#i have unfortunately entered genshin

[let-them-eat-rakes]

fuck you sucrose. my first ever 10 pull that i earn with blood, sweat, and tears and i get a duplicate of a character i don't even use

[gio-cosmo]

I’m taking some community college courses soon and istg if someone doesn’t see the fandom related stickers on my laptop and immediately become my lifelong bff I’m dropping all classes idgaf

[angelfishe]

hiiiiii :3

I was wondering if you could do head canons or a one shot about the traveler and paimon visiting the fortress of meropide to wish wriothesley a happy birthday. They decide to quietly enter through the main door to his office to surprise him, but they see wriothesley and reader making out. you don't have to do it if you don't want too!

please and thank you

I hope this manages to please you and if I'm sorry it's kind out of context. Hope you enjoy it

"𝐔𝐇-𝐎𝐇 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓"

<< Genshin man x reader >>

Character : diluc, kaeya, alhaitham, ayato, zhongli, childe, neuvillete, wriostheley, dottore, pantalone, capitano

"Imagine getting in the middle of the act"

Warning may contain NSFW content

⚠️ Minors do not interact please ⚠️

Diluc it's no secret to do staff of the dawn winery about you guys sex life, I mean everyday Adeline has to change the cum stained bed sheet to fresh ones for you guys to dirty it again, I mean you guys are so loud to the point it can be heard in the servants corners thats the reason why the staff have eye bags under their eyes they didn't get enough sleep due to the noise, at some point you guys broke the bed unable to survive diluc strength you guys have to buy a new one and when asks diluc is unable to forge the words to say. During angel share closing kaeya accidently left some important documents on the table and when he went inside he saw you and diluc is doing something busy and his present stop you guys he immediately grab the document leaving an angry diluc yelling at him to leave.

Kaeya the entire mondstat knows you've guys business, I mean when he's bored he asks for your presence under the excuse of an official knight business which everybody knows it's a code for "playtime" in the HQ, Unfortunately there's a new rookie working in the knights of favonius that no one warn them about the calvary captain break time is, and that unfortunately lead towards the rookie opening the door of the captains office and seeing his lover being hit on in the back by the captain, the rookie immediately slamming the door close with blush on their face, and the knights around HQ was like "first time ?"

Alhaitham even tho alhaitham put on a stern face, he's by far one of the most shameless Characters towards location it doesn't matter where it is in the forest, the library, in a tent in the middle of the desert, in a temple there's no limit to where you guys are gonna do it, poor kaveh having one of his projects staying up all night to work on it and hearing the bed creaking on the other room and yelled to keep it down from his room towards you guys. During alhaitham birth day cyno, tighnari and kaveh was planning on holding a surprise party on alhaitham, unfortunately when they burst in the room and they witness alhaitham getting his "birthday present" from you unfortunately you were unable to make eye contact with them for one week for alhaitham he act as if he did not just give them trauma, that's why knock first when entering his room

Ayato this man is SHAMELESS, even tho most of the citizens don't know what's going on in the kamisato estate, the servants fall into victims to his shenanigans. It's no secret ayato is into shibari as well in his and beloved bedroom above the bed there's a hook to you know. Thoma is by far has to deal with his antics having to wipe the stained of the wet soiled sheets or floor. Every time he asks to bring a snack it's always you to bring it because to be honest you are the snack not the tea and cake, and after finishing he would buy you boba for you and him to enjoy. Even if he gets caught out side of his circle he would bribe them or threaten to cut off the person's tounge and ruin their lives if they dare to release information about the yashiro commissioner private life with his beloved. But that was never the case because usually the spectator would be immediately dealt with by the shimatsuban or are too afraid and fled the nation. He needs to keep his reputation and image clean and if someone there is to shame you or his clan they would be dealt immediately.

Zhongli a gentleman on the street, monster on the sheets. Zhongli is a very popular consultant in ancient liyue history and during afternoons he would usually have a nice walk with you but it's not nice with you when you're limping because of how hard he went from last night. In ancient times to modern liyue it's very known for the nation to have earth quakes once a month it's not dangerous but it might scare some tourist visiting liyue but the citizens of the nation has gone to normalize this earthquake they believe it's rex lapis rearranging liyue or shedding. But in truth once a month zhongli would have rut and take you to his private domain to release his stress and that's the reason why the nation once a month have earthquakes.

Childe a manace amongst society or in teyvat when it comes to privacy, he doesn't care if someone walks in on you guys, he's too busy doing you to not to care if he give someone mental scars but he would always lock the doors when you guys are visiting his family he doesn't want to see his little siblings rearranging his lovers organs as well as sound proofing the entire by sound proofing by putting a pillow on your month for you to bite on to make sure not to release any sound. During one dinner meeting Teucer once had a bright idea of asking something towards you guys in front of the family "big brother why does (brother / sister ) ( your name ) calls you daddy" and the dinner table suddenly went quite and childe answer with "were just playing house Teucer" and Teucer innocently went back to his dinner not noticing the awkward atmosphere around the family.

Neuvillete pretty much a gentleman plus very new to these sorta things I would like to say is a switch, during the climax of the act he would cry during it not tears of sadness but tears of happiness when climaxing best feeling in the world for him, and during this time rain would fall on the city of Fontaine the people it's a normal accuracy. The melusine knows too well about you guys when you visit him the melusine prohibited anyone from entering the ludex office due to this important business meeting, he needs it he's very stressed due to paperwork. as well having a private underwater cave for you guys to do it unbontherd by the city or being too loud.

Wriostheley everybody knows not to bother the duke when he's sweetheart is visiting or else mess with your credit coupons being cut a large half or extra pipe duties for the guards. No one is brave enough or respects him to not mess with his sweetheart They call you the ( marquis / marquise ) of meriopede, holding a position lower than duke but still one of the prison administrator. Unfortunately during the day traveler and paimon decided to visit wriostheley during a busy day, the other workers of the prison were too busy dealing with duties to keep them occupied from interrupting him. And it was too late to warn them the next thing you hear both of their screams and them immediately leaving the office with their face fully red and covering their eyes. What they witnessed was the duke discussion of "business" with the ( marquis / marquise ).

Dottore this man doesn't like when people interrupt him and his lover private time, his clones are by far fine walking in as long as it's not the little one of him walking in so that's why they have to say their ID before going in. And when his clones walk in he would immediately release a pissed "hmmph" and continue on even after finishing you have his clones to satisfy even tho he said having intercourse with them is not necessary and it's your choice to have it or not, but sometimes after finishing or when he's busy to entertain you he would assigned the clones to keep you busy or satisfy you I mean they don't mind it they actually enjoy it. But when one of his lab rats or lower ranking was caught betraying the fatui and went to beg for their life and came rushing in and end up witnessing the doctor with his spouse, soon the lower ranking researcher was used as a test subject for his next experiment how unfortunate his fate was originally gonna be a quick towards the head now they have to suffer due to interrupting his time with his beloved.

Pantalone this man is stressed out due to the amounts of paper work and how much the fatui cost to operate, everyday Is a new bill about something. Dottore needing new funds, childe spending habits, materials, paychecks, taxes and other stuff and that's why he loves having you in his office and when he's overstressed and needs stress relief he would kindly ask to sit on his lap or to kneel down between his legs. He also favors toys and fancy lingerie but when there's a business meeting he tends to leave those things out in public. One time when one of his assistants went inside the office to grab a document he requested in his table is a vibrator and a lacy black underwear and some stained left on the floor the assistant quickly left the office with his paper not minding about what they just witnessed because it's a normal occurrence for them and his other assistant or people who work under him and for those people who accidentally walk in they would be paid a large sum of mora to keep their mouth shut or have their mouth shut by having their tounge cut out. He has a reputation to keep of course.

Capitano ah the captain, the leader of the military of Snezhnaya, number one fatui Harbingers out of eleven of them. Many people love the captain even amongst the fatui being praised for his self righteousness and capabilities. And some even praise his abilities as a lover. Imagine when he walks out of his tent and his entire squad claps and praises his skills in bed. "Man I wish my lover would make me scream the same way the captain would make his beloved scream" or " I'm pretty much sure the captain got a large rack under their" comments spread around the fatui I mean the rumors are true tho. But it's pretty much embarrassing for both of you. So that's why the captain started to tie you up, gagged you as well blindfolding you to make sure not a sound or creak of bed let's out to make sure no one listens to you sing. During his trip in natlan you and him were enjoying the hot spring and ended up getting too "steamy" and got caught by the villagers due to how loud it is.

[affableramen]

yandere genshin men trying to make things right between you

angst, mildly dark themes ayato, neuvillette, pantalone, capitano, dottore, alhaitham

note: trying a new genre.

Neuvillette

Yandere Neuvillette kept forcing you into marriage after your relationship just got established. You asked him to give you some time to think over such radical and responsible change in life, but he was adamant to your pleads. He wanted everything here and now proven officially on the papers. You spent some nights crying because to think that such gentleman-like and solitary person like Neuvillette would force you into marital relationship was eerie. The desire to possess you officially seemed to blind him completely and he went from a loving gentleman to an almost insanely addicted man who did not accept a refusal.

It was your break-time at work when Neuvillette suddenly came up to you. It was odd at first - the judge putting away his duties to meet you seemed almost unbelievable, but remembering how assertive he was in the relationship with you it might have been close to the reality.

“Can I have a moment of your time, love?” He asked you, his hand not reaching to touch you but his gaze was heavy on your face.

“Of course.”

Not longer after the two of you were sitting in the cafeteria - a curious choice for a private conversation. Although you did not deny you seemed much more comfortable in a public place rather than face-to-face with him.

“About our marriage…” Neuvillette started, his fingers grazing over his glass of water.

“You already know my opinion”, you answered with no emotion. The time to play nice unfortunately came to an end.

But the next response from Neuvillette kind of gave you goosebumps:

“If I was too harsh on you, I beg of you to forgive me. I have a habit of grasping something dear to me too tightly, and I’m afraid that I hurt you more than I could possibly imagine”, he took a pause for a breath and gulped a sip of his crystal clear water. “I genuinely need to know whether or not you still harbour any pleasant feeling towards me?”

“What are you saying? Of course I do, Neuvillette—I admit you were unacceptably rough on me the past few weeks, but it would make me a poor lover if it were to stop me from harbouring affection to you.”

The judge sighed in relief, and then his expression became serious again.

“I would love nothing more than for us to marry, but I realise the circumstances of pushing you too much. Tell me, dear, if you no longer want to proceed in intimate acquiantance with me.”

You shook your head - seems like he was not hearing you. You then took his hand in yours and spelled it again, frankly:

“No, I want to be with you, wholeheartedly. And the marriage proposal, I shall accept it too.”

Pantalone

When Pantalone kidnapped you for no specific reason, days turned to weeks. You almost forgot about the existence of sunlight as he kept you there like a pretty little porcelain doll for his own amusement—or whatever his nasty reasons might have been.

The last time you tried to escape his gloomy, mysterious castle-like home, you were severely punished for your “bad behaviour”. Blood dripped down from your chin as you were sitting on the floor of a dark hollow room, chained and bruised by his henchmen. Perhaps he considered it too tacky to touch you with his own hands.

And then he entered. You didn't even want to look at his unapproachable, icy-cold eyes, and simply turned away, your eyes shut and hidden from him.

“How rough you look”, he said with his usual tone which was cold, but at the same time smooth like butter.

You were dehydrated and hungry, that’s for sure. You wanted nothing more than a warm fuzzy blanket and sweet tea, and forget this nightmare forever.

“When was the last time you had a proper meal?” He asked. He knew you never ate his food because you’d consider yourself indebted to him. And you did not want to take anything from this man.

Your face went deadly pale and bewildered when Pantalone dropped on his knees before you and started freeing you from your shackles. His hands were shaking wildly, you could witness how poorly he mastered the lockers due to his stress.

Yet without a single doubt, with no longer time to lose he wrapped his arms around your waist to carry you. His clothes were a little stained with the snow, and a bit of freezing touch made you shiver.

“I will never do this to you anymore. Forgive me. Please, forgive me.” His words that used to be spoken as an order now were slipped from his lips as a request. 

You were laid in the warmth of the sheets of your own home. The familiar surroundings brought you joy and comfort you never knew you’d forgotten so easily.

“My butler is cooking a dinner for you in your kitchen.”

He watched the whole time you were eating, guarding you and seeing how desperately you were filling your stomach up. When you finished eating, there was one loud slap—against Pantalone’s face, by your hand. In a normal situation, he would be so angry and furious that the earth would shake of his abhor. But now he was simply taking it.

"I know. I should never have treated you like this. I ignored your wishes and violated your privacy. I’ve done the worst crime to you—I took your freedom”, he touched the red mark blooming on his cheek from your unexpected punishment. “I wanted to obtain you so much that I ended up hurting you instead.”

Ayato

He was rich to his fingertips. In his world, the only thing he could not have, but wanted to, was you. You found yourself working as his secretary, aesthetically pleasing and always efficient. But Ayato was ruthless; he could never be satisfied, he was always unhappy. The requirements to you were growing day by day, and keeping up the standards seemed an impossible task. His moods were changing like a thunderstorm.

It was a regular day when you were performing your duties that you felt someone’s presence behind your back. Ayato was not exactly above lurking so he made his presence known after you turned to face him. He did not expect you to turn so rapidly and ended up with his breath tickling against your face.

“Y/N, I’m sorry. I have been too demanding and controlling. My actions driven by raw possessiveness inflicted undesirable effect upon you”, Ayato’s words died away, though the expression on his face became even more grim and grave. “You do not deserve such treatment, any of it.” 

You nearly dropped your working papers as you stared at him. Was this man really sincere? How long has he been overthinking about your relationship? It took you just a few seconds to gather your composure and strike him with an indifferent glare.

“It’s always so easy and costs no trouble for you, rich people. You just take what you want without considering either the outcome or other people’s feelings. You see people as things, belongings in your possession, and you never have enough.”

At that, Ayato became even more tense, his expression that was mainly seen by the most of people as sweet and gentle, now was an embodiment of darkness. Nevertheless he nodded to you.

“What should I do for you to forgive me? I’m not going to lie and say that I did not think about how harmful my attitude might have been to you for the past month. What think you? Do I even stand a chance?”

“Fat chance”, you chuckled under your breath. The laugh was almost too bitter rather than sarcastic.

Ayato took your hands in his, his black gloved thumbs rubbing against your skin slightly.

“You’re like a poison to me. A very addicting one. And the more I see you work for me, the more I want to have you by my side. Not just at a formal event…” he bit his pale pink lip for a moment. “I’m starting to feel as if I’d like to see you out of work circumstance, and the thoughts of such impropriety are enough to drive me utterly insane.”

You reciprocated the light squeeze that came from his hands, however yours was less obsessive and more gentle. 

“It is a very dangerous thought, Ayato.”

“Oh, I can be a very dangerous man. For you, that is.”

Capitano

You were walking in Capitano’s garden, feeling yourself like a beautiful bird in a golden cage, but in fact you were a princess in a beast’s castle. Once you saw his real face, you kept having nightmares about his skin rotting appearance. This man was scaring you to the bone, and every time you met him, although not very often, you felt how demanding and heavy the gaze of his icy blue eyes was.

You did not see him often, but once a while Capitano requested (no, ordered!) a private dinner with you. The rooms were dimly lit, his loyal butler making preparations to the highest standards as usual, and you - wearing the most luxurious of dresses you’d only be able to peek at in the past. But your face was the odd one as it beared no smile on it. You were gravely terrified by this man who had claimed you as his. And even though you slept in separate rooms, you could not brush the feeling as if he owned you; well, he kind of did, since you dwelt in his mansion. 

Per usual, you were having a dinner with him at about eight in the evening when Capitano finally spoke. His tone was filled with assertiveness and power, yet the way he was eating, the movements of his hands were elegant enough to remind you of an excellently-educated prince.

“Y/N, I need to speak to you.”

You shivered when you heard him, and you let go of the fork. The jingling sound spread across the room which put you even in an unnecessarily bigger predicament.

“Yes, sir?”

Capitano hummed - he put his utensils away and looked as if he was carefully choosing his words which was not a habit of his. This Harbinger often talked exactly what he thought and was known for his bluntness. Capitano never beat around the bush and was always straight to the point, and this was one of the personality traits of his that made you feel conflicted. It was both terrifying and worth of respect.

“I want you to stop being scared of me. I want you to see that there is more of me than a horriffic, ugly old beast.”

You gasped: did he just used those unflattering words to himself? It felt so odd and so frustrating.

“What feelings do you want me to harbour for you, given our unusual circumstances?”

There was a long pause before Capitano made a sip of his red wine and suggested the following:

“Affection is too much, but could you at least try to be friendly with me? Don’t you see—can’t you see how hard I’m trying to make your life with me less unbearable?”

Affection… friendliness… is that what he really needs from you?—you think.

“I’m a prisoner here, I cannot imagine how I am supposed to show any warm feelings towards you. It would be fake and stupid.”

“Then make them not fake and stupid.” Capitano raised from the table and stormed out of the dining room, leaving you alone in the dim light of candles.

Dottore

You woke up on the plain lab bed, still restrained but this time your pain was drastically diminished. When you opened your eyes the lights did not cut your sight right away and you realised that the room was only dimly lit. You sighed in relief - perhaps he went on a break and you had a few moments of rest from his constant analysis and experiments upon your body.

There were a few tattoos on your hands but too small to even understand their meanings. Perhaps it was something from Zandik’s past that he decided to ruthlessly carve on you.

Your happiness and sense of relief did not last long though, as the man who called himself Doctor entered the room not exactly quietly. 

“Look who’s alive. I’m glad”, he wrote something on his notes, “very glad, even.”

“What are you going to do to me next? Turn me into… abomination?” You attempted to sound sarcastic even though all your being was screaming inside. “I’m pretty sure you have not gotten your fill yet out of me.”

Dottore abruptly stopped writing and dropped his journal on the lab desk next to you.

“I think we’re finished here.”

“What?”

“I said you’re free to go”, he cut your leather restraints with one rough motion that had a vibe of uncertainty of the soul.

You looked at your hands, your body cheered welcoming freedom, but at the bottom of your heart you were perplexed.

“But why?”

Dottore did not utter a single word more, with his face buried into his other records, he turned away from you completely ignoring your presence.

You found your clothes tidy and repaired on the chair, and put them on quickly. Upon escaping the place you saw that not a single Fatui agent was preventing you from leaving. You looked at the lab once more and a pang of strange kind of sorrow appeared in your heart. Perhaps, you should pay him a visit once you’re recovered? Or was it a bad idea?..

Alhaitham

The nerdy scholar was quite possessive and jealous. He had a very curious but rather depressive personality. You thought him a quiet man until one extraordinary and terrific experience. 

Alhaitham locked a man in the library for the whole night after he saw him giving you too much attention and you happily reciprocating him. An innocent friendly conversation seemed a blunt flirt to him. He could not bear the thought you having affection to someone else who was not him. When he saw you first he realised that he wanted you to see only him, and give all your attention to him. He craved to see you wanting his company, clinging to him or even agreeing to date him. But since his personality was too aloof and he never ever attempted to simply ask you out, but kept staring at you from the side, stalking unnoticeably and gather all information about you, you never had a chance to learn of his true feelings. Behind his obsession there had to be something, as such strong feelings never came out of nowhere.

Upon seeing you chat with that guy Alhaitham grew so furious that he almost not giving it a thought just slammed the door with the poor guy in the library and left him there for the whole damn night. Blinded by his jealousy, he did not even consider how you’d feel about that. The next morning you were perplexed by the sudden disappearance of your classmate, and once the library opening time came, the student was finally released.

“How could you do this to him? To anyone?” You asked Alhaitham; it did not take much time to learn whose fault was that.

“How could I?” He asked you back, his expression grave and unmoveable as if he were not interested in a single thing in the world. “How could you spend so much time with him? He’s a total jerk.”

“Judging by what you did the total jerk is you! How could you simply lock the person up? Are you insane?”

Alhaitham’s patience started to grow thinner. He squeezed his hands into the fists so hard that his knuckled turned snow-white.

“Are you stupid? You really don’t see how I feel about you? And you keep being so nice to everyone but me. You’re obviously ignoring me.”

Bewildered, yet you finally understood the root of the case. You stared at him for a few seconds before checking if anyone was near to eavesdrop. Luckily, there was not a soul around so you spoke honestly:

“If you wanted to woo me, endangering someone was not a good idea. You did something I deem unacceptable. And such unacceptable actions will only make me like you less, Alhaitham.”

Alhaitham leaned closer, his voice was a gentle whisper.

“Right? Then teach me to woo you properly. I’ll do thousands of attempts to win you over, no matter the cost.” You pressed your hands against his shoulders to prevent him from getting into closer proximity with you, and Alhaitham, although not completely willingly, but still backed off.

[primofate]

Genshin Angst Headcanons - Why the two of you broke up

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

Disclaimer at the end of the post

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

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

Personal Favourites in this work: Lyney, Itto, Kazuha

Aether

Sister issues. Enough said.

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

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

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

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

Albedo

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

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

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

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

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

Alhaitham

Too much of a nonchalant attitude.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ayato

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

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

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

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

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

Baizhu

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

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

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

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

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

Bennett

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

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

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

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

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

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

runs away before you can even get a word in.

Chongyun

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

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

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

Cyno

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dainsleif

Has not moved on from his past.

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

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

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

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

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

Diluc

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gorou

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heizou

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet he didn't stop you from walking away.

Itto

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kaeya

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kaveh

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

No he doesn't quite realize this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Then STOP helping them!"

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

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

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

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

Kazuha

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lyney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Neuvillette

Had a whole brainrot for this man:

Part 1

Part 2

Scaramouche

surprisingly it's not his anger issues.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tartaglia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thoma

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

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

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

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

Tighnari

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xiao

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

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

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

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

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

"Let me help you, Xiao,"

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

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

Zhongli

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[screamingcrows]

More Genshin characters as ways animals court and mate

The follow up to this that no one asked for.

Welcome to another round of (hopefully) the weirdest biology lessons you'll ever receive. Essentially a shitpost, someone should take away my writing privileges. There could be better suited animals out there, I just chose from the ones I knew.

Characters included; Baizhu, Ganyu, Dainsleif, Xiangling, Wriothesley, Cyno, Wanderer/Scaramouche

Tags: nsfw in the way a national geographic documentary is, there are no graphic details but proceed at your own discretion

Baizhu - Lumbricus terrestris (Common earthworm)

Spending most of his time tending to others, Baizhu doesn't have a lot of energy to spare when it comes to copulation. This combined with his illness makes for a difficult situation. To successfully bed this doctor, make sure to first become a trusted individual, and spend time in the pharmacy with him. Once the opportunity arises at the end of a day, ensure he is amicable to the idea, and bring him to a comfortable spot (preferably a bed) to avoid later joint pain. Benefits from having someone else do the hard work - please let him be a pillow princess. Lumbricus terrestris, and most other earthworms, have pretty chill mating habits. When they reproduce sexually (because they can also self-fertilise) it is done by two individuals laying against each other and forming a slime tube as well as gripping onto each other using the tubercula pubertatis <- this is a little thickening in the saddle (the band on earthworms that look different than the rest of their body). The worms then calmly exchange sperm before dislodging and sliding back into their respective burrows.

Ganyu - Capra spp. (Goats)

Sweet, docile Ganyu absolutely adores it when she gets to cuddle up to you, especially if your arms are wrapped securely around her. At first, you find her tendency to bury her head into your armpit a bit odd, but it's pretty endearing to be honest. Xianyun clearly makes sure her daughter is dressed to impress, and although Ganyu flusters easily; especially when you grin happily upon seeing her, you have no doubt she enjoys the compliments. Each sweet word is rewarded with a little kiss to your forehead (why her smile always looks a little sad when she pulls away is something you'll have to ask about, maybe she's still insecure around you?) Oh I promise you dear reader, this particular behavior is not a sign of insecurity. Goats are self-anointing animals, meaning they make sure to smell. For goats, this behavior includes males urinating on their forelegs and his own face, which combined with a secretion from glands located at the base of his horns, ensures a seductive scent. Some females have been observed to completely refuse mating with a buck who's had those glands removed.

Dainsleif - Antechinus spp. (Marsupial mice)

Oh you unfortunate soul who fell for Dainsleif. Ella, I dedicate this to you. Dainsleif yearns. And he lingers. His love is vast as an ocean and just as deadly- he knows (thinks) it will drown you both the moment he lowers his guard. For this reason, you're kept at arms length for a while, unsure if he wants you gone or not. It's impossible to tell with his tendency to appear for a moment and be gone the next. Every time you think yourself free and healed, he appears again to drive the blade further into both your hearts. When he finally caves, in a moment of weakness, the love he shares is passionate, the ferocity of a starved beast, keeping you awake throughout the night, crying out his name in pleasure. When you awake next, there's nothing but a scribbled apology next to you. Dainsleif doesn't return after that, but you swear he still lingers in your periphery. Marsupial mice have uhh interesting mating habits. Males are ready to breed a few weeks before breeding seasons start and females enter ovulation. Mating is intense but has a narrow window of opportunity. The males funnel so much energy into maximising reproductive capabilities, using up all energy storage, that a vast majority of males die off after mating. The level of free corticosteroids increase in the males during mating, which suppresses the immune system significantly.

Xiangling - Blattella germanica (German cockroach)

It probably comes as no surprise that Xiangling likes to surprise you with treats and meals. She takes great pride in making sure you're provided for and makes certain there's never a dull moment for your tastebuds. Maybe it's a little overwhelming at first, but don't worry, she'll learn your preferences for flavour combinations quickly. But more than anything, Xiangling loves being in the kitchen with you and seeing you add your own personal touch. Sure, she has a penchant for running all over the place, but there's no place like home. Blattella germanica males produce a sugary substance that they secrete from their back, offering it to females to keep them still long enough for copulation. This penchant for glucose led producers of pest controls to include it as bait, but as nature tends to, this has prompted a rise of glucose-aversion and a shift towards the sugary substance produced containing more complex sugars. Experimental little chefs.

Wriothesley - Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah)

Regrettably, Wriothesley doesn't have as much time to see you as he'd prefer, seeing as he spends most of his time in the fortress. As such, he can be somewhat of a passionate and at times eager lover when he gets his hands on you. He takes pride in his physique and thoroughly enjoys when you're visiting and goes down to watch him train. Better yet if you see him win a match. Once he has you alone, he wastes no time getting close, his voice low and sultry as he asks about all that has transpired since he saw you last. His hands roam along your body as you try to answer, knowing full well nothing you say makes sense, heart swelling at the look in his eyes. It's fine, he'll ask again later when you're both relaxing with a cup of tea. Cheetahs are actually very straight-forward when it comes to reproduction. Males living in coalitions will sometimes fight for the right to mate. Females use a combination of vocal signals and urination to attract a partner, the male might also use urination to indicate his location. Once the pair meet, the male produces a series of sounds called the 'stutter-bark' which triggers female hormonal cascades and induces ovulation so the female is in prime condition for mating. Wriothesley could make a lot of people ovulate with his voice alone let's be honest.

Cyno - Erinaceus spp. (hedgehogs)

We all know that the General Mahamatra can be a bit.. annoying at times. And if he's actively trying to win you over? You best believe he's giving it his absolute best shot when he isn't out on the job, inviting you along wherever he goes to relax. To the great amusement (and embarrassment) of his friends, a choice strategy is to make you laugh... It's pretty cute, if a little pathetic at times. He makes genius invocation tcg decks for you to use against him, 100% has matching cards made of you both - you get his and he keeps yours. You can roll your eyes at his shenanigans as you please, he's persistent in his pursuit as long as you haven't outright rejected him. Erinaceus males will approach the sow and begin walking in circles around it, the female might occasionally hiss or swat at the male, sometimes even curling in on herself, but most of the time is just for show. The circling can continue for longer than an hour during which the male is huffing and trying to asses and approach.

Wanderer - Apis mellifera worker (European honey bee)

Not particularly romantically inclined, Wanderer could go the entirety of your life without declaring any affection, but you'll undoubtedly know that he favors you over others. He learns and remembers, and to be known is to be loved. Whenever you express a desire or wish, if it's within his power to grant, you may soon find yourself living out that dream. Deep down, Wanderer treasures every little moment of you being 'a nuisance', and you both know it. After all, he could leave at any moment if he wished to. Once he considers you kin, he'd do anything to keep you alive and content. Within eusocial insects such as honey bees, the worker can be fertile but will, in a healthy hive, most often refrain from producing offspring. This is done to instead focus on caring for the rest of the hive. The strategy is known as 'kin selection' and is based on workers being more closely related to each other, than they would be to potential offspring. As such, the individual's reproductive success is, in terms of % genetic material preserved between generations, better left to the queen.

Scaramouche - Apis mellifera drone

Sorry. He's so out of touch with his emotions that I don't think he'd last having to acknowledge being in love, much less indulge in 'human pleasures'. After mating with the queen, a drone's penis explodes while still in the queen (blocking off others from mating) and the drone dies shortly after. There's something poetic to be said about drones only having half the amount of chromosomes compared to a worker, but I'm no Scara analyser.

I also recommend checking out my comprehensive mating study of Dottore, it's exactly as weird as it sounds.

[edgeray]

“LATE NIGHT DEVIL, PUT YOUR HANDS ON ME

and never never never ever let go”- Teeth, 5 Seconds of Summer

Mafia AU! Arlecchino x Reader Oneshot

Author's Note: It's been a while since I've actually published anything on here. Well, my gay ass is back with another oneshot. This one has been in the works for at least a month. I'm considering making a Part 2, but that will definitely take at least a couple weeks for me to publish (if not months). I wish I was kidding. School literally hates me and my teachers are incessant on killing my GPA. This is also a gift for @megistusdiary because it'll be her birthday when I post this. Please go check out her blog for amazing genshin wlw content (especially Arlecchino content!) Would you guys like this on AO3 as well?

Content Warning/Info: This is a long af oneshot (6.3k words), long af descriptions and kinda long intro, Arlecchino is referred to with they/them pronouns, implied female but no usage of feminine pronouns for Reader, general dark-ish content, pet names, Arlecchino is a lil scary, I've never been to a club so I apologize for the very inaccurate information, nor have I ever been apart of the mafia so also inaccurate, a bit suggestive but otherwise sfw, if I'm missing anything feel free to tell me!

---

Monsters are said to have lied underneath beds–waiting to ensnare an unknowing victim–or stalk hidden among the depths of a closet–awaiting an opportune moment to strike its next prey. Monsters are fabled entities that are used to scare off children from bad behavior and are quickly eased from the mind by coddling parents. The mere notion of a monster shooed away like a pesky fly, swept underneath the subconscious like forgotten specks of dirt. 

You know otherwise. Real monsters don’t lurk on the undersides of mattresses; no, they lurk both in the skies above and the depths below. They do not stalk dark closets because they instead stalk alleys in daylit streets. Monsters are very real, that you know is true since you’ve seen your fair share of them. You’ve met monsters in person–they’ve come to you before. Terrifying is an understatement for them, and each time one has appeared as a client, you’re no less scared shitless.

You’ve learned that even inhumane demons find themselves in need of entertainment; like the sinful creatures they are, they seek self-pleasure. And that is how you found yourself in this particular circle of hell, meant to serve and please demons, devils, and monsters alike. Perhaps it was a revolting job, working at a strip club run by a criminal organization but it paid decent money for being danced on the fingertips of whoever you were unfortunate enough to be assigned to.

If it was a regular strip club, being an exotic dancer would have been fine. It wouldn't be so bad. Lustful and prying eyes can be accustomed to quickly, and so are the flattering compliments and the awkward flirting by middle-aged married men. However, there was a difference between lecherous and predatory gazes. Here, you aren’t even viewed as a person, no, the clients here, those that come in reeking of smoke or blood (though sometimes both), armed with knives and guns on their person, see you as nothing more than a toy or prey for them. Even in the eyes of your employer, you're less than human in their eyes. 

‘You harm our merchandise, you’ll pay for it,’ is the warning given to every guest when they first enter. Merchandise. That's what you are. And that single line of words is the only thing that assures you of your safety among mafia members, gangsters, crooks, and whatnot. You've heard that the organization behind this strip club does well in enforcing that rule according to other dancers, but you personally don't want to see if the statement is true. You've been here for a little over a year, and besides bruising grips and pulled hair you’ve surprisingly yet to be seriously injured in any way. So maybe monsters do have a little humanity in them. 

You're quickly growing to be a fan favorite as of recently, which means more money goes your way, but you're not sure how you feel about all the attention on you. It's most likely because of how often you offer private dances and private rooms to clients. Whatever gets you the most money; the faster you make money the faster you can pay off your debt and be out of here. 

Tonight is supposed to be no different from other nights. You perform on stage, you rile up the crowd, you get showered in tips, and if there is a customer that looks mentally sane enough not to murder you in private, you take them to the back. Except, tonight, you're approached by your boss, who informs you that the entirety of the club was reserved by the Fatui, a well-known mafia more powerful and larger than the one that backs you up, for some celebration. These kinds of occurrences in the club rarely crop up, but when they do, they're often the most opportune time to bag in an abundant amount of money. Big shots like the Fatui pay and tip well, but there's one unsaid risk that comes with this: as a mere dancer like yourself, your life quite literally dangles in the Fatuis’ hands tonight. The organization that owns this establishment can't retaliate against the Fatuis if they so choose to dismiss the warning. They can't even compare to the might of the Fatui.

Simply put, if a Fatui kills you tonight, no one could do more besides bat their eyelashes. You're not at all pleased with this predicament of practically bordering on death, especially when you know one wrong move with one too hot-tempered Fatui could land you at the pearly gates. Keep pleasing the crowd, keep entertaining them, keep racking in the money, you remind yourself as you continue your dance, twirling around the pole sensually, and the customers devour every movement with their eyes. The only comfort you're given is that you've heard the Fatui are quite reasonable and diplomatic most of the time. This is especially true for the Harbingers, you've heard, the twelve most elite members that serve under the Tsaritsa, and the ones that are the most exclusive customers this night. That doesn't mean the Harbingers are any more humane than the average crook. Having worked in a strip club run by the mafia and surrounded by criminal organizations, the more rumored something is, the more dangerous it is. They can be considered devils amongst demons even. That's simply how vile they're supposed to be. 

The most concerning problem about the Harbingers is that you don’t know what they look like, only the occasional whisper has alluded to how to distinguish between the twelve. Perhaps, you can survive through the night if you try not to draw too much attention; let the other dancers shine instead and hope you don’t get requested for a private room or dance. That way, you can ensure you don’t end up dead. 

Your time to go upstage comes sooner than you’re prepared for. Your hands are clammy, and your form trembles in a way that only happened during your first month. Both reactions don’t make for a very good combination when your survival relies on you not fucking up and disappointing criminal customers. As you approach the pole, just like every time you’ve done, you make sure that the crowd’s gazes are in the backdrop of your mind, and instead, fixate on repeating the movements you’ve been taught and have mastered with your experience. Bet your survival on the provocative sway of your hips, the practiced showcase of your legs, and the allure of your dancing form. Beguile the crowd, but not too much, just enough to wow them. From what you can tell by the volume of the crowd, you’re doing a good job pleasing the Fatui enough. Your body stops tremoring after a few minutes on stage, and with one last final push of courage, you focus your eyes on the crowd before you.

Unsurprisingly, the makeup of the Fatui are men, though there are notably quite a few women. Either way, all of their attention is on you. As your eyes scan across a crowd, for one reason or another, you stop at a particular set of eyes near the back of the crowd. Intent, pitch-black abysses stare back, like they were trying to bore into your soul and devour every single motion of yours. They don’t quite hold the same ravenous desire as many of those before you right now, you mentally note with curiosity. It feels like your form is being calculated, in the way a predator would cautiously observe their next prey, a sensation you’ve experienced a few times, but each is no less chilling. The weight of their engrossed gaze causes you to shiver momentarily, and you snap away from their disturbing gaze to prevent any fumbling or faltering while you’re on stage. 

Tonight marks the first time you actively seek out the same viewer while on stage, or even, during your entire time here. For some reason, you feel awfully bold, or curious, whichever two comforts you more, and unlike the meek little rabbit you usually are, you instead search for the viewer’s gaze. You find the pair of eyes with relative ease, as you remember that above their eyes are distinctive snow-white strands with streaks as black as their orbs. You take a moment to study them, and they remind you of a lion–or lioness–among hyenas. The aura they exude varied quite a bit compared to the other Fatui in front of you: not rambunctious, or arrogant; it's apparent they held an aura of indomitable authority just from the way they held themselves. Perfect posture with their clasped hands nested in their lap, with one leg raised over the other. They’re an embodiment of perfected elegance, however, much like a porcelain doll, they’re also expressionless, their appearance unmarred. You don’t examine the Fatui’s form for much longer because their scrutiny on you pricks at your skin irritatedly. 

You don’t look for them again throughout your performance. In fact, you hope you never meet those charcoal pits again. You’re afraid that if you do, you’ll be ensnared by whatever beastly claws or fangs you know that Fatui hides underneath that impenetrable mask. The moment your time on stage ends, you rush back to the changing room to shake off your nerves. You sit down at a nearby chair, taking in deep sighs as you attempt to forget how you were stared down like a you were cornered, defenseless animal. And that is what you are, as much as you hate it. There’s nothing that can protect you from the Fatui. Maybe if you hide, never show your face for the rest of the night, they’ll forget they ever saw you and they’ll target another dancer. Surely, that will work, won’t it? 

You’re able to steady your breathing before you can delve into a panic attack. Tonight, you decide, you’re not going to take any customers to any private rooms or take any private dances. You’d be missing out on a lot of money, but your life is more of a priority as of currently; not after the ‘encounter’ with that individual, you don’t want to think about how many more are just like them, hiding in the crowd like they were awaiting an opportunity to pounce on your vulnerable form. 

Unfortunately, it seems like someone else has other plans for you because your manager storms into the room asking for your whereabouts before his eyes narrow on you. You immediately sit up, stiff as a board when he practically marches his way towards you. 

"Someone wants you." 

You sigh and shake your head. You should have known. "Not tonight." 

He clicks his tongue. "You know I can't allow that tonight." 

You bite your lip. "Just pass them to someone else." 

"They're not someone you or I can refuse." 

"Who?" You question with a shuddering breath, your nails digging into your thigh. 

"The fourth one. The Knave. Lord Arlecchino."

Fuck your life. You might as well pull the trigger now. You’ve heard faint whispers of each Harbinger from the customers audacious enough to speak of them. The youngest, the eleventh, charming and boyish. The ninth, money-obsessed but a pretty looker. The eighth, elegant and cold, yet no less alluring. The seventh, as human-like as their robotic creations, which to say isn’t very. The sixth, is hotheaded and mysterious. The fifth, unknown. And the fourth?

Insane. Ruthless. Bloodthirsty. That’s how the fourth is described. You shiver at the horrors that appear on the forefront of your mind when imagining what may come for you. If you're lucky, you'll be alive at the end of the night, more than likely clinging to the edge of living. 

“Well? What are you waiting for? Get ready as soon as you can.” 

And you do. It’s not long until you stand in front of the private room’s door, your guest is already inside more than likely. The Fourth Harbinger is waiting, you remind yourself, fruitlessly trying to swallow down your stress. You can be dead the minute you step inside, this room could be marked as your grave. Whatever he tells you to do, you’ll obey wordlessly to survive. Just nod along, smile, and do whatever it is that he tells you regardless of the demand. You inhale deeply, regaining some ease of mind, before you bring your knuckles to the door, knocking. 

“Come in,” comes a deep, flat voice, slightly muffled by its distance but what surprises you is how feminine the Harbinger sounds. Maybe you got the wrong room. You glance back at the room number plate on the door, and it’s the room you remember your manager mentioning. It’s the right room. Maybe someone else? You don’t have time to wonder, however, as you enter the room, knowing that if it is the Fourth, it wouldn’t be wise to keep him (Her? Them? You’ll just stick with ‘them’ now.) waiting. 

“Lord Arlecchino?” You inquire as you enter the room, closing the door behind you. Sucking in a harsh inhale, you instantly recognize their distinct hair. It’s them. Your sight is immediately greeted by the figure sitting on the couch before you, sitting in exactly the same way you discovered them–crossed-legged and lounging back with unfaltering confidence. The Knave wears a scarlet blazer over a black compressed turtleneck, with a matching set of crimson leggings. Upon closer inspection, you’re able to make out red irises in their jet-black eyes. Despite the blatant and literal red flag, something about their appearance draws you in even when they scream danger. They’re… you’re not quite sure how to describe them. You admire the unblemished and pale skin, their elegant and rugged demeanor is like the perfect balance between femininity and masculinity. Are they beautiful, or are they handsome? You think both. 

Arlecchino stares back at you like they’re considering devouring you then and there. You can’t suppress the shudder that runs down your spine. You’re a sheep before a wolf. There’s something so chilling about them that even with your experience with other clients, none has ever made you feel this way with just their mere gaze alone. This is what separates the average crook from one of the most powerful mafia members you've ever heard of.

You wait for a response but they only continue to observe you. You take the silence as confirmation to your question and that they’re anticipating something from you. Biting back a sigh of resignation, your hands hook underneath the band of your bra top and you lift it just the slightest amount before a cutting voice makes you freeze.

“What are you doing?” the Harbinger demands, their tone chilling and apathetic, making you want to shrink in yourself immediately. Your blood pumps loudly in your ears and your hands tremble a bit. Something about how designing their gaze makes you suddenly self-aware in a way you’ve never felt before another client–you’re practically half-naked in front of them with your skimpy bra top, undergarments, and fishnets and now is the only moment that you've actually considered how little covering is on you. 

Why are they stopping you? Isn’t this what they wanted you to do? Or maybe they just want to do it themselves. Those types of customers always have the most bruising of grips and suffocating of holds. You stiffen at the notion. How are you going to survive this night with a Fatui Harbinger of all things? How many of your limbs are going to be fractured and how many of your bones are going to end up broken? 

“I…I’m undressing,” your meek voice sounds out and you hate the crack in your speech. The Harbinger continues to scrutinize you. You don’t dare continue disrobing yourself. 

There are several beats of wordless response before they then stand up from the couch. 

Oh shit. You’ve fucked up. Are they going to kill you now? Is this your end? 

Every thought is telling you to run in the opposite direction as they stalk up to you, but you're petrified as you realize with a chill that they’re taller than you. You’re not short by any means, a bit above average height, but they tower over you, looking down at you from above and casting judgment on you like a god. Once they stride toward you, you avoid eye contact by looking straight, observing their neck and clavicle that protrudes from underneath the fabric. You tense when they raise a hand, their manicured fingers placing themselves underneath your chin and long, carmine nails dig into the underside of your jaw, making you wince. They forcefully tilt your head, raising your focus onto their face. 

It’s like they plunged their hands down your throat and ripped out the oxygen from your lungs, leaving you unable to breathe. Up close, the first thing you notice is their lips, plump and red from their lipstick. Briefly, you wonder what color their lipstick would look on your skin. Then your eyes travel up, red-crossed eyes gaze back at you and you gape quietly at the distinct shape of their pupils. You swear that their pupils flash red as you finally lock eye contact with them. 

“Did I tell you to?” Their tone is cold compared to the strange softness of their handsome (beautiful?) face. 

Something in your gut coils inwardly and you want to look away, but their firm hold on your chin prevents you. You bite your bottom lip to repress a whimper. You’re delicate glass in their hands, and they can break you so, so easily. 

“No, sir.” Only the numerous times you’ve said this phrase ensures you don’t stumble over your words. They don’t answer promptly, but as they observe your features, their lips quirk up the slightest amount. 

“You know how to address me. Very good,” Arlecchino purrs after several beats of silence, in a low, oh-so-sultry tone, and oh. Oh. 

You’re not sure why, but their last two words make your stomach churn, but not in a discomforting way. In the way that lights a fire underneath your skin and spreads heat to every part of your body. You’ve never quite felt this way with another customer. You couldn’t believe that your body reacts this way just from a single praise but it doesn’t stop the pooling heat in your bowels. The chill down your spine still remains in place, but there’s an off-putting equilibrium of iciness and fervor generated from the client. 

The Fatui’s eyes stay fixated on you wordlessly until the hand on your chin turns your head, finally breaking you free of their intense behold. Their grip slackens so that they can trace their nails gently down your throat, every inch of surface their fingertips brush against ignites a blaze on your skin. A shuddering exhale leaves your lips and it seems like they take notice because from the corner of your eye, the small uptick of their mouth grows. Despite how sensual and probing the Harbinger’s touch feels, there’s nothing lecherous about it–purely just intrigue and fascination. It’s a touch you both have and never experienced before. Cold nails rake against your throat, not enough to mark or scratch, but enough to invoke shivers. 

You’re aware you should be terrified, but for a reason you can’t pin down, you can’t jerk away from their touch. You try to reason with yourself it was only because you’re one upset away from getting yourself killed but that reasoning falls apart when their hand gingerly traces your jawline and you make the softest of groans, a barely audible noise of content. Unfortunately for you, the sound seems to have reached Arlecchino’s ears and their expression softens slightly: their eyes narrow less and their brows aren’t as creased. And that smirk–if you could even call it that from how faint it is–becomes a half-smirk. 

They pull their hand away and your trance is broken, reality returning back to you as you remember that the person before you is still a Fatui Harbinger, no matter how bizarrely melting their touch was. They turn on their heel and walk towards the couch in front of you; the slightest bit of heaviness is placed on your heart. You remain stationary where you are, observing them as they seat themselves gracefully on the couch, and their attention encounters yours again. Their black pits hold expectancy in them. At first, you’re clueless as to what the criminal desires from you, but then their legs spread apart, an inviting gesture that beckons you and every rational thought leaves your easily swayed mind. Your heart skips a beat, and you're sure this time it's not out of trepidation. 

Even if you didn’t command them to, your legs would take you to their seating figure. You stand before them, feeling blatantly disrespectful to look down at Arlecchino, but you await their order. They lean back, lounging laxly against the couch, their posture never lacking their usual self-assurance. It only ties the knot in your gut tighter. You’re aware of what they’re instructing you to do, but the absent confirmation makes you hesitant. It seems like the Knave picks up on this because the room echoes with one definitive spouted word from their lips, authority and dominance ringing through their husky voice. 

“Sit.” 

Your legs buckle underneath you from the one-worded response, the demand only stoking the consuming fire inside you. Eager to please, you perch yourself on their lap, straddling them, your knees pressed into the furniture below you and encasing both of their thighs between your own. 

Oh, you think to yourself as your legs make contact with their thighs. They're firm. And for some reason, that provokes your stomach to churn in itself even more. You're so close to them, enough to feel their breath cascade against your skin. 

As you seat yourself, you nearly clumsily topple over, instinctively grasping onto their shoulders for support. Their shoulders are remarkably broad, you regard, well-muscled as well. Their hands creep up on your hips, steady but gentle hands grasping on each bare side of yours to stabilize you. The heat that radiates from their hands is infectious, regardless of the nails that burrow into your plush waist. For the first time, you flush considerably, a sweltering inferno forming in your cheeks and your head fills with dizziness. Their touch is gentle–something you rarely experience with customers–so, so gentle that you would describe it as heavenly. How can someone so inexplicably vile have heaven on their fingertips?

It's not a position you never found yourself in. In fact, it's far from the first time you've been like this with another client. But here, as you're sat on top of the Fatui Harbinger, and red x-pupils search yours, a foreign feeling passes through you. Placing your finger on it, you dubiously think it's bashfulness, but the heartbeat that sings in your ears and pulses underneath your fingertips tells you otherwise, tells you it's something more. Against that, you remove your grasp on their shoulders and place your palm flat against the couch’s surface behind the Knave. 

You squirm a bit, nervousness in your form as you remain as still as you possibly can, waiting for any more instructions. All you need to do is act like an obedient doll for them in order to survive; compliance is the best way of ensuring survival with people like these. You feel like you're merely eye candy from the way that their attention flits across your body, but you're immobile throughout the entirety of their observance. Being looked at is much better than any physical interaction. Their hands still cup your hips, but slowly, they descend to the side of your thighs, making your skin feel tingly. 

Impulsively, you mumble out a quiet "Sir…" as strange sensations brush against your skin. 

The sound surprises you and you feel on edge as their eyes travel from your lower half to your face. You gulp considerably. From their stare, they expect more of a response, a reason for their addressment, but even you don’t know yourself; it seems like an unconscious calling that just rolled off your tongue. You cow underneath their gaze, even when the two of you are at eye level. When you linger in quietude, their hand releases one of your thighs and lifts to your face, supporting your chin while their thumb rests on your bottom lip, unfurling it just the slightest amount to implore an answer from your now parted lips. Gleaming scarlet pupils grip your regard sternly, piercing into you and instilling you to spew something out. Except, you still can’t, now too entranced and lost in the crimson. 

“Doll.” 

Despite the pet name, it's devoid of any affection or warmth. It's a word that drips of command, a reminder of your place: simply a toy that they can play with however they want, a manipulated and decorated plaything for their amusement. That means you answer to them, and so when they request a response, you're under the obligation to please them. Your survival is in their palms anyway, if they wanted you to dance, you would just so they wouldn’t strangle the life out of you. 

However, its implication doesn’t prevent the tingling shudders that wrack your body nor the involuntary clenching of your thighs around theirs. Was it the gravelly voice that aroused your behavior? Your cheeks flare at the knowledge that Harbinger sensed the physical reaction. It shouldn't be possible. It shouldn't be possible, your thoughts repeat, but then they're interrupted by: 

"Oh?" Arlecchino inquires to themselves, a stark amusement in their speech. Their red glare illuminates slightly, replacing the lost darkening with a faint glow in their pupils, and the corner of their mouth curls up. It is only then that you discover something entirely new: that monsters can be sinfully, cataclysmically, terrifyingly beautiful and the sight before you is the most exquisite example. A devil has you wrapped in its claws and its fangs readied for devouring but it’s disguised as an ethereal angel; blinded by their perilous allure, you mistake their snow-white hair, their lustrous piercing rubies, their flawless porcelain skin, and their burning, fleeting touches as traits of a seraph. From a measly smirk, you forget the atrocities lying underneath their fingertips and dismiss the hazard their presence holds. 

The hand on your thigh rakes its fingers up, red nails trailing across the surface of your fishnet, wrenching out a breathy gasp from you as they travel inwards. Tingling pleasure injects into your veins as you subconsciously lean in, imploring for further sensual contact. A plea sits on your tongue and nests in your eyes as you beg them through your pitiful expression. They drink in your desperation with a slow swipe of their tongue over their lips, and that single action is debauched enough to elicit a soft groan from your throat.

“Well, aren’t you an amusing toy?” They drawl out with a preposing rasp and dark abysses glint with an insatiable hunger. 

They smirk enticingly, their thumb running across your bottom lip and smearing your lipstick on their thumb pad. Their grip on your chin tightens a bit, pulling you even closer to them before a shadow casts over you when their face nears. Before you can even fathom their intentions, they descend upon you, closing the distance between the two of you. Your lips are greeted with something pillowy soft and fervently warm, and you sharply inhale from the sensation. Every one of your nerves sings frenziedly, your muscles tense all over, and your heartbeat drums deafeningly in your ears–all of this as your body is engulfed in a fervid tornado of heat that makes you lightheaded with pleasure. It takes you several beats to realize the reason for this is that Lord Arlecchino, the Fourth Harbinger, the Knave is kissing–no, kissing is far too intimate, devouring–you voraciously like they're trying to rob you of any air, trying to imprint themselves on your mouth. Their mouth dominates yours, pushing against them with a deep fervor and famished urgency, eager to swallow every bit of shocked noise you make. 

You close your eyes and allow yourself to indulge. 

You first taste lipstick with a waxy flavor hitting your tastebuds. It’s cold against your lips, yet warm at the same time. But the physical texture and flavor of their lips are irrelevant; there’s only one true manner you would distinguish their taste: 

They taste like sin. 

The type of sin that’s chocolate coated and sprinkled with colorful toppings; depravity so sweet and charming it makes you reconsider the bounds of right and wrong. Degeneracy is far, far tastier than anything you’ve indulged in before. How can something so evil be so heavenly? Cushiony soft, placidly warm, flatteringly zealous, it’s like having a dance with a devil; so unequivocally immoral but no less gratifying. You question if they really belong to the Fatui because how can something like this come from such? You want to engrave the texture of their mouth onto your memory, feel this faux intimacy even when you’ve long parted. The Fourth Harbinger, you surmise as you surrend your will to them, is decadent–the only word that can be defined as both wicked and delectable at once–the perfect word to describe them. 

The last remaining bit of reasoning comes to the backdrop of your thoughts and begs you to not be swept away in the heavenly embrace. You discount it in favor of accepting this godsent gift by leaning further with a weak imitation of their ravishing lips and pressing back. It’s a feeble attempt to match their insatiate nature, far too domineering and forceful than you can manage but they display a token of appreciation when they squeeze your thigh, indenting your skin shallowly with the burrowing of their nails. The action exposes just how sensitive you’ve gone underneath their touch and you reward them with the sweetest of sounds. 

“Arlecchino,” you mumble with half-lidded dazed eyes in between ravenous exchanges and it evokes a depraved throaty growl from the Fatui, like provoking a call from a starving beast. They lean deeper to indulge in your taste. The gruff sound reaches your ears and it’s like a psalm–you shudder from its musical melody. 

Their clutch on your jaw releases and their fingers outline your jawline before snaking to the back of your head. Well-manicured digits entangle themselves in your hair, and there’s a gentle shove against your skull that forces you deeper into the kiss. Your hands clutch onto the couch underneath you as tight as you physically can for any sense of grounding and your knees attempt to close in even more to feel more of their body against yours. The hand on your leg, in turn, caresses the length of your thigh. 

Every graceful touch, stroke, and brush exudes an unyielding and infectious warmth that only adds to the stoking fire in your gut, and you’re bathed in so much swelter from the ecstasy that you feel dizzy. Yet, you never want it to end, you grow more addicted and drunk with each encounter of their lips. That, paired with your strained breathing, prompts your stamina to falter much sooner than the Harbinger’s. You let out a soft whine to signal your depleting oxygen, and their mouth unlatch with yours, pulling away despite your ache for more. With the separation comes a small string of saliva attached between the two of you, evidence of the shared intimacy that’s snapped when they lick their lips. The hand behind your head detangles from your hair and you silently mourn over the loss of contact. 

You heave for air, your chest rising and falling rapidly. You’re a little perturbed when you notice that they’re not even out of breath, a small but firm reminder that they’re as inhuman as humans can be. That knocks a sense of reality back into you. Customer, mafia, Fatui, Harbinger, it comes back to you like a train. Here you are swapping spit with them while in the lap of potentially the most dangerous criminal you could ever meet, but fuck were they a good kisser–you’ve never experienced anything that came close to this in your lifetime.

Any foolish doubtful contemplation of the morality of this interaction is swept away just like that when you hear:

“Greedy little thing that you are,” they regard with the most cunning and handsome of smiles, discrete amusement dripping from their words. Their dark pits behold you entirely, the same way they have always done when it seems like they were contemplating what part of you to savor the most. Only this time, you’re not so disturbed by the notion. If anything, the swirling heat in between your legs suggests the opposite.  

Greedy wasn't a word often associated with you, yet you couldn't more correctly describe yourself in that moment. Greedy. Greedy for a Fatui Harbinger no less. As ashamed as you should be, there's no use denying that you crave for their touch, for their gaze, for anything and everything they're willing to give you. You want everything and more. The more you contemplate, the more it seems obvious why you wouldn’t. Are they a devil disguised as an angel, or are they an angel that fell from grace? Regardless, they bring nirvana to you. An incessant desire bubbles inside you, your throat swelling up with an urgent request on the tip of your tongue. Would they allow such a thing if you plead? Would they be offended by your impudence? Would they punish you for such? But the necessity outweighs any reconsideration of your insolence and the supplicant beg tumbles out of your loose lips. 

“Can I… touch you please, my Lord?” You croak out, wincing at just how wretched it comes out. The response from them is not immediate as the two of you stew in silence, a building sense of dejection inside of you. The expression on their face noticeably contorts, smile lessening, their brows furrowing, and their red x’s glinting dimly. Their free hand raises to near your neck and you suck in a harsh breath as their fingers enclose around your throat. The mere action sends a stinging reminder to your lust-dazed thoughts about their position, and a chill pierces you. 

Mafia, Fatui, Harbinger, the Fourth Harbinger, the Knave–the labels cycle through your thoughts. Though their grip is lax, not exactly suffocating and giving ample space to breathe, their fingertips does acutely jab into your skin, a display of their impressive grip strength. You have no doubt that they can suffocate you with one hand alone, snap your neck, or, as your mind ventures into more harrowing territories, crush your skull. Those thoughts alone has you breathless with anticipation. A heavy weight suddenly appears in your gut, so heavy that you feel like you can’t move so much as a muscle. 

Did you just go too far? Was that too much to ask? Was this how you were going to die?

The reflex to gag and inhale combat each other in your throat, a discomforting sensation that crawls up your spine while you tremble. You’re almost certain that the nails have penetrated the layer of skin, drawing beads of blood that’ll trail down your mark. You whimper at the prickly pain. Yet, in all your unease, the most masochistic thought arrives briefly at the forefront, and you can’t help but consider: this position is just as intimate as all the other interactions. You’re already so vulnerable in their lap, does the hand around your neck change your peril in any way? No, you’ve been a defenseless lamb to a slaughter the moment you’ve stepped into the domain of a menacing wolf. 

Ah. Even now, you can’t dismiss the warmth of their fingertips. 

“Do you still want to touch me when I do this?” They demand callously, their voice harsh and reverberating through the room. Their grasp closes more around, and you feel your supply of oxygen inhibited. Tears begin to brim your eyes, but you’re undeterred. Unlike Arlecchino’s, your answer is instant and breathless. Your eyes intently lock on theirs, the hardened expression enough to satisfy their question. There’s no need for contemplation. Danger, you determine, is addicting. 

“Yes.”

The previously small smile stretches across their lips considerably. Content, or dare you say it, thrill writes itself over their face and the boulder previously pressed against your shoulders is lifted. Your throat is freed from their hold, but their touch doesn’t halt there. Instead, they rotate your head for you to face to the left, exposing your side profile to them. From the corner of your eyes, you watch as their face draws closer to your skin, hot breath cascading across the small dents her nails created. The one on your thigh finally leaves, moving to one of your hips, tender strokes across your flushed surface. They lean forward, and moist, plush skin meets yours. Lips traverse over the length of your neck, teeth scraping against, making you weakly groan. It takes all of your will to still your body, only allowing for the Harbinger to do whatever they desire to your form. Their touches are burning, burning, burning–so hot that you wonder if you’re experiencing a heat wave. Peppered kisses follow the edge of your jawbone, all the way up to your earlobe. A wet kiss graces your ear and then the most sinful of statements dignifies your eardrums, like a devil whispering hymns directly into your ear. 

“I think I’ll keep you to myself after this.”

A short hum follows afterward. 

“If you want to touch me, you’ll have to work for it. You’re only mine for tonight, aren't you? Entertain me. Give me a private dance, doll. After all, you have me for all night.” 

---

Link to M-Alexa's amazing art and how I imagine Arlecchino to look like in this oneshot.

[fishhawish]

Can request some genshin men(your choice)with a s/o who can't cry. Like even when they are sad and wants to cry they can't. If you don't write for multiple characters you can choose anyone you want to. Thanks.

Yeah totes! Hope you enjoy🤍

Sorry for late response btw I got caught up in ROTC

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Genshin men x reader who can't cry

Angst / comfort

Warnings: none

Gender neutral reader

★

(spun on a wheel contains: Nuevillete, Lyney, Kaeya, Tighnari, Xiao and Thoma)

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊

!!not proof read!!

Scenario: Reader had a bad day but can't let out the pent up frustration.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Nuevillette

He cries for You.

Although it may not look like it, Nuviluette is truly an emotional man. Especially when his significant other is upset. You both lay on the bed, You curled up against him while he holds you tightly in attempt to comfort you. You want to cry but tears won't spill, leaving you in absolutely agony. Your lover can't help but get emotional at the sight, his eyes watery as he cuddles you. He apologizes but he still can't help it. All he wishes of is for You to be happy again. He's really trying his best. He ordered snacks and little gifts in attempt to cheer you up. When the maid delivers them he is the one to answer. Presenting you with the little gift he tried his best to make you happy, smiling at you and speaking in his gentle tone "My dear, I have gotten You a gift. "Please allow me to treat You during this unfortunate time."

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Lyney

He understands You.

Lyney, who grew up in the House of Hearth. Also experienced the inability to cry. Growing up under 'Father' really caused tension for Him as a child. As of currently You now sit with your Magician lover, in his lap on the sofa of his home. Tears waiting to spill but they don't. He sighs and rubs your back gently in little circles. "Ma chérie, please take your time." His loving voice rang in your ears. He looks over to grab the blanket to the side of him and wraps it over both of your bodies. "We have all the time in the world, do not fear " He whispers. Laying back and taking you with him to lay on top of him. He kisses the top of your head and soothes you to sleep with a lullaby that his 'Father' taught him.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Kaeya

He drops everything for You.

Kaeya who noticed that You haven't visited him all day, began to worry. He needed to make sure. He speed walked to your home just to check on You, who also didn't answer the door. Kaeya unlocking the door with the key under the door mat entered the cozy home to see a depressing state. Him dashing towards you to, embracing you instantly. He begged you to tell him what happened, but after he himself calmed down he decided to give you some time. He loves you dearly more than anything. Kaeya gently kisses your temple before picking you up and relocating you back to your bedroom. When You mentioned to him that you want to cry but you can't, he says back a almost silent "me too".

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Tighnari

He who tried his best.

Tighnari seems to over prioritize work, often not even noticing his own needs. And even if he says breaks are good sometimes, how often does he truly do so? Tighnari isn't as good with comforting, but he knows enough to try to help due to him taking care of Collei. So now here You are, sitting in Tighnari's lap at his desk. Face tucked into his shoulder hiding from the world as his tail wraps around you along with his arm, his other arm finding it's way to intertwine both of your hands together. His thumb rubs against the back of your hand, comforting you. He looks at you, pain filling his heart. He doesn't know what to say, he's afraid that he'll say the wrong thing. Especially without you being able to cry at the moment. But after a while he gathers courage and whispers "It's okay I'm here now."

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Xiao

He fights just for You.

Xiao's daily life consist of fighting the demons that intend to harm liyue. However when he hears your sweet voice call his name, the demons he fends off fate was sealed you opened your mouth. It takes him mere seconds to finish and teleport to You, and seconds to see your gloomy expression. This leaves Xiao in a panic because he doesn't know what to do. Xiao doesn't know much about humans, but he tries his best for you. He gently reaches out to touch your hand, embracing your hand with his. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He says, worry sinking in his stomach. You suddenly embrace him, trying your best to let your emotions out but its not working. Although Xiao is stiff, he still complies with your action. Gently wrapping his arms around you as well. "I'll always protect You until the end." He says.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Thoma

He takes the best care of You.

Thoma, who is amazing with caring for others. He loves you more than anything, you're practically his sunshine. So when You walked up to him and ask him for comfort, he's immediately there for you. By the time you asked he's already prepared everything. He takes your hand in his and helps you drink the tea he prepared for you. "Let me spoil you until you feel better, is that alright?" He says worried, you just nod. When you mentioned you want to cry but can't, he feels horrible. He hugs you, pampering your face in little kissing, giving you encouraging words. He always knows how to make you feel even slightly better. He smiles at You. "Here, I'll make your favorite foods tonight. It's all about you sweetheart."

.

.

.

Finished!

Requests open as usual<3

[nicorenarin]

Phantom Scapegoat: Why P5X Deserves A Chance

Whilst many often shake their head at the concept of a 'gacha' game, it wasn't a surprise to see the Persona series take a shot at such a game. Persona 5: The Phantom X, or just P5X, was released fully in April within multiple regions of Asia and is planned for both a Japanese & Global releases within the future. Aiming to tell a brand new story within the Persona 5 universe, P5X takes place in a parallel timeline where new protagonist, Wonder, leads in the main role with a new group of Phantom Thieves.

As of writing, the game is about to release its 2.3.3 update, which will include an expansion of the side story 'Cross Fate', which covers the original Persona 5 palaces with both the new and old cast, yet it's clear that this story will aim to tie into the main story in one way or another through the developing concept of parallel worlds and timelines. The one thing we have to be aware of is that whilst the main developers are Black Wing Studios, a subsidiary of Perfect World Games, it was recently confirmed in an interview that ATLUS themselves are still helping to construct the narrative and the world of P5X.

My only question is... where was this writing all over the original Persona 5?

It's quite insane that whilst we are only nearing the end of the third palace, P5X takes the world we know of P5 and makes it insanely intriguing. We went from the third arc being centred around a generic 'yakuza' goon to focusing on a struggle for power between teachers that aims to uncover a bigger conspiracy deep within the school that Wonder and some of the other characters attend. Even the second arc, whilst initially presenting itself as a parallel of the Madarame Arc, I think it does it better.

Unfortunately, many on the internet aren't exactly too fond of such a game. It's understandable. A lot of mainstream gacha games such as Genshin Impact are known for their predatory practices in terms of pull-rates, the fear of missing out, etc. Yet, P5X doesn't fall into this pattern, nor does it show itself as a game not willing to listen to its community. As someone who has barely spent a dime, getting all the featured characters and still having currency to spare is a very good thing. The game cares about you and at times will throw summoning tickets and various other items at you either for nothing or for a simple task. They've even recently brought back Tycoon from Persona 5 Royal and taken it online, which has been brilliant.

Harkening back to the earlier point, I believe that a community like the Persona one unfortunately exposed an ugly side of itself with the rising popularity of P5X. The amount of times I see that it's a 'china game' or the reason they won't touch it is because it's 'chinese' feels rather horrible. I think it's perfectly fine to dislike gacha mechanics, but at no point does Joker emerge from the phone, point a gun to your head and force you to enter your credit card details. Many content creators such as JohneAwesome were skeptical of the game, but after playing it? He's now a huge fan! Who would've thought that playing a game like this would change your opinion? The game isn't perfect and many, like myself, have a fair few issues with the game, especially with how it can be better. Yet, I think it's better to try the game for yourself than make it out to be a devil walking.

With collabs with games like P3 and P4 basically confirmed, along with their potential involvement in the main story, P5X has an opportunity to be one of the grandest stories in the entire series and I truly hope it rises to the challenge.

[akutasoda]

my eternity

synopsis - maybe an eternity couldn't last forever, especially when it's worlds apart

includes - dan heng ft express crew

warnings - gn!reader, reader is based off raiden shogun (genshin), bittersweet angst, fluff, some comfort, two socially awkward people try to express feelings, wc - 2.7k

a/n: this was requested by @supernerdycookietrashblrr! sorry this took so long hope you enoy! (i got very carried away)

you were the designated 'protector' and leader of your homeland. one filled with many traditions and people from all walks of life, but none had the knowledge to know that you were rarely actually there. in fact, the place you preferred to call your home was one you fashioned yourself, the plane of euthymia.

it was where your consciousness and physical body existed in hopes of achieving the eternity you yearned for. and in your place roamed a puppet. a puppet in your image that ruled your land for you, one that could not age or be weakened and therefore the most efficient way of ruling.

however, sometimes the endless sky in the plane of euthymia became tormenting, rather tiring and that's when you ventured outside the realm. most of the time, you'd enter in the place of your puppet who then was placed inside the plane - switching places until you got bored of the real world again.

however things seemed amiss this time. something in the plane shifted the wrong way, and because the plane was practically made from your conscience it burdened your mind and ruined any train of thought you may of had. your initial thought was that something must of happened outside of the plane and so you would leave to investigate.

but instead of being greeted by the scenery of your homeland, you found yourself within a library? it had the smell of old books and such but it really paled in looks. it was rather odd looking but the most questionable part was if you looked down and noticed the bundle of blankets and pillows.

for obvious reasons you were on edge. so as you cautiosly approached what you assumed to be the door out, it opened. and in having no time to draw your actual sword, you settled for the easier option. in mere matter of seconds, your polearm ghosted the side of a dark haired males neck.

the express was currently docked at the space station. himeko insited on doing a basic maintenance check after encountering a rather rough journey and dragged welt along for assistance. march had claimed to go for a walk to 'stretch her legs'. and so dan heng remained alone with the conductor who seemed awfully chatty about the most recent voyage.

so when an abrupt noise occurred - seemingly from the passenger cabins - pom pom practically shoved dan heng toward it and shut the door behind him until he found the answer. they were always scared easily. dan heng didn't expect much at first - perhaps something had fallen over somewhere. but he would have to see out his endeavour in 'keeping the conductor safe' regardless.

but it became a bit more alarming when he heard faint, rather slow, footsteps originating from the archives. perhaps it was one of the ghosts pom pom always claimed to see but did they even make footsteps?

warily he walked towards the archives, and when he finally pushed aside the door, the last thing he expected was the edge of a polearm immediately being raised to his throat. he caught your eyes rather quickly and felt rather intimidated by the sheer power you seemed to hold.

but what caught you off guard was when your polearm was violently shoved aside by the his own. he hadn't quite deemed you a threat yet, but first impressions weren't putting you in good favour. he moved forward with his own skill, trying to push you into a situation of hesitation - that way he figured answers may be more likely.

but he seemed to underestimate just how much skill you had because with one quick movement not only had you dodged his attack but yet again held him in a unfortunate circumstance. but before a word could even be spoken you felt a few pairs of eyes bearing into the back of your head.

'the conductor informed us that something was amiss', it was a rather low voice, one that suggested age and he continued 'drop the weapon and release our crewmate'. you let yourself up with little hesitation, in yet another quick move you turned and pushed the person you were holding to his friends, supposedly.

you could now see exactly who was confronting you know, an older man with glasses, a younger woman with striking red hair and a rabbit? 'whats everyone doing down here?' a rather cheery voice called out as footsteps became louder but before they could answer the newly arriving pinkette, you spoke.

you weren't one for combat surprisingly. sure you'd engage in it and if something wished to make you their enemy you'd gladly diminish their hopes of living. but you were wise to not resort to unnecessary violence, unless you really had to. and so you explained you meant no harm, you simply were startled by your abrupt arrival by no knowledge of your own - you also didn't like sharing.

you were met with the group opposites collective look of confusion before the red haired woman spoke. 'you have no recollection of how you got here? my, that's tricky' she paused before looking around 'why don't we talk elsewhere, please follow'.

you oblidged and followed the cautious group into a more open room. it seemed to contain a communal seating area which the woman insisted you sat down upon. she smiled before addressing you again and asking for your name. you felt no obligation to tell complete strangers your name, so instead you told them your puppets.

the conversation became rather one sided after that. the woman, you know knew as himeko, lead it with the man, welt, occasionally chiming in. you weren't one to share information, let alone to complete strangers and so the only information that you let them know was your puppets name (which they thought was your actual name) and that you aren't from here.

and unfortunately for you, that was most of the information they needed. between most of them they could easily figure out that something had happened to bring you into their world and somehow you needed to get back, however no body had a clue how to do so. after all the universe is vast and perhaps endless - but that meant it would contain the answers.

himeko dismissed herself and the others claiming they needed to discuss something before leaving you alone in the room. your briefly considered trying to enter your plane of euthymia and exiting again but two things stopped you - one, it may just bring you back and two, if your puppet was still in your homeland then atleast until you could get back, things wouldn't seem amiss to your residents.

and while you were thinking, the group re-entered. himeko yet again smiled before saying 'while we may not been a great help now, should you choose to join us, you can travel with us and perhaps have better luck in returning', she glanced over toward dan heng and nodding before turning back 'we are all perfectly fine with whatever decision you come to, but to note that it was him who suggested this in the first place'.

you glanced over to dan heng and he looked away, only looking back when you turned back to himeko. you couldn't help that agree that your chances of returning home would probably increase if you joined them and besides, you didn't have to form any connections with them in you did.

you weren't exactly the friendliest but it was for your own reasons. so you agreed. while you weren't exactly the most friendly and approachable person, you figured that your best chance on returning home would be to travel with these people, and they never said you would actually have to become their companion.

the only condition himeko explained to you was that because they travelled to help those that need it, if the occasion should arise then you should help them. she would also note that you probably have no issue in conflicts due to your unfortunate first encounter. which you found fair afterall, an eye for an eye.

it was safe to say that the atmosphere became rather uncomfortable to start with. himeko and the conductor granted you a spare passenger cabin until otherwise and that's where you spent most of your time. occasionally himeko or march would come and try to get to know you better but ultimately be met with a wall of silence.

however something you found valuable you heard from march was that the archives were accessible to all passengers. knowledge is proof of eternity, all things that have come before recorded down and passed along. so you decided to maybe spend some time exploring such archives.

however what you didn't really anticipate was how different the information seemed to be stored as. in your homeland everything was stored through scrolls and books or even word of mouth. but it all seemed so much more mechanical and modern. fortunately for you, in your confusion dan heng decided to return to his room.

you two hadn't talked at all since the day you arrived, so reasonably there was a bit of tension in the air. however dan heng could pick up on your confusion and pushed aside any awkward air to ask if everything was alright. you simply claimed that you were a bit confused by the archive.

'would you like some assistance?', the words came out his mouth before he could even process them, but you simply nodded and before he knew it he found himself beside you showing you all the records and such he kept organised.

you thanked him and excused yourself as you realised how long you had actually spent in the archives. he nodded before adding that you were free to visit anytime and then you left.

you didn't really sleep. you either didn't bother as in your search for eternity you didn't want to indulge in such trivial matters or you were on edge. this time, sleeping didn't really appeal to you as sleeping knowing people you barely knew surrounded you was unpleasant.

so you decided to re visit the archives. you found exploring this new world may be beneficial to your return and plus you could decide if it would be a enemy to eternity. so as you pushed open the door, you walked in and carefully closed it behind you as too not wake the other residents.

but whag you hadn't anticipated was that odd bundle of blankets and pillows now supported a body. upon squinting your eyes you recognized ot as dan heng, maybe you should return in the morning-

dan heng shot up and immediately pressed a hand to his head to wipe away any sweat he had. it was another nightmare, he didn't know why he bothered to try and sleep when that was all that tormented him. he raised his hand infront of himself trying to stop the shaking and level his breathing, then he looked to you.

his brain only recognizing your presence when he calmed down slightly. he simply said 'couldn't sleep well? or is there something you need?', he shoveled the think blanket of himself as he shakily stood up. you were no fool and knew he didn't want to talk about whatever gave him such a reaction so you simply shrugged and said you couldn't sleep.

he sat in front of the main screen and looked behind at you before saying 'wan't to read some old logs with me?'. well that was what you were here to do originally so you walked over and sat beside him. you two spent the rest of the night having dan heng recount the tales of the express and all the various logs added.

and before either of you knew it, it was morning. time seemed to pass quicker than usual afterwards however. you spent more time with dan heng and found yourself reluctantly letting him get closer to you than you would've liked and it appeared he felt the same. unfortunately neither of you wanted to push the other way despite your body screaming that this was a bad idea.

you both knew that as well. sooner or later you would have to return to your homeland. the bond that was forging would be cut short and mercilessly and you both would become yet another memory for eachother. yet neither of you could bring yourselves to stop it now before it could hurt either of you.

but it seemed time would be cut ever shorter for you. the express crew still had no leads on how to return you to your original realm but answers needed to come quick. your body wasn't reacting well to being outside the plane for this long - you had spent so long inside the plane of euthymia that your body adapted to its conditions.

but maybe the new universe was also taking a toll, you felt no longer like yourself and sometimes during the day your body would practically seize and you felt like a spectator to your own body, not the host. and the crew recognised this deteriorating condition - also chalking it up to long exposure to somewhere that wasn't your homeland.

and before any more tries to find answers could happen, you worsened even more. your body began aching and you really couldn't control your actions so you tried a last resort tactic. you placed yourself back inside of the plane of euthymia and could immediately regain control of your body.

but relief became confusion as you hear march's scream from behind you, turning round to see that you had accidentally brought the express crew into your plane aswell. you wanted to explain and help them back out into the express but the presence of your puppet became your biggest concern.

you turned round to confront your puppet and before you knew it the express crew had stood beside you. your lack if sharing now put them in danger and despite this they offered help. from your body language and maybe the polearm in your hand they could tell what you were going to do.

but you refused help, it was your puppet after all. you created it and so you knew it's weaknesses, this shouldn't become an issue. except it did. the express, especially dan heng, could only watch despite wanting to help as you fought with yourself.

but now you were slowly losing the rational parts of your brain, but before you knew it you had defeated your puppet. but your bodyy seemed to know possess a body of it's own as you became something that was not quite yourself, deciding for you that the express members were enemies of eternity.

you didn't mean to attack them, and they didn't mean to attack back. they wanted to help you desperately - despite your lack of interaction with most they still came to cherish you as the temporary addition to their little family. even if you didn't share, they didn't care. but now they wished you did share more often.

the fight was exhausting for both parties. you wanted to stop, to npt destroy the companions you reluctantly built over the time you'd spent with them but your mind and body weren't cooperating. and dan heng wanted to help you more than ever.

and because he hadn't pushed you away, he hadn't refused himself entirely in building a bond with you he knew how to help. he ignored the shouts for him to stay back as he had faith you wouldn't hurt him. he knew that you were still in there and he'd be dammned should he not help.

you fought so hard to not attack him. to not damage yet another relationship you had built and instead let him get ever closer. and even now as your body fell back to its original state, you could grasp why you subconsciously let him get closer even if you knew he'd leave eventually. because now you still had no way home. and as dan heng laid his head upon your shoulder, you could only think on why you shouldn't indulge in this comfort a little longer, even if this eternity was not possible.

[bitethedustfools]

New sagau idea?

This is my first time posting something on tumblr but I just wanna say that I'm getting tired of seeing the imposter! sagau au where the player/creator is so forgiving once they were declared innocent and not the imposter or something like that.

The eldritch one was good but kinda expecting to go to the dark territory. The yandere one is kinda okay but need more spicy with the creator personality. The one with letter is wholesome in a way but I'm a picky person and the player's personality is just not to my taste.

So uh, I'm just gonna drop some ideas to spice some new inspiration or something. Apologize if these aus/ideas already exist.

Indifferent god/player

You play the game to pass time, you don't even bother speaking, only staying silent the whole duration and maybe murmuring some dissapointing things on the characters when they don't reach your expectation. The characters designs are nice and maybe the personality but you don't give a damn about them. You probably don't read their story or voiceline or something. But anyway, whether they have sobs story or not, you already have enough and don't care as well.

Almost everything bore you and the only thing that keep you going is the curiousity for the ending so you tried to level up and give them the best artifacts so you can speed run or something.

Once you are inside the game, the first thing you do is sigh loudly.

You dont know who the hell is the creator they speak of that finally arrived in Teyvat cause your day is ruined from being approached by the characters who won't leave you alone. (You got that divine presence and distant looks in your eyes that made them tremble with realisation when in fact you're just annoyed with them, never giving them a single glance. "out of sight, out of mind")

You are the Watcher of Teyvat, the God of all Gods and you are finally descending to Teyvat which you create "lovingly" with your bare hands. (Not that you know about that)

Now the characters feeling towarda you can be varies. The characters may be feeling grateful because you helped them getting stronger which may lead to stronger devotion.

Your hurtful comments back in your previous world sometimes drove them insane which may lead them feeling desperate and insecure, ashamed and upset as well as letting their self confidence dwindled. Sometimes they questioned themselves why aren't they abandoned yet and why are they gifted with powerful artifacts instead? So lots misunderstandings here.

The Archons probably go crazy trying to figure out how to please you. Wanting to be by your side and show you how Teyvat came to be under their rule and after that. Use them however you wish, the rules of Teyvat bend to your will and all will act according to you. Maybe that's why their gnoses is in the form of chess pieces? For you to play and use with?

The Fatui harbingers probably have complicated feelings about you. But most probably are upset that you don't give a damn about them or glad that what they are doing doesn't offended you in the slightest and encouraging what they are doing because they thought you have no problem with what they are doing.

Can go yandere route I guess but none what the characters did will ever entered your eyes because you don't give a f*ck about them. Period. No feelings or heart to heart talk.

2) Introvert simping god/player

You are a Genshin Impact lover. You buy every merchandise possible and owned so many of their cosplay. You are probably the top 5 best genshin gamer and made some theories judging by what the game had shown you. No characters can escape your gushing as praises bullet out of your mouth. Nothing in the game could escape you cause you love them so much.

Unfortunately, as much as you love them from the roots of their hair to their fine shoes and the blackest and goodest of hearts, you don't want to be in their world.

Because you are an introvert and a simp! These combinations can't be good if you are to meet one of them!

The solution? Hide.

Needless to say, your ability to become one with the background unintentionally shut off your heavenly divine presence. You became the world's best hider, no Fatui could ever catch a glimpse of your shadow nor an Adeptus nor Archons. Always a game of mouse and cats yet theres no progress in catching the skittish mouse.

You refuse to meet them and can only look from a far. Staring with awe when they fought or walk or talk or whatever they do. It's like seeing an idol in a way.

In short, you're a stalker.

When they learn about how you look like, every place is not safe anymore. Everyone is looking for you, eager to meet you. But not you. By the power of cosplay, it's easy to avert meeting them.

And now, you are not the only world's best hider but the world's best at disguising themself as well.

3) Eldritch god/player

What if Teyvat is only one and the players is many? When you descend to Teyvat, some said you are tall, some said you are short and others said you are a male and another the opposite sex. They even said your hair was curly and black but the other refuted, saying yours was wavy and blonde.

Introducing you. A god who is all yet one individual. A god whose everything changes from one person to another's respectives. Sometimes the same person see you in a different appearance which confused many.

Your whole being is unpredictable, sometimes you're upset and then happy and then angry, all in the blink of a moment. even your accents changes, following the tongue of the one who is speaking currently.

Sometimes, when the feeling is getting intense, mostly anger, the face(s) morph into something horrible as if it couldn't decide which face(s) to take (or was it these players are feeling the same thing at once?) or what language to speak, resulting in gibberish words falling out your many mouth(s). Your eyes however are staring at the cause of your feelings, (enemy? the one that hurts you? experiment purpose?) All varieties of colours ranging from hazelnut to black.

The Archons are regal and full of divine aura, beautiful and something worthy to behold and worship.

But you are a different existence, leaning toward the dark and gory side than the Archons or the whole Teyvat.

But you are still a god, the God of all Gods.

Are you worthy to be loved and worshipped and to be behold?

Yes? No?

You're not you and you're also not them. Yet you are you and you are them.

Acceptance and violence, you have no problem to choose.

The feelings of the many you(s) are distorted and cannot be comprehend.

[kzpearce]

GENSHIN MEN WHEN THEY’RE JEALOUS !! 

ft. kaedehara kazuha, kamisato ayato, kaveh, diluc, kaeya, zhongli, tartaglia, cyno, tighnari, alhaitham, scaramouche, xiao.

sypnosis. an old friend comes to you to greet you. unfortunately, your boyfriend/s is/are not pleased with it. (jealousy by olivia rodrigo song suggestion 😉)

// gender neutral reader ,, no mentions of pronouns and (y/n) and the name of the "friend).

i've decided to post again! thank you so much my two previous posts, people are so amazing and i'm so grateful to all of u !! i've decided to do another oneeee <3

NOTE. i'm so so sorry if the rests are SOOO short. UGHHH i think this is going to be my last trying to fit everything. i'm sorry if your favorite character is shorter than the rest :(

i'll remind everyone again! some of you might consider them oc, so i'm sorry for that. but so you know i'm trying my best to act on their own!

— kaedehara kazuha

“hi my love,” kazuha suddenly enters the scene while you’re talking to your old friend. 

you smile after your boyfriend approaches you. when you glance at him, his gaze doesn’t leave your old friend. “who is this you’re talking to, hm?”

kazuha’s gaze looks back at you with a smile; yet this smile isn’t his usual genuine, soft smile. is your boyfriend jealous? you thought.

after you introduce your old friend to your boyfriend, he abruptly leaves. maybe because of the demeanor kazuha gives him. you chuckle when your friend leaves. 

“you scared him, kazu.” you smiled, giggling.

“i don’t like how he looked at you.” he frowns.

“i’m yours.” you assure, you then kiss his cheek for assurances. 

“good,” kazuha grins, wrapping his arms around your waist.

— kamisato ayato

“i’m sorry i kept you waiting, darling.” there is a possessiveness in ayato's tone that makes your friend embarrassed and scared. your friend asks permission to leave, and you smile, waving goodbye at him.

you playfully glare at your boyfriend, who’s wearing a victory smirk. “what’s that for, ayato?”

“who was that?” he asks, ignoring your question. 

“he was my old friend. we were classmates back then when i was highschool.” you answer him.

ayato looks at you and nods (he looks satisfied, but he really isn’t). you glare at him. “now, what’s that for?”

“i don’t like strangers talking to my lover.” he answers, (again, it’s not a proper answer).

your glare soon is replaced with a chuckle. ayato’s gaze softens. “you’re cute when you're jealous. but no. he’s not a stranger.”

“complete stranger to me.” he shrugs as you continue laughing. 

his gaze softens, watching over you. he can’t help but let his lips curve into a soft smile.

— kaveh

kaveh pouts when you’re done talking to your old friend. you chuckle, “why are you pouting?”

“who’s that? are you replacing me already?” 

you laugh. “what are you thinking? of course not! why would i replace my adorable and handsome boyfriend?”

you wrap your arms around his waist and kiss him on his lips. 

kaveh smiles, but he brings his frowning face back. he’s enjoying this, so he’s trying to look like he’s still jealous. 

you peck his lips thrice and give him a cute smile. kaveh couldn’t take it anymore and smiled widely. 

“you’re so cute, you know that?” kaveh smiles, boops the tip of your nose.

“i do.” you reply, smiling. “only because you said it.”

— diluc

after you stopped talking to your friend, you turned around and saw your boyfriend at the corner. his eyes are on you as you make your way to him. 

“hi,” you kiss him on his cheek. “how long have you been waiting?”

diluc slightly smiles, yet there is something off behind those smiles. “more than five minutes.”

you frown. “you should’ve approached me.”

he shakes his head. “all good. you’re busy talking to you…” diluc pauses, “—someone.”

you tilt your head, eyeing him suspiciously. “uh-huh.. he’s my old friend. we happened to bump into each other.”

he nods, refusing to look at you. your lips form into a smile. “diluc? are you possibly… jealous?”

his cheeks become bright red. he jerks his head into different directions so that you wouldn’t see his face. he didn’t deny it nor confirm it. but you already know the answer.

you chuckle as you rest your palms on his cheeks, forcing his gaze to look at you. you smile softly, “old friend only, okay?”

he sighs in defeat. he then nods, appreciating your assurance.

“he’s not you.” you kiss him on the lips. “i love you.”

heat rising in diluc’s face, he smiles, “i love you more.”

— kaeya

when your friend leaves, kaeya shows behind you. he grins. 

“if you’re going to replace me with someone else, find someone better than me, okay?” he smirks.

your jaw drops, hitting him on his arm. 

“first, i’m not replacing you. second, what the actual hell?” you laugh. 

“i’ve never imagined you would choose someone like… him.” he says with a slight disgust tone. “we’re not going to downgrade, dear.”

you grin. “you’re so weird when you’re jealous.” 

he blinks rapidly, he then later shrugs. “me? jealous? pft.. he’s not even close to my beauty.”

despite his coping mechanism, you kiss his cheek and smile. “exactly, that’s why i’m not replacing you okay? you’re the hottest boyfriend.” you wink.

his cheeks redden, yet he manages to regain his composure and replace his shock expression with a smirk. “o-hoh? it seems my lover is head over heels for me.”

“i’m taking back what i said!”

— zhongli

zhongli walks over your direction, and he places his arm around your waist. your eyes widen at his sudden physical affection.

“hello dear, would you like to introduce us?” he smiles, kissing your cheek. zhongli’s gaze returns to your old friend, giving him an intimidating look.

“oh,” you chuckle. you mention your friend’s name, introducing him as your old classmate before. “and, this is my boyfriend zhongli.”

“pleasure to meet you,” zhongli grins. “pardon me, i’ve never seen you before, that’s why.” 

when your friend leaves, you face zhongli with an amusing grin. “what’s that?”

he tilts his head, allowing you to explain further. “what do you mean, dear?”

you sigh. zhongli is the most mature person you’ve ever met (you’re still wondering how you two became compatible). you’re not expecting him to be jealous, but you will be more surprised if he’s jealous.. 

“nothing,” you smile as you shake your head, shrugging it off.

zhongli chuckles. “are you possibly thinking that i’m jealous?” 

your face reddens, feeling vulnerable when he easily reads your thoughts. your outcome confirms his assumption, thus he laughs lightly. “i was jealous, i had decided not to let my emotions control me, that’s all.”

you smile. he’s so mature, and you can’t help but fall in love deeper with him. you can’t help yourself and kiss his cheek. 

“that felt good.” he retorted, lingering in the soft voice and his smile. “besides, i know that you’re mine. and i don’t plan on letting you go, my dear.”

— tartaglia

when you’re finished talking to your old friend, you see your boyfriend leaning his side on the wall, crossing his arms. you glimpse at him in adoration, you can’t help but thank the heavens that he’s your boyfriend. 

you approach him with an exciting smile on your lips, yet you notice that he’s facial expression is serious.

“hii, how long are you waiting?” you kiss his cheek. 

as much as ajax loves your kisses, he still can’t help but still feel jealous. your lips frown, confused, when you see your boyfriend doesn’t act like he usually does. you can’t help but worry about him, “is there something wrong?”

“i don’t like how close you are to that guy.” he retorts. ajax is pouting, avoiding your gaze so that you wouldn’t easily read him (although that unfortunately fails because you know him too long in order not to).

a chuckle escapes your lips. his serious look is now replaced with embarrassment. you tease him with a playful tone, “ajax’s~ jealous~!”

he glares at you, and the frown in his lips linger. 

“i’m yours,” you wrap your arms around him, kissing his lips. “i chose you, and i’m going to keep choosing you over and over again..”

his gaze softens at your assurance, he can’t help but kiss you back. “i love you.”

“i love you too.” you giggle, “now let’s eat! where do you want to eat?”

“pavilion maybe?” 

“that’s too expensive!” you frown.

“my treat,”

“let me treat you this time,” you whine.

“your broke ass can’t afford the liyue pavilion.”

“don’t talk to me.” you shoot daggers to your boyfriend.

“i’m joking baby,” he laughs then kisses you.

— cyno

when your old friend is about to bid goodbye, you feel your boyfriend’s presence behind you. you glance at him, and he’s giving your friend a cold and deadly stare. you blink rapidly at the sight. cyno refuses to talk too, he’s just staring at him for—quite too long.

your attention jerks to your friend, who suddenly says goodbye. perhaps, he feels uncomfortable at your boyfriend’s not so friendly stare.

“if looks can kill, he’s probably dead by now.” you chuckle. “what’s up?”

cyno finally averts his gaze back to you, and his death glares hastily switch to soft ones. he shakes his head, “i saw you talking to your friend. i don’t mind—of course…” 

he refuses to continue his sentence. you, however, look at him with a teasing look, tilting your head. “...but?”

he sighs, “...okay. i was just a little…” he pauses, “jealous.”

an amusing smile forms your lips. “aw, you’re jealous?” 

cyno ignores you while you’re laughing. his cheeks are red, embarrassed. nevertheless, you place a soft kiss on the side of his lips and hug him tightly.

“i love you,” you whisper.

his stoic expression vanishes like ashes. he smiles softly, “i love you too.” he says, kissing you back.

— tighnari

when tighnari sees that you’re talking to your old friend, he remains at a distance. a sigh escapes his lips when he feels his ears starting to heat up. he closes his eyes to focus; it’s normal to talk to a friend. 

“tighnari,” you pout, standing in front of him. tighnari and his thoughts make him unaware of his surroundings that he doesn’t realize you’re in front of him already. 

“are you doing okay? you’ve spaced out quite a bit.” you wrap your arms around him, comforting your boyfriend. tighnari can’t help but look at you with admiration. your worried outcome makes his heart flutter. his hot ears can’t help but twitch at the sight.

he shakes his head, “nothing. how long have you been here?” he kisses your head. 

you’re not convinced, the frown in your mouth lingers. “we don’t hide, remember?” 

tighnari sighs; he couldn’t resist you. “i-i just saw you talking to a man, and i—”

you smile as he exhales, “tighnari is jealoussss?” you tease, tightening your hug around him.

his ear twitches again, making you chuckle softly. “he’s my old friend, we just bumped into each other, that’s why.”

tighnari smiles softly at your assurances. he kisses your lips, “i understand.”

— alhaitham

alhaitham sees a guy approaches you while you’re seated. his eyes narrow, eyeing him suspiciously as he makes his way back to you. his eyebrow twitches with the barest hint of irritation. although, alhaitham knows that this is quite irrational, given that he doesn’t know what the conversation is about.

alhaitham sits beside you; wraps his arm around your waist, and his chin rests on ur shoulder. he grins, kissing you on the cheek. alhaitham then stares at the guy you’re talking to with a sneer.

you can’t ignore the butterflies exploding inside your stomach. your breath hitches as your lip slightly parted. you glance on your side, where alhaitham is, and smiles at his kiss. your boyfriend’s so close to you, and his affections surprised you.

“h-haitham,” your cheeks are hot and your heart rams against your ribcage, skipping a beat. you smile nonetheless. “you’re here.”

you look back at your old friend and introduce him to your boyfriend. “and my boyfriend, alhaitham.”

“your boyfriend is the acting grand sage,” your old friend mutters, smiling sheepishly. “please to meet you, acting grand sage.”

alhaitham curtly nods. his stares at him with a cold and irritating stare, yet his lips curve into a smirk. he is never proud with his position in akademiya until now when your friend knows that he’s your boyfriend.

when your friend leaves (he doesn’t take too long hanging around in front of you two because he is uncomfortable around alhaitham’s stare and presence), you raise your eyebrows to alhaitham, wondering about his sudden affections.

“the acting grand sage is oddly touchy and affectionate in public,” you shoot him with a smug smile. 

alhaitham’s smirk turns into a soft smile, “i just wanted to make sure that you knew you are mine.” he kisses your cheek again.

you chuckle despite your heart exploding in joy. “jealousy, jealousy~” you sang.

— scaramouche (wanderer)

“who are you talking to?” kuni says the moment you come to him. his voice is dead serious, but he’s trying to control it. so he appears to be much calmer than usual.

“huh?” you tilt your head in confusion, but you then nod, remembering who he is talking about. “he’s my friend back when i was in early high school.”

kuni furrows his eyebrow, letting you elaborate more. you grin, amusing you that he’s jealous. you decided to tease him a little.

“he says he is here for a vacation. apparently, he’s going back to inazuma.” you explain, shrugging. “pity, i want to hang out with him though if i find out sooner.”

kuni glares at you after you mention your last statement. you look at him innocently, “what?”

“whatever,” he rolls his eyes, crossing his arms on his chest.

you smirk at him, “yes kuni?”

“what?” he answers, irritated, yet he refuses to look at you.

you grin, then you decide to sing. “all i see is what i should be~” the smirk doesn’t leave your lips. “i’m losing it, all i get’s, jealousy, jealousy~”

“shut up.” kuni’s face become red because of embarrassment. you suddenly laugh out loud, hugging him as an apology. 

“i love youuu,” you smile, looking at him while you hug him tightly.

your cheekily smile makes him sigh and wrap his arms around you. “you’re mine, okay?” 

his cheek is bright red, but his tone is very serious. you lightly laugh, “yes kuni. i’m yours.”

— xiao

after you're done talking to your friend, xiao can hear your feet marching on the wooden floor as you make your way to the balcony of wangshu inn. 

“xiao,” you call his name softly. normally, he would turn to look at you with a soft smile, yet this time, he chooses to ignore you. 

“xiao?” you repeat his name, but now you’re standing beside him. 

“...what do you think of him?” 

you’re trying to tilt your head to see a good glimpse of his expression. xiao jerks his head to your direction, seeing his piercing gaze looking at you intensely. xiao face is stoic as usual, yet you could sense underlying anger within that blank expression. he doesn’t look like he's angry at you, but you couldn’t simply ignore his stare that’s too cold. 

you know you don’t need to ask him but you choose to do, “who?”

“that mortal you spoke to earlier.” he answers curtly.

his blank, cold expression makes him more intimidating. the tone of his voice is calm and composed, but there’s underlying menace brewing within it. it’s been so long since you last encountered this side of xiao, and you’re not used to it anymore.

“an old friend,” you whisper, “he’s about to leave tomorrow morning, so he decided to meet me for a bit.”

xiao didn’t say anything, but his stare remains on you. you can’t decipher him if he’s satisfied with your reply or demands more answers. it’s difficult to read him, and this is something you’re struggling ever since he becomes your boyfriend.

you boldly ask him, “are you jealous, xiao?”

“jealous?” he seems not pleased by your question and his stoic expression soon replaces annoyance and irritation. his golden eyes narrow slightly. “why would i feel jealous? the concept of jealousy is foolish.”

his voice is harsher than his usual when he replies. however, when he finishes his sentence, his voice grows softer as he looks away, turning his back against you.

you wrap your arms around him instead. xiao flinches at the sudden contact, and his eyes widen for a split second in surprise. however, the way he doesn’t move a single muscle nor breathe reveals that he doesn’t dislike the hug.

you warmly smile, “falling in love is also foolish,” you reply. “but you choose to fall in love with me. and i’ve been forever grateful for that.”

he stayed silent, looking down at you. he can’t hold himself and finally hugs you back and shoots you a soft smile. he kisses your forehead for a few seconds as you shut your eyes, feeling his lips on yours.

heheh see you guys again soon! i appreciate everyone of uu !!!! <;3 i most likely not going to make part 2 sadly :( i'll be posting different context if i post another one!

[angelfishe]

𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 || 𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐔

<< yandere VIP genshin men x reader >>

Character : zhongli, childe, ayato

When you enter the squid game to pay off your debt, you didn't realize your gonna be playing a life and death game as well meeting some old faces

Warning : slight mention of non-con intimacy

( This is something i wip out in the middle of the night sorry if it's bad )

# ZHONGLI

the owner of the liyue cooperation, a multi billion company

- You were married to him but got divorce because how possessive he was, he wouldn't let you go anywhere without body guards saying this world is dangerous. You will be better with him and you feel trapped inside the marriage so you eventually divorce him.

- the reason why you were in the squid game was because after the divorce you were staying with your mother who got herself in debt. So you take multiple jobs to pay off the debt, until a business man approaches you offering for you to play a game to pay off your debt.

- you manage to survive until the marble game where your partner decides to betray you, you thought you were gonna die until the soldiers of the game drag you into a luxurious room and In front of you was a man wearing a gold reindeer mask, he took it off revealing it's your ex husband

reader : "zho- zhongli"

Zhongli : " I told you my love, this world is a dangerous place and you would be safe with me, you don't need to worry about anything"

He proceeds to hug you

Zhongli : "I pay off your mother's debt as long as you promised you'll be mine again"

# CHILDE

A VIP that decided to play the game for fun

- you met him during the game the red light and green light game, you find it oddly weird that he seems to be enjoying it and as well having fun not bothering people are dropping dead.

- you manage to get along with him as well learning about his past and family, he seems to be fond of his little brother Teucer. He odly seems to recognize you ,Unfortunately he decided to sacrifice himself for you to live in the marble game.

- during lights out, you were dragged by the guards towards somewhere, you were struggling thinking you would die without saying goodbye towards your family, but instead you were put in a bedroom with a man in a red and black suit wearing a gold jaguar mask, saying if you want to leave the game you have to serve him in a way.

??? : "I'm surprised you don't recognize me and remember me"

Reader : who are you exactly

Childe : ( he took off the mask ) "it's me childe sweet heart, during childhood you and I were best friends and I promised you to marry you, don't worry sweetheart you don't have to worry about anything anymore cause after this let's fulfill the promised and get married"

#AYATO

Head of the most prestigious clan in the country as well the head of the yashiro prefecture

- former master of yours, you were his servant as well childhood friend but unfortunately stop serving his family because your grandfather has fallen with an Illness, you have to take care of him 24/7 meaning you to stop serving him. He tried everything to convince you not to leave but you still left.

- unfortunately the hospital bill has gotten worse and you eventually found yourself drowning in debt, until you were eventually invited into the squid game, unaware he planned this to happen, he's actually been stalking you looking for an opportunity to bring you back in his arms.

- you were Carried away by the guards when no one wants to partner with you, and you land yourself and kneel in front of a man with a gold owl mask. And he grabs your chin to look him straight to the eye and you recognize who's under the mask.

Reader : "master kamisato"

Ayato : "A clever girl manages to recognize me, that's my ( reader ) always able to recognize me"

Reader : why are you doing here

Ayato : "isn't't it obvious for you, I've been waiting for this moment for years and finally you're mine"

[deuxcherise]

To Have and To Hold

C/w: Unhealthy behavior, probably OOC Ayato Kamisato, yandere Kamisato Ayato, fem! reader, tsuntsun! reader, Thoma & Kamisato Ayaka friendship, mentions of other Genshin Impact characters, thirsting from background characters, language content, includes a picture of a moonflower A/n: So it's been a freaking long time since I've updated this series but here's a long one! in previous iterations, I had written the names in the western format (first name, surname) but I think for the sake of my sanity in wanting to maintain the smooth oration of names, I’m going to write their names in the eastern format (surname, first name). Okeydokey! Anyway, back to the story (my goodness, I started this chapter back in July!), does Ayaka get caught? If so, by who and what will she do?  :D Masterlist

Politics, personal affairs, finances— Any powerful and esteemed clan would keep that sort of vital information under strict surveillance, and the Kamisatos are no different. Ask any regular citizen about them, and one’ll find there is nothing valuable worth declaring as evidence against their prestigiously clean reputation.

“Psst! Did you know that recently, Lady Kamisato, pardon, the wife of our Lord Kamisato purchased…”

Unfortunately, the same could not be same from within that solid fortress, where hushed voices roam rampant.

“Oh my oh my, I did. I did. Now did you know that the young Lady Kamisato, pardon, the sister of our Lord Kamisato ate…”

“Hush now! Hush! … Now… did you know that our cat-like-”

It is, however, fortunate that the inner web-spinners of the Kamisato Estate are usually competent enough to keep such scandalous words from escaping into the outside world. That being said, it is still highly discouraged by the head of staff to participate in such impolite activity, no matter how entertaining every bit may be. A warning to newcomers: the walls are always listening, and one might accidentally miss the slightest of cracks letting in cold air.

Another fortune of the Kamisato clan is the existence of is a person responsible and quite skillful at patching up those tiny holes. And that job belongs to none other than a certain esteemed housekeeper, trusted by the head of the Kamisatos himself.

“They say that Lord Kamisato is too busy burying his head in his wife’s bosom to deal with actual matters affecting the estate,” Thoma manages to say, his lips pursed and shoulders twitching from the hilarious ridiculousness of the statement. “What do you make of it?”

Crack!

The Lord Kamisato in question snaps the barrel of yet another pen in half within a tight grip, spilling ink onto the lacquered wood of his desk. Luckily, none of it manages to land onto the piles and piles of letters stacked by the dozens pertaining to the upcoming events in mere weeks. He lets it go before propping his elbows on the table and covering his strained eyes, releasing a heavy sigh. Seeing this, Thoma almost feels pity for his boss, who has typically maintained the image of the mysterious and unapproachable bachelor in public.

“If that were true in even the slightest,” Ayato starts off, voice straining, “All of these useless matters would be finished in one day, so I could go back into the arms of my dear wife. Tis a shame…”

For a split second, Thoma’s eyes pop out and his mouth falls open. He thinks to comment, but then ultimately decides to pick up his jaw instead and clear his throat.

His lord is usually quite tactful, refined and mature for his age compared to other young men. It has been far too long to remember when exactly Thoma first entered the household, but until now Ayato has never spoken in this… for the lack of a better word, loose manner before— even within the private confines of his office.

At least… before you arrived.

Thoma takes a deep breath as he tries to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upwards, wincing from the slight shudder that escapes. “W-would you like me to suppress the rumors, my lord?”

A moment passes in silence before Ayato flicks a free hand backwards twice. “No need.” He spreads the fingers of the hand covering his eyes, allowing Thoma to see the darkness swirling in the center of those purple irises. “I see no harm in its existence. In fact… I’d like to see how far this little rumor will travel.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

“Mm.” Ayato sits back up straight and reaches for another poor pen to sacri- utilize from the cup of regular pens. As he scribbles and finishes another letter, he orders, “In the meantime, increase the security around the west wing.” His pen stops for a moment. “Oh, and do report of my dear wife’s reaction as well, when you get the chance. I’d like to see it for myself, but unfortunately,” he gestures to the stacks of blank sheets, unused ink tablets, and empty envelopes, “I have all of this I must take care of. How bothersome… Unless-”

“I will get right onto that, Lord Kamisato!” Thoma says, saluting and escaping from the room to implement the orders before his lord could add another task upon his list.

Ayato chuckles before the smile falls off his face. The silent room then fills with scribbles upon scribbles upon scribbles…

-----

And so, the allowance of unlimited freedom for this little rumor to spread eventually leads to a sudden uptick in sales within the perfume industry for husbands, wives, and partners to dab tantalizing scents on their chest and successfully seducing their spouses to—

Ahem.

A slight digression, regarding the interesting topic of rumors and gossip. That story in particular is meant for another time. In the meantime, presently, there is a most concerning and sordid piece of hearsay being passed around the Kamisato Estate as of late: it being the scandalous rumor that the young, unmarried Lady Ayaka, sister of Lord Kamisato, is parading around in a servant’s uniform.

Such improper conduct could not possibly be, well, possible. At least, that’s what Thoma thinks. There is absolutely no way Miss Ayaka would be entertaining this notion. She has a playful side, sure, being a younger sister adored by the public after all. But a mischievous side? Against her brother’s orders? Impossible.

“Oh!” “Huh?”

“Ayaka…?”

It is indeed amusing, how life seems to like finding ways in which to prove the most certain of people wrong.

Ayaka’s eyes widen in fear. “T-Thoma?”

Despite the shock, the bewildered housekeeper immediately scans Ayaka’s attire. Just as the rumors have mentioned, Ayaka seems to be dressed exactly to play the role of Lady-in-waiting for his lord’s wife. Though, even with the servant attire, there’s no hiding her princess-like aura, which begs the question, “What-”

Step step step step.

Various feet make their way towards their hallway, prompting Thoma to quickly slide open a door and grab Ayaka on the way inside. With the door shut, he looks and listens for the footsteps to pass by and fade into silence before letting out a sigh of relief. Finally, he addresses the issue in a calm and stern tone. “Miss Ayaka, may I ask what exactly are you up to?”

Ayaka opens her mouth to explain calmly and eloquently as she always does, except a thought suddenly occurs to her.

Thoma, being her brother’s right hand man, is privy to almost all of Ayato’s plans. Which means he too must be aware that Ayato has been keeping his wife, her very own sister-in-law, trapped in the west wing of the estate. All alone without a single close soul to reach out to. A friend you can let down your hair with. A friend you can share a laugh with. A friend you can have… have…  to have a girls’ night with!

Ayaka gasps at her brother’s and Thoma’s audacity, much to his confusion. “The nerve of you two!” she accuses, jabbing an accusatory finger against Thoma’s chest.

Thoma takes a step back and raises his hands in a surrendering manner at this unexpected behavior. “W-what?”

Hands fisted, Ayaka continues. “I heard from (Y/n) herself! All of this time, I had believed she was avoiding me out of fear or shyness, but in reality, it is Brother who has been keeping us apart! Can you believe that??” She raises a finger, shushing him. “No, don’t answer that. You must be in on it too, since you’re part of her staff! What do you have to say for yourself, Thoma?”

Thoma’s eyes rapidly look around, away from Ayaka’s face, as if looking for the correct answer that’s not appearing in his mind.

Ayaka, not one to stay angry for long, begins to falter. “W-well?”

What could Thoma say? That it is her brother’s prerogative to lock Lady (Y/n) away? And how could he, a mere housekeeper, possibly go against his lord’s order, lest he be charged with treason? An unreasonable conclusion, sure. But the culprit of this entire situation is a very stressed and severely deprived Ayato tittering on the edge, and there is no one who can sway him as he is now.

Prior to the marriage, Thoma’s long-time loyalty and friendship would have had some weight and influence on his lord’s decisions. But now? Well, that’s a fool’s risk.

Seeing Thoma’s hesitance, Ayaka takes a step back, and wills her temper down, an admired trait of hers that has kept her previously calm in the face of arrogant leaders she’s had to forge alliances with for the sake of the Kamisato clan. She takes a deep breath, settles in a graceful pose with her back straight and her hands politely together. “Thoma, I forgive you for your unwilling participation in this mess-”

Thoma makes a face and almost releases a sigh of relief at the miss’s understanding.

“-and I would like to request that you keep my activity thus far a secret from Brother. As long as possible.”

His eyes go wide. “Eh? But-”

“I started playing the part of Lady (Y/n)’s Lady-in-waiting to find out her true character at first,” Ayaka explains. “And what I have witnessed is that she is graceful and kind, and well-suited to being my brother’s wife. I would very much like to meet her as myself at some point, if only Brother would allow it. Until then, I’d like to enjoy being in her company. Without titles and reputation. ”

Thoma’s lips tighten, ruminating on it for a moment.

“Please,” she says, eyes glittering like a lost puppy.

Thoma sighs. “Okay, alright. I’ll do my best to keep the staff under wraps, but I cannot guarantee your brother won’t hear wind of this from passing whispers. You know he has a strange way of knowing everything…”

Ayaka intertwines her fingers together tightly, a happy aura emanating from her form. “Thank you, Thoma! Thank you so much.” A sudden thought occurs to her. “Oh. If I may ask, do you know why Brother is so insistent on hiding her, Thoma? Is she in danger of some sort?”

Thoma plays with the back of his hair to ease his stress. “Uh… Not exactly…? How do I say this? Uh… Your brother… he… eh… might be a little… obsessed with her?”

-----🐈-----

Rumors often travel and trickle down the twisted grapevine before reaching the last right or wrong ears. And very rarely, do the details stay untouched.

Crrr…

Unless, of course, you’re right next to the source material.

WHAT??? your mind screeches, reeling from all of this unexpected development.

All of your limbs are stretched out, hands gripping the barely creaking wooden supports holding up the ceiling of this room, doing their best to keep your entire body from falling eight feet to the floor. Below you are your lady-in-waiting— who-is-actually-your-sister-in-law-apparently (?) — and that hardworking housekeeper— and-right-hand-man-to-your-damn-husband!

How does a wife of a lord find herself in this precarious situation, one may ask?

-----

[A few moments ago…]

With the vines on the furthest wall of the garden destroyed by your stupid husband, stealing your one line of freedom out of this damned estate, desperate times call for desperate measures. There couldn’t possibly be just one way out of this place, after all. Not to mention, luckily, your lady-in-waiting, Ayami, is finally away from you… for some reason. Regardless, you figure this is the time to strike.

“Psst!”

“What?”

“You ready?”

“Shh!”

Roaming through the halls, you find yourself next to one of the kitchens in charge of your daily meals. You quickly hide behind a tower of baskets, interest piqued by the sudden gathering of familiar and unfamiliar staff all in one place, whispering to each like a small horde of mice.

“Okay, okay, girls, guys, everyone, settle down.”

“Scooch over!” “Stop pushing me!” “Oh my Archons-”

“Settle down!” the leader of this gathering barks. “ … Now… It is time to unanimously decide…”

Perhaps, your escape could be delayed for a few moments. You don’t have a route mapped out just yet, and it would be a shame if you got caught so easily, being a daughter of the Holy Dogs and the lady of the estate. Besides, what are they talking about that begets such suspicious behavior?

Decide what? An ambush on the Kamisato Estate?? you wonder, leaning closer and tilting your head.

One of the staff plays a soft drum roll by slapping the back of a pot laid upside down.

“... on who’s the hottest man in Inazuma!!!”

You blink. Eh?

“Wooo!” “Yeah!” “Let’s get it on!”

“Now for the lineup, we have… Arataki Itto!”

“Woo!” “Wah~” “HELL YEAH!” “Our one and oni~” “HE’S DA MAN!”

You think about Arataki Itto. You had met him that day Ayato decided to take you out and you fell into the bridge and your husband— Ahem! Back to the oni in question, the last time you saw him, he did leave a manly impression. One that reminds you of a very tough… puppy? One of those mean-looking dogs that turn out to be surprisingly meek. With all of those markings and those large red horns, you suppose he does bring a carnal, predatory aspect of lust into some people’s mind at first glance. Too bad for those people, since he seems more naive and loud-mouthed than the brooding oni his appearance portrays. Plus, he's apparently a friend of your husband— close enough to call him “bro” of all things— which automatically makes him weird. But to each their own, you suppose.

“Gorou!”

“CUUUTE!” “Yah!” “My future waifu!” “The goodest boi!” “HE LOOKS SO FLUFFY!”

Gorou, the great general of the Watatsumi Island’s forces. You haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet (a result of your unwilling isolation, no doubt), but you have heard the tales. An admirable man known for his strength and valor. If Itto reminded you of a puppy, then the dog man himself definitely is a puppy. A Shiba inu, to be exact. Which begs the question, if he went up against Taroumaru, who would win…? In addition, if it were possible, you’d like to pet both and find out whether or not his tail is as fluffy as the rumors claim…

“Kaedehara Kazuha!”

Many whistles fly. “OUR HERO~” “Shut up, he’s mine!” “Please, he’s too good for a tramp like you.” “WHO YA CALLIN’ TRAMP, YOU SKANK?”

Another man of influence you’ve yet to meet in person, but one you’ve known about for a long time. The Kaedeharu Clan was a noble samurai clan of notable fame here in Inazuma and a subordinate branch of the Kamisato Clan until a certain incident. The young master was one of the bachelors considered in your betrothal. However, since the man himself was uninterested in marriage, and your elders saw it unfit to give you to a dying line, you ended up here instead of wherever he ended up, being a nomad and all. You don’t have any complaints, but it does make you wonder what it would’ve been like to be married to such a mysterious man… Would you have been free to roam the lands instead of cooped up here within the walls of the Kamisato Estate…?

Not that you would dare tarnish your family’s reputation with a dishonorable act of affairs, of course! And neither are you interested anyway. It’s just an interesting what-if situation to think about.

“Shikanoin Heizou!”

“Ahhh~” “His voice is so… mm~” “Yeah, so handsome~ “Listen, I’d never commit murder… unless it’s to steal his heart.” “PFF! LAME!” “SHUT UP, YOU LONELY SON OF A-”

Another man you haven’t- Ugh… Again, not someone you’ve met in person but you have heard some rumors. A young prodigy detective from the Tenryou Commission, with sharp senses and ingenious thoughts. Apparently, no matter what unsolved case he's facing, he can get to the truth in unexpected ways. Perhaps, if you are able to get ahold of him, you could have him solve the mystery of why your husband acts so strange?

“Thoma!”

“Ooooh!” “Honestly, he wins.” “He can wife me up any day.” “More like be my wife, ya know what I mean?” “Heck no! He’s our head of staff!” So?” “So… as if he’d be interested in your ugly peasant behind.” “NEO JUGEULLAE!?” “SPEAK COMMON-”

You grind your teeth, possessing no comment regarding your husband’s most loyal accomplice.

…..

… Fine! if you had to be fair… considering you’ve given props to the other men mentioned already… He is, admittedly, handsome in his own right. Reliable. Charming, in a kind and respectful kind of way.  If you weren’t married, you could see yourself snatching him up to be a husband on a whim.

…..

On second thought, you do find him a complete pushover who’d probably cry a lot if you showcased your true self. There’s no way someone like that could be completely loyal to and serve a strange man like your husband if he wasn’t a pushover. He probably wouldn’t be able to say no to someone like your cute and clumsy lady-in-waiting, Ayami, for example. He reminds you of a dog that whines if you so much as step out of sight for a single second. Pathetic.

“And finally…” Dramatic drumroll. “Kamisato Ayato!”

“.....” “.....” “.....” “Oooh…”

You await more comments, but find none.

What’s with the silence? you think, eyebrows furrowed. Where’s all of the cheering for my husband? He is an undoubtedly handsome and talented man, though with some caveats. Surely, there should be at least one fan?

“What? All that fuss over all those other men and suddenly when it comes to our fine-looking lord, nothin’?” asks the leader of the gossipers.

Exactly!

“Well…,” one of them starts, “It’s more like… you know…?”

“Yeah…” another of them agrees with hesitance. “He… and Lady Kamisato…”

“You know what? If nobody wants to say a thing, then I will!”

A round of groans. “Oh Archons, please someone hold him down.”

“Hey, wait a second!” You can hear many feets jump to the ground. “Listen, listen! He’s not my number one, but he’s like super duper hot.” Some pots clatter about. “If he wasn’t married, I’d bang him. Like I’d actually-”

“Oi!” One of them cuts in. “Speak properly and stop talking about our lord like that!”

“Ya know what?” says the mischievous one. “You’re right. If his wife wasn’t married-”

Your eyebrows raise up in wonder.

“WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!” cuts in the leader. “Shut. The hell. Up. Listen, buddy, I get that you’re a thirsty single idiot, but do not, and I repeat, do not speak of our lord’s wife in that manner. Especially in here. Do you want to end up getting your entire family killed? You wanna end up thrown out into the ocean?”

A silent gasp tumbles out of your mouth. What? People can’t talk about me, or else they’ll die? Because of who? And why? … Have there been people who have died whispering my name? Oh dear, that’s horrible! I must bring it up with Ayami later… But if I make the wrong move, will I be killed too?

“I mean… I guess there’s more fish in the sea-”

“Oh my Archons.” “Eff me.” “Shut up, weirdo…” “This is why nobody likes you.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Everyone, let's get back to the contest! Cast your votes now!”

Step step step step.

With footsteps coming your way, much to your chagrin, you depart from your hiding spot and race through the hallways, watching for any signs of incoming individuals. Just when you see a hint of a person’s clothing as they turn the corner, you immediately enter one of the rooms, close the door, and wait for them to pass.

“Oh!” “Huh?”

You hear two people accidentally bump into each other outside the door.

“Ayaka…?” says the male voice.

You haven’t said a word, but it seems the devil looks for any opportunity to appear. The moment you hear Thoma’s voice, an ice cold feeling enters your chest and makes you sharply inhale, fearing he’ll catch you and bring you back to your husband. In just under a second, you quickly scan the room and luckily find wooden pillars strong enough to support a person. Thank goodness for the Kamisato clan’s financially high status!

You quickly hop up,  extend all of your limbs, and balance yourself on the ceiling’s frame just as the housekeeper and… your lady-in-waiting(???) enter the room in the same manner as you did just earlier, avoiding other staff.

Thoma and Ayami? How scandalous! you think as your eyes jump between them. I would’ve never thought!

And that is how you end up finding out that your Ayami is actually Ayaka, your sister-in-law, and that sneaky housekeeper is definitely a complete pushover.

-----

Obsessed? Your eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. Him? Me? Obsessed? HIM?

“Eh? Brother? Lady (Y/n)? Obsessed?” Ayaka repeats, as if voicing your thoughts exactly. She gasps. “You mean to say… he’s in love with her?”

You almost choke on your spit.

“In a way…” Thoma nods vehemently, eyes squeezed tight as if he himself is having trouble believing this truth. “But it’s true! I swear. He has been, with her, since the day they met.”

The memory of the day you met your husband comes to mind, where you were crouched down in the very garden where you now constantly make and fail your escape attempts. You remember clearly putting on a fake smile, as per the Elders’ order, before turning around to greet him and his own fake smile. Two people wearing masks agreed to marry each other, to have and to hold until death.

Nothing unusual with arranged marriages, but… you’ve been wearing a mask since day one, with only a few cracks here and there. Does that mean your husband only decided to marry you because he fell in love with your fake self…?

In an instant, you feel something sharp and small like a needle pierce your chest. There are no enemies in this room, and there is not a single spot of blood seeping into the cloth covering your chest, and yet your chest hurts. You shake your head away from this strange feeling, and keep listening.

Ayaka intertwines her fingers together, eyes glittering. “Well, that’s wonderful! How wonderful!” She then deflates a little. “Though I do suppose that does explain why he’s so… protective over her…”

“Mm.”

You bit your bottom lip in dismay. No! Do not be fooled! That brother of yours is most certainly not being “protective”. I can take care of myself, thank you very much!

“However!” Ayaka pipes up. “I do not think it is fair for her at all. And most certainly not to me. He wouldn’t even allow our meeting to take place! I can't possibly be considered a danger to her.”

“Yes… Well, given the limited all-female staff, the restricted areas she’s allowed to be in, and the high amount of security around those areas… Now that I’m actually talking about it, I truly think he has gone mad,” Thoma comments.

I AGREE!

“I believe so too.” Ayaka agrees, crossing her arms. “Perhaps because she is his first love, after all…”

Eh…? Really…?

Ba-thump.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, he’s been smiling strangely as of late. And every time I mention Lady (Y/n) around him, I hear a cracking sound.”

Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

Oh thank goodness, I thought I was the only one hearing it. So, it does have something to do with that scary man. Huh… Scary…

“Indeed… I’ve been noticing that too,” says Thoma, getting into a thinker’s pose. “Regardless, it seems due to the upcoming festivals, he hasn’t been able to spend some time with Lady (Y/n) as of late and he is, for a lack of better words, suffering. Badly.”

Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

… G-good. If I can’t go outside by myself, then he cannot… he should… I can’t stand being near that man. If I have to suffer, then so should he.

“Is that so? Hmm… Speaking of which, ever since Lady (Y/n) received a package of…” Ayaka coughs politely, “‘mature’ books some time ago from a friend of hers, she has been avoiding him as much as possible. Not out of anger, I don’t think, but she has an odd tendency to ask for a bowl of ice water to dunk her head in whenever I mention him.”

Oh. Those books and the cucumber incident. Your cheeks fill with heat as you know it’ll be a while before you recover completely from that day. Your limbs begin getting tired, but all the training sessions you’ve endured since you were little demands you stay put and steadfast.

Thoma decides not to question the books, though his interest is piqued. Instead, he brings up a suggestive notion with raised eyebrows and a glint in his eyes. “Oh? It seems while it is obvious your brother is highly interested in Lady (Y/n), she might perhaps… feel the same way towards him?”

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

No? Absolutely not! You're getting the wrong idea! you shout mentally. He is a scary, scary man!

Ayaka’s eyes match his glint as she processes his words. “Perhaps they are too oblivious to one another to notice. Hm. I must say, it is quite advantageous that you are his right hand man, and I am her lady-in-waiting. I believe a little push may turn the tide?”

I’m not liking where this is going…

Thoma grins. “Shall we?” he offers, holding out his right hand.

“We shall!” Ayaka grasps his right hand with hers, solidifying their team-up officially.

And so, the esteemed housekeeper and the undercover sister-in-law make a silent vow with fire in their eyes and a determination in their hearts to join their respective persons.

While you are still on the ceiling, now silently begging them to leave.

Forget all of this nonsense about bringing you and your strange husband together or whatever they agreed on. And forget about even escaping. You just want to go back to your room and pretend you know nothing at all and are just a naive doll-like wife as most people believe you to be, not straining yourself in this manner.

The very moment the two leave, unseen by anyone else luckily (else that too could become its own rampant rumor, being a couple of unmarried individuals in a room by themselves) and shut the door, you immediately jump down onto the tatami mats and release a large sigh of relief. You roll your shoulders and bend your legs, wiggling your entire body out of the strain. You mentally apologize to your tomorrow’s self for enduring the damage of today’s actions.

You begrudgingly head back to your room, passing by the very garden that began all of the events that have occurred thus far. It is currently a late evening and the sun has already sunken behind the wall, now barren and mocking at your desire for freedom. It is a sight to behold however, seeing the beds of moonflowers starting to bloom underneath the flowerless cherry blossom trees.

Seeing as you have plenty of time before dinner, you make your way over near the wall and crouch down to examine the blooms closely. They were planted only a few weeks ago, replacing the autumn crops. During the day, you’ve only seen their bulbs. In the shadows now, they look like little stars. You reach out to touch the soft-looking petals.

“I’d advise you not to touch those particular flowers, (Y/n),” comments a very familiar voice from behind you.

You jolt and stand up, turning around as you do so, meeting the eyes of your husband. You quickly replace your wide eyes and open mouth with your doll-like mask, with emotionless eyes and a rigid smile. You give a tiny bow to him in greeting. “Hus- Ayato. San.”

Ba-thump.

His expression mirrors your own, though his eyes swirl with that familiar glint that raises goosebumps along your skin, covered by the expensive fabric of your modest robe. “(Y/n), he greets you back.

The two of you stand there in silence, not breaking eye contact except for the occasional blinking.

Although in the past, salacious images would appear in your mind and make you horrendously flustered in his presence… Somehow in this moment, your mind has become a void space, like the depths of a raging ocean at night.

Ba-thump.

The moment you hear the crickets in the garden begin to chirp, you realize there is no else here in the garden except for you and your husband.

Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

You decide to break the awkward silence. “How are you this evening?”

Crrr…

“Fine. And you?”

You nod. “Same as well.”

……

Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

“May I… inquire as to why you’d advise against touching these particular flowers?” You gesture to them.

He finally breaks eye contact entirely, looking over the moonflowers contemplatively. “Hmm. Pretty as they are, unprocessed moonflowers are unfortunately poisonous to the touch.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm. If accidentally ingested,” he continues, slowly going through more symptoms without breaking a beat. “They can potentially cause deliria, increased body temperature, hallucinations, disorientation, and in severe cases, respiratory failure or death.”

You blink, horror replacing your doll-like mask as you turn to look at the innocent-looking flowers. “Why- We should get rid of them then! Why keep such dangerous plants in an open space like this?”

“Are you suggesting we keep them hidden away in a closed space?” he asks, his voice monotone.

“Well, yes! Or gone completely!” you answer. “These flowers look far too innocent to be poisonous. Anyone would think it okay to pick them like any other flower in this garden.”

“That’s right… Though, it would be a shame if I had to get rid of them all. Such a flower that only blooms at night time is a privilege to behold, and not to mention, difficult to attain.”

You squint your eyes at the moonflowers, which resemble morning glories. “Is that so?”

“Mm. I would like to at least keep just one for myself…” he says in a low wishy-washy tone. “Presumably, near my desk or by my bedside…”

Your face twists into a frown of confusion. You turn to him to retort, “What? You shouldn’t keep one at all! What if you accidentally…”

Your voice leaves you when you find him standing just a foot away from you, his purple eyes seemingly glowing against the shadow over his face. The wall looms behind you, leaving no room to walk backwards. Your sides are covered with moonflowers, meaning you cannot simply sidestep your way out without trampling them.

“Accidentally…?” he repeats, voice hushed.

Why’s he so close?

Ba-thump.

“...A… A-accidentally touch it and poison yourself?” you complete your sentence. “As you said.”

His eyelids lower slightly. “That’s true… That could happen…” He tilts his head curiously. “I suppose I’ll just make sure not to touch it…”

“B-but what if you w-want to?” you insist, cringing at your suddenly developed stuttering. “O-or accidentally do?

He smiles, though his eyes don’t match at all. In fact, the swirling purple begins to glow even more ominously underneath the wall’s shadow. “Are you suggesting… that I lack self-restraint?”

You shake your head slightly. “N-not at all, Husband.”

“Ayato.”

“A-Ayato. San.”

“Good. But…” He places a hand against the wall and leans forward slightly, making you lean back. “It’s a shame. I would still desire one for myself, even if I can never lay a finger on it… Am I not allowed to…?”

What’s with this position? Why’s he asking for permission?  “I d-didn’t mean that,” you respond. “B-but surely, there are o-other better and prettier flowers just like it that w-won’t cause you any harm?”

He hums as if considering your words properly. “I suppose that’s true… though… ‘better’ and ‘prettier’, as you put it, they are not. At least… compared to the flower I truly want.”

Ba-thump.

Flower? “S-still!” you insist, ignoring the nagging feeling poking at you. “I-it would be better to not have something s-so dangerous near you. A-anything that would not cause any of those h-horrid conditions you mentioned earlier would be much safer, in any case. S-shouldn’t it?”

“Hm…” He leans in even closer. “And what should I do if I still want it?” 

What is he doing!? “W-what?”

“What if I… already experience all of those horrid things while it is not at my side?” he whispers, huskily. “What should I do then, hm (Y/n)?”

You open your mouth to respond, only to produce, “... Uh?”

Your eyes begin to shift hesitantly as they search for something in the swirling purple of his irises to explain what is happening right now, only to realize that it looks like it could swallow you whole. In fear, you hesitantly raise your hands to push him back for more space, only to be shocked to find your fingers hovering a mere hair’s width from his chest. You lean back instead, only to move a few centimeters before your back is pressed against the stone cold wall. That thumping echoing inside your ears since earlier begins to increase in volume, becoming louder and heavier with each beat.

“What. Then. (Y/n)?” he asks again, weighing each word, unwavering as he leans forward a little more.

He’s so close you almost can feel the heat rolling off from him as the temperature grows colder. Dizzying is the warm scent of oak, of tea, and… an underlying oceanic essence?

You snap out of this hesitance and answer, “I… I-I don’t know!” as you squeeze your eyes shut as you finally find the courage to press your hands against his chest and push him with all your might.

He stumbles a few steps back, allowing you the chance to escape by hopping over to patches of grass not covered in moonflowers, only to feel your arm be snatched, pulling your body back against a body, namely your husband’s body. His arms wrap around you, like a cage around a pet.

“Wha-”

“Shhh… there are witnesses.” The timbre of his voice tingles against the delicate skin of one of your ears.

You tense up. A quick glance in front of you captures the sight of gasping servants who rush out of sight, possibly to share the scandalous sight of the lord being intimate with his wife in the secrecy of their main garden. You blush heatedly as this description presents itself in your mind.

It’s not like that at all! He’s just… He’s just being weird! you tell yourself, though you don’t even sound convinced in your own mental dialogue.

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

You flinch when you feel him take a breath near your ear, his arms tightening around you.

“You…”

“... W-what?” You fear his next words.

“The moon….”

…..

You raise an eyebrow. “Eh?”

“The moon… looks beautiful tonight…” he whispers.

Unlike earlier, he sounds… unsure of himself. It’s… strange, coming from your husband who is so usually calm and collected with his fake smiles and scary eyes. You look up at the sky. The sun may have already set, but there is no moon to be seen from where you stand. You tilt your head in confusion, but you don’t dare turn your head to look at him.

“Um… Hus- Ayato. San?”

There is a lull before he answers, “... Yes?”

“The moon hasn’t risen yet?” you point out.

“... So it hasn’t,” he confirms, without raising his head. Or least, you don’t feel him turn his head to the sky.

…..

“Um…?”

“... Hm?”

“There is… no one here…” you say. “Anymore.”

You feel him shift his face, presumably looking in front of you before he shifts his head back down. “... So there isn’t,” he responds plainly.

…..

“... Can I… go? Now?” you ask, hopeful to go and calm down all of your being.

You feel him deeply inhale and exhale a warm breath. “... Okay.”

The moment you feel him release his arms, you book it to the nearest room, wrench the sliding door open, and slam it shut before you collapse onto your four limbs and begin gasping for air as your blood rushes through your entire body with pounding fervor. In the dark, you lay down on your side and place a hand against your heart as you process what just happened.

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump!

What was he- Why was he- UGH! You grip your hair, feeling the heat of your cheeks burning like the summer sun.  He… hugged me. We hugged. He gave me a back hug. Why did he give me a hug? R-right, it was to keep up our image in front of our staff. But then why did he keep hugging me? We haven’t held hands yet! What was he talking about? Did he… does he like me?

You grip the fabric in your hands and shake your head.

No. If anything, he hasn’t met my true self, and it’s not like I… I don’t have feelings for him so…  so I should… I should just pretend that didn’t happen. That’s right… Right…

You wipe the excess water coming from your eyes on the fabric of your sleeve.

-----🐈-----

Outside in the garden, standing lonesome is the heir to the Kamisato clan, gazing at his empty hands. The warmth of your body has left its mark, now a phantom sensation he wishes to re-experience in its entirety, if only you’d let him.

Ba-thump…

He sighs and turns to gaze upon the innocent-looking moonflowers swaying lightly to the late evening breeze.

Untouchable, and yet so irresistible to look at. It really took all of his restraint to simply not do anything that would scare you when the delicious scent of you was wafting about tantalizingly as he held you in his arms…

Ever since the day he saw you muttering incessantly to yourself, picking apart a poor flower in this very garden, before putting on a facade before him, he had initially thought that someone like you should be locked away in a cage to study, like a cat. An unruly pet to tame, just for his own amusement in this colorless, unfeeling world.

But after marrying you and spending some more time with you— gazing upon you in times when you’re not near him— he began to crave it more.

And now forced to be away from you for such long periods of time? It was different from when you had spent your honeymoon in separate rooms, which was partly out of his own will. This time, however…

Ayato scoffs, placing a hand on his forehead as memories of these past few weeks come to his mind.

-----

The sight of Thoma, his most loyal and obedient comrade, being allowed to roam freely in the west wing where you reside, even on his orders,  is starting to become so nerve-wracking it makes Ayato want to break the housekeeper’s arms and legs so painfully, he wouldn't be able to think about crawling towards you.

-----

Sometimes, while taking a break from working on his duties, Ayato would look at his hands and find them covered in thick amounts of black ink in one moment, and then normal and clean with your hands in his, and then nothing at all the next moment.

-----

There are times he finds himself so dizzy from looking at all of the words he’s written and seeing faint images of you sitting across from his desk, smiling at him the way you've never smiled at him before.

-----

Lately, he finds himself having difficulty sleeping at night in your separate bedrooms, knowing you're so close and yet so far from him. Every so often, he’ll wake up in that very lonely bedroom of his, and find you there on top of him, whispering things only a fiend would ever say— only to wake up again and find only himself. Oh… The things you do to him… 

-----

Yet the real you runs away from him each and every time you see him. Why? Is it because you're afraid of him? If you are, you're such a smart kitten…

But too bad. Your husband is not someone who gives up so easily.

If he doesn’t do something about your tendency to run outside the moment the door is open, you might encounter dangerous beasts who wish to do nothing more than to rip out all of your petals and feast upon you whole.

Ayato reaches down and plucks a moonflower, slowly twirling it between gloved fingers. The white of the petals reflect the light of the moon that just is now peeking shyly behind dark clouds.

Just like you, he thinks.

It is unfortunate, however, that unlike the insidious moonflower, you carry no such poison to defend yourself against such terrible beings— daughter of the Holy Dogs or not.

The kind that roams outside of the estate, of course. Not him. Oh no no no. You should understand that the only terrible beast, if he is honest about himself, allowed to be near you should be him and only him. That is a privilege only a husband should have towards his wife, is it not?

Ayato smiles genuinely and sadistically, chuckling to himself as he crushes the flower in his hand and then opens it, letting the crumbled pieces fall to the ground. His head fills with all sorts of deep and dark thoughts, of his intentions towards you and of how he’ll get rid of everyone standing between you and him.

He looks towards the direction you went.

Ah… perhaps it’s about time you get used to him, to understand where exactly you should be.

Right next to him, and no one else.

[darlingsblackbook]

Kamisato Ayato x Reader

Summary : A choice made by your parents without your knowledge, ended up uniting the two of you in an arranged marriage.

Wordcount : 2500

Warnings : Panic attack, arranged marriage, bad relationship with parents and angst? I have not reached Ayato's quest yet, so this might be ooc. Let me know if it is, please :')

A/N : I used to love writing but eventually stopped because it started feeling like a chore instead of a hobby, but now I'm back >:) I have never written for Genshin Impact, so this was new for me! Also, english is not my first language, so if there are any mistakes, feel free to let me know :)

Gravel crunched underneath your feet as you silently followed your, now, husband to your new home. The whites of the heavy dress, adorned by your body, unfortunately being dirtied as it dragged behind you on the ground. You could not bring yourself to care at this moment, not when there were many things running through your mind to worry about.

Your heart hammered against your chest, you truly feared it would fall out at any moment now. Raising your hands up, you clearly see the tremors in your hands. Every step you took, filled you with more and more fear, leaving you gasping for air. And as you saw the guards and the lights of the estate, from a distance, you could no longer control the expression on your face. You could already feel the tears trying to force their way out.

You didn't want to take any step further, you truly wanted to stop right there and then. You didn't want to enter the estate, it was not your home, filled with strangers. That included your husband, you didn't know him, you knew of him and the fact he was feared by many, but that's it. You had never talked to him before, the first and last words you had uttered to him until now were your wedding vows.

What a joke

Your parents just gave you away as if you meant nothing. Just an object to exchange for more power and status. The dress, your makeup, jewelry and your hair styled to perfection felt like nothing more but a big, red bow on a present.

You always knew, it was clear from the conversations you were always left out of, the trips where you were left behind, the love and affection you were deprived of, you were the black sheep amongst your siblings.

You never understood it, you never asked them for anything, always did everything they wanted, always did your best to excel in all subjects and yet they could not find it in them to give you - even the tiniest - bit of praise.

It's not fair.

How could they just leave you with a stranger, just like that, without any care? How could they decide who you would spend the rest of your life with, without the slightest care of your own wants and dreams? Did they not care to think about your own feelings, how utterly terrified you would be? To leave the only place you've ever seen, to go live with a place filled with strangers, even share a room with one-

I mean, come on, even if you were the least favored one, you must have at least meant something to them, right?

You could no longer hold your tears back, they softly fell, leaving a shiny trail behind. You slowed down a bit, fearing Ayato might hear you, fearing how he might react. He was a complete stranger to you, you had only heard rumors about the commissioner, you had no idea what to expect from him.

Your anxiety spiked, all kinds of scenarios running through your mind. There were just too many things you didn't know, the images fabricated by your mind filling up the blank spaces.

"Good evening, commissioner." You were snapped out of your haze by the voices of the guards. You had not even realized you reached the estate. You hurriedly wiped any traces of tears on your face but, judging by the looks on the guards' faces it had no use.

They did their best to give you an assuring smile, "Welcome to the estate, my lady.", they bowed.

You managed a small smile, thanking them for the kind gesture. You wiped away any traces of the emotions raging inside of you. There were maids everywhere in the estate, you could not risk being seen like this, it would leave a bad impression.

You couldn't help but look around in awe, the Kamisato estate truly was beautiful and much bigger than your former home.

You were so distracted, your footsteps slowed down even more, you hadn't noticed Ayato had stopped in front of a door. Nor had you noticed the softness in his eyes as he gazed at your form, the corners of his lips quirked up in the tiniest smile. "Y/n."

"Huh?" You turned your head so quickly, you were pretty sure you had a whiplash, not that you could help it. It was the first time he spoke since leaving the event. You immediately straightened up, fixing your posture and raised your head as an attempt to look confident. "Yes, commissioner?"

A certain glint appeared in his eyes at the title, if you didn't know any better you would have said it was amusement. He did not comment on it, simply sliding the door open and stepping inside the room.

You took a deep breath and followed him inside. It was a simple room, a huge bed, a closet and a vanity. On the left side of the room you could see another door, probably leading to a bathroom.

Was this his room? The room you were supposed to share with him? The bed you were expected to sleep in....with him? Your cheeks turned a bright red just at the thought.

"Is the room to your liking?" Ayato asked, after seeing you examine the room. You looked at him and silently nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, if there's anything you're not satisfied with or would like to change feel free to let me know."

"Thank you", you quietly responded. You fiddled with your finger and looked around the room to keep you busy as an awkward silence filled the room.

Until... a rustling sound was heard, followed by the sound of something soft hitting the floor. Your gaze automatically drifted in the direction of the sound, only for you to immediately slap the palms of your hands on your eyes.

"I'm sorry! I did not mean to look!" You gasped, the feeling of embarrassment causing your cheeks to turn a bright red.

You heard a chuckle, followed by footsteps and then the warmth radiating from a body - Ayato was standing right in front of you.

Warm hands gently curled around your wrist, softly pulling your hands away from your face. "Don't be embarrassed, you may look as much as you desire to."

"Wha…you…I-", speechless, you were truly speechless. What were you even supposed to respond with? Was he trying to cause you a heart attack?!

"Or do my looks perhaps not satisfy you enough?" Ayato said with a raised eyebrow.

Kill me now

You frantically shook your head, just giving up on even attempting to speak. You couldn't look him in the eye, neither could you look down as his chest was right in your face, you just settled to look at the closed bathroom door behind Ayato. That's until he raised his hand and put a finger under your chin to raise your head up. "Oh? My looks don't satisfy you?"

"N-no that's not it! You look….fine…commissioner" You managed to say.

"Ayato." He said, after a moment of silence. An intense look in his eyes.

You blinked at him, "Hmm?"

"You may call me Ayato." He clarified, "We are husband and wife now after all. It would be…unusual..for you to call me by such a title."

"Oh.." you again averted your eyes to the door behind him, "I..apologize."

"There is no apology needed." Ayato cleared up and suddenly his smirk was back on his face. "Say, why won't you get ready for bed? You must be tired."

"O-oh, uhmm..o-okay" you quietly answered. Ayato finally lowered your hands and let go of only one, continuing to hold onto the other. You looked at him in confusion before a yelp escaped you as you were suddenly spun around. Your clothed back gently landed against his bare chest, his arm around your waist, holding you close.

You couldn't help the shudder that ran through your body or the soft gasp that escaped you at the feeling of his warm breath against your sensitive neck. Looking in front of you, you saw that he had turned you in the direction of a full body mirror. "L-lord…Ayato…"

The hand that was not holding onto you raised up and gently took out the hairpiece holding your hair up. The strands of hair gently fell down and framed your face perfectly. The same hand gently stroked your hair, feeling the softness and the faint scent of flowers of your shampoo wafting to his nose.

You looked up at him through the mirror, surprised at his gentleness. You had heard all kinds of things about Ayato, hushed stories that were passed from one maid to the other and had reached your ears. You were still scared, your shaky hands the proof of said feeling and reminder of how close you were to having a panic attack. Still, seeing the way he had treated you until now managed to somehow lessen the fear.

There was still one thing you were panicking about…

Ayato's eyes met yours in the mirror, he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear before he took a step back and completely let go of you. Your eyes stayed locked on each other. "Do you need my assistance in preparing for bed?"

Your eyes widened at his offer and you frantically shook your head. "N-no! I mean, I'll be fine."

"Very well," Ayato said, "then I shall continue to get ready as well."

You took a deep breath to slow your hammering heart, you would have to undress yourself. You raised your shaky hands to grab onto the outer layer of your wedding kimono. You turned your head to look in the mirror, only to be met with Ayato bare back as he himself continued to change into his sleeping clothes. You could faintly see the small scars scattered on the expanse of his back and the strong muscles as he moved.

You quickly turned your head away and hurriedly started to change into your nightwear, rushing to get clothed while his back was still turned to you as you did not feel comfortable enough yet to bare your body to him. He was still a stranger after all.

Even though it went against the advice given to you by your personal maids.

As soon as you pulled your nightgown down, you looked into the mirror again, seeing Ayato turning around right on time. His eyes briefly wandered across your form before he met your gaze.

Ayato started walking towards you until he was right behind you, his eyes still on yours. He raised his hands up and gently pulled all of your hair behind one shoulder. You held your breath when you saw his hand lowering to the back of your neck, until you felt him unlock the necklace around your neck.

His expression was unreadable and the look in his eyes so intense, you couldn't help but break eye contact. Your chest raised up and down at a fast pace, resembling the pace of your heartbeat.

"Why don't you get in bed?" He asked, breaking the tense silence. He took a step back and walked towards the vanity to store the necklace away.

You silently walked past him, to your preferred side of the bed and shyly sat down. This was the part of the night that could not leave your mind and had you scared the most.

Were you just going to sleep or did he expect a certain thing from you?

You harshly gulped, clasping your hands together as you felt the bed dip behind you. The same overwhelming fear threatens to take over again. You bit your lip, a nervous habit of yours, to distract yourself.

A warm hand landing on your left shoulder had your whole body stiffening up, you barely managed to hold yourself back from flinching. Ayato softly pulled your shoulder back in his direction, "Turn around, y/n."

You did as he said, turning your body in his direction but your head lowered as if the design on the sheet was the most interesting thing ever. Again, you could escape his gaze, he took your chin between two fingers to meet your eyes.

Did he….want-, your train of thought was cut off as you saw him leaning in. You softly gasped when his nose softly bumped against yours, his warm breath softly hitting your face and when he leaned even closer you tightly closed your eyes.

One, two, three seconds passed and then you felt it. His surprisingly soft lips placed an equally soft kiss on your forehead. Your eyes snapped open in bewilderment, that was the last thing you expected.

One, two and after three seconds, Ayato pulled away not too far though. Again he held you so close your nose almost touched his, "I do not intend to go anywhere you're not ready for yet. I understand how troubling so much change in so little time must be and the difficulty of being from everything that's familiar to you…. It may not feel like it yet but this is your home as much as it is mine and I want it to feel like such to. I do not wish for you to feel fear or unwelcomed in your own home, so if anything or anyone dares to trouble you, let me know and it will be dealt with. Do you understand?"

You could only offer a nod. A soft sigh escaped Ayato's lips before he pulled away from you. He blew out the candles on the nightstand at his side and silently layed down with his back turned to you and pulled the blanket over his form. You followed his actions and shyly rested your head on the pillow next to his, you had turned your back to him as well.

The tremors in your hands had disappeared. The pounding beat of your heart slowed to a steady rhythm and your breath evened out. The panic and fear in your body was pushed to the background as a warmth blossomed in your chest.

Still, as your lower lip trembled, you could not help it as tears welled up and softly fell. This time, they were not caused by your parents' mistreatment and neglect, neither by the aching loneliness or absolute fear and hopelessness of your future.

Instead, it was Ayato's thoughtfulness, it was the way Ayato clearly had made you his priority (despite you technically being as stranger to him too), he respected you and your feelings - just the fact you had noticed your inner turmoil and had not ignored it and done whatever he wanted ( like everyone else in your life ) was enough to reduce you to tears.

While you held your hand tightly clasped on your lips, keeping any sounds of escaping you, to avoid disturbing Ayato's sleep….

Said man was wide awake, his heart strangely aching at the sound of the soft sobs you could not hold back…

All Rights Reserved © 2023 DarlingsBlackBook

[maopll]

Could I request something like this https://www.tumblr.com/maopll/712602219674058752/hello-hello-may-i-request-zhongli-kaeya-ayato?source=share

but with Kaveh, Itto, Childe, and Thoma?

My muse | genshin edition !

#pt.1 here || pt.2 !

⌗:, where you draw your lover in a sketchbook only for him to soon find out the peculiar way you show your love and adoration for him ♡

⌗:, a/n: what if I draw them in jojo poses ?...

⌗:, warning: there are gingers and blondes and bullchucker. there's mention of blood in childe's part.

⌗:, pairings: kaveh, itto, childe & thoma w/ gn!reader

KAVEH —

It was a warm Sunday evening. The afternoon glow of the sun illuminated the room. You and your lover, Kaveh, are basking in the quiet comfort of eachother. On the sofa, you sat crossing your feet and sketching countless pictures of what or of who. Your lover sat on the other side, making minute and very careful details of splendid architectural designs. You noticed the way his face would scrunch up when he would make those little designs on the railing or even on the roof. The way he would do a soft 'yes!' When he got something right on his first try. You recorded down every single detail on the small sketchbook of yours. When you would feel his gaze upon you, you would be quick while closing the book lest he sees what you made.

However, on his birthday you decided to gift him the sketchbook. He was dumbfounded and asked why you would give him something you were using. Until he flipped the pages and marvelled at the beautiful drawings you made of him. for him. It was simple yet so meaningful to him. His eyes filled with tears with how pure and sweet your love for him was. You were his everything, a beacon of light in his world.

ITTO —

Having you as his s/o was like winning the lottery. There wasn't a single moment that he didn't enjoy when he was with you. Whenever he would be playing onikabuto fights with the kids in hanamizaka, you would shelter yourself under a tree and sketch away the little doodle of your lover. Capturing each and every little detail of his face. The way he would scrunch up his nose when he would be thinking of his next move or the utter look of shock on his face when he would lose for the nth time...

Nevertheless, you find this hobby to be quite comforting. The sun was already starting to set, and the kids had returned home. Your lover hadn't won a single round, but he doesn't care much about it. As soon as they were gone, he went up to you screaming, "Hey babe!" only to find that you have fallen asleep. It's alright he's strong enough to carry his lover on his back, but he was in for a little surprise. When he picked you up in his arms, he saw the sketches, doodles of his and his...abs? although he has minimum knowledge about art and anatomy, he was still surprised seeing someone looking very similar to him and his name on YOUR notebooks. Ofcourse your one and only oni should be the one to grace the pages of your sketchbook! and also to grace your soft lips!

CHILDE —

Bloodshed, Bloodlust, Bloodthirst. That's all he knew all his life. He barely found respite, but with your coming into his life, things started to get a lot better, and he found happiness with you.

Your lover, childe, has gone out once again to take care of some "business." Apparently, he has loads of things to take care of, so today was another one of those sleepless and quite cold nights in Snezhnaya where you yearn for your lovers warmth but unfortunately he cannot be there. The candle was lit by your bedside table. You used the faint glow it provided to draw on your sketchbook. After all, you needed something to help you sleep, and this was the best thing you could do now. It was 3 p.m. now. Childe entered through the front door into your shared home. He tiptoed softly and carefully to not wake you up since it was an odd time to be awake. He stepped foot into your room and smiled, seeing you fast asleep. It was quite cold, and your blanket wasn't on top of you. While pulling the covers over you, he saw him drawn on your sketchbook. He looked at the drawings and he felt butterflies in his stomach. A faint shade of pink was dusting his face and a small smile graced his lips. "ajax?...you're home?" you spoke in a drowsy tone. He smiled and said "I'm home" while removing the sketchbook from you and setting it aside. Although the room was quite dark, you swear you saw a faint glimmer in his eyes...

THOMA —

He runs back and forth around the house from morning to evening. As expected, he grows tired by the end of the day, even if he tries napping during his breaks. You, however, seize this opportunity to admire his angelic features more closely since he is static in one place. At least for some time...

The Kamisato Estate was obviously busy with him conducting some classes about housework and dealing with the housework of the estate. Finally it was four o'clock in the afternoon and he had finally got his much needed rest. While he dozed off on your lap, taking in the comfortable warmth, you were busy sketching away on your sketchbook. His eyes, his sleepy face, his ruffled hair, his parted lips. Not a single detail would you miss. When his rest was finally over, he got up, but you had fallen asleep. It's understandable since you also work around the house with him a lot. When he tried getting up, the book fell from your hand. Whilst trying to pick up the book, he saw his sketches on your book. He was amazed and embarrassed since he was drawn so intricately on such a small piece of paper. A soft hue of pink bloomed across his face. He turned his body towards you and gently caressed your face. He kissed your temple and whispered "sleep well dear.."