#genshin impact comfort

[sakkiichi]

HERE COMES THE SUN.

They comfort you while you’re having a difficult time.

ft. Childe, Lyney, Albedo, Shikanoin Heizou x gn! reader.

cw/genre: hurt/comfort.

for my dear @https-furina I know you’ve been going through trying times lately, so I hope this can comfort you a little <3 I also struggled a lot with Heizou’s part, so I apologize if it’s no good at all…

if you enjoy this, reblogs and comments help more than likes !

✧ CHILDE

Linen sheets feel like ropes on raw skin against the morning chill.

Its warm cream color, ashen, nothing like the mirror sunrises you were used to witnessing right after you opened your eyes.

What’s the point in opening them anymore? You wonder.

You bury your face against the pillows. In any other occasion, you would have been grateful for the coolness of its silk.

Now it’s just an iceberg. Like a missing shard of your shallow beating heart.

“Someone’s sleepy today.” A familiarly perky voice greets, the mattress dipping slightly with new weight.

You rolling in the other direction is all the greeting that meets him.

“Hey, love! It’s time to wake up!” Childe chuckles, his hand gently shaking your body.

Yet something already tells him this is not right; you usually would have already shoved him away by now.

But today you’re just… unresponsive…

The dull oceans of his stare rise in dangerous waves at your state.

Hesitant, he calls your name, his tone more like a question.

And this time, he does get an answer.

Familiar arms he adores wrapped around him loop around his middle, your face burying against his chest.

You’re warm, yet you feel so… faraway… as if the pain of past memories was seeping out your light.

Ajax is no stranger to the despair palpable in your strong grip around him, he’s endured it himself, through years robbed of him by an abyss that turned him into a master of all weapons.

So because he’s known the cold of endless nights where all he had was a tattered red scarf to remember the warmth of a distant home, he now holds you.

And for someone whose hands were tainted in the filth and bloodshed of a lifetime of slaughter, Ajax is undeniably gentle.

His fingertips ghost over your skin, easing the burning anguish of bed covers that felt too rough, too suffocating, too wrong.

When your lover’s hands get lost in your hair, combing it, you swear sun rays filter through the deep sea you’re falling through.

And then, suddenly, the choice to swim upwards presents before you, scarred sun-kissed hands extended towards you.

You take them.

When you open your eyes, russet sunsets and constellations over your beloved’s skin greet you.

His lips find yours, a bit chapped but gentle; not his usual playfulness, but soothing aquamarine waves.

You swear Childe’s kiss tastes salty. And that’s when you realize the dry tear-tracks down your cheeks.

He made them dry, sunlight evaporating puddles after grey days.

You break the surface, the waters now turquoise beneath Ajax’s light.

He won’t let you sink again.

✧ LYNEY

A whole audience’s cheers fill the Opera Epiclese. Lights shine upon every smiling face, every vigourous clap of hands after the magician’s grand finale echoing through the theater.

However, the illusionist’s gaze of amethyst is focused on the sole grim expression amongst millions of joyous others.

Yours.

Your hands move, clapping together, as if automated; your eyes stare at everything, seeing nothing; your mouth is a taut line, your lips devoid of their usual vibrant tint.

Lyney doesn’t like that being his last memory before the curtain closes.

When you step out of the Opera House, an infinity of starfields is abloom across the crepuscular skies.

What a mockery; a cruel jinx on display, for you to see the unfulfilled sparks dimming inside your heart.

A sigh escapes your dry lips, a small cloud forming when it meets the late night chill.

“You’ll catch a cold there, mon coeur,” Someone you know, tricks and all, utters behind you.

Welcome warmth tinted in lavender envelops you the instant your eyes meet the magician’s starry ones.

A small smile tugs at your lips, the curse of melancholy still clinging to you through it.

“Lyney…” You start. The twilit breeze picks up around you, your arms instinctively wrapping around yourself for some semblance of a warmth you haven’t felt in days.

“That won’t do, ma chérie.” Your lover chuckles.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a piece of the night sky itself seems to become tangible in his grasp.

“Here,” he offers, draping it over your shoulders.

Upon closer inspection, you realize it’s a shawl; the cloth feels delicate to the touch, quite fine too, and yet, you feel the warmth of a thousand suns. If you had to describe its color you would come up empty. Silver glitter seems to be embedded in the fabric, but at the same time, it looks like multiple tiny lights had been stitched to the material. You suppose you’d call the hue, dark; a myriad of indigoes merge into violets, threaded together with navies and cobalts. And yet, when you move it, the colors seem to shift, almost like the clouds drifting across this midnight.

“I take it you liked it.” Lyney smiles, softer than his usual cheshire-like grins, when he observes your wonderstruck features.

“Very…” You muse, awestruck at the magical silk.

“It’s a châle de ciel,” your beloved explains, “It will change depending on the state of the sky at each time of day.” He pauses, eyes, the color of lumidouce bells and rainbow rose petals merged, glinting as he admires how the garment fits you. “But I can guarantee,” your illusionist steps closer to you, plucking something out of your hair. “That it will always keep you comfortable… warm or cool, whatever you need.” He finishes, handing you a pluie lotus.

You take a few seconds to appreciate the second gift of the night. The flower’s petals are the same color as Lyney’s eyes, yet not as vivacious.

“Shall we go, mon amour?” Your boyfriend inquires, already offering your arm to him.

Together, you leave the opera house behind.

You hope for light blues on your new cape tomorrow morning. And somehow, you know that’s what you’ll find.

You squeeze Lyney’s arm gently. The sun will rise soon.

✧ ALBEDO

When he sets foot on his camp in Dragonspine, Albedo finds the heater already on.

Strange.

The sun hasn’t even quite awoken yet, the snowy peaks outlined against skies still clinging to dreamless cloudy nights; shards of ice, embedded in the softness of dawn clouds. An accurate representation of the region of freedom’s snowy mountains: menacingly beautiful, brimming with lethal charm, for one step in the wrong direction, and the cold might as well consume you for good.

At this hour, no one was ever already working at his lab, making of these moments calm sunrise-tinted memories in the alchemist’s mind, before the day’s hustle and bustle began.

However, today, the running heater is not the only out of the ordinary salutation to greet the chalk prince.

The acute sounds of clicking vials, books being rearranged and crunching snow are confirmation enough that he is, indeed, not alone.

With silent steps, Albedo advances, keeping one hand hovering over his trusty sword. Then, he finally lays eyes upon the cause for the commotion, and despite the lack of danger, the sight doesn’t calm him any better.

“My dearest?” He calls. The instant your gaze meets his, your condition scares him more than any bandits ransacking his research material. Your hair is messy, falling on your face; dark circles are etched beneath your lower lashline, darkness clinging to you like remnants of turbulent nights; and you’re shivering, whether from the cold or because you’re distempered he can’t quite discern, although it’s most likely due to both.

“Hello, ‘Bedo…” You mutter, the flesh of your lips bitten, flecks of Dragonspine’s freeze coating them, the cold lacing with your bones, chilling you to the core. Your eyes widen when you notice your lover’s teal gaze scrutinizing you. You quickly busy yourself with classifying some potions, by color and texture, whatever takes the longest for him not to worry about your less than ideal condition.

However, perhaps you underestimated his attention to detail; for he has a skilled artist, after all.

“My love, are you feeling alright?” He questions, gloved hands gently taking the crystal vial-filled wooden box you were carrying off your trembling hold.

And in that instant, you don’t know if it’s the warmth of your prince’s hands on yours; or the comfort of his voice, like honey on bitter tea, but you find yourself taking a deep breath, the fresh air of a midwinter’s sunrise filling your lungs.

And then you talk. You spill every worry and bad dream, your shadows opening up to the gilded starlight of him.

And through it all, the alchemist’s hands warm yours, fingers interlocked, very much in the way your souls are undeniably so too.

Because no matter how daunting the river seemed when you faced it alone, when you were with Albedo, its typhoons calmed down, stone bridges and his outstretched hand painting safety and comfort in hues of gold before your eyes.

While the kreideprinz grounds you, the sun reaches its peak, a canvas of aureate and cornflower blue grazing the mountaintops.

You would be okay.

✧ SHIKANOIN HEIZOU

Emerald eyes read through you as if you were made of clear glass.

The way you worry your lower lip between your teeth; your fingers almost going white at the knuckles as you clutch a pencil, its wood creaking in your grip; and the general absentminded state you’re in, papers scattered over your desk, several case files stacked in disarray.

Something is clearly weighting on your mind.

“I think a break’s in order, wouldn't you agree, sweetheart?” Heizou suggests, standing up, those striking eyes of his fixed on you.

The detective’s voice is enough to stop the quickening clock ticking in your mind, regrets and dark spirals momentarily coming to a halt.

When you rise your furrowed brow, shades of maroon and viridian flood your sight, vivid as summer and warming your up just as much.

Nodding, you stand up too, limbs feeling heavy despite the comfort of your lover beside you.

The brown shades of your office turn into blue skies and soft pink sakuras not long after, the scented tree branches swaying above you, like fragments of dreams someone had given up on, waiting to be picked up by another soul who dared to imagine.

Your back rests against your lover’s lean but strong torso, the sweet smelling breeze combing through your hair, as Heizou’s chin rests on your shoulder.

“So will you tell me what’s wrong, darling?” Are the words of his that break the birdsong-filled calm.

A pang settles on your chest, you didn’t want to take away that cheeky grin that most of the time decorated his quick-witted lips.

“I…” You hesitate. “Well, it’s- it’s complicated, Heizou…” Your lids flutter closed, a shaky breath raking through you, as you turn around in his embrace, your hands bracing on his shoulders. “I don’t want to bring the mood down, you know…”

The detective places a thumb on your lower lip, smoothing over the bite marks you left there earlier.

“You never, ever, bring the mood down, dear. Never.” He leans in, brushing a soft kiss over your forehead. “My intuition told me right away there was something up.” He takes a stray cherry blossom petal from your hair. “So, why don’t we take the rest of the day off, love?” Your partner proposes, as he takes your chin in between his fingers, mischief flashing in his features.

And perhaps your lover’s smile was more infectious than you had ever given it credit for; and maybe the way he flashes his green eyes at you has your heart trembling in ways that have nothing to do with the fear and guilt you’ve been festering, but you find yourself retorting back, with a grin of your own:

“Don’t you have cases to solve, detective Shikanoin?”

This time, he takes a full sakura flower, delicately placing it behind your ear.

“I have something more important to solve right here…” He smirks, cheekily, as he admires your now flustered expression.

When you lean the side of your head against his chest, he cradles it with one of his hands, the other playing with the ends of your hair.

It would be unfair, if gloom were to take your soul captive when spring seems to linger through Inazuma’s breeze.

With a last look at you, the detective’s maroon lashes flutter closed too. He hopes, at least for today, he managed to protect precious you from the crimes of cruel sorrow.

He leans his head on top of yours.

The case is solved.

[suguru-getos]

genshin men when you try to initiate cuddles

-> genre: fluff <3

characters included: kaveh, cyno, diluc, childe, alhaitham

kaveh loves it deliciously loves it, who doesn’t love feeling special? it gives him a sense of responsibility to help you feel safe. his arms wrapped around you as you rant about your day and my precious baby unu architect listens to you and validates your emotions throughout. “whaat? they did that- what a snob.” “yeah they did that,” “want me to teach em a lesson?”  it is incredibly cute how kaveh would just softly kiss you, talking to you about your day and cuddle you through the night, his arms wrapping around your torso, toying with your body a little like an excited child. 

cyno the general mahamatra usually is not going to look soft, approachable even. “what are you doing?” his demeanor right now is unmatched. blushed cheeks, tender tone as he welcomes a hug from you when he comes home. needy arms wrapping around his torso as you feel him patting your head in utter warmth and gratefulness of coming back home to you. “i love you, welcome home cyno.” | “home is where the heart is,” cyno — yes cyno can turn poetic at times. what else could you want from him really? he is the perfect man you’d ask for, keeping you his priority and not ashamed to express how he feels when you dote on him. “why am i getting so many hugs suddenly?” cyno teases — softly smiling and kissing your forehead. “cus you deserve it dummy.” you manage to answer, feeling the blissful warmth of his body against you.

diluc had no idea you were so cutely inviting him to the bedroom at night. wearing comfortable pjs and looking at him with a doting smile. “welcome home,” you cooed, as the handsome man you had the privilege to call your husband dented the mattress with his weight, scooting closer to you. your hands quick to grab his, placing them at the curve of your ass— rightly so. diluc smiled and softly, playfully spanked your ass. “needy much?” he smiled, pulling you closer against his freshly showered body, leaning your head against his chest. “for you? always.” your comment had diluc blushing brighter than his hair. “me too, angel.”

you don’t really need to initiate cuddles with ajax, he is that fucking needy. always clutching onto you, holding your hand, hugging you from behind, carrying you princess style. however— you don’t really let him take the lead always. quick on your feet, you hugged him from behind as he returned home to you. clothing soiled, the musky scent of sweat lingering in the room as your hands glided across his chest. “welcome home, ajax.” childe could fucking swear his heart lost a beat, that he fell in love with you again the moment your affections reached him. how your care reached him. “happy to be back to you sweet little girlie.” childe is quick to pick you up as if you weigh absolutely nothing, wrapping your legs around his waist and take to towards the shower. sometimes… cuddles would end up in something else. today was one of those days.

alhaitham was immersed in his book as always, not batting an eye and being self indulgent enough to ignore all and everything that encompasses his surroundings. it was until you giddily walked towards him, hugging him and perching yourself on his lap; that a small, quiet, timid tut escaped him. you pouted, leaning yourself against him completely & letting your body turn to slime and melt up against his sturdy one. “i miss you, haitham.” you whimpered, watching your boyfriend hum with a soft smile, still immersed in the god damn book! petting your hair tenderly. “haitham —“ you whined, yanking the book off his hand as an audible, displeased gasp left him. “me, us, right now.” you glared, watching him smirk and pull you close by your waist. “you always get what you want huh? always wrapping me around your pinkie by hook or by crook.” alhaitham kissed your neck, while you hummed in approval. you really did get whatever you want with him. ;)

[fallingdownhell]

I absolutely love your works!

Can you make hurt/comfort with kazuha, albedo, alhaitham, cyno?

Where we're on a heated arguments about them too focusing on their job and completely forgot about reader

In the middle of the argument, the reader said

"Was i really nothing to you? Was i just some kind of object that you can just forget that easily?"

Thank you

Thank you so much!<3

And of course I can! I am always down to write some pretty, delicious angst!

Characters Included: Albedo; Cyno; Alhaitham; Kazuha

Content: Gender neutral reader; pre sumeru archon quest for Cyno's part; hurt/comfort; arguments; shouting; slight cursing;

Word count: 6k words

Thanks so much for the request. Hope you enjoy the end result!<3

Albedo

It was rare for Albedo to come down from his lab all the way up in Dragonspine to the City of Mondstadt. You never really minded it, knowing that you could go there to see him at any time, while he also paid regular visits to your home.

Yet, for some time now.. those visits have stopped. He never came by anymore, far too consumed on some discovery he apparently made a few weeks ago.

Even when you travelled all the way to his laboratory on the mountain, in the icy colds of Dragonspine, Albedo had given you no attention whatsoever.

He had acknowledged your arrival, then went back to his work, while you were sitting in some corner by the fire, trying to warm up again. Even your attempts at conversation were flat out ignored, seeing as he never bothered to give an answer. You weren't even sure if he had noticed your departure a few hours after you had initially arrived.

You tried again two more times, but as you got the same result every time, you eventually stopped trying and didn't go back to Dragonspine.

Then, two weeks ago, you heard that Albedo was back in the city for a supply run.

Hoping that you would run into him to finally talk to him you spend your day in Mondstadt, but you never laid eyes upon him. When you asked Sucrose about it, she told you that he had already left again.

You went home to see if he made a trip there and you just so happened to miss him. But upon your return, you didn't find any note from him or any other indication that he had ever been here in the first place.

The same thing happened again a week after that, and by now you finally had enough. You went to the Acting Grand Master and she told you that Albedo would be back today again, to drop of some reports.

Which is why you were waiting for him outside of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, though still in some respectable distance.

When you finally saw him again after a few weeks, it felt like you haven't seen him for a lifetime.

So, without hesitation, you made your way over to him before he could enter the building. Yet, he seemed to be so deep into his own head that Albedo didn't even notice your approach.

Only when you were directly behind him and firmly said "Albedo.", did he stop and turn around, looking at you.

You could see the expression in his eyes once his gaze landed on you, like he had a sudden realization that you still existed and he had forgotten about that until that very moment. It honestly hurt.

"Hey. Where have you been all this time? I missed you..", you said, hoping to get some kind of positive reaction out of him.

"You know where I was, (name). I was busy.", he said and then turned around to leave again. You were honestly astounded that he simply wanted to let things stand as they are. Well, not today and most definitely not with you.

"You wanna leave? Just like that? Seriously?"

That seemed to have at least some kind of effect on him, as he stopped once again and turned in your direction. Except for this time, he wore an annoyed expression.

"What else do you want from me? I said that I'm busy."

After that, an argument broke out between the two of you in the middle of the street, but neither of you cared. No matter how much attention you drew upon you, it was too late now. You were both to heated and too caught up in it to stop now.

Things were said in the heat of the argument, you were sure both of you regretted ever saying out loud, yet neither of you could care less right now. Everything seemed to be fair game at this point.

Until Albedo said one specific thing.

"Archons, you're impossible sometimes, (name). Insufferable. I've better things to do right now, you know!"

Immediatly after he said that, Albedo knew he had crossed a line. The way you went silent, no comeback falling from your lips. You were just staring at him in shock, like you couldn't believe that he had just actually said that. He wanted to retract his statement, but his pride prevented him from doing so.

So, instead, you both just stood there for some time, silently staring at one another. When no reply came from you, Albedo dropped his head, then turned around once again. But before he could take a step, he heard your voice again, though this time, it sounded broken, silent sobs being held back.

"So, that's it? Was I nothing to you?", you whispered, your voice slowly starting to break from the tears forming within you, but Albedo was still able to hear you. "Just some kind of experiment or plaything that you can toss aside and simply forget about? Do I mean nothing to you?"

Upon hearing how broken you sounded, and what you actually said to him, he instantly turned around again, the sight of tears rolling down your face feeling like a knive had been thrust straight into his heart. And what's worst was that he was the cause for your tears.

You stood there, waiting for an answer from him. Yet, when nothing seemed to come out off his opening and closing mouth, you just nodded at him.

"I see..", you said, your voice now entirely void of any emotion whatsoever. That, and the fact that you were the one now turning around to leave him like that, was the twist of the imaginary knive in his chest.

Finally being able to break free of his frozen state, he rushed towards you, stopping you in your tracks as he pulled you into his chest, caging your arms around you, burying his face against your shoulder.

"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry..", he whispered over and over into your ear, which only made the tears fall from your eyes even harder. You were shaking against him, struggling to breath. You wanted to break free from him, but at the same time, you never wanted to leave his embrace again.

"I'm so sorry, (name). You're wrong. You mean everything to me. I'm sorry I made you feel like that wasn't the case. And I apologize for the horrible things I said to you."

You stood there for a few more seconds, basking in his arms, then decided to slip free. Albedo let you, almost certain that you would be walking away from him now.

But you didn't.

Instead, you turned around to look at him, allowing him to see your tear stained face that he was the cause of.

"I think... we have a lot to talk about..", you mumbled, not being able to look him in the eyes entirely. But Albedo still saw it as what it was supposed to be.

A chance. A second chance to talk things out with you, make it better between you two.

And he gladly took that chance.

From now on, he would do anything to put a smile on your face every day, never wanting to be the cause for your tears ever again.

Cyno

Two months.

That was how long it has been since you had your boyfriend to yourself for more than a few hours.

Every day, he came back from his work much more later than he usually would, sometimes even not coming home for days on end. He didn't even leave a note or something to inform you of his absence, making you even more worried about him.

And now, even when he was at home with you, he was so cold and distant towards you. Sometimes, he went straight to take a shower and then to bed, not even sparing you a second. Other times, he did spend time with you, but you could tell that his mind was somewhere else, giving only short answers to your questions and statements.

Seeing all this, you couldn't help the doubt starting to well up inside you.

Did he fall out of love with you?

Did you do something wrong? Was he mad at you?

Was he... cheating on you?

You didn't want to think any of these possibilities true, but it was hard to ignore them when Cyno was behaving like this.

You tried to talk to him about this, how you felt, a few times, but he never really listened to you, keeping the conversation short so you couldn't bring your point across.

And now, you began to not only doubt him and the relationship as a whole, you doubted everything.

Did he ever even love you?

Was he only doing this out of convenience?

Were you just.. something expandable to him?

All of these questions and doubts plagued your mind day in and day out, not being able to find any answers to them whatsoever. The only one being able to give you the answers you so desperately wanted and needed, refused to give them to you.

It was driving you insane.

And now, you hit your breaking point. You weren't able to take it anymore. The constant doubt had turned itself into a depressive episode. You wanted to break free from it, but you also wanted to give Cyno one final chance. One chance to explain himself to you, to tell you the truth.

If he refused again, you would not hesitate to leave. Your mind was made up, everything was arranged. You had a small bag prepared, filled with clothing and other stuff you needed.

Tighnari had offered you to stay for a few days at Gandharva Ville where you could sort yourself out if you were not able to talk things through with Cyno. You were so grateful to him, though a small part in you still hoped that it wouldn't come down to this.

That evening, you waited and waited for Cyno to return home from work, but with every passing hour that he didn't show up, you lost more and more hope that he would come home at all today.

You sighed and were about to get up from your spot in the living room to go to bed, when the sound of the front door opening caught your attention. After all, it could only be one person that has the other key to the apartement.

"Welcome back!", you greeted him as you went out to the hallway, seeing your boyfriend standing there. He looked at you with a tired expression but didn't say anything in return.

Instead, he walked right past you, not sparing you another glance. You were baffled, to say the least. That blatant ignorance from him was what gave you the last push you had needed.

"Seriously?", you just said, turning around to face him again, this time though, wearing a stone cold expression.

"(Name), please. Not right now. I'm tired in case you didn't notice."

"Oh, I did notice. But I don't care anymore, Cyno. We have to talk."

"Please, (name). We can talk tomorrow, okay? I just want to go to bed now, not argue about something trivial."

Oh, he really dealt the final blow with that one.

"So, that's it? Do I even mean nothing to you? Was I just some kind of object you can forget about? Does this relationship even mean anything to you anymore?", you threw all of that towards him, not caring that you got more and more worked up with every word you said.

When you were met with nothing but silence from him, you took that as his answer to your questions.

"Okay..", was all you said, turning around and grabbing your packed bag before you went out the door, not even sparing Cyno one last glance. You just wanted to get out of there.

Cyno just stood there for a few minutes, still looking at the spot were you were standing before. Only now did the events catch up to his tired mind, yet he still didn't move.

He saw the defeated look on your face, the way your shoulders slumped at his dismissiveness, but he shrugged it off. Instead of running after you and trying to mend this misunderstanding, he went to the bathroom, took a shower and then made himself comfortable in the bed.

He was sure you would have returned by tomorrow and then you could talk about it.

....

Two days.

Two days have gone by and you still hadn't returned home. By this point, Cyno was beyond worried about you. After all, it was dark when you went out and he hasn't heard from you since then and no one in the city seemed to have seen you, either.

Thinking back to your last words towards him made him want to beat his past self up for not sitting down and talking to you then and there. For not running after you and bringing you back. Back to him where you belonged to.

He knew that he was neglecting you these past two months. It's not like he wanted to do so. Work has been increasing for him, the sages at the Academiya were up to something, and not of the good kind.

It put a lot of pressure on him, yet at the same time, he had to try and keep a low profile, for his sake as well as yours. But in doing so, he didn't even notice how much he had distanced himself from you. He really wanted to punch himself in the face for that, but it's not like that would bring you back to him, so he refrained from it.

He had been searching for you almost the entire day when you hadn't returned yet again. But his search seemed to not be granted success today either.

Not knowing what else to do, he decided to head over to Gandharva Ville. Maybe Tighnari would be willing to listen to him and maybe have a suggestion on how he could find you and apologize to you.

Once he arrived, he immediately made his way over to his friends hut, not caring for all the looks other people gave him. He was used to it at this point anyways.

As expected, he found Tighnari sitting at his table, scrunched over some research report. Upon his entry, his ear twitched and he looked at his friend. Cyno did find it odd however, that his friend looked at him with such a surprised expression. After all, it wasn't unusual for him to arrive unannounced.

"Cyno? What are you doing here?"

"What, can't visit a friend anymore?", he said jokingly, though it didn't sound convincing at all, judging by the look on Tighnari's face.

"You're right..", Cyno sighed instead, grabbing an empty chair and sitting beside his friend. "I need your help. It's about (name).."

"Oh, that situation? Yeah, I've heard about it from them already."

"You did? From who? And when?", Cyno asked, suddenly gaining new hope. If you were here, he might still have a chance at finding you.

"From them. I offered them a place to stay for a few days. Though after everything they told me, I didn't think you would actually search for them."

So you were here... and his best friend knew about the situation and was severly judging him. Cyno knew he deserved it, but he still wanted to try and make things right again.

"Tighnari, please tell me where they are. I need to talk to them. Please."

Tighnari looked at him long and hard, most likely trying to assess his intentions.

With a sigh, he then turned back around, focusing his attention back to his research. "I gave them the open cottage on the other side of the village. They should be in there, seeing as they haven't left it since they arrived here."

"Thanks.", Cyno mumbled, scrambling to get up from the chair to rush to where you are. He was almost out the door, when Tighnari's voice caught his attention again, calling his name.

Cyno turned around, facing his friend again. "Don't fuck it up again.", he advised, to which Cyno nodded his head. He wouldn't, he would make sure of that.

When he arrived at your temporary residence, he immediately went to knock on the door. He waited outside for a few seconds, but no reply.

So he knocked again, more urgent this time.

Still no reply.

"(Name)!", he exclaimed this time, knocking on your door again, but still to no avail.

Getting desperate, he decided to just try and see if the door was unlocked or not.

It was. The door slid open soundlessly, inviting him inside. Carefully, he walked inside, letting his eyes take in the interior. Since the door and most of the windows have been shut, it was almost dark in here, and to top it off, he didn't hear a sound.

He was almost panicing again, thinking that you might have actually left this place, until his eyes fell on the bed, and on it, he saw your sleeping figure.

Relief flooded over him, finally being able to see you again and to actually have the knowledge that you were safe and sound.

He then walked closer to you, only to take in your state. You may have looked peaceful sleeping like this, but your eyes were red and swollen, telling him that you had cried before falling asleep. And he knew that the reason for your sadness had been him.

The need to punch himself rose again, for making you feel this way when he had promised to do everything in his power to never do that.

Instead, he decided to crouch down on the floor, next to the bed, gently taking your hand into his, placing a soft kiss to the back of your hand.

He would wait here until you woke up again, no matter how many hours from now that would be. He would wait for you and ask you to please consider talking to him.

He wanted to properly explain himself and apologize to you. Whatever you decided on doing afterwards, he would comply by it. If you wanted to break up with him, he would understand that. If you decided to give him a second chance, he would thank you on his hands and knees.

But that decision would be yours to make and he was prepared to accept whatever would be thrown his way. But for now, he was content with simply holding your hand, quietly enjoying your presence which he had missed so much...

Alhaitham

The Scribe of the Academiya has been getting more and more busy these days. Well, for now, it's best to say "former" Scribe, since he has been temporarely promoted to Acting Grand Sage.

You knew that your boyfriend had absolutely zero intention of keeping that position, even if he was more than befitting for it, seeing how knowledgeable he was.

But he much rather prefered a simple life, and you couldn't argue with that logic. Who wouldn't like that, especially when pay and work hours weren't really affected either way.

Still, for now, both you and him had to live with the changed circumstances, even though neither of you were happy with them.

Alhaitham was working even more now, trying to sort out certain matters until a new Grand Sage has been chosen. You haven't really seen or talked to him in days, yet you brushed it off, telling yourself that it would change again once he got his old position back again.

Sure, he may have cancelled a few dates and had to call off a get together with your parents, but that was perfectly understandable.

You continued to give yourself excuse after excuse, hoping that soon enough, things would get back to the way they were before all of this had happened.

Couldn't take too long...right?

...

Three hours..

You had waited for him, at Puspa Café, where you were supposed to meet for your first ever date in ages again.

And he didn't show up... Again.

You wanted to give Alhaitham the benefit of the doubt, but it was getting increasingly more difficult for you.

When you got to the home you shared with him, you were greeted by an eerie silence, telling you, that he wasn't even home to begin with.

Probably still at the Academiya, working.

You sigh, adding yet another dissapointment to the list, as you went into the bathroom to get changed into more comfortable clothes. To think that you dressed up for the occaison, only to experience heartbreak again.

It's really starting to get difficult for you to forgive him for all this stuff.

....

Yet another date cancelled by him, thanks to not showing up... Again..

But this time, he didn't even come home in the evening.

It had you worried about him beyond anything, not knowing what was going on since he always came back.

You didn't sleep that night at all, only for him to angrily walk through the front door at three in the morning, mumbling something about the incompetence of the people he was forced to work with.

He only spared a glance in your direction before he went straight into the bedroom. By the time you got in there as well, he was already fast asleep in the bed. And when you woke up in the morning, he was already gone, not even leaving you with a note or anything like he usually would.

Somehow, this was your last straw.

You endured the exact same scenario so many times before. Yet, somehow, this time was just one too many times.

Next time, you promised yourself, next time you see him, you would talk to him about it, no matter if he wanted or not. Because if you didn't then there was no reason in your eyes to continue this dying relationship.

....

Turns out, the next time you would see him would once again be in the dead of the night, thanks to Alhaitham not coming home again any earlier.

When he walked through the door, he was surprised to see you still awake. Normally, you would already be asleep and he would just silently slip under the covers next to you, enjoying what little he was able to get from being close to you again gave him, before he was also knocked out cold.

But with you standing there in front of him, expression cold and hard, he knew something was up with you. And yet, he just didn't have the energy to deal with that right now. He just wanted to sleep.

"We need to talk, Alhaitham."

No greeting, no nicknames, no nothing. You were definitely upset, yet he still tried to get out off talking right now.

"Can we do this tomorrow, (name)? I'm tired."

"You mean like all the other times you promised me something and then stood me up? No, I think not. We talk about this now."

Oh, so that's what got you so upset?

"Look, I told you I would be busy for some time until things at the Academiya get sorted out. You can't tell me you didn't know about this.", he tried to reason with you, but it only seemed to upset you even more.

"You did say that.. but it's been weeks since I've last actually talked to you. It feels more like I'm your housekeeper right now, not your partner."

"This is absurd. Now you're just thinking too much into things, (name)."

After that statement, an argument broke out between you two, right here in the hallway where you "greeted" Alhaitham. You weren't full on shouting at each other, but you were talking pretty loudly. If people were to walk by outside, they could probably hear every word you guys were throwing at each other.

But neither of you cared right now.

At some point, Alhaitham walked past you, into the living room, trying to escape the argument. But you insisted on continuing it, following him into the room and at this point, he was getting fed up with the situation.

"Archons, (name)! Can you just shut up and leave me be? I don't have time for trivial things right now!"

Immediately after he said that, you went silent and his words caught up with him as well.

He looked at you, saw how tears started to form in your eyes and instantly regretted ever letting those words fall out of his mouth. Nothing was more important than you in his eyes, and yet, he still said that to you. Like you didn't mean the world to him, which you did.

"(Name)-!"

"So, what? Was i really nothing to you? Was i just some kind of object that you can just forget about that easily? To toss aside when you don't want it anymore?"

You hated how your voice cracked halfway through, how tears started to escape your eyes. And despite how much his words had hurt you, you still didn't want to run from the situation. You had to see it through.

"If that is how you truly feel about me, maybe we should end-!"

Before you were able to end your sentence, you were suddenly pushed against a strong chest, warm arms keeping you in an embrace you had longed so much for, yet right now, it wasn't comforting at all.

"Let go off me..", you stated weakly, giving no indication that you planned to reciprocate his sign of affection.

"Never..", he whispered, and with the way he sounded right now, you could almost think that he was starting to cry as well. Almost..

"I'm so sorry, (name). I truly didn't mean to say that. Please, you have to believe me, I don't mean it. You are not trivial to me, nor is our relationship.

I.. I love you. I truly do. Though I don't openly say it that often, that doesn't mean my words hold any less truth in them. You have to believe me."

"I want to... I really want to believe you, Alhaitham. But with the way things are and have been for those weeks... I don't think I can.."

By now, the tears are streaming freely from your face and you weakly put your hands against his chest, needing some kind of stability.

"Then let me prove it to you. Let me prove to you that I still love you like the first day, that I never stopped loving you, even if my words and actions made you think otherwise."

You were silent after that for some time, thinking it over. You had no idea what the best course of action for you would be, but in the end, you decided to go with what your heart was telling you. Wether or not you would regret that decision, you had to find that out in the future.

"...One more chance. You better don't fuck up again or I'm leaving for good.", you mumbled against his chest, his shirt already stained with your tears, but neither you nor Alhaitham cared about that in the slightest.

All he could focus on, was you in his arms and the fact you granted him with another chance. And he intended to use it the best he could.

Kazuha

Between travelling around the different nations and helping out Beidou on board of the Alchor from time to time, Kazuha never really had much time.

You love Kazuha. You really do...

But sometimes, you just can't help but wonder if you even have a relationship with him at this point.

When he's gone again, for weeks or sometimes even months on end, and the only form of communication with him stems from a few letters sprinkled in between here and there, how could you not doubt?

In the beginning, you used to travel around with him. And while you enjoyed the time spent with your boyfriend, getting to see all those different places and creating wonderful memories with him, you eventually grew tired of it.

That's not to say that you didn't enjoy wandering around the nations with Kazuha by your side, but you just couldn't imagine spending your entire life like this. Never being provided with a place of your own, to call your home, constantly on the go.

It just wasn't your way of living.

Kazuha understood that and would never force you to accompany him, just like you would never force him to stay with you, even when sometimes the loneliness just got more to you than on other days.

He always came back to you, but he never stayed for more than a few days before he was out the door again, not to be seen for an unknown amount of time.

It was difficult, living like this. You tried to live off the memories and happy moments you had with him when he was here with you, but it wasn't enough anymore. You wanted him by your side again, but you also knew that he would suffer in the long run if you were to ask him to stay here with you.

However, in your mind, it also wasn't an option to just leave thing unmentioned.

Which is why you made the desicion, that the next time he would come home to you, you needed to talk to him about your thoughts and feelings, in hopes you could come to a solution together.

.....

Turns out, the next time he's home again would be three months later. And like always, only letters could have been exchanged throughout this entire time.

Kazuha already had a sneaking suspicion that something wasn't right with you. He couldn't exactly pinpoint it, but the way you were writing in these letters sounded off from your usual way, which is also why he tried to make it back to you as soon as he could. He felt bad that it still took him this long, but there was nothing he could have done about it.

The city he resided in when he got that particular letter from you underwent a strict lockdown only hours later, due to a prisoner escaping. The entire city had been shut down to find him as quickly as possible, all forms of communication had also been cut short.

It took them three weeks to apprehend the convict again, and as soon as the city doors opened again, Kazuha was out of them and on his way back to you.

...

When Kazuha arrived back at the little cottage the two of you shared, it was in the late afternoon.

Already, when he opened the door, he was absolutely certain now that something was wrong. Usually, you would come running to greet him at the first noise or hint that he had come back.

But now? Nothing.

"(Name)? I'm back!", he yelled, in hopes of getting your attention this way, but still, no reaction. Maybe you were out buying groceries or something?

Still, Kazuha decided to wander through the different rooms, just to make sure he wouldn't miss anything. And now, he's glad that he did as he saw you sitting on the patio, wrapped up in a comfortable blanket.

As he approached you, he noticed that you must be deep in your thoughts, just staring ahead of you. He gently opened the door and when that also didn't seem to catch your attention, he decided to speak up.

"Darling?", he asked, cautiously, not wanting to spook you.

You flinched a little at the unexpected sound coming from behind you, but just as quickly, you relaxed again, realizing who that voice belonged to.

"Kazuha. You're back.", you stated, grazing him with a small smile as you turned around to look at him, but nothing more. Normally, you would jump up into his arms, almost taking his breath away.

But Kazuha didn't say anything about it, instead, he grabbed one of the other chairs and sat right beside you. He gently took one of your hands into his, holding it like that. He missed this, missed this physical contact with you.

"Please.. Tell me what's been bothering you, darling."

"....was I that obvious?", you asked, causing a small smile to appear on Kazuha's lips. But he didn't answer, instead waited for you to continue on.

You sighed, fixing your gaze away from him and ahead of you again, thinking about how to best approach this. It was silent for a few minutes until you spoke up again.

"It's just... You're always gone for so long that I-!"

Before you could actually finish your sentence, Kazuha began to groan beside you, making you look at him in confusion.

"(Name).. you know that I don't like being bound to one place."

"I know that, but-!"

"No but's! You knew what you were involving yourself in by being with me. Why are we even having this conversation now?"

You were shocked, not expecting Kazuha to immediately get so defensive about this. All you wanted was to talk to him and maybe propose an idea you had got when he was away. But the way he was acting right now made you feel bitter.

"Can you just listen to me? I'm not trying to confine you, I just-!"

"Yes, you are, (name). What else could you possibly want to achieve by beginning the conversation like that?"

Fed up from being interrupted by him a third time now, you've had enough. An argument started to ensue, when you didn't even intend for this to happen.

You've never experienced something like this with Kazuha, he was always level-headed, calm and collected. So why was he suddenly getting so defensive over this topic. It really wasn't like you were trying to hold him here.

But, with each thing said, both you and him grew more and more heated, the shouting starting to get louder and louder, until Kazuha suddenly stood up.

"If I knew you would get like that, maybe I shouldn't have returned at all."

As you heard him say that, you instantly went silent, looking at him with your eyes wide open.

No.. he couldn't mean that, right?

It also now seemed to catch up to Kazuha what he just said, as he also turned to look at you, shock written all over his face.

"(Name), I...", he began to stay, but trailed off, not knowing what he even wanted to say in the first place. He knew he had fucked up with that statement.

"So, that's it? I wasn't anything to you? Just something you can toy with when you get bored, only to be thrown away when you don't want me anymore?"

A single tear escaped you, running down your cheek and Kazuha immediately had the instinct to wipe it away from your beautiful face, to pull you into his arms and tell you how sorry he was.

So he did just that, pulling you into him, holding your face against his chest as he held your head secure with his hand, your tears now starting to come out freely.

"I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't mean to say such horrible things. No words can express how much I regret ever letting them out of my mouth."

You weren't able to answer him, your breathing being erratic, trying to choke down your sobs and crys. It positively broke Kazuha's heart that he was the immediate cause for this.

He just let you cry in his arms until you calmed down again, all the while he kept apologizing to you over and over, telling you how much he loved you and how much you meant to him.

The two of you would have to continue this conversation, but not today. Not when both of you were this wound up from everything that had happened.

The talking could be done tomorrow. Now was the time for healing...

[jennifer-jeong]

Hello there! What about Kazuha x reader who has anxiety <3?

HII POOKIE THANK YOU SM FOR YOUR ASK FJDKALFJAS; I lovee specific asks like this esp as a girlie with GAD hehehe

Fluff | Kazuha x GN!Reader Anxiety Remedies

CONTENT Fluff, comfort, reader has anxiety (no specific disorder), mentions of panic attacks etc, ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+ WORD COUNT: 509

Kazuha would be such an amazing partner regardless of if you have anxiety or not but wow is he also good at helping you relax.

He’s already such an observant and smart guy that it doesn’t take long for him to understand your preferences and your tendencies to be a bit more worried about things. He never complains or calls you a “worrywart” though, he loves you and that includes all of you. Of course he’d try to guide you away from being anxious not because it annoys him but because it brings you distress and he hates to see you upset. He’ll gently correct your thinking sometimes, if you’re worried that someone hates you or that you won’t get that job you wanted, Kazuha puts his expansive vocabulary to the test. He’s so good with his words both in and outside of writing poetry. He knows just how to calm you down and explain things to you slowly and logically. Why would your friend hate you? They didn’t reply to you but they might just be busy for a moment and they’ll reply later because your friends love you. Why wouldn’t you get the job? Even if you didn’t, it would be the company’s loss anyways, they missed out on an amazing candidate and you’ll easily get another job somewhere else.

He’ll also just sound really wise sometimes when he says things like “one door closes and another opens” or “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” The quotes might sound cheesy but he always follows them up with a comforting explanation of why it might apply to you. He’s so sweet and reassuring and will give you lots of hugs and kisses.

Kazuha helps so much with your anxious way of thinking and never ever blames you for it. He’s so helpful in day to day life in helping you unlearn any anxious ways of thinking even though he’s never been trained, he’s just naturally calm and good at calming you down too. When it comes to any physical symptoms of anxiety though, Kazuha is also such a sweetheart. He’ll hold your hands when they shake and breathe with you slowly to calm your racing heart when you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you need to cry, he’ll hold you without a single ounce of judgment. He’s here for you wholly and you love him so much for it (and you make sure he knows it).

For specific anxiety disorders, Kazuha is also amazing at helping you cope with symptoms. Social anxiety? He’s super vigilant in social settings, always making sure you’re comfortable, otherwise he’ll leave with you. Panic disorder/panic attacks? He knows exactly what tricks you use to slow your breathing and he knows to get you somewhere less stimulating to calm you down. Phobias? He’ll 100% help you avoid them in any way he can and will even help you with exposure therapy if you’d like.

Overall he’s amazing and you love him so much, he’s the cure to all your anxieties <3

|| MASTERLIST ♡ || Thank you for reading! ||

[the-travelling-witch]

just came back from drinking, so this is super rushed and not proofread, but i heard @dustofthedailylife is in desperate need of headacanons, so enjoy your grumpy nurse, love, and get better soon!! <3

“I hope you appreciate the lengths I go to for you,” Al-Haitham stated, unimpressed as he held another spoonful of soup to your mouth.

“It’s better than me having to feed you soup,” you croaked out, your laughter stuck in your throat as another coughing fit worked its way up your lungs. The warm liquid helped combat it though and you sighed when your throat feels like it was not made out of sandpaper for the first time today.

“Tch,” your boyfriend’s scoff was full of disgust at the mere thought, “there won’t be any need for you to do so, I assure you.”

“Ah yes, I forgot,” you deadpanned, “your pure dislike of soup keeps you healthy. Perhaps hospitals should start advertising spite as a remedy, it seems to work wonders for you.”

“Look at you, running your mouth,” Haitham quirked his brows at your sarcastic remark, moving to set the bowl down on your night table. “Sounds to me as if you’re all better, if you can give me all that attitude. I don’t think you need this anymore.”

If your throat wasn’t as dry as the sumeru desert, you wouldn’t have reacted to his obvious provocation but your fingers immediately wrapped around his wrist, your feverish touch urging the bowl closer to you again.

Obediently, Al-Haitham fed you the rest of the nutritious broth, making sure you didn’t rush while eating as much as you could. When the spoon clinked against the bottom of the bowl and your stomach was pleasantly warm, your eyes felt heavy with lack of proper sleep.

“You should rest,” Al-Haitham encouraged, his voice low as to not disturb you. Instead, the rich timbre seemed to lull you into the first promising rest of the week and your hand inched towards his on the mattress. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Can you read to me?” Your speech was slurred with exhaustion as your fingers interwove with his partially gloved ones. Slowly you sunk down the bed and your head landed on the pillow your boyfriend had fluffed up for you earlier.

“Of course, anything for you.”

just out, al-haitham ranked top three characters that wouldn’t survive the suppenkasper /lh

tag list: @mccnstruck @teyvattales @silentmoths @ainescribe @meimeimeirin @dustofthedailylife @nsojbbkkm @kazuuhhaaaa @inufinuf @ynverse @nico707 @boba-is-a-soup @hellithides @ryuryuryuyurboat

[n0tamused]

Not alone

Contents: Diluc Ragnvindr x GN reader, comfort angst

Words: 473

Ko-fi

The evening was stiff with the winter cold and the gloomy clouds sailing overhead. Diluc had found you in the corner of your bedroom, huddled not on the bed beside it, pressed against the wall,your arms around your knees. He didn’t need to ask to know that the weather and the recent activities brought more out of you than you cared to admit, memories opened old wounds and you were now bleeding before him. 

His gloves slip from his hands one by one as he approaches you, crouching down beside you and finding your cold hand in his warm one. His scarred fingers curl around it, bringing it up closer so his lips could press against the knuckles. His lips linger, pressed against the skin as you hide your face away in your knees, finding the world smaller and more manageable that way. It was all too much, too much, you wonder how you pushed it this far, how you found the strength to walk back home after each tiring shift, where does it all come from? It puzzled you even more why Diluc cared enough to try and comfort you, knowing how stubborn you can be. Yet, deep inside you knew it was because he was selfless in the heart of his heart. He wanted to help, not just you but everyone - his nights were spent toiling away so the people of Mondstadt remained safe. 

A cracked whimper fell from your mouth and you shrunk in on yourself further, your hand jumping from his grasp. Like a leaf against the snow you do your best to hold yourself to your roots, no matter how unpromising or cold they now have become. The storm tears at you, but you don’t give into it, even if giving into it means staying whole.

For a moment he panics, watching how you shied back into the corner of your self made prison. But his will- his need to offer you any semblance of comfort doesn’t waver and he reaches forward. His hands slowly find purchase on your shoulders, sliding around until he has you leaning forward and accepting the embrace. You sob into his chest, his layered outfit cushioning your head, the scent of winter still faintly clinging onto him. 

He is warm to the touch. Arms envelop you tighter, holding you closer, Diluc is no longer crouching before you, but he is sitting down propped up against the bed with you in his hold.

“I’m here.. I’m here..” He can be heard whispering, his nose finding the top of your head, nuzzling into your ever so gently. Fingers run through your hair, smoothing it down before he rubs at your nape, repeating the motions as you show your wounded soul to him through sniffled and hiccuped words. He listens, he understands.

You’re not alone. 

Ⓒ n0tamused. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

[transmascaraa]

Reader has a subject topic that brings them anxiety anytime it comes up (example - genitalia on biology, a math topic they were never able to grasp and feel like an awful awful idiot who can't learn anything whenever it comes up, etc)

And the sillies notice the readers expression changing to one that isn't so much relaxed anymore

[by sillies I mean characters btw 🫶 I'm just dum and think it's cute]

multiple characters headcannons!

you hate those words...

characters: gaming, xiao, tighnari x gn!reader

author's note: idk i js felt like adding xiao ANYWAYS so basically the reader has some trauma with a specific sentence/some specific words and whenever they hear them, either directed at them or not, they get reminded of that trauma, AND THE SILLIES KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH. so have fun reading<3

✷ Gaming

-he would notice it IMMEDIATELY.

-to him, he would notice it after the next breath you took after hearing those words.

-some random strangers on the street were arguing and that specific traumatic sentence was mentioned.

-your mood and facial expression just drastically changed.

-and cuz he's the good bf he is, he took you to stand by the side with him.

-he comforted you and reassured you that it's in the past now, that it doesn't matter anymore. and ofc that they're just some words, not even directed at you.

-you're getting lots of hugs and kisses afterwards dw

-overall, he'll be willing to help you in any way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

✿ Tighnari

-also notices it pretty quickly.

-you're just so different.

-and he knows that the sentence is himself, so he knows when to look at you and make sure that you're okay.

-again, walking on the street and hearing some strangers arguing and that reminded you of your trauma.

-he notices it fast and discreetly takes your hand in his, whispering you that it's okay and for you to breathe.

-he lets you know that it can't hurt you anymore, it's in the past and won't happen again, because you have him with you.

-the sentence is just some words, some words are just some letters, some letters are just some sounds, and some sounds should be ignored and not paid attention to if they make you uncomfortable.

-that's at least his opinion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

☆ Xiao

-not an expert at noticing it, but he does after like talking to you directly or just let some 5mins pass.

-this time, you were watching a movie and the characters were fighting.

-that sentence.

-you maybe tell him you're going to the bathroom, or to get yourself something like water, he will notice that SOMETHING is wrong.

-he'll be patient with you to tell him what's bothering you.

-and after you do...

-first of all, he doesn't get it why the fuck some words would make you feel anxious.

-but after you explain to him that it's trauma-related, he's willing to help you.

-his way of comfort is just some hugs and cuddles, with "it's okay" here and there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

tbh really nice

i love how i did tighnari for some reason

it's cute

| @keeyisbored | @mariaace <3

[risustravelogue]

Enough

Summary:

You are enough for him.

Featuring:

S/O!Wriothesley, gn!Reader

Tags:

A traditional drabble. Comfort.

Note:

My mood has been shitty these past few days, so I wrote this.

🔗 AO3 | masterlist 🔗

“Enough,” is a word Wriothesley often uses.

He says it with a smile when you pour him his drink in the lazy mornings.

He says it with a stern look when he’s breaking up fights happening outside the Pankration Ring.

But his eyes and voice soften when he says it whenever you’re a sobbing mess at the edge of your shared bed, insecurities relentlessly attacking your mind.

“You are enough,” he says, his strong arms pulling your body against his. You bury your face into his chest as you focus on his voice.

“You are more than enough for me.”

© @risustravelogue 2023 • no to reposting, yes to reblogging. feel free to send an ask to suggest, chat, etc. :)

[bea-ce]

If only I could make you believe you deserve everything

pairing: kaveh x reader (can be read platonically or romantically)

genre: hurt/comfort, angst

summary: life is awful at times. very much so that you end up falling back to bad habits to get you through it. luckily, you have kaveh to help you guide back to the right track.

word count: 4.2k

notes: hii!! first post! (and its hurt/comfort RAHHHH) kaveh might be a little ooc as i havent gotten to him in the archon quest yet, so i apologize for that in advance! i poured my heart and soul and my own personal experiences into this,,  i apologize if the comfort is a lil wonky.

title is inspired by Nicole Dollanganger’s song “Please Eat”.

trigger warning(s): mentions of ed/having an ed, descriptive experience of having an ed, mentions of relapsing into unhealthy coping mechanisms, self inflicted harm (self harm), descriptions of self-contempt, descriptions of feelings of unworthiness.

let me know if i missed any warnings

It had been a while since the last time you’d done this. The thought of even returning back to this state was beyond you. Everything had been going so well it seemed. Sure, life still threw inconveniences towards you, but you handled them just fine, you thought.

Clearly not, as you’re now back to restraining yourself from eating and indulging yourself from something that’s vital for you to live. You knew the risks of refusing yourself food, you’d read all about the consequences and health risks of starving yourself.

Yet that is the precise reason you’re doing this.

You know how harmful this is and you know it’s bad. The knowledge of the dangers and harm in doing it is exactly why you continue doing it though: It’s your punishment. A sigh escapes your lips as you try concentrating on the paper that lay before you instead of the numbness that starts taking over your legs and the quivering of your hand. There isn’t any way for you to not notice how your body is screaming out for something to eat. It’s constantly reminding you as your vision is clouded with dark spots whenever you move and how your body shakes as you do any everyday task. Despite its cries for food, you ignore it and open the lid to the water bottle beside you and empty half of it to ignore the ache in your stomach due to its emptiness. 

It helps, somewhat, as it fools your stomach for sometime at least. In a shaky motion you place the water bottle beside the pile of assignments you have to finish before the end of this week. 

It’s difficult to get anything done when the ache in your stomach extends to the rest of your body, making the most simple task like reading over the text presented in front of you and writing down notes feeling so incredibly demanding on your body. A groan escapes your lips as you lean back into the chair and drag your hand across your face in annoyance. You need to finish these assignments, yet you can’t. Everything feels so hazy and your mind is blank, unable to think of anything other than the feeling of hunger growing more intense.

The bustling from the kitchen can be heard all the way into your room. Usually at this hour you’d sit by the kitchen table and eat with Alhaitham and Kaveh, but you’ve locked yourself away in your room, drowning yourself in work to ignore the deep wretched feelings that linger within you. A faint knock on the door echoes throughout the room as a voice calls out from the other side. It’s Kaveh’s voice, calling out to you. "(Y/N)?" Your name is muffled by the closed door as you turn around in your seat to look at the source of the sound. There stands Kaveh, holding a plate with food in his hand while the other one is still gripping onto the door handle.

Your eyes quickly scan his face before they dart down to look at the plate he’s holding.

It’s too much, you think as you look at the contents of the food. Numbers appear inside your head the longer you stare at the plate, feeling repulsed at the thought of putting anything in your mouth and fulfilling your hunger at the cost of the imaginary numbers going up.

You turn around to face the paper you’ve been staring blankly at for the last hour, waving Kaveh off. “I’ve already eaten.” You answer courtly. You haven’t, but telling him you weren’t hungry wasn’t an option. Kaveh would be reluctant had you answered that you weren’t hungry and placed the food by your table instead. The thought alone that he might do that makes you want to cry and scream in panic. You can’t risk letting yourself indulge in the food that he’s made: You must go through with your own punishment.

Kaveh sighs and grabs the door handle, about to leave and close the door before the sound of your stomach growling bounces off the walls. He stops in his tracks as his grip on the plate tightens. You can feel his eyes boring into your back as you tense up at how your stomach contradicts your words from earlier. A deep terror stirs within you as your thoughts wander off to all the possible reactions you might receive from the blond man at the revelation. You hear how he shuffles behind you and closes the door behind him as he approaches you. You dare not to turn around to look at him, instead you hold up your face above the paper and stare intently onto it, trying to focus on the words that dance around across the paper to ignore Kaveh’s look of pity and concern.

Kaveh is standing right next to you, his grip on the plate is so incredibly tight that his knuckles have gone white. His eyes are soft and laced with worry as he looks down on you, and to be honest; he’s not sure how to handle this situation he’s being faced with right now. He places the plate next to your bedside table instead of the table in front of you, knowing better than shoving unwanted food up your face. It’s not what you need right now.

Kaveh sits on the side of your bed, boring his eyes into the back of your head as he waits for you to do the first move, to begin the conversation. He doesn’t want to scare you off now that he’s found out. He can feel the pain within you. He can see the hurt and the desperation, but he has no words to fill the silence. He doesn't know how he could possibly help you, but he wants to. More than that, he wants to try.

“I’m fine” you try to subside the situation, playing it off to only being a one time thing when it’s clear to the both of you that it isn’t. 

Kaveh interrupts you. “You’re not fine.” Kaveh still has the same gentleness to him, but there’s a certain amount of firmness to his words too. It leaves no room for you to slither your way out of his confrontation. “Are you hurting yourself? Are you starving yourself?”

The words feel like he had just physically assaulted you, as if he had pulled out a knife and stabbed you in the chest while twirling the knife around inside of your heart. The words feel as if Kaveh had just falsely accused you of a crime you hadn’t committed. 

But the two of you know better than that. You both know that the reason you feel so attacked is because Kaveh is calling you out, and rightfully so.

“No! No. I am not starving myself.” The words come out much harsher than you had intended them to be, sounding defensive and giving yourself away to Kaveh. The pile of paperwork that needs to be done stares at you mockingly as you look down on the paper in front of you that is still blank.

“I’m just- I don’t want to eat.” It’s half the truth. You do in fact not want to eat, but it’s for all the wrong reasons you don’t want to eat. Kaveh sighs as he gets up from your bed and walks up behind you. For a moment he almost reaches out to you, but he draws his hand back and places it on your chair instead of your shoulder, like he had intended to. He’s reluctant to touch you. In this moment right now, you’re fragile, and he must tread carefully so as to not break you.

“Do you think I don’t see it?” His voice is gentle, but there’s a certain edge to it. It cuts right through any excuses that might slip past your mouth to escape this conversation neither of you want to have. The words have you cornered, and as if you were reliving an experience much like this -where you were confronted and you admitted, only to be rejected from the care and help you needed- you feel a need to run away from him. To run away from your home, from the house, run, run and run. But where would you run? There’s no way for you to run away from him, and even if you did: Where would you run? 

Would you even have the energy to run away from him with the way your vision would cloud with black spots covering your sight and with the way your legs feel numb?

Reality hits you like a brick as you realize that Kaveh has you cornered and at his mercy.

A hitched breath escapes your lips as you feel your hands and feet going cold along with being overcome by dreadfulness as the situation you’re in slowly sinks in.

“This is unhealthy, and you know it, don’t you?” It’s not much of a question really. His voice is firm, trying to cover up his own shakiness as your condition dawns upon him. “Please.. could you talk to me?” he pleads, letting his hand fall from the chair, down to your shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze. The contact makes you flinch as it pulls you back from your swarm of thoughts, back into the present with him. The words seem stuck in your mouth, suffocating you and preventing you from voicing your thoughts and feelings that you’re left only shaking your head at his request of opening up. Kaveh lets out a sigh as he lets his hand fall from your shoulder. For a moment, you think he’s given up on you and will leave you alone to deal with your misery by yourself; the thought causes you both pain and relief. Instead, he walks around your chair and crouches next to you as he looks up to you from below.

“Please. Talk to me.” he begins as he balances himself on the armrest all while tilting his head up at you. “What can I do to help you? You can tell me anything.”

“I don’t know!” you finally exclaim as your face falls into your hands. You inhale shakily as Kaveh continues to inspect your face for something, anything.

“I don’t.. know.”

Everything around you spins like an unpleasant merry-go-round ride as your vision becomes clouded by the black spots appearing before you.

One of the consequences of not eating, you suppose.

How you wished that you could’ve kept this secret from him a little longer. Long enough for him to not have to have this confrontation with you right now.

Kaveh can only feel pity as he looks at you. You look so fragile right now, so weak. It hurts him to see you so, to see your body shaking from your hunger.

He has a question that he wants to ask, but he feels afraid to. You don't owe him anything, he supposes. 

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" How do you ask someone why they are harming themselves? How do you say that without it coming across in a terrible way? Kaveh had an immense sense of empathy, but even that had its limits.

"I deserve it." 

The words slip out your mouth with ease, as if the question had no other answer but that. Tears that you had been holding back from the moment your secret was out swell up in your eyes and threaten to fall down on the blank, empty paper sheet that should’ve been filled in by now. The dripping of your tears resounds in your head and you pray that Kaveh doesn’t hear how you’re covering your paperwork in tears.

"I deserve it." You repeat the words shakily this time as a sob finally manages to escape your mouth. All you want to do is make yourself as small as possible so you can just vanish from the earth’s surface. But you can’t.

So you do the next best thing, which is curling yourself into a ball while you let the tears flow down your cheeks as your entire form tenses up and shakes from the anguish you feel inside of you.

Several feelings washes over Kaveh. Ones of confusion, concern and guilt.

You don't deserve this. 

Nobody deserves to feel so low. And you are so, so very low: starving yourself just as a punishment.

He can't help but feel pity for you. The words come out before he can even stop them from slipping past his lips: "Why do you deserve it?"

He's trying to be kind and supportive, he really is, but it's painfully hard for him to find the right words. It’s difficult seeing a loved one tear themselves apart in front of him all while thinking they deserve to suffer and break.

His question is one not even you can answer. It’s a question that you’ve pondered about whenever you’ve come to your senses after having breakdowns much like these, and each time you’re left with no answer. There's only that part of you, that little tiny voice in the back of your head that tells you that you deserve nothing less than pain and suffering. That this is the only way for you to get rid of the mental turmoil you experience on a daily basis. 

That the only way to get rid of the emotional and mental pain is to double the physical pain, and what easier way is there to feel physical pain if it isn’t to inflict it upon yourself; by yourself?

How do you help someone who believes that?

It's not like you can just tell them that they don't deserve it. How could he ever convince you that you’re wrong? How can he convince you that there's a better way than starving and hurting yourself? 

How is any of this supposed to be okay for you?

"(Y/N)," he calls out your name, the sound of his voice pleading yet somehow still kind, "(Y/N). There is no reason to hurt yourself. You deserve better."

As if you weren’t already curled into a ball you only manage to make yourself smaller as you cry, your entire form shaking. It's not till now that he's so up close to you that he sees how your body is covered in goosebumps and the bruises that linger across your body. They look self-inflicted and Kaveh can't help but let out a wince as he looks at the bruises that cover your skin.

He tries his hardest to contain his horror at seeing what you’ve done to herself. It looks so painful, so terrible, but it's clear from your shivering, from your shaking, from the way your face crumples - from the way you curl up into a ball so easily - that this isn't your first time.

You’re hurting, and at your own hand.

He doesn't know how to process that. He has never seen anyone do this to themselves. He can't imagine how any of this could be good.

Your grip on your legs only grows tightens as you cry into your knees, on the verge of wailing from feeling how your heart aches. It’s as if someone is tightening their grip on your already fragile heart, and it hurts so very much.

You could handle feeling hungry, and you could handle inflicting pain upon yourself, littering your body with bruises to show for it. Yet you couldn’t handle the feelings inside of you that were crushing you and tearing you apart. You had learnt to handle your inner turmoil by ignoring the feelings until they grew so great that the only way to rid yourself of the demons surrounding you was to hurt them through yourself.

The relief was only temporary, sure, but you’d do anything for the moment of peace in your inferno called your own mind.

He sighs heavily, the sound filled with regret and pity. Kaveh doesn’t say anything and remains looking up to your face as you quickly unravel before him. 

This is beyond him. He doesn't know how to comfort you- how to help you. He has no idea what to say or what to do. It’s all so overwhelming - all these feelings of fear and confusion and pity and care - that he doesn't even know how to begin to process, let alone express.

He places a gentle, comforting hand on your knee as you continue to cry. You’re so up in your own thoughts and emotions that you can’t get yourself to pull away from his touch.

It’s not that his touch wasn’t comforting. It was very comforting. And that was exactly why you wanted to pull away from his touch.

You don’t deserve that kind of comfort.

"I'm sorry.." the words come out so weak, putting your broken state on full display for Kaveh. A sob escapes your mouth as you try your best regaining your composure to no avail. Each breath you try and take control over gets interrupted by a sob or a gasp for air.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” you repeat as you burrow your face further into your knees. Your words are slurring as you’re choking back your cries to get the words out of your mouth.

Kaveh doesn't even understand what you could possibly have to be sorry for. You've done nothing wrong. You've committed no sins worth feeling so terrible for. 

But how does he tell you that? How could he convince you of the truth that appears so clearly to him but isn’t as obvious for you?

He doesn't.

How does he convince you to get past these terrible feelings of wrongness, when you’re so very convinced that it's your punishment? How does he convince you to give yourself kindness and care, when you believe yourself so unworthy? How does he make you realize that this isn't your fault, that you haven't done anything that deserves all of this?

Kaveh moves closer to you - so carefully, so slowly. As if you’re something fragile, to be treated with respect and care. Because you are fragile. You’re hurt, and you’re so, so small. All he wants to do is to hold you, to bring you comfort, to hug you, to hold you in his arms. He just wants to lift your heavy burden off of your shoulders. But he doesn’t reach out to do any of that, it doesn’t feel appropriate to do so right now as you’re sobbing in front of him and curling yourself into a ball.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he says quietly. "You're hurting yourself, and that can't be okay. Please," he adds, his voice pleading, "Let me try to help you. You don't have to do this. You don't deserve to do this."

You had always had a hard time accepting other people’s kindness and comfort, it was extremely difficult for you to understand and wrap your head around the concept of being treated with decency and care from another being without expecting anything back in return. The feelings overwhelm you and you feel how you want to throw up from Kaveh’s attentiveness, it’s all too much for you.

You’d rather have him walk out on you and leave you in your pitiful state to fend for yourself. It’s what you’re used to. And when he breaks what you consider a norm, your world falls apart with it.

The tears flow down your cheeks as if they’ll never come to an end. 

Kaveh can see it from the way you gasp and wail when his words of care finally register.

It’s written all over your face - your pain, your hurt - it’s clear that you’re not used to being treated with such care and attention. It’s clear that this isn’t something you’re used to; it’s clear that you’re not used to having someone trying to help you.

It breaks Kaveh’s heart to see you struggle like this. He doesn’t know how he can get you to accept this treatment from him, from anyone.

He wants nothing in return; he only wants to help. How can he get you to understand that? How could he ever assure someone that they’re deserving of unconditional care and love when that very someone is so fully convinced that they deserve pain? 

"You need help," he says quietly. "Let me help you."

Why do you deserve to suffer, to hurt yourself, when you’ve done nothing wrong? Why are you so cruel to yourself? Kaveh lets the thought wander in his head for some time before he shakes his head in disbelief. He can’t come to any reasonable conclusion as to why you’d be so cruel to yourself. He could only speculate.

Is this why you hurt yourself? The thought intrudes him, as he tries to stay focused on comforting you.

Because you feel like you don’t deserve kindness?

But why? Why wouldn't you deserve kindness? This isn't because of any mistakes you’ve made, is it? Has someone made you believe this? Or is it something that you’ve always thought? Either way, you’re wrong. You deserve kindness. You deserve the world. 

You deserve to be treated well.

"You deserve so much better," he says quietly, "You aren't pitiful. I promise you that you are so much more than what you tell yourself you are." 

Kaveh places his hands on top of yours as he rubs comforting circles with his thumb on the back of your palms. Another sob escapes your lips at his attempts to soothe your ache. He can feel the way you tremble under his hands as he gives you a gentle squeeze of comfort to stabilize your quivering form, even if it's just by a little bit. He keeps rubbing, still trying to help you. Neither of you say anything and the only thing to be heard in the room is the sound of your rapid breathing and hitched sobs. And while the tremors still persist, your sobs are becoming less frantic. He thinks he might be comforting her just slightly, but it's good enough for now. At least it’s a start. 

Kaveh wants to say something, but he doesn't know what to say. He's never been in a situation like this before. He doesn't want to sound like an idiot. But he also doesn't want to stay silent.

He cannot bear to see you like this, and he doesn't want to imagine how much pain you’ve been carrying for you to end up here like this. 

He wants so badly for you to be okay. He wants nothing more than to give you his care and comfort. Kaveh gets up from his crouching position and feels his legs tingle from sitting like that for so long, but he ignores it. It’s not important right now. What is, is you and your wellbeing. 

He assumes that if you responded positively to having him rub your hand, then maybe you'd respond better to affectionate comfort. Kaveh is reluctant at first. A hug is much more personal, much more intimate than drawing circles on someone's palm. So he asks.

"Is it okay if I hug you?"

You tense up at the request reluctantly. Granted, you and Kaveh would usually greet one another by giving a quick hug with a pat on the back before getting to it. But this was different. Much different from those lighthearted moments you’d share before you go off to wherever you had planned on doing for the day, whether that was taking a walk amongst the streets of the city or just enjoying one another's presence as you work deliberately.

You’re hesitant, and Kaveh is about to reassure you that it’s fine if you don’t want to until he sees a small nod coming from you. Your eyes quickly dart down to meet his before you avert your gaze from him, feeling the shame and embarrassment crawl along your back amongst the other feelings that roam inside of you.

Kaveh is quick to act as he pulls you into his embrace. 

He holds you protectively, as if he just holds you close enough to him he'll be able to shield you from the cold, cruel world that's hurt you so. You just want to hold on to him. Just wants him to hold you, to hug you and hold you close to him. 

The warmth is so comforting, so very comforting that the little voice in your head tells you that you aren't worthy of this kind of affection. That you don’t deserve to be cared for like this, and a part of you still holds onto that truth. Despite that, you cling onto him as if he were your lifeline, the very last thread that was keeping you from floating away. You want this- you’ve been yearning for someone to hold you like this, and even though a loud part of you disagrees- that part of you that tells you that you’re not deserving of this- you can’t help but bask in his warmth that he provides for you.

The plate on your bedside table catches his eye, long forgotten. The food had obviously gone cold by now. Whatever, Kaveh thinks. It doesn’t matter, he can always just warm it up later. What matters is that he helps you back on your feet and support you through this. 

You don’t have to fend for yourself anymore. He’s here now, and he’ll help you through it. He may not be capable of chasing away your demons for you, but you’ll always have his endless support.

He’ll spend an eternity if it means he could make you believe that you deserve everything.

[witch-hazels-musings]

Thaumaturgy Event

Submissions: October 10th - ALL SUBMISSIONS CLOSED Writing: October 11th - 13th 2024 SFW | Genshin Impact Only* | Gender Neutral Reader See below the cut for the prompt list and request rules

Submission Rules

First: Choose your ritual. Protection (Fluff) | Divination (General) | Curse (Angst)

Prompts

Second: Choose a MAX of FOUR items you wish to include in your ritual. -> Items are tied to a ritual type, so, if you chose Protection and three items in red or yellow, this may impact the outcome of the ritual

grey candle - balance, neutrality

cinnamon - love and prosperity

frankincense - confidence

lavender - comfort, calm

lepidolite - regulation, stress relief

black tourmaline - safety, shielding

angelite - gentleness, healing

yellow candle - success, creativity

sandalwood - ceremony

evergreen - the unexpected

jasmine - love, sensuality

ginsing - communication, guidance

dalmation stone - loyalty, family

unakite - attraction

black candle - death, suffering

graveyard dirt - loss, grief

wormwood - nightmares

cedar - betrayal

feverfew - sickness, accidents

hellebore - anger, wrath

serpentine - observation, mysteries

Third: Choose your character (1 only)

Please understand I haven't played Genshin Impact in years. These are the characters I know and feel most comfortable with writing. I will not be writing anyone from the newer regions or going outside of the characters on this list

Mondstadt - Diluc, Kayea, Albedo, Jean Liyue - Zhongli, Xiao, Ganyu Inazuma - Thoma, Ayato, Itto, Kazuma Sumeru - Alhaitham, Kaveh* Fontaine - Neuvillette*, Wriothesley* Harbingers - Childe, Scaramouche, Pantalone*, Il Capitano* Other: Dainsleif *(these characters are still new to me, so I will write limited requests for them)

ask example: 

“Hey, Hazel! Could I have a Divination Ritual for Xiao with the evergreen, cinnamon, and sandalwood items? Thank you!” 

ANTHOLOGY LIST (not currently open)

This event is based on spells and rituals. Inspiration does not equal understanding; liberties have been taken. All content is owned by Witch Hazels Musings, theft of these images and stories will result in immediate action.

requests sent before the event will be deleted

ask me questions via DMs ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

[thatgenderfluidmonstrosity]

@friendlesscat

Here’s your Kaeya and Diluc angst/comfort!

It’s not as whumpy as I wanted it to be, but I love it, and I hope you do too!

“Captain! Captain!” He heard a voice scream.

One by one, his team was getting picked off.

“CAPTAIN KAEYA!” He heard their pleas, “HELP!”

Their cries for help. His vision was blurry, and his body staggered in pain. How much longer could he keep going?

“Must- keep…. fighting…” He muttered, struggling to hold his sword.

It was raining, which was supposed to give him an advantage- but who would expect a rogue Ruin Hunter would appear in the middle of Wolvendom Woods?

His team certainly did not.

“C-Captain! What do we-”

The voices- the fear and terror.

He couldn’t help them. He couldn’t even help himself.

As the screams died down, and the rain and thunder pounded in his ears- he felt his body become lighter.

Was this it? Was he dying? After everything- the traitor meets a cruel end. Was it really cruel though? Such a fate must be fit for someone like him. He was losing consciousness- he knew that much. He tried to stay up, but he knew that resistance was futile. His wounds were too much to bear, and the Ruin Hunter wasn’t letting up. It sharpened its weapon, ready to strike the last man standing.

“I’m sorry.” He muttered.

He didn’t quite know who exactly he was apologizing to. To his teammates, who he failed when they needed him? Was it to Jean; whom he failed as a captain? Or to Diluc? For failing him as a brother? Maybe to Crepus; for failing him as a son.

It didn’t matter who. He failed all of them. Even his own father, who abandoned him.

His life was a failure. A waste. And he was sorry to anyone who knew him.

His body hit the ground- it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the other wounds he had.

And as he closed his eyes, he felt warm…

He also saw light. Was it “the light”? Like when you die? No… it was… red… and flaming…

He didn’t expect to wake up. Nor did he expect to be on a cart, rolling towards Dawn Winery.

Oh… Here I am… once again…

It was bittersweet, in a way. How he was bleeding out, being taken towards the place where he had first been abandoned.

He couldn’t speak- only look around. He caught sight of the brooding red-haired man that was wheeling him back. Only… he didn’t look so brooding… Was it a trick of his near-death hallucinations, or was Diluc…

He couldn’t form many thoughts before he blacked out again.

The next time he woke up, he was inside of Dawn Winery, laying on a fancy red sofa. He only hoped it was red before he got there.

He realized he was awake enough to hear speaking, but only bits.

“Found him… tell Jean… others… only survivor…”

The words rang through his ears. His stomach dropped.

It didn’t matter if he lived or died through this experience. All that mattered was that he had to carry the knowledge that he failed his team. A bunch of excellent knights… gone. Dead. And it was his fault. It was always his fault- Crepus was his fault- Losing his brother was his fault-

Why did he have to be such a failure?

He couldn't tell if it was blood or a tear that dripped down his cheek. It was his right eye too. Maybe the world thought he needed a real reason to wear his eye patch.

He didn’t realize that the conversation he overheard was now over. He only noticed that when Diluc started to approach him.

“Kae…” He muttered.

A nickname he hadn’t heard in so long… Diluc must’ve thought that he was still asleep.

“I… I’m sorry… For everything. You… you’re a great knight, really. You don’t need to be so hard on yourself all the time. I know the front that you put up. A respectable knight who has everything together. But that's not the real you… Not the one I know at least.”

Kaeya kept his eyes and mouth closed, but holding his “unconscious” expression was difficult.

You don’t need to apologize… all of it was my fault.

“You’re gonna blame yourself for all this, I know you will, but… it's not your fault. No one would expect a Ruin Hunter to pop up in those woods. And no one would expect you to take it on, especially since you weren’t prepared for a fight. I’ve already sent some people out to retrieve the other knight's bodies and I've got a hawk sending a message to the Acting Grand Master. By the time you wake up… you’ll be back in Mondstadt.”

Kaeya had half the mind to get up and protest him that moment. He wanted to speak to him. To tell him everything that he felt.

The other part of him wanted to stay silent. To wait and listen.

But no part of him wanted to miss the chance to speak to his brother.

“I don’t know why I’m still talking to you. You’ll be briefed on all this when you can actually hear people. I just… I guess I wanted to give us both some comfort. I get to talk to you without your mask, and… you can listen.”

He heard Diluc take a deep breath. It… quivered.

“It wasn’t… easy, Kaeya… losing both you and father on the same day… You must know now that your timing wasn’t… great. But… Kae, if I had the chance to go back and change everything, I would.”

Now this wouldn’t have been Kaeya’s chosen time to “awaken” from his slumber, but his body had other plans.

He shot up, coughing as if he was trying desperately to lose a lung.

He heard Diluc gasp a bit, then saw him stand.

“Argh-” He grumbled, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Here.” Diluc offered him a rag, to wipe up the blood that shot from his mouth.

Kaeya took a moment to cough some more, then laid back on the couch.

“Are you alright? How do you feel? Adelinde, can you bring me a glass of water-?” Diluc bombarded him with questions, sitting back down.

“I-I'm fine… I'm fine. You sound like-” He coughed some more, deciding to just sit up instead.

“Dad?” Diluc finished.

“...Yeah…” Kaeya muttered, looking away.

There was silence.

Kaeya observed his now wrapped wounds. His hand reached for his right eye.

Diluc looked away, fiddling with his hands.

“It's not that bad, right?” Kaeya jokes.

Diluc didn’t look at him.

More silence.

“…Maybe… Maybe I should just get going-” He said.

“No. No no no, you are staying on this couch till someone arrives to take you back to the city.” Diluc said, standing up and blocking the couch.

“I’ll be fine.” Kaeya countered.

“Fine!? You’re literally bleeding everywhere!” Diluc said, frustratingly.

“Better for me to bleed on the grass instead of your couch.” Kaeya muttered, attempting to stand.

Diluc sighed, stepping away.

“Fine, you can leave, only if you can manage to get to the door all by yourself without falling over.”

Kaeya scoffed before taking one step and collapsing.

He then started to cough even more, but this time, he couldn’t breath in.

“Kaeya!” Diluc exclaimed, helping him up immediately. “I expected you to fall over, but not to immediately start dying!”

“Here, Master Diluc.” Adelinde said, handing him a glass of water.

Adelinde helped Kaeya back to sitting on the couch, and Diluc handed him the water.

He downed it, only taking seconds to breathe.

“Careful- I don’t want you vomiting everywhere too.” Diluc scolded.

Kaeya set the glass on the table beside him.

“Sure thing, Master Diluc.” He muttered, sounding upset or angry, like his voice was filled with disdain.

“Don't say it like that…” Diluc muttered.

“Like what?” Kaeya asked snarkily.

“Like you hate me.” Diluc said, looking him in the eye.

…

“Yeah, okay…” Kaeya said, looking down.

…

Diluc got up to leave.

I don’t hate you. I don’t hate you. I don’t hate you. Please don’t leave-

“...I don’t hate you.” Kaeya said.

Diluc turned to him.

“Kaeya-”

“No. Let me speak…” He said, his expression was… sad.

“I don’t hate you, or what you do. I might’ve thought I hated you for a while, but I didn’t. Truth is… I've… missed you. I've missed my brother. And I know I’ve screwed up. I’ve hated myself ever since Crepus died. Ever since I ruined this family. And… and I would do the same thing.”

Diluc was speechless.

“The… ‘same thing’?” He asked.

“If I had the chance to go back in time and change things, I would. But part of me… if given the chance, would have never let us meet. Then maybe you’d still have your position in the knights, and maybe you’d still be happy and bright, and maybe you’d still have your dad-”

He hadn’t noticed the tears that started to roll down his cheeks.

He also didn’t notice that Diluc had started to approach him- till he was enveloped in a hug.

“Our dad…” Diluc whispered.

“....right…” Kaeya smiled, sniffling.

He wrapped his hands around Diluc, nuzzling his head into his shoulder.

“I’ve missed you too. But I guess I don’t need to tell you that, since i'm assuming you were awake during my whole monologue…”

“Yeah, I was…”

“Always the better actor.” Diluc said, exiting the hug.

“Of course,” Kaeya laughed, “Someone had to sneak us into the Knights training sessions, and your fake crying wasn’t going to cut it.”

“Yeah yeah…”

Link to the fic on Ao3 if you wanna give it kudos there!

[the-comfortcorner]

One step at a time. It’s as simple as that. Walk into the future with your back straight and your head held high as you can. They can’t crush you that easily. I’ve got your back.

-Aether

[suguru-getos]

Genshin Impact characters and how they comfort you (F!Reader):

A/N: It's been a while lovelies :P since yours truly touched Genshin Impact. In all honesty, the game remains to be my comfort game & the characters give me so much joy. Here's me, word-vomiting about them blorbos. ;)

Characters included: Neuvillette, Wriothesley, Alhaitham, Ayato

Neuvillette:

The only reason he hasn't cried (yet) is because he is thinking hard on what to do when you're blue. Would probably suggest that you and him go together for a walk! Hey! Don't judge him - a walk fixes everything. Besides, someone who hasn't had a romantic interest in centuries really needs to learn a thing or two. He doesn't mind writing an official application about his absence and walking along the streets of Fontaine with you. He knows the Melusine village brings you a lot of comfort so it's also his go-to place whenever he's feeling down. He tried making you taste different kinds of waters - yep, didn't end well for the Hydro Dragon Sovereign. However, lessons are to be learnt and he learnt them well! Now, he has realized that mostly, your sadness can be satiated with something delectable to soothe your tongue. He started with soup, well? Naturally.. though that didn't end well either. He now has realized what he might like, you might/might not. So, he takes the more aware turn & takes you to places you like, or sometimes doesn't do anything. Happily wraps his arms around you, kisses your forehead and doesn't say anything. Silence and hugs? Best! He's noticed you like that far better.

Ayato:

The Yashiro Commissioner is a cocky fellow, and sometimes a tad too overconfident. He thinks he knows you inside out; that's not something he refers from you though. He thinks it's because no one can ever love you more than Kamisato Ayato. (He is kinda right? Though what's worse is he is mostly correct about the things that you need.) Like - he knows when that period begins, and when the mood swings absolutely obliterate you; he knows some Fontainian chocolate, or Mousse will come to the rescue. Some dangos might also help. The Kamisato Estate staff is trained to not fall pale to your needs. You & him both know that with all the travel opportunities you accompany Ayato in, you do have taste-buds which would be bored with Inazuman food alone. Whenever there is something bothering you personally, Ayato would ask you to vent it out. He firmly believes in annoying you with persistent cooing and crooning of, "Hey Princess, what's got that pretty face so long?" / "Oh come now, don't tell me you would hide things from your husband? I feel judged already. Do I not deserve to know?" You do end up telling him everything - and while Ayato is surprisingly good at giving advices… you always like how he asks first, if you want him to listen, or give his opinions.

Alhaitham:

The Scribe of Sumeru's Akademiya who is also your boyfriend - usually takes the overly analytical route, rationalizing everything. So you often don't tell him about the things that bother you. Since he is so observant and keen however, you can never really slide something that's got you down under the rug either. "You are behaving differently." Alhaitham commented, "Usually when you come home, from outside… you freshen up." He comments at the lack thereof, watching you squirm under his gaze. Of course, whenever you feel down your mind and body send you in a slump. "Oh- yeah, I'll get to that." You quickly comment, though you're cut off by his tender hold on your wrist. "Course you can, something wrong?" Now he knows the 'Female Anatomy', as he likes to call it. Often going out of his way to explain your hormonal cycle, what you should do when you are in your leutal, menstrual, ovulation phases etc. You don't have to say much in certain times as such. Though he acts like nothing's the matter when you do vent about let's say - something at work/Akademiya; there have been instances where he would pay personal visits to some people for pissing his girl off. Duality? Yep.

Wriothesley:

'His' Grace; is extremely kind to everyone, and fair. You being his significant other, get your own perks from time to time. For example: He is always available for tea for his little one. He is always available to listen to you whenever. He considers it fortunate enough that you are willing to live in the Fortress of Meropide with him - he knows it's the harshest decision especially from someone who hasn't done any crime whatsoever. There are days when even someone like Wriothesley (who seldom goes out) makes sure that he visits the world up above with you. Might take you to the Opera, might take you to those fabulous boutiques, anything and everything fashion the second he notices your eyes glim. Nope, none of that is tolerated here. The prisoners have started calling you 'Her Grace'; while you do not prefer it, Wriothesley does not mind, he is fine with you being treated like someone treasured. That would ensure that people around you would tend to you also, when you're down. Damn does this man love body massages, giving them to you and watching your shoulders slump. He needs to be so careful with you though. Can’t be too rough else his little baby would break… <3

[fallingdownhell]

Hewwoooo. Can I ask for some fluff-comfort hcs for Alhaitham and Kaveh ? Reader feels kinda depressed and just wants hugs, kisses and warmth ;;;w;;;

God, I relate to that so fucking much! Thank you for requesting that. I may have cried while writing this, but only because it felt really good. Like, even while writing it, I felt some form of comfort. So thank you for that request. I didn't even know I needed something like that myself<3

Content: mentioning of depression; hurt/comfort; reader is hurting and the boys comfort you; gender neutral reader; all of the comfort!

Word count: 1,1k

Hope you all enjoy reading and remember, you are all loved and people care for you. Life is always worth living, even if it is just to spite certain people who want to tell you otherwise. Never give up on yourself<3

Alhaitham

He's not the best when it comes to matters of the heart, so I also don't think that he would be good at comforting someone

at least that would be what Alhaitham thinks of himself

he never really cared about how others feel, never cared if his blunt and honest words hurt their feelings. He never had a problem with that

so why is it that now, when he sees you sitting there, crying to yourself, that his heart breaks and his head screams at him to run to your side and be there for you

so he does just that

he walks over to where you are sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to your chest, your arms resting on your knees and your head laying on your arms, and he just silently sits down next to you

you notice the shift, that someone is there besides you, but you don't find the strenght in you to lift your head to confirm who it was, though you did have a sneaking suspicion by the lack of words being uttered

what comes next though is a surprise even to you

silently, Alhaitam wraps one arm around you, putting his head on your shoulder and carefully pulls you towards him

this way, you lean against his side, and he just holds you there

confused by his actions, you slightly lift your head, your eyes red from all the crying

he just looks back at you. he doesn't say anything, but his gaze is full of concern over you, yet he doesn't force you to speak about it. Instead he is just offering you his silent company, so you don't feel so alone

You gladly accept the silent offer, resting your head on his shoulder while you slowly begin to calm down again

his arm remains around you, his hand still resting on your shoulder, while he observes your surroundings, making sure that no one else will see you in this state

once you calmed down enough, he would ask you if you want to talk about what made you feel this way

the answer to that is totally up to you.

If you want to talk to him, then he would take you to a more secluded place, probably back to his home, where you two can then talk in peace, without any prying eyes or ears. Even then, he would still over you his comfort, even if he is still unsure about what to do exactly.

If you don't want to talk about it, then that it also fine to him. You are not obligated to tell him, after all. But you better expect that he will keep an eye on you from now on, so that he can react if you ever should feel like that again

All in all, I think Alhaitham would act purely on instinct for once in his life, should he ever come across such a situation. And I do think that he is quite good at offering this type of silent comfort for someone and just making you feel like someone cares for you and will always be there by your side

Kaveh

Kaveh is a lot more expressive when it comes to these kinds of things

he himself has his heart on his tongue and openly shows how he feels in every situation, so I think he would be quite good at handling the emotions of the people around him

so when he notices that you, a person he holds very dear to his heart, is crying, he would first enter a panic mode, before he calms down again

he would slowly walk up to you, as to not startle you, and then slowly wraps his arms around you, whispering soft things into your ear in hopes of calming you down

when he notices that that is not enough, he would swiftly lift you up and take you somewhere quiet, but I think he would just walk to his home, since that is the easiest solution in his mind right now

while walking, he would shield you as best he can from any weird looks people might give you two

once you arrived at his destination, Kaveh seems to be entirely in his element

he puts you down, either on the couch or his bed, whichever he sees first

then, he wraps you up in a warm blanket, before he leaves your side only for a moment, to make the both of you a cup of hot chocolate in the kitchen

once he returns, he also has a box of tissues with him, and you start to cry even more at the sight

he sits the cups down, hands you the box, and just sits there with you

he leaves the choice up to you if you want any form of physical comfort as well

if you do, he is more than happy to lift you into his arms, hold you tight towards him, whispering sweet, reassuring things to you. I think he would also run a soothing hand along your back, just trying to make you feel cared for and safe

if you don't however, he is not faced. People prefer different kinds of comfort, so he can accept it if that's not something you want. He would default to just being a silent companion, periodically telling you that you were fine, had nothing to worry about and that he would be there for you

Once you have calmed down enough, he would also ask if you would want to talk about it, also accepting any answer you might give him

he would never push you to open yourself up to him, but he wants to make sure that you are aware you can trust him with anything and he will always be there to support you through anything

he would then insist that you stay the night, not wanting to leave you alone and to your thoughts again. He wants to make sure that you're okay, and he can only do that if you are near him

so, you better expect him to not leave your side, unless he absolutely has to. But even then, he makes it a point to return as fast as he possibly can

overall does his best to make you feel loved and cared for, and I do think that he does a very good job at that

[tb3ih]

BLOOMING SEASON (pt. 2), kamisato ayato/reader.

SYNOPSIS... people like Kamisato Ayato who are not like the seasons do not have hearts that can withstand the test of time OR perhaps at the end of the day, you are well-deserved of change (or Sora says so).

⋆ warnings, kamisato ayato & fem-presenting!reader, gentle angst, hehe in-laws, THE CHILD (sora), introduction of reader's family, + comfort for once :) [making a part 3 bc i want a better happy ending tbh]

⋆ notes, thinking about how i was just sobbing my eyes out to 'nobody gets me' by sza for no reason

⋆ tags! @stellakito @iiyumii @neverlandlostchild @hotgirlshit5 @jureminha @yunniemai1 @iamnotobsessed @irisxiel @lumpywolf @mrs-heelshire @kunikuzushisbeloved @pineapplesneedrights @kiyoomiwo @hyunromi @simplyhumanlol @esthelily @chiisananingen

"Y/N-CHAN?" you know that voice too well, all the might in your body you used to hold yourself together wavering at the simple honorific.

your twin brother looks half asleep, deep burgundy hair lopsided and unstyled, black yukata not even properly tied, and eyes hardly able to remain open. even the guards at his chamber doors appeared startled.

you choke out his name, unable to even make it a step before your throat starts burning and closing up. gou wastes no time in rushing forward in that instant, vision alight and a worried emotion in his eyes as he pulls you into him.

for once in your life, you are grateful for him having grown into such a tall, well-built older brother, his arms firm and unyielding in the way they hold you against his chest. if you remember correctly, this was the way it had always been when you as the only daughter of the hayashi clan took the brunt of the elders' prevailing orders, from attending events in place of your late parents to managing foreign affairs for the clan.

or even giving yourself away to kamisato ayato in hopes of civilizing relations between the clans.

arms tightening just a little as you continue your sobbing, his eyes fall to akane who stands a little distance back carrying your resting daughter.

"anata? is everything alright? who's out there at this hour?" emica, gou's bride and perhaps one of your most cherished people, steps out from the bedchamber as well. gou is hesitant to let you go, but he does, allowing you to collect yourself just a little to face your sister-in-law. "y/n-san? you're—oh archons! come here, sweetie!"

you waste no time rushing into her arms, the smell of peach blossoms and the ocean filling your senses as she envelops you. if your loveless marriage had brought you any sort of joy (other than your daughter) it would be that gou was able to marry for love. kaedehara emica, oldest sister to kazuha and named matriarch of her clan in absence of her brother, she was a samurai to be reckoned with. albeit her brazen attitude towards the elders of the hayashi estate, she was kind and always ready to welcome you into her arms.

"gou, honey, bring sora to the twins' room and let her rest in there," emica says, her hand soothing against your back as she allows you to weep on her shoulder. "poor lady akane has had a long night and doesn't need to hold her anymore."

gou nods, "of course, dearest." another attendant appears to guide the three away down another hallway.

it takes a few minutes for you to recover, but emica is patient, never faltering in comforting you. after all, having been engaged only a few weeks before your parents would pass, she too would come to witness the cruelty of the elders and their treatment of the only daughter of such a highly regarded clan. she would scowl at the thought.

emica hums, "y/n-tan, are you hungry?" you meet her eyes, her expression soft and warm. "i bet cook will make his favorite patron some omurice if she were to ask~ hm?"

you laugh a little, throat a little hoarse from crying. you were a little dizzy, so you supposed some food wouldn't hurt. plus, chef was perhaps second to only your mother in terms of authority figures in your childhood. it would be a shame if you didn't stop by to pay respects to him. "i suppose you're right..."

your sister-in-law giggles, slipping an arm around your waist to walk beside you to the kitchen. "of course i'm right, i'm always right."

"I'LL kill that bastard, i swear it to celestia," gou seethes, setting his cup of tea back on the table. "how dare he speak in such a manner? has he forgotten his place?"

you are currently on your third plate of omurice, eyes observant as you watch the couple before you take in the information you have just set before him.

emica laughs softly, "now now, dear i'm sure even y/n would like to push war as one of the very last options of action. i'm sure she's at least thought of something more civil which might resolve the conflict at hand. y/n?"

you clear your throat with a sip of milktea. "divorce. seeing as how the yashiro commission had much to gain from this union, we have nothing to lose except friendly relations." you take another bite and speak once more after swallowing. "besides, had it not been for the hayashi clan, the raiden shogun would not have even considered a pardon for the yashiro commission all those years ago."

gou snorts. "i'm sure there are many things this whole damn city wouldn't have had, if it weren't for the most gracious hayashi clan." he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose before once more meeting your stare. "your solution would definitely be opposed by the elders, is that something you're willing to take on?"

emica takes your hand squeezing it lightly and offering the warmest smile. she turns to her husband. "even if it isn't, she mustn't forget the simple fact that she won't be alone and never again will be."

the thought has you smiling softly to yourself. in light of all the struggles and conflict within the noble clans of inzauma, you were happy to find a home within the people you cherished.

"AUNTIE! auntie!" two giggling and nearly identical figures come running up to you, hugging at either of your legs. akio is the one who exclaims out, asking "when did you come home?"

kentaro, tugging gently on the skirt of your kimono on your left, though curious, refrains from being as loud as his counterpart. "is everything okay, auntie?"

you kneel down, embracing the two in a tight hug, ruffling their burgundy hair just enough to get them to exclaim out. you supposed they were at the age where they liked to keep up appearances, even if just a little. "now now, didn't your mother teach you it's rude to bombard guests with questions all at once? hm?"

reaching out to poke him lightly on the cheek, kentaro makes a frown, mumbling a small "told you so" to his brother, who in return sticks his tongue out. you let go of them, opting to hold their hands instead.

"auntie and cousin sora are going to be staying here for a while, there's some building going on back at uncle's mansion. is that okay with the twins?" you feel a small pang in your heart at the mention of your husband, whom the twins hardly ever see.

the two nod, akio once again speaking first. "that's okay with kentaro and akio! i hope the building gets done soon!"

kentaro hums in agreement. "as long as auntie is comfortable in our home."

"akio! kentaro! where are my little boys?" emica calls them from the entrance of the courtyard, waving lightly to you. the boys respond accordingly, going to run off to their mother, but not before kissing you on either side of your cheeks and racing off.

standing up once more, you wave back to your sister-in-law before she heads in with the boys, reminding you of why you came out to the courtyard, to begin with. "okaasan?"

sora stands behind you, a couple of sakura blooms in her hands, the beautiful pink petals still crackling a little with electro. you smile warmly, holding your arms out to catch her in your arms and hoist her on her hip.

"having fun?" sora giggles, nodding and showing you the bloom in her hand. her vision glows on her headband, lavender strands of hair threatening to spill out from behind the hairpiece.

"akio and kentaro were showing me around the garden and i thought okaasan might like a sakura bloom!" her smile is proud and chuckle.

"well, it's very beautiful, thank you." the two of you watch as she brings her powers to life, electrifying the petals only to scatter them in the air above. "where did you learn to do that?"

sora giggles. "guuji yae! i finished my lessons at the shrine early and she said to practice this so i could show you." pausing, she continues the next part a little softly. "okaasan's been sad lately and hasn't been playing with sora..."

an ache pulls at your heart. "awh, my sweet, i'm sorry," you apologize, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "it's true, okaasan's been a little sad lately."

her small hands go to twist lightly at your hair. "does okaasan's heart hurt? sora's heart hurts a little when she's sad too!"

oh, my little sora...

"y-yeah... okaasan's heart hurts a little." you watch her expression carefully, her violet irises continuing to be attentive to your hair.

she taps her chin, as if to think. "hmm, kentaro says to get better from being sad you have to say 'farewell' to the things that make your heart hurt." sora smiles as she lets go of your hair, seemingly satisfied with her styling job. her eyes focus on your own.

"sora loves otosan, but if okaasan is sad, sora thinks it's okay to say bye-bye."

the pink sakura petals have begun to rain down, floating slowly with the absence of wind. sora cuddles softly against your chest, yawning softly. you think back to when ayato had called you naive to hope for love. "sora loves okaasan too."

you stare at the falling petals, the courtyard shifting in hues with the setting sun. it is quiet where you stand holding sora, the trees mute and the clouds watchful as they pass a mother and daughter from overhead.

your chest does not feel heavy when you weep this time, but rather, the ache seems to lessen as you cry softly with sora against you. it smells like spring all around you and you are comfortable in your kimono in the early evening. there are potted glazed lilies that have begun to peek out to watch you, the naku weed glowing softly around the perimeter. perennials all around have also begun to fill the greenery with pretty colors.

just as seasons change, you thought, so should you.

part 1 ! | part 3 ! | part 4 ! | part 5 ! (still in progress)

© tb3ih mmxxii all rights reserved.

[the-travelling-witch]

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐑

summary: in the quiet nights of liyue, you may hear it; a lonely song echoing in jueyun karst...

pairing: xiao x gn! reader

warnings: angst/ comfort, survivor’s guilt, allusion to self-sacrifice, taking place after the perilous trail quest

The air was silent as the world stood still, no animal cry to be heard, no grass blade to be moved. As always, the mountains of Jueyun Karst was the ethereal depiction of grace and tranquillity. Yet, in the night’s peace, a hauntingly beautiful melody hung like mist between the clouds of Qingyun Peak and filled the air with sorrow and mourning. Despite mortals avoiding the mountain passage, some have borne witness to this song, spinning tales and myths recounting the story of a lonely spirit wandering Liyue in search of… Well, people weren’t quite sure.

It wasn’t the first time the young yaksha sat atop one of the Karst’s many floating islands, his back against cold stone, amber eyes shutting out the present. Perhaps it was the closest he would ever get to a moment of rest, lamenting his friends’ passing so many centuries ago.

Lately, his tune had taken on an even more sombre tone, fresh emotion bleeding into his cries. Xiao despised himself for his moment of weakness, whether it was being helpless when his fellow yaksha suffered or coming here instead of abiding by his duty.

Truthfully, it was no longer only because of his contract with Rex Lapis he vowed to keep the nation safe. No, despite his best efforts to strictly separate mortals and adepti, someone had worked their way into his heart; someone who was good and whose smile Xiao wanted to preserve forever. Someone who didn’t deserve to be tainted by his karmic debt but who he couldn’t pull away from now that he had embraced them.

But it wasn’t only the guilt of endangering the person he loved which weighed on his mind. After a new light had been cast on an old mystery, Xiao had inevitably been forced to face scars which ran deeper than he’d ever like to admit. And with that confrontation came the remorse he so desperately tried to push further down every day he walked the mortal plane.

From the first time he had picked up a spear, Xiao had been a weapon, a lethal pawn pushed around on someone’s chess board. Fortunately, he was given the opportunity to atone for his previous sins with his duty as a yaksha, his fellow kin by his side.

They were the ones who had always longed for a mortal life, the ones who had believed they’d one day all be accepted into a society not meant for them. Yet, he was the only one who had received an invitation to mundane life… The only one who didn’t deserve it.

Back in the chasm, he should have—

Then, he heard it- the slowly approaching footsteps, the rustling grass, the animated breathing, he heard it all. But it was only the familiar touch on his shoulder, paired with the call of his name, which caught up to him and woke him from his sorrowful dream.

“Here you are,” your familiar voice said. As if the sun had started to rise in the dead of night, an inner warmth soon filled him when you took a seat next to him, leaning against his shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind me being here but I was just really worried.”

“Worried? What for?” Amber eyes focused entirely on you before scouring the area. “Is someone threatening you? Are you being followed?”

“No, silly,” you soothed, placing a hand on his, which had instinctively wrapped around the jade spear by his side, “I’m worried about you, of course. You seem more troubled lately and I don’t know how I can help or if I can help at all. I just want to be here for you.”

You could tell Xiao was searching for something in your eyes before he broke your gaze. Many times you had shared your troubles with him and pride had filled his chest at the trust you put in him. Never once had he even considered the thought of ridiculing your struggle, no matter how major or minuscule it might have been to him. So perhaps, he too could confide in the person before him?

It might have been the calming sway of the qingxin flowers surrounding you, the approaching morning sun or the genuine love he saw in your eyes but, on top of those mountains, Xiao recounted as much as he could, shared as many memories as his brain provided him with. And although he laid them out for you to see, the yaksha felt less empty than the whole time he kept them all inside.

“I’m the only one who didn’t lose their life,” Xiao shakily breathed, voice quiet and meek. “I’m the only one who didn’t have to suffer.”

“Oh but you suffered greatly, can’t you see? Every day, you fight this feeling and endure this pain. And you lost so, so much,” you said, a warm hand sheltering his heart. “You lost your friends, your family, who you loved and cared for. What greater loss could there possibly be?

“I can’t promise that things will be okay because I frankly don’t know if they will be. But I’d like to believe so. We can’t go back to the past, we can’t undo what we’ve done and, even more so, we can’t undo the things we didn’t have any control over in the first place. So, sometimes, all you can do is take a deep breath and start again.” Trying to collect your thoughts, you lifted your head from his shoulder. “What I’m trying to say is, it’s okay to accept joy and happiness without drowning them in guilt. Everyone deserves to be happy, that includes you.”

“Do you really think that is possible?” Xiao hesitantly reached out to intertwine your fingers, emboldened by the way you reciprocated his motion. “For someone like me?”

“Yes, I do, truly. If it makes you feel any better, I’m very grateful you’re still here. And sure, I could feel guilty about enjoying your company when I know of the burden you bear. But there are moments in life where you have to be selfish,” you whispered before placing a soft kiss to his forehead, where a beautiful purple mark sat. Cupping his face, you took in his watery golden eyes and gave him an understanding smile.

“So I selfishly chose to love you.”

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