has just been part of your job. And I understand that you'd offer the same help and courtesy to anyone who pays for it, but..."

He exhales. "...Even so...It's mundane to you, but for me it made all the difference. More than once. The supplies I've gotten here, as well as the suggestions and tips, they've helped me take care of myself while I've been here...and they've helped me save a few lives out in the field as well. I can't...really effectively express how significant that is to me."

He takes another breath. "Anyway, all my carrying on aside, I wanted to do something to thank you. So, uh, here. It's a gift...care package? I don't know, call it what you like, but it's for you."

Baizhu is very quiet as he takes the parcel- it's actually three small packages bound together with twine.

"The one on top is yours," Nettle says, "But I...I've labeled the others- I brought things for Qiqi and mister Gui as well."

Baizhu nods, still silent, removes the packet on top and unwraps it. Nettle immediately feels his face heat, begins fidgeting and fiddling with his hands. He hadn't expected him to open it right away.

"I...er, I know it's...really not anything special," he sputters, "...It may not even do you any good, or you may not even like the taste, but...maybe you'll at least like the teacup?"

Wrapped in the parcel is a small wooden cup, the same shape as most used for hot tea in Liyue. It's been sanded smooth and given a few coats of safe varnish for durability, and detailed, painstakingly carved wildflowers and fiddleheads add character to it. There is a simple lid on top.

"There's uh, there's some loose leaf tea inside. In a paper container." Nettle says, "It's designed to uh, to help treat inflammation and regulate heartrate. Amaranth did most of the research for making it originally, but I put this batch together myself. I uh, I also made the cup."

"I know that your health isn't good, so I just..." he's still fidgeting, "...Well I mean you know more about medicine and all that than I ever could, so it's likely this is something you've already tried, or that wouldn't work for you, or...well, like I said, you might not even like the flavor, but..."

He finishes very quietly, lamely, voice cracking, "...to be honest, I just...kind of worry about you a little, and I wanted to...try and offer what little I can, you know?"

Baizhu nods absently and remains quiet.

"Um...the...the one for Gui is a leatherbound notebook? Or more accurately a cover. The inside can be switched out if he fills it up. I figure he can keep notes on orders and other things in there. The one for Qiqi..."

He purses his lips. Qiqi is a sweet kid, really. Not very expressive, and her working memory is honestly awful. She's a literal zombie, so Nettle isn't entirely surprised by that- being undead coming with physical or cognitive issues makes a lot of sense to him.

Still, she really tries very hard. And he may not know what the ethical thing to do is concerning whether she should be laid to rest or allowed to keep going as is- but for as long as she does keep going, he feels she should be treated with love and care, just like any other child. He's spent quite a few hours helping her find her way after finding her lost, and while they walk he plays games and sings songs with her. Ones he does with his nephew- ones that he was taught to help manage his own working memory problems as a child.

...He doesn't know if any of that has helped Qiqi improve on the whole, but...he's noticed in the last few weeks that she recognizes him when he comes in and remembers his name(well...the shortening of it- Ned.)

"Qiqi's is, um...it's more of a memento, or keepsake, or something. There's a little notepad inside, not...not for writing, I've just...catalogued some of the songs and games I taught her, in case she wants to keep playing them. And there's a little...charm, I guess? It's just a little felted toy with a string she can use to attach it to a bag or belt. It's um..."

He mutters in embarrassment, "...............it's a dendro slime. With my uh, my coloring...well, a lot of people compare me to one, and...she seems to sort of recognize me now, and I know how much work that must have taken her...Anyway, I filled it up with the same scent I think she recognizes me by, it's...sweetened cinnamon. It's the fragrance I use for my hygeine supplies, so I always smell like it. I've found um...for me at least, some of my strongest memory reactions are to scents, so...I kind of...tried to get her to use sensory input to help her, and...well I don't know if it worked, but...I can hope."

"God I really did just go on and on, I'm so sorry." Nettle laughs, "...please continue looking after her well, though, Baizhu. She's a really, really good kid."

With another sigh, he finally drops his hands to his sides again. "Anyway, I'm sure you still have some things to get to during your break, so I'll wrap it up and get out of your way but...well, I hope you'll also...take good care of yourself. I know it can be pretty touch and go for you some days, but...well, I'd like it if you're still here the next time I'm able to make it out here. So, so I can see you again. And maybe get your opinion on that tea? Haha..."

He knows he must be going from pink to red by now. Baizhu has still said....all but nothing. He doesn't seem upset, more like...perhaps he's having trouble processing the gift. Regardless, Nettle is getting too embarrassed to handle this any longer- so he excuses himself and scampers out of the pharmacy. He'll get dinner to go on his way back to the guild.